Harry's Blue Period

Today was Harry's first art class. I left Charlotte with Roxana so that he and I could have a special mother-son date. And it was a good one. Our teacher, Miss Julie, was a bit on the rigid side ("if your toddler can't sit quietly during story time, please leave the room." I'm relieved to report Harry behaved!), but the class seemed super-fun for Harry and the other kids, who were encouraged to dive into the the paints and "express themselves." Harry revealed a little of his personality by painting inside the valleys of an egg carton (and only inside the valleys of the egg carton). Which leads me to wonder if i'll be ironing his underpants in a year or two. I was totally amused. He was joined by two of his friends -- Morgan and Luke, who together sprinkled salt on their seascapes and adorned them with shredded paper.

After Harry put the finishing touches on his work, he began painting himself: his hands, his arms, his face. We're pretty free-wheeling with the paints at our home, but I gotta say it was nice to let someone else's space get filty. Made it fun for me too. If anyone would like to purchase one of our son's masterworks, I'm happy to oblige. An original Harry is currently going for the cost of one semester at UVa.

Lean on Me

Not even a 20-pound sister could distract Harry last night from an episode of Thomas the Tank Engine. She lay in his lap for five minutes, cooing and trying to hold his hand. He was oblivious. Or maybe he's decided she's a good playmate after all.

Splish Splash

Our friend Sabrina celebrated her 1/2 birthday this afternoon with a pool party. Harry could not have exuded more enthusiasm for 2-feet of water (perfect!) and a plate of super-clever faux fruit cupcakes. It was an inspired afternoon of splashing and toddler glee. Now if I could just learn to put sunblock on myself.

Remebering Jacko

For all of his bizarre physical transformations and behavior that was all-but proven to be criminal, Michael Jackson defined the soundtrack of my childhood, as he did for so many millions. Maybe more. I remember watching that famed moonwalk live. I have parked myself in front of cable TV at least three times to watch the drecky TV drama about the Jackson's rise to fame. I have a stack of Michael's CDs loaded (somewhat abashedly) into my husband's 500-disc changer. And every time I go running I listen to one of his more obscure hits, "Dirty Diana," on my Ipod.

Whatever you think of Michael the person (and there is a whole lot to think), it's impossible not to recognize the impact he has had on the music of our lives. Like so many, I have been gripped by his untimely passing, reading the LA Times at night for new tidbits, watching cable news, even logging on to TMZ (a first for me) for the salacious details (the 911 call, the questionable private doc, you name it). So when I needed to see Michael this morning, to remember his contribution, I went to the only logical place I could remember: MTV. I have literally not tuned in to the channel in about 15 years. But there I was, glued to the tube, watching video after video. Thriller. Bad. Billy Jean. Beat It. I felt like a teen again, and I took Harry along on the ride. He was riveted, trying to dance along to the performer I told him was known as "Jacko." My buddy Bill sent me a link to some of Michael's best moves.

How unsurprised I was that that toe-tapping beat made an impression on my toddler. Before bed Harry asked for "more Jacko." Perhaps Michael's early death is poetic justice for the wrongs he has twice been accused of committing. Perhaps that is why his critics are now free to praise the force of his work without apology. He was a freak, truly hard to look at at times, saddled with debt and surrounded by unscrupulous hangers-on. It is a life that makes me sad. For him, for his alleged victims, for his children (so much therapy in their future). No doubt his music will continue to endure. I'm not so sorry that Jacko the man is gone. But I am sorry that Harry and Charlotte won't have more of Jacko's genius to appreciate.

I Saw a Ship a Sailing....

Have you ever read a book and the plot was so alluring you wished you were part of the story? Harry had one of those moment at bedtime. We were reading "I Saw a Ship a Sailing." It's part of an awesome picture book, "If You Love a Nursery Rhyme" that my friend Cathy gave the boy for his second birthday. As you turn the pages, a paper engineering technique (a lot like paper shutters), mysteriously transforms the artwork.

Harry's favorite is the final rhyme, about the sailing ship. As you turn the page, a bounty of comfits and apples (read: candy) are revealed within the decks of the square rigger, attended to by 24 white mice. We've read the book a hundred times, but this time it was just too much. Harry slipped his feet onto the page and tried his best to enter the ship's hold. "Harry get in the boat!" he pleaded.

Straighten Up and Fly Right

The weather was rotten Saturday morning. So we headed off to the Udvar-Hazy Center (the National Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport). We had the good and bad fortune to show up on "family day" (lots of extra activities for the kids including a cool little runway -- and lots of extra people). But yes indeedy, nothing so grand as a masssssssive hanger full of planes (and when I say massive...I mean the place houses the space shuttle Enterprise, it's that big).

Enterprise is always my favorite stop (huge Star Trek fan that I am), and it turned out to be Harry's too. He is still talking about the "shuttle to the moon." How awesome and terrifying it must be to have a child grow up to become an astronaut.

When Harry was a but a wee baby we took a tour of a Russian sub -- he got fed a bottle right inside. So I thought it fitting that on this trip Charlotte get a feeding in front of an antiballistic missle. Photo to come.

That's So Granola

Aunt Jori had a good rainy day suggestion to amuse Harry: bake granola. I've never made it before but indeed, it was super easy and frankly, tasted better than any store-bought I've encountered so far. The best part is that it's cheaper and you can tailor it to your own, yes, tastes. The recipe below is her favored one, taken from Alton Brown. Jori says she adds pumpkin seeds (a new word for me (pipians), sunflower seeds and flax seeds (all of which we included too). I didn't have coconut, so I didn't use it, and it tastes great without. (Whole Foods carries everything...including those weird little pipians...I'm saving that word for the NYT crossword.)

It rained. We baked.

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup cashews (I instead used sunflower seeds, flax seeds and pipians)
  
• 3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut (I didn't use coconut)
  
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.