Crouton Pie

Which school supply are you?

Just a quick interruption of "what we did last summer" to give an update on our wonderful Stella Rondo Elementary School.  Bronson's sixth grade teacher, Miss Chenille, new this year, is fabulous.  Her web site included not only a detailed list of school supplies to bring on the first day, but a writing assignment as well.  The kids were assigned to write a paragraph with the following creative prompt:  "If I were one of these classroom supplies, I would be..."

Fortunately, after visiting several stores, we were able to find all the supplies.  Then Bronson chose the box of 16 crayons to write about, saying, "there are hundreds of boxes of 8, 24, 64, and 96, but I am that rare box of 16 that has all the colors any sixth grader needs."  Obviously, he feels ready for sixth grade! 

Stella Rondo Elementary is K-6, so Hailey and Bronson are in the same school again, so thankfully during this stressful time Bronson does not need to be ready for a new school.

Hailey has already decided that if she gets the assignment next year she will be a glue stick.  "I go on purple (my favorite color), and then I disappear, but I'm still there."   Amber is our green highlighter, her big green eyes reflecting and amplifying our family's every mood. I am the three-ring binder, with one ring for each child, keeping us together and organized!

The only problem we had was choosing a school supply for Purcell.  Hailey suggested hand sanitizer.  "For someone who caught one of the most contagious diseases anywhere?" said Bronson, both bitter and proud.

Hailey objected that that was unfair.  "As we speak, he is protecting the world from contagious chronic fatigue," she said, sounding much older than a fifth grader.  I decided it was time to serve an early dinner of crouton pie, then cuddle up with the kids and dogs to watch one of our favorite movies, maybe The Five Little Peppers and How they Grew.

Silicon hearth song

There's nothing like a gloomy February morning for basking in the glow of an email containing good news, while the dog and baby play together in front of the television.  To counter the blue glow from the television and the computer screens, I turned on a few of our battery-powered pillar candles.  We could not be cozier if we were sitting by the fire in a colonial cottage!  Wonderfully, Amber and Leila are sharing the Wii controller and playing Jellyfish Roundup together! 

The good news from the internet is that the wonderful room parent for Hailey's class has emailed addresses for all the girls in fourth grade at Stella Rondo.  We want to invite all 30 of them--a lot, I know, but it will be so worth it for our cause and to help Hailey get to know all these girls.  Besides, since they will be bringing donations for the leatherbacks instead of gifts, Hailey won't have any guilt feelings about getting too many presents!

Ohlones Together

Everyone pulled together for a wonderful "Among the Ohlone Day!"  Since it is my first year at the school, I can't compare it to past events, but I have to say that it was really quite impressive.  First of all, Ivanna's tule skirts made from felt and straw came out wonderfully well.  I had to help her finish the last few this morning when she arrived at school with straw in her hair and said she had been up all night working in front of the TV. She sounded pleased to have found out that in the U.S. the TV programs never stop.  "In Moldavia, we have something called a 'test pattern' that comes on in the night,"  she said.

We assembled the tule hut, using her tulle fabric and my gift wrap rolls, then got inside and quickly completed the last few skirts.   We didn't have time to pick up the extra straw before someone burst in and covered the straw with a blanket of sweet-smelling California Bay Laurel leaves, which we later found out were supposed to have been put in the granary to preserve the stored acorns. 

The games worked wonderfully well.  Only one child was caught cheating at Ohlone Rummy, which as far as I could tell was a cross between three-card monte and mancala, in which the dealer (in this case, a parent) almost always wins.  The boys especially loved the hoop and spear games, which were quite safely conducted with rubber-tipped equipment.   

The girls liked the skirts, although a few thought they were scratchy and traded them for boys' headbands.  When a few kids abandoned their clothing, others picked it up and put on complete outfits, using extra skirts as capes and extra headbands as belts.

Little Amber was an angel, watching  from her baby sling, to which I had attached a rabbit pelt to make it look more authentic.  With her hair sticking up in a dark brown Mohawk, she was perhaps the most authentic looking Ohlone there. 

Fish and Chips and Vinegar

Back at the computer in my wonderful living room, where I can watch squirrels frolic in the oak tree whenever I look up from the screen, I saw that everyone on the committe just received an email from Mr. Flowers.

Mr. Flowers admits he is familiar with the term meat pie mum, although he never used it in writing.

So what is a meat pie mum?  I think I better just quote Mr. Flowers:

"It's an epithet from the land of Guy Fawkes for mothers who sell junk food to children through the school fence because nothing but healthful food is to be had inside.  The moms and kids seem to be having a hard time adjusting to the new healthy food regulations in the schools there."

I think it was better when the accused did not know what it meant.

Well!  Off to the meeting.  The wonderful thing is that no real meat pie mums exist at Stella Rondo Elementary!  Although I have noticed a few mothers dropping off In-and-Out Burger bags for their kids at lunch time.

Meat Pie Mum?

Just read an extraordinary series of emails while Amber composed some lovely tunes on her Baby Mozart. 

The mother who wanted to buy Capri Sun pouches and cheese sticks for the kids to eat at the Ohlone festival has been called a "meat pie mum."

Unfortunately, neither the accused or the accuser seems to know exactly what meat pie mum means.  The Reply All club has been arguing about who is or is not a vegetarian.  They all claim to love meat!

Harvest Half Moon

It was a good thing Purcell arrived home from London, Ontario, yesterday afternoon.  I was able to leave the kids at home while I picked up a bale of hay from the pumpkin patch.  (They will sell anything they have there, not just pumpkins, if you ask.)

After I picked up Bronson from an extra soccer practice, Bronson and I dropped off the hay at Ivanna's house.

An orange harvest half moon hung low over her roof, contrasting the with the blue TV glow coming from within. 

Bronson said he was glad I wouldn't be making the hay and felt tule skirts while watching TV.  I think even he appreciates that we don't watch enough TV to contemplate a project like that. 

Bad news: tule hut not enough

But now, in addition to the tule hut, which Ivanna and I will complete on Thursday, the teachers also want tule skirts for the girls to wear.  We decided that hay glued to felt would look the most authentic.  Fortunately, Ivanna says she will have enough time to do it while watching TV. 

Ohlone Lunch and Dinner

Just taking a quick break from making dinner to report on the Among the Ohlone Meeting this morning.  It's hard to believe, but this wonderful fourth grade tradition at Stella Rondo Elementary will take place this Friday!  Mr. Flowers has perfected the acorn mush, which we got to try at the meeting, flavored with organic honey. He made it very clear that the tannin has to be leached out properly, and we should not try to duplicate the process ourselves.

Poor Amber is not eating honey yet, so she had to have the mush plain, which she did not like.   When we got home I got out some of her favorite homemade baby California rolls for lunch.  (It's brown rice and seaweed, pureed with a little scrambled egg.  Delicious!)

The controversy is what the students will eat during the event besides acorn mush.  Mr. Flowers and the teacher in charge say that acorn mush and water is realistic and plenty.  One parent is insisting on bringing Capri Sun and cheese sticks for everyone, even if she has to pay for it with her own money.  Of course the non-biodegradable, non-recyclable Capri Sun pouches are anathema to Mr. Flowers.  I did mention that the women in the Art Angels group have made some fabulous tote bags from empty juice pouches, so they really can be reused!

Stella Rondo Surprise

It was a glorious fall morning for the Stella Rondo Surprise. This annual event, when students from the small International School down the street parade to campus with their Taiko drum band and play an early morning wake-up concert on the lawn, is in its twelfth year at the school.   

I can say that as newcomers it was a surprise to us. Amber nearly jumped out of her batik baby sling at the first drum-crack.

Unfortunately, Poncho howled throughout the drumming, and Leila hid her head between her paws.  Fortunately, they enjoyed themselves in the dog park after the drumming ended, while Amber and I went into the multi-purpose room for the second-to-last Among the Ohlone meeting.

The Fallout: Wasabi Peas

Now I have to find something to do with the four bags of wasabi peas Purcell bought in the midst of the squirrel crisis.  I sent him to the store to buy Wisconsin cheese, and he somehow misunderstood.  (There's nothing like cheese to make everything seem fine again, especially a '70s-style cheese fondue in a subtle nod to Mr. Flowers who got his start as a naturalist in that very decade.)  It was really nothing compared to the time Purcell bought tartar sauce instead of cream of tartar for the homemade playdough we were supposed to contribute to Hailey's pre-school.