June 15, 2009 - Posted by Katie Lipka - 0 Comments
It is SOO NIIIICE to not have to be dropping off or picking up a kid every 3 hours. Heaven!
We have a fantastic summer planned. We started off the evening of the last day of school with a family picnic potluck in the park with a bunch of friends. Now we’re enjoying a few days of friends and relaxing before we leave Glen in San Mateo and go off to a camping trip in the redwoods, near the beach.
We finally bought our own tent instead of borrowing Grandpa Jim’s, so we practiced setting it up in our yard yesterday and slept in it last night. Jared was very nervous about possible raccoon attacks but I convinced him to stay with me and his not-at-all-nervous-but-giggling brothers. Glen can’t take sleeping on the ground with his bad back, but it suited the rest of us just fine!
Something about sleeping in a tent – we all wake up at 6 a.m.
Grandpa Jim, we will still need to borrow sleeping bags!!!
Ah summer! We have so many fun things planned, with just the right mix of nothingness.
May 24, 2009 - Posted by Katie Lipka - 2 Comments
Reading Now
Ethan is reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.
Jared is reading the Captain Underpants series.
Matthew’s favorite read these days is Tony Diterlizzi’s picture book version of the famous Spider and the Fly by Mary Ann Howitt.
I’m on an Ian McEwan kick.
Favorite YouTubes
Tribute to John Williams: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk5_OSsawz4
Ethan, Grace and Sophia in the Laurel Talent Show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np9mj8sDcyE&feature=channel_page
Favorite Songs
Matthew: Oats and beans and barley grow, Raffi and Weird Al Yankovich’s The Saga Begins about Star Wars
Katie: Been listening to Sunday in the Park with George and 101 in the Shade
Ethan: Bombs over Baghdad, Outkast
Glen: Death Letter, White Stripes
Jared: “I dunno”
May 22, 2009 - Posted by Katie Lipka - 0 Comments
Pic by Sue Exley at graduation
Matthew and I graduated from preschool yesterday!
Matthew is moving on to kindergarten after 2.5 years at Carlmont Parents Nursery School (where Glen worked with Irene Carvajal to redesign the Website. They made the templates I populated all the content).
6 years in a row for me of working at the school at least once a week, doing a family job, attending night meetings. 6 years in a row of a strong community around us, people who share our values, family potlucks, picnics and concerts and being able to always find a playdate.
I’m really happy that we made the commitment to this school and to El Cerrito Preschool Cooperative before that. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it.
The PTA Board at Laurel always has at least one former CPNS parent on it. Next year it will be me and Ed Coady.
Anyway – more about MATTHEW! He wanted a pair of crocs, those rubbery, flimsy sandals which can be worn in water. I bought him a pair but said I would return them if he wasn’t good during graduation. He was SO GOOD! He sat quietly at attention the entire time. I was SO PROUD of him! I couldn’t believe it.
I guess he really is ready to move on to kindergarten. He thinks he is. He seems to think it starts any day now! Maybe today!
May 12, 2009 - Posted by Katie Lipka - 0 Comments
Red is gum drops, fire and red peper.
Oranges is oronges, lion scin and oreng juse.
Yellow is lemen heds, lemens and lemenad.
Green is money, grass and frogs.
Blue is the sky, blue berries and a pool.
Purple is graps, eggplant and medeicine.
May 11, 2009 - Posted by Katie Lipka - 0 Comments
She makes me food
and puts me in a better mood.
She whistles to songs I like
and encourages me to ride my bike.
* * *
You’re the best
and always will be,
I love you and you love me.
I would still love you if you were in my hair.
I would never ever care
even if you were a bear.
* * *
Kneener! Kneener! Kneener!
March 22, 2009 - Posted by Katie Lipka - 0 Comments
Please join us to celebrate Jared’s 7th birthday!
Lipka yoyo expert Glen will display some tricks and try to teach a few. We will provide yoyos for all children who have rsvp’d over age 5, but feel free to bring your own as well!
A light lunch and - of course – cake will be served
Families of invitees are welcome to stay and enjoy time at the park with us.
Rainy Day Plans: Bring your rain boots and jacket! We’ll go for it! I sure hope yoyos work wet!
Everyone rsvp’d and almost everyone came!!! We had a lot of people! I think the dads enjoyed the yoyos more than the 1st graders though. Developmentally, yoyos are probably a better 3rd grade party.
The Hidden Parks, East and West Hillsdale, are just perfect for parties. They are a decent size and the entire park is visible, so parents can socialize while kids play. They’re also pretty sparsely used generally. The hitch of no bathrooms is solved when your house is down the block! The park serves many ages well because big kids can play soccer or football, while little kids enjoy the sand and slide and 1st graders can enjoy it all!
It was starting to rain 30 minutes after the party was supposed to end and people were still hanging out! And that’s with no alcohol served!
Grandma Penny helped so much by making half the quiches plus the salad and generally helping cleaning and shuttling and just everything. Thanks mom!
Most importantly, Jared had a terrific time. Finally a party for him with no tears and tantrums. Just smiles 
March 14, 2009 - Posted by Katie Lipka - 0 Comments
Rachel Luxemburg said that if she ever said that around her grandmother, sure as shootin she’d have a pile of chores lined up for her so fast her head would spin. She learned to not say it.
Matthew lately has been saying he’s “bored” at school and he doesn’t want to go. His nursery school, Carlmont Parents Nursery School, is an amazingly rich environment:
. easel paints, chalk board and playdough always available as well as a different art project each day in the art room, not to mention creation station in the hallway.
. at least 25 costumes (all of which I had the pleasure of hanging back up on Monday when I worked Block Room), hats, shoes, accessories, board games, blocks, train sets, beads to string, puzzles, marble run, many kinds of manipulatives rotated in and out….. in the Block Room
. a music room with instruments, all kinds of recorded music, bean bags, felt boards, books and puzzles
. the snack room which includes a loft, play house and kitchen, dolls and carriages
. an amazing outside area with swings, tire swing, trees to climb, boulders to jump off, several climbing structures, grass, sand, a mud pit, balls, water play, sand toys, 3 play houses equipped with kitchens and kitchen tools, tricycles with trailers and other riding toys.
The program, except pre-k, is child-led so that the student can pick what appeals to them. At 4 years old this is generally a lot of imaginative games with friends. They move in packs. A month ago it was the Yucky Stuff Bakery, outside, where they concocted yucky bakery goods out of mud and sand and plants. The last 2 weeks it’s been a group of kitties that speak in meows and build themselves cages to sleep in.
Matthew gets along very well with lots of different playmates and engages in a variety of play.
***
I think that this rich, wonderful environment is “boring” to Matthew because he’d rather be playing on the Wii. When Ethan and Jared were 4 they played Reader Rabbit and Blue’s Clues games on the computer. I read to them for an hour at a time. We played Monopoloy Jr and Clue Jr and did puzzles together. I was more strict about screen time.
Matthew gets a lot more screen time than his brothers did and the games are more mature – not preschool learning focused. He generally has to have his arm twisted to sit and read with me and can’t really sit still for games with lots of rules or puzzles. He’s just a different kid.
However, Teacher Leslie and I think that this “boredom” is because he’d rather be playing on the Wii than doing anything else. Screen addiction! We’ve seen it before when Ethan wanted to watch muscials all day long and couldn’t be parted with Bye Bye Birdie and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Anyway, Glen and I have decided to cut screen game time down to 30 min per child per day and only on school days AFTER school. Plus some TV. It’s not an issue of activity/obesity. They get plenty of exercise and love it.
I’m reading Magic Trees of the Mind about brain development and the effects of enrichment on the brain through all stages of life. It’s a FANTASTIC book. That makes me feel REALLY guilty about Matthew’s impoverished environment. OK, not really. He’s got plenty of amazing enrichment around him.
However, I am really glad to be limiting screen time. So far, after starting this past week with 30 min tv in the a.m. while I’m getting ready for our day and Wii limited to 30 min AFTER school, it takes him about 45 minutes of whining about it and then he finds other stuff to do including reading books with mommy (!!!) and a dot-to-dot book (!!!).
March 13, 2009 - Posted by Katie Lipka - 0 Comments
I came back to my computer this morning, where I had left an IM window open and found this:
You have just sent a nudge.
You may not send a nudge that often.
You may not send a nudge that often.
You may not send a nudge that often.
Katie says:
You have just sent a nudge.
Katie says:
You may not send a nudge that often.
Katie says:
You have just sent a nudge.
Katie winks:
Play “UFO”
You may not send a nudge that often.
You may not send a nudge that often.
Katie says:You have just sent a nudge.
You may not send a nudge that often.
You may not send a nudge that often.
You may not send a nudge that often.
You may not send a nudge that often
Sorry Lindy! I swear it was one of my mischievous munchkins and not me!!! 
Mischievous Munchkins
March 6, 2009 - Posted by Katie Lipka - 2 Comments
Ethan on stage conducting a 40 piece orchestra in front of 350 people. Jared fully attentive sitting up in his seat, somewhat tense, complaining he’s bored. Matthew asleep in the chair cushioned by our many rain jackets.
We went to a free concert for children by the Peninsula Symphony at the nearby College of San Mateo last week. We had to call ahead for the free tickets. Grandma Penny and Grandpa Jim came down from Berkeley to go with us.
It was a great program for the kids. Short pieces were introduced by the conductor. They started with Eine Klein Nacht Music, which is just a small group of strings, but then the entire orchestra came out. 40 pieces maybe?
For the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique the conductor, talented and friendly Jessica Bejarano, first described the piece’s story – the composer is walking to the gallows, then he sees his true love for just a few sweet bars of music, then we hear the guillotine fall and head hit the floor and bounce (eegads!), and then the crowd cheers! The orchestra played these moments separately first, then played the entire piece through.
Then the conductor asked for a volunteer conductor from the audience. Who’s the first person to volunteer for anything? Ethan, of course. And she picks him! He jumps up and goes bounding down the steps of the theater. Does he walk to the stairs to get up on to the stage? No, he leaps on to the stage. The conductor, who had been giving instructions to the orchestra,, turns to look forhim and is surprised when he’s already at her feet ready to go!
She gives him a quick posture check – arms up! They start midway through the piece. Ethan conducts with his entire body, bending his legs to the music, his arms waving, feeling the beat and intensity, loving every second!
We find out afterwards that the guest conductor was only supposed to go 16 bars, but everyone was haivng so much fun that she let him go through to the end!
A neighboring audience member offered to email me pics. What a good samaritan! He got some great ones! I especially love to see how happy the musicians are. They seem to enjoy it as much as Ethan! I think I enjoyed it the most though.
And Matthew slept through the whole thing.
Bow, Maestro!
Many thanks to the Peninsula Symphony for this wonderful childrens’ event!
March 6, 2009 - Posted by Katie Lipka - 0 Comments
Tonight we were outside and looked up at the half or so moon. There was a giant cirle around it.
I described it as a giant ring of faint cloud in a perfect circle with the moon at its center.
Matthew described it as Santa’s belt.
Ethan said it was the eye of a giant storm that would hit in 10 minutes.
Jared thought it was a meteor belt like the one in our solar system.
Still waiting for Astronomy Jim to call us back and explain it.
