Ssshhhhh . . . don’t tell!

If people knew that this is what February looks like in Savannah, we wouldn’t be able to keep them away. I mean, there just isn’t anything to be gained by rubbing it in, right?

Lola Gray holding court

There seem to be a lot of boys on our block, and poor little Lola sometimes laments her lack of female playdates. This weekend, she decided to take a different approach and hosted a tea party on the front lawn while the boys rode their scooters. Smart girl. It didn’t take long until those boys were all drinking tea from tiny china cups and eating dainty treats off a silver tray!

jonesin’

I’m telling you, I’m addicted. Seriously. Raymond has had the camera all week and I’ve been going through crazy withdrawals. This is bad. Fortunately, the iphone takes some pretty great photos. Good enough to get me through a few days, anyway. But man will I be glad when I have that camera back in my hands!

Tuesday afternoon just for fun :-)

Savannah in bloom

No batteries required

There are some toys that stand the test of time and some that, well, don’t. This isn’t news to anyone. Ask most parents and they will tell you their homes are overflowing with plastic junk that their kids begged for and yet never play with.

Around our house we have really been making an effort (for all of us, not just the kids – especially me) to focus on what is most important, the things we will use and love for the longest period of time, the things that will really make our lives better. When it comes to toys, I don’t think there is anything requiring batteries that falls into that category. The things that get the most play in our house? Books. Legos. Paper and scissors and tape. And Daddy’s 30 year old Star Wars toys.

This made it hard at Christmas, when I was doing my best to keep grandparents and aunts and uncles from spending their hard-earned money on things we really didn’t want or need.I was so happy when I discovered a set of tiny fairies and fairy houses – I was sure Lola Gray would love them. The “girl” equivilent of those Star Wars figures. And she was thrilled when she opened them on Christmas morning. We found a spot for them in the backyard by the fairy tree . . . . and there they sat. Alone and unplayed with – until this week. Perhaps it was the hint of spring in the air that turned my girl’s thoughts to fairies? Who knows. All I can say is that Thursday afternoon I sent her out to look for eggs and an hour later discovered this scene in the back yard:

The fairies were talking to each other and singing and dancing. They visited each other’s houses. They went for a ride in the dump truck. I had to collect the eggs myself.

I can’t say I was thrilled with how dirty she got – she was accepting an award at our school PTA meeting a mere hour after these photos were taken. But really, who cares?  This is what it’s all about. Long, lazy afternoons playing in the dirt. No batteries required.

Happy Valentinte’s Day!

‎”To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” ~David Viscott

Georgia Day

On February 12, 1733, James Oglethorpe landed his ship the Ann along this coast, made friends with Chief Tomochichi of the Yamacraw tribe, and founded our fair city of Savannah. Two hundred and seventy eight years later we spent the day enjoying the warm February sunshine and getting to know new friends. Man, do we live in an amazing place!

The Trouble with Boys

At the start of this school year, I was really worried that we were headed for trouble. Fletcher couldn’t hold still, couldn’t be quiet, couldn’t keep his hands to himself. He’s a boy – whacha gonna do? Lucky for us, his teacher (while quite strict) is also the mother of a boy. Lucky for her, too, since she has a class disproportionately full of them.

Not every boy is so lucky, and that’s a shame. This TED Talk by Ali Carr-Chellman spells out three reasons boys are tuning out of school in droves, and lays out her bold plan to re-engage them: bringing their culture into the classroom, with new rules that let boys be boys, and video games that teach as well as entertain. I’m not always on board with screen time, but I can’t say Fletcher didn’t learn a ton from playing PBS Kids online! It really is a shame that the quality educational games seem to disappear after pre-school.

Super Sunday

I’m not exactly sure how it is that we managed to spend the whole day Saturday in pajamas and yet still the weekend seemed to pass in the blink of an eye! Fortunately, the rain let up on Sunday, the sky was blue, the air a perfect 60 degrees, and museums across Savannah opened themselves up without admission charges for Super Museum Sunday.

We decided to picnic at Oatland Island, make a quick stop at Bonaventure Cemetery, and then head over to the Beach Institute for an exhibition opening reception. Lovely, start to finish.