Have Bike...Will Pedal (Well Almost)

A well-used, red bike is now perched up against our front porch, with a very worn child's helmet dangling from one of the handlebars.   Our latest purchase, snatched up by yours truly at our neighbor's garage sale last week.  Both tires are flat as pancakes, but one could not resist the price tag (3000 colones), so 'trash to treasure' we hope!  Perhaps all it needs is some TLC and a brief borrow of a bike pump, which our friend Veronica can supply.  Otherwise, we will head into the cycling shop in Cerro Plano mid week for a quick repair.  The flats don't seem to damper the boy's fun as they quite enjoy riding around the house on the yard, being pushed by either me, dad or Gaudy.  Having only the one bike here, ensures the reinforcement of sharing and taking turns.  Last summer, as we prepared for our move, the boys were almost ready to do away with their training wheels, so hopefully they will find their balance quickly as this new bike is of the 'two-wheeler' version.  We have limited options for learning to ride here in Monteverde as the roads are all dirt and rock, so our choices include, either the flat yard that surrounds our house or chancing it on the patio which is a concrete circle outlining our house. The latter option is probably not a good choice, given the many expansive windows that butt-up to the patio - add two active pre-schoolers, the re-introduction of a bike, and well, need I say more?  :) Other finds at the sale:  Spiderman and Batman masks, ping pong paddles and balls and Peruvian wool sweater for me!

Our 'neighbors' mentioned above who hosted the sale, own Bromelias which has undergone quite a face-lift in the last two months.  It re-opened its doors two weeks ago, offering a wide range of services, Wifi, cafe, bar, music shop, outdoor gardens, amphitheatre.   I have already frequented the cafe and can recommend it as my friend, Veronica, treated me to a yummy mushroom sandwich on Friday!  Last night's concert; a 2000 colones cover charge, was enjoyed by the Schaefer family 'free of charge', given our proximity!

Christmas season is upon us and there is a full list of school events planned for the community to enjoy.  The boys are awaiting Santa's visit and are asking how he will get into the house due to the fact that we don't have a fireplace, as we did in Chicago.  They are convinced he will make a huge hole in the roof and gain access that way.  When I ask, "what do you want Santa to bring you", the responses are all over the board.  Everything from muffin tins, to little boy scissors (did I mention we already have 4 pair in the house), little boy oven & microwave (whatever that means), a doll, jelly beans.  What imaginations!  Perhaps instead of the traditional carrot left out for the reindeer, we will mix it up this year, with a little mango and papaya!  I imagine Rudolph even tires of carrots!  I cannot help but think that the 'muffin tin' thought is due in large part to the boys baking carrot/raisin muffins this past weekend, with good intentions of sharing with Martha Moss (an elderly woman who lives just across the main street).  Sorry Martha, all have been consumed, so I will be prepping another batch tomorrow - promise to walk them over to you before little hands once again raid the refrig.

I have been extremely busy with my volunteer commitments at school and have several meetings a week.  Yesterday, Jude and I presented the proposed process for an upcoming School initiative to the 'Meeting for Business' which was held immediately after the 'Meeting for Worship at 10:30'.  An exhausting Sunday as I arrived home about 4:30 p.m. after leaving home earlier in the a.m., about 10!   Not being a Quaker, it was enlightening to observe a 'Meeting for Business' and the mechanics of how that meeting operates.  A far cry from Corporate America and the meetings I am so accustomed to facilitating.  A lesson in patience and 'enjoying the journey'...indeed.  During the announcement part of the meeting for worship, I took note of a 'Prayer and Share' that I attended today at Rio Shanti, the local yoga joint.  I enjoyed my time with a couple (Mike and Maria) from St. Louis, who facilitate the group discussion and sharing.  I listened to the Word which Mike recited from various bible passages and other readings he and Maria had compiled.  The topic was Peace & Christmas but we managed to cover lots of topics as we sat legs crossed on the Yoga mats on the studio floor, just inside the balcony surrounded by lush foliage.  I am eager to take Mike with me next Monday and for the opportunity to get to know this couple better.  

Mike and I will also attend the Thursday meeting at Rio Shanti to discuss the book, Peace Pilgrim.  Veronica, our good friend, hipped us to the meeting and since school breaks for the holidays this Wednesday, we are free to attend for the next month while Gaudy sits for the boys.  We attended our first meeting Thanksgiving Day and found it to be really great.  We met on the balcony at Rio Shanti, with the nearby river setting the tone for the discussion.  A peaceful place and so fitting given the topic.  There were about 6 of us; we each took turns reading from Peace Pilgrim's book which chronicles her 25,000 + mile pilgrimage across the United States spreading her message for peace.  Her pilgrimage covered the entire peace picture; peace among nations, groups, individuals and the quest for inner peace.  For those of you wondering, if I was really able to sit (on a yoga mat no less), read a passage from a book (not related to my work) and actually enjoy it....HAH - I not only did and enjoyed it, but walked out with a smile on my face as well!

Saturday was a beatufil day, our new friend, Edda, her 4-year old son, Javier and baby, Luna came over to play, the three boys had fun gathering fire wood for the raging fire we enjoyed that night, throwing bean-bags and flying paper air-planes that Mike made with the kids while Edda and I enjoyed getting to know each other better.  Oh the joys of simple play.  

What a difference the dry season makes!  Starting the fire the other night was a breeze compared to a couple of months ago.  We finally polished off the bag of marshmallows we've been hiding in the back of the freezer!  I am convinced that every boy is a Pyromaniac; my sons included.  Michael and John were so intrigued with the fire, the burning embers and really into fanning the flames to give the fire oxygen to keep it going.  Mike enjoyed teaching the kids about fire (and of course the safety responsibility).   

An interesting observation this week:  I have caught Michael red-handed several times; (hand in the cookie jar sort of thing)

1. Walking in the front door after having hung the laundry out to dry, I catch Michael with a bag of chocolate chips in one hand, a handful of them in the other, and chocolate smeared all over his mouth. 

2. Hiding out in back of the house, huge jar of chunky peanut butter and a plastic spoon in hand - Michael truly is my little Buddha Belly.

I just finished reading "Redirecting Children's Behaviour' which Veronica lent me.  I so enjoyed it and will order a copy of it tonight for myself.  I suppose it is more about redirecting my own behavior as a parent, rather than that of your child's, however; I have implemented some of the strategies with the boys which appear to be working.  

I miss family and friends; especially during this season and fondly remember last year's Christmas with Mike's family - know that we will be thinking of you!

One last random thought, I have been walking/running up to Santa Elena any chance I can get and often on these clear, sunny mornings, turn the corner as I pass the Clinic and have a spectacular view of the Bay of Nicoya off to my right.  I wonder to myself where might I be running next year and what might my view be?

 

Will end this post as I have coughed and hacked myself through this past hour after having just finished reading books to the kids from the MFS library. 

Signed: S

3 Year Olds….Oh how does one keep them Busy?

Time here in Costa Rica, with two (almost four year olds) is exhausting for a 45 year old mother. Not to say that our boys watched much TV in Chicago, but we did have the luxury of sending them to the basement to watch an hour of cartoons so we could clean up the dishes, do some dinner prep or take an important call. So not the case here. There is so much they can get themselves into just with one step outside the front door. This is good (don’t misunderstand me) but requires me to be almost toe to toe with them every step of the way. We had a fenced in yard in Chicago which gave us some peace of mind (although they knew how to escape) -- no such thing here. We are strict about not going into the pasture without an adult although they do push it to the limit – there is a clear boundary of a gate and they do pretty well with staying on the “right” side until one of us is there to meet them. We are also laying down the law about asking permission to visit our neighbors house, explore past the compost pile to the right of the driveway or wander through a small path on the other side of our property. I have become attune to their little pitter patter feet on the concrete patio outside and know when they’ve veered off course, picked up speed and are about to make the great escape.

We brought only a few essentials with us when we were packing at the eleventh hour a month ago to make this move, lots of paperback books, some of their plastic, small animals, some cards, matching games, brain quest work books and some crayons, coloring books, soccer ball and inflatable beach balls. So where does that leave me now? Oh yes, Bobo the monkey and Aunt Sandy’s afghans she made for the boys when we brought them home also made it into the suitcase!

Tree Climbing – Our pasture is filled with ½ dozen Guava trees which are perfect for them to climb on – not to tall and if lucky a ripe guava in reach. The boys love to eat them and use teamwork and any stick or piece of bamboo in their grasp to snag a big one. Michael is quite agile and has no fear of the trees or falling for that matter. John (the more accident prone of the two) is more cautious (which is probably a good thing). Climbing is a daily ritual and can last for one to two hours. Often times, they’ll be climbing with Goudy as I return from my morning run. We also check in on the leaf cutter ants as there are several trails and hills under construction. Tree climbing…it’s a good thing!

Making Orange Juice – Yesterday, the boys (this time Loandry got in on the fun) climbed our neighbors orange tree and gathered upwards of 20 oranges to make orange juice. 'Sounds easy enough', I thought to myself…'I can handle this' -
'heck I'm practically a pro at making mango smoothies and popsicles now'. We had fun washing and drying the fruit before we started. I put the little craft table to use on the patio and even managed to find a glass juicer in the cabinet. We all got a work-out trying to squeeze any juice from these oranges as there was only one out of the entire lot that was semi-ripe. We eeked out enough juice, added some water, a dash of sugar and each boy had a sweet tasty drink to quench their thirst after the harvest and preparation work….Good job boys!

On Rainy Days – Luckily we have not had too many total wash-outs, but on the days when the afternoon rains come, we rummage through our make-shift toy-box (which consists of some old plastic stackables that we rescued from the washing area, cleaned them out and now use to hold our cards, magnifying glasses and animals). Mike brought home some dice and plastic blocks from his classroom so we did some experiments with those, throw in a marble and some pots and pans, and we kept busy for another hour.

So, really it comes down to taking advantage of what you have in your house/school and throwing in a little bit of imagination - we’ll be just fine.

We enjoyed my favorite snack from my childhood Sunday afternoon, POPCORN – made on the stove – the boys got a kick out of listening to the kernels explode and hearing about when I was a girl and pulling up a chair to the stove to help make the popcorn. Sunday night was capped off with 30 minutes of Planet Earth! We decided Sunday evening we could all snuggle up on the futon / couch in the living/dining/kitchen area and witness the wonders of sharks, elephants and impalas! Sunday night family time – just like always!

Signed: S

School - Outside looking In

When I picked up the boys from school the first day and emerged from the wooded path, I saw a sight I've never seen before in the U.S. (although I am sure it exists). It was completely foreign to me, so I am sure i looked a little 'deer in the headlights', but nonetheless, it was refreshing. Brooms, brooms and more brooms, kids sweeping up the front of the school, emptying trash, composting, etc., at the end of each day. Now - that is a great way to teach accountability and responsibility not to mention keeping the maintenance and clean-up costs of the school to a minimum. It is quite a social scene when the bell rings - kids head to the play-yard, the local farmer may be taking orders or dropping off dairy goods from their farm or some transplants from Argentina selling home-made breads and sweets. A flurry of activity...you can only imagine what it is like inside the classroom.

Yesterday when I dropped the boys off for their second day, I ended up staying around for about 40 minutes as Michael had quite a hold on me...I think he was a little apprehensive and insecure coming out of the clinic the night before. The teachers gave him extra TLC and once they mentioned celebrating a birthday with cake, that's all it took for Michael to let me loose. I was able to observe the teachers in action and the Spanish is full throttle forward. During 'circle time', I was happy that I could at least sing along with the select song...'Buenas Tardes, buenas tardes, como estas....' I come to find out tonight at the dinner table that Michael helped clean the chalk board and John watered the plants outside. It is like pulling teeth sometimes to get any information about school from a three year old! They have met all their classmates and have already formed a boy-bond with Jackson, another very active little one.

The kinder teachers are hosting a Sunday tea where they will share their teaching philosophy (Montessori) and give the parents and children a chance to meet and interact....looking forward to it. I have met many families walking to school on the way to drop or pick up the boys...all with very interesting stories as to how they have come to know Monteverde.

Mike attended a meeting tonight at the school for new teachers, parents, sort of an orientation...pot-luck dinner afterwards. I stayed home with the kids as we could not get a sitter and thought since the meeting coincides with the bewitching hour, no naps and already up for 12 hours, better to stay home than to trudge through the pouring rain. I walked into Santa Elena today to get some ingredients at the Super Compro to make a beet salad for the pot-luck. Santa Elena is a grueling walk on the return trip...and I thought I was in shape????

We are watching the Director's dog as he and his wife had to go down to San Jose unexpectedly today...the boys are enjoying Ellie, not so sure Ellie is enjoying all the attention from them though :)

Watching the boys is constant chore (I mean joy), with no TV or fenced yard to send them off to, you always have to keep one eye on them or an open ear. Couple this with the daily chores - no wonder why I am passed out by 8 p.m.

Looking forward to another weekend and opportunity to expand our social network.

BTW - It is 8:30 PM, pouring rain and we hear a very boisterous howler monkey outside and much closer to home, one of the many dogs who hang out here (there are upwards of 1/2 dozen)...this one we have affectionately named "Limper" as he is an old, (I think relatively harmless) dog with a bum leg and no tail. He is scratching at the door and frequently wakes us up at 4:30 a.m. with his whining. He sits on the bench outside our bedroom window and stares at us through the window with a very forlorn look; it breaks our heart but we have decided not to get in the boarding business! Sorry Limper -

Signed: S