FiveCrows dictionary

Ig·ven·chr
Noun: an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.
"kindergarten is full of igvenchrs"

Verb: to engage in hazardous and exciting activity, especially the exploration of unknown territory. "they igvenchred together"

In english: adventure

Origin: Lucy's kindergarten artwork

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Ar·cave
Noun: an indoor area containing coin-operated video games.

In english: arcade

Origin: Henryism, family slang for the Avalon nickel arcade

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Lan·ter·in
Noun: a lamp with a transparent case protecting the flame or electric bulb, and typically having a handle by which it can be carried or hung.

In english: lantern

Origin: Henry-ism, Lucy-ism

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Pat·ter·in
Noun: a repeated decorative design.

In english: pattern

Origin: Henry-ism, Lucy-ism

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Paus·er
Noun: material used to mark one's place in a book

In english: bookmark

Origin: adapted from movie technology

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Bag of beau·ty
Noun: a container for cosmetics

In english: makeup bag

Origin: Lucy-ism

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Bur·ger·bills
Noun: supreme destination for burgers and fries

In english: Burgerville

Origin: Henry-ism, family slang for our favorite burger place

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Hot·cocks
Noun: word-ghost that haunts your mom's brain at any occurrence that includes frankfurters

In english: hot dogs

Origin: Lucy's one-time mispronunciation

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Lo·vie foot
Noun: game where child sits on parents foot, hugs the connected leg, and asks to be walked around

In english: n/a, similar to ball and chain restraint device. But much louder.

Origin: Henry game

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Ques·tions
Noun: game where children who are ready to leave can earn candy or points by answering trivia questions

In english: n/a, invented to catapult friends after playdates

Origin: Mom strategy

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Haunt·o·nyms
Noun: words that are pronounced the same but are "haunted" by different meanings.

In english: homonym

Origin: Henry-ism

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Trip·le dog
Noun: virgin cocktail comprised of Sprite, Rootbeer, and Orange sodas.

In english: gross

Origin: drink plan hatched by Lucy and Henry at one of our many visits to Pepino's Taco Tuesday

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Bigs
Noun: people that are not 'littles.' As in "Those are for the littles, drinks for the bigs are in the fridge."

In english: adult

Origin: Aunt Millie

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Spe·cials
Noun: something of particular treasure. As in "Put your specials away if you don't want to share."

In english: treasure

Origin: Aunt Millie

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You sho' you share
important rule of the house. One of several expressions used often enough to be programmed into any future pull-toy version of mom (along with "come on guys, it's time to go," "where are your shoes?" "marble!" and "Aw, I sure love you to miss/mister!")

In english: no hoarding

Origin: universal law

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Mar·ble!
Expletive: announcement that something good had happened earning a marble in the jar or happy points.

In english: Yay! I saw you make a good choice and I am really happy about it! I am not a complete failure as a parent and everything is going to be ok. Please do that many more times in the future so you don't have a cranky mom and we can all get a long and do something fun. (Talk about a useful word reduction!)

Origin: marble jar at home

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Mom·my tax
Noun: bite of anything tasty that mom is entitled to take if and when she so chooses.

In english: portion of treat, sampling of something that children of the household lucked into. As in "Oooo - pumpkin ice cream, I better have a mommy tax." Or later, as you became better trained, "Here mom. We got some chocolate and this is your mommy tax."

Origin: as decreed by the household monarchy (aka, me)

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Mal·i·fi·nous
Noun: fairytale character

In english: Maleficent

Origin: Lucy-ism

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Up·a·high

Noun: shiny thing in the sky

In english: star

Origin: Lucy-ism, from Twinkle Twinkle song

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Wa·wee
Noun: that wet stuff

In english: water

Origin: Lucy-ism, one of her first words

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Binks
Noun: string of beloved pieces of plastic. See "specials."

In english: some extremely well-used binkies

Origin: Mom-ism

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That's cur·i·ous
Saying: useful all the time.

In english: Useful phrase to replace "That's interesting," or "Hmm," or "Get that thing away, or "I have no idea what you just said."

Origin: Dad-ism, when is this phrase not useful?

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Ban·dits
Noun: robber

In english: One should always set booby traps for potential bandits.

Origin: Henry-ism, may he never learn more typical words

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Fluf·fy
Noun: pet

In english: Universal default pet name for all life forms such as beetles, worms, and potato bugs.

Origin: Henry-ism

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Knuc·kles
Noun: pet

In english: All-time, best name for pet spider. Ever.

Origin: Henry-ism

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Chew·bec·ca
Noun: name

In english: Name of female wookie.

Origin: Lucy-ism, from her book "Chewbacca and Chewbecca: A Star Wars Love Story"

Well, I guess you're in good company

Interview with a 7-yr-old Henry

Who is your favorite friend?
Mom and dad.

What's your favorite food?
That's easy, sushi.

Favorite treat?
Ice cream

What's your favorite movie?
Fantastic Mr. Fox.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Engineer (the kind that engineers stuff)

What's your favorite number?
Of course, 7. Obviously.

Holiday?
Christmas!

What are you happiest about?
A wonderful family.

If you could change something in the world, what would you change?
Trump not being president.

What's your favorite school thing?
My teacher, Cara, and discovery.

What's your least favorite time?
Reader's workshop.

If you could choose any super power, what would it be?
To make the world right.

If you could have any pet, what would it be?
A dragon named -um - whachamacallit.

Where in the world do you want to go?
Legoland for a week. The one in California.

Where do you want to go to college?
In New York City.

What do you want to study at college?
About Macey's.

What kind of car will you drive someday?
Tesla.

How old do you think you will be when you get married?
20.

How many kids do you think you'll want some day?
3.

When I got to choose your books

Today, for dress-as-book-character day, you dressed up as Emily from the Amulet series (main character, happens to be a girl) and Rapunzel from Rapunzels Revenge (the graphic novel with the empowered cowgirl twist).

I am realizing that all the feminist books we've had around the house are having an effect on you both. And I'm sad to say that I haven't been able to find the same selection for racial diversity.

When you were little, I went to bookstores and the Library asking "Can you help me find books that feature brown people but aren't about them *being* brown?" As you can imagine, the conversations were pretty weird. But I am constantly looking for narratives that you can really connect to. Books about Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, and Obama are important too - but I want you to see that regular kids (just like other characters you love) can be different races. Brown is totally great. Brown is totally normal.

When I started looking, there weren't very many options. A couple of librarians suggested animal books since they avoid the race issue altogether. That was a sad moment for me - realizing that publishing isn't as inclusive as I had always assumed.

I searched again today and I am FINDING A WHOLE BUNCH MORE! Many other families must have been seeking out diverse media because consumer demand seems to be pushing publishers to be more inclusive. I am so grateful!!

I love books and I love how much they can change what you see in the world. I will enjoy the magic of choosing books for you as long as I can.

Some of our favorites are here:

• https://www.pinterest.com/mfivecrows/irresistable-also-racially-diverse/
• https://thebrownbookshelf.com/our-books/
• http://ailanet.org/activities/american-indian-youth-literature-award/
• https://www.leeandlow.com

Qigong, "The Boy Game," and Hawaii

We started a new massage therapy prescribed by your occupational therapist. Years ago, I would probably have put "qigong sensory therapy" the same category as "milk from constantly hugged goats" – but alas, life is an adventure. The challenges we face have reshaped me. My parenting mode is much more "willing to try anything" than I ever imagined. Yes, I would probably even try milk from constantly hugged goats if there was evidence-based research showing it could help.

At any rate, it is mostly enjoyable for us both. But some nights, you would rather read or do something else. Some nights, I have had more than enough together time and would looooove to skip it. To help us stay on track, you made up a reward system for it. Every night that we do it, you get to play 3 or more games of The Boy Game (to be explained) and after a year, we get to go to...Hawaii!!

The Hawaii part I completely understand (YES - let's do it!) but The Boy Game is one of many bizarre things that you love for reasons that I cannot fathom. It goes like this:

Mom chooses random verb and sings it in this pattern:
Flying boy,
Flying boy,
Flying - flying - flying boy 

Boy acts out verb and pretends to have some sort of grave accident at the end of the song. 

Repeat with new verb such as climbing, jumping, etc.

This is something you want to do every night for a year? And I can talk you out of say - dawdling while brushing or teasing your sister because "Maybe we will have time for one more round of The Boy Game?"

Well, okay. I'll go for it. Who knows - maybe someday you'll write a book about your childhood and include The Boy Game as one of your many adventures. You are currently in love with Jon Scieczka's book Knucklehead where he talks about one of his favorite games, Ghost Rider, where a kid rides a bike under monkey bars, letting go so the bike keeps going without a rider.

Hooray for Ghost Rider! Hooray for The Boy Game! And a big hooray for OT!

Read-walking

Henry, welcome to the family sport. Please watch out for traffic and thunderstorms. They can both take you by surprise.

Love,
Mama

A not-so-sick day

My dear Henry,

You engineered your way out of school today. You played "sick" and I let you because a kid at school who does not want to be in school is probably trouble. And of course, every kid has got to try playing sick a time or two. So instead of the many things I planned to do, I went with the goal of making the day as b-o-r-i-n-g as possible. A day of naps and quiet time will surely cure any temptation to do this again, right?

We succeeded until about 2 pm when I found a 6 volt battery. Oh dear. Insta-happiness. You promptly used it to make your very first light bulb.

It worked but the filament burnt out pretty quickly. (Thank you Thomas Edison for the 1,000 attempts it took to work through that problem!)

Burnt out filament sadness.

Fortunately for you (and unfortunately for my boredom plan), you found plenty of other things to engineer. You have moved past following circuit diagrams to making up your own inventions.

My very small engineer with his circuit tackle box

Is a 6V battery more powerful than a AA? What is the world's biggest battery? How can you tell if a battery will burn a motor out? How can you make a battery? How do rechargeable batteries work?

Your head is spinning with questions.

I look forward to helping you puzzle them out. But how about AFTER school next time, eh?

Love,
Mama

The story of the Earth

“In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth.”
~ Rachel Carson

We had our first geography play group today. I was hoping to do several this summer but we will see how it goes.

We learned about continents. And we made our own continent, complete with plants, waterways, a volcano, and a lego city.

I love this planet we live on! I hope I can we can learn more about it together this summer.

Love,
Mama

He's a fan

I think the best part of a garbage hauler's job has got to be seeing eyes of little kids at the window when they come by.

This is where Henry has been, every Tuesday morning since he could crawl over to the window and pull himself up.

Tonight's moon portend no good to us

The car is stuffed to the gills for spring break yurt camping. I made the reservations ages and AGES ago and we've been wishing and planning ever since – until tonight, when we are FINALLY loaded and ready to go. Then oops, we realize that we've been looking at someone else's reservation these months since it's been on our calendar, and we don't actually have a place to stay until tomorrow. Ah well, that's how it goes. Glad we are finding out in the driveway and NOT at the pitch dark campground where everything is now closed.

This evening's episode of HURRY UP and get in the car (hang out in there for while, climb out and follow bigs around while you try to figure out what's happening, whine a little, now whine a lot, get sent to the car, sit in the car for a while, pretend the trip has started and start playing, remember that you haven't left the driveway yet, realize that you probably are never leaving, repeat, repeat) and wait reminds me of many a trip when I was your ages.

I hope the rest of the trip goes more smoothly. But if it doesn't - at least I can promise you some lasting memories.

xoxo,
Mama

Train fun for kindergarten class

Henry, we had to cancel your train birthday party because of Grandpa's funeral. Instead, we had a party with cousins while we were in Utah. And this week, we brought some train fun to your kindergarten class.

Download PDF

You did a great job on the train math and reading sheets. Using markers and jewel stickers on the train cutouts worked great.

Download PDF

It was perfect kindergarten fun. Especially stamping your tickets with the super-industrial hole punch that I brought home from my dad's house. He would have loved to do that himself. Probably would have even mad the big letters like they do on The Polar Express.

I almost made it through the whole thing without shedding a tear. Almost.

Love,
Mama

50 BOOKS - It's game ON!

You have both read 50 books since December. YAY!!!!

To celebrate, we played some games that require reading: Quidler and Zingo Word Builder. Plus some Minecraft chess (your idea). Not sure that really fits in with the reading thing but I made it for you anyway. Good fun with mode podge!

At 100 books, we will be going to GREAT WOLF LODGE!!!! to play the great adventure games and swim like crazies. I'm' so excited to have readers!

xo,
Mama

Sasquatch sighting

Look who's out on the field looking like a lacrosse pro! Dad had to take you to three different stores to find all of the XXS pads (the smallest they make). So here we go with three hours of practice every week, plus games; I dearly hope you enjoy it as much as you did the first night.

And here, I was just thinking that you might finally graduate from your usual one load of laundry per day quota (yes - that is A LOT of laundry since your birth). Recently, all of that sitting inside during kindergarten has cut into your messy adventures. But lacrosse + muddy fields + sweaty gear should put us right back on track. The big question now is how long until your pads start smelling like bigfoot incarnate. Sasquatches?! I can only think a parent though of the team name in a carpool van after a hot game.

Oh well. I love you - dirty laundry, stinky feet and all.

xoxo,
Mama

Home, stinky home

We got home to a mountain of laundry and sour milk. But – thanks to good friends – also food in the freezer, two pots of yellow flowers (my dad's favorite), some potted succulents (my favorite), and delicious chocolate. I'm exhausted and wrung-out. But I feel so lucky and peaceful.

Your boots are the stinkiest thing I have ever met! Ever! So I washed them with bovine far, then baking sofa, then dish soup, and last oxi-clean and laundry soap. Pretty sure I'm breaking the manufacturers recommended rules. But the stink!!! Military grade tools be required to get rid of it. Luckily, I have no mustard gas or grenades handy.

The internet recommended I fill them with cotton balls soaked in alcohol. Great! But I don't have cotton balls - not so great. So now what? I'll tell you what - TAMPONS are now hanging it of your boots. Will I have to explain to out what tampons are tomorrow? Probably. Would that awkward conversation be worth ridding the buses of the STANK that is living in your boots - I sure hope so.

Love you so much, stinky feet and all.

Mama

SIX! Years of Henry

"But I thought dad was that tallest man in the world," says Henry.

We took the #6 bus downtown and walked about SLC, finding various adventures.

Then finished things off with some Angry Bird cupcakes at Grandpa's viewing.

Not exactly the birthday party we planned but you took it all in stride, even when you had no idea what a "viewing" was. (I don't think the mortician or I will ever forget hearing you whisper "Hey Michael, there's a dead guy in there.") You loved 'worm races' with your cousins.

May your satisfaction in your parents always be this high. And your expectations in birthday parties always be this low.

We love you oh so much.

Love,
Margaret

Spoiler alert! You will grow up to be the tooth fairy

Oh yes, we have all been here.

Playing the "tooth fairy" has to be one of the strangest parts of being a parent. Sneaking in at night to take your weird, bloody teeth? For money? Who thought this was a charming idea? I don't quite get it but we're playing along anyway

For the first tooth you lost - we were on it! New toothbrush and toothpastes, cute-as-heck note from the tooth fairy, Sacagawea coins, stealthy exchange under the cover of night. We could have been gold contenders if there were Tooth Fairy Olympics!

Fast forward to tooth #5 and I am carrying on my parents' tradition of making a half-hearted effort to conceal the truth, pretty much forgetting about it unless you remind me, and giving random gifts found around the house for your prizes.

Don't worry, you are making out like a bandit. The guilt from forgetting a night and not having any ready prize bumped your cash payment up to $5 - in the form of 1 dollar bill, 4 quarters, 10 dimes, 20 nickels, and a Thomas Jefferson dollar coin (pretty much what we could scrounge out of the change drawer last night at 11 pm).

What bounty!! I wish the tooth fairy had been so generous after I reminded my parents that my tooth had been under my pillow for a few days.

And now I can relate to this end of things.

Alas, Henry's first tooth should be coming out soon. We'll try to get back to our A-game for that special day.  Not sure this tooth fairy can promise anything beyond a linty sucker after that.

Love,
Mama

¡Me gustan Taco Tuesdays!

No cooking, no cleaning up, and fun times with estos animales.

It's a dream. A muy delicioso dream.

The Alien Game

In the "alien game," I pretend to be an alien from a distant planet, who doesn't know anything about anything. It is your job to be the ambassador conducting a tour, and introducing me to everything. I like that it is a good way to rest my brain. And it is interesting to see how you define and describe things.

Lucy is often very descriptive and specific.

Lucy: That is a cat.
Alien: What is "cat"?
Lucy: A cat is a cute little animal?
Alien: What is "cute"?
Lucy: Cute is something sweet to look at, or huggable.

Now, I have "sweet," "look," or "huggable" to ask about. Thus - without much thinking from me, we can go on forever.

Henry, on the other hand, is very concise, circular, AND fast. It is almost weird how you can define things in such easy terms.

Alien: What is "girl"?
Henry: A girl is a baby mom.
Alien: What is "mom"?
Henry: A mom is a grown girl.

Here, I'm only left with "grown." This kind of looping makes it harder for me to continue without paying careful attention. I have to work hard to keep it going.

I would say it has always been obvious that your brains work differently. But it is eerily strange how obvious it is after playing this game.

Really bad photography, true commitment to hide and seek

Like father, like son.

Love you - my stealthy hiders,
Mama

Backyard happiness

Thanks to the dear Blooms, our new backyard structure is up. And just look at those faces! Such a moment of joy!

What could be better for you climbing monkeys?! I dearly hope we have many happy days together in our new backyard castle.

Love you,
Mama