Last nap before that: unknown
In the Attic: Enjoying the week with Binta
On my school calendar, this week is considered Mid-Winter Break. I hope it's not only the middle of winter. It seems like it's been here way past its welcome. I'm looking forward to hosting the company of spring very soon.
With Mid-Winter Break, however, comes a week off from school. So I'll take that. Today is my 6th day away from teaching, and I still have 3 more remaining. Some months ago, the thought of 9 days on my own to keep Binta occupied would have left me feeling spent and discouraged. This week, however, I've been feeling really positive about our time off together. This new recipe consists of one part me-being-less-depressed, and one part Binta-being-a-little-older, thus, a little easier to handle. I've been using www.gocitykids.com to keep me informed as to what activities are going on in my area. It is a fantastic site, and if they hadn't already thought of it, it might have been my idea. Instead of collecting fliers from all of the libraries, community centers, theatres, and parks, to see what's going on in the area, all a parent needs to do now is click in to the website, and she will find an exhaustive listing of all of the activities that are ideal for kids. That's a seriously good idea!
At the beginning of the week off (last Friday night) I began planning our week-o-fun. I will admit here, trusting that this information will not be used to make fun of me, that I designed a calendar that listed, day by day, events that I'd like us to participate in. I realize how dorky that appears, and well, it can't be helped. Not only was it helpful in organizing our time over the week, but it was a lot of fun to draw up. We caught a couple of puppet shows, some African storytelling, spent time at indoor play gyms, visited the Children's Museum, and the tail end of a festival.
The Sundiata Festival gets its name from a Malian legend, and now focuses on African American art, dance, music, and traditions. I guess it is held each year during the President's Day weekend, however, I have never before attended. All I knew was it was free, and should be good for getting us out of the house.
And it was. Binta and I had a great time. On our way home, we each compiled our list of favorites. My top 3 were:
- Gaping at the marimba band, comprised of children, aged 9 - 16. They were unbelievable!
- Watching the hip-hop dance group: Kutt 'N Up, with their synchronized movements and impressive acrobatics.
- Looking at the pieces of art on display, ranging from colorful quilts, to confusing sculptures, to powerful photographs from New Orleans post Katrina.
Binta's top 3:
- Riding on the Merry-Go-Round.
- Getting a hug (and a bookmark) from Rodney Raccoon.
- Hearing a street musician play "Sunny Days," the theme from Sesame Street, on the saxophone, and dropping money into his case.
One would have a hard time determining that we were even at the same festival! The one thing that we agreed on was enjoying time watching the fountain, and spending time together. It really was a great day, and we only spent a total of $3.00. (Two for the Merry-Go-Round, and one for the musician).
Yeah, we'll be there next year.
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