Life is Good

Last Sunday Jennifer and I took Maura to the Life if Good Festival at Prowse Farm in Canton, Massachusetts. We scored free tickets courtesy of our friend Julie Tittler, who attends Trinity Episcopal Church which abuts the farm and lent its parking lot for VIP parking, receiving a block of tickets in exchange, a few of which Julie passed on to us. Thank you, Julie.

Maura had a great time at the festival and I would think about going again even if I had to pay to get in as long as I could afford the $65 ticket price. It's not a bad deal for a whole day of music and fun and the money goes to charity. The Festival is a fundraising event that benefits the Life is good Playmakers, an organization dedicated to helping children affected by disasters recover though play.

The festival itself is dedicated to play, both for children and adults. It features live music on three stages and many games, shows and activities for all ages. Vendors sold a variety of crafts, souvenirs, food and beverages. Maura had fun with the batting cage and the climbing wall, though there was a fair crowd and the lines were long. She also enjoyed seeing friends who were at the concert and eating free samples of yogurt.

Anyone attending the festival as concert event might want to arrive early and find a place near the stage. We got there long after things got started and it was impossible to get close enough to the stage to see the show, though hearing the music was not hard at all. Music could easily be heard anywhere on the festival grounds. I wasn’t familiar with any of the performers I heard playing the festival except for the Imagination Movers who played the children's stage. I listened to most of their set while Maura was waiting in line to climb the rock wall. Their Disney Chanel TV show is pitched to an audience of young children but their live show was clearly intended to appeal to parents and older children as well as tots. They played with a lot of energy and had a great rapport with both children and adults in their audience.

Eggplant and Bananas

I bribed Maura to eat her vegetables last night. I offered to make her dessert if she ate her eggplant and tomatoes. Mara detests eggplant and it’s a struggle to get her to eat anything that contains it. I can’t say I blame her. Eggplant isn’t my favorite vegetable either.

The eggplants were little Brazilian ones, about the size of jalapeno peppers with green and yellow stripes. I sliced them crossways, like jalapenos for nachos. Then I pan fried them with onion, garlic, and sweet red peppers. After they had cooked down I added a diced tomato. A little salt and cumin seed completed the dish. I thought it turned out fairly well. The sugar in the onions caramelized. Everything was sweet and the flavors blended together.

With only a little urging Maura ate all of her portion as required and let on that she found the dish less objectionable than she usually finds eggplant. She didn’t whine at all for which I am grateful. If I get any more of the Brazilian eggplants from the CSA I’ll cook them the same way.

When Maura had cleaned her plate I kept my promise. I made her caramelized bananas. I cooked a sliced banana in butter and brown sugar with a healthy shake of cinnamon on top until everything was sticky and gooey. While I cooked I explained what I was doing so she could do it for herself sometime. When they were done I divided the bananas between two plates and sat down to enjoy dessert with my daughter.

I don’t generally believe in bribing Maura to do the things she should do, like eating her vegetables. Special rewards should be received for special actions not ordinary ones. Paying children for ordinary good behavior makes them into little mercenaries who expect larger and larger rewards for doing less and less. Still, I’m glad I made my daughter dessert. Sharing it with her was a small moment that made both of us happy. We’ll remember and look back on it in years to come.

Busy Maura (Busy Dad)

Now that Maura is back in school all of her other activities are starting too. Ice skating, soccer and Hebrew school have all started up right along with Maura’s school year. Now the carefree hours Maura spent reading and watching TV during the summer are taken up with practices, lessons and organized games, not to mention homework and chores. Maura is glad to be back at all of her regular activities. She loves ice skating and she enjoys soccer and even her Hebrew school classes. She’s a little less happy about doing her homework and her chores. With a little reminding she does her homework without many complaints but it often seems that she does everything she can to put off her chores until there isn’t enough time for her to get them done. I usually have to remind her several times to empty the dishwasher and clean out our cats’ litter boxes. I’m glad to know I have a normal child. I don’t much care for doing chores either and cleaning the litter boxes was definitely not a favorite of mine when I did it before Maura was old enough to take over.

When Maura is busy I’m busy too. I step into the role of Maura's chauffeur. It is a role I don’t enjoy. Maura’s activities are far flung and often at inconvenient times. I hate fighting traffic and I worry about the cost of gas. I do what I need to so that Maura can get the opportunities she needs to become a well-rounded person. At least I don’t have to worry about being late for work. I do find I enjoy the time while Maura is busy. It can be fun watching Maura have fun but I often use the time to work. I can bring my laptop computer almost anywhere and my notebook and a pen anywhere at all.

My antipathy to driving is one reason why Jennifer and I have chosen Maura’s after school activities but it is hardly the most important one. We have chosen to limit Maura to three days of after school activities not because I get tired of driving her around (which I do) but because we believe that unstructured time is valuable. Maura needs and deserves an occasional afternoon off so that, once she has finished her homework and chores, she can spend time playing with her friends, reading a book, or watching TV. I have no doubt she is happier for having some free time.

Back to School, Back to Work

Maura, Jennifer and I had a very pleasant Labor Day Weekend to finish off our summer. Jennifer and I did some work around the house and Maura spent hours playing outside with her friends in the neighborhood. We went to the Tolman MDA Telethon Party at Congregation Sha’aray Shalom in Hingham. We had a good time enjoying the company of friends and helped to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Maura jumped in a bouncy house while the adults listened to live music. There may be an outing to hear Bon Jovi tribute band Living on a Bad Name sometime in our future, but we probably will leave Maura with a babysitter when we go. After the telethon party we had our friends the Tittlers and the Longs over for dinner. I made feijoada (black beans with pork), a favorite dish from my childhood when I lived in Brazil. It was much appreciated by all the adults present and by Maura, who likes my cooking.

Now that Labor Day is over Maura is back in school. She started the fourth grade on Tuesday. Maura couldn’t wait to go back. She missed her friends from school. She hasn’t seen most of them since June. She’s also been a bit bored, especially since we came back from Indiana. We have lots of fun when we go off on adventures but we can’t have an adventure every day. Summer for Maura has been quite long enough.

It’s been long enough for me too. I’m probably even more ready for Maura to go back to school than she is to be going back. I always enjoy the time we spend together on outings and we find plenty to do together when we stay home but I find Maura distracting. When she is around it is difficult to concentrate and very hard to give my work the attention it needs. When Maura is in school I enjoy the hours of quiet and the freedom from interruption. While Maura is getting back to her books I will be getting back to work on mine.