four of five • the uslander family

little ones, outdoors, studio, we are family

Another wonderful family I’ve met through Riviera PlaySchool…& another family on the move…Sandy & Bob are headed out of Los Angeles to points south for new adventures, but before they leave, we celebrated with some new headshots & family portraits! Their two gorgeous sons were at the session, rough-housing like loving brothers & lighting up the day with their big grins; but we missed having their daughter here too. Hopefully she’ll enjoy seeing her family together in these pictures–she was mentioned all through the shoot. I so enjoyed the inspired conversation we shared while clicking & in between set-ups; we talked about the real need & desire for all people to truly & deeply connect (with others & with ideas, through every type of vocation) & to create. Well, I feel very lucky, because I got to do both on this day with them.

pizza party • father’s day 2011 • redondo beach, ca

little ones, personal, we are family

Our friend Shannon is one of the most warm, funny, down-to-earth women I have ever known. I have been so lucky to spend time with her while we try to creatively keep our kids entertained during so many afternoons. She & her husband Chris invited us to celebrate Father’s Day with them at their gorgeous, sun-filled home. They hosted a gourmet pizza party, complete with DIY dough-rolling (& flour scattering) for the kids–as well as some impressive dough-tossing by Chris. The party was also graced by the presence of Chris’s sister, Angelyn, her husband Mark, & their adorable son Luke. And to end the evening, Shannon’s brother Chris made the most decadent popsicles (from a Bon Appetit recipe)–who knew a kids’ treat could be so rich & grown-up? Thank you to them all for the delicious dinner–& wonderful company!

non-traditional school pictures • riviera playschool • spring 2011

little ones, outdoors, preschool

My girls have been attending this amazing, unique preschool for the past couple years. I call it a “Paradise for Preschoolers,” because it encourages children to do all the things that most parents won’t allow at home: dig in the dirt, paint with their hands, splash around in the water, run barefoot through the mud–in short, get good & dirty experiencing the world around them. It’s not that I don’t allow my kids to get messy at home–it’s more that it stresses me out, because, you know, I’m the mom; I have an agenda, & that usually includes trying to return things to a tidy & clean state at some point today, or at least sometime this month.

Riviera PlaySchool‘s program is a combination of constructivist & humanist ideas; but most importantly for me, their curriculum includes a lot of work on communication & conflict resolution. They have a very good teacher-student ratio (1:4), which allows teachers to really spend a lot of time guiding kids through their struggles & frustrations. Let’s face it: Life is at least 50% difficult situations & emotions, right? We really need to help our children acquire & practice the skills that get them through that “shadow” half of living–not just teach them to obey, comply, & be nice. They will experience failure, heartbreak, & disagreements. They will witness cruelty, unfairness, & betrayal. How they respond to those things will determine their ability to succeed and be happy–which is what every parent prays for. Their ability to get through disappointment, confusion, & pain is going to be far more important than their grades or their test scores. I truly believe that–& I was a high school teacher for 11 years.

I love this school & its mission–& I have learned so much from the teachers &, as a result, improved my parenting. I feel so fortunate to have found this community for my kids & myself, & I love contributing to it in any way I can. This month, I did the student portraits, & in keeping with the spirit of PlaySchool, we kept things spontaneous & fun. I hung out & let the kids get to know me & my camera, & then one by one, we invited them to have their portraits taken. I also snapped lots of candids of them exploring their world & enjoying the PlaySchool environment–creating art, investigating bugs, communing with friends. Traditional school portraits are always so stiff & rarely show children genuinely smiling, so I hoped to create something different–lively portraits with kids authentically relaxed & being themselves–making funny faces, studying the camera contemplatively, expressing their personalities. It was a joy to get to know them all through my lens!

first beach weekend • redondo beach, ca • family time

beach, little ones, personal, we are family

Mid-April, & a gift from the gods–beach weather all weekend long! Last summer, I had planned to “live at the beach.” I was pregnant, tired, & honestly in need of some lazing around, so I thought how fun it would be to schlep the girls down to the beach everyday, dig a wedge in the sand to accommodate my growing behind, & lie there like the beached whale I was proud to be while they played happily for hours upon hours in the sun. Well, last summer was a bust–overcast, cloudy, & cool (“June Gloom”) all the way through the fall! And then of course, some surprising amounts of rain (& hail?). So…when the weather predictions on my iPhone showed temperatures in the 80’s for this weekend, I started packing the beach cart (yes, the most amazing contraption/parent gadget I’ve ever bought). I joked with my husband that if we had the kids greased up with sunblock on Friday, we could easily be out of the house by 3 PM Sunday.

And a glorious weekend it was. I put aside ANY plans of “accomplishing” anything–no home improvement projects, no cleaning out the garage, no getting things together to sell on Craigslist. We were out of the house in two hours flat both days, & we met up with friends who augmented our great joy at being outdoors & seeing our kids so organically entertained by nature.

And it was our little Zen’s first beach outing. I think he liked it. 🙂