Catching Up

The kids and I have been really busy working on school work and trying to stay warm. We are all experiencing cabin fever due to the very cold weather and looking forward to a break in the temperatures. A friend called me on her cell phone to let me know that she was wading in the Gulf of Mexico. It didn't help.

Poor Allie hates to go outside in the cold. The other day I noticed that one of my little girls was dressed in snow pants, hat, mittens, winter coat and had a scarf wrapped around her head. I thought that it was Paige who likes to go outside, regardless of the weather. It was surprising to see that Allie was heading outdoors. I asked her if she was going to play in the snow. She looked at me in surprise and mentioned that she was taking the trash out to the garbage can. I guess the 15' walk to the trash can needs the proper clothing!

My mom is still recovering from shingles. Her depression has lifted and she sounds more like her normal self. I worry about her because she keeps her house so cold in the winter. The cost of heating her 150+ year old farm house with 15 rooms is really beyond her means. She doesn't want to move now and prefers to keep her house at 55 degrees F. Since her illness, she has started keeping her house at 62 degrees.

The kids have started the second semester of their music classes. The classes are taught free by a professional musician who wants to encourage children to pursue music in their lives. The instructor is enthusiastic and encourages the children to try various instruments. I love that the children are getting excellent music theory instruction and learning to also play by ear. Most of my kids have been playing the piano for several years, but I (their piano teacher) have very limited ability to play by ear. I can usually figure out a tune and basic harmony, but it is a laborious process for me. The teacher encourages parents to stay during class, so hopefully my playing by ear ability will improve.

During music class, Allie was struggling with keeping her fingers on the correct buttons of her recorder, so the teacher gave her a harmonica. She is thrilled with her new instrument. All Friday evening she played her harmonica. After being sent to bed, she continued to play the harmonica. Eventually, I took it away from her and placed it on the piano. At 1:00am, the household heard the sounds of the lone harmonica player. At 2:30 am, we were once again serenaded by "sweet" music. At 3:45am, 4:30 am, 6:00 am , and 7:00 am our ears were blessed with the harmonica's mellow sound. I'm going to have to end up deaf or crazy before she loses her enthusiasm. I'm really need to find new hiding places, she has discovered all the old ones.

Amy is home from college this weekend. Money has been tight for her, so I brought her home to raid my pantry. She also got a job, here in town, tutoring literature and writing for a homeschool family. During the tutoring sessions, Amy covers material, then assigns writing and reading assignments to be done before the next session. Her students will be emailing their writen work to her at school. She will be coming home every two weeks for the rest of the semester! It will be wonderful to see her more often.

Amy and I spent today preparing food for the upcoming couple of weeks. We made Stromboli (which was fabulous), empanadas, meatloaf, oatmeal breakfast bars, and spaghetti sauce. Tomorrow afternoon, we'll finish the remainder of the cooking.

Mike is going to take Monday off to return Amy to college. He's planning on spending the day catching up on his TO DO list and doing things with the kids. I am going to spend some time at the library alone.

Katie, Madelyn, and the boys are enjoying their martial arts class. After class, I'm asked to try to hit them or try to kick them, so they can practice their newest block or attack. Pretty soon, they will be able to kick my butt. I really need to get in better physical shape! Katie is quite sore for a few days after each class. I can see the changes in her back after the class. She's spending a lot more time each day, doing the exercises necessary to keep her scoliosis under control.

Paige (my girly-girl) has discovered the joys of making jewelry using bendable plastic inter-locking triangles. She makes rings, necklaces, bracelets, crowns, etc. It's a joy to watch her plan her next creation. Recently when I asked what she was making, Paige proudly announced that she was making a "sniper gun." Her older brothers are certainly making their mark with her.