Mr. Trouble on Feet likes to do things with people. All the time. While he’s doing things with the people he loves, he enjoys chatting. He talks about everything and anything and never stops at all. Mr. TOF does not like it when his parents nap in the middle of the day when he is awake. But sometimes, parents are TIRED. The other day Dr. Peds got home from multiple long and drawn out shifts at the hospital, shifts of work that were 7 times busier than they were supposed to be and ended up being 5-10 hours longer than they were supposed to be. He came home and zonked out on the bed. Mr. Trouble on Feet shook his groggy dad awake, “Dad, you are disappointing,” he said matter of factly. Why was that man napping when he could be playing soccer outside?
I had a gift card to a wonderful kitchen store that one of my friends manages. It is such a fun place to look around. I held onto the gift card for nine months, waiting for the perfect time to go without any kids. Then I realized that the perfect time was not going to ever happen, so I took half of my kids with me. I was busy herding them around the store, which has all sorts of breakable things in it. They were trying really hard to be good, but . . . breakable things! Everywhere! I couldn’t even concentrate on what to spend my gift card on, and somehow those two kids convinced me, in my harried and distracted state to buy them a popsicle maker with it. A fancy popsicle maker. Admittedly, I was skeptical upon actually purchasing the popsicle maker, but it turns out that these kidlets have impeccable taste. This popsicle maker is awesome. The popsicles come out looking like amazing, detailed sea creatures, and because the popsicle mold is made of silicone, they just pop right out! We make popsicles out of leftover smoothies, which means they are packed with healthy real fruit, spinach, avocado, greek yogurt, etc. I never feel too bad about handing people a popsicle packed with spinach.
Last Monday my students played in the annual spring student recital. They did a terrific job, and I was so pleased. I have an especially hard working group of students this year. Before the spring recital each June, I compile all the recordings the students have made and burn each student a portfolio representing the most significant pieces they have played during the course of the year. These portfolios are a really big deal for some of my students, and not as important to others. Almost always, however, I have noticed students spending extra effort polishing pieces that are slated to be recorded throughout the course of the year, so I feel very strongly about continuing this practice in my studio even though it is a time consuming one for me. (So many skills are used in making those recordings: extra preparation, self motivation, practice for playing under a bit more pressure than usual, and the reflection of how things sounded in the end). Last weekend I was a CD burning machine, which felt a bit tedious sometimes. What did NOT feel tedious, however, was the opportunity to write each student a little personal note to go into their portfolio. I really love my students, each and every one, and it was fun to be able to tell them what I admired about how they had learned this year. I do these things every year, but the note writing part was especially great this year.
I’ve been blessed with some amazing conversations with amazing friends these past two weeks. I’m so grateful.
Lemon water tastes so great this time of year. Yum.
I am so incredibly pumped for the used book sale at our library this Monday. I find wonderful treasures there every year.
The kidlets broke my unbreakable hammock, but my terrific husband found a new purple hammock for me, and it’s glorious to be hanging out underneath the crab apple tree again.
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