Happy June, everyone!
Before we met for lunch, I sent an audio file to Aunt R and Aunt Ma to see if they could join me on the chorus. They agreed, and we sang it after two run-throughs. They're pretty awesome! I know we're used to singing together, but I thought they were fantastic and gracious to humor their spontaneous sister.
It is nice to be entering summer mode-- a bit. Bubby has finished math (and Precious was the first one to finish the same book last year. It must be a user-friendly level!), but everyone else is still plugging away. Most lack 2-3 lessons at this point. Story of our lives. We goofed up the pacing of Precious' Saxon Algebra 1/2 lessons at the beginning of the year, so she'll be finishing up math through the summer. We do love the curriculum, though. The kids are all gradually switching to it.
This spring, I started a job teaching English to Chinese children in the early-ish morning hours and evenings on the weekends. Most of the time, it's a really fun gig, and it's changed our daily schedule in a good way! I thrive on external structure, so my morning routine is much more orderly now. I managed to quickly put together an intro video that parents can watch before booking me as a teacher, and I have been blessed with plenty of students! My goal is to cover the kids' private music lessons.
After eight years, we've let Precious stop piano lessons and band (three years there), and she is going to join two homeschool choirs and start voice lessons in the fall. We're excited to see where this takes her. We managed to find Bubby a fabulous bassoon teacher, and his lessons put him on cloud nine. Also, we are planning to add cello lessons for Cutie. Hence, the side job is helping pay for all of this!
I don't have any orchestra students registered for classes in the fall (and I haven't advertised), and I'm okay with letting that go for now. In assessing our approach to school this year, New Daddy and I determined that I really wasn't home enough, as I ferried the kids to all of our activities. Car schooling worked out pretty well, and I think we managed to stay on top of academics. But simplifying is our main goal next year. We're planning to get most of our lessons at a university's community music school on the same day and at the same time. This will eliminate a lot of running around. If we can have only two days that we're gone, and mostly home in the middle of the week, I think next year will be less harried.
The kids are headed to camp Poppy and Mimi next week while I have CC practicum, and New Daddy has taken off the end of the week so we can make some progress on our downstairs bathroom. Now that New Daddy can do pull ups on the ceiling grid that will hold the wallboard (yes, it's strong enough), electrical stuff is next!
We hiked Panther Creek Falls a couple of weeks ago! The last time we hiked it was in July 2015 (it was hot). It was soooo much easier with older children this time, and in May! It was still an arduous seven-mile round trip, but the swimming hole rewarded us with beautiful salamanders and a refreshing break.
Granddad R's mom turned 95 at the end of last month, and we had a nice family visit. She is quite lucid and mobile for her years. We're super proud of her! When the kids and I watched our wedding dvd on our anniversary last month, I teared up when I saw all of my grandparents, still with us, happy, and walking with no assistance. We don't realize how precious these things are at the time.
As I get older and see wrinkles deepening, I ponder cycles of life, a mother's looks fading as she raises her children. Women love to feel that they are beautiful; it's part of what makes us women. No doubt the hair dye and makeup industries are thriving on this principle alone. I'd had this thought about beauty and a couple of lines of a chorus rolling around in my head. During my mother's day break from my normal morning routine, I had a few minutes to flesh out this song. I think all older mothers are beautiful, not in the same way as when we're young, but we might not see ourselves as beautiful. This song was a sort of answer to my thoughts on this.
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