That sure is snoozer of a title, sorry. My creativity muscle is tired.
I can't wait to be on Hawaii time. I love how long the days feel when we're there. I know it's because we wake up at the crack of dawn to the roosters and the sun, but for some reason it's much easier to roll out of bed and get going when it's warm outside than when it's dark, damp, and rainy. Is it odd that everyday I have that song playing in my head "I want to get away....I want to flyyyyyyy away?" Yes, I'm ready for island time.
Even though we're homeschooling the days seem to be cruising by. My favorite part of the day is Math right now. We get right to it first thing in the morning. I love the Singapore Math. I love how the kids are challenged and how the material is presented and the pace at which it moves along. Nina felt like each day of 1st grade math was a review of stuff they knew (I think most kids felt like that!), so she is so pleased.
Sela has to finish most of her work for the day if she wants to go to PE at 11am. And let me tell you, there is no bigger motivator. This girl will do anything to go to PE. This provides such great leverage. A couple weeks ago I mentioned to the girls that we may have to start missing PE because it seems like by the time we get back home around 1pm, our productive hours are pretty much gone. Rollin comes home and there is just more going on in the house. I like to get the essentials done in the morning and leave the afternoon for reading, self-directed learning type activities and electives. Also, documentaries, games and such. If we focus, we can accomplish so much by 11.
Anyway, my point in all this is that Sela started setting her alarm for 6:30 all on her own. She gets up and does some writing, computer work, and Math. It's pretty awesome. She is much happier and feels great. She is realizing how much more mentally alert and motivated you feel in the early hours of the day. I liked pointing out to her last week that by the time her peers were getting settled in at school at 9:30, she had already accomplished so much! Such a great lesson for her and all of us! Now, if Mom could follow suit and walk across the yard to the gym at that hour, then we would
all be doing what we should be doing!
We had a busy weekend. Sela and Nina had their first Vocal Recital!! Boy were they excited. And nervous. And excited!! I think I would have been just plain nervous.
Bad news first. I put the wrong time in my calendar. I woke up early, made sure the girls were ready, had their lyrics, had time to practice, have a nice leisurely lunch, etc. Most of all, I did not want to be in a rush! Around 12:50, I went to the computer to print the directions and saw the start time was 1 rather than 1:30. My heart sank, really. I panicked and told (or yelled!) everyone to get in the car and we flew out the door. I was so disappointed at my oversight, especially for the girls' first solo recital in front of a crowd! Of all times to screw up. There is nothing worse than walking in late, especially when there are 6 of you! And you have to perform.
We pulled into the little church parking lot at 1:20 and no kidding, right as we walked in the back of the chapel, Mrs. Jennifer announced Nina Serafin. Poor Nina did not have one second to catch her breath or relax. But she walked straight up to the front, stood in front of the microphone and sang her song! I was so proud of her. She did great! Sela was right after her. They didn't have to rearrange the program for our tardiness, we walked in almost on cue. Still not optimal, of course, but better than having their names called and not being there. Sela did great as well.
These voice lessons have been a very positive experience for the girls. They are feeling more confident with their singing. Maybe even a little
over confident :) Sela forwarded me a link this week for tryouts to sing the National Anthem for NBA games! I got a good chuckle out of that! She has probably sung this song a hundred times in the past few weeks, and it's not an easy song! I know
I can't hit many of the notes in that song, but Sela is working hard at it and sounding terrific. Anyway, because we were late to their recital and didn't get to settle in, we didn't get a chance to video their performances. I think the teacher did though, so we'll see if we can get a hold of it. Sela sang "I'll Stand by You." Nina sang "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. For this first recital, she let them sing songs they knew and were already comfortable with.
Saturday evening, we had another Carpe diem event. I forgot to blog about our last amazing Sea Kayacking Trip to see the Orca Whales, but this time, it was Jodi Bean's choice. And she picked a good one! She plays fiddle and has always wanted to play in a Blue Grass Band. So her idea was to hire a venue, a band, and play a couple songs with the band.
The Tall Boys, a local Seattle band, performed. Jodi played a few songs with them and she did fantastic. The rest of us played our supportive role and gave the square dance our best effort. One of their band members calls the square dance moves and she got everyone participating. I laughed so hard watching the "gents" do fists in the middle when they were all supposed to join hands. We were so bad. Zig is Californian through and through, I guess. But a fun night for sure. And I would definitely do it again.
We had no clue what we were doing.
We did, however, master this highly technical move.
Some of the crazy Carpe diem members all tired out after the hoedown.
We are minus one little cowboy. Evan fell asleep as we were headed out the door so Zig stayed home
