Yay! Tomorrow is a half day and its holiday time! I realize I may have been a bit down in my last post... Emotions are so tricky. Last night I had a great sleep, and with holidays finally here I feel a hundred times better!
We've been studying The Nutcracker in music and it is awesome! Such a great story, especially for rowdy boys: they LOVE the war with the mouse king, and today we watched video. Ballet is not something I have much experience with but I loved this one. I think knowing the music so well and the story, too, made it so much more exciting. The kids were totally into it, too. Most of them had probably never seen ballet, and were intrigued by the different movements, and were carefully watching how the story was told through the dance. It was really neat.
Crazy life
This week was insane, way to much going on and bringing me to near breaking point this morning. Why do I do so much? Why do I say yes? Why do I have good ideas of stuff to do? I like to do stuff is my problem, and I want to do fun things. But I really need to SLOW DOWN! Anyway, enough about that. Still processing what changes can and need to take place. I just think that people must look at me and say, "What a crazy lady!!!" I am always rushing off somewhere, with twelve bags and two children and a stroller and a water bottle and and and, late for this, didn't have time to get that, my hair a mess and clothes spotted... man.
FINALLY got the floors done; they haven't been mopped in a week, FINALLY got the dishes done, FINALLY got the laundry folded and put away that has been on the couch for two weeks. Of course, there are two more loads to be folded now, and a queue at the machine. I didn't blend the carrots that are in the fridge that I cooked last week, so I hope they are still good. I didn't wash the fridge, which I kind of need to do because for Gemma's birthday I made yellow cake that calls for 16 eggs yolks (it was a double batch) and so I saved all the egg whites, thinking I may make an omelette or whatever. Yah right. The bowl got pushed further and further back in the fridge until it finally hit the gap between the shelf and the back of the fridge, tipped, and leaked egg white all down the back of my fridge, pooling at the bottom. For the first week it was really sticky and everything you put there got sticky but now it has crystalized into this crusty powder. Suffice to say that the fridge needs to be cleaned. (and all the jars on the bottom shelf.)
Going to have a babyfood making party with a friend this week, which I am pumped about. I need to get off my parenting island and hear about other ideas from the outside world.
FINALLY got the floors done; they haven't been mopped in a week, FINALLY got the dishes done, FINALLY got the laundry folded and put away that has been on the couch for two weeks. Of course, there are two more loads to be folded now, and a queue at the machine. I didn't blend the carrots that are in the fridge that I cooked last week, so I hope they are still good. I didn't wash the fridge, which I kind of need to do because for Gemma's birthday I made yellow cake that calls for 16 eggs yolks (it was a double batch) and so I saved all the egg whites, thinking I may make an omelette or whatever. Yah right. The bowl got pushed further and further back in the fridge until it finally hit the gap between the shelf and the back of the fridge, tipped, and leaked egg white all down the back of my fridge, pooling at the bottom. For the first week it was really sticky and everything you put there got sticky but now it has crystalized into this crusty powder. Suffice to say that the fridge needs to be cleaned. (and all the jars on the bottom shelf.)
Going to have a babyfood making party with a friend this week, which I am pumped about. I need to get off my parenting island and hear about other ideas from the outside world.
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Monday, December 14, 2009
Pheww
Another Elementary Christmas Concert is done! Praise the Lord, it went well. It wasn't too short, the performances went very good, and there were no emergencies. It was a stressful week getting ready; I literally worked all day every day, sometimes not even having time to turn my computer on until 11am. Friday I was so stressed, I had knots in my stomach and my heart was racing so I got some water and my peanut butter sandwich I made for lunch and took a 5 minute facebook break. Watched the Guinness video, checked out the cake pictures (again; I'm so proud) and the tackled the rest of the day. Miraculously everything got done in time and it was wonderful. Hoping to see some video next week of the result. I find when I am conducting I am concentrating so much on the music and the cues that I don't get the overall effect.
So back to my favourite topic of the week; the cake. I am so happy with how it turned out, and even if I never make fondant again I will always be glad I tried it once. It was a lot of work, but once the all the little pieces were made Gemma even helped me glue them on: purple purple purple pink. Purple purple purple Blue. Oh, and after the stress of covering the cake was over, too. I made little cakes so I wouldn't have to roll out such a big piece. It was 2 6 inch rounds stacked and then I baked about a 4 1/2 round in my metal lunch tin. It worked awesome! And then I had small circles to cover, so that was not too bad. I had a few lumps around the bottom, where the pleats fell, and one tear but I covered it up with a polka dot instead of starting over. I was so nervous to try fondant and did not want to have a disaster, and once I came to the decision to make a little cake it seemed do-able.
I made marshmallow fondant because I can't find corn syrup here. 4 cups of marshmallows, 2 tbps of water, melt in the microwave, stir till smooth, then 4 cups of powdered sugar. And by 4 cups I mean about 5 or 6. I added cup after cup after cup of suagr, because it was SOOO sticky and finally it started to hold together. I colored some with the wilton extracts and some with food coloring; I was also nervous about using food coloring but it worked fine. Just keep adding sugar, keep dusting your hands and the table. It was DELICIOUS to eat (but very sweet, as you can imagine).
What else can I tell you? Adrienne watched the kids all afternoon, so I spent about 4 hours Sunday afternoon and another hour Sunday night finishing it up. Will I do it again? Maybe. There were lots of fondant 'peelings' on the plates at the party, maybe its too sweet for little mouths and I hate waste. And of course, 5 hours isn't always practical. But it was fun.
So back to my favourite topic of the week; the cake. I am so happy with how it turned out, and even if I never make fondant again I will always be glad I tried it once. It was a lot of work, but once the all the little pieces were made Gemma even helped me glue them on: purple purple purple pink. Purple purple purple Blue. Oh, and after the stress of covering the cake was over, too. I made little cakes so I wouldn't have to roll out such a big piece. It was 2 6 inch rounds stacked and then I baked about a 4 1/2 round in my metal lunch tin. It worked awesome! And then I had small circles to cover, so that was not too bad. I had a few lumps around the bottom, where the pleats fell, and one tear but I covered it up with a polka dot instead of starting over. I was so nervous to try fondant and did not want to have a disaster, and once I came to the decision to make a little cake it seemed do-able.
I made marshmallow fondant because I can't find corn syrup here. 4 cups of marshmallows, 2 tbps of water, melt in the microwave, stir till smooth, then 4 cups of powdered sugar. And by 4 cups I mean about 5 or 6. I added cup after cup after cup of suagr, because it was SOOO sticky and finally it started to hold together. I colored some with the wilton extracts and some with food coloring; I was also nervous about using food coloring but it worked fine. Just keep adding sugar, keep dusting your hands and the table. It was DELICIOUS to eat (but very sweet, as you can imagine).
What else can I tell you? Adrienne watched the kids all afternoon, so I spent about 4 hours Sunday afternoon and another hour Sunday night finishing it up. Will I do it again? Maybe. There were lots of fondant 'peelings' on the plates at the party, maybe its too sweet for little mouths and I hate waste. And of course, 5 hours isn't always practical. But it was fun.
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Saturday, December 05, 2009
So gross
I got to sleep in till 8:00 this morning, which was awesome. Except that both kids peed the bed, which was not so good. Guinness has been using grocery store diapers, not his costco pampers and he has some leak issues. Today he was wet all the way up his front practically to his neck. And Gemma, well, sometimes she has accidents.
So both kids needed a bath, there was no avoiding it. Filled the tub, trying to get Guinness the wiggle worm clean, Gemma happily playing, and I sniff. There was a definite odor of poop. So I am looking in the tub, all around the water..nothing! I look to my right into Guin's diaper on the floor... nothing! I think, maybe it was a fart, who knows, and I keep washing. But no, the smell does not go away. So I am really looking in the water now, check the diaper to my right again, and then look left on the floor. There is poop smeared all around. And on my sock!!! I guess when I pulled Guin's nappie off, a little turd fell out on to the floor, and I proceeded to squish and squash it on the floor. Ewwww!!!!!!!
So both kids needed a bath, there was no avoiding it. Filled the tub, trying to get Guinness the wiggle worm clean, Gemma happily playing, and I sniff. There was a definite odor of poop. So I am looking in the tub, all around the water..nothing! I look to my right into Guin's diaper on the floor... nothing! I think, maybe it was a fart, who knows, and I keep washing. But no, the smell does not go away. So I am really looking in the water now, check the diaper to my right again, and then look left on the floor. There is poop smeared all around. And on my sock!!! I guess when I pulled Guin's nappie off, a little turd fell out on to the floor, and I proceeded to squish and squash it on the floor. Ewwww!!!!!!!
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Sunday, November 22, 2009
totally busy week
Wow, another Christmas concert season is upon us and, lo and behold, I am busy. I don't think I should go back and read my blog archives because I would see how boring and predictable I am!
It was a busy week. I worked hard every day, did a lot for school and at home; Gemma's 3rd birthday is next week so sent out some invitations and did some planning. Thursday went on an awesome date with my hubby to Teinmou (essentially foriegner central of Taipei) for a dance production at the American school there, and it was awesome! While there, we went to a grocery store that features hard to find western groceries (Wellman's), and had the best cheeseburgers...Mary's Hamburgers since 1979. It was just like the perfect hot rink burger (which may not sound that great to you, but here, wow. Tastes like home.)
Friday I rushed home after school, packed the kids up as quick as possible (1 hour) and hustled to the HighSpeedTrain to go to Taichung for a concert at the school there. Andy and Audrey picked us up and then watched the kids while I attended the concert, which was unfortunately shortened due to two cases of H1N1 in the 5th grade class and them being sent home from school earlier that day. The rest of Friday night and Saturday was spent relaxing with the Wu's; admiring the skills and good looks of eachother's children, catching up on the news, sharing thoughts and ideas, and one of the things I miss most about Audrey being gone; crafting! We cut out 10 little backpacks out of purple felt, fronts and backs and started hot glueing them together (till I killed the glue gun; doh). They are going to be the treat bags for Gemma's party on the 30th. It was fun to do, and I wish I had Audrey's help to finish; she did all the eyes too, so more than her share but is more fun to work with someone. Audrey has always been the brains of my craft operations. I can think of ideas but she can make them better, draft out the patterns, and make them look nice. She is very neat and organized and can think things through way better than me. We've done some pretty cool projects together over the years.
I have a to do list that takes me till the 30th. I tried to spread out my party tasks, etc, so it snot all lumped together, but we'll see. To do this week:
-mail presents home
-finish backbacks
-make other decorations
-passport photos, applications, and a trip to the trade office. Ugggg.
-big thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. YAY!
-make and decorate cupcakes for a friend/family party at our thanksgiving dinner,
-make and decorate cake for Monday's party. I am going to try fondant. Gulp!
-wrap presents
-shop for treat bags and party snacks
Wish me luck!
It was a busy week. I worked hard every day, did a lot for school and at home; Gemma's 3rd birthday is next week so sent out some invitations and did some planning. Thursday went on an awesome date with my hubby to Teinmou (essentially foriegner central of Taipei) for a dance production at the American school there, and it was awesome! While there, we went to a grocery store that features hard to find western groceries (Wellman's), and had the best cheeseburgers...Mary's Hamburgers since 1979. It was just like the perfect hot rink burger (which may not sound that great to you, but here, wow. Tastes like home.)
Friday I rushed home after school, packed the kids up as quick as possible (1 hour) and hustled to the HighSpeedTrain to go to Taichung for a concert at the school there. Andy and Audrey picked us up and then watched the kids while I attended the concert, which was unfortunately shortened due to two cases of H1N1 in the 5th grade class and them being sent home from school earlier that day. The rest of Friday night and Saturday was spent relaxing with the Wu's; admiring the skills and good looks of eachother's children, catching up on the news, sharing thoughts and ideas, and one of the things I miss most about Audrey being gone; crafting! We cut out 10 little backpacks out of purple felt, fronts and backs and started hot glueing them together (till I killed the glue gun; doh). They are going to be the treat bags for Gemma's party on the 30th. It was fun to do, and I wish I had Audrey's help to finish; she did all the eyes too, so more than her share but is more fun to work with someone. Audrey has always been the brains of my craft operations. I can think of ideas but she can make them better, draft out the patterns, and make them look nice. She is very neat and organized and can think things through way better than me. We've done some pretty cool projects together over the years.
I have a to do list that takes me till the 30th. I tried to spread out my party tasks, etc, so it snot all lumped together, but we'll see. To do this week:
-mail presents home
-finish backbacks
-make other decorations
-passport photos, applications, and a trip to the trade office. Ugggg.
-big thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. YAY!
-make and decorate cupcakes for a friend/family party at our thanksgiving dinner,
-make and decorate cake for Monday's party. I am going to try fondant. Gulp!
-wrap presents
-shop for treat bags and party snacks
Wish me luck!
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Saturday, November 21, 2009
So busy
There has been so much going, and I have had lots of random little things to comment on.
1) HINI vaccine
Hmmm, I just deleted my thoughts about this. Why start an argument I don't care to finish? I am vaccinating my kids when the public health people come to school next Friday. On to the next...
2) Reasons I love my job
I have had the privilege of listening to some GREAT music lately. I am starting to take more seriously the music listening aspect of music education (partly due to my Nevada and Bruce project) and in this week alone listened to Charlotte Church (13 year old opera, not 20 year old pop), Holst (Bleak Midwinter, and 2nd Suite March), Sousa (Stars and Stripes, Washington Post, and Semper Fidelis, Bleak Midwinter by a variety of singers, and 'Who will Buy' from Oliver. I've listened to Bleak Midwinter about a dozen times, as we are playing a great arrangement of it in Symphonic Band, and I'm really getting into the text. You know, good music stands the test of time. The poem was written in 1872, published in 1904, and then set to music by Holst in 1906. How did one poem out of hundreds of thousands of published poem rise above? How has the music Holst set it to remained a choral standard done by dozens of artists to this day? Because it is AWESOME!!!! Even young children can recognize good music. Pop music is fun, and kids songs are fun, but if you can put a 6 year old down in front of a concert DVD and have them watch spellbound, mouths agape, you know that is good music. (As we did in Kindergarten with Charlotte church singing Panis Angelicus this week.) The kids didn't care that it was opera, or that it was in a language they couldn't understand. They could tell they were witnessing something magical and wonderful and bigger than themselves. Same with my 10 year olds in beginner band, in our week long study of Sousa and other marches. When 2nd suite in F came on, the march movement, they listened. Because somewhere in their brain they know what good music is. Something I learned in college or a conference once was how important music selection is. Band teachers should not just pick pop tunes. Yes, they are fun and catchy and people like them, but those band concerts may be the only classical music that people hear and we have a job to educate people and give them GOOD music. (I think you can still play music for fun, by the way. It's about having a well balanced diet.)
Some resources to help you:
Absolutely the BEST most fun book for teaching classical music to kids I've used. The lyrics are so cute and fun to sing, and they've included music with awesome stories. (It comes with CDs) That's the other part of classical music people don't always realize; the stories are great. If you love stories and music you need these books (volume 1 and 2) (I've had a few email conversations with this author, she is incredibly sweet, too.)
In the Bleak Midwinter (Corrine May; yes, better than Sarah) The text for this is very moving. Spend some time with it.
The Washington Post March, (by Sousa)
Sousa is wonderful clean the house music or marching music (of course!)
2nd suite in F, March (by Holst) And, FYI, when we played this in college I played the baritone solo. :) The good ol days!
Other Holst that is awesome is Mars, from the planets and Jupiter. (I also bought Mars for my band to play, but am saving it for next year when my two tubas are in senior band)
You will be surprised at what your kids will love if you give them the chance.
And, while I am on the topic, youtube has been my favorite teaching tool in the last two years. We have smartboards, and all kinds of other technology, but youtube has been so great a music educator. Instead of listening to a cheesy children's choir sing This land is my land on CD, we've watched Woodie Guthrie sing it. Instead of reading about Milt Hinton, we've watched Milt Hinton. Same with Gershwin. I have no idea what the legalities are of putting things up but I've sure learned a lot and been exposed to some great stuff. Anyway, starting to get into controversy again so I will stop.
Some people say conflict is good. I am still not sold on that. (And don't try and convince me, either! Let's all just play nice and be happy. All the time.)
1) HINI vaccine
Hmmm, I just deleted my thoughts about this. Why start an argument I don't care to finish? I am vaccinating my kids when the public health people come to school next Friday. On to the next...
2) Reasons I love my job
I have had the privilege of listening to some GREAT music lately. I am starting to take more seriously the music listening aspect of music education (partly due to my Nevada and Bruce project) and in this week alone listened to Charlotte Church (13 year old opera, not 20 year old pop), Holst (Bleak Midwinter, and 2nd Suite March), Sousa (Stars and Stripes, Washington Post, and Semper Fidelis, Bleak Midwinter by a variety of singers, and 'Who will Buy' from Oliver. I've listened to Bleak Midwinter about a dozen times, as we are playing a great arrangement of it in Symphonic Band, and I'm really getting into the text. You know, good music stands the test of time. The poem was written in 1872, published in 1904, and then set to music by Holst in 1906. How did one poem out of hundreds of thousands of published poem rise above? How has the music Holst set it to remained a choral standard done by dozens of artists to this day? Because it is AWESOME!!!! Even young children can recognize good music. Pop music is fun, and kids songs are fun, but if you can put a 6 year old down in front of a concert DVD and have them watch spellbound, mouths agape, you know that is good music. (As we did in Kindergarten with Charlotte church singing Panis Angelicus this week.) The kids didn't care that it was opera, or that it was in a language they couldn't understand. They could tell they were witnessing something magical and wonderful and bigger than themselves. Same with my 10 year olds in beginner band, in our week long study of Sousa and other marches. When 2nd suite in F came on, the march movement, they listened. Because somewhere in their brain they know what good music is. Something I learned in college or a conference once was how important music selection is. Band teachers should not just pick pop tunes. Yes, they are fun and catchy and people like them, but those band concerts may be the only classical music that people hear and we have a job to educate people and give them GOOD music. (I think you can still play music for fun, by the way. It's about having a well balanced diet.)
Some resources to help you:
Absolutely the BEST most fun book for teaching classical music to kids I've used. The lyrics are so cute and fun to sing, and they've included music with awesome stories. (It comes with CDs) That's the other part of classical music people don't always realize; the stories are great. If you love stories and music you need these books (volume 1 and 2) (I've had a few email conversations with this author, she is incredibly sweet, too.)
In the Bleak Midwinter (Corrine May; yes, better than Sarah) The text for this is very moving. Spend some time with it.
The Washington Post March, (by Sousa)
Sousa is wonderful clean the house music or marching music (of course!)
2nd suite in F, March (by Holst) And, FYI, when we played this in college I played the baritone solo. :) The good ol days!
Other Holst that is awesome is Mars, from the planets and Jupiter. (I also bought Mars for my band to play, but am saving it for next year when my two tubas are in senior band)
You will be surprised at what your kids will love if you give them the chance.
And, while I am on the topic, youtube has been my favorite teaching tool in the last two years. We have smartboards, and all kinds of other technology, but youtube has been so great a music educator. Instead of listening to a cheesy children's choir sing This land is my land on CD, we've watched Woodie Guthrie sing it. Instead of reading about Milt Hinton, we've watched Milt Hinton. Same with Gershwin. I have no idea what the legalities are of putting things up but I've sure learned a lot and been exposed to some great stuff. Anyway, starting to get into controversy again so I will stop.
Some people say conflict is good. I am still not sold on that. (And don't try and convince me, either! Let's all just play nice and be happy. All the time.)
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comments
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Plus and Minus
So an update about my caffiene addiction
It's good because
1) I have energy throughout the day.
2) I can stay awake longer than Gemma
3) It makes me less hungry, which is good because I don't always have time to eat lunch
It's bad because
1) If I don't have a tea I get a headache
2) I am spending more money than I did before (Not an expensive habit, but more than no habits)
3) I can't spell cafienne
It's good because
1) I have energy throughout the day.
2) I can stay awake longer than Gemma
3) It makes me less hungry, which is good because I don't always have time to eat lunch
It's bad because
1) If I don't have a tea I get a headache
2) I am spending more money than I did before (Not an expensive habit, but more than no habits)
3) I can't spell cafienne
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Monday, November 02, 2009
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