May 17, 2004 - 11:10 a.m.

Relief

Choralfest went well yesterday. We kicked off the program, and, while our performance was not without mistakes, we did a better job than we could have possibly imagined a couple of weeks ago. Even the piece written just for us for the concert went pretty well, and, according to our director's mother, who is by no means a musical novice, sounded lovely. Those of us in NCV have invested way too much time and energy into the piece to have any perspective on it whatsoever, so it was nice to hear positive comments from unbiased listeners. Mostly, though, it was a relief to have it over and just sit and listen to the rest of the concert. There was a wide variety of music performed, some interesting, some really cool, some derivative, and some beautiful. I don't think I have ever been exposed to so much new and modern music before, so it was an interesting experience.

I haven't been writing about work too much lately. That's primarily because it hasn't been all that interesting. B has been neither completely charming nor demanding and difficult, so not much fodder for anecdotes there. By the time the girls get home from school, our afternoons are mostly taken up with homework, piano practice, baths, etc. So there simply hasn't been much to share.

Last week was a bit of a pain, because H had to prepare for a multiplication and division retest at school. She'd been struggling with the material for a long while, and only got 36 of 54 problems correct on the first test. To be fair, though, only four kids in the class managed to pass. Every afternoon last week we had to force H to do practice problems amidst her tantrums and declarations of hatred for math. It was not pretty, but her parents and I managed to keep our cool. All our hard work paid off, since she got a perfect score on the retest. Phew. I hope there are no more academic hurdles to face before the end of the school year. We aren't very good at handling them in this household, since the kids are very smart, and usually the girls are very motivated learners. B is a different story, but since he's only in preschool, academic performance isn't an issue. He already claims he hates school, though I suspect that's just because he would rather be home watching TV or playing with his toys. Still, I am uncertain how to handle the situation, since the girls have always loved going to school. We make sure to praise and show great interest in any work he brings home from school, and also make sure to emphasize that learning is important, but he often complains about having to go anyway. I imagine it will pass, since he is eager to be a "big kid" and go to the elementary school, but it is a little frustrating to feel that we are forcing him to go to school.

I have to go pack B a lunch, since I think we will head to the playground after I pick him up at school. That's always a nice way to transition into the work week. :)

today's project: P day: puppets and pudding, I think.

Did you know? Nomar Garciaparra's name is his father's name, Ramon, spelled backwards.

consecutive workout days: one - a good, intense half hour on the elliptical trainer this morning

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