Watch-It Wednesday: St. Patrick!!

Hello, lovelies!

Yes, I know I missed Monday. Again. I am hoping to get a "proper" post up on Friday...but in the meantime, check out this awesome short on St. Patrick that one of my wee friends made for me!! It's too wonderful not to share, so without further ado, let me present:

"Patric: a short film by Roman"

Thank you, Roman - you're the best!!! :)

And to the rest of you - Happy Be-Lated St. Patrick's Day!

The Things They Say

Some of the biggest smiles in my life are Littles. My own three youngest siblings, the students who march through my door each week, and the cute kiddos I see at church and babysit ~ these are the ones that keep life hopping and happy. Besides the fun of teaching and playing with them, their constant stream of silliness (intentional, and otherwise) keeps me chuckling, no matter what the day has held. If you don't personally know the truth of this, here are some conversations that have taken place around here, lately...

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Zach: "I was just breathing through my ear!"

*Various Siblings*: "That's impossible."

Zach: "No, really! Air was coming in and going out!"

Gracie: "You have an eardrum there, you can't breath through it!"
 

Methinks it's time for a discussion on air flow & anatomy.
 

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Meg: "If actions speak louder than words, then they also speak louder than words in 'Whack'! Shouldn't that be true??"
 

Thanks, Meg! Now I have a logical defense when I find myself tongue-tied & have to just point at someone.
 

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Me: (Placing supper on the table) "Ok you guys, time to eat!"

Little #1: "But...but...but...where's my fork?!?"

Me: "You don't have one yet. Run and get it!"

Little #2: "I have to go get my fork, too!"

Me: "Yep! Go for it!"

Little #3: (while sliding his fork back & forth across the table, yet in dead earnest) "I need a fork, too!"
 

Ahh, peer pressure, how young you start.
 

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You know that part in The Pacifier when Murney has to play Mother Superior for The Sound of Music skit? We were suffering through watching it w/the younger kids, when Zach suddenly blurted out, "Wow! I never knew Mother Superiors had such hairy legs!"
 

...which causes me to stop and consider: Do Mother Superiors shave their legs?

Oh the things I would never wonder if it wasn't for Zachary.
 

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Me: "Meg, put this away."

Meg: "Ewww!"

Me: "Big whoop. It's just clean underwear."

Zachary: "And if your a girl, you wear it every day!"
 

"If you're a girl"?? I don't even want to ask.
 

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Then there's the list of instructions I had to give Maddy, all in one afternoon of knitting.

Please tell me, are these instructions rocket science? 'Cause she seemed to think they were...

 

"Maddy, you may not put your knitting needle in your nose!"

"Maddy, don't scratch your face with your knitting needle!"

"Maddy, get your knitting needle out of the chip bag!"
 

Note to self: knitting needles are complicated tools of {apparently} ambiguous purpose. So much for the explained-by-the-name theory.
 

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What would we do without Littles?



Watch-It Wednesday: Happiness

Grey, drizzly day. Sweats. Cup of tea.

Cosy (that is one word that is just better when spelled the British way) mornings make me happy.

Three Littles cluttering my already-war-zone-looking room. One has a chair set up as a table, and is writing a synopsis for chapters of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Two others have a Lego game in the works - instructions, pieces, and box strewn across the floor. None of them particularly dedicated to their own employment, they are constantly checking in with each other, at times completely halting all pursuits to tell stories based off of the Lego men or instruction-pictures. "King of K5" (although they are now in 2nd grade) explains the word "adjacent" which was just used in the story he was telling. Now they're all back to their proper places - Synopsis Girl checking about when she gets a break, and Game Players rolling the dice.

Littles make me happy.

Cookbooks, pen, and paper cover my bed. Menu-planning and grocery-shopping are on the list today.

The fun of organizing meals and playing working within a budget make me happy.

Phone rings. The funny tune of these new phones we have makes me smile. On the line, a sweet, 6-year-old boy's voice greets me, asking to speak to Little Brother. K5 King jumps up, and returns a few minutes later with a smile and a birthday party invitation. Phone rings again. Again the tune makes me smile. Sweet 6-year-old-friend again. "Hi Sarah, again. Um, Zachary hung up before I could tell him my mama wants to talk to his mama..."

Littles' friends calling on the phone makes me happy.

Synopsis Girl is ready for her break. She climbs up onto my bed, rolls up in one of my fuzzy blankets, arranges my {many} pillows underneath her, and asks permission to pretend she's a cowgirl sleeping in her bunk (as if saying 'no' could stifle the imagination!). Game Players start trying to sing the "Matthew Begats", and ask to hear it on my computer.

Watching the pathways of a Little's mind makes me happy.

Thinking about Easter this past wekeend. Is there a Biblical character you relate to? I relate to Peter. Maybe that's why this song is so beautiful to me (despite the 7-11 ending :).

That Christ is alive makes me happy.

Happy Wednesday!

 

You Know You're A Music Teacher When...

Photo Credit.

...you discover that you knock "Mississippi Stop-Stop" on front doors...

...you find yourself jumping up and shattering glass with "hooray!" when you've heard a difficult passage three times in a row perfectly...

...your music case has officially turned into an entertainment bag: bouncy balls, stickers, colored pens, 18-sided die, and "little friends" Cocoa, Alice, Plum, and Chippy...

...you can turn ANYTHING into a technique analogy - including the strawberry jello brain someone once brought to science class...

...every week, over 20 children march in your door, walk into your music room, and wrap your heart around their little fingers...

I.

LOVE.

TEACHING.

Period. End of story.

My Week - Part One: Birthday Party

Wednesday, July 20th.

Joint birthday party for Megan, Madeline, and Elizabeth, three days before the Twinkles' actual 6th birthday.

A Routine's a Routine

Every evening I babysit, this little lady requests two very specific songs to have sung to her before she goes to sleep. Last night was no exception (although she did add "Yankee Doodle" to the list this time).


The first song is hilarious, and I can't for the life of me sing it right - but I blaze through anyways as penance for introducing it to her. She calls it "De Tacow Sowng":

The second, "Fawthew Dod," is ten times sweeter, and always has me leaving her bedroom with a renewed outlook on life... She learned it at Family Camp last year and, as I sing, she watches me, mouthing the words.

(this isn't exactly the same version, but...)

Her taste in genre combinations, and her strict adherence to the routine always makes me grin!