All Joseph, All the time

Several weeks ago, I downloaded the soundtrack to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to my ipod. Since then, the singing hasn't stopped.

All the way to New York and back, we were begged to listen to it "just one more time!". While I would have happily sung along to it for days, there was the small issue of the children's father. Musicals aren't his bag. To be sure, this one gains points because it is a story he is quite familiar with and finds fascinating to analyze. Still, in his book, there is only so much storytelling-by-singing one can tolerate.

Regardless, we have still listened to it many, many times, with special requests by one of my sons for the Pharaoh song. They love envisioning him as an Elvis impersonator. My elder daughter has perfected her French accent after listening to Those Canaan Days repeatedly.

I have promised to take them to a performance the next time it is in town. I wonder if I can get my husband to accompany us?

Edited 2 hours later: We just got back from the library, with the biggest find of our lifetimes! Yes - you guessed it - Joseph on DVD! Everyone is frantically doing chores and homework so they can watch a little of it before dinner.

On the cutting edge

This morning was our monthly MOPS meeting (Mothers of Preschoolers). We had a great speaker - a gal who told us all about kindergarten readiness. After her presentation, we had our small group time and then made our craft.

Why is it I have no talent for MOPS crafts? Upon typing that, I realize it is because I have no talent for making any kind of craft. Today we were simply cutting out felt shapes to put on a felt background. Many moms were making elaborate designs and others were just cutting out many different shapes for their children to use. I was making something in between. I was attempting to make certain shapes (flower petals, a star. . .) and the results were rather pathetic. Someone said it looked like her child had cut one of her shapes out. Another mom said she thought her scissors were dull.

That last one really resonated with me. That's my problem! My scissors are just dull! I can't help that I am no good at crafts! My whole life, I have been given dull scissors. When I tried to scrapbook as a new mom, my scissors were to blame for my uninspired pages. It is because of my scissors that I never finished a cross-stitch project in high school, though many were started. Matter of fact, perhaps dull scissors are the culprit of lots of my shortcomings. I can't dance, I'm not really good at sports, I talk too much. . .maybe it's all the scissors' fault.

More commonly known as watering. . .

This afternoon one of my boys burst through the door into the kitchen.

"What are you and daddy doing out there?" I asked him.

Excitedly, he answered, "We're washing the yard!"

Musings on the Big Apple. . .

We got home late last night (after enduring a 15 hour drive home with all the kiddos) from our fabulous trip to New York City. I am too tired to write much, so here are a few reflections.

• NYC is HUGE and yet felt oddly quaint and small-town-ish.
• No one attempted to mug us, yell at us, attack us or trample us. In fact, everyone was remarkably friendly. Of course, we were quite a spectacle.
• Listening to my 3 year old say, "Stand clear of the closing doors, please", almost every time the subway departed never grew old.
• Spending time with our dear friend and tour guide was wonderful rewarding.
• Walking and riding mass transit everywhere should have made me lose weight. However, all the lovely eating we did made that quite impossible.
• American Girl with your 10 year old daughter is a memorable experience. Though we had been to AG in Chicago, AG in NYC off of 5th Avenue took it to a whole 'notha level.
• Seeing Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty again, this time with the kids was really meaningful.
• Standing at Ground Zero with our friend who was there on 9/11 was very humbling. Seeing all the places we had watched on TV that day really brought to the life the horrific events of that day. It was a very solemn experience.
• Attending our friend's 50th birthday party in a pub on Times Square was something we'll never forget!
  

It is hard to believe we were gallivanting around New York City just two days ago. Now it is back to the grind. . . laundry, laundry and more laundry.

Smells like tween spirit. . .

Around here, we now have two tweeners growing up. . .

Me, to child in shower: Be sure to wash carefully.

Child: Why? I wear deodorant now.

New math

While getting something out of the cabinet this afternoon, I glanced down at my son's homework, which was lying on the counter.

A couple of words jumped out at me, causing me to look it over more carefully. What I thought I read couldn't possibly be on a child's math paper.

But no, I had not misread. The question was: "Find something nearby that has parallel lines".

His answer: "The two sides of a wine bottle".

A true lock-in

As I mentioned, my oldest daughter's birthday was on Wednesday. She turned 10, and it was a momentous occasion. Double digits, a decade, the big 1-0! We are very proud of her and what a wonderful young lady she is becoming.

While we could have just celebrated in the same old way, the youngest two children and I decided to shake things up a bit. By locking the kids in the car.

I was leaving a friend's house to pick up the older children from school. My 3.5 year old son was playing in the front seat (pushing lots of fun buttons, I later realized) while I gabbed with my friend and put the baby in her carseat. I then corralled my son and put him in his five-point harness, slid the door shut and walked around to my door. About the time I got to the driver's door, I heard a definitive click. I immediately knew what happened and felt a mild sort of panic. I looked down at the seat, and there lay my keys and phone. I quickly called my husband on my friend's phone, and he (after having me double check all the doors and windows) rushed the 15 minutes to unlock the doors.

It was a harrowing time. The kids were mostly unaffected, although by the end they were both crying. It was a really warm day and I was worried about the temperature in the van. Luckily, my husband was able to come quickly, and all was fine in the end.

I told my daughter, though, that I would rather commemorate her next birthday in a less stressful manner.