Music, Morning to (Almost) Midnight

I took the kids to a small concert hall downtown tonight because I'm insane for an evening of cultural enlightenment. As the musicians were warming up, Christian commented on their initial cacophony,"They sound terrible."

He changed his tune once they changed their tune, and we enjoyed an evening of very talented violinists performing Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky.

We owe the idea of attending the concert to a friend of Mike's, and someone the rest of us are getting to know. She was also there, and while we were only able to visit briefly before the performance and for a few more minutes during intermission, I am glad she invited us, and am looking forward to doing other fun things together. Maybe she would like the concert series at our church, which are quite well done. I am going to try to make it to some of them this year, hopefully with all the kids (they are free!).

This morning after I got Christian to school, the girls and I went to the weekly class we attend, where we learned many new songs in order to help us remember the facts for this week. History songs, Latin songs, math songs, English grammar songs...you can learn pretty much anything if you sing it.

We also went to the dentist's office today, and the kids received "A"s for their good check-ups. The hygienists kindly reminded us to floss. Daily.

In between the dentist's and the concert, we spent a few hours at home; the kids hung out in the back room listening to songs on Michaela's computer. Then on the way downtown, Christian offered up a crazy solo rap/song that went on for a full twenty minutes. Michaela wanted to tell him to be quiet, using less diplomatic terms, but I thought if he kept it up he might lose his voice altogether. What we discovered is that his voice can last a very long time. He did manage to rein it in by the time we reached our seats (and it may or may not have helped that I had told them if we needed to leave early for bad choices, they would be paying for the tickets themselves).

Two out of three kids are now sleeping, and the quiet of the house is music to my ears after a busy day. I'm so grateful for the sweet soul-swelling sound of classical masters and for the sweet sound of silence too, and all the other music of a day. A time for each...

Keeping On

I have so many things I would like to write about, but haven't had the time. This is good, of course, since I am trying to get the girls' schoolwork done, and do a load of laundry every day. I'm not even managing to get the dishes done each evening. And it defies the laws of logic and science that have to do with what one has in the pantry and fridge, or actually doesn't have, that I continue to come up with meals to feed the people in this house.

Meals is an overstatement. Food is a more accurate word choice.

The days keep speeding by. And even now, I have to go clean the school space, and the kitchen. I was just listening to the song "You're an Overcomer," and it made me smile, and dance in my seat. Even on these days when I feel overwhelmed, the promise stands: He has overcome, therefore I can keep going. You too!

Confirming Mike's Genes in Eliana

Eliana may look like a miniature version of her mama, but her delight in math surely must come from her daddy. 

For fun this evening, she took a piece of paper and proceeded to do subtraction. And one multiplication problem, because she thinks she's in third grade.  

She did all of that without asking me one question. The only thing wrong was in the upper left corner, the first problem. She had written "15 - 3 = 21." I was about to ask her which number was bigger, 15 or 21, because she understands that with a subtraction problem, the answer will be less than the number she started out with. But she read the number sentence to me: "15 - 3 = 12." Ha! So she had just mixed the digits up, and we sorted that out quickly, and she was happy as a clam.

A mathematics-loving little clam.

And I guess she loves her mom too. 

It's because I have taught her everything I know about math. I do what I can to make the children happy.

The Fine Line

As I drove around today, I noticed flags flying at half-staff as a remembrance of the 9-11 attacks. I fought back tears remembering, indeed. I'll never forget walking out of the bedroom that morning carrying eight-month-old Michaela, sleepy (myself) from nursing her through the night, but smiling, I think. Mike had the TV on, and he turned to me and said,"Something really bad has happened."

We sat and watched the coverage as the horrors continued to happen right before our eyes; we were about an hour away from New York, and Mike's brother was living in the city at the time. It took a long time to get in touch with him, but Mike was able to at some point.

The memory of those moments comes rushing back easily every year on the anniversary. Remembering brings me to a place with which I am quite familiar: the fine line.

While living in this busted-up world where the circumstances of my life threaten to wear me out, run me down, devastate and defeat me, I forget.

Focused on the wrong things, I worry and plan, or worry and want to give up, because I forget.

I find myself on a tightrope, shaking and losing my balance because I forget.

There is this line. During life here, both this side of the Cross and this side of eternity, this in-between time, this waiting time, I'm walking a fine line. Considering the brokenness of the world leaves me tottering on what seems like the edge of a precipice. On one side is a drop, straight down into darkness, and what appears to be chaos. But on my other side, is solid ground, a rock, firm, and stable; I just need to step calmly, confidently, because I know it's there.

Many things in this life I should never forget, but this? Is one of the most important. Knowing this, remembering this, makes all the other things worth remembering too, because He does not forget, nor does He forsake.

Psalm 18:1, 2, 16-18, 30-32, 36

I love you, LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
As for God, his way is perfect:
The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.

She May Look Like Me, But She Makes a Cuter Nerd

A convergence of a couple of things led to these photos.

The girls rediscovered my nerd glasses from last Halloween. (I dressed up as my sixth-grade self, in case you didn't know.) (You have to scroll down to the lower half of the post...sorry.) Eliana dared Michaela to wear them for an entire day (this was Friday), and Michaela is not one to refuse a dare, so she did wear them.

I suppose Eliana thought it looked like fun to wear the glasses. She donned them the next day. 

She also asked to do math. 

Actually, to be accurate, she begged. "Please?! Can we please do math?"

How could I say no? 

And by the way, I can totally teach first grade math. 

Like a boss. 

More importantly, though, Eliana can totally do first grade math.

Like a boss. 

Have you ever seen a cuter little nerd?