My husband's family always has a huge and very formal dinner on Christmas Day for all 20+ people who are in town. They're boisterous but kind and I find it utterly exhausting. It does not feel like a holiday to me because I grew up with small quiet special family time instead. They tend to tease a lot and are very outspoken in general, through it does come from kindness underneath. We can't change them. My husband and I have already decided that we will someday make the big group Christmas a less frequent thing. We'll find other times to visit each part of the family when we can interact more meaningfully and on our own terms. Is it fun to be with those family members other times? Can you work on not getting dragged into the parts of their personalities you don't like? Can you choose a nuclear-family-only option every other year?

Moses and miriam.

Run Get tree Put up lights Practice Print week's school pages Laundry

Yup, the dreaded book 4 slow-down (as perceived by the kid)! I hear you. Sounds like you have struck a great balance and have a great teacher. I bet you've already found some of the great YouTube performances of book 4 works out there in the world. There is a jazzy version of the Bach double that's tons of fun. Sometimes in book 4 I also let a kid add in some fiddling or pop melodies if they're interested. Boys in particular seem to like that because the fiddle tunes are so frenetic and note-y.

Have you seen My Neighbor Totoro, Arriety, Ponyo, or any of the other Miyazaki movies? (Warning: some are a bit beyond my kids but they're sensitive.)

Didn't read the responses but DANG! So sorry to hear- a sinus infection is such a nightmare. I had one a few years ago and found it completely depressing. Get well soon.

FWIW, I find the ESV a bit hurky to read aloud. It's a great translation, but I like the HCSB much better for reading to a group. We just got this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1433603322/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 HCSB Illustrated Study Bible in blue "leather" I love the HCSB translation and it's a very nice looking Bible. Plenty of text-box things, maps, etc. We bought this for my 8 year old because he's reading well and really wanted a non-childish Bible. He adores it. And in case you're interested, we also got a NiRV (young reader's 3rd grade level Bible) for our 6 year old. It's a bit of a stretch for him in terms of reading level, but I think by summer it will be perfect. He likes a challenge and loves the layout. We picked this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310745292/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It looks just like his big brother's blue pleather one.

Thoughts re: path for very advanced youngsters question from wintermom. Being both musically and technically proficient enough to perform a piece can happen younger than you might think. In my opinion, both are a matter of great training in addition to certain innate proclivities. I also believe proclivities can be created by great (consistently on-task) practice habits and regular exposure to fantastic playing. Some young musicians might struggle technically, others might not be as musically facile. Every once in a while a student is able to more easily bring together both sides of the coin in addition to quick learning of new works. (Those students were often prompted very early to mimic a teacher's phrasing in addition to the "ink on the page". When a student struggles with musicality and depth of sound, personally I would assign a lot of very specific listening. We then play scales & arpeggios in different "styles". We explicitly discuss technical things like vibrato width/speed and bow variation, which we apply broadly to scales and etudes. We play mimic games, and we talk a lot about why I would choose to play a phrase a certain way. Only then would it be applied in the context of a piece, and usually we'd pick a few very brief excerpts in which to deploy those musical skills first before learning the whole work. In that way, more advanced musical playing can be "grafted in" to a new work without too much stress. Musical depth including variety of sound and beautiful phrasing are things that some young students would not necessarily see as being equally important to simply playing all the notes correctly. It sometimes takes a bit of gymnastics on the part of the teacher and the practice partner to point out the value in those skills as well. I have even been known to assign written reviews of disparate performances (a wild player vs a conservative one, or an "old school" performer vs somebody very recent). Listening analysis with leading questions is an easy way to awaken that part of a student's ear. If possible, having the technically focused student observe the lesson (or masterclass) of other more musically facile players can be infinitely helpful. Prodigies or very advanced younger musicians, when they reach college-age, often find the playing field is generally leveled. It's not necessarily a great advantage either way. Most music students don't become professional musicians, but kids who are encouraged to play throughout their childhood often continue to find music is a valuable means of expression into adulthood. Support your musical kiddo in the best way you know, and keep track with your teacher. Ask regularly how they think you're doing with practicing or if there are any areas the kid could do well to focus on more directly. Go to a lot of concerts. Buy multiple recordings of anything they are playing. Comparing your kid's path to another's can be frustrating, just like in any other skill-set or academic subject. I know you're just asking about different paths, but thought I'd throw my thoughts in there.

Happy Thursday! We aren't doing anything except making tons of food and going for a run, but I love these threads so I'm rooting for all you industrious types today.

My 21 month-old demanded about 4 today, and we finally hid them. She ate cuties, olives, tomatoes and raisins for dinner. Should be an interesting day tomorrow... Cuties= crack

I'm thinking more along the lines of beastie boys' "Sabotage" mostly because I love that scream at the beginning. But I'll need it more at Christmas than this week...

Sorry, Jean! Thinking of you, hope you get some rest and feel better. I got my list done, except running. It got dark before I could tackle that and my parents don't have a treadmill. I decided to drive by one of the rural houses on my way to my parents' and it was Rural rural. Like a dirt road and helicopters flying over our car harvesting Christmas trees, add 30 minutes to any trip rural. Oh well, it was really pretty but not for us. .

Trial lesson w/prospective Freshman for fall Kids Music Instrument Practice Pack family for holiday: don't forget that stupid ham, pie stuff, swimsuits, wreath Ready house: Feed fish, set timers, email house sitter Run

Good luck on your procedures, Jean. Trial lesson w/prospective Freshman for fall Kids Music Instrument Practice Pack family for holiday: don't forget that stupid ham, pie stuff, swimsuits, wreath Ready house: Feed fish, set timers, email house sitter Run

I am somewhat interested but all my family grandparents were immigrants. It has more to do with learning about their specific histories than a group/area culture thing. Now that we are a mixed race family, we have a great and strong interest in China. We are only three months in, but we're already added triple new cultures: Chinese, Chinese-American and Adoptive International Bi-Racial Family. FWIW, if you feel a connection to and knowledge of your family is lacking, I recommend 23andme for genetic heritage testing. If you are interested in going beyond that to medical genetic information, another service called Promethease is very useful once you have the 23andme report.

Ooh, one of those links gave me an idea. It's easy enough even I will actually execute it (instead of just getting excited about it and then wandering off to put in a load of laundry, never to return). You could copy (we have a color copier) or print a Pokemon card onto a sheet of paper and have the kid write a description, their favorite things about it, when/where they got it, what a parent needs to know about it (my boys are at the age of LOVING to explain things to me), or if they're advanced then write a story. I could tell them to do that with a blank page, but they would be all excited about it if it had Giratina on it. I like the addition game one person did on that afterschooling blog. I might make it a multiplication game by finding images on the interwebs and printing a bunch: let's say 5 x a card with an HP of 120 and they have to multiply to get the answer. My boys would love the pretend-buying game. I think I could make a "making 10's" thing out of it. Put 15 or so cards on a sheet and price them all single digit prices. Then tell them they have spend exactly $10. Name a card and they have to find the match to make 10.

School Swimming Buy Thanksgiving ham Get out boys' Christmas decor Print new cello & piano hundreds chart Get new running plan in calendar Practice Run FINALLY!!!!!! I feel so industrious. Why do I tend to skip this thing that makes me feel so good?

We just found another candidate. Closer to 10 acres but less stuff close to it. It's about ten minutes further out (so ~35 minutes round trip) from shops. My husband's commute would be an hour total per day and there's no public transport option. He works only 4 days per week and may go to more work from home if he decides to become a partner. Lots to consider!!!

I am following this. We just had a big family discussion about Pokemon and how it's devolved into just wanting to buy new cards all the time. We have decided that they need to create their own pokemon (design, color, decide reasonable powers, etc) for each pack they buy. We have also offered to make it more of a social thing by going to the local club one or two Saturdays a month. Sadly, it's been a huge object lesson (for me, not them) in consumerism and it has edged out the creative play of Legos. :-( They have agreed to do more battles with each other in order to use some of the math stuff and strategy involved. I would love some kind of game to help them play and figure out math stuff... I'll have to see if I'm creative and motivated enough to do something myself like EndOfOrdinary. Props for that, I don't know if I'm woman enough! My older boy is interested in writing stories involving Pokemon, too. I'm thinking I need to allot some time to letting him dictate that for a while. Other than that, I'm tapped out and am leaning toward a strong resentment of those precious infernal cards.

Please keep it going through Dec 1! Finally called today at the right time and it's the holiday break. :-)

Praying! My dad had a seizure yesterday, but nothing like that. I can only imagine ! So sorry. School Swimming Buy Thanksgiving ham Get out boys' Christmas decor Print new cello & piano hundreds chart Get new running plan in calendar Practice Run

It's not that I think my kids are totally unsafe unless locked inside in our neighborhood, it's that they don't have much to do. Our street is full of not-kids. Retirees, kidless working couples dominate. They buy a townhouse because it's easy living but they want it kept tidy. The other day my 6 yo drew a sidewalk chalk line (like a single line) along the bottom of the driveways. We have neighbors that will not appreciate that, so we then made a game of rinsing it off. At my parents' property, we do send them outside to play. They are told to run around the house three times between school subjects. They build things with hand saws and nails. That's the kind of thing I want. And I don't think it's laughable to consider it safer. I'm not worried about kidnapping or whatever, but being reported for wandering alone and getting hit by a car are two of my top concerns. Where we are the country dangers involve... I dunno, falling out of a tree or encountering a skunk or mean dog. It's not rugged or untamed in that sense.

:grouphug: Give yourself time to adjust to that bit of news. Congratulations, and it will be okay. Take good care and go easy on yourself!

I did almost nothing on my list today but am totally okay with that. Except I do miss the running. Since our trip to China to bring home our daughter, I have only run once or twice and I really need to get back to it. Church Look at house for sale? Buy Thanksgiving ham Get out boys' Christmas decor Print new cello & piano hundreds chart Get new running plan in calendar Practice Run