A music class morning! First, I had to extricate Katrina from a 1/2-lb slab of chocolate (a bitter 75% cocoa composition) that she'd discovered in the baking pantry. That's what I get for finally printing shipping labels to send some long-overdue packages. She was working her way through the plastic wrapping, which kept the chocolate somewhat under control, but her hands and face were a mess, and she managed to get some chocolate on her back.
In music class, she sat quietly in my lap at first, but even then, looks were deceiving. She wasn't relaxed at all and I could feel how excited and alert she was. Of course, sitting all sweet and cuddly-like in a lap has never been her strong suit.
Once the class did the first stand-up-and-dance thing, she stayed up for several songs, "dancing" by walking in circles, having a grand time.
She's gotten really good about putting instruments away with the rest of the kids.
Then I went to work. Work. How I like the concept, and the people, and the grownup environment. Oh yeah, and the money. It's just the actual work I'm doing that I'm not crazy about. Alas, what a luxury that would be. Many, many people do jobs they don't like. I've never learned how to do that. I go insane and drive everyone else around me insane.
But what I really like about this job is the flexibility. I left today at 3:15pm to take Julian to his first Snowball class -- a beginner skating class for 3-4 year olds. Yay! And, best of all, his class coincides with a public skating session, so I can skate too!
By the time we got there and got all dressed and skates on, we had about half an hour to practice before Julian's class. At first, it took 10 minutes to get him to the first corner, but he remembered quickly and before long was skating close to the level he had been last year. Distracting him was the key, by showing him something interesting to look at and to forget about not knowing how to skate.
Then, the class. First thing: learn to fall and get back up! These are not Julian's strong points. In fact, his best skating is when he's going pretty fast, a scramble that looks like he's going to fall.
But by the end of his class, I saw him get up from the ice by himself, and using the advice the teachers gave him (hold onto knees if he thinks he's going to fall). I was impressed that two teachers could handle a good-sized group of 3-4-year-olds, presumably who are all beginners. But by the end of the class, none of them needed to be held up, and all were moving on their own power really well. And no little chairs to push around!
Three other kids from the 2004 Las Madres group are in the same class, including Julian's longtime pal Andrew. Andrew had no trouble getting up off the ice right away (and today was his first time) and caught on very quickly. I'm already envisioning them passing the puck to each other for the final SCOOOOORE!
The blues still haunted me all day, but they hadn't a prayer against Katrina's happy bopping around in music class, and Julian's excitment about skating. It was fun being back on the ice too, though I feel directionless without having classes and something to practice. Also, the late afternoon public skating session before classes means there are a lot of little kids on the ice, making harder for shaky helicopter-arm skaters like me to concentrate. Maybe I should take classes again, and drown (well, freeze) my running sorrows that way. Ice skates completely immobilize your ankles, exactly what my sore tendons need.
I'm so glad I broke my vow to do only one activity at a time (total! not even per kid!). Now, how can I squeeze in piano lessons for Gabriel....?
2/28/08
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