He did so great at his audition tonight! He sang the song as well as he has done before, and even held it together when they wouldn't let him finish (they cut a bunch of people off). I'm so proud of him. I did film it, so it'll be available soon on DVD.
When I signed him in originally, they asked how old he was, so I told them. Then I asked if they graded on a curve! The lady said that he'd probably end up as an Oompa Loompa! So let's keep our fingers crossed. He'd be an awesome Oompa Loompa.
Helping Your Children to Thrive
One of our jobs as parents is to help our children find areas in which they will thrive. It can be a challenge, say, if your kids have very different personalities than you do. But it's so important to find groups in which your children feel at home, help them find some kindred spirits in which they have a lot in common. I know I always do better and am happier when I am with people who I understand and who understand me.
My daughter, who is quite shy, is hard to match up with good social outlets. Mostly she just needs a few really good friends who are wonderful, nice people. She has a few like that now. She also is very physical. Her talents have always included gross motor skill activities. So she's in gymnastics, is also taking dance right now, and she loves to be outside. She's thriving in those areas.
My son is another story. Granted, he's younger, and there haven't been as many opportunities to put him in environments where he will thrive in that same way. We live in a small town, so I haven't been able to put him in music conservatory classes to foster his natural musical ability like I took when I was his age. He's almost five years old now, though, and things are finally opening up for him. Unlike the rest of us, my son is not shy. He will talk to anyone, anywhere. He doesn't mind being the center of attention, and seems to seek it out. He doesn't understand boundaries too well yet, but we're working with him about that. In any case, I believe I've finally found something we can try for that would really allow him to be his complete self. The opera house in town does plays and such, and they are having auditions for children age 4-19 for the spring play of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"! My son does take direction pretty well, so I hope the audition will go well. None of us have every done anything like this before so I don't know what to expect, but it would be so exciting to have him do things that help him grow. And, it's free to participate! Unlike many of the things around here. So I'll let you all know how the audition goes. It's at the end of January.
My daughter, who is quite shy, is hard to match up with good social outlets. Mostly she just needs a few really good friends who are wonderful, nice people. She has a few like that now. She also is very physical. Her talents have always included gross motor skill activities. So she's in gymnastics, is also taking dance right now, and she loves to be outside. She's thriving in those areas.
My son is another story. Granted, he's younger, and there haven't been as many opportunities to put him in environments where he will thrive in that same way. We live in a small town, so I haven't been able to put him in music conservatory classes to foster his natural musical ability like I took when I was his age. He's almost five years old now, though, and things are finally opening up for him. Unlike the rest of us, my son is not shy. He will talk to anyone, anywhere. He doesn't mind being the center of attention, and seems to seek it out. He doesn't understand boundaries too well yet, but we're working with him about that. In any case, I believe I've finally found something we can try for that would really allow him to be his complete self. The opera house in town does plays and such, and they are having auditions for children age 4-19 for the spring play of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"! My son does take direction pretty well, so I hope the audition will go well. None of us have every done anything like this before so I don't know what to expect, but it would be so exciting to have him do things that help him grow. And, it's free to participate! Unlike many of the things around here. So I'll let you all know how the audition goes. It's at the end of January.
Awesome Music
Whatever your political persuasion, wasn't the music at the inauguration excellent? The amazing John Williams song with Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, and others... It brought tears to my eyes. Wonderful music.
Can't Wait for Tuesday? Watch the Inauguration in Lego!
I keep shamelessly linking to Matt Blum's GeekDad articles, but here's another one. (And what can I say, a lot of what he puts on there is awesome!) Legoland in California has already held the inauguration, created out of Lego bricks. Video and Matt's blurb are here.
Star Wars Retold by Someone Who Hasn't Seen It!
Want a really good laugh today? Thanks (again!) to Matt Blum at GeekDad for this awesome post. If you have seen the Star Wars movies (original trilogy, of course) as often as I have, you'll really enjoy this recap done by someone who doesn't know what she's talking about.
Growing Older
I'm almost 36. I'm truly beginning to feel not-young anymore. It's no fun. I find I have to focus on the good things about growing older - the wisdom, the experience, my relationships, watching my children grow. Turning 35 wasn't fun, but I could kid myself that I was still in my early 30s somehow, and it was a nice round number that didn't end in zero. I'm trying to get excited about being 36 in April because it's a square number, and squares are my favorite shape. I want to do something grand for my birthday. I wanted something grand last year, but it didn't happen. I keep wanting an awesome experience specifically for my birthday, but usually you don't do those for yourself. Other people tend to do them for you. But perhaps I should just plan one myself anyway, since I seem to have control issues!
This is a horrible year for it (lack of money, trying to sell the house, etc.), but I’d love an awesome trip somewhere. Too bad it’s hard to get to Europe without flying. But how awesome would it be to take a train across the U.S., meet up with a transatlantic ocean liner, sail to Europe, spend a few months over there, and then return the same way? Who’s with me?
This is a horrible year for it (lack of money, trying to sell the house, etc.), but I’d love an awesome trip somewhere. Too bad it’s hard to get to Europe without flying. But how awesome would it be to take a train across the U.S., meet up with a transatlantic ocean liner, sail to Europe, spend a few months over there, and then return the same way? Who’s with me?
Dream Job? Not For Me!
There is a dream job available to anyone who loves the beach, the ocean, snorkeling, underwater life, and the southern hemisphere. I would hate this job, because I am not a great swimmer, and I burn too easily in the sun. But I think a good portion of the world's population would love this!
You're the caretaker for an island in the Great Barrier Reef. But hurry, they are only taking applications until February 22nd! If you get the job, please send me a postcard.
You're the caretaker for an island in the Great Barrier Reef. But hurry, they are only taking applications until February 22nd! If you get the job, please send me a postcard.
Hubble's Tonight's Sky
If you love astronomy, or you want to, be sure to check out the monthly Tonight's Sky thingy from the Hubble people. It gives you a little animation detailing constellations you can see that month, planet sightings, season details, and any other astronomical events. We are sure to watch it each month. I think each one is about three minutes long, so it's not a big time investment!
Geeky Cakes!
Here are some awesome Geeky Cakes. I've seen a few of them before on Cake Wrecks, but some of these are new to me. Awesome, and tasty! My favorites are the Lego one, and all the Mario ones. They are just done really well.
Star Trek Embroidery
A little Star Trek, a little embroidery, a little Carmen Miranda. This cracked me up so much. Unfortunately, Wesley Crusher isn't included.
Make Some Snowflakes!
I've seen cool snowflake making sites before, but this one is especially neat because you can also see what other people have made, and you can attach messages to your snowflakes.
Fame
Not the show, not the awesome David Bowie song, but my ever-growing minor fame is the subject today. Apparently word is getting around about my little newspaper blog! It is all very exciting.
First thanks to Dave Beaty, the awesome artist who did the neat superhero graphic for my "What Is Your Superpower?" article. He has a real love of comic books, so he got inspired!
Second, thanks to my high school classmate, Matt Blum, who writes for Wired Magazine's GeekDad blog. He wrote an entry that mentioned and linked to my Daily Courier article on superpowers! Thanks, Matt!
This is pretty cool.
First thanks to Dave Beaty, the awesome artist who did the neat superhero graphic for my "What Is Your Superpower?" article. He has a real love of comic books, so he got inspired!
Second, thanks to my high school classmate, Matt Blum, who writes for Wired Magazine's GeekDad blog. He wrote an entry that mentioned and linked to my Daily Courier article on superpowers! Thanks, Matt!
This is pretty cool.
