Kyle Rocks!

This is the band Kyle performed with during the high school production of Cyrano de Bergerac. The group consisted of two guitars, bass, sax, drums, and Kyle's electric violin. They wrote all the music by creating some basic melodies and then improvising like a jazz group. Kyle had a blast although he is becoming more interested in the guitar (his guitar teacher is the player on the left) because the violin is not quite as cool. In the picture, Kyle is plucking his violin in that particular song.

Welcome to the War Zone

This is our street. Starting about two weeks ago, work crews first scraped away the pavement and then last week large diggers hauled away 18+ inches of dirt and replaced giant concrete pipes. The minivan is trapped in the driveway indefinitely and the Accord is parked on the sidewalk around the corner. Everyday we tiptoe through the mud and climb up to the gate of our house (on the right just past where you see Michael). No water delivery, no trash pick up, and lugging the groceries is a pain in the a@@!

I took this picture at 2:30 pm today- notice how the sun is already setting behind the houses on the right and barely shining on the left!

Have Mercy!

Too busy today to do more than throw down a couple of words- work, Polish class, grocery shopping (commissary at embassy), Christmas shopping, unload the car at home, back out for more grocery shopping (Polish store), put away all groceries, clean kitchen, and make two batches of gingerbread dough for the two parties tomorrow. Whine, whine and now I'm off to bed.

PS- If you want thoughtful analysis and commentary, read Ryan!

Teaching in the Local Preschool

For two weeks I have been substituting as the aide in a Kindergarten room in an international preschool. The class has eleven students- ten Polish, one Korean, one American- and the teacher is a Polish woman who was the aide in previous years. The school has a 2-3 year old room, a 4-5 year old room, and the Kindergarten class and all instruction is done in English (the parents want their children to be bilingual). Ideally, the school would prefer native English speakers but right now they have only native Polish teachers that speak English, except for the aide for whom I am substituting.

The school day lasts from 8:30 to 2:30 with extended care until 5:00. The teachers rotate responsibility for the extended care. A British woman provides music activities twice each week and a hot lunch is available for an extra fee.

The first two days I tried to observe, to get a sense of the kids, the teacher, and the schedule. The teacher didn't really tell me anything so I kept asking what she wanted me to do. I tried to help wherever I could but our teaching styles are quite different so I felt awkward. The children do a lot of worksheets which bothers my method of child-centered, authentic learning but it's not my classroom so I bit my tongue and tried to support her efforts. I brought in some of my story books today because the teacher was going to be gone, leaving me in charge, and I needed some back-up activities. The kids were quick to remind me if I did something out of order but I had a lot of fun. I let them color snowflakes with sparkle crayons (their teacher wants them to color things only as they exist in real life) and I read to them a lot. As much as I may disagree with some of the classroom practices, I had to honor and support the established routines and methods.

Tomorrow will be my last day and then I have to clean and cook for the Army-Navy game party on Saturday. THEN I'll finally get to my Christmas preparations!

Getting Ready for Christmas?

How are the holiday preparations coming along? Three weeks until Christmas so time is running out. I have a Christmas newsletter about 25% complete, a shopping list with a lot of question marks, and one gift ready for mailing. Not a lot of progress for December 4.

There seems to be some resignation about Christmas this year- people concerned about their finances who realize they need to cut back. My worry each year is that I waste money if I buy a gift that the recipient doesn't like. Ideally, I'd prefer to find the "perfect" gift on my own and not have to rely on a wish list but at least a list ensures the gift is appreciated. I like gift cards because then the person can get exactly what they want but then I feel guilty, like I gave up without really trying. I'm overwhelmed by all the choices on the internet and this year I'm not ready to do the Polish gift thing. My solution at the moment is to procrastinate.

We haven't done any decorating yet. Maybe we'll get a tree this weekend; there are lots of tree lots around town but I have no idea what kind of evergreens they offer. Our traditional gingerbread house will have to wait until school vacation begins on the 19th. We'll make doughnuts (Ryan!) then, too, and cookies.

The ODC party is next Friday evening and will be a joint venture with one of the other embassy offices. A caterer will be providing the main dishes while families will bring desserts and side dishes. The ambassador will have an open house at the residence sometime this month and the language school that teaches the Polish classes at the embassy is having a party on Saturday. The days of sitting in Santa's lap are long gone!

I hope everyone is a little more prepared than I am and looking forward to a relaxing holiday, especially the moms, who usually shoulder the burden of planning, decorating, shopping, wrapping, cooking, and cleaning.

Annual Advent Calendars

They are here! They are here! The Christmas season doesn't officially begin for the kids until Aunt Jane sends the advent calendars. With all her grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, I wonder how many she buys every year! Tim was barely in the door from work with the mail before they were all over him to see if a package had arrived. He's making a face because he didn't get one, too! Every morning, the first thing they do is open the next window and pop that bite of chocolate into their mouths.

Construction in Front By, Michael

I thought our street was fine but the road workers think not. The road workers already finished one other street and it was very smooth. When the road workers were done destroying the road. HOLD ON, mom just said that the road workers were replacing the pipes! Now that's a whole other story. Well anyway the road workers are in front of the house.
Katy, me, and Kyle now have to go to the end of the street to get on the bus. Maybe mom and dad can't get out the drive way!