7-Quick takes

  Join Jen and the other Quicktakers over at the Conversion Diary.

1.  Next week we dive into the ultimate of penance for the church musician- also know as holy week.  For not only have we been doing marathon practices in preparation for Easter Sunday, but we will also tackle the special liturgies for Palm Sunday, and the Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday with the Easter Vigil and then Easter morning itself.  It is a marathon.

My children I think have it harder than I do because they will be singing for the vigil and then have to make it back to church for Easter morning at 8:30 or some such time.

On the other hand, Mr. Pete and I have to play for the 11 a.m. mass and then beat it home to serve the huge Easter feast.

Easter Monday is looking all the more inviting!!

2.  Rosie had her first track meet ever last Sunday.  I sat in the stands from 1 p.m. until almost 4 in the afternoon – my entire afternoon blown.  It reminded me a lot of swim meets only colder and without the great concession stand.

Rosie has a little friend she has been running with whom she calls, “My Olivia.”  They have played together and competed against each other since last cross country season.  Last fall Rosie would beat Olivia one week, and Olivia would beat Rosie the next.

They continued this pattern at the meet – Olivia beat Rosie in the 1600, Rosie beat her in the 200.  It’s a friendly rivalry and I think they push each other well.

3.  Track practices are taking their toll – on me.  I have to take Rosie way out into the country for her practices, about 20 minutes away.  For Noah I have to negotiate the traffic and construction around the high school to drop him off.  That’s a little nerve wracking.

A typical day might look like this:

• drive both girls to art class, 
• drop Noah off at track, 
• pick up the girls, 
• take them to track practice 
• pick up Noah and 
• then pick up the girls.  

One day this week I will be dropping off Noah, going home, dropping of Rosie, and then driving back 20 minutes to get Noah.  Again a lot of choreography with routes and times, and a lot of gasoline!

4.  Last month we had one of our quarterly homeschooling meetings and not even 10% of the membership showed up.  So I put out a question to the group via our Yahoo group and basically also heard back from about 10% of the membership (although a different bunch of ladies, so I guess it was nice to hear from other voices)   But the gist of their message was, “We love the meetings, they are very helpful, we want you to keep them, but we’re too busy to come!”

That reminded me a lot of when kids leave the house for college or the work force – “I like my room, it gives me comfort to think of it being there, but I’ll rarely be sleeping in it!!”

I had been thinking of making the meetings monthly next year, but I think quarterly is enough at this point!

5.  As I was moving stuff around on my new computer, I came across some comments I had saved from another blog last summer.  These comments were made by an anonymous person, on another (now defunct) blog that seemed to get a lot of joy over criticizing me.  I think I kept these because they were particularly hurtful.

Low lights included:

•  predictions that my oldest son wouldn’t pass the National paramedic exam (He did pass it just fine and is now employed.)
• That another son had  “no future.”
• That all of my kids, despite aptitude or interest need to go to college, primarily just to get away from me. 

6.  We are taking spring break next week!  And maybe the week after too!  at least partially.  And during Holy Week we will be doing our spring cleaning  of the main living areas in preparation of hosting Easter Dinner at my house!

Instead of trying to organize things with my sister’s family and all of the significant others of my sons, we just decided to have the food out at 1 p.m. and anyone who wants to show up at any time in the afternoon is welcome – sort of more like an open house kind of deal.  That way, all of the girlfriends get to have Easter morning with their families, and we get what’s left of the afternoon and evening.  In the mean time, I get to visit with my sister and brother-in-law as well as my nieces and nephew whom I rarely get to see! I think it’s a great solution!  We’ll see.

7.  Before our little homeschool broke for spring break, we finally finished The Jungle, Rosie graduated to the next Pathway Reader, and Izzy and I finished a chapter of geography – I think we’re making good progress this year!