Quandary

Lauren adores being in the theater. She was in two productions in middle school (including the lead in Twelfth Night...oh the Shakespearean lines to memorize!) and several in elementary school. This year she accepted a twice-a-week babysitting job for some neighbors, preventing her from trying out. She missed it so much (and the school play this year is going to perform at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh so she very sadly missed that, too) that she vowed to try out next year.

This week the high school announced what the musical will be next year, a highly anticipated bit of information among the music & drama set. There were swirling rumors...

Would it be West Side Story????
{that would be my pick! how fun!}.....

Or Les Miz?
Several people were sure that was what it would be....

Or maybe Oklahoma!
A good, old fashioned choice with great music.
But no...the school has chosen....

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Miss Saigon.
Huh?

Now, I am no prude.
I love musicals and even think Miss Saigon was pretty good.
It has some beautiful music.
But I do think there are more...
shall we say appropriate?...
selections for a high school theater group.
{And keep in mind that usually the whole community
turns out, including children}

Or maybe
nothing says High School/early teen years
like Vietnam War-era prostitution?

So do I refuse to let her try out?

p.s. These were the musicals at my high school
when I was growing up:

Annie
The Sound of Music
Carousel
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Shenandoah
Carnival

What were yours?

Feels like Monday

Louie: Keeping watch over the fields by day.
It's Hard Work, as George Dubya would say.

I have to keep reminding myself that it's actually Tuesday. Which is especially important since our elementary school gets out early on Tuesdays. Years ago I once forgot about an early release day and poor young Lauren came home to an empty house. Actually it didn't matter that it was empty because she couldn't even get inside--it was locked. When I finally made it home from my unimportant errands, she proudly told me "I didn't want anyone to see me {kidnappers?} so I hid in the backyard in the snow. But I really had to go potty so I went outside. Sorry, Mom." Yeah, that was a Bad Mommy, hand-wringing, apologizing day. We both cried + went out for McDonald's AND ice cream as proof of my sorryitude. Lesson learned.

Speaking of lessons learned, click on over to Letters to a Parent this week, where wonderful Jenny has articulated some of the lessons she's learned during her journey as a mother raising 5 children. You will be glad you did. {Sidenote: Jenny and I share a great-grandmother but didn't really know each other until we started e-mailing last summer. She's fabulous and funny and insightful. Just the kind of person you'd want to have as a friend or first cousin once-removed. Or mother--those lucky kids. Thanks, internet!}

Now I'm off to do my Mondayish to-do list. Good luck with yours.

Weekend roundup

Happy Memorial Day!
For us this has meant...

Sleeping in a bit (except Louie)
French toast made by G
Listening to WWII music throughout the day
(thanks to the 40's station on our DirectTV)
Reading outside
(is there anything better?)

Lauren making a movie with her friends
(a disaster movie about a hurricane, I believe.
They're filming a water scene in the river.
It's for school.)
Sam's first lawn mowing tutorial from his dad

Mandatory weeding time
(awww, Dad, it's a holiday!)
Dinner with friends here in our backyard
(pulled pork sandwiches and homemade ice cream. Mmmm...)
& missing taking part in leaving flowers
on loved ones' graves with family in the west

Have a great day,
both remembering
and making new memories

I enjoyed this National Anthem performance
posted this morning by Calibosmom
& thought I'd pass it along...

Running out of my comfort zone

We are leaving this afternoon for an overnight in Vermont before running our aimed-for 10k in the morning.

I am kind of nervous.

I'm not sure I'm really a race kinda gal.  Years ago, when Lauren showed so much love of {and flair for} swimming, we enrolled her in a swim team.  She loved the water, the camaraderie, the gliding through the water.  After her first meet I asked "so, what'd you think? Was it great?" She thought for a minute, shrugged, and said "I like the swimming part but why does it have to be about how fast you are?"  It made me laugh at the time (it pretty much encapsulates L's approach to many things) but I think I fully know what she meant.

I love the running; but oh, the pressure! Ready, set, go! Now!

Still, it's been great to have something to shoot for.  Greg has been much more serious about the training and is completely ready.  Meanwhile, I've been banking the miles but at the same time enjoying the scenery, alternating walking and running, feeling better and stronger.  Just not necessarily faster.  

Truth be told, I'm the one putting the pressure on myself.  Who even cares if I walk the whole thing?  Nobody.  Well, me.  And there's the rub.  I'm not fond of being a beginner, a novice.  Slow.  But it's good for me. (Check out this research about the benefits of going outside your comfort zone ["the stretch zone" they call it].  Our brains like it!) And, in this case, I'll get a t-shirt out of it when it's over...

Never say never

I was afraid spring break around here was going to be a little bit of a downer (by the way, I would totally hire this company if I needed to move my piano--extra points for black humor) but it turned out to be a great week.
The gorgeous weather didn't hurt.
We did NYC last weekend,
went to Six Flags on Tuesday,
had a picnic and hang-out day on Wednesday,
the kids went to work with G on Thursday,
another free-form day on Friday,
and kayaking on the river on Saturday.
Bonus=I'm so glad I'm not driving back from Florida today.

However--word to the wise.
If you have a Nuvi navigation system, be sure you have it set to
"fastest route"
rather than "shortest route."
Otherwise, when you drive to NYC, you will be boggled
and confused about why you keep getting directed off
of the modern 21st century freeway
to travel the scenic byways of Connecticut and New York,
complete with stoplights every 100 feet or so.
Certainly check on the setting while this is happening,
rather than waiting until you arrive back home.
Just a suggestion.

Notice the oldest child cowering behind the others. Lauren has reached the age of weariness with her photographing mom. She's been heard to mutter "don't you think you should be experiencing this instead of taking pictures of it?" and "Not again!" Kids these days and their exasperating logical conclusions! What she doesn't realize is that I need proof of the great times we all had! These are my evidence exhibits in the court of we-never-went-anywhere-when-we-were-kids! Unfortunately, it will appear that I myself never went anywhere with them, since I am always behind the camera but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

Maddy's getting ready for a big violin recital next week. She continues to read books that are too sad and make her cry, although she feels that a book isn't truly great unless it does make her cry. This results in an almost daily cleansing cry and hugging fest. (Hint= if the character has a serious illness at the beginning, it's probably not going to end happily.) My favorite Maddyism this week was when we were winding through side streets in the Bronx (thanks confused Nuvi!). Noticing the brownstones and the porch stoops she said cheerfully "This reminds me of Sesame Street." [pause while drunk down-on-luck guy crosses in front of us and yells] "Except he's not so happy."

Sam is just glad he didn't have to spend more time in the car. He spent his free time this week making up impossible logic quizzes for me and G to stumble through. And grading them with big fat sorry scores. For some reason he started a balloon collection, blew them all up, and plans to sell them. I'm not sure who conducted his market research of the demand for blown-up balloons...but I'm pretty sure who's going to end up being his primary customer! Especially if it means clearing them from our house!

And, finally, in the never say never department
here's the newest addition to our household:

We finally wore down G and, after lots of conversations with breeders, etc.
we have (or will have when he can come home in a week or two) a puppy!
Four of us love him and one of us hopes he doesn't shed, bark, chew, poop, or stink.

Please help us
name this dog
If we choose your name suggestion (left in the comments),
I will send you a fabulous prize
having to do with a book shopping spree
and nothing to do with dogs.

(our naming guidelines: people names preferred...
nothing too cutesy...think manly with a hint of sensitive(?)...
uniqueness preferred...)