Opinions on piano programs....

I'm looking for opinions on what piano method to use for a beginner? I've looked into Faber (Piano Adventures) or Alfred. Any opinions on which is a better program? Or which programs your kids have used? I'm wanting to get Kelsie started in lessons but I'm having trouble finding a teacher. In the meantime, I thought she could start at home and have something a little more productive to do this summer. If you have any advice/opinions I'd love to hear it. I know I've got some talented pianist friends out there.

Reading

I was hoping that Kelsie would get into chapter books. She is a great reader but had a hard time sticking with one book and would read the first few chapters of a lot of books or preferred to read shorter books. But the combination of new books for her birthday and lots of free summer days helped her to catch the chapter book bug. She is finally immersed in the stories and doesn't want to put her books down. (She also can't take her eyes off the page long enough to answer my questions.) I wake up in the morning (thinking she's still asleep) and find her cuddled up on the coach reading her latest book. That is one of the most beautiful sights a mother can see.

Rain

I love rainy days, especially in the summer. I am always taken back to my childhood and feel the carefree peace of jumping in the puddles, reading all afternoon in front of a window, or sitting on the porch in Maryland watching the rain pour down in sheets every evening during the summer. The rain and summer go hand in hand to me. Today I was savoring the heavy rainfall that is so rare here. I love to watch it fall, smell the freshness, and listen to the pounding rain as it hits the roof and windows. It is so beautiful and peaceful. I was standing at the window telling my kids how much I love the rain.

Kelsie seemed to be enjoying it too and then she looked up, distraught, as she watched the rain pound against the glass doors and said, "but I just shined those windows." She was annoyed. :)

It was kind of fun to trade positions, even if just for a moment.


Note on Carter: Carter was very impressed when he went outside in the rain. He kept saying "whoa! wa wa! and pointing to the sky.

Water falls from the sky. Who would have thought? He was very taken with the idea.

I love the curiosity and wonder of this stage. It's like seeing everything for the first time again, through his eyes.

Too much time on the computer?

This was my wake up call that I spend way too much time on the computer. I sat Carter down for lunch and wanted to check facebook and blogs while he was occupied. After awhile I realized he was really quiet and turned around to see him snoring away. The poor kid had to give up on mom putting him to bed. Sad. I felt really bad. I'm getting off the computer now!

Cookie Cutters

Carter was in desperate need of a good hair cut and I felt I needed to spare my friend Virginia the pain cutting his hair (He screams his head off the whole time and she has to recruit her whole family to entertain him during the cut). I decided to check out Cookie Cutters. I am a total sucker for cutesy kid stuff and this place was adorable. He got to sit in this little airplane with a steering wheel for his hair cut and watch Baby Einstein (his personal favorite). He thought he was all that-I wish I'd got a picture of him. They also gave him a sucker, balloon, and blew bubbles to keep him entertained. Talk about over stimulation. But is was pretty impressive. Despite all their antics he still screamed every time the girl touched his head. Oh, well. The place is really cute if your up for a pricey ($13) kids hair cut. But beware: my sister took my 4 year old nephew there and when they went to great clips the next time he refused to get his hair cut and screamed "I want to go to Cookie Cutters." Pretty funny--if it's not your kid!

Bittersweet

The final days of school came and with them the bittersweet feeling of another year ending. I had been so excited for summer this year. We had been really scheduled with me teaching preschool two mornings a week, Kelsie gone to school all day for the first year, and trying to fit in time to be helpful in her class. I could hardly wait for the long summer days with nothing planned. I really thought that for the first time in my life I would not be nostalgic at all, but, as always, when the final days come there was a bittersweet feeling. The excitement for the fun of summer tinged with tears for the end of another year and another chapter in our life. At our preschool program Emily said good-bye to her preschool friends. Emily really didn't understand that they wouldn't all be coming back again. She was really sad...I guess in her little 4 year old mind it seemed reasonable that they would all come to preschool in our basement forever. Luckily, she still gets to play with some of her dearest friends.
I will miss these little guys. It was a fun year for me... finally being able to teach again and do something I've dreamed about since the day I walked out of my 1st grade classroom. But, I also found it was harder than I thought to balance my family and preschool during this first year. Through it all I grew to love these little guys. I will always remember the first time they wrote their name alone or sounded out a word in a book. I love to see their pride in their accomplishments and I will miss those eager smiles.

On Kelsie's last day of school Emily was so excited. I told her Kelsie would be home by lunch time and would be home every day for the rest of the summer. Emily's shocked and happy smile said it all. She has missed Kelsie so much this year and would start asking at 10:00 am, "How much longer until Kelsie gets home?" Those were some long days.

Kelsie leaving her first grade classroom. She had a great teacher, Mrs. Richins, made great friends, and loves reading and spelling. Her teacher taught them to work together and help each other to learn. She was so excited for summer and has been counting down the days so I was surprised at how sad she was that evening. She was sad that she couldn't go back in the morning to her teacher and her class.

It was a bittersweet day, but now we are thrilled to have our Kelsie home with us all day. We love the freedom and calm of summer.

More Birthday...

Kelsie had in her mind exactlly what she wanted her cake to look like. She had planned it all out and was excited to see it all come together. It's a High School Musical Cake with "EHS" for East High School. :) It made her so happy to have it be her own creation!

She's seven.