Thursday, September 25, 2003
Benny's wisdom of the day, spoken to Hoity who was on the bed at the time, with Benny's fingers plunged deep into his back fur:
Hoity! You're so big! And soft! And tiny!
Hoity! You're so big! And soft! And tiny!
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Other people's children of Benny's almost EXACT AGE are making up stories about princes and princesses. If you don't believe it ask my friend Kristen. Here's Benny's story he told me today:
We all have poopoo inside. And outside.
We all have poopoo inside of the bottom.
Mommy has poopoo inside Mommy's bottom and Benny has poopoo inside Benny's bottom.
Then there is another bottom for tinkle. There is tinkle inside the bottom too.
And it comes outside and into the potty.
Look out James Joyce.
We all have poopoo inside. And outside.
We all have poopoo inside of the bottom.
Mommy has poopoo inside Mommy's bottom and Benny has poopoo inside Benny's bottom.
Then there is another bottom for tinkle. There is tinkle inside the bottom too.
And it comes outside and into the potty.
Look out James Joyce.
Benny almost missed preschool yesterday because SILLY MOMMY was watching for the Virginia Beach public schools closings and since THEY were closed, I assumed the Preschool for the Arts was closed because Mr. Steve had told us they pretty much followed them... etc... so Mr. Steve called us at 9:00 to say WE ARE OPEN! and Benny and I hurried over so he could still have dance and music class, but he missed art class, sigh.
When I went to pick him up, I was standing in the lobby there waiting for him, and he came BURSTING out of the internal door like a bunch of balloons. He turned in the doorway and hollered, "GOODBYE EVERYBODY!!!!" and then flung himself into my arms with a joyful, "HI MOM!!!!" then gave Mr. Steve a big hug and a high five and bounced out the door. What a difference a couple of weeks makes! When he let out that "GOODBYE EVERYBODY!!!" my heart just stopped it was so cute and endearing.
When I went to pick him up, I was standing in the lobby there waiting for him, and he came BURSTING out of the internal door like a bunch of balloons. He turned in the doorway and hollered, "GOODBYE EVERYBODY!!!!" and then flung himself into my arms with a joyful, "HI MOM!!!!" then gave Mr. Steve a big hug and a high five and bounced out the door. What a difference a couple of weeks makes! When he let out that "GOODBYE EVERYBODY!!!" my heart just stopped it was so cute and endearing.
Benny's violin teacher is awesome. If you told me to take a bunch of three year olds and teach them how to play an extremely complicated and expensive and fragile instrument, oh, and also teach their parents how to play it simultaneously, I would look at you as if you were crazy. My jaw might even drop. Mrs. Ford however is sooo up to the challenge she just bristles with it, and is so completely unperturbed, unflustered, unbothered, I stood in awe. She believes in letting them have breaks if they get anxious, and in these breaks for the kids she teaches the parents -- brilliant.
Benny has had two lessons. His first lesson was with his group which also includes two little girls and their parents. His second lesson was by himself at Mrs. Ford's house because the Academy of Music doesn't have electricity still this week, after the hurricane. In week one Benny learned about holding the bow, the parts of the bow, and learned some rhythm games on the merry trail to the Twinkle variations. This week he is learning about the strings of the violin, how to hold the violin up with a heavy head, and how to put the bow on the violin.
I always knew that parents are super-involved with Suzuki but I see now also that it, like everything else, is something better taught interspersed throughout the day rather than a "Let's sit down and practice" type of thing. The physical mechanical part of it of course has to be practiced with the instrument MOSTLY, but actually there are a lot of ways you can practice the movements and definitely the mental aspect of it while you're in the tub, or the car, or whatever. Sometimes I think Benjamin does his best learning in the bathtub. ANYWAY, here are some pictures of Benny at his lesson, and then some silly pictures of Benny at home when he first got the violin, practicing rest position, play position, and bowing.
Benny has had two lessons. His first lesson was with his group which also includes two little girls and their parents. His second lesson was by himself at Mrs. Ford's house because the Academy of Music doesn't have electricity still this week, after the hurricane. In week one Benny learned about holding the bow, the parts of the bow, and learned some rhythm games on the merry trail to the Twinkle variations. This week he is learning about the strings of the violin, how to hold the violin up with a heavy head, and how to put the bow on the violin.
I always knew that parents are super-involved with Suzuki but I see now also that it, like everything else, is something better taught interspersed throughout the day rather than a "Let's sit down and practice" type of thing. The physical mechanical part of it of course has to be practiced with the instrument MOSTLY, but actually there are a lot of ways you can practice the movements and definitely the mental aspect of it while you're in the tub, or the car, or whatever. Sometimes I think Benjamin does his best learning in the bathtub. ANYWAY, here are some pictures of Benny at his lesson, and then some silly pictures of Benny at home when he first got the violin, practicing rest position, play position, and bowing.
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Since we were all busy with Isabel last week I neglected to post about last week's preschool experience. Benny did great -- he made a Hawaiian necklace in art class, which was SO ODDLY FORTUITOUS because he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt! Total serendipity -- and his art teacher was wearing one too. His cryptic utterance for the week was this: "You put the balloon away at preschool." To which I replied, "Did you have a hard time putting the balloon away at preschool?" And he said, "Yes." So apparently there was some sort of issue with a balloon and how it shouldna oughta hadda been put away, but he did not cry about it. So that's a good thing! Here are some pictures of the noodle necklace:
