I'm sure everyone who lives outside the Midwest is really tired of hearing Midwesterners complain about the weather this season. But seriously...it sucks. So, needless to say, we were really looking forward to escaping the unpredictable/cold/miserable/rainy weather in IL in favor of some nicer weather in AZ. We spent two days in the Flagstaff area, which is one of my favorite places in the country. Smells like pine trees, reminds me of summer camp, feels homey and outdoorsy at the same time...I love it there. BUT, it was definitely too chilly for swimming, so we all trekked back "down the hill" (as the natives say) to enjoy some pool time in Scottsdale.
We certainly were busy bees! Here are some photo highlights:
http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100657
Monday, June 20, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
NYC: in photos
Enjoy, and don't forget that you have to click on the pictures (not just the thumbnails) if you want to read the captions.
http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100648
http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100648
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
"NYC...what is it about you?"
My husband loves me. How do I know? He suggested our baby-moon should be to NYC for a round of brand spanking new theatre. A summary [Disclaimer: I generally loathe giving written, detailed reviews. But I've had a lot of requests. Just remember this is coming from someone who usually pays a whole lot more attention to the performers and the material than the creative details.]:
1. "Anything Goes," starring Sutton Foster (Brad's girlfriend), Joel Grey, Laura Osnes (winner of NBC's "Grease" casting reality show, among other things), and a host of character actors and hoofers.
This is a lavish production, with a killer ship set and costumes to die for. The performances are solid, for the most part, the choreography intensely marvelous, and the direction...almost non-existent. When I first heard Sutton Foster would be playing the brassy Reno Sweeney, I was a bit dubious. Her credits include almost exclusively "peppy/perky" women. I was pleasantly surprised by her performance, though there were some touches of awkwardness between her and Grey, and a few moments of...interesting vocal choices. Overall, a grand production. I was entertained and a jolly theatre-goer upon exiting the (beautifully restored and newly christened Stephen Sondheim Theatre) venue--which has 22 stalls in the women's bathroom. Bonus! That said (sigh), I think I just don't like this show very much. Each and every Cole Porter tune, classics though they are, have the exact same structure. Very few numbers forward the plot in any way, and the farcical elements feel utterly dated.
Bottom Line: Oh my, the dancing. If you were only to see the end of Act I and the opening of Act II, you would have gotten your money's worth.
2. "How to Succeed in Business..." starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), John Larroquette, et al.
I loved this show. Granted, I'm often prone to loving material I've never seen, so this felt quite fresh. The costumes were sharp and snazzy (and the character of Rosemary wears at least nine different dresses--all pink), the set felt appropriately modern, modular, creative, and complete with detailed finishing touches--my favorite being the stationary elevator that lights up each floor as it "moves" up or down.
Daniel Radcliffe, though a good 5-10 years too young for the role of Finch, is so freaking charming I almost died. First of all, this kid is shockingly nuanced. Secondly, he. can. dance. If only he was a better singer...I truly believe it's what prevented him from garnering a Tony nomination. Don't get me wrong, he sings in tune and hits all the right notes, and it's not a role that I feel really demands super-strong vocal prowess, but he clearly sounds untrained. In fact, after the show I had been thinking, "Gee, Daniel Radcliffe isn't too bad a vocalist." Then I saw Aaron Tveit's performance in "Catch Me if You Can." THAT kid can saaaaaaang. More on Tveit later. [Side note: We hear rumor that when Radcliffe goes on a two week press tour for Harry Potter this fall, he'll be temporarily replaced by Darren Criss, who plays Blaine (Kurt's BF) on "Glee." Yum! AND a singer!]
Bottom Line: It's funny, it feels fresh, and has received many updates that improve upon the original material (so I'm told). And it's simply delicious to look at.
3. "Catch Me if You Can," starring Aaron Tveit, Norbert Leo Butz, and Kerry Butler (sorta). Yes, it's based on the Leo DiCaprio/Tom Hanks film.
My new favorite tenor voice? Aaron Tveit. Aaron Tveit. Aaron Tveit. I'm one of five people who didn't see the original production of "Next to Normal," so he's new to me. HOLY COW. Why this poor kid isn't nominated for a Tony, I have no idea. He works his butt off during this show, rarely leaving the stage, looks GREAT (he's a better looking dead-ringer for Leo), sounds GREAT--I'm puzzled. However, the show stealer is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Norbert Leo Butz (you would have seen him in "The Last 5 Years," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," and he's cameo-ed on almost every recent TV drama ever made, it feels), who is nominated for Featured Actor in a Musical. He has been dramatically aged to play the Tom Hanks role, and seriously kids, if I didn't know it was him, I wouldn't have known it was him. Which, IMO, is one of the highest compliments you can pay an actor. And Kerry Butler ("Little Shop," "Hairspray," "Xanadu") is...fine. She seems a bit of an odd choice for this role, since she appears (for all intents and purposes) only in Act II, and is rather known for her comedic chops, which are completely unused in the character of Brenda Strong. I'm not a huge fan of hers, but I'm also not a huge fan of slamming actors.
I wanted to love this show, I really did. The reviews have been pretty harsh (although with "Spiderman" around, it's hard to believe the critics have any bad reviews left to give), but the creative team has some serious street cred, so I tried to go in with very few opinions. They use the show-within-a-show strategy for telling the story, which mostly works, though not always. I get a little queasy when the characters start conversing with each other before they've actually met within the storyline, etc.--feels a little hokey. (And speaking of hokey, the Laker Girl-esque dancers they've recruited to play flight attendants, nurses, and a host of other characters were just that--though Brad would strongly disagree. Then again, it's gonna be pretty tough to convince any straight man that a chorus of statuesque, mostly blonde, and mostly well-endowed women is superfluous.) The most basic problem with this show is that it's predictable, even if you don't remember the movie's plot, which was decidedly UNpredictable--hence its huge success.
Plot issues aside, I was the most disappointed in the music. With the exception of one tune currently being played to death on Sirius XM ("Fly, Fly Away," Kerry Butler's one "moment" in the whole show, in the form of the eleven-o'clock number), there wasn't one memorable tune. This, from the "Hairspray" guys? Better luck next time.
Bottom Line: It's pretty. It's highly entertaining, if not the least bit mentally challenging. The girls are hot. Aaron Tveit is my American Idol. Norbert Leo Butz is a genius. The orchestra is on stage (bonus points in my book). The book/score need work.
4. "The Book of Mormon."
This was our last and most highly anticipated show, what with all the Tony/critic/theatregoer buzz. I was speaking with another theatre patron at a different show who shared that when he tried to purchase tickets, the first full-price ticket isn't available until the end of July. The first discount (balcony) ticket isn't available until October. So it's safe to say this is the hottest ticket in town. For the record, I was having a difficult time admitting I was headed to see this show, in certain circles. But first, a story:
It was my birthday. We had taken a power nap at the hotel after a day of sight-seeing and touring Central Park. We got up, freshened up, and jaunted over to 46th St, between 8th and 9th Ave, for some dinner--with plenty of time to make our 8pm curtain at 48th and 7th. After much debate, we settled on sushi for dinner (hey, it was my birthday so I was giving myself license to be a bit naughty, pregnant and all). We ordered our food, enjoyed an appetizer, ate a piece or two each of our delicious rolls that had arrived in record time, at which point Brad pulled out the tickets--completely by chance. OUR SHOW WAS AT 7PM. IT WAS 6:59. I snagged the waitress, grabbed my ticket and RAN, since you know, I'm the pregnant chick who moves at a slight snail pace, complete with waddle. Brad took care of the bill, snapped up our sushi to-go, and sprinted after me. Luckily, we weren't the only patrons to arrive close to curtain, and I'm pretty sure they started almost 10 minutes late, so we didn't miss anything. (And yes, we DID enjoy some luke-warm sushi at our seats during intermission, since the Eugene O'Neill theatre is the smallest venue EVER and there was literally nowhere else to go. Also, bonus information if you're a woman sitting in the mezzanine: No matter what the ushers tell you, exit HOUSE LEFT for the bathroom, as the line curves up the staircase to the mezz anyway. Otherwise, you have to go down the right stairs, arm-wrestle your way through the main floor, only to follow the line back up the left stairs to the end of the line which no doubt formed while you were en route. You're welcome.)
Now for the hard part.
Plot summary, courtesy of Wikipedia: "'The Book of Mormon' [the musical] tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in northern Uganda, where a brutal warlord is threatening the local population. Naive and optimistic, the two missionaries try to share their scriptures — which only one of them knows very well — but have trouble connecting with the locals, who are worried about famine, poverty, and AIDS."
Did I laugh? Yes. Was I riveted for every moment of the show? Yes. Were there some great numbers? YES YES YES. Content firmly aside, my absolute favorite number is the opening of the show, where we meet about a dozen young missionaries (and which features the show's two leading men, Josh Gad and the hunky-ish Andrew Rannells--both nominated) through the singing of an intricate song layered with complicated polyphony and intense harmonies--the last chord of the song was worth the price of admission. There is another number later in the show that also features The Elders in a hilarious tap routine (and if you've seen it, WHERE DID THOSE VESTS COME FROM?!). And those are just the white guys. The remainder of the cast is black, playing the parts of the Ugandans, and they are a collective force with which to be reckoned. Of every shape, size and age, they tear up the floor and add surprisingly authentic and amazingly well-sung African music to the score.
Does it have a positive message? Yes. But, let's be honest, no one is going to see this show because it has a positive message.
Was it thoroughly offensive? More than likely. I am neither Mormon nor Ugandan, but I can assume both groups would find plenty of material objectionable. (Also, the language is rough, and anyone who believes in any God of any kind will likely squirm through one particular song.)
The biggest problem for me, and the reason why I can't wholeheartedly recommend that everyone should see this show, is that there is a fine line between POKING fun at something, and MAKING fun of something. I'm addressing the Mormonism here. Again, since I'm not a Mormon and the bulk of my knowledge of the religion comes from friends and TV (ahem), I can't speak to whether or not the material is presented accurately. I do know that many stereotypes of that religion appear to be explored here, and it FEELS like poking fun (jokes about the ringing of doorbells, abstaining from caffeine, etc.); but I would imagine that a Mormon would feel that many aspects of the religion are exploited (the history of Joseph Smith, for example), and that's the part that gives me pause. I couldn't help wondering, if this were a musical that exploited the religious beliefs of Jews, would it be as well-received?
Was it my favorite show, regardless of the above information? Um, yeah. What can I say, I'm a sucker for fresh material, I guess.
Bottom Line: If you thought "Avenue Q" was hilarious and it didn't make you blush (and assuming you're not a Mormon), you'll probably love this show. If not, well, I'd skip it. Religious themes aside, it's still "rated R." BUT. This cast is quite possibly the hardest working cast on Broadway, and they deserve mad props for their success.
***
On our last day in NYC, we had a couple of hours to kill before heading to the airport (Newark, by the way--eat before you go), so we purchased tickets for one of those super-touristy double-decker bus tours. Little did we know that they are "hop on, hop off" tours, which we really didn't have enough time to take advantage of. Dang! So if you do it, plan to spend an entire day, using the bus as your transportation to various neighborhoods in downtown Manhattan. Example: take the bus through Greenwich Village, and hop off for some lunch. Get back on (a different bus) and head to So-Ho, hop off for shopping. Hop back on and tour the financial district on your way to the Statue of Liberty. It's a really cool way to get your bearings in the city, and see lots of different areas without worrying about navigating the subway. (Also, you didn't hear it here, but they rarely seem to check tickets, so I imagine you MIGHT be able to get away with using yours for more than one day.) Highlight: I now know where Stephen Sondheim lives. Check.
1. "Anything Goes," starring Sutton Foster (Brad's girlfriend), Joel Grey, Laura Osnes (winner of NBC's "Grease" casting reality show, among other things), and a host of character actors and hoofers.
This is a lavish production, with a killer ship set and costumes to die for. The performances are solid, for the most part, the choreography intensely marvelous, and the direction...almost non-existent. When I first heard Sutton Foster would be playing the brassy Reno Sweeney, I was a bit dubious. Her credits include almost exclusively "peppy/perky" women. I was pleasantly surprised by her performance, though there were some touches of awkwardness between her and Grey, and a few moments of...interesting vocal choices. Overall, a grand production. I was entertained and a jolly theatre-goer upon exiting the (beautifully restored and newly christened Stephen Sondheim Theatre) venue--which has 22 stalls in the women's bathroom. Bonus! That said (sigh), I think I just don't like this show very much. Each and every Cole Porter tune, classics though they are, have the exact same structure. Very few numbers forward the plot in any way, and the farcical elements feel utterly dated.
Bottom Line: Oh my, the dancing. If you were only to see the end of Act I and the opening of Act II, you would have gotten your money's worth.
2. "How to Succeed in Business..." starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), John Larroquette, et al.
I loved this show. Granted, I'm often prone to loving material I've never seen, so this felt quite fresh. The costumes were sharp and snazzy (and the character of Rosemary wears at least nine different dresses--all pink), the set felt appropriately modern, modular, creative, and complete with detailed finishing touches--my favorite being the stationary elevator that lights up each floor as it "moves" up or down.
Daniel Radcliffe, though a good 5-10 years too young for the role of Finch, is so freaking charming I almost died. First of all, this kid is shockingly nuanced. Secondly, he. can. dance. If only he was a better singer...I truly believe it's what prevented him from garnering a Tony nomination. Don't get me wrong, he sings in tune and hits all the right notes, and it's not a role that I feel really demands super-strong vocal prowess, but he clearly sounds untrained. In fact, after the show I had been thinking, "Gee, Daniel Radcliffe isn't too bad a vocalist." Then I saw Aaron Tveit's performance in "Catch Me if You Can." THAT kid can saaaaaaang. More on Tveit later. [Side note: We hear rumor that when Radcliffe goes on a two week press tour for Harry Potter this fall, he'll be temporarily replaced by Darren Criss, who plays Blaine (Kurt's BF) on "Glee." Yum! AND a singer!]
Bottom Line: It's funny, it feels fresh, and has received many updates that improve upon the original material (so I'm told). And it's simply delicious to look at.
3. "Catch Me if You Can," starring Aaron Tveit, Norbert Leo Butz, and Kerry Butler (sorta). Yes, it's based on the Leo DiCaprio/Tom Hanks film.
My new favorite tenor voice? Aaron Tveit. Aaron Tveit. Aaron Tveit. I'm one of five people who didn't see the original production of "Next to Normal," so he's new to me. HOLY COW. Why this poor kid isn't nominated for a Tony, I have no idea. He works his butt off during this show, rarely leaving the stage, looks GREAT (he's a better looking dead-ringer for Leo), sounds GREAT--I'm puzzled. However, the show stealer is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Norbert Leo Butz (you would have seen him in "The Last 5 Years," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," and he's cameo-ed on almost every recent TV drama ever made, it feels), who is nominated for Featured Actor in a Musical. He has been dramatically aged to play the Tom Hanks role, and seriously kids, if I didn't know it was him, I wouldn't have known it was him. Which, IMO, is one of the highest compliments you can pay an actor. And Kerry Butler ("Little Shop," "Hairspray," "Xanadu") is...fine. She seems a bit of an odd choice for this role, since she appears (for all intents and purposes) only in Act II, and is rather known for her comedic chops, which are completely unused in the character of Brenda Strong. I'm not a huge fan of hers, but I'm also not a huge fan of slamming actors.
I wanted to love this show, I really did. The reviews have been pretty harsh (although with "Spiderman" around, it's hard to believe the critics have any bad reviews left to give), but the creative team has some serious street cred, so I tried to go in with very few opinions. They use the show-within-a-show strategy for telling the story, which mostly works, though not always. I get a little queasy when the characters start conversing with each other before they've actually met within the storyline, etc.--feels a little hokey. (And speaking of hokey, the Laker Girl-esque dancers they've recruited to play flight attendants, nurses, and a host of other characters were just that--though Brad would strongly disagree. Then again, it's gonna be pretty tough to convince any straight man that a chorus of statuesque, mostly blonde, and mostly well-endowed women is superfluous.) The most basic problem with this show is that it's predictable, even if you don't remember the movie's plot, which was decidedly UNpredictable--hence its huge success.
Plot issues aside, I was the most disappointed in the music. With the exception of one tune currently being played to death on Sirius XM ("Fly, Fly Away," Kerry Butler's one "moment" in the whole show, in the form of the eleven-o'clock number), there wasn't one memorable tune. This, from the "Hairspray" guys? Better luck next time.
Bottom Line: It's pretty. It's highly entertaining, if not the least bit mentally challenging. The girls are hot. Aaron Tveit is my American Idol. Norbert Leo Butz is a genius. The orchestra is on stage (bonus points in my book). The book/score need work.
4. "The Book of Mormon."
This was our last and most highly anticipated show, what with all the Tony/critic/theatregoer buzz. I was speaking with another theatre patron at a different show who shared that when he tried to purchase tickets, the first full-price ticket isn't available until the end of July. The first discount (balcony) ticket isn't available until October. So it's safe to say this is the hottest ticket in town. For the record, I was having a difficult time admitting I was headed to see this show, in certain circles. But first, a story:
It was my birthday. We had taken a power nap at the hotel after a day of sight-seeing and touring Central Park. We got up, freshened up, and jaunted over to 46th St, between 8th and 9th Ave, for some dinner--with plenty of time to make our 8pm curtain at 48th and 7th. After much debate, we settled on sushi for dinner (hey, it was my birthday so I was giving myself license to be a bit naughty, pregnant and all). We ordered our food, enjoyed an appetizer, ate a piece or two each of our delicious rolls that had arrived in record time, at which point Brad pulled out the tickets--completely by chance. OUR SHOW WAS AT 7PM. IT WAS 6:59. I snagged the waitress, grabbed my ticket and RAN, since you know, I'm the pregnant chick who moves at a slight snail pace, complete with waddle. Brad took care of the bill, snapped up our sushi to-go, and sprinted after me. Luckily, we weren't the only patrons to arrive close to curtain, and I'm pretty sure they started almost 10 minutes late, so we didn't miss anything. (And yes, we DID enjoy some luke-warm sushi at our seats during intermission, since the Eugene O'Neill theatre is the smallest venue EVER and there was literally nowhere else to go. Also, bonus information if you're a woman sitting in the mezzanine: No matter what the ushers tell you, exit HOUSE LEFT for the bathroom, as the line curves up the staircase to the mezz anyway. Otherwise, you have to go down the right stairs, arm-wrestle your way through the main floor, only to follow the line back up the left stairs to the end of the line which no doubt formed while you were en route. You're welcome.)
Now for the hard part.
Plot summary, courtesy of Wikipedia: "'The Book of Mormon' [the musical] tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in northern Uganda, where a brutal warlord is threatening the local population. Naive and optimistic, the two missionaries try to share their scriptures — which only one of them knows very well — but have trouble connecting with the locals, who are worried about famine, poverty, and AIDS."
Did I laugh? Yes. Was I riveted for every moment of the show? Yes. Were there some great numbers? YES YES YES. Content firmly aside, my absolute favorite number is the opening of the show, where we meet about a dozen young missionaries (and which features the show's two leading men, Josh Gad and the hunky-ish Andrew Rannells--both nominated) through the singing of an intricate song layered with complicated polyphony and intense harmonies--the last chord of the song was worth the price of admission. There is another number later in the show that also features The Elders in a hilarious tap routine (and if you've seen it, WHERE DID THOSE VESTS COME FROM?!). And those are just the white guys. The remainder of the cast is black, playing the parts of the Ugandans, and they are a collective force with which to be reckoned. Of every shape, size and age, they tear up the floor and add surprisingly authentic and amazingly well-sung African music to the score.
Does it have a positive message? Yes. But, let's be honest, no one is going to see this show because it has a positive message.
Was it thoroughly offensive? More than likely. I am neither Mormon nor Ugandan, but I can assume both groups would find plenty of material objectionable. (Also, the language is rough, and anyone who believes in any God of any kind will likely squirm through one particular song.)
The biggest problem for me, and the reason why I can't wholeheartedly recommend that everyone should see this show, is that there is a fine line between POKING fun at something, and MAKING fun of something. I'm addressing the Mormonism here. Again, since I'm not a Mormon and the bulk of my knowledge of the religion comes from friends and TV (ahem), I can't speak to whether or not the material is presented accurately. I do know that many stereotypes of that religion appear to be explored here, and it FEELS like poking fun (jokes about the ringing of doorbells, abstaining from caffeine, etc.); but I would imagine that a Mormon would feel that many aspects of the religion are exploited (the history of Joseph Smith, for example), and that's the part that gives me pause. I couldn't help wondering, if this were a musical that exploited the religious beliefs of Jews, would it be as well-received?
Was it my favorite show, regardless of the above information? Um, yeah. What can I say, I'm a sucker for fresh material, I guess.
Bottom Line: If you thought "Avenue Q" was hilarious and it didn't make you blush (and assuming you're not a Mormon), you'll probably love this show. If not, well, I'd skip it. Religious themes aside, it's still "rated R." BUT. This cast is quite possibly the hardest working cast on Broadway, and they deserve mad props for their success.
***
On our last day in NYC, we had a couple of hours to kill before heading to the airport (Newark, by the way--eat before you go), so we purchased tickets for one of those super-touristy double-decker bus tours. Little did we know that they are "hop on, hop off" tours, which we really didn't have enough time to take advantage of. Dang! So if you do it, plan to spend an entire day, using the bus as your transportation to various neighborhoods in downtown Manhattan. Example: take the bus through Greenwich Village, and hop off for some lunch. Get back on (a different bus) and head to So-Ho, hop off for shopping. Hop back on and tour the financial district on your way to the Statue of Liberty. It's a really cool way to get your bearings in the city, and see lots of different areas without worrying about navigating the subway. (Also, you didn't hear it here, but they rarely seem to check tickets, so I imagine you MIGHT be able to get away with using yours for more than one day.) Highlight: I now know where Stephen Sondheim lives. Check.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Becoming a Music Teacher - Again
For the last two years, The Boy and I have been attending the Music Together program in the big city. Try as we might to find an adequate suburban substitute after our move, it turns out that no one measures up to our dear Miss Mary...so we're back to our old location. Again. I figure, as long as it's just the two of us and we have a morning to kill, why not keep our wonderful excuse to head into the city on a weekly basis for some quality music time. (Also, we sometimes meet up with Daddy for lunch.) (Also, sometimes there is shopping in cutesey little boutiques.) (Also, did I mention I'm having a GIRL so the old boutiques I've explored ad nauseum have new life?!)
Story detour: A few months ago, I discovered that my Illinois teaching certificate is up for renewal this June, and I am MANY credits behind where I need to be to get re-certified. Letting one's certificate lapse is generally considered a super bad idea because the hoops and hurdles you need to jump to get back in the game are much more plentiful than just completing the necessary requirements in the first place. Basically, I needed a quick and easy-ish (and always expensive--that can't be helped) workshop that would earn me the necessary credits. Bonus points if it's an area in which I'm actually interested.
Flash forward to this Sunday, when I will start a three day training workshop to become...a Music Together teacher! Yes, folks, my brain, which has mostly been on ice for the last three years of SAHMommydom, will need to oil itself and ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk into gear. Yes, I'm worried about hand-cramps from note taking, sitting my pregnant self on the floor (let's hope not) for nine hours each day, having to actually teach in front of my peers again, etc. But the idea of three! days! off! of parenting! is totally worth it, IMO. Oh, I mean, the idea of having a brand spanking new Illinois Teaching Certificate is totally worth it. Ahem.
Will I actually put this new certification to use? Who knows. There are something like 30 people taking the training JUST IN CHICAGO, not to mention the other 40 or so trainings that take place around the country each year, so I'd imagine Music Together jobs are in high demand. Also, you know, I'm having a baby. But maybe some day....
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to organize my backpack and sharpen my No. 2 pencils.
(Ka-chunk...ka-chunk...ka-chunk...)
Story detour: A few months ago, I discovered that my Illinois teaching certificate is up for renewal this June, and I am MANY credits behind where I need to be to get re-certified. Letting one's certificate lapse is generally considered a super bad idea because the hoops and hurdles you need to jump to get back in the game are much more plentiful than just completing the necessary requirements in the first place. Basically, I needed a quick and easy-ish (and always expensive--that can't be helped) workshop that would earn me the necessary credits. Bonus points if it's an area in which I'm actually interested.
Flash forward to this Sunday, when I will start a three day training workshop to become...a Music Together teacher! Yes, folks, my brain, which has mostly been on ice for the last three years of SAHMommydom, will need to oil itself and ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk into gear. Yes, I'm worried about hand-cramps from note taking, sitting my pregnant self on the floor (let's hope not) for nine hours each day, having to actually teach in front of my peers again, etc. But the idea of three! days! off! of parenting! is totally worth it, IMO. Oh, I mean, the idea of having a brand spanking new Illinois Teaching Certificate is totally worth it. Ahem.
Will I actually put this new certification to use? Who knows. There are something like 30 people taking the training JUST IN CHICAGO, not to mention the other 40 or so trainings that take place around the country each year, so I'd imagine Music Together jobs are in high demand. Also, you know, I'm having a baby. But maybe some day....
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to organize my backpack and sharpen my No. 2 pencils.
(Ka-chunk...ka-chunk...ka-chunk...)
Friday, April 22, 2011
Sugar and Spice
Remember the pink cash register? It's gonna come in handy....
(Yes, Baby Girl, I am posting an ultrasound picture of your ladyparts for all the world to see, but it's essentially YOUR FAULT because you refused to show your pretty face to the u/s tech, leaving me with this as your best photo. So there. Try to cooperate at the next appointment, eh?)
(Yes, Baby Girl, I am posting an ultrasound picture of your ladyparts for all the world to see, but it's essentially YOUR FAULT because you refused to show your pretty face to the u/s tech, leaving me with this as your best photo. So there. Try to cooperate at the next appointment, eh?)
Monday, April 4, 2011
The Paci Fairy
If you're a regular on FaceBook, then you've already read my posts about the Paci Fairy's visit to our house. Since one of the purposes of this blog is for documentation, however, you're going to have to endure a full post with all the details. That way if/when we go through this with the next kid, I'll have a lovely and handy guide for The Perfect Way to Ditch the Paci. Ahem.
With advice from Supernanny, Jo Frost, we planted the idea of the Paci Fairy in The Boy's mind. (Prior to that, we made a paper chain with 20 rings that we used to count down the days until he would get rid of his pacis.) On THE DAY, he placed his pacis in a gift bag with a note to the Fairy, explaining that he was giving his pacis away to a baby who might need them. We placed the bag outside the house before his nap, and headed upstairs. He and I both cried a little bit as we sat in our living room, staring at the bag. What a brave boy.
He had his game face on all the way through the pre-nap routine, up until song time, when he cried and cried and cried. And cried and cried and cried and cried. He finally tired himself out on me, fell asleep, and I put him in his crib where he slept for a comparatively short time (one hour instead of his regular two). I attribute this to the assumption that he usually wakes up during his nap, finds his paci and settles back down to sleep. Without the paci, he's lost that skill or desire.
Day two: No nap. He played in his crib for a looooong time and cried for his paci.
Day three: Played in his crib until I went up and rocked him to sleep.
Day four: No nap. At all.
Day five: Enter the sticker chart. He earns one sticker per nap, and a trip to the movie theatre after 12.
He has now napped successfully for four consecutive days, but his naps are definitely shorter. Today's victory was that he put himself to sleep for the first time, without assistance. He stopped asking for his paci several days ago, which is a HUGE victory for us all.
What I have learned: I originally thought we were in the ideal window for getting rid of the paci, since he's old enough to actually understand the explanation for where it went and to take some ownership of the process. I now think that if we had done it sooner, he would better have learned how to soothe himself to sleep, thus his naps would still be long. Then again, it could have backfired. Our reason for wanting to get rid of it now is that a) there will soon be another baby in the house who may use pacis, and if he sees the baby using it for several more years, he might NEVER give it up, and b) we wanted to get rid of them before the transition to the Big Boy Bed. Those beds are HUGE, in comparison to a crib, so a "lost" paci is much more difficult to find.
Props for us: The one thing I absolutely think we did correctly was to wean him off paci usage gradually. As of less than one year (I wish I could remember, exactly), he was only allowed to use them in the car and for sleeping. Then we cut the car usage out, except for long trips where he would take a nap. The good thing about this approach is that we weren't constantly hunting down pacis all over the house, and he wasn't toting them all over town. Yay, us.
"Isn't this exciting." - Sheila, A Chorus Line
With advice from Supernanny, Jo Frost, we planted the idea of the Paci Fairy in The Boy's mind. (Prior to that, we made a paper chain with 20 rings that we used to count down the days until he would get rid of his pacis.) On THE DAY, he placed his pacis in a gift bag with a note to the Fairy, explaining that he was giving his pacis away to a baby who might need them. We placed the bag outside the house before his nap, and headed upstairs. He and I both cried a little bit as we sat in our living room, staring at the bag. What a brave boy.
He had his game face on all the way through the pre-nap routine, up until song time, when he cried and cried and cried. And cried and cried and cried and cried. He finally tired himself out on me, fell asleep, and I put him in his crib where he slept for a comparatively short time (one hour instead of his regular two). I attribute this to the assumption that he usually wakes up during his nap, finds his paci and settles back down to sleep. Without the paci, he's lost that skill or desire.
Day two: No nap. He played in his crib for a looooong time and cried for his paci.
Day three: Played in his crib until I went up and rocked him to sleep.
Day four: No nap. At all.
Day five: Enter the sticker chart. He earns one sticker per nap, and a trip to the movie theatre after 12.
He has now napped successfully for four consecutive days, but his naps are definitely shorter. Today's victory was that he put himself to sleep for the first time, without assistance. He stopped asking for his paci several days ago, which is a HUGE victory for us all.
What I have learned: I originally thought we were in the ideal window for getting rid of the paci, since he's old enough to actually understand the explanation for where it went and to take some ownership of the process. I now think that if we had done it sooner, he would better have learned how to soothe himself to sleep, thus his naps would still be long. Then again, it could have backfired. Our reason for wanting to get rid of it now is that a) there will soon be another baby in the house who may use pacis, and if he sees the baby using it for several more years, he might NEVER give it up, and b) we wanted to get rid of them before the transition to the Big Boy Bed. Those beds are HUGE, in comparison to a crib, so a "lost" paci is much more difficult to find.
Props for us: The one thing I absolutely think we did correctly was to wean him off paci usage gradually. As of less than one year (I wish I could remember, exactly), he was only allowed to use them in the car and for sleeping. Then we cut the car usage out, except for long trips where he would take a nap. The good thing about this approach is that we weren't constantly hunting down pacis all over the house, and he wasn't toting them all over town. Yay, us.
"Isn't this exciting." - Sheila, A Chorus Line
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Difference a Day Makes
If you read the last post, you know where my head has been. It's amazing, though, how helpful it is (to me) to simply put my feelings out there. First, in a blog post; later in a private conversation with my incredibly supportive husband. Technically, nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed.
Yesterday, as we spent the entire day together as a family, we were walking through the woods when I became overcome with excitement and joy that my son is going to be a big brother. I started to feel incomplete--as though the state of my family is in flux, and will be until this beautiful baby is born, because s/he belongs to us and is a part of us.
And it made me smile.
Yesterday, as we spent the entire day together as a family, we were walking through the woods when I became overcome with excitement and joy that my son is going to be a big brother. I started to feel incomplete--as though the state of my family is in flux, and will be until this beautiful baby is born, because s/he belongs to us and is a part of us.
And it made me smile.
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