Husbands, houses and hard things.

The above are all connected.

Hard times for the wives of husbands close and far away. Houses that are too empty or too full. 

My husband has decided that the road wasn't for him. I was not convinced. I understand his logic and and totally delighted he wants to be here every day but I didnt think that a conventional job will fit into his non conventional personality. Or our non conventional life. We have been like this a long time. It works. He has very rapidly come to this conclusion after taking a normal job and feeling very trapped very quickly.

I am also thinking of someone that I love who has lost someone they love. Just want it out there that I am thinking about them. I hope they are as ok as they can be. 

All change please, all change.

The teenager is being vile again. A one day exclusion for throwing chairs, pulling trunking off the wall and throwing water on the floor.

The school can't cope and have refused to have him back in September. This is a relief and a stress.

He seems to not care about what others want, and does a good line in telling people what they want to hear.
I have applied for a different school for him but currently I can't see how he would manage anywhere. He won't do anything he doesn't want to and I can't see how that wil change.

Then on to the next thin. G has quit the road. He has given up touring with Ghost to run a pub from the end of July. Shock!

Plans for a Saturday night

Once upon a time I would have worked gen caught the bus back to our house just on the edge of the sticks, then run around like a headless chicken until my friend JP turned up and decided which of my two outfits I should wear, generally both far too short and not enough fabric! Then he would driveon into town and we'd party into the night then I would go and crash on my friend fern or Sally 's floor to get up the next morning walk into town and catch the bus home.

Tonight I am sitting and debating just how early the kids will accept going to bed in the hope that I might manage to study for an exam I have on Tuesday. I am under prepared on the grounds that the distance learning course has been distant to say the least. I have basically been given a rubbish crib sheet and left to my own devices. They charged £200 for this plus £70 for the exam fee, and £100 to 'mark' the tasks. Amazing.

I also want to sew. So many things to do.

And sleep on my own with being hassled by the kids at 5am. It's not funny guys. I am so tired.

Oh well. I shall stop moaning.

Rainy Day

Today is Friday and I have the day off. There are many things I could be doing. I should be tidying up - I did the porch and hall and have sat down! Whoops.
I could be doing the sewing tasks that I have to do. Leotards for Emjay School of Dance, a dress to finish for a lovely lady I know, sewing shorts, finishing knitting I have started, mending things that want mending.
I could be eating my breakfast but I can't find anything I fancying the cupboard. I could be revising for my exam on Tuesday.
I could be planning and doing the paperwork for dancing, show stuff, workshop stuff for school, popping out and measuring the mirrors and barres.

Instead I sat down.

Am already bored of the husband being away. We are 30 days away from tour finishing and I am bored of himself being away. It's easier for him to maintain minimum contact when they are on the bus. And it's less fun because the crew have changed. Same stuff just a different field.

In other news my manager has broken her leg. Tib and fib while walking the dog. Which is bad. So from next week I am being drafted in to do the prescriptions in the morning. Drop off at the school run then whizz round and do them then go home! Not ideal but not forever.

Busy times.

Poor old Mr G was back for a week then off again. We'd just about settled back into routine - not stalking around each other like cats from neighbouring houses! Slightly grumpy and snappy at each other for conducting normal life in each others personal spaces!

I think that I actually tend to manage far better than him. He may be running around Europe on the rock and roll scene with one of the planets rapidly rising metal stars - partying to the Jackson five on a tour bus with 11 other blokes in a town somewhere at 3 in the morning, hanging out on stage sides with Metallica or Dave Grohl - the drummer out of Nirvana or the chap from the foo fighters dependant on your demographic - eating steak in posh restaurants - flying places like I catch a bus...

I on the other hand stay home and do the lot. I work seriously hard - teaching and all the work that goes with that for about 16 hours a week, work the day job for 8 hours, exam invigilating, and keeping house and dealing with the day to day running of 4 children. Two of whom aren't 'typical'.

There are days I would swop in a heart beat! I think he would swop for 10 minutes a day. Time to see the kids and play and not have to worry about babysitting 6 grown men and their guitars or keys or drums! And I think he would swop to sleep in his own bed! Bunks on a bus?

They are a lovely bunch of boys though!

Anyway - back to the grind - 4 loads of laundry done yesterday! Going for 5 today! Oh how te other half live!

Life with one small peep. (& a big one)

This weekend I only have n in the house to really look after. S is here.

He is three. It is a breeze! His siblings D and T are on the Isle of Wight with their grandparents and their aunt, uncle and cousen. They are there from last night at 4pm till the ferry home at 6:30 tomorrow. That's nearly 48 hours with only one small boy to look after!

He stayed up later last night, no nap for him! And this morning he got up at 7:15! We got up and dressed and were out of the house by 7:35! We had been to the post office to collect a parcel, to the tip to dump some junk, to the DIY store to buy some bedding plants, and to a well known takeaway emporium to get pancakes for breakfast, all by 9am!

We have gardened and had friends round for tea and cake and problem solving, we have had tidying up times, and laundry time, and we are currently enjoying sitting on the sofa watching DVD time.

Hopefully he will snooze in a minute to prime himself for a party this evening.

1 child has been like a total rest!

How hard is it to get cake!

Yesterday was my husbands birthday.

He was 33.

And once again he was in the states for his birthday.

This is fine, he was home for mine this year! But I digress. I decided that I wanted to send him cake for his birthday. This would be nice and simple you would think. Last year it was nice and simple. One phone call and it was done! Two dozen cupcakes delivered to the tour bus door, that was in California and the only issue was that the gift card was with love Tom, C, S, D, T and N. we don't have a Tom in our house! Lost is communication, clearly my Brit accent is not understandable!

So on to this year and NYC!

And what on the west coast was simple, the east coast complicated! It took the initial email to management, then they emailed the TM, emails to a bunch of bakery's - most of who wouldnt deliver to the venue, then one who did but needed all sorts of info. Finally a girl from the venue was in the loop too! Too complicated!

The bakery was http://www.buttercupbakeshop.com/ and they were initially not super helpful on the phone, however the girl on email was super helpful. Mr G got his cake. Apparently it is on the tour bus which is parked miles away from the venue

In other news. This morning is brought to you by Underworlds - second toughest in the infants and a grumpy teen.

Husband

My lovely husband will have been away around 40 days when he returns in 13 sleeps. This is a long time. There are chances things will develop in his career for him and that there may be a promotion on the cards, this will keep him just as busy which he is really hating.

He is home about 10 days and then is off again across Europe. He is desperate for me to be able to come out to some shows, and to meet him in places. I am almost thinking I will follow the bus in a car with a tent in it! Ridiculous I know! The kids would adore it!

The good thing is that give him another month and he is totally home for 6 weeks. He will be fed up with us in a week! We obviously miss him, but I think maybe it's easier in some respects - we just get on with our routine. He is left tucked up in his bunk in a small space with 11 blokes - mostly swedish - and lots of time to mull things. I told him if he really wants to stop then to stop. However when he has stopped in previous years he has missed and pined for the road. Its not just a slog. He does get some fun. He tells me the other day that the band and crew had a bus party and danced to Jackson 5 all night! Lots of hungover young men the next day! He's rung me from ice bars in Vegas and festival sites in India, Australia, America and I don't even remember where else.

Spare some love for Mr M.

Nice person!

Because I am lovely I am helping my cousen make a costume for the Rocky Horror. This has involved late nights of sewing (and drinking wine and eating muffins). It's been a combination of very simple things and slightly more complicated things.

So far between us have been fashioned a white pinny, a bow tie, a pair of stripy shorts, another pair of short soon to be striped, sparkly top, rhinestoned shoes, and a gold lame tail coat.

It's been quite good fun, the coat went together in the course of an evening, and although it's not perfect it is more than ok because its only for an evening! The carpet in my lounge has been covered in ribbon and sparkly bits and pins and pattern pieces. I think I shall continue my evening sewing times as my lovely husband is still away and my laundry mountain is finished! I also have planning for the next show to get on with too.

Today I have to split myself a couple of ways, my dad and I are planning to take the children to go to the maritime festival in town. Apparently wean go and look in the docks which is normally a closed area to the public. We have also been invited to my inlaws for a lunchtime BBQ. More or less at the same time! Gah!

Me made May

I was reading on various blogs - kazz the spazz and oona balloona among others about me made may.

It sounds like fun! The challenge to wear something created by me everyday during may. I then set to thinking about if this was a manageable task. I think it might be if one is allowed to include bags....

But if I really think about it.

I have made dresses, skirts, tunics, shorts, pants!!

1 - wrap dress - plum with white polka dots
2 - the same wrap dress with a changed fastening in a blue and floral print
3 - a black satin overlaid with crepe dress (which needs tweaking)
4 - a tunic made out of some lovely vintage fabric
5 - a knitted skirt - lane splitter from knitty
6 - a pair of thick cord shorts that need tweaking
7 - a Moroccan print dress that needs finishing
8 - a summer skirt that's waiting on a waist band
9 - purple pants!
10 - the blue coat
11 - the brown bag
12 - the green bag

This is actually more than I realised. I think I might be able to do me made may quite easily.
I just need to make some tops,

Can you keep a secret?

Hey interwebs.

Can you keep secrets? I have one and I am not allowed to share!

Needless to say its quite an exciting secret.

I am actually fairly good at keeping secrets. So I shan't tell! I shall just think back over all the secrets I have had to keep over the years. Nothing life changing. But things that other people would love to know. I think perhaps that that is the defining thing about a good secret. It's something that others are wanting to know.
But on the other hand, I don't like surprises. I think i might be a bit of a control freak. Little surprises are fine, but major surprises aren't great!!

Moan moan moan!

I am not really a moaning minnie, I tend to just try and get on with it, however this morning I am in the mood to have a moan!!

At the office job my duties have changed slightly, in as much as I am now dealing with prescription requests, in it's self not a big deal, as long as you pay attention to what you are doing it runs pretty smoothly. That's not the issue. The issue is the work station. The printer is to the left of the computer, which might not sound like a major thing, but issue a couple of hundred pxs and it is! I tend to issue, print, correlate with request and put in the correct file for each px. Colleagues of mine print everything then correlate everything. Personally I find there is too much room for me to make an error doing that! So I do it my way.

So I have started getting an ache across the right side of my chest. From the sternum out and now working its way into my shoulder. Went to see my amazing GP who said that the painful injury is not related to the 16 hours of teaching I do a week. This is on the grounds that although we repeat things it is often very even and that I warm up and cool down. She has told me I need to tell the boss! That won't go down well I fear.

Off to find some ibuprofen gel now!

An awesome evening.

Last night I went on an adventure with my two cousins. They are 3 and 6 years older than me.

They have held influence over my musical tastes sice I was a young teen, S being 18 when I was 12, and J being 15, and influenced by S. J was responsible for my first gig attendance. We were trying to work out just how old I was. It was before J had her son so she was around 17, which made me 14 and the youngest person in the room! (and the shortest!). We went to see the Levellers in bournemouth and J's mum and dad dropped us off and picked us up. We had tickets in the seated balcony, I don't think we cared either way!! But then there was a chance meeting with 2 people who happened to have standing seats and wanted seated seats. So they offered to swop! We were delighted and proceeded to dance the entire evening. Turned out they had free tickets because she was the bass players auntie.

So last night we went to Bournemouth again. To the old opera house which is now known as the O2, to see my favourite band, James. Mr G sorted out tickets for my birthday.

I don't even know where to start. It was immense. I got home and couldn't sleep because I was so hyper afterward, and even today I can't stop smiling. They played absolutely every song I wanted to hear. And finished with my favourite song of all time.

I was still pretty much the youngest in the building (excepting the children of the fans who were in their thirties 20 years ago!)

An update on the list!!!

5 lifespan tasks. - only 1 to finish!!! Woo!

80 or so invoices. Done and dusted!

A trip to the bank to find out what that message was about. They didn't know!

A trip to the tip to ditch a billion boxes. - the boxes went to lovely t I used to work with!

3 classes to teach - toddlers and adults. The toddler class had a special moment! Will talk later about that!

Many loads of laundry. (many more to do!)

A husband to be spoken to! (he's only home for a week!) - husband has gone again :(

My accounts for 2012/13 to be finished up. - they were finished and dealt with!!! 

A letter of resignation from my job - - i chickened out!!!! the straw that broke the camels back has happened!!

Some show planning. Lots done!

A trip to IDS in Devon to look at their costumes - had a fantastic trip!!

Toddler ballet

During half term I taught my toddler classes. 

I had a new little friend. A little sister of a pupil, she had come and watched her sisters class and wanted to join in so badly that I told mum about the toddlers. She thought she might bring her.

L came and was amazing! There is a twist to this, she suffered a traumatic birth and is disabled, I think cerebral palsy. When I first met her she couldnt walk unaided. She's grown in strength and confidence so much in the last few months.

Anyway she join in for the two sessions and managed beautifully. It was so fantastic to see her beaming at me. Mum afterwards told me she was astounded by how much she managed. Both her and I were so proud! She turned on her toes, she was a starfish, she grew, she was a raindrop and she rocked her baby!!

Lazy lady is lazy (again)

People keep telling me I do loads. And in some respects I guess I do, but there is always more to do.

Today I laid on my mums sofa in her sun drenched conservatory and watched red kites circling through the glass roof. I closed my eyes a bit. I turned cartwheels for daisy. It was a very nice way to waste an afternoon.

I should have been at my house mowing the front lawn, hanging out washing, sorting junk out, finishing the one remaining tasks have left for my lifespan exam. Or putting washing away.

I just looked at the clock. It's ten to six and my kids haven't been fed! What a naughty mummy I am, the dinner is on now though. The kids have played the day away outside, delighted to have space, air, sunlight. Hopefully they will sleep well tonight.

In other news, 10 days into the tour and I am ready for himself to come home!

Bodies.

My body doesn't do quite what it's told anymore.

It remembers when it used to be able to do things like putting my foot above head height at the side. It tries.
Really hard.

But it can only get there if it gets helped now!!

Why? One might ask? Why, because to pass the advanced ballet exams you need to be able to get those legs up there, you need to jump, you need to be dancing every day. And this it the target I have set my self because I am slightly crazy.

So today my body got subjected to a good three hours of ballet. 1 class this morning and my adults who I teach this evening. I can already feel the burn. I hope to be able to walk on Friday morning! I will be off to another class then. The professional class at the local school. Hopefully it will be more dance and less chatting!!!

I can still fold and bend and throw the limbs around, but they won't stay up where you extend them to.

So tired now. But have the lunches to make, and laundry to put away and all sorts of things.

Bed calling, what will win? House stuff or the duvet!!

Music.

Is massively powerful.

I use a lot of music as I teach dance, music to envoke feelings, music to help the child find a beat, music to tell a story, music to let go.

Music makes a difference to how you move and how you feel. Listen to a song on the way to work on a grotty evening when it's heaving with rain and the kids have run you ragged all day. Make that song Lemon Jellys 'Nice weather for Ducks'. Now try not to be in a good mood.

Or how about stuck indoors doing the housework you have been avoiding for days. Pop on a bit of Dreadzone and I dare you not to dance with the Hoover.

Or perhaps you are washing up, staring out of the kitchen window at the rain. It's April and still cold cold cold and you had to boil three kettles to get the water warm enough to wash up because the boiler was broken. So the iPod goes on to try and make it bearable. Up pops the best song ever (in my opinion though you can pick your own), James Sometimes. It ends up on a loop.

Maybe you are driving somewhere else. To pick up the lovely husband. And radio one and a half presents you with music from your youth.

Music does something special.
Music is essential as a dancer.

Never stop listening.

Mr g has gone again

This time they are on an extended tour of the states and Canada. The band he works for are only going to get more popular and carry on getting more famous!
They are going out with Iron Maiden soon, south America. One can only assume on the iron maiden plane. Which is very exciting.
He doesn't come home until mid may which is a little sad. 5 weeks! (though give me a few days to settle in to the routine and I will be ok!)

This next few weeks will be spent doing house stuff - tidying and junk sorting and getting rid of a million things we don't need and convincing the kids to help tidy up, finishing some sewing projects, completing an essay I have been writing for MONTHS! Gardening the gardens. Lots of work to do.

Smallest boy has taken on the cutest persona, he is playing imaginary games, his favourite thing is to be the baby to D's mummy, however if you were to describe him as a baby he gets really cross.

And finally, D wrote me a poem for mothers day.

M ummy
O verworked
T errific
H ugable
E notable
R espectful

Line 2 is by far my favourite!!!

An interesting question (on lifespan)

Task nine that i have nearly finished is actually quite interesting from a dance teachers point of view. It's basically about what you could do within the arts if you don't think you would cut it as a dancer.

For me - I never wanted to be a dancer. It just wasn't what I wanted. But because I am bossy and a bit of a control freak in some respects I did want to teach.

There are so many jobs in the arts field.admin, technical things, musician things, costume making, usher or in the box office, lighting or sound. All I need to do now is suss out how people get into the fields.

Right - back to the housework and the kids and their own particular brand of chaos then back on to the theory stuff. And trying to make the printer work so I can send out the invoices for class!!!

Relief!

I have submitted those tasks that were driving me mad. One and a half to finish. And the feed back has been positive. Just a couple of tweaks and we are all good. Just the essay and the observations to do and I am done with DDE ballet, just need to get my head down and get one with it!!!

Then I can get on with show planning. Which is fun. I went and looked at the costume shop and saw many many lovely things. I already have the plan for the firework costumes, they are amazing in my head! And we shall be having an ugly bug ball too, and a maypole, and penguins and about a million other things! I want to try and raise funds for costumes and am trying to come up with a scheme for it!

In the name of accessibility no child should be excluded because their family can't afford a costume.

Life span is not interesting!

I am currently trying to catch up with the tasks in the life span book.
They are supposed to be handed in this week. We shall see!

There are 10 tasks to be completed and I have done 8 and 3/4. Task 12 is done, task 9 is almost finished. Just a bit of tweaking. Then on to 11 and I am there!

So what am I going to do tomorrow? I am going to Devon to look at dancing show costumes!! Because not only am I studying, but I am also planning exams and a show too. I went into the fabric shop today. And found some amazing fabric for my firework costumes! Love it.

Just reviewed a 'local dance school' and how they make themselves accessible, was a horrible tricky task and I really didn't like having to do it. Now time for bed!

A list

Things to be done this week.

5 lifespan tasks.
80 or so invoices.
A trip to the bank to find out what that message was about.
A trip to the tip to ditch a billion boxes.
3 classes to teach - toddlers and adults.
Many loads of laundry.
A husband to be spoken to! (he's only home for a week!)
My accounts for 2012/13 to be finished up.
A letter of resignation from my job - the straw that broke the camels back has happened!!
Some show planning.
A trip to IDS in Devon to look at their costumes.

Then I just looked at my sewing and knitting pile. I shan't even start!

Exam result!!

Now, I know you have all been waiting for this!

I got my exam result for my practical teaching exam. I am actually really disappointed with it.

I passed it. 202/300. Which is rubbish. I needed to get 195 to pass, and so I did pass but not well enough for me! I dropped points on my own dancing. Again. I dont wNt to be a dancer and i never did, i wanted to teach. Now I know that the parents are happy with the progress their children are making, I have physical proof!! (I entered a comp to win some money towards costumes and had to get some testimonials)

Here are some nice things that some mums and dads said to make me feel better about the rubbish mark!!

V's dad! Chrissy has an outstanding rapport with the children and succeeds in creating an extremely positive, enjoyable, warm learning environment.

Alison - busy bee preschool - Chrissy is professional in the way she delivers her class and ensures every child is included and their diverse needs taken into consideration.

Hatty - age 5 - I love doing the jungle dance, my favourite is the fish.

Saturday sadness.

Today should be a very happy sort of a day, and it is in this house for the small peeps who know not much except Toby is 5 today.

But in the front of my mind is the heartbreaking knowledge that it should also be the 1st birthday of the small one of my surrogate brother and his lovely wife. T and Finley share a birthday.

All my love and thoughts are going to s and l today. Their beautiful son only lived for 3 days and I think of them and him every day.

Thursday was LOOOONNNNNNGGGGG

Really long!

Wednesday finished at 2am Thursday, and Thursday proper started at 5:30 when noo first woke up. We (the husband I had retrieved from Bristol) managed to convince him to go back to sleep till 7am then I had to go to work.

I was able to type, or talk. But not both at the same time.

Met my friend Helena and her little girl at lunchtime, they were visiting from Switzerland, I must have sounded quite in coherent - I didn't understand my self very well!

Work dragged till half five and I was out the door so fast!

Home to feed kids, put them to bed, feed us, collect the boy from scouts and then I could go to bed!! Was so unimpressed when noo woke me up at 2am!!!

Tonight is a (sober) night out.

Tuesday

Tuesday is my long day.

Yesterday it was even longer. I started in the morning playing music for exam for a lovely friend of mine. Her school is huge, well established and she recently became the owner. Was nice to be able to help.

Today is being long already. N had me up at 5:39 and I have to drive to Bristol to collect my husband so he can sleep in his own bed for a couple of nights. I don't think I will get home until at least 2am. This is going to be rubbish!!

Ho hum, on with Wednesday!

Stressy! (again)

Today is being yet another stressy day, owing to a late night jaunt to heathrow so my lovely husband could catch the tour bus to Sheffield. the kids were fine, car full of equipment, rugged up in pajamas and fleecy blankets, they were all asleep before we hit Fleet services. It's on the M3 and pretty much the halfway point between Southampton and Heathrow. I think I could almost drive to the airport with my eyes closed now!!

It would have been totally great - they sleep, they wake up and say see you later Daddy, then they sleep home and I lift them into the house and they stay asleep until the morning.

But yesterday was a little bit exciting - saints (our football team) were playing Liverpool at home, so the eldest three and I went, and it was great. We won!!!!!!! 3-1! This is a massive thing for a team hovering just over the relegation zone!! Although we beat Man City a while ago and played even better then!

So they were a little hyper. And then it started to rain.

And flash massive sky illuminating lightening! I don't like lightening very much. Don't mind the rumbles. And heave down with big fat raindrops. And there was so much water on the surface of the motorway. It made it a very draining drive.

So today we are sat indoors, the boys are playing with the octonauts, the eldest is playing computers, d is off reading somewhere. Although we had to do a supermarket run, £65 for a weeks food shopping. I was impressed with myself as that included nappies, loo rolls, and washing up liquid ( and post shopping cake!), later it's off to the play centre. 2 hours for them to run around and wear themselves out.

Trying to be calm!

Today was a stressy kind of day. Sunday is generally fairly relaxed - nanny takes the kids to Sunday school. S goes to football training.

Not today! Oh no!

S today decided that as he was tired (grumpy) that he would be rude to grandpa. This was not on and I phoned him at home to tell him off. I had been out running a birthday party for a small child I know who was 3!! That was the only part of the day that went smoothly!

I rang s shortly after I. Got to my folks to scoop up the small children and he didn't answer - I decided to go and get him and take him to grandmas - we planned to have pizza for tea all together for mothers day. I get home and discover he has gone out. And I can't find him anywhere.

Aspergers teen out and about with no phone and only the clothes he's stood up in? Panic much????

Eventually after a call to the local constabulary  and a man hunt round Millbrook he turned up. At grandmas. He'd walked because he read the bus times wrong!! And not only did he walk but he took the furthest possible route. He couldn't have made it longer if he tried! A journey of 3.5 miles became 5.2 miles!! Was so cross but so relieved he appeared that I forgot to be furious.

This was shortly followed up by t and n running into each other. Cue blood and tears and not enough arms for cuddles. Poor old boys.

So i am now in my bed drinking wine and trying to stay awake, 9:24 isn't too early for bed is it??

Early start

I had to be up super early this morning - the lovely husband was coming home from Australia and I went and retrieved him from heathrow. The flight was due to land just after 6am, I got there about 6:40 - and he was just out with a million things.

He flys out again on 10th March, Sweden and then the uk and then on. And on. And on.

I am proud of him, he works hard and I think he finds it a bit odd that I am! It is what it is though. He doesn't have to work so hard. He could stay indoors and sit on his backside but he chooses to go out and work super hard for a slightly strange bunch of Scandinavians. They are in my mind like a theatrical performance. Very sweet people with a funny sense of costume choice.

Work tomorrow once again, think its time to hand the notice in!

Quiet Sunday.

I don't think so! It was 6am when the rabble woke me up and half nine by the time I managed to get a cup of tea.

Was out of the house by 9:10 to take S to football training and home to give d and t to nanny and grandad to take to church, leaving me with Noo who is quiet and entertains himself beautifully. 1 hour of peace and tranquility! He let me wash up and put laundry on and all sorts of other jobs.

Then the mad dash to collect s followed about an hour later by the return of the rabble. Since then they have been playing/trashing the house and have just had to be dragged in doors. I thought it was too quiet... They were in the back garden having a water fight and slowly getting naked!!!! In the cold in March. Rather them than me, they are now in the bath awaiting hot chocolate followed by dinner followed by early bed!

What time is too early?

Noo.

Noo has started wearing pants! What a big grown up boy he is, bless his heart!! Yesterday he managed to be dry and clean all day, and so he has gone off to preschool in pants!!! We shall see how it goes, it's either going to be great or a nightmare!

Noo is also a little darling at bedtime, pjs on, story read, lay down, close eyes and that's it until 6am. I seem to have got the knack with number 4!

Today will be a day of house work and planning for teaching. It might even be a day for handing in my notice at work.... But I haven't quite made up my mind about that. It was going to be a tidying the garden up sort of a day, but the weather is rubbish so I changed my mind! Maybe I might ignore the laundry and have a snooze instead!

The boy.

I live with an aspergers teen. This has many facets.

Sometimes it's fantastic, he is articulate, and very bright - too intelligent for his own good. He can be funny, and witty, he can be kind and helpful, he can be down right fantastic.

Sometimes its tricky.


Sometimes he is not great at all,


Sometimes he surprises me - today he rocked up to where I was teaching class, looking for a door key and ideally money for sweets. Sent him a way with a flea in his ear. He came back!! Eventually he sneaked £2 from my cash tin. I got him and he returned it. Things are starting to look up!

What differences?

When teaching class to children and adults and tame monkeys what differences should one employ to ensure everyone can access a class?

This is my current task in my lifespan book. It's not the most exciting subject ever. But happily I have had quite a lot of teaching experience and therefore am enjoying the simplicity of it.

Just have a few lesson plans to do, an essay to finish and a lifespan exam that is apparently multiple guess and I will have done the DDE in ballet! All I have to do after that is to do the practical exams for what ever other genres I feel the need to do. Tap, modern and national it is then!!!

Might even treat myself to another jaunt to summer school this year... But for modern perhaps? Or tap?

The scary exam

Yes I did the scary exam. I don't really know how it went. Made errors, covered and sorted it out.

We will see. Now just to finish the theory and we are done!!

So here is what I got asked in my DDE Ballet exam!

Grade 3 plies demonstrated.
       Asked what the common faults were and how to correct the posture.
       Asked how one teaches a back bend and the risks associated.
       What would happen to the legs of a hyperextended child?
       How would you help them?

Grade 4 tendu and grand battement demonstrated.
        Ian began to play too fast and I requested he slowed down during course of the exercise
           Discussed how to promote a good pointe to the front in tinies and alignment

Frappe fouetté
              Created training exercise
              Discussed faults
              Progressed the training exercise

Centre practise
              Demonstrate 2 inter centre practise
              Discussed the quality required for a fondu
              What is the build up of battement fondu
              Discussed posture of 4 yr olds and how to improve it

Musicality
            Discussion on how you would promote musicality in a child
            Gave ideas and examples of how to promote musicality
            She was after the fact they need to listen constantly

Demonstrate 2nd ports de bras inter

Create a grade 6 port de bras/adage with a pirouette in it
 Allegro - what types of allegro are there?
               Create an allegro warm up for inter - explain the differences you would see in
               Grade 1 and Inter allegro
               Create a ballon allegro - was asked to change the music to make it more
               Bouncey
               Demonstrate grade 6 allegro
               Discussed how you change the speed of an exercise

Petit batterie - discuss what body type would find beats harder, and why?
               Discussed the mechanics of all beats including brise and which leg works the
               Hardest on brise.


Stretching -
              what type of stretch is safest
             How would you stretch the ham string
              How long would you hold a stretch for?
              What exercises would you give a pupil to do at home?
              How long would you hold a stretch?
   


Pointe Work
              Asked about what type of feet would struggle
              Asked about what one would do in the first pointe work lesson
              Was asked if you had a class with half with hyper mobile feet and half with less    mobile feet - if you had split the group which set would rise and which set would releve?
               Discussed bow legs and pointe work


Choreography
              Was asked if my dance had a theme or was just a classical solo

Reverence
              Intermediate

I used to post once in a while, now it's rarely.

I have a busy old life at the moment.

Big debates, big choices, big exam, big pile of books to study. It's all a little bit much!!

The main big debate and choice is should one give up the regular income job for more teaching?

Financially we would be just as well off, hours wise I would have more time to do house stuff and things with the sproggles that get shoved aside because I am too busy.
Should I take away that regular spot of cash to be replaced by teaching and casual exam invigilation and maybe summer work in a pub a couple of afternoons, or should I stick in the job I don't mind but don't love. If I were to do the more dancing thing I would be doing more of what I love aNd less of what I don't love.