Gimping Along

Back to my famous Orchestra Mom Chair where I can finally wrap my head around last week's events by posting a blog about it all. So where to start? How about Monday... oh yes, Martin Luther King Day when the kids enjoyed a day off from school and spent the entire day lounging in their pajamas while getting reacquainted with the video games they received over Christmas break. The holiday was like Déjà vu all over again, MLK-style. Meanwhile, I spent a good chunk of time cleaning up the aftermath of that big birthday party we threw the previous weekend, cleaning that is still in progress. Can you say maid service needed?

And now for the biggest news of the week: Face-to-face meeting with a potential new client who discovered my business by way of Better Business Bureau - a HUGE deal for me as a fairly new BBB accredited business member. So guess what? I left the meeting with the impression that we hit it off fabulously, and I even submitted a bid for one of their web projects the very same day. Needless to say, I'm feeling hopeful about adding them as a new client soon - knock on wood. Speaking of which, I also reconnected with another new client, a cancer patient, who has regained enough strength to move forward with his web plans. More on that within the next few weeks. *insert happy dance here*

On the Religious Education front, in addition to our regular class time I had the honor of taking part in a 7^th grade Confirmation retreat with my lovely CCD students. Let me tell you, the retreat was nothing less than magical with @100 kids and catechists participating in prayer-related activities. We read scripture, meditated, discussed the many forms of prayer, hammered nails into crosses, casted stones, created collages, etc. Who would've thought 7^th graders could encounter Jesus alongside friends as their cell phones were being held hostage outside the retreat center? Not me, as I imagined myself at that age grudgingly attending because I had to and rolling my eyes all the while. But not those kids. The maturity factor was surprisingly ginormous, and I'm still left in awe of what I witnessed that night. BRAV-O.

Last but certainly not least on my Must Blog About list is that dreaded muscle strain report. If you've been bravely following my Facebook &/or Twitter status posts then you know how on January 3^rd, I crazily submitted myself to an overly strenuous Wii EA Active and elliptical workout that resulted in a painful hip flexor injury that I've been nursing ever since. Holy smokes did that episode ever put a damper on my everyday getting around, not to mention those interrupted nights of sleep! So I've been resting as much as possible (not very in my case) and am finally able to get around a little more quickly. As I mentioned to a Facebook friend, ibuprofen is my new BFF and has been my saving grace during this way-too-long healing process. And now I'm happy to report that I was able to get back into my workout routine (light!) yesterday. Alleluia.

So what's happening next? In a nutshell, another week of complete madness with an orchestra festival and retreat on the agenda. Only here's the good part in two little words:

SALON VISIT
*repeat of happy dance here*

Getting a Grip

With August 2009 ending tomorrow, here I sit at orchestra rehearsal thinking back over the month while attempting to wrap my head around all of the goings-on, hence this blog. The biggest happenings popping into my head involve school, CCD, music, and business clients – but not necessarily in that order. So now a blurb or two about each just to show the extent of the whole head-wrapping process:

• School – both Peeps have us going all crazy as we run between 2 different schools all week, yet everyone's adjusting way better than expected. The youngest is especially content with having the oldest's former teacher, one whose teaching style we appreciated repeatedly in the past. Basically, that guy absolutely rocks the Elementary School Teacher Department, and we thank our lucky stars the principal welcomes student placement requests from parents. Hubs and I were all over that.

• CCD – I'm teaching one CCD class this time around, and coincidentally, the oldest child is in it. (Actually that's a giant perk in volunteering to teach, along with not having to pay tuition.) The biggest difference in the classroom this year? A co-catechist signed up to be my side-kick, helping with whatever the class and I need. So I've appointed her as Disciplinarian Co-Catechist, aka that SCARY-person-whom-CCD'ers-must-visit upon acting up making my teaching life difficult in class. And let me tell you, Scary Disciplinarian Co-Catechist has stricken complete fear in the eyes of at least 5 boys, the same guys who've enjoyed testing me over the last 2 years. Ha! The joke's on YOU now, dudes. :)

• Music – this year we have only one stringed instrument player in the family with our youngest dropping viola and taking up baritone and with the oldest continuing on with cello. The bad news? Now we've got not one but TWO big huge instruments to lug about town. Actually, that's really not such bad news if you consider the strength-building opportunities involved and, of course, free concerts throughout the year. Total win-win situation for everyone.

• Business Clients – keeping me busy outside all of these wonderfully fun family activities is business work with existing clients and also... a new one! This client is a former colleague with a business startup but without an online presence – fancy words for SHE NEEDS A WEBSITE. Not only that, but another new client is in the works. More later, don't want to jinx it.
  

So much for head-wrapping. Why does it suddenly feel like I'm wearing a turban?