Erieversible

Hubby has talked to the bank.  I’ve talked to the real estate agent.  Someone has talked to the insurance company, the lawyers and a few stray people who have some special interest or other.

And there are (apparently) small amounts of progress being made on the house purchase.  I’m trying very hard to be patient.  It isn’t easy.  I want this house very badly.  (I love it a lot…it has just about everything we were looking for and a lot of extras we weren’t expecting but that will be really nice.  But more than that, I want us to get moved and settled and be a family again!)  And every bit of progress is good news.

I’m trying very hard not to get too hopeful that things will be sorted quickly.  Christmas is still looming with all the days off that go with it and New Year.  It would be lovely to have a closing date sorted so we can start telling schools and other people exactly when we might be moving….

I’m playing it safe and writing this BEFORE I go and watch the 5th Grade Band Christmas Concert.  This way I don’t have to actually say how the performances were!

The older one is very excited.  He is playing in a trio of clarinets doing “O Christmas Tree” and also in a couple of other numbers.  The orchestra is also performing.  (Hooray…ten year olds with violins!) And apparently there is a special guest performance by a first grader who has been learning violin for three years already (!). 

Now I love Christmas music.  And I love kids.  And I think it is wonderful when children have a chance to learn an instrument.  I even think it is good for them to have the opportunity to perform in public rather than just learn and practise all the time.

However, I’m not totally convinced that I have the necessary patience and enthusiasm to sit through 45 minutes of their performances.  Hubby had the good sense to be in Buffalo tonight!

And I get the added joy of trying to keep the five-year-old happy and quiet during the show. 

Wish me luck.  I’ll take extra headache tablets before I go.

We visited Asbury School today to meet with the various teachers involved with the kids’ education.  What a difference to the Isle of Man system!

Quarterly report cards?  Never had one of those before.  The children graded as to a number of key skills and behaviors?  Astonishing.  Plenty of time was allowed for each consultation and there was constructive feedback on both positive and negative areas.  My congratulations to the local education system and to the staff at Asbury School.

And that’s it.  Both kids are happy at school and we’re happy with the way the school is managing their education.  Nothing else to say.