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2003-05-07 - 11:34 a.m.

Wow ! Someone actually read this site and was kind enough to send an e-mail. I am inspired to write about my regard for the story of Peter Pan this morning- briefly though as I am letting the little ones watch Sesame Street while I am ostensibly preparing a few bills to mail as we head to the zoo today. I can't say I ever really read all of Peter Pan, or thought about it much at all, until my daughter had to design her "fly up" ceremony as she and her fellow brownie troop member (in the troop ot two!) prepared to become "Junior" Girl Scouts. They are immensely creative, and wanted to dress up like charachters from Peter Pan, which of course necessitated that they read it first. We all read it and found some apt scene that they enacted during the ceremony. It was fantastic! I have to get out the video to watch it as I can't recall the exact scene and language, but there was something in there about gender issues-- Wendy putting down boys in some way, saying how a girl was needed to so something better. (Tell storys?) I recall that as it seemed to validate the esteem of the girls, yet I did not want them to do so by putting down boys,a nd we had a nice disctussion on the general topic of how PEOPLE can do things well if they choose and work hard, regardless of gender, Not to be LIMITED by gender, but also not to be one who even makes it an issue by bashing the other gender.

Happy to have done another H1 VIsa last week. Good to have a bit of discretionary income now as the older kids are excited to play soccer on a team which starts this Sat. I can pay for that once I get paid... so off to write a few more invoices for my completed work to be mailed en route to the Zoo!

Since we have come to NY the older kids have NOT ASKED Once about playing violin! I was surprised, and decided not to have them keep on just now until Fall when I have saved for that. Or maybe until they ask... not sure. It is very expensive, and I think its valuable-- but I think its more valuable BEFORE they are in school as it gives a jump start on their education and teaches them the value of hard work and discipline, and routine etc. Once they get that they can them apply it to all schoolwork. At this point the oldest is a straight A student, and she understands she can do well at ANYTHING if she works hard enough. So if she wants to pick up violin later on she'll do fine, a break won't hurt, and her thinking it is HER idea may motivate her more than ANYTHING else! So I'm waiting until Fall. We'll see then if we are in VA or NY and I'll decide then. WE are near Rochester which has the Eastman school of music and MANY great teachers available here, and summer programs and youth orcchestra -- even in the public schools, so it would be a great place to continue music study. (Far better than VA actually.) I sometimes wonder though if I should just stick the money spent on violin into the bank for college.. and I have that internal debats with myself,, should I even save for college at all, or use ever cent to further education now as the kids have potential to all be scholarship material? There is a LARGE numeber of Dr.s and folks in the medical commuunity in particular who are Suzuki trained violinists, and many get scholarships to play for Orchestras while they get their bachelors in Pre Med/Music. I think that a person always values what they work for more than anything handed to them by someone else, so at this point my philosophy has been one of providing training and skills to promote self development and self actualization. I just hope come college years that pays off more than dollars in an interest bearing account as I spend my money on things like soccer and violin studies now! Katerina has also recently expressed interest in ballet.. . in fact she has indicated the desire to dance a FEW times. Perhaps with her classical music training that will be helpful in dancing. She's still young enough that with focus she can be good at, and enjoy a variety of things.... but of course they all require money if one wants to seriuously learn and study from someone that has skills!

Enough rambling for now-- off to the Zoo!

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