Day 2245. I couldn't sleep last night so it was really late before I did, therefore I was really tired this morning. As usual Emmy came a couple of times instead of letting me sleep. At 9:30 am my alarm went off, and I got up. Just before 10 am I left the house with Tammy and Emmy. We rode the subway downtown, doing their reading exercises, then rode our scooters to the music school where their piano class started at 10:30 am.
Today it was the four kids that have been together for a few semesters, without the new girl, which allowed us to advance faster. After the greeting song, the teacher did a different guessing game, trying to find out what everyone was doing in the afternoon. Then it was time for the finger warmup, and she added two new finger warmups to the routine. Next she started with the two newest songs they've been practicing, having them sing the songs, sing the notes, tap the song and finally play them, but not play the whole song, which made it harder. Half the class played the right hand, and the other half the left hand. Then she had them come to the front where she introduced them to the minor symbol and Mi minor. She had them draw specific notes on the board, then they returned to their pianos and had to circle all the Mi minors in two new songs. They got a stamp, then they all went to the front and learned a new song with actions. Then it was storytime, and I couldn't believe it when it was a new story, as they usually do the same ones over and over again. Once it was over, they ran to get their sticker and assignment books. They had practiced 7 days this past week, so every day, which was a new record. They got 7 stamps, and a sticker. After the good-bye song, we left and rode our scooters back to the subway and took the subway to McDonald's where Randy and Sammy were already waiting for us.
After we'd had a good time eating, I returned home with Tammy and Emmy, while Randy and Sammy went the opposite direction, going downtown to the music school for Sammy's 1:30 pm class. It was his first paid session of four of the "kids with special needs" class, and there was only one other girl in the class. He was having lots of fun.
Tammy, Emmy and I got home around 1 pm, and I still had one hour until I had to teach. I was very tired but there was lots to do. The kids wanted to do piano practice on a Saturday again, like last week, so we did that first. Then they wanted to do school books, drawing lines, letters, coloring, cutting and glueing. Emmy sat down at the new desk and Tammy at the dining room table. I wanted to get the extension cord and new desk lamp out, put together and set up, and I got it done. It worked perfectly. They have a very nice and bright light at their desk now which is needed in that dark space under the bunk bed.
At 2 pm I started teaching, thankfully just for an hour. However, the kids were rather loud right on the other side of my door, and I had to open it and tell them to be quiet more than once.
At 3 pm I was done, and Randy and Sammy also returned. We still had one hour at home. The kids all wanted to go downstairs and did. I got their dinner-to-go boxes ready, we all got ready, and at 4 pm we all left the house to go to church. We rode the 4:20 train and then the subway, then walked through the mall to church where we arrived early.
At 5 pm the service started. It was back in the bigger room where it used to be. Sammy was greatly enjoying the worship music and having lots of fun dancing and jumping and raising his arms. I was holding him and dancing with him for much of the time. Tammy was also dancing with him at one point. Only Emmy was sitting down and didn't care to dance which was disappointing. About 20 minutes into the service, someone came up to us to let us know it was time to go to the kids' program, so they all left with Randy. I stayed in the sanctuary. Soon the tiredness overcame me as I had been going non-stop all day, after a short night. I had to close my eyes for much of the service, listening only.
The service ended earlier than usual before 6:45 pm, and I walked to the kids' room where I found them all playing with playdoh but already packing up. Especially Sammy was happy to see me. They finished packing up, then we left and walked back to the coffee shop right by the sanctuary entrance. However, there was no one to talk to, so we decided to go home. We walked back through the mall to the subway and were lucky to make the 7:18 pm train (and it was late). It was an old train with small compartments. Sammy does not like the old trains as we have to lift him over a few high steps into and out of the train. Inside, though, there was a very nice conductor who offered his help and talked to the kids all the way to the next stop which is where we got off. He showed the kids his own private compartment and other compartments, talked to them and gave them a kids' ticket each. He was the nicest train employee we've ever met.
Back home, the kids got ready for bed right away and were in bed right after 8 pm which is their bedtime. We adults then also got ourselves something to eat and finally got to relax.
