The new normal

This past week began my new part-time job of teaching beginning strings at four elementary schools in the Mehlville School District!  On Monday and Wednesday mornings, I leave at 6:45 am to be at Blades Elementary by 7:15 for a 30 minute lesson to seven violins and one cello student.  I dash off at 7:45 to Oakville Elementary, which is about a mile away, to teach five violins and three cellos from 8-8:30.  Then I drive home to finish my morning routine.  On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I don't have to leave until 7:30 to head down to Trautwein Elementary to teach nine beginning violinists and I am done by 8:30.  Monday and Wednesday afternoons, I leave at 3:00 to go to Hagemann Elementary to teach nine beginning violinists and two cellists and I get home by 4:30.  Finally, on Thursday afternoon, I leave at 3:00 again to teach an hour-long "advanced" strings class at Oakville to two students - one violin and one cello.  Advanced is used quite loosely here as the cellist can barely read the notes and the violinist can't tell when she is out of tune.  But, they are enthusiastic and I think they will make good progress this year.  And, to just add more to my load, I also agreed to teach a 45 minute beginning strings class once a week to a home school co-op on Tuesday afternoons.   I have two violins, one viola and one cello - a string quartet!  They are actually the closest school to my house so it is only a ten-minute commute.  Honestly, the other schools aren't a full thirty minute drive away but I have to travel on I-55 which is having construction so I never know how long I my drive will be each day.  If you have been counting, I am teaching a total of 42 students!  The first week is always the most difficult as I spent all my time introducing the kids to their instrument - how to unpack and hold it safely.  I had to tune them and put three finger tapes on each fingerboard (3 X 42 is a LOT of finger taping!)  Now that their instruments are all set up, we will actually get to play music next week!  I am considered a private contractor, I get paid by the student, I do not get a mileage stipend.  So, crunching numbers, I am not rolling in the dough and I am not sure I will continue past this year but, for now, this is my new life!  

And, added to an already crazy busy new schedule, I had a whole bunch of additional things I needed to do last week!  On Monday evening, Emily and Lucy had a chance to attend a book signing for Lucy's favorite author and Joe needed to take Noah to his choir rehearsal so Steve and I went to Ballwin to hang out with Quinn and Larkin until 9:00.  I used that time to give them a piano lesson.  When they weren't at the piano, they played games with grandpa - Larkin and Steve did Chinese checkers and Quinn and Steve played Qwirkle.   Here is Emily and Lucy at their event....

Tuesday afternoon, Steve and I finally tackled the two buckets of apples we had picked from our neighbor's tree a couple of weeks ago and we made 9 pints of applesauce!

Wednesday, being the first one of the month, meant it was Happy Hookers which is a two hour time commitment.  Thursday Steve and I got to go to the Silver Sneakers yoga class in the morning and then I headed off with Mary Bell to our friend Karen's house for lunch and to go through a pile of fabric that she was getting rid of.  Karen goes to Happy Hookers with us because she is a crocheter but she knows that Mary and I also sew blankets and other things for various charities and I came home with a tub of fabric for those projects.  I also had a neighborhood Beautification Committee meeting that night.  Happily, it was close by so I could ride my bike because, by then, I was sick of driving around in my car!  Friday I did some cemetery photos with a fellow genealogist, Stephanie, followed by private lessons the rest of the morning.  And, then, finally, I had some time of my own!  Steve and I got to watch Enola Holmes 2 that evening after a dinner of grilled hamburgers.  Saturday, until Stake Conference in the evening, was also my own time.  I have been working hard on the upcoming Civic Orchestra music.  And, I am doing the printed programs for the orchestra so I was able to move that ball along quite a bit.  I was able to organize all the fabric I brought home from Karen's.  I actually oil painted for a bit Saturday morning.  Temperatures in the mornings have been chilly but mid-day, they are lovely so I worked in the garden for a bit Saturday afternoon and I harvested eleven pie pumpkins.  There are still about five or six green ones still growing in the patch.  Aren't they pretty?  And don't you just love those miniature sock monkey Halloween decorations I got years ago at Cracker Barrell?

And so, I close my very busy week with a lovely, peaceful Sunday.