Taking shape

Hubby: he will hate being with other 8 year olds. Reminding him of his size relative to kids his age.

Me: no he won't, they will be his size and level. It's perfect.

Hubby: will the class be described as for 8 year olds?

Me: junior start (10 and under)

Me: hubby, he cannot be in a class with 11 year olds, he will drown.

Hubby: is the "10 and under" part of the label of the class, or just "junior start"

Me: junior start (in parenthesis, 10 and under)

Me: if it comes up, I will let him know that Jake is in junior training with 10-12 year olds. I'll let the instructor know how sensitive Belac is, but Belac is going to have to just get over it. Only way to avoid this issue is private lessons, but that is unaffordable and much better for him to be with kids.

The boys' schedules are shaping up:

Belac will hopefully have French Monday or Tuesday. He is taking an extra English class instead of Foreign Language at school, and this decision was very painful for him. French outside of school was our compromise. Wednesday he will have the tennis he wants. Thursday, Hebrew School. Friday, movie making. Sunday, Hebrew school. Piano and daily reading aloud with me.

Jake has cross country practice, Monday-Friday. Science after school enrichment on Thursday. Tennis on Friday. Table tennis on Saturday mornings, with optional Monday and Wednesday league when he doesn't have much homework. I love that he will walk there himself. And tennis tournmaments on Sundays. What a difference no more Hebrew school makes. And I appreciate that his extra-curriculars are physical activities he loves. He's not a distinguished athlete by any means, but he enjoys the running and the racquet sports, all of which have dramatic positive impact on his physical and emotional well-being. I would also like him to volunteer or work someplace, and we will figure that piece out once his workload becomes more clear.

Today, a service came to scrub down the house and what do you know? The team of 3 took a little over 1 hour to scrub and wipe everything down. Once upon a time, they came every other week and stayed over 2-3 hours. Now they hadn't been by in months! But during this time, the house was majorly emptied out and both boys learned to clean the bathroom, do laundry and dishes, and just basically tidy up everyday. It makes me realize we don't need this service and can let them go. Dot told me the other night, you know what you need? Art on your walls! I know other people's inclination is to fill empty spaces up, but all that extra stuff makes me feel burdened and claustrophobic. I appreciate a simplified way of life, and I know my family prefers the informal and easy, too. Only what is useful and beautiful, that's my motto.