Finally Getting to be a Band Mom

Caleb and Ivy playing soldiers

Oh, today started out so rough I ended up in tears.  We finally got a large van fixed.  I'm so happy about it.  It cost $1,000 in repairs and although I choked on that (tomorrow another $500), I'm grateful to have it back.  On Sunday we went to go pick it up after church but we forgot that they only took cash at the mechanics shop.  Could we even pull out that much money from an ATM?  I was pretty sure we couldn't.  After pulling out some of it, our account locked up and I couldn't even use my card to buy a bottle of water. After several hours we finally called the fraud department and had the limit lifted temporarily.  Good grief.  I know they do that for a good reason but it stinks when you can't get your own money out when you need it.  

Monday morning I was excited to finally get to drive it again and take the kids to school.  As I back out of my garage I notice something wrong.   A tire was flat!  I had to transfer all the kids and the car seats to our smaller van and try to get them to the school they go to on Mondays.  Now they were gonna be late and missing their favorite class which is the chess class.  Finally we get going and the van is heating up.  Argh!  I didn't want to stop but I didn't want to kill the van.  My husband calls and says work is slow and he's coming home.  At least then we could get a tire and we did after we dropped the kids off.  Before saying goodbye to the kids I promised them that I'd rent their bells kit that they needed for band.  I also told them I would get it before they had band at the end of the day.  Well, that didn't work out because it took so long running errands and getting things fixed.  We finally get all three boys their bells kit just in time for band to let out and go home.  No problem.  I can read music since I played in band for several years in school. You know what hurt though?  How much it costs to rent three separate bell kits.  OUCH!  Oh, for the love of your kids.  In three months the band teacher will start letting them learn on snares and I can return the bell kits.

Since it was a rough day Charles took us out to have fun.  It was much needed but the boys were excited to get home and practice on their instruments.  They immediately set up their bells and we got working on the notes and what they mean.  Quarter notes, half notes, whole notes and rests.  All three understood it quickly and after only one hour they could play a whole page of music in their books and kept time really well. Wow!  That makes a band mom proud.  Charles and I both grew up in band so this is our passion.  I really want the kids to learn an instrument that they can use later in life.  I learned flute and although it was a beautiful instrument, I wasn't able to use it for ministry since bands don't exactly call for flutes very often.  Heh heh....When I was younger and playing flute, I did expand my horizons and eventually learn the alto sax, tenor sax and added piccolo.  It was a lot of fun.

Ivy took this picture of her view from the couch

Finally I am home and although the house looks like a tornado ripped through it, I'm tired and ready to have a meeting with my pillow.  Sigh... :D

P.S.  Diane, thank you so much for following my blog. My dad let me know and I'm so happy you are doing well.  Love you!