This Week it Begins

Bit by bit the new year has begun.  First the kids went back to school.  The next week my French classes began again.  This week theater camp and dance classes begin and then the following week rehearsals for the play begin.

I feel a bit like one of those circus acts with the plates spinning on high sticks.  The first plates for me are things like laundry, grocery shopping, dinner, driving the kids around and exercising.  Last week I added the language class plate (not a huge commitment other than the three hours of class a week - if there is homework it doesn't take much time.)  This week I'm adding alot of plates and quite a bit of time commitment.  Theater camp meets Monday, Wednesday and Thursday for two hours.  I'll be teaching three dance classes (all on Tuesday) for three and a half hours.

With these come not only the instruction time but also the preparation time.  I'm choreographing dances and directing the show (Schoolhouse Rock Jr. Live!) and co-teaching the dance classes which means figuring out what is to be taught and once again choreographing recital pieces.  It is fun and I definitely enjoy it.  I just find that the initial act of getting all these plates spinning takes a bit of energy.

If I can get them all up and spinning, I think I can maintain.  We'll see....

Vegan for a Month

Around the end of December Kyra decided that she wanted to follow a vegan diet for a significant period of time.  This has now been defined as the month of January to be repeated periodically through the year.

If you are not familiar with the term vegan - it not only means no meat but no animal products like dairy and eggs.  I have often referred to the diet we regular follow because of Allen's food allergies as vegan plus meat.

So if you know our family diet restrictions due to Allen's allergies and Kyle's sensitivities it looks like this:

• no milk, cream, sour cream, etc
• no cheese
• no butter and most margarine
• no eggs
• nothing with any of the above in them
• no nuts
• no beef
• no peas
• white flour based bread/pasta in moderation

And Kyra's vegan month has now knocked chicken, turkey, fish and pork off the list of available food as well.

Honestly, I don't mind the food - fruits, vegetables, grains.  It's healthy.  I have good cookbooks and because of Allen's allergies we are most of the way to veganism anyways.  The biggest annoyance to me is menu planning.  I'm not used to cooking exclusively vegan multiple days a week.  I've had to do some extra time with my cookbooks and extra time cooking recipes I don't know by heart.  By the end of January I should be in the routine and then Kyra will want meat again.

I'm Back - maybe

Yes it has been a while.  I’ll give this a try and see if I can maintain regular posting until we head back to the US.  So to make up for lost time here’s what has been going on since I last posted (briefly) –

• Allen had surgery for an infected abscess in October.  Since then he has had daily bandage changes and yes they are still on-going.
• I began teaching dance classes and was the assistant director for an after-school drama camp production of Sleeping Beauty.
• Kyra played the fairy Merriweather in Sleeping Beauty.
• Kyle and Kyra had a mini vacation to Paris at the beginning of November (Allen had to stay home for bandage changes and I stayed with him. 
• Making arrangements for Allen’s school work and in home tutoring (due to extended school absence) was quite time consuming.
• My French speaking is now improving exponentially and most of the time I am thinking in French rather than translating English thoughts to French.
• I was understudy for Martha Jefferson and Abigail Adams in a production of 1776.  I played Martha once.  Lots of fun but lots of work.
• Allen went skiing with youth group over Christmas break.  Poor Allen had to ski in the Austrian Alps.
• Kyle, Kyra and I went to the South of France and enjoyed sunshine and the sights of Nice, Cannes, Grasse, Eze and Mougin. 
• I have learned to cope with the short days and grey skies.  It helps that this year I had other things to focus on.  I was healthier and it rained less. 
• I’m way behind on scrapbooking.
• I learned I won the Army’s Festival of Arts award for second place actress in a musical for my role as Laurey in Oklahoma!

This isn’t everything, but a gist.  What’s going on now? 

Kyra is eating a vegan diet for the month of January, which means I am meal planning and cooking without meat or animal products.

I just auditioned for Six Characters in Search of an Author.

Next week I begin teaching three dance classes (I have a partner instructor – Leslee who is fabulous) and will take on more directing responsibilities for theater camp's production of Schoolhouse Rock Live.