(334/365d)

What a Monday. There were online music lessons and all together, including school, Theodore had 5 or 6 hours of video conferencing

Brian ran the kids to organ lessons and while waiting for them to be done finished reading the Bulgakov book we are reading together, so now I can finally finish it. 

Now both Theodore and Henry have started using our very old puch bicycles for the primary bike. It just is easier in the city. It's cute to see them heading out on Mama's old red Sprint and another old Clubman.

Papa's audio advent calendar today was Jenö Lisztes & the Roby Lakatos ensemble playing the flight of the bumblebee. Felix danced like crazy to it, with his own unique version of tap-stamp-dancing.

capturable only by video, he was moving so fast.
and what are the others doing?
setting up centa's advent calendar

First Sunday in Advent (333/365d)

I expended quite a bit of energy to overcome the status quo of staying inside on such a gorgeous day. Finally I was successful! We were out on the Mur, for a short time only, but better than nothing. I gathered branches for the advent wreath, and then made it before I had to leave for quintet rehearsal - where we spent several hours doing more filming for corporate christmas parties that have been moved online. We have one customer so far, lets see if we get even a single one more.

one candle, because we haven't made more yet!

Theodore had homework to do because he hadn't done it last week, and that wasn't my favorite thing because of course I wanted a quiet Sunday with no deadlines. That's ok. Felix and Henry and Centa and Edward played a complicated game of four player pinochle while Theodore did online work. ewww.

And then we sang songs around the wreath and let us say, for posterity, there were no tantrums at bedtime.

in the middle of nowhere but still in the city. (332/365d)

We went to find the swing again - the one we couldn't find on our own. A school friend of Henry's showed us, and we had great fun biking, then hiking, then swinging (and finding mushrooms and playing games and hiding in the woods)... All fun until Felix hit Theodore in the face with a willow twig (ouch!) and got so cold he went home early. We were cold when we got home too! First minor snow dusting, and it was so pretty in the woods. When we went last time we weren't even very far from the swing, we just missed it.

new bike for Theodore: only 3 or 4 times older than he is

swing in the woods in the snow

We had made a list of things we wanted to do as a family today, we did some of the things, but not all of them, but we ended the day as promised by finishing watching Ruddigore. 

friday that feels like saturday (331/365d)

The phone rang today at 10:05 - are you still coming? ..... Aaah, I forgot I wanted to go for a walk with Brigitta! Because of Thanksgiving, I had completely forgotton that today wasn't the weekend, in fact just a plain ordinary Friday with homework and everything else. We had a lovely walk and chat anyways, in perfect weather - we even went up and down jakobsleiter!

The video from my quintet of piazzolla's oblivion finally was finished and posted. I was so proud to see it for the first time all the way through - I must have watched it 10 times today with various people.

I wasn't the only one though, who offered cultural input....

Centa had ordered Gilbert and Sullivan's Ruddigore at some point, and had started getting the children excited about seeing it (a musically delightful production, by the way, with some very very strange visual effects) already on our previous hike up the plabutsch by telling them the story all cutesy. We watched half of it today, and saved the rest for tomorrow.

Edward gave Theodore a book that he remembered particularly fondly from his childhood, "castle in the attic" and for fun we decided to all read it aloud as our next family project. 

I have so many projects hanging over my head, and they are making me a bit anxious. I don't like the feeling. Brian is helping me with one of them, creating a website, and we started today, but the more I work on it, or think about it, the more overwhelmed I feel. 

Locked-down Thanksgiving (330/365d)

Lots of Thanksgiving stuff this morning, but also other things - music theory class online, and zoom schooling.... Here it's not a holiday after all, so we can make it as we like.

Pajama boys mushroom chopping

All dressed up for Fancy Thanksgiving, complete with name cards

We did the traditional round where everyone had to say one thing to be thankful for

Felix couldn't decide, but after being bribed by pie he came up with something
...with some secret help in the form of whisperings from Onkel Ludwig

the thanksgiving table

we forgot to contra dance, but we didn't forget to play jingle bells with actual bells (centa and the two and a half kids - felix got nervous and gave up) and we didn't forget to pass the whipped cream.

thanksgiving preparations (329/365d)

Kids did double homework. And Pickwick society. Sometime halfway through the day we started cooking for tomorrow, baking pies ... And didn't stop till nearly midnight when I was totally beat.

We baked really so many things. Actually, we didn't just bake, we prepared *everything* for thanksgiving, including making fresh bread for stuffing and more fresh bed for dinner rolls, and cranberry sauce and so much more - I don't think we've ever been more prepared for Thanksgiving, and tomorrow we are just going to 8 people (us 7 and Nina)

full of emptiness (328/365d)

I ask myself....... what actually happened today?

We did lots of stuff, but the day stretched out long and felt empty.

Niko visited and we talked about books while the kids did homework - we didn't borrow any new books from each other, but he still has one of mine at home, so he will have to come back one day. :)

We went roller blading with Maria and her kid until it got dark and then I took Felix to the dentist for a late-afternoon appointment that felt like it was the middle of the night. Called Amanda in Texas when we got home and she told us the story of Rindercella and the Cince.