PIcking Up the Threads

Blondechick16 made it home in one piece from camp, and her initial summary of how her week went was, "I survived." It sounds like she learned a few things from the experience, like how to co-exist with bugs and creepy crawlies; she was one of the few who never saw a tick on their persons, and she claims to be an expert now on finding and identifying them, since they spent so much time doing this for each other! She also discovered that one of her teachers is a great guy after all, and she learned how to work cooperatively with a group of kids that didn't really have much in common--her homeroom class, or "crew," which really hadn't gelled much all year. This experience changed that, as she wrote about in a paper when she got back.

School's out for her now, and Bantam18 is taking two more finals today and then he's done at noon!

Bantam14 had a relatively good experience on the Greyhound bus, and he's been having a blast ever since. He's helped with electrical wiring; he's driven a tractor, a lawn tractor and a car; he's gone miniature golfing with kids from Grandma and Grandpa's church; he shot a groundhog, went running, went for a walk and has seen deer multiple times. He's exercised at the Y with Grandpa, and visited his great-grandma at the nursing home. His great-aunt and uncle from California are there now too, so he's getting to know them and learning electrical tricks and tips from his great-uncle, a pro and a character, if there ever was one!

I've been working on things for the youth theater group that we are starting here in Kenosha, and we've had a setback. At a school board meeting on Tuesday night, six months of conversations with the high school we have been planning to use for our theater productions went down the drain, when we were told that not only was our request for a fee waiver or discount being denied, but our approved permit for use was now cancelled!

I was pretty discouraged on Wednesday, especially since I couldn't get anyone to return phone calls from any other venues I tried to reach. In the afternoon I spoke with someone from a school district office who was designated to hear my appeal, and after she went over their reasons for dismissing our permit, I addressed those concerns as well as I could and requested that we at least be allowed to hold one production there. She reiterated the reasons why their concerns would still apply and talked about pulling the file to check the facts again before she got back to me. When I hung up, it was with very little hope of anything coming from our conversation, and certainly not anytime soon.

You can imagine then, how shocked I was when she called back on Thursday morning to say that they had decided that since we had been led to believe for quite a few months that we had a venue, they would go ahead and allow us to hold our first show there, in November! I was stunned.

I had such a sense of the verse in Exodus where the Egyptians say, "Their God is fighting for them!" I had worked so hard, with human effort, on this problem all day Wednesday, and was so frustrated when no one would return my phone calls. A day of worry and frustration, and nothing to show for it...and I sensed the Holy Spirit nudging me to drop it and leave it up to God. But I was still so discouraged and stressed, until Father Rooster prayed for me, for God to send warrior angels to fight this battle for me, and I knew that was right, though it was difficult to let go. Then I got this phone call a couple hours later--and I knew that God was fighting for us. It seemed so wildly improbable otherwise!

Thank you, School Board. We are deeply appreciative.

Thank you, God! You are so great and so trustworthy!

The Mayor Welcomes You

...to come see The Wizard of Oz! Opening Night is tonight; there are two shows tomorrow and one on Sunday afternoon. Enjoy the photos while we put on the show!

As Mayor of the Munchkin City
In the county of the Land of Oz
I welcome you most regally...

Barrister: But we've got to verify it legally

To see

Mayor: To see
Barrister: If she
Mayor: If she
Barrister: Is morally, ethically
City Father: Spiritually, physically
Mayor: Positively, absolutely

All: undeniably and reliably DEAD.

Coroner: As Coroner, I must aver

I thoroughly examined her
And she's not only merely dead,
She's really most sin-cere-ly dead.

Mayor: Friends, this is a day of independence
For all the Munchkins and their descendants!
Let the joyous news be spread
The Wicked Old Witch at last is DEAD!

We represent the Lollipop Guild...

(I can't believe Bantam13--now 5'8"--
fit into that orange and teal costume
on the left just a few short years ago!)

Mayor: From now on you'll be hist-ory
Barrister: You'll be hist-
Coroner: You'll be hist-
Mayor: You'll be hist-ory
All Munchkins: And we will glor-i-fy your name!
Mayor: You will be a bust
Barrister: Be a bust
Coroner: Be a bust
All Munchkins: In the hall of fame!
Tra la la la la, la la la, la la la...

Meeting Tonight

Tonight is the meeting for all parents interested in getting involved with the new theater group we are helping to start in Kenosha...

...and if everyone who says they're coming, comes, we'll have at least 40 adults and 65 kids there tonight!

I send out an email invitation, encouraging folks to forward it along to their friends and their churches, and then later on, I started a reminder email going. It has been amazing to get all these emailed RSVP's or phone calls from so many people I don't even know!

I am so grateful to God!!

There will be staff coming to run the meeting and explain the program, as well as instructors who will take all the kids, loosen 'em up, and teach them a dance routine to a song from a musical. At the end of the meeting, the kids will come back in and perform for the parents.

Thanks for all your prayers!!

Light Blogging Means Heavy Duties

Heavy, but good!

Mostly I have been working on two things: planning our Easter Vigil, and preparing for the theater group's informational meeting next week!

You may recall that the church that we thought was going to host our theater classes and rehearsals next fall changed its mind. Now, we still have plenty of time to find an alternate location (or locations, would be more likely), but it sure would be nice to be able to tell folks, at next Thursday's meeting, where these weekly events will be held--and it's even possible that the "when" might change, now, depending on our host church.

Moms need to know when and where, because a lot of us have to make decisions now, for next fall!

So I've been making phone calls, writing emails and visiting churches. I doubt we're going to get a definitive answer from anyone by Thursday, but it's as good a reason as any to put the time in now rather than later. Today I met several interested and accomodating folks, and on Monday, I hope to catch a few others. We'll see what comes of it all....

I've also arranged a couple of readings for the Vigil, lined up most of our readers, I think (for that service, at least), and found someone to add a creative touch that I was hoping for to one of the readings.

Somehow, I'm still keeping up with laundry, meals and homeschooling, too, by God's grace, and with my family's help. Tonight, while I'm taking the Mayor of Munchkinland to his rehearsal (and writing emails and this post at Panera), Bantam18 made Mexican Macaroni for the rest of the family!

And now, it's nearly time to go pick up the Mayor...

Guilty

Well, it turns out the reason he was cut had nothing to do with his performance, and everything to do with...ME!

Yup, I screwed up big-time in not communicating clearly enough about a conflict we had listed on the audition form. I thought I understood one thing, and really, something else was meant. A tough lesson to learn!

I was so consumed with guilt and "if onlys" playing through my head that I could barely think of anything else, for a few days there. The only prayer I could pray, in the sleepless night hours, was "Lord, have mercy." (Talk about a Lenten experience: If there had been sackcloth and ashes to hand, I'd have donned them, in quantity.)

And He has! He's shown me great mercy. In the ensuing days, Bantam13 has thought of a number of silver linings to the situation, and though he was initially hurt and disappointed, he's come around to feeling just fine about it. He never blamed me, but it's so much easier for me to stop beating myself up about it, now that he's decided it may actually be a good thing. And hey, he'll get to attend his team's robotics competition after all!

I'm so aware that it could have been worse. I'm grateful that this happened with a show that none of us really like much. (That's not sour grapes, either; I'm on record here! ) There wasn't a dream role in it that B13 was hoping for. It's not like Blondechick16 and Bantam10 were both cast and he's the only one who wasn't. As it is, with just one child in the show, and the Munchkins in only one scene--my favorite one, for the record--we probably won't even have to attend as many rehearsals as usual, and that will be helpful, considering the extra responsibilities I'm carrying right now.

I can think all these comforting thoughts today, but yesterday I was still trapped in guilt and the loss of all that we had planned on and hoped for. Because I wasn't feeling up to much else, I started a new book, and there in the introduction was quoted this prayer by Brennan Manning:

May all your expectations be frustrated;
may all your plans be thwarted;
may all your desires be withered into nothingness....
that you may experience the powerlessness
and poverty of a child;
and sing and dance in the poverty of God;
Who is the Father, Son and Spirit. Amen.

Even when we think we know what we are doing...life is not in our control. And that is something to be celebrated!

It's been a good reminder.

Auditions...on Video!

On Friday night, the middle Bantams auditioned for The Wizard of Oz.; this morning Bantam10 was called back as a potential "Featured Munchkin." (He sure would like to be the Mayor of Munchkinland!)

And tonight, thanks to Papa Rooster's willingness to spend the time uploading and editing them, I am pleased to present, for your viewing pleasure, their one-minute auditions! Those are all the directors, seated at the table, and behind them are other auditioners and their families, whom you will hear but won't see.

Bantam13 went first, with "What's This? from The Nightmare Before Christmas.



But the real crowd-pleaser was Bantam10's rendition of the theme song from The Muppet Show! In fact, as you'll see, the crowd noise was so loud that one point he couldn't hear his music!



Wasn't that fun??!!

And now, we wait...for the cast list to go up...in the morning...sometime...!


UPDATED: It's up! Late on Saturday night!

And Bantam10 is the Mayor of Munchkinland!!!

But Bantam13's name does not appear on the list.

We hope this is a mistake. How very, very disconcerting.

And it may be awhile before we'll find out anything.

In need of your prayers, friends....

Anticipating

It's so true that sometimes anticipation is as great as the fulfillment!

I have been occupied lately with administrative details, both for the new theater group and in the planning of our first Holy Week at Light of Christ, and I am so excited about both!

I am the coordinator for the Easter Vigil, the long Saturday night service which calls for much creativity and celebration. I've been having a blast thinking through, with others and to myself (it filled my dreams last night!), all the possibilities for the readings, in particular--and it's so exciting to settle on some and imagine how it all will work!

For the theater group, I know a secret. I know what our first show next fall PROBABLY will be. And I'm so excited about it!

I am also working hard on getting the word out about both. We're still early in the process of advertising our Holy Week services, but the word is spreading about the March 26 informational meeting for the theater group. It sounds like it is going to be well-attended!

And somehow, homeschooling continues amidst the exciting busy-ness. Thank you, Lord!

***

I've been keeping up with the Daily Office, but I'm having trouble finding a verse to meditate on. The Deuteronomy and Hebrew readings are all about those who are filled with unbelief--lots of warnings there.

The one verse that struck me was Jesus' response to Nicodemus, after he tried to explain about being born again and about the wind blowing where it wills: "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?"

I think of earthly things like the water of baptism, the bread and wine of communion, oil for healing, hands clapping or raised in worship. Don't these earthly elements precede belief and participation in heavenly things? Is it even possible to reverse the order? We often try, but Christ, here, says no.

Suddenly, Things Have Been Very Busy!

Last Friday night, the kids and I went back to see a musical at Wheaton Academy that so many friends and acquaintances where in. It was Into The Woods, and they did a wonderful job! It had been 15 years or so since I'd last seen the show, and it was amazing how differently it hit me at this stage of life. I never really "got" the darker Act Two, last time, but as a parent now launching teenagers, it was most poignant! I realized how much the show is about the pain of growing up, even at my age.

Then on Saturday, I met with a family who is considering homeschooling...went to the grocery and made food for guests on Sunday while the kids cleaned up the kids...enjoyed our guests for a relaxing Sunday afternoon...then Papa Rooster and I had a great visit with our friend who had surgery, and her husband, on Sunday night.

On Monday, the older kids had a day off of school, so I took Blondechick16 to our two favorite resale shops to freshen up her wardrobe...then back home to drop her off and pick up boys for dental check-ups...then driver education classes and piano lessons.

And now it's Tuesday and we're headed back to the dentist, since Bantam13 needs sealants, preferably before he gets braces put on next week. As long as I had to go, I asked for appointments for the three youngest as well--and then everybody's 6 month cleanings will be done except for Blondechick's. (One of the only things that really bugs me about having a large family is getting everybody in to the dentist! Not counting Papa Rooster, that's 14 appointments a year to schedule and sit through!)

Then this afternoon, a new session of theater classes begins. This time just the two middle boys are taking them. B13 is going to try out a film-making class, a new offering by the California director who's here to direct this session's production, The Wizard of Oz. (Auditions Friday!) And B10 didn't blink when I asked him what class he wanted to be in--he wants to take a dance class again, and this time he wants his OWN tap shoes!

(Remember the kid who couldn't stop doing somersaults? Same one! As his dance teacher said, "Some kids just want to stand there, but he really likes to move!")

There have been so many good readings in the Daily Office, but time is short, so I will excerpt one that needs little comment. This should be a warning to our own nation, as it was to Israel! But during Lent, especially, we need to search our hearts as individuals for ways that we fall into this thinking, maybe not about wealth, but about accomplishment:

Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." ...If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed...for not obeying the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 8:11-20)

Scenes from The Matchmaker

Mr. V.: "There will be two ladies and myself."
Malachi: "It's a bad combination, Mr. Vandergelder. You'll regret it."

"No one asks advice of a cabman, Mr. Vandergelder! They see so much of life, they have no ideas left."

Irene Malloy (on chair): I won't eat behind a screen...We're not caged animals in a menagerie... No screen! No screen!
Malachi: There comes my employer now, getting out of that cab.
Barnaby: Cornelius, it's Wolf-Trap. Yes, it is!
Cornelius [not wishing to be seen by Mr. Vandergelder, aka "Wolf Trap"]: Listen, everybody. I think the screen's a good idea...We could do with three or four.

If you ladies will excuse me, I'd like to speak to this gentleman for a minute. ...Boy, have you lost something?"

"There are two people here that Mr. Vandergelder said must be brought to this house and kept here until he comes."

"I think the youngest person here ought to tell us what the moral of the play is."

Wisdom or Foolishness?

...There are some people who say you should have no weakness at all--no vices. But if a man has no vices, he's in great danger of making virtues out of his vices, and there's a spectacle. We've all seen them: men who were monsters of philanthropy and women who were dragons of purity. We've seen people who told the truth, though the Heavens fell,--and the Heavens fell. No, no, nurse one vice in your bosom. Give it the attention it deserves and let your virtues spring up modestly around it. Then you'll have the miser who's no liar, and the drunkard who's the benefactor of a whole city.

Well, after I'd had that weakness of stealing for awhile, I found another: I took to whiskey--whiskey took to me. And then I discovered an important rule that I'm going to pass on to you: Never support two weaknesses at the same time. It's your combination sinners--your lecherous liars and your miserly drunkards--who dishonor the vices and bring them into bad repute. So now you see why I want to get rid of this money: I want to keep my mind free to give to whiskey the credit it deserves. And my last word to you, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, is this: one vice at a time.

~from Malachi Stack's soliloquy in Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker


...Which will be performed by Bantam13's Advanced Drama class, tonight!

I'm pretty sure that with just a few prompts, I could get through the whole soliloquy myself--we've worked so hard on his lines. I am proud to say that he has them all down cold! We are looking forward to enjoying the play tonight.

Here are a couple more of my favorite exchanges. Malachi Stack, newly employed by Horace Vandergelder, is accompanying him to a restaurant.

Vandergelder (to Waiter): There'll be two ladies and myself.
Malachi: It's a bad combination, Mr. Vandergelder. You'll regret it.
Vandergelder: And I want a chicken.
Malachi: A chicken! You'll regret it.

Later...
Cabman: Who's your friend?
Malachi: That's not a friend. That's an employer I'm trying out for a few days.

What a fun part, eh?

Professional Schoolhouse Rock Photos Online

A professional photographer came to one of our performances and took some great shots of our show!!!

Don't miss the fabulous ones of Bantam13 and his partner doing the various difficult lifts and tricks during the swing dance number!! Their close-ups are in the middle row on page 10 and with the rest of the couples on page 11. (He even caught Bantam13 smiling!)

Blondechick16 and the other Lolly Girls are in the middle of page 16, and she's also front and center in the second row of page 13. Bantam9, as Young Alexander Graham Bell is in the yellow shirt carrying the phone in the first photo on page 18.

I wish he'd caught B9 in his sombrero during "The Great American Melting Pot" because he was adorable in his droopy Mexican handlebar moustache which I drew on, but you can admire my Frenchman's curlicue moustache--and the cutest little international costumes in a scene everybody loved--in the first photos in the 3rd row of page 8.

When Reginald was home with the flu
Uh-huh-uh
The doctor knew just what to do-oo
He cured the infection
With one small injection
While Reginald uttered some interjections:

Hey! That smarts!
Ouch! That hurts!
Yow! That's not fair,
Giving a guy a shot down there!

Found myself humming in the grocery store today, so just thought I would share with you all...

Gratitude

I am not always good at figuring out what is going on within my own heart and mind. That's one reason I blog! When I write, I discover what I am thinking and feeling.

Since Schoolhouse Rock ended, I've been feeling kind of empty. What do I focus on, now that it's over? Going back to laundry and homeschooling seems so mundane! I couldn't even think of anything to blog about.

But as I mulled over possibilities, I began to tease out an emotion that was there, somewhere, very deep...and then, in the middle of a conversation with Bantam13, I identified it! It was JOY.

In the car, he said to me, "I feel sad that Schoolhouse Rock is over. It wasn't till the last two performances that I began to really enjoy myself. Swing dancing is fun! I wish I could do it again."

That's when the emotion leaped out and grabbed me by the brain. "I'm so happy!" I realized. "I am so deeply grateful at how God answered all my prayers for this show to be a positive and healing experience for my kids. I am absolutely joyful!!"

You see, pulling our kids out of the DuPage chapter of our youth theater group was the most painful thing about moving here, and they were ambivalent about doing a show with the Lake County group, knowing that we'd also have to leave it, if the Kenosha chapter became a reality. We encouraged them though, because we saw the huge gap that it had left in their lives. Without a Christian peer group to uphold certain standards of behavior, our teens were experimenting with things like swearing, dirty jokes, innuendo, and watching movies (at a neighbor's house) that Mom and Dad wouldn't have approved. And their hearts were following their behaviors.

So we had strongly encouraged them toward theater, but at first, it wasn't a smooth transition. As new kids, they found it hard to break into established friendship circles, but as time went by--thank you, Lord!--they were accepted and included. And by the end of Schoolhouse Rock, Blondechick16 was saying to me, "Mom, I really see the difference, now, between my school friends and my theater friends." She went on to describe not only behaviors but character traits that were clearly on opposite ends of the spectrum. Her own resolve was to strip off some bad ones she had put on to fit in with her school friends, and be more like her theater friends--and her old self. Great joy for a mother's heart, there!

And to hear Bantam13 say he was sad that SHR was over gave me goosebumps. Over and over, I'd heard him state angrily, "I can't wait for this show to be over!"--back when he was struggling so much with learning the flips and other tricks in his swing dancing number. "I never wanted to be in this--you guys forced me!" he'd accuse.

But we had heard God right on that! Yes, we had pushed him to audition. We just knew it was something he needed to do...and God was so good to challenge him so much, with a really great part, and then grant him so much success as a result of his efforts! And enjoyment--what a plus!

"I am so proud of you," I told him once, in between performances. "I'm proud of myself," he admitted.

I just couldn't have engineered circumstances that would have taught him so much!

Bantam9 had a blast too, doing the show and hanging out with his new buddy Max. They've been inseparable! And I enjoyed doing makeup again--a great way to get to know the kids--and pure creative fun for me.

Another thing I feel great joy about is the buzz that is building about the new chapter, the Kenosha County group we are starting. Some of the Lake County kids are interested, two Lake County families told us they have interested cousins in Kenosha, people have offered to help, and suddenly, even though it means saying goodbye again, our kids are excited about the new chapter. They have been a little ambivalent, because it's been hard to imagine something that is currently nonexistent. But now, with other kids talking about it, their imaginations have been sparked and they are finally really excited about being part of it! And I'm really excited too, despite all the work I know it will be if it becomes my actual job. But the more I learn about it, as I have during SHR, the more confirmation I feel that it would be a good fit for me.

As I began to unpack all this joy, I was shocked to think that I might have just turned right from the final show and on to the next demands for my attention--homeschooling, laundry, upcoming birthdays--without even thanking God! In fact, that was what I had been doing, before I suddenly realized what an occasion for immense gratitude this was.

How often does God answer our prayers in magnificent ways...and we accept them as only a matter of course? Moving right on to the next thing on our to-do list, worrying anxiously about the next set of cares, coming to Him with our next pressing need? Without even a prayer of thanks and praise for all that He has done, for the ways that He has moved on our behalf?

As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”

The Curtain's Closed...

...on a really fun chapter of our lives!

We are tired--and both glad and sad that Schoolhouse Rock is over.

It's been such a great experience, and we've met so many neat people in this group--it's hard to say goodbye to them all! Our kids have been saying that they don't want to do the next show, The Wizard of Oz, because we've been in it before and it's just not a favorite, plus some of the new friends they've made are not auditioning. So we're telling everyone that yes, this is our first--and probably last--show with Lake County!

We've been talking up the Kenosha County chapter that we're starting next fall, though. Some families who are halfway in between, or for whom it would actually be closer--especially if their kids made a good connection with our kids--are thinking seriously about joining us, which is really exciting. Others are telling us about friends who would be interested who live in our area. And our summer camp week was listed in the playbill along with all the other counties' summer camps--which was exciting to me, to see it there in print.

Today Blondechick16 had to go back to school, which was a first for her--this is the first show she's done that she hasn't been homeschooled. She feels that God was very good to her, though--the show fell during a "winterim" break in the regular class schedule, so she missed two days of a 6-day photography class, and the teacher said she didn't have to make up any of the work!

The Bantams are having a reading day while I regroup and catch up on laundry, life and the little kids. They came and saw the show twice, and Chicklet6 got to be an usher both times, along with Bantam18, so they felt a part of things too.

It will be great when it's closer to home and easier for us all to be involved!

Oh, and there were no drops or falls in the swing dancing number in either of the final two performances! Bantam13 got a big hug from his partner after the lights blacked out on their scene for the final time. He had really earned it!

Eight Down...

...Two to go!

And so far no boy swing dancer has dropped his partner during a performance!

Bantam13's shoulder is killin' him, from flipping his partner 4-6 times a day...

Blondechick16 has a raw patch on her cheek from peeling microphone tape off after every show...

Bantam9's face is sore from "beard surgery," as he calls it when I remove his gaucho moustache; I draw it on his face with a black pencil and remove it with a baby wipe...

And we are all exhausted.

Exhausted, but happy. We are having a great time!

Bantam13 Learns a Dance, Part Two

This show has really been a stretch for Bantam13--as you may recall from this post. He's always been cast as one of the younger kids until this show, for one thing--but after his amazing growth spurt of the past year, he's a little kid no longer. And he's never had to learn anything as physically challenging as the swing dancing lifts and tricks! He says it's the hardest show he's ever done, but he knows the challenge is something he'll always look back on as a landmark event: "Like hiking the Grand Canyon with Dad just before I turned thirteen."

Yep--it's been that significant.

So here he is with his partner in a few light-hearted moments in their big number, the grand finale of the first act, "Gravity":

(Please ignore the ghost in the background. This was a dress rehearsal and they didn't quite have the lighting down!)


And here's the trick that he could never quite manage with his partner, so he gets a lighter girl just for this one, the "star":


(The couple in the back are an unsuccessful step behind, so you get an idea of what it takes to get her up that far!)

Then there's the square-dancing number, "Elbow Room."

(Tuck in your shirt, Bantam13! He does now.)

Finally, this shot is a little dark, but he's wearing a cape for this number, "My Hero Zero." Doesn't he look heroic?

Though all our kids have learned so much and had a great time doing this show, Bantam13 is the family hero!

***

At Wednesday night's dress rehearsal, B13 dropped his partner--twice. Once was bad enough, but twice--ouch. In more ways than one. She was not happy with him.

The next morning, on the way to the first school day performance, he asked if I could pray for him. We do that, out loud, in the car, on the way to auditions and shows and other times when the tension is high. Later on, after a flawless performance, he told me he knew that prayer had made a big difference. "Some random mom came up to me and told me that last night, she had trouble sleeping, and every time she woke up, she was praying for me. Can you believe that?" he asked me.

I met the "random mom" later on; when we were telling each other who our kids were, she said, "Oh, I was praying for your son! I didn't even know his name, but I felt so bad for him at the dress rehearsal."

How cool is that? Thank you, Lord!!

(And after the third show today--with no flubs in their performance--his partner was so happy, she hugged him!)

It's Show Time!!

Tomorrow we'll have two performances in the morning for school groups, a little break in the middle, and then our first public performance in the evening--we are all so psyched! It's going to be a fabulous show.

Blondechick16 has had such a fun time with this show, making new friends in this new chapter of our theater group. (By the way, this is NOT the new group I was talking about starting in Kenosha; this is an existing group in the northeastern-most county in Illinois. It's the closest existing group to us right now.)

Here she is onstage with some of them!

It's hard to tell which number this was--I'm guessing the opening number, "Verb."

This next one is obviously (from the railroad crossing sign in back), "Conjunction Junction."

And this next one could be from "Mother Necessity," "The Preamble," "Interjections," or maybe it's the all-girl number, "Sufferin' Till Sufferage."

One thing is certain; it's not "Interplanet Janet," because that scene is done in black light! In it, all you can see of her is a star and a streamer. And it's not "Elbow Room," because she wears a plaid shirt and a cowboy hat in it. We must not have any good pics from that one.

But we have several from her big scene:

Who are these cuties? Why, they're the Lolly Girls!!

You know:

Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, get your adverbs here.
Quickly, quickly, quickly, get those adverbs here.
Slowly, surely, really learn your adverbs here.
You're going need 'em if you read 'em,
If you write or talk or think about 'em ... Lolly! (Lolly, Lolly, Lolly)

They sing in close three-part harmony, and they sound great!

We're doing pincurls with their bangs now, for this 40's-flavored scene, but didn't get it done at this dress rehearsal. We learned we need to do their hair during the scene before the scene before this one, because they have about 90 seconds to get out of their "Sufferin' " polos and khakis and into these outfits.

Nothing like a quick change to add a little more stress to your big scene! I've started meeting Blondechick in the wings to have the top ready to slip on as soon she whips off the polo, and hold the skirt open and fasten the back for her while she slips on her pumps. (In another quick change, she wears her black clothes for "Interplanet Janet" over a red dress, cami and leggings, sweats all through that song, and then peels off the outer black layer so she can get onstage in red for "Interjections!")

The whole show is kinda like that, honestly--lots of breathless moments backstage for the kids, changing costumes or stopping by for specialty makeup, with hardly any time between musical numbers. It sure is fun--and it sure goes quickly!

It's Crazy Week!

While I've been backstage learning special makeup and quick changes, Papa Rooster made it to one of the dress rehearsals to get pictures!

So in this post, we're featuring...Bantam9!


That's him, at the end of "Unpack Your Adjectives." You know the song:

We hiked along without care.
Then we ran into a bear.
He was a hairy bear,
He was a scary bear,
We beat a hasty retreat from his lair.
And described him with adjectives...

Whoah! Boy! That was one big, ugly bear!

Here is the adjective Bantam9 gets to unpack:


He gets to come downstage to the spotlight and display it (with his best "dumb" expression and posture) during this part of the song:

Days are sunny or they're rainy
Boys are dumb or else they're brainy...

And here he is as an attentive student in "The Tale of Mr. Morton."


You know:

This is the tale of Mister Morton
Mister Morton is who?
He is the subject of our tale
and the predicate tells what Mister
Morton must do

Mister Morton walked down the street
Mister Morton walked
Mister Morton talked to his cat
Mister Morton talked
(Hello, cat. You look good.)

Finally, here's Bantam9 in "The Great American Melting Pot:"


Normally, he wears a sombrero, but it's probably a better picture without it. (And tonight, we gave him a cute little black moustachio too!)

He has one other moment that didn't get documented by photo, but our guests can watch for him as Alexander Graham Bell in "Mother Necessity." He's the boy who kind of dances across stage and hands Mother N.... a telephone.

He's onstage for several other numbers, too, with the rest of the cast or the other Peanut Prodigies: "Verb," "Interjections," and "Three is a Magic Number." In some shows, the little kids don't have much to do, but in this one, they've kept him hopping!...and dancing!...and singing!

Bantam13 Learns a Dance

Blogging about one's teenagers can be a little tricky. When I met up with Megan and Summer recently, I confided about difficulties we've had with one of our teenagers, and Megan said, "Oh, from your blog, you'd never guess!" For the record and in the interests of FULL disclosure, let me state that no member of our family is as one-sidedly positive as they may appear in this blog. (Including me!)

Often I wish I could post about the latest challenge we're having with one of our kids, but my policy is to focus on the positive and not say anything about a family member that they wouldn't approve. So--many of those posts go completely unwritten. Some things I hope to share eventually, after we're through this phase or that, and time has lent objectivity.

But I have permission to tell this recent one. It has a happy and victorious resolution, and is a big praise to God as well as Bantam13!

You may remember that he landed a speaking part in his Advanced Drama class's upcoming production of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker. Then he also got a featured part as a swing dancer in the Schoolhouse Rock musical, besides all the large group numbers he's in.

Well, you'd think he'd be eager to learn his parts and do well. But B13 has been in an ambivalent phase about theater, and when it comes right down to it, he'd rather practice guitar or skateboarding tricks than memorize lines or practice dance moves, especially when he has a LOT of lines and the dance is HARD--for him, anyway. His first reaction is to give up: It's too hard. He can't do it. He doesn't want to do it. They should get somebody else. He wants to quit.

Why did we make him do theater anyway? he complains. We did make him audition for this show; his siblings were doing it, so...in for a penny, in for a pound, as far as our time and money go. And his reasons for not auditioning were all so bad. His voice had changed, and he swore he couldn't sing any more. He was sure he wouldn't make any friends in the new chapter of our theater group. He didn't think it was cool to do theater. ("Are you kidding?" another mom commented on that, "The theater guys are the smartest boys in town. What other activity has so many girls to every guy?") He didn't think he had time, with homeschooling. (Hah.)

Bottom line is, he had only fear-based objections. I told him that as far as homeschooling was concerned, doing a show was signing him up for speech, music, and PE, besides acting and dancing. Oh yeah, and learning all the Schoolhouse Rock lyrics? Totally educational--duh! Plus he says he wants to be in a band someday and maybe sing as well as play guitar? So let's start figuring out how that man-voice works!

Still, he complained every day about practicing for the audition. Then it began to sink in that he could either practice and do a decent job, or not practice and really embarrass himself. His attitude changed overnight, when he decided to just buckle down and do it. And the results of his efforts were apparent even to himself. His audition was great!

So then he got these parts...and after his initial pleasure, he started complaining about the work required for them, especially over the holidays, when he wanted to be totally on vacation. So we fussed about that for a good bit of the break, until he finally started working on his lines for Act One and discovered that actually, he memorizes pretty easily. Soon he had them all nearly down, including his three-page soliloquy in Act Three, and he was feeling a little better.

But that dance. That swing dance. The one he just can't remember. Can't learn. Can't practice without his partner. Why did they ever think he could do it? They should get someone else. There's just no way he can learn it.

Finally, I had started composing an email to his swing dance partner's mother to see if his partner could get together with him outside of rehearsal, when he appeared at my elbow. "All right, Mom, I know what I need to do now. I need to get together with [another boy in the same number] after class tomorrow and take the lyrics with me, double-spaced, so that there's room for me to write my own notes to remember the steps, so I can practice on my own."

I was thrilled! His idea was even better than my plan. He went home with the other boy and took notes on the steps; he came home and really practiced, and at the next rehearsal, he knew the dance. Both his partner and the director were totally delighted.

He is so pleased, himself. "It's really fun, once you know it," he told me. "And now that I know those steps, I can always do them at other places, like weddings." He also said, "I prayed every time the music started, and I really felt God helping me." And more than once: "Now I'm so glad I got that part!"

We are so proud of him! He has faced his fears, and three times, he has overcome his desire to give up when things are hard: practicing for the audition, memorizing all those lines, and learning this dance. The performances should be a piece of cake. For him, the huge character challenge was to make himself do the preliminary hard work.

And that, my friends, is probably the most important thing he's learned all year.

It's a Go!

I got a piece of good news the other day that I've been sitting on...trying to adjust myself to the idea that it's true...

There really is going to be a Kenosha chapter of our Christian children's theater group!!!!

Thank you so much to those who have joined me in praying about this!!!

I am so excited about the ministry potential for this organization in the Kenosha area.

Let me back up nearly four years and tell you what I thought about this group when we first started getting involved. First of all, there's a real cost in money and time which caused me to closely scrutinize the organization and our reasons for having kids in it. At first I questioned how this group could be a ministry. Sure, they prayed before auditions, rehearsals, shows and all. They stressed a positive, encouraging atmosphere. But was it helping my own kids grow in their faith? I wasn't sure. In fact, some of the kids weren't believers--and it showed--and some of the "Christian" kids weren't much better. There was no evangelistic message being presented; the shows were all secular. How was this a ministry?

My kids loved it, though, and I felt a peace and a confirmation from the Lord that it was something we should go ahead with. And the longer we've been involved, the more grateful for this group I have become, and the more I do consider it a ministry!

On a big picture level, I have come to appreciate that offering family-friendly, professional-quality theater productions to a community is no small thing! Just being able to offer a wholesome alternative to "going to the movies" is a valuable service.

Zooming in a little, I appreciate more and more (especially now that I have three teenagers) how wonderful it is to have a place for my kids to hang out with their friends, while they work on something constructive, under the supervision of godly adults. So much better than just hanging out at a mall or at a friend's house--or worse.

Also, what they do in theater is not all fun and games; it is physically, mentally and emotionally challenging. Physically, they come home exhausted, just as they would from a sports practice, if they've had a lot of dancing that day. Mentally, they have dances, lyrics and blocking to learn and concentrate on, and sometimes lines as well. And emotionally--well, I've already described the hopes and disappointments that nearly every audition weekend brings, and you learn how happy you can be for someone else even if you personally were disappointed! All these challenges point them to God, the source of strength when their own fails.

Which lead to a most personal way that this group has been a ministry to our family, and that is the way it has helped shape our children's characters. They have experienced consequences (that have taught them more than anything their parents could have engineered) when they made poor choices or were lacking in diligence, and they have reaped rewards for right choices. In this group, they are continually reminded not to perform for their own glory, but for God's, and it is amazing how they do begin to get this. In theater, you have to forget yourself to do well--just as in the Christian life, we have to die to self and live for God--and I believe that this lesson will stay with them into adulthood, along with the lessons in diligence, responsibility, courage...patience...submission...and more.

In this group there is also a nice positive peer pressure, such as you might get in a Christian school. For homeschoolers and publicly-schooled kids, this group can be the place where Christian kids stay grounded in their faith on a peer level. It certainly served that function for us before we moved, and our kids were really adrift without it this past summer. The directors and teachers are all Christians as well, and often they and some of the older students become role models as they not only "talk the talk" but "walk the walk," even when it's not a Bible study or youth group moment. For example, how does a director handle a rehearsal when kids aren't listening, aren't getting the dance, and time is short?

Not always perfectly, of course, and I don't want to give an impression that is too rosy! But overall, my kids have learned so much from the training and example of these Christian adults and older students. The non-Christian kids take it all in too, and who knows how God might choose to water those seeds?

And that leads me to a new prayer request. Will you pray with me for God to send Christian theater directors and teachers, vocal directors and choreographers? Having Christian leaders for this group is so vital, but they have to have the needed skills and that's not always an easy combination to find. Also, pray for founding Christian families, especially with teenagers who can help set a tone and lay a foundation that will stand, even when more non-Christian and nominally Christian families become involved. Please pray that MY kids can help do that and will want to be that. (I paint them with quite a positive brush here, but they are just as ornery as any other kids--and I have no great confidence that they will be sterling examples.)

Thanks for your prayers--and rejoice with us!!!

Cast List--and Second Sunday in Advent

The cast list is up and it looks good! We don't know what half these roles actually mean, since we've never seen this show before, but it looks like:

Bantam13 is a Wiz Kid, whatever that is, and a Swing Dancer, in the "Gravity" ("shoo-bee-doo-down-down-down") number. This is exciting for B13, who hasn't ever been featured for dancing before. It's--ahem--not his strong point, shall we say--but he enjoyed learning the swing dance they taught at callbacks, and he had a feeling he did well. So, as I say, kind of exciting for him.

Blondechick16 is a Brainiac, whatever that is, and a Lolly Girl, which means she'll get to sing, "Lolly, lolly, lolly/ Get your adverbs here" in close harmony with two other girls, "Boylan Sisters"-style. Fun!

Bantam9 is one of the Peanut Prodigies, whatever that is, and a Young Inventor (Alexander Graham Bell). We think that means that in "Mother Necessity," he gets to either sing or act to these lines:

Ring me on the Alexander Graham Bell.
Thank you Alexander for the phone.
I'd never get a date, I'd never get a job
Unless I had a telephone.

Rehearsals begin next Saturday! Performances are January 29-February 1 in Grayslake/Gurnee, IL. (Let me know if you're within driving distance and want tickets!)

They'll have ten performances in four days. Yikes! I am eager to see what parent committee they will put me on. I have always done makeup, but if they don't need help in that department, I may be learning something new. I'll find out on Saturday!

***

In other news, we had a lovely second Sunday in Advent service today, with a guest preacher, Father Klukas from Nashotah House, who gave us an excellent word on giving Christ the time and the space necessary for Him to remind and refocus us on right priorities. It's what Advent is all about, as we anticipate His second coming and try to be prepared, like the wise virgins. I am hoping to spend a little time this week on remembrance, resonance and reformation.

Speaking of preparation, for today's service I dusted off my oboe and started playing it twice a day last week, to get my lip into shape--it had been 7 years since I last played it! I have to say that I think I sounded like I just pulled it out of the closet 5 days ago, but I learned a lot from doing it and made our worship leader promise to let me do it again sometime. I realize in hindsight that I probably shouldn't have used a 7-year-old reed...and since I now have the eyesight of an over-40 year old, I need my own music on my own stand, rather than reading it over the pianist's shoulder! (Leaning in close to read the music did not lend itself well to breath support or proper reed position in the mouth, either.) But it wasn't as bad as you might now be thinking...and it was a pleasure to play as part of an ensemble again, for the first time since high school.

After church we had a group over for lunch: Father Klukas, his wife, two seminarians and their wives and children; plus our overnight guests, dear friends from Church of the Resurrection, their two teenage daughters and a friend. My friend--bless her!--helped me make soup on Saturday night, after a mostaccioli dinner, and we served it for lunch today with salad and bagels, with meat and cheese to make sandwiches. It was delight to relax around our big dining room table with such a fascinating group of adults!

And it's so good to have auditions behind us....