This has got to be the wettest year on record for Oklahoma. It seems to rain every other day! Just today in church, someone said the forecast is for it to rain for the next ten days! What is ten days? July! Seriously? Anybody got an ark?
Our drains and sewer systems in town cannot take it. Not only is there street flooding (the curbs looks like rice paddies, with grass growing in the muddy water!), but the city's water supply is disgusting! It smells like the swamp...and tastes like it, too. Ken says for no one to drink fountain drinks in town, the water going through their "filters" is not good. I tried a taste - uck!
I filled a sink with water to clean with the other day. The water was not clear, more like yellowish! And taking a shower means coming out...clean? Puddles do not dry out and are growing algae in them. The only ones enjoying this mess? The mosquitoes! Should I worry about West Nile? Or malaria?
This morning, before church, it was pouring down rain. A dozen Mississippi kites were miserably sitting on the powerline across the street. They looked so bedraggled, poor dears!
And, yes, it is still warm. Like 90's and low 100's. I walked out of the house Saturday to take Analiese to work and immediately my hands felt sticky, like they needed to be washed. It was just a side-effect of the humidity. Don't even ask me about my hair!
Cute Kids
For the most part, this job is fun. The getting up early, the staying up late...not so much. By Sunday, my complete day off, I am exhausted. But, gotta go to bed early, I have a 5:30 wake-up for a 6:00 class!
I have some very bright kids. A couple of them really like to converse, which is a wonderful end-goal of the program...to be able to completely converse in another language! One of my clever boys cracks me up all the time. This week it was our lesson on animal movements (gallop, slither, crawl, glide, etc.). Every time we got to talking about fish swimming, he changed the topic to sharks eating the swimming fish. By the end of the class, we were racing each other to find ways to include sharks in our conversation!
I had a couple of Voice of VIPKid (VV) lessons this week, too. Saturday evening, of course, when I am the most tired. But, hey.... I had the most adorable four year old girl singing with me about slicing food (Food Ninja Song - yeah, let's encourage kids to slice knives crazily). She loved it! We sliced pizza, bread, apples, and...onions! She had a hard time wrapping her head around that word; I don't know why. Still, at one point I came to prompt her to say the word. She had forgotten. I waited and then she said: "Food!" Oh, I laughed so hard. She was so stinkin' cute!
I get a few rough ones, too, that make it hard. Hard on me physically, mentally, and emotionally. One of my regulars keeps playing and goofing off. I finally gave her a four star rating. I've left notes for her parents and the Learning Partner that she needs some supervision (she's in her room alone, with toys, paper, scissors (she likes to cut up stuff), and a phone to play with. This lesson, I'd had it.
Then, I had a young five-year-old who's parents rode him during the whole VV lesson. These lessons are supposed to be fun and casual. Nope. Dad was the worst: yelling at the child, and grabbing him, trying to make him face the camera and do the stuff. I can usually persuade most little ones to do something, but they're not expected to necessarily do it all for these lessons. His mom did a bit of prodding, too, when Dad couldn't take it any longer and stomped off. Still, poor kid.
Though, I have to wonder. A lot of these kids are under so much pressure (as are their parents) to perform. I've had super tired kids, sick kids, kids who are eating breakfast/dinner while taking lessons (this is hard because I need them to talk so I can hear their pronunciation). They have to shove so many things into their day: when do they have time to be children?
I also got my Trial certification Plus this week. VK offered it to me: pass the quiz and you're good. I didn't have to do a mock class. I don't know when I'll be teaching trials, though, because I heard the Trials Plus isn't completely up yet. Maybe they just want to be ready when it is. The trials are for parents and kids to check out the company and see if they want to book classes with us. If they sign up after my class, I get a bonus! And, they could decide they want me to teach their child!
The Perils of (Children) Driving
Analiese is working on it. Though, she drove me and Jonathan to the library this week, stressing our hearts. She kept wanting to drive on the curb. I realize, it takes a bit to spatially recognize where things are in relationship to the vehicle, but oh boy! Jonathan drove home afterwards. I don't think my anxiety could have taken another ride home.
Jonathan came home from work Friday; he had taken the van. Now, I have to admit: the City Works department in Chickasha has been pretty annoying lately. I've had to drive around them to the left, nearly on the median curb on one street, because they've parked one of their trucks so far into the road. Jonathan apparently had a similar issue that day. Only, he misjudged how much room he had and gouged a nice long line on the side of the van. Purely cosmetic, it doesn't impede any of the vehicle's functions. And I guess he got the brunt of the blow. But, oh, did he come home upset! He was certainly worried about our reactions. I will proudly say I was mostly sympathetic, though when I saw the damage I told him he was going to have to show his father himself and take it like a man.
To Ken's credit, he, too, took it calmly. Consequences? May be some externally, but we'll support Jonathan as much as possible. At home, all I said is that he could take Dad to work early Saturday and Sunday morning. Which I'd wanted him to do anyway. He punished himself enough. He fumed in his room for quite a while.
Single Solitary Photo
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| PomPom looks at me adoringly/expectantly? |
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