| "Love of beauty and the desire to create
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| | discipline and the desire
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| it is a primal instinct of man." Eleanor
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| | to master music of magnificent
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| McMillan BrownThis weekend brought me the
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| | proportion.After all-day rehearsals, as
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| privilege of chaperoning forty
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| | well as sectional rehearsals with
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| musicians to the Catskill Mountains of
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| | master teachers brought in from New York
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| New York for a youth
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| | City, the group came
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| orchestra retreat. Designed as a scenic
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| | together and practiced one last time,
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| get-away in which to
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| | late Saturday night after
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| ardently rehearse for an upcoming
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| | dinner. As they were tuning, I walked
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| concert, it proved an
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| | around the room making sure everyone was
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| exhausting-but delightful-escape with
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| | comfortable and ready for one last
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| teens.Considering that I made the
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| | practice session. I walked up to my
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| preliminary arrangements, and
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| | fifteen-year-old son and twelve-year-old
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| actually booked the accommodations at
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| | daughter and whispered in their ears,
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| the retreat center, I
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| | "Create Beauty." Fueled with little sleep
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| thought I had a fairly good idea of what
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| | and bad camp food, neither were amused.
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| to expect. When the
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| | But then the conductor raised his baton,
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| retreat director described our cabins as
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| | the cute high school senior lifted her
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| "rustic," I envisioned
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| | flute, and thus began the genius of The
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| cute and cozy. Campy. Kind of with a
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| | Magic Flute. And then the oboist, a
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| Ralph Lauren meets L.L. Bean thing going
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| | highschooler I had never met before, with
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| on.She greatly oversold them. I had
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| | a bandana covering her hair and too-many
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| better luck in third-world
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| | earrings covering her left ear, came in,
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| countries. While the kids rehearsed late
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| | followed by the clarinetist, to create
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| that first night, I
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| | extraordinary beauty. And I just sat
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| searched for the cabins in the middle of
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| | there, with tears rolling down my cheeks,
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| absolutely nowhere-pitch dark-with a
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| | an uncontrollable reaction to witnessing
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| couple of flashlights, a poor-to-scale
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| | magnificence.It caught me quite off-guard
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| hand-drawn map, and two very tired
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| | that these kids-dirty from too much
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| orchestra moms as my only guides. We
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| | of the retreat experience and too little
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| found these tarp-roofed,
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| | of the available hot
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| no-mattress-bunks-with-little-heat-and-ba
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| | water and soap, and sleep-deprived from
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| d-lighting-and-did-I-mention-no-locks-on-
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| | too much sleeping-bag
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| any-doors near midnight after a long
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| | chatter-could produce something so
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| three and a half hour drive and a very
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| | glorious.Sometimes kids surprise us.
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| bad camp retreat dinner. We moms thought
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| | Sometimes, after we want to wring
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| it would be a good idea to locate the
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| | their necks for their appallingly
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| cabins and get things "settled in."
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| | irresponsible behavior (losing
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| Mortified when we finally found them by
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| | their backpacks, forgetting their music,
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| the thought that these cabins were really
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| | leaving their dirty
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| "ours," we let out a half-hour litany of
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| | dishes for us to clear), they sit down
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| moans and groans, only to decide to make
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| | and do the most astounding thing. They
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| the best of the situation by trying to
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| | pick up and instrument and play something
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| cozy them up. That literally meant
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| | extraordinary. Or they write an essay
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| turning on the singular light and
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| | and it changes our
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| cranking up the space heater
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| | worldview. Or they perform ballet with
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| per each cabin.Then came the rain. It
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| | perfect timing. And we
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| started as a sprinkle and turned into a
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| | scratch our heads and think, "Could this
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| constant stream, silently but surely
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| | possibly be my kid?!?"Because just when
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| soaking the hundred-plus
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| | you're ready to throw in the towel, throw
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| suitcases, sleeping-bags and pillows
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| | your hands up in quiet desperation, and
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| that had been dumped onto
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| | pound your fists on the
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| the ground (no, dirt) by the camp help.
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| | table in a round of madness, your kids
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| So at nearly midnight, in the cold
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| | will do something that
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| downpour of the rain, we schlepped forty
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| | will convince you that they are filled
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| kids' stuff
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| | with brilliance. That
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| into one of the cabins. It was pitch
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| | they possess a hidden gift or an
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| black, excepting the two
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| | indescribable magic or a
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| puny flashlights and those five measly
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| | hilarious gift of humor or a quick mind
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| light bulbs.Suffice it to say that the
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| | or a strong shoulder or
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| first night was character-building.
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| | a gentle spirit.And you are so thrilled
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| I had eight twelve-year-old girls in my
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| | to have had some small part of the
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| cabin. Giggly, wanting
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| | creation.Carolina Fernandez earned an
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| to chat well past "lights out," but with
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| | M.B.A. and worked at IBM and as a
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| the cutest tank-top-pajama-bottoms combos
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| | stockbroker at Merrill Lynch before
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| I've ever seen, (and more make-up than
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| | coming home to work as a wife and mother
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| one could imagine for a weekend retreat
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| | of four. She totally re-invented herself
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| in the middle of friggin'nowhere) I had
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| | along the way. Strong convictions were
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| the distinct impression that it could be
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| | born about the role of the arts in child
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| an interesting two days.And then came
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| | development; ten years of homeschooling
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| Saturday. And Mozart. Grieg and Bizet.
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| | and raising four kids provide fertile
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| Rehearsal
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| | soil for devising creative parenting
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| after concentrated rehearsal brought
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| | strategies. These are played out in
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| teenager to his instrument
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| | ROCKET MOM! 7 Strategies To Blast You
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| and magic out of chaos. For somewhere
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| | Into Brilliance. It is widely available
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| beneath all of the acne
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| | online, in bookstores or through
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| cream and the eyeliner came focus and
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| | 888-476-2493.
|
