T didn't make any cuts originally for the long course state championship. There are few 8 year olds who qualify due to the fact that they swim 10 and under and there is generally a big difference between an 8 year old and a kid who might be close to 11. Anyway, T was made an alternate for a couple of relay teams.
Thursday night we got a call that he was needed. Apparently, a kid scratched an event and as a result was no longer allowed to swim for the team at that championships. They picked T to go. I was a bit worried. He had three disastrous meets before this. He just wasn't giving it his all. So DH and I sat down with him and told him how it wasn't about him, but his team.
Then next day we went to the meet. I was a basketcase. It wasn't one of those meets where you could be with your kid the whole time, making sure he was doing or remembering what was needed. Then, I had the fact that he was the anchor of his relay on my mind. There's nothing like your team creating a good lead for you to lose it because the anchor is too slow.
T watched and waited as the kid in front of him butterflied down. Then in he went. And T was fast, really fast for him. I was waiting for the 40m mark where he sort of gives up. He didn't give up. He kept his lead and just kept plowing away. His relay team won the heat. His teammates had to help him out of the pool because his arms and legs were so tired. He came over just as happy as can be. He was thrilled that all these people were cheering for him. (Yes, a lot of people were cheering for him, but it helps that it was a relay and the crowds go wild.)
One really great thing about this meet too was that Aunt Melissa brought her family over to see him race. It was the first time that a family member other than our family (which can create quite a cheering section) has come. My parents have both come to practices, but they never seem to be in town when it's meet time.
He went over to his coach who informed him he took off 10 seconds. In swimming a 50m race, that is HUGE. If he had swum like that at the last meet he would have qualified for the state championships all by himself. He also would have most likely been on every relay. But it doesn't matter. He learned how to really race.
The crazy thing is that I looked up his time and had he raced the 50m free with the time he made in the relay he would have placed in the top 8 kids for 10 & under for the state. He also would have been the fastest 8 year old in the state. How did this happen? Are we certain this was my kid? He was only 3 seconds off of qualifying for Western Zones. What the heck? He can't be that close. He's only 8. He can't swim a straight 50 meter backstroke outdoors yet. At last year's Western Zones there were kids who swam slower than his time. And they were all 9 and 10. I'm just flabbergasted I guess. We aren't real athletes in our family. (Well D might have a chance, he's one heck of a runner.) But DH and I don't have a super athletic gene pool from which to draw.
I asked T what was different about this race. Why did he try so hard? It was because he was on a team. He didn't want to let his team down. Awwww..... Oh, and he said his new cap was lucky. I guess we should stock up on those things.
Luckily, or unluckily, it's short course season next and that time might be unattainable as T doesn't have super tight turns. Still, I am excited to see what he can do now that he knows how to try really hard.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
A Mish Mash of This and That
I should do this in a timeline or something. But I know I will forget a bunch of things and so it's easier to just type it out as it comes.
The first thing that comes to mind is a big fat BUMMER. That bad news that music lesson prices are increasing came today. Before I gripe I must say that I knew this was coming. Our teacher has fabulous prices considering she is a Suzuki teacher. We knew her lessons were a great deal and I wondered how she could spend so much time for what she charged. That being said, our lessons went up according to the paperwork over 700 dollars a year. That's right, over 700 a year. She put a sticky on the paperwork and said we'd talk about it at the next lesson. I'll be totally bummed if I have to cut their lesson time. Right now we go for 1 hour and 45 minutes three times a month and then the kids have group lessons once a month. Our teacher is great and the kids are doing rather well. Of course, M really needs a 45-60 minute lesson herself. T needs 25-30 min. D, because of the way he likes to learn in small chunks really needs about 15 minutes and C needs about 15 minutes. And well, S is taking a break from violin to save my violins from her frustrations. So, already they aren't getting what they need. But that's a mighty chunk of change to find. If I cut their overall lessons to 90 minutes it still goes up but it's less significant. Doesn't it figure that this happens just as M is really cruising along. She's starting the Bach Double right now and it feels like such a big piece for her. T is finishing up his book 2 graduation piece and should hit book three in the next month. David is finding more confidence. And C, well, she is who she is. Some days she shocks us and other days she can't hold still. Anyway, I understand why the lesson prices need to increase. It's just a big hit to take.
T has been swimming a lot lately. He did quite well three meets ago and cut some significant time. Since then he has been in a rut and has been adding time like crazy. He has his state meet this weekend. This morning he added time to all three of his events. We don't care if he adds time as long as he is trying his hardest. But it seemed like he was sort of giving up as soon as it got hard. In his 50 free he was totally in with the leaders for about 30 meters. Then he just got sluggish. I would say he didn't have the endurance for it. That might be true. But he got out of the pool and ran to play with friends. He didn't give it all he had. I think this might be T's thing in life. The trick is that he is usually quite adept at whatever he tries. He can really usually get pretty good results with less effort that most. It's like this at school, in sports, making friends, and at home. You want your kids to be smart, athletic, etc. But it's more important to us that they are hard workers. In T's level of his swim team only a couple of kids got cuts for this meet out of I don't know, maybe 30ish kids. He just doesn't realize what it takes to really work hard. Maybe it's not just T, but what 8 years old looks like. We told him we don't care if he comes in last if he works hard. And we aren't as proud of a first place if it's not his best effort.
What else.... S had her meds changed last week. I'm not so certain I am on board this time. I'll give it a try. The psych put her on Kapvay. She thinks maybe she's an ADHD type of kid as well and can't control her impusivity. So far she has been grouchier and much more sleepy. I read that it takes a few weeks for things to normalize. So we will keep it up. Between this and the therapist's new recommendations we are busy people. I would love if the meds helped her to have enough time to think things through before she does them. Boy oh boy would I LOVE it. It just doesn't seem like a match to me. But we'll give it a go. She's super excited for first grade. I know she'll love it. I'm hoping we can get these meds figured out before then. She also has been reading a bunch this summer. She's not usually thrilled to do it. It's not that she doesn't like books, it's just that I ask her to do it. But still, she is getting to be a great reader. I really want her to be able to immerse herself in books. It's calming to read for me and I would love for her to be able to get lost in stories.
We've gone swimming a few times in the past few weeks. The kids have had a bunch of fun doing that. I let myself get a might sunburn. It doesn't help to spray sunscreen on your arms if you don't reach the back of your shoulders. OUCH! But the kids had such a good time doing it that it was worth it. This week we haven't done anything like that because T's coaches told him to stay out of the sun. They also told him not to do any strenuous activities. He tried to get out of his violin practice with that one. Nice kiddo.....
D is have a hard time adjusting from having his neighborhood friend move. T and D move in slightly different circles of friends and D had one friend with whom he really liked to play. That buddy moved to Texas recently. When school starts it'll be better because he'll be able to see his other friends more.
C is herself still. She's the little fashionista. She wore a size 10 dress to church the other day. It was meant to be worn short. I just couldn't muster the energy to fight her on it so I put a white shirt under it and let her wear it. I never would have let M do such a thing. She's going to be one with whom I have to carefully select my battles. Tonight she came up with tin foil that she had shaped into a lowercase e. She then proceeded to make every letter and number she could out of it. I gave her a good job and then made a mental note to store more tin foil because mine will be gone soon.
M is enjoying her time off of dance. She has had a real babysitting job and LOVED it. She also has been practicing like crazy. The other day she did her 1.5 hours for that day, .5 of an hour owed from the day before and then another .5 of an hour so she could stay up late. What kid will practice 2.5 hours in one day? She's been a reading fool. The kid always has a book. If she has a book to read she is happy.
Life is cruising along. It's definitely not boring these days. I'm not getting done what I had hoped to, but am getting enough done to keep us going. Oh and I have been off added sugars and wheat now for 22 days. I made this deal with myself and so far I am keeping it. Other than my ranch dressing and ketchup I am pretty much extra sugar free. It's not doing a whole heck of a lot though and I know it's because I am still eating dairy. But come one... how much do I have to give up.
DH's running and biking more. Hopefully all will go well before his marathon. I think he will do great. But these feet of his are making him rethink his finishing goals. Maybe that's this marathon's purpose.
No vacations this year. We did the family reunion thing which was um, okay. I kind of blew it but that's not a story for a blog. The kids had fun and I got good pics. And now that this blog is at least a little bit caught up, I can focus on trying to get my picture one up to date.
And with that I go to bed nice and early. I have to have all the kids out of the house by 6:15 for T's meet tomorrow.
The first thing that comes to mind is a big fat BUMMER. That bad news that music lesson prices are increasing came today. Before I gripe I must say that I knew this was coming. Our teacher has fabulous prices considering she is a Suzuki teacher. We knew her lessons were a great deal and I wondered how she could spend so much time for what she charged. That being said, our lessons went up according to the paperwork over 700 dollars a year. That's right, over 700 a year. She put a sticky on the paperwork and said we'd talk about it at the next lesson. I'll be totally bummed if I have to cut their lesson time. Right now we go for 1 hour and 45 minutes three times a month and then the kids have group lessons once a month. Our teacher is great and the kids are doing rather well. Of course, M really needs a 45-60 minute lesson herself. T needs 25-30 min. D, because of the way he likes to learn in small chunks really needs about 15 minutes and C needs about 15 minutes. And well, S is taking a break from violin to save my violins from her frustrations. So, already they aren't getting what they need. But that's a mighty chunk of change to find. If I cut their overall lessons to 90 minutes it still goes up but it's less significant. Doesn't it figure that this happens just as M is really cruising along. She's starting the Bach Double right now and it feels like such a big piece for her. T is finishing up his book 2 graduation piece and should hit book three in the next month. David is finding more confidence. And C, well, she is who she is. Some days she shocks us and other days she can't hold still. Anyway, I understand why the lesson prices need to increase. It's just a big hit to take.
T has been swimming a lot lately. He did quite well three meets ago and cut some significant time. Since then he has been in a rut and has been adding time like crazy. He has his state meet this weekend. This morning he added time to all three of his events. We don't care if he adds time as long as he is trying his hardest. But it seemed like he was sort of giving up as soon as it got hard. In his 50 free he was totally in with the leaders for about 30 meters. Then he just got sluggish. I would say he didn't have the endurance for it. That might be true. But he got out of the pool and ran to play with friends. He didn't give it all he had. I think this might be T's thing in life. The trick is that he is usually quite adept at whatever he tries. He can really usually get pretty good results with less effort that most. It's like this at school, in sports, making friends, and at home. You want your kids to be smart, athletic, etc. But it's more important to us that they are hard workers. In T's level of his swim team only a couple of kids got cuts for this meet out of I don't know, maybe 30ish kids. He just doesn't realize what it takes to really work hard. Maybe it's not just T, but what 8 years old looks like. We told him we don't care if he comes in last if he works hard. And we aren't as proud of a first place if it's not his best effort.
What else.... S had her meds changed last week. I'm not so certain I am on board this time. I'll give it a try. The psych put her on Kapvay. She thinks maybe she's an ADHD type of kid as well and can't control her impusivity. So far she has been grouchier and much more sleepy. I read that it takes a few weeks for things to normalize. So we will keep it up. Between this and the therapist's new recommendations we are busy people. I would love if the meds helped her to have enough time to think things through before she does them. Boy oh boy would I LOVE it. It just doesn't seem like a match to me. But we'll give it a go. She's super excited for first grade. I know she'll love it. I'm hoping we can get these meds figured out before then. She also has been reading a bunch this summer. She's not usually thrilled to do it. It's not that she doesn't like books, it's just that I ask her to do it. But still, she is getting to be a great reader. I really want her to be able to immerse herself in books. It's calming to read for me and I would love for her to be able to get lost in stories.
We've gone swimming a few times in the past few weeks. The kids have had a bunch of fun doing that. I let myself get a might sunburn. It doesn't help to spray sunscreen on your arms if you don't reach the back of your shoulders. OUCH! But the kids had such a good time doing it that it was worth it. This week we haven't done anything like that because T's coaches told him to stay out of the sun. They also told him not to do any strenuous activities. He tried to get out of his violin practice with that one. Nice kiddo.....
D is have a hard time adjusting from having his neighborhood friend move. T and D move in slightly different circles of friends and D had one friend with whom he really liked to play. That buddy moved to Texas recently. When school starts it'll be better because he'll be able to see his other friends more.
C is herself still. She's the little fashionista. She wore a size 10 dress to church the other day. It was meant to be worn short. I just couldn't muster the energy to fight her on it so I put a white shirt under it and let her wear it. I never would have let M do such a thing. She's going to be one with whom I have to carefully select my battles. Tonight she came up with tin foil that she had shaped into a lowercase e. She then proceeded to make every letter and number she could out of it. I gave her a good job and then made a mental note to store more tin foil because mine will be gone soon.
M is enjoying her time off of dance. She has had a real babysitting job and LOVED it. She also has been practicing like crazy. The other day she did her 1.5 hours for that day, .5 of an hour owed from the day before and then another .5 of an hour so she could stay up late. What kid will practice 2.5 hours in one day? She's been a reading fool. The kid always has a book. If she has a book to read she is happy.
Life is cruising along. It's definitely not boring these days. I'm not getting done what I had hoped to, but am getting enough done to keep us going. Oh and I have been off added sugars and wheat now for 22 days. I made this deal with myself and so far I am keeping it. Other than my ranch dressing and ketchup I am pretty much extra sugar free. It's not doing a whole heck of a lot though and I know it's because I am still eating dairy. But come one... how much do I have to give up.
DH's running and biking more. Hopefully all will go well before his marathon. I think he will do great. But these feet of his are making him rethink his finishing goals. Maybe that's this marathon's purpose.
No vacations this year. We did the family reunion thing which was um, okay. I kind of blew it but that's not a story for a blog. The kids had fun and I got good pics. And now that this blog is at least a little bit caught up, I can focus on trying to get my picture one up to date.
And with that I go to bed nice and early. I have to have all the kids out of the house by 6:15 for T's meet tomorrow.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Celine
I should have done this a month ago and I might have been able to remember a thing or two. So I guess all I will get down will be a few memories of our quick getaway.
You have to know that Vegas is so NOT my favorite kind of town. The suburbs are fine. One time when DH was at a conference I think I hit every TJMaxx and Ross in the metropolitan area. (They both had big shipments of Gymboree for cheap...) I know where the Costcos are in that town. I really like the burbs. I don't like Vegas proper though. It seems like there is soft porn just about everywhere. The taxis have scantily clad people on them. The signs entice people to do things they usually would find wrong. And it's really hot in the summer.
One thing Vegas usually has going for it in the middle of June is a large amount of inexpensive rooms. I mean, really, who wants to go to a million degrees in June? I'll tell you who does.... a bunch of crazy youngerthanmesomethings who want to party in the desert with crazy lights, practically nothing on, and a lot of unknown to me music.
Anyway, we were shocked to find that even the dumpy old hotels had few rooms available in the middle of June and most of those 'cheap' rooms were still $400 and up. The decent hotels that we have staying in before were over a $1000. There was no way I was paying $1000 a night to stay in a decent room in a casino of all places. Two nights of that and DH and I could have tickets to Europe.
So we decided to have an overpriced room in Mesquite. The rooms there aren't worth $100 a night either but it sure beat $1000.
We drove there on Friday night and stopped for sushi along the way. I'm not super duper fond of sushi. I can handle tempura because it's cooked but the raw stuff just isn't my cup of tea. And I figure why spend so much on something you don't really like. Still the food was good and it wasn't in some loud casino.
DH was sick and so the main thing he was looking forward to was sleep. So we slept and slept. At home I feel lazy if I am up after 7am, but there I rolled out of bed at 11am. We finally grabbed some breakfast/lunch, went to the local Walmart. (DH was flying out for California as soon as we got home and needed a new suitcase.) I'm telling you we are big adventurebugs. We slept and went to Walmart.
Shortly after we headed into Vegas. We hit the Cheesecake Factory in Caesars Palace. Can you believe that I have never been there. DH has gone several times but there isn't one too close to home and I can always find something I want to try more.
Going to Celine's concert was fabulous. You enter the colosseum that was built for her and you leave Vegas and the casino behind. Everything feels classy. When we bought our tickets there were hardly any two or more seats together areas. In order to get seats together we had to buy decent ones. I was actually grateful though because the seats were fabulous.
I sort of figured I was going to have an empty seat next to me. There were three seats when we bought ours and a few minutes before the show started it was still empty. Then comes Mr. Tee Shirt and Shorts with a shaved head. He also seemed a little young. Celine, although uberly talented, obviously appeals to a more mature audience. It seems like I am on the young side of things. So I was surprised and Mr. Tee Shirt and Shorts. And it was weird because the guy had a single seat. What guy goes to a concert like that by himself?
Mr. TSS turned out to be a huge fan. He would stand up and clap when no one else would. He was really into it, leaning forward in his seat and everything. Then Celine sings a famous French song called 'Ne Me Quitte Pas'. I don't know how they translate it but it literally means don't leave me. So the words are powerful and touching. However, it just seemed a little weird when Mr. TSS started crying away. DH looked over at me with that, "Is that dude really crying?" look and the lady next to DH leaned forward an looked over to see if he was really crying. I never would have expected some man to be in his own deluge of tears right next to me.
As for Celine... she was fabulous. Her voice is beautiful. Her clothes are for the most part stunning. She seems gracious and kind. It's so much better to see than the conceited stars who are on magazine covers all the time. Everything about her was classy.
DH and I took no pictures. We just headed back to Mesquite to get some sleep and then headed home the next day.
It was a great break from everyday life.
You have to know that Vegas is so NOT my favorite kind of town. The suburbs are fine. One time when DH was at a conference I think I hit every TJMaxx and Ross in the metropolitan area. (They both had big shipments of Gymboree for cheap...) I know where the Costcos are in that town. I really like the burbs. I don't like Vegas proper though. It seems like there is soft porn just about everywhere. The taxis have scantily clad people on them. The signs entice people to do things they usually would find wrong. And it's really hot in the summer.
One thing Vegas usually has going for it in the middle of June is a large amount of inexpensive rooms. I mean, really, who wants to go to a million degrees in June? I'll tell you who does.... a bunch of crazy youngerthanmesomethings who want to party in the desert with crazy lights, practically nothing on, and a lot of unknown to me music.
Anyway, we were shocked to find that even the dumpy old hotels had few rooms available in the middle of June and most of those 'cheap' rooms were still $400 and up. The decent hotels that we have staying in before were over a $1000. There was no way I was paying $1000 a night to stay in a decent room in a casino of all places. Two nights of that and DH and I could have tickets to Europe.
So we decided to have an overpriced room in Mesquite. The rooms there aren't worth $100 a night either but it sure beat $1000.
We drove there on Friday night and stopped for sushi along the way. I'm not super duper fond of sushi. I can handle tempura because it's cooked but the raw stuff just isn't my cup of tea. And I figure why spend so much on something you don't really like. Still the food was good and it wasn't in some loud casino.
DH was sick and so the main thing he was looking forward to was sleep. So we slept and slept. At home I feel lazy if I am up after 7am, but there I rolled out of bed at 11am. We finally grabbed some breakfast/lunch, went to the local Walmart. (DH was flying out for California as soon as we got home and needed a new suitcase.) I'm telling you we are big adventurebugs. We slept and went to Walmart.
Shortly after we headed into Vegas. We hit the Cheesecake Factory in Caesars Palace. Can you believe that I have never been there. DH has gone several times but there isn't one too close to home and I can always find something I want to try more.
Going to Celine's concert was fabulous. You enter the colosseum that was built for her and you leave Vegas and the casino behind. Everything feels classy. When we bought our tickets there were hardly any two or more seats together areas. In order to get seats together we had to buy decent ones. I was actually grateful though because the seats were fabulous.
I sort of figured I was going to have an empty seat next to me. There were three seats when we bought ours and a few minutes before the show started it was still empty. Then comes Mr. Tee Shirt and Shorts with a shaved head. He also seemed a little young. Celine, although uberly talented, obviously appeals to a more mature audience. It seems like I am on the young side of things. So I was surprised and Mr. Tee Shirt and Shorts. And it was weird because the guy had a single seat. What guy goes to a concert like that by himself?
Mr. TSS turned out to be a huge fan. He would stand up and clap when no one else would. He was really into it, leaning forward in his seat and everything. Then Celine sings a famous French song called 'Ne Me Quitte Pas'. I don't know how they translate it but it literally means don't leave me. So the words are powerful and touching. However, it just seemed a little weird when Mr. TSS started crying away. DH looked over at me with that, "Is that dude really crying?" look and the lady next to DH leaned forward an looked over to see if he was really crying. I never would have expected some man to be in his own deluge of tears right next to me.
As for Celine... she was fabulous. Her voice is beautiful. Her clothes are for the most part stunning. She seems gracious and kind. It's so much better to see than the conceited stars who are on magazine covers all the time. Everything about her was classy.
DH and I took no pictures. We just headed back to Mesquite to get some sleep and then headed home the next day.
It was a great break from everyday life.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Woo Hoo!
Back from a trip with DH to see Celine Dion. I'm actually all caught up on the Chaoseveryday blog. I'm so happy to have those pics done. Now if I can just keep myself from taking any pictures for a few days.
More to come for this blog. I need to write about music camp and sitting next to Celine's #1 fan. (And I don't mean DH. It was some random guy next to me.) Hopefully the week will be good to me and I can get around to finishing all that up.
More to come for this blog. I need to write about music camp and sitting next to Celine's #1 fan. (And I don't mean DH. It was some random guy next to me.) Hopefully the week will be good to me and I can get around to finishing all that up.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Confessions of a Not So Great Pageant Mom
So I believe I mentioned that M wanted to do the first ever little miss pageant in our town. I wasn't too keen on her doing it just because that isn't really our thing. We are practical every day people and not the pageant type. Some of our best friends, however, are delightful pageant people. My good friend is one of the premier pageant people in our state. She is amazing. Her kids are natural pageant kids. Not only are they gorgeous, they are also super confident and have been working on developing talents.
We have this pageant and on the last day of sign ups M decides she wants to do it. I go down and pay the fee and kind of forget about it. I take M to a couple of workshops and she has a bunch of fun. I found her a talent dress on super clearance at Dillards and we cut her violin piece down to the required time. That was the extent of our preparation. To me, the talent portion is the most important part because it requires years of work and I saw no need more M to practice more than she already does. Not many kids her age practice for an hour or more a day on an instrument.
The night before the pageant M decides she is wearing her old Easter dress (from TWO years ago). (See previous blog!) I still wanted her to wear her sparkly dress that actually fit when we left. I took her down for her interview and realized we forgot her violin of all things. What kind of mom forgets the instrument? That's right, a mom who just isn't good at the pageant thing. When we arrived I knew this wasn't going to be our thing. I wanted M to still be a kid. For heavens sakes, she hasn't even lost all of her teeth yet. I didn't want her fake eyelashes on her or heavy makeup. For dance, it is one thing. It's a costume. To me she was representing herself and I didn't want her playing the part of someone else. We put a little makeup on her and she did her thing. I had asked her on the way there if she would be bummed if she didn't win. She looked at me incredulously and told me she didn't want to win. "I don't want to ride on a float mom." That's my kid. We aren't attention seekers by nature and this pageant wasn't changing anything for my kiddo.
All the girls did their little intro dance and I could see her counting it out. She doesn't do that for classical ballet but when she is out of her element she is a counter. Still, I thought she looked so cute and so, well, her age. A lot of the girls had really high heels on and fancy shmancy this and that but no my girl. the poor kid probably did need new shoes as hers were hand me downs and too small. But she didn't complain. They had a little one inch heel. I could tell she liked the glamorous shoes but she didn't complain one bit.
The talent portion came and I only watched a few. I saw the rest the night before. She was great. I know I am her mom and all, but really if you ask any of my friends, they will tell you I am usually quite unbiased. But my M was really good. She had one of the strongest talents there. But once again, it wasn't flashy and there wasn't a real music type of judge.
She went back and changed into her 'partywear' and didn't change her mind. Just about every kid had on super fancy clothes. My M didn't let that change her mind. She just wanted to be herself. She had to be escorted out by a 16 year old boy and you could tell she didn't quite know what to do about that. Then she stood there for just a minute like a small girl before she gained her composure. It was perfect. DH was so glad she did this. He said he didn't want to see her come out and strut across the stage. She came out and was herself. She looked lovely and young. She was modest and classy without being overly glamorous. I decided she made the right choice in dresses.
When it came time to announce the winners I thought she might have a chance at being in the royalty or whatever it is called. Her talent was so strong. The winners were announced and it came down to the winner and she and her best friend were left. I knew her best friend would win because she was fabulous at the pageant thing. She was well prepared, had the look, the walk, and the confidence. I watched M to see how she would handle it. I was worried she might be sad.
Instead of being sad when they didn't read her name, she got the most ginormous smile. She was so incredibly thrilled for her best buddy. It's like it didn't cross her mind that she didn't win. I told DH that had M placed, I might not have gotten a chance to see such a genuine reaction. It was the best gift of the pageant for me.
I left feeling like I had the most awesome kid in the world. She might be a little stinker occasionally, but I know she is well grounded. I don't think I need to worry nearly as much that she will be a follower as she hits her teenage years. She's just a genuine and selfless kid. In the script there was a part thanking the parents telling them this is a pay day moment to see their kids on stage. The pay day moment for me came at the very end.
I think we are doing something right. It's such hard work raising these kids. M's not terribly difficult, but overall, just about every day is a struggle. We work so hard to instill good values and to teach them that when they do what is right, they can feel happy inside. My baby M, who is not so much of a baby anymore, showed me it's working. She did her best, made good choices, and felt great.
I asked her on the way home if she was done with the pageant thing. (I was sort of hoping not winning would do that to her.) No way! She said it was so fun and she wanted to do it again. UGH!
I love that kid.
We have this pageant and on the last day of sign ups M decides she wants to do it. I go down and pay the fee and kind of forget about it. I take M to a couple of workshops and she has a bunch of fun. I found her a talent dress on super clearance at Dillards and we cut her violin piece down to the required time. That was the extent of our preparation. To me, the talent portion is the most important part because it requires years of work and I saw no need more M to practice more than she already does. Not many kids her age practice for an hour or more a day on an instrument.
The night before the pageant M decides she is wearing her old Easter dress (from TWO years ago). (See previous blog!) I still wanted her to wear her sparkly dress that actually fit when we left. I took her down for her interview and realized we forgot her violin of all things. What kind of mom forgets the instrument? That's right, a mom who just isn't good at the pageant thing. When we arrived I knew this wasn't going to be our thing. I wanted M to still be a kid. For heavens sakes, she hasn't even lost all of her teeth yet. I didn't want her fake eyelashes on her or heavy makeup. For dance, it is one thing. It's a costume. To me she was representing herself and I didn't want her playing the part of someone else. We put a little makeup on her and she did her thing. I had asked her on the way there if she would be bummed if she didn't win. She looked at me incredulously and told me she didn't want to win. "I don't want to ride on a float mom." That's my kid. We aren't attention seekers by nature and this pageant wasn't changing anything for my kiddo.
All the girls did their little intro dance and I could see her counting it out. She doesn't do that for classical ballet but when she is out of her element she is a counter. Still, I thought she looked so cute and so, well, her age. A lot of the girls had really high heels on and fancy shmancy this and that but no my girl. the poor kid probably did need new shoes as hers were hand me downs and too small. But she didn't complain. They had a little one inch heel. I could tell she liked the glamorous shoes but she didn't complain one bit.
The talent portion came and I only watched a few. I saw the rest the night before. She was great. I know I am her mom and all, but really if you ask any of my friends, they will tell you I am usually quite unbiased. But my M was really good. She had one of the strongest talents there. But once again, it wasn't flashy and there wasn't a real music type of judge.
She went back and changed into her 'partywear' and didn't change her mind. Just about every kid had on super fancy clothes. My M didn't let that change her mind. She just wanted to be herself. She had to be escorted out by a 16 year old boy and you could tell she didn't quite know what to do about that. Then she stood there for just a minute like a small girl before she gained her composure. It was perfect. DH was so glad she did this. He said he didn't want to see her come out and strut across the stage. She came out and was herself. She looked lovely and young. She was modest and classy without being overly glamorous. I decided she made the right choice in dresses.
When it came time to announce the winners I thought she might have a chance at being in the royalty or whatever it is called. Her talent was so strong. The winners were announced and it came down to the winner and she and her best friend were left. I knew her best friend would win because she was fabulous at the pageant thing. She was well prepared, had the look, the walk, and the confidence. I watched M to see how she would handle it. I was worried she might be sad.
Instead of being sad when they didn't read her name, she got the most ginormous smile. She was so incredibly thrilled for her best buddy. It's like it didn't cross her mind that she didn't win. I told DH that had M placed, I might not have gotten a chance to see such a genuine reaction. It was the best gift of the pageant for me.
I left feeling like I had the most awesome kid in the world. She might be a little stinker occasionally, but I know she is well grounded. I don't think I need to worry nearly as much that she will be a follower as she hits her teenage years. She's just a genuine and selfless kid. In the script there was a part thanking the parents telling them this is a pay day moment to see their kids on stage. The pay day moment for me came at the very end.
I think we are doing something right. It's such hard work raising these kids. M's not terribly difficult, but overall, just about every day is a struggle. We work so hard to instill good values and to teach them that when they do what is right, they can feel happy inside. My baby M, who is not so much of a baby anymore, showed me it's working. She did her best, made good choices, and felt great.
I asked her on the way home if she was done with the pageant thing. (I was sort of hoping not winning would do that to her.) No way! She said it was so fun and she wanted to do it again. UGH!
I love that kid.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Almost another month
Things have changed in the last month. The major change is that the kids are out of school. This makes a HUGE difference. I think they like it for the most part. They aren't thrilled with the extra chore everyday. They also would most likely find less than loving words about their mom schoolwork. But heck kids, this is my chance to help mold you more.
It finally stopped snowing here. I'm so glad. Seeing fresh snow at the end of May was CRAZY. One ski resort is saying it will be open for July 4th. My garden is most likely going to be less than stellar due to the cold weather. But we'll live :)
My dad is visiting right now. My cousin died in a small plane crash last week. My father came up for the funeral. Actually, he didn't go to the funeral. He went to the viewing and the grave services. It was a crazy thing as my father's family isn't super close. None of my father's siblings except his brother (my cousin's dad) were at the funeral. I guess some of them went to the viewing the night before. So my family goes and instead of sitting with the family like we usually do at funerals, we sit at the back, near the back row of a very huge service. I look to my left and I think, "I swear that lady is my cousin." I didn't have the guts to say, "Hey, are you my cousin?" So instead I wondered for the whole funeral. Then, I looked her up on facebook. I was right. I guess she must have felt a little uncomfortable too. It's unfortunate because I remember good times with my cousin as a kid. He was born less than two months after me and was my closest cousin on my dad's side. It was horribly sad watching his wife take his three small children to the casket to say goodbye at the grave.
So it go me to thinking a bit. I'm so not ever going to trust statistics. How many people have their family member killed in a plane crash? (Okay... so maybe more than you think...) How many people have had someone try to kidnap them (that was me... but it's a story for another day)? How many people have lived a couple of streets away from and have known an 11 year old kid who was kidnapped and never returned? How many people have two babies that are stillborn from different things? How many people have a great friend who survived an amniotic fluid embolism (this may be the rarest of things)? And the list goes on.... It's why I never believe people when they say things can't happen or won't most likely happen. I'm wondering if I am more aware of this just because I am a bit of a control freak by nature.... No missy, you are really NOT in control.
Next week is super busy. DH originally took the week off work so I could be somewhere with Miss M. And then he found out that court time (not for him... more as a witness) trumped vacation. So I have been busy finding sitters for the times I need.
T had a swim meet today. It wasn't his finest. I don't care if it's June. It's still cold when it's 50 something degrees outside. He was about to shiver out of his jammers while up on the blocks.
M is in a pageant this weekend. It's killing me. I don't want to be a pageant mom. I didn't really buy a bunch of stuff for it. I just figured she would use what she had. I found out tonight, however, that we had a little misunderstanding. I assumed she would wear her Christmas dress. She wanted to wear her Easter dress form two years ago. It's her pageant and if she wants to wear a dress that is too small then so be it. I had to smile when she said she didn't need sparkles like all of the other girls. She just wants to be her. How can I blame her on that one. She is such an awesome kid. She doesn't care what anyone else thinks. We went to her tech rehearsal tonight and I snuck a peak of her in the wings. She was giggling away with her friends. It made my day to see her so happy.
Today was also busy because I helped sort things for a yard sale fundraiser. Boy oh boy, over 4 hours of sun is a lot on the arms. I am officially toasted!
Lastly, tomorrow is my anniversary. 18 years have passed and we are still together. We are passing on the gifts as we had to buy a new washer just last night. A new front loader is coming my way.
There's more to say but I am too tired to do it. I've got to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be really busy.
It finally stopped snowing here. I'm so glad. Seeing fresh snow at the end of May was CRAZY. One ski resort is saying it will be open for July 4th. My garden is most likely going to be less than stellar due to the cold weather. But we'll live :)
My dad is visiting right now. My cousin died in a small plane crash last week. My father came up for the funeral. Actually, he didn't go to the funeral. He went to the viewing and the grave services. It was a crazy thing as my father's family isn't super close. None of my father's siblings except his brother (my cousin's dad) were at the funeral. I guess some of them went to the viewing the night before. So my family goes and instead of sitting with the family like we usually do at funerals, we sit at the back, near the back row of a very huge service. I look to my left and I think, "I swear that lady is my cousin." I didn't have the guts to say, "Hey, are you my cousin?" So instead I wondered for the whole funeral. Then, I looked her up on facebook. I was right. I guess she must have felt a little uncomfortable too. It's unfortunate because I remember good times with my cousin as a kid. He was born less than two months after me and was my closest cousin on my dad's side. It was horribly sad watching his wife take his three small children to the casket to say goodbye at the grave.
So it go me to thinking a bit. I'm so not ever going to trust statistics. How many people have their family member killed in a plane crash? (Okay... so maybe more than you think...) How many people have had someone try to kidnap them (that was me... but it's a story for another day)? How many people have lived a couple of streets away from and have known an 11 year old kid who was kidnapped and never returned? How many people have two babies that are stillborn from different things? How many people have a great friend who survived an amniotic fluid embolism (this may be the rarest of things)? And the list goes on.... It's why I never believe people when they say things can't happen or won't most likely happen. I'm wondering if I am more aware of this just because I am a bit of a control freak by nature.... No missy, you are really NOT in control.
Next week is super busy. DH originally took the week off work so I could be somewhere with Miss M. And then he found out that court time (not for him... more as a witness) trumped vacation. So I have been busy finding sitters for the times I need.
T had a swim meet today. It wasn't his finest. I don't care if it's June. It's still cold when it's 50 something degrees outside. He was about to shiver out of his jammers while up on the blocks.
M is in a pageant this weekend. It's killing me. I don't want to be a pageant mom. I didn't really buy a bunch of stuff for it. I just figured she would use what she had. I found out tonight, however, that we had a little misunderstanding. I assumed she would wear her Christmas dress. She wanted to wear her Easter dress form two years ago. It's her pageant and if she wants to wear a dress that is too small then so be it. I had to smile when she said she didn't need sparkles like all of the other girls. She just wants to be her. How can I blame her on that one. She is such an awesome kid. She doesn't care what anyone else thinks. We went to her tech rehearsal tonight and I snuck a peak of her in the wings. She was giggling away with her friends. It made my day to see her so happy.
Today was also busy because I helped sort things for a yard sale fundraiser. Boy oh boy, over 4 hours of sun is a lot on the arms. I am officially toasted!
Lastly, tomorrow is my anniversary. 18 years have passed and we are still together. We are passing on the gifts as we had to buy a new washer just last night. A new front loader is coming my way.
There's more to say but I am too tired to do it. I've got to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be really busy.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wowsers it has been a long time.....
I'm not feeling too bad since I am only a week or two behind on the picture blog. Still, I have missed out on just about everything here.
So where to start. Our sweet dog did die. We had to have her put down the day after Easter. It was a sad time in our casa. She was my little pup when we had Niko. And for that first year after we had him, she was my bambina. It was bizarre because it seemed like S had no emotions about the whole thing. Then, I found out she hand sanitized a girl's hair at school that day. The good news is that maybe she did have some deep emotions about having our dog die. The bad news is that smothering someone's hair in hand sanitizer isn't the best way to deal with it.
May has been busy busy busy. It seems like I am at the school so many times each week. I'll try to give a quick run down for each kid.
M had her year end performance for dance. It was her first time doing a lift with the boys. I decided I need to give her more credit. She did such a good job. Her pointe work was much more solid as well. She then got some bad virus and was out of commission for some time. She had the city track meet and a 5th grade talent show. I was so pleased with her. I was nervous for her. They placed her last and the 5th graders were getting antsy. There was a lot of wiggling and chit chatting. Then she started playing and that ALL stopped. Why would a bunch of 5th graders stop that for a Seitz concerto? I don't know, but they did! And after they clapped so loudly for her. See kiddo, it often does pay off when you work really hard all the time. Now it's the Shostokovich she has to learn in the next few weeks....
T had a swim meet. The good news was that he finally didn't get DQ'd on breaststroke. (One time he made it through on that stroke but they missed dq'ing him.) The day that DH took him though he dove in for his 50 Fly and forgot which stroke he was doing. Oops! He did a minute to win it type of game for his class business. I guess the kids all wanted to do office tennis and so instead of bringing home the Oreos, he just snacked on them the entire hour. He pretty much ate an entire package. He had his talent show as well. So many people came up and mentioned their surprise that T could play like that. He recently bought a coonskin cap and has been wearing it everywhere. T had a track meet for school. He made the relay team, but then the relay team was last. The tall gangly kids didn't seem to be the best runners.
D has been busy. He has two birthday parties this weekend. He's been a little antsy about things lately. We had a bit of a disaster. His framed picture of him when he was little (came in the frame with him from Texas) fell off his dresser and broke. What I didn't realize was that this picture had been wet before. So when he went to take the picture out it started tearing. He was heartbroken. I didn't even think that it could have happened. The box of pictures I saw in Texas had quite a few wet stuck together ones. I just didn't think about the frame. Anyway, we have photographed it with the broken stuck glass on top and put the special picture in a box so he can keep it, broken glass and all forever.
S is doing better. She got this picture of Jesus on Easter at church and decided to start carrying it everywhere. She seemed to do better. We lost the picture and she was worried she couldn't be good and so I told her to just make the picture be in her memory. So far so good. She's still wanting to blow up often, but she's really trying to control it. Go S! She had K graduation today. She concentrated so hard during the program. She said she's so excited to spend time with me now that school is out. I guess I'm moving up in the world.
C has been a little miss grouchy pants today. But I have to cut her some slack as she has a cold and a double ear infection. She has been funny lately. She likes the word random and will talk about wanting to speak or wave at random people. She said she wished she had a carpool she could do that. She also has surprised me with her learning. The other day she heard the word truck and said something to the effect of , "Hmm... does that end with a k or ck? It ends with a ck." Who taught her that? Today we were heading to the school with the kids and all of a sudden I hear violin playing in the car. She had her instrument in the backseat because she hadn't practiced that morning. What a little turkey!
As for the grown ups.... DH survived the huge layoffs at his company. So all is well for us, but not for some of the people he knows. He's taking a hunter safety course and kind of feels dorky because he's pretty much the oldest person taking the course. He's been biking as he still has injured toes. He got his spot in his marathon but can't run for now. The thing to remember is to not run really steep long hills for workouts or you might wreck your toes. He's hoping he can start running again soon.
I have not been running. How did I get up to 14 miles at a time last year and then not want to leave my house this year. Maybe it's the cruddy weather. I don't know. I just can't get up at 5 something every morning. (Or hmmm... maybe it's that I do things like blog in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping.) Not much to report on the me front. May is the taxi month for moms... so many things to get to. Oh I started working on organizing my cold storage room. Boy does it need work. I've got to tell myself to not buy a single toothpaste that isn't free. I have more than a year supply of the stuff.
The weather is cold cold and colder. The snow is halfway down the mountains today. We put our garden in. I wonder if anything will live. If not, I'll just replant. I'm hoping for the best.
So where to start. Our sweet dog did die. We had to have her put down the day after Easter. It was a sad time in our casa. She was my little pup when we had Niko. And for that first year after we had him, she was my bambina. It was bizarre because it seemed like S had no emotions about the whole thing. Then, I found out she hand sanitized a girl's hair at school that day. The good news is that maybe she did have some deep emotions about having our dog die. The bad news is that smothering someone's hair in hand sanitizer isn't the best way to deal with it.
May has been busy busy busy. It seems like I am at the school so many times each week. I'll try to give a quick run down for each kid.
M had her year end performance for dance. It was her first time doing a lift with the boys. I decided I need to give her more credit. She did such a good job. Her pointe work was much more solid as well. She then got some bad virus and was out of commission for some time. She had the city track meet and a 5th grade talent show. I was so pleased with her. I was nervous for her. They placed her last and the 5th graders were getting antsy. There was a lot of wiggling and chit chatting. Then she started playing and that ALL stopped. Why would a bunch of 5th graders stop that for a Seitz concerto? I don't know, but they did! And after they clapped so loudly for her. See kiddo, it often does pay off when you work really hard all the time. Now it's the Shostokovich she has to learn in the next few weeks....
T had a swim meet. The good news was that he finally didn't get DQ'd on breaststroke. (One time he made it through on that stroke but they missed dq'ing him.) The day that DH took him though he dove in for his 50 Fly and forgot which stroke he was doing. Oops! He did a minute to win it type of game for his class business. I guess the kids all wanted to do office tennis and so instead of bringing home the Oreos, he just snacked on them the entire hour. He pretty much ate an entire package. He had his talent show as well. So many people came up and mentioned their surprise that T could play like that. He recently bought a coonskin cap and has been wearing it everywhere. T had a track meet for school. He made the relay team, but then the relay team was last. The tall gangly kids didn't seem to be the best runners.
D has been busy. He has two birthday parties this weekend. He's been a little antsy about things lately. We had a bit of a disaster. His framed picture of him when he was little (came in the frame with him from Texas) fell off his dresser and broke. What I didn't realize was that this picture had been wet before. So when he went to take the picture out it started tearing. He was heartbroken. I didn't even think that it could have happened. The box of pictures I saw in Texas had quite a few wet stuck together ones. I just didn't think about the frame. Anyway, we have photographed it with the broken stuck glass on top and put the special picture in a box so he can keep it, broken glass and all forever.
S is doing better. She got this picture of Jesus on Easter at church and decided to start carrying it everywhere. She seemed to do better. We lost the picture and she was worried she couldn't be good and so I told her to just make the picture be in her memory. So far so good. She's still wanting to blow up often, but she's really trying to control it. Go S! She had K graduation today. She concentrated so hard during the program. She said she's so excited to spend time with me now that school is out. I guess I'm moving up in the world.
C has been a little miss grouchy pants today. But I have to cut her some slack as she has a cold and a double ear infection. She has been funny lately. She likes the word random and will talk about wanting to speak or wave at random people. She said she wished she had a carpool she could do that. She also has surprised me with her learning. The other day she heard the word truck and said something to the effect of , "Hmm... does that end with a k or ck? It ends with a ck." Who taught her that? Today we were heading to the school with the kids and all of a sudden I hear violin playing in the car. She had her instrument in the backseat because she hadn't practiced that morning. What a little turkey!
As for the grown ups.... DH survived the huge layoffs at his company. So all is well for us, but not for some of the people he knows. He's taking a hunter safety course and kind of feels dorky because he's pretty much the oldest person taking the course. He's been biking as he still has injured toes. He got his spot in his marathon but can't run for now. The thing to remember is to not run really steep long hills for workouts or you might wreck your toes. He's hoping he can start running again soon.
I have not been running. How did I get up to 14 miles at a time last year and then not want to leave my house this year. Maybe it's the cruddy weather. I don't know. I just can't get up at 5 something every morning. (Or hmmm... maybe it's that I do things like blog in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping.) Not much to report on the me front. May is the taxi month for moms... so many things to get to. Oh I started working on organizing my cold storage room. Boy does it need work. I've got to tell myself to not buy a single toothpaste that isn't free. I have more than a year supply of the stuff.
The weather is cold cold and colder. The snow is halfway down the mountains today. We put our garden in. I wonder if anything will live. If not, I'll just replant. I'm hoping for the best.
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