The Dinner Table

I've been told I'm old fashioned because I think it's important to sit around the dinner table and talk.  Been told on more than one occasion "there is NO way you did that when you were busy with sports and dance". 

I'm here to tell you we did.  A single working Mom with 2 extremely busy kids ate around a table at least 4 days per week. It wasn't always a real meal, it wasn't always at "dinner" time.  Depending on the day, it was fast food, PB&J or cereal but we sat together because I think it's important.  I was raised that way and it's a tradition I think is important.

But here was the problem.  One adult, two kids "sat" together and that wasn't working for me so I started the tradition of telling three things from our day around the dinner table.  Three things since the kids were old enough to talk.  You were allowed (encouraged) to ask questions of the "thing" or like a lot of times they were stated one by one around the table until 3 had been shared.  One might say what they had for lunch, one might tell how they did on an assignment, Mom might tell you about the sale on cereal at the store and why we now have 8 boxes of cheerios;)  Everyone who sat at our table had to indulge me with their three things.

Flash forward to the college years.  I am a firm believer that you fill your child's tool box and you let them go into the world and do their thing.  At first I left them alone because I didn't want my sadness to leak out into my voice and/or make them home sick.  Then it kind of became the norm: texting and phone calls here and there, love you boxes of their favorites mailed to let them know I was thinking about them, lots of hugs when they came home.  I knew they were busy with their new routine and their respective sports so I let them be busy.  And, then one Sunday night when I was missing them extra I decided to text 3 things and to my surprise they both "replied all" with their 3 things.  Hearts and thumbs up attached to messages and all felt right in the world again.  We now share three things from our week on Sunday night. 

Traditions don't have to be done in the exact same way to continue.  Make them your own, make them work for you but please make them!

Miss Claire

Claire also had a pretty awesome accomplishment.  She made the ELITE kick and jazz teams for her dance studio!!  She is one of 3 freshman who made the high school team and she's doing amazing!

I have watched her work her butt off for the last year with that particular goal in mind.  Practicing twice a week with her dance team and then coming home and practicing more.  Practicing hours every single night on her turns, her jumps, her routines.  Stretching, stretching and stretching more to get her splits.  Tons of kicks to get the height she needed and the stamina to blow through a routine with a smile on her face and not breaking a sweat.

She is graceful, she is poised, she is confident and she is beautiful to watch.  When she is doing her lyrical routines I have wiped more than one tear from my face.

The funny thing about Claire is she has tried a lot of things.  Baseball, soccer, ice skating, acting, singing and dancing.  She did it, she enjoyed it and I'd ask, "do you want to do it again" and she'd shrug and say "sure" most of the time.  Dance took a turn for her when she was old enough to compete.  She was always a good dancer but she didn't seem to have that drive to win.  I told her that if she didn't want to win and wasn't willing to leave it all on the dance floor that she was letting her team down because you are judged by your worst dancer and if you aren't giving 110%, you are the worst dancer in my opinion no matter how well you dance.  The light bulb turned on and a competitive dancer was born.  She brings everything to every performance and has a lot of ribbons to show for it.

This year starts a whole new level and the next four years are going to be a wild ride but this girlie is buckled up and ready!

November

The month to be thankful.  I've never participated in the "30 days of Thankful" and I don't intend to start now but since I have missed blogging about a bunch of things, I will catch up on a few that I've been thankful for over the past few months.

The first being this...

Max finished 3rd for the entire triathlon, that's what the 3 fingers are about.

My kids participated again in the Miracles of Mitch triathlon in August and raised over $1000 for kids fighting cancer.  But this year it hit a little closer to home because a family friend's 14 year-old son was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in May.  Brenden has been a complete ROCK STAR.  He has undergone surgery that removed part of his femur and replaced it with a metal rod.  He has had 9 chemo treatments and has 9 more to go.  He has been working through this, working through the crap of having cancer with a positive attitude and I am beyond impressed. 

I am always humbled when I stand watching the kids race but this year it meant a little more.  Unfortunately, my kids have run for friends of friends or I ran into someone I knew from high school last year whose child had cancer.  But this year, this year we knew Brenden.  How can a healthy kid who was playing baseball the day before find out he has cancer?  A fall, a limp, a routine check up and the doctor says that horrible word.  It's when things like this happen that you step back and say a little thank you that your child is healthy.  I am thankful that my children can do something positive and I'm SO proud of them for doing it year after year.

Daddy Daughter Dance

Craig has taken Claire to Daddy Daughter Dances a few times at church and they always came home with smiles.  But today was something a little more fun.  Craig PARTICIPATED IN a dance at Claire's spring show.  They had a couple hour practice on Saturday, a dress rehearsal on Sunday before the show and then the big performance (two actually because we have two shows).

Craig was SUPER nervous.  This is SO far out of his comfort zone that I actually felt a little bad for him.  I was also more than a little jealous, because he got to have that "I'll never forget when.." moment with Claire.  But that jealousy quickly vanished as I snapped photos (soon to come) and saw them completely enjoying the moment and having a BLAST together. 

Here's the performance.  Craig did a great job and he didn't drop her, which was a little bit of a concern;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLac8Dg1BQM&feature=youtu.be

Easter Cupcakes

We had a few desserts for Easter.  Claire was in charge of cupcakes.  She did another awesome job:)

Tiger Cupcakes

I have to admit.  I think Claire is a chip of the ole block;)  BUT she's much more creative than I am.  She made these cute tiger cupcakes to kick off spirit week at her school.  She made the cake orange, white and black and used orange chocolate melts from Michael's cut in half for the ears.  FUN!

 

Ash Wednesday

I just got back from Ash Wednesday services at our church.  I use the term "our" loosely because although I became a member so my children could get baptized and confirmed there, I don't feel embraced by the experience.  It's not because our church isn't welcoming, they are.  They are accepting of "my" involvement as limited as it may be.  I just feel like an outsider on nights like tonight because it's not something I can fully accept into my life.  When everyone and I do mean EVERYone goes up for communion and I stay in the pew, I feel a little out of place.

I was raised with a sense of self and a more spiritual attitude.  My Dad believed in the Native ways of spirits guiding you and my Mom believed in the more traditional sense of God and what he represents.  My Dad who didn't make a hard stand on much when it came to our upbringing, took a stand that it would be our choice to pick which route we wanted.  My Dad randomly spoke of different things.  My Mom sang Amazing Grace to all of us and other hymns.  I knew who God was, I just never had any formal teachings.  It wasn't something that bothered me much until 4th grade when one of my friend's moms asked me where I went to church, they were Catholic.  I told her I didn't.  She asked if I was baptized, I told her I wasn't.  That was the last time I was asked to stay at their house.  She told me in school that she wasn't allowed to hang around with me anymore because God wasn't in my life and she really didn't speak to me again.  I couldn't put into words my exact feelings at the time but now I can say it, I was sincerely hurt by the experience.

I attended church fairly regularly with my friend Julie's family through middle school and I can honestly say I took little from the experience other than it was something I did if I wanted to sleep over on Saturday night, I didn't think I was a better person for going and they never judged me, they simply let me tag along and exposed me to something different and I appreciate now because it gave me a positive experience with church.  I remember sitting through brunch after and her Dad asking about how we interrupted the sermon.  I  thought it was kind of silly at the time but now realize he was just helping us figure out what the words really meant in a real life experience and I thank him for that because he made sense of it for me.

But it happened again in high school with my first boyfriend's parents.  Why wasn't I baptized, why didn't I go to church?  That time I was angry that not only myself but my family was being judged.  That we were somehow not good people because we didn't attend church on holidays, what both of those families had in common.  They weren't regular church goers, they were hypocrites is what they were.

So when my children started asking questions about God when they were little and both their Dad and I gave different answers, I decided to bring them somewhere that would give them information and they could decide for themselves and I dropped them off, grabbed a bagel up the street and picked them up 40 minutes later because I still had no interest in organized religion.  But that relationship has been over 11 years now.  I have done some volunteering during those years but my children have attended Sunday school regularly, Claire sang in the choir, took junior high classes, were baptized, had first communion, Max was confirmed and still chooses to attend and Claire is in the final weeks of confirmation.  My children feel a sense of comfort there, I can especially tell with Max and that makes me happy.  Another place, another option that can help them through tough times or simply lighten their load.

But I don't take communion, although I am welcome to.  I don't take it because they put in the work, learned the scriptures and read the bible and are entitled to have that reward so to speak.  I'm not going to be a hypocrite and stand next to them and do it when I haven't invested myself completely like they have.  So instead I sit there and watch them and my feelings of discomfort are erased by a feeling that I gave them a sense of self too and I'm proud of that.  I'm proud of them.

Competition Season

Got off to a great start.  Claire's team placed 1st in Jazz and 2nd in Lyrical and Kick.  It was especially sweet because the "practice" show the weekend before was a little rough.

Started out the day finding her face on the van:)

 Having a blast dancing jazz!

 Lyrical is my favorite

 Kick

 A happy dancer at the end of the day!

She's famous!

Well maybe not famous BUT...

We heard a rumor a month ago that Claire's face was on the side of a Just For Kix van.  It was a picture that made it into a few dancing catalogs and the director's materials.  We were pretty excited for both of those things but to receive this photo from a friend who saw it, REALLY brought out her smile.  This was her final pose two years ago when she was done dancing to Captain Jack at a competition.  Smiling at the judges and making her Daddy proud with her proper military salute.  Competition season starts in March and we're hoping to run into this van so we can take her photo next to it.

Outback Bowl

Claire got to be part of something pretty amazing on New Year's Day.  She danced in the Outback Bowl in Tampa with 369 other girls representing 13 states.  They danced both pre-game in the POURING rain and half-time for a total of 12 minutes and they were AWESOME!

It was a looong 8 months of fundraising to help get her there.  She sold flowers, pizzas, Tastefully Simple and pies.  Worked at Culver's.  Made cupcakes for a bake sale and craft sale as well as other random ones, I've honestly blocked all the details from my memory.

She had to learn the Grease themed dances from youtube videos and a couple of practices her director threw in to help them out.  They had to know the dances when they got there because they only had 15 hours to coordinate 370 dancers into formations once they got to Tampa.  Nerves were on edge for a bit, but she practiced her butt off and was ready when we got there.

I was more than a little nervous about the whole thing because it was 6 days of being completely scheduled.  Scheduled without any input and that worried me since I don't have a prescription for Xanax;)  But, BUT, we had fun at Clearwater Beach, Busch Gardens, a cruise for New Year's Eve, the game and DisneyWorld ..it all turned out great even though we had our moments of monsoon type rain storms.

I watched the entire thing unfold with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes at times because I was SO proud of what she accomplished.  My baby girl has grown up.  She had her moment to be part of something spectacular!  I wish the networks that televise the football games would realize that the half-time performers DESERVE to be seen.  That the 2000+ performers work their butts off and just because they aren't wearing a football jersey doesn't mean that stats and commercials are more important to televise!  But we have the DVD coming and we'll have the memory to savor with a viewing party for our friends and family.

The added bonus?  Iowa played LSU.  LSU is a team my Dad and family hold near and dear to their heart because my Dad was born in Louisiana!  It was my little tap on the shoulder that Papa was watching and cheering loudly and I'm sure he had a little bit to do with the rain letting up for the big performance since it started raining again as soon as it was done:)

Here's a few of the photos of the trip.

 Clearwater Beach.  It was POURING but the girls made the best of it.

Last night

Winter Show

 

The winter show was a little early this year but the girls were ready for it.  I noticed while posting these photos that Claire needs her dance pants let down!!  She's grown a few inches this year.  The child who I thought would never see 5 feet is now 5'2" and she's a happy girl. 

Here she is doing her thing and doing it with a smile.

And, here she is posing for her favorite picture of the day...with Alivia!

Over The Rainbow Cupcakes

Claire's dance group had a bake sale to raise money for her trip to the Outback Bowl.  She was so excited when she saw something similar to these on the internet.

We went to the store and found Airhead Extremes.  2 packages was plenty with a few extra pieces to eat:)

Next up, a white cake mix made with milk instead of water, a couple teaspoons of vanilla and blue food coloring for the "cloud" cake.

Frost with blue buttercream.  Put white buttercream in a piping bag.  We used a large circle writing tip to make the clouds on either side of the cupcake.  Shape airhead into rainbow and TA DA!  Instant sell out!!  Claire's cupcakes were the first to sell out and people were asking for more! 

NICE JOB GIRLIE!!

Candy Corn Cupcakes

Ok, so I know I've said that I don't think Claire takes after me but maybe she does just a little bit.  She volunteered to make cupcakes for her Spanish class but she wanted them to be "fun".  She made a regular white cake mix according to the directions except using milk instead of water.  Split the batter between two bowls, one having slightly more.  She colored the "more" batch orange and the other one yellow.

Spoon about a tablespoon of yellow into bottom of cupcake liner, put 2 more tablespoons of orange.  Bake, cool and frost with white icing.  Top with a candy corn.

  It's hard to see in this photo but the bottom of the cake really is yellow and the top orange.

 Share with your friends!!

First Day of School

Just a little bit late;)  The kids will be finishing their second week today.

Max started his sophomore year and he says he is going to work very hard on his grades this year.  His driver's license is tied to his GPA and right now it's not where it should be.  Silly boy didn't think I "meant" it when I stated that rule.  Always being consistent and truthful with my children apparently escapes their memory on occasion.  BUT...I've actually seen homework being done so I'm pretty optomistic he is taking me seriously now. 

I drive him to his bus stop since it's close to my work and he stepped out and stood there waiting for me.  He apparently remembers that no matter how old he is, he WILL pose for a first day of school photo:) 

 

Miss Claire had her first LAST day of middle school.  Alanna filled in again as photo Mom for the morning since I had to work.  She's excited to be the oldest in school and looking forward to what the year brings.  She is taking Spanish this year so we'll see what she retained from her first 4 years only being taught in Spanish.  She has also been hitting the books afterschool and that makes me happy.  Can't deny it, my baby girl is growing up.

 



Miracles of Mitch

It’s a day that the kids look forward to all summer.  It’s a day when we thank our blessings and puts a little balance in our lives.  As I sat waiting for the race to start, I looked up and saw a friend from high school.  I smiled and asked if it was his kids first year and he kept smiling and said, “Yes, as an All-Star and he’s so excited”.  All-Stars are the children that my kids are running for.  All-Stars are the kids who have cancer.  All-Stars get recognition on stage and pass out the medals.  When Brody came walking in with the All-Stars, smiling from ear to ear, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling and I was completely humbled.  We just got a reality check that proved how precious life is and Max and Claire along with 700 other kids are making a difference. 

Here's a few pictures from the day.

Bright and Early...Nah, they didn't have to be there until 9;)

 Claire finding a seat with her age group

 Max waiting for a seat

 Brody is 2nd from the left

 Just got done swimming and transitioning to the bikes

 DONE!!

 BONUS this year...Madison, Jordan and Aliva came with Mom and Dad to cheer them on!!

4th of July

I've been busy enjoying summer and slacking on posts but am trying to catch up.  Claire and Serena danced their way through another 4th of July parade.  The weather was much nicer than last year which made for a happy girl.  It's a highlight of the summer.

Good job girlie!!

Miracles of Mitch

The kids signed up to do the Miracles of Mitch triathlon again this year.  They are running for kids who can't.  When I was pulling up last years photo, I couldn't believe how young they looked.  What a difference a year makes!!

If you'd like to help them reach their goal of raising $1000, please stop by http://events.miraclesofmitch.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1001700&pg=personal&fr_id=1110

Thanks so much:)

Little Things

This would be the snack shelf in my cupboard.  It's not a shelf that I typically touch other than to replace a random item.  It's in the exact middle of a stand up cupboard so it's also not really in my line of vision either.  But something jumped out at me. 

Are you thinking, "What I don't get it??"

Do you see that ziploc bag?!!  That ziploc bag contains cookies that someone opened and tore the packaging so they got a ziploc and put the cookies inside so they wouldn't get stale!!  Someone got a bag out of the drawer and put the cookies in IT!!

The ziploc bag found it's way around those cookies and to my cupboard withOUT any reminders from me!!

My children are listening?!  Can you hear the angels singing?!