In The Mind of A Thirtysomething Mom

All She Wants To Do Is Dance, Dance

   

We had some fun tonight! 

You may remember back in August I posted about M trying out for the Wizards kidz dance team.  Well they've been practicing every Friday night since then preparing for their performances.  Tonight was the first night!

Before the game.  A girl's gotta have sustenance to dance! 

McDonald's is the choice of dancers everywhere.  See, two more from her studio joined us while we were eating.  The matching jackets are required studio gear for those in company.  It wasn't planned.  :)

We dropped the kidlets off at the drop off point where they all got their passes,

and headed down to get ready while we went up to our seats to watch boring basketball warm-ups.

Finally it was the second quarter and their turn to dance.  Our seats were really sucky in that we were on the backside of the court.  I got a video, but if you aren't careful you just might miss M.  I switched to viewing the jumbotron a couple of times b/c it was the only way I could get her from the front while dancing.  She's the teeny tiny one in the front on the mid-court line at the beginning.  Please pardon my screams in the middle of the dance.  It's a mom thing. 

After they danced, we hurried down to pick up our respective children.  They gave them t-shirts they were supposed to wear under the Arenas jersey.  It's a good thing M wore a white shirt to the game b/c she didn't get to wear hers.  Here's why:

Yes it is down to her knees.  Yes that is the smallest size they had.  She's wearing it as a nightshirt instead.  :) 

Thanks for visiting!

The Clock Troll is Here

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

This weekend features the culmination of weeks of dance rehearsals for M.  She has performances of Cinderella both Saturday and Sunday nights.  She has really had a blast learning her part, she is a clock troll, and is looking forward to the performances this weekend.

There was a dress rehearsal Wednesday night and I was able to get a few shots.  Enjoy!

Before leaving the house

In full costume and makeup 

 

 And finally the performance.

Thanks for looking!

P.S.  There's still time to sign up for my Christmas Ornament Exchange!  Click the button below for all the details.

Perfect Timing

This is my second year to homeschool M.  She's in 2nd grade and is eligible for standardized testing through our county.

The homeschool coordinator told me that the testing would be in October and I needed to call the school to get more info.  I contacted the school last month to get the information.  I was told a letter would be coming in the mail giving me all the information I needed.  Cool beans.

Yesterday, this letter came in the mail:

Perfectly normal looking right?  Let's look a little closer shall we.

Notice the date the letter was filled in.  I have it circled for you...

Nice huh?  Did I mention I received this letter yesterday?  Right.  Moving on.  Notice the date the testing was to take place, again circled for your viewing pleasure...

Anyone seeing a problem yet?  Just checking. 

Exhibit 3...

Because evidently eating lunch before 1:30 isn't logical, or required for being prepared for testing.

Exhibit 4...

Well let's see here.  I homeschool, so a parent/teacher conference requires me to talk to myself.  And if I need to discuss my child's instructional progress with anyone, again talking to myself.  Oy I feel the need to schedule a visit to the psychiatrist.

And the final exhibit.  Notice the postmark date on the envelope.

Right, postmarked the day of the test.  That means they sat on this letter for 11 days before mailing it the day I needed to be there for testing.

Maybe homeschooling is a better idea than I thought.

P.S.  I did received a phone call giving me the info for the testing last week, so she did attend.  While I was there though, I took a picture of a horrendous apostrophe catastrophe that I submitted to that website.  I'll let y'all know when it posts. 

3 Down, 1 To Go

Guess I know what someone needs, and will be getting for Christmas.  :)

Behold The Cuteness

You knew they had to be coming.

I present to you, the first day of dance pictures for the 2008-2009 season!

Try not to be blinded by the above cuteness.  :)

Dance, Dance

*Kudos if you know the singer of the song used in today's post title. :)*

As many of you may know by now, my daughter M dances.  A lot.  It can get quite expensive but the joy she gets from it far outweighs the expense.

Sunday was one of those wicked busy dance days.  M and I were out of the house from 12-8 and we both totally crashed soon after we got home.  She had a rehearsal and an audition, both for local sports teams as a junior dancer/cheerleader.

First she had her Redskins rehearsal for the halftime performance they're doing during the game this week.  In July, she attended a dance camp for the Jr. Redskins All-Stars dance team.  During that week they learned two routines that were used as both an audition to join the group and for this week's game performance.  She didn't make the squad, but will happily be dancing during halftime Thursday.

She's the little one on the front row.  :)

After that rehearsal, we literally hauled hiney to D.C. for the audition.  She was trying out for the Jr. Wizards dance team, Capital Kidz, that performs during the Washington Wizards basketball games. 

It was the longest 2 hours of my life!

They started all the dancers in one room to learn a hip hop dance.  It quickly became obvious that the dance was too hard for some of the dancers (mostly smaller with less experience), M being one of them.  They moved about 20 dancers into another room and taught them an easier hip hop dance.

I kept going upstairs and peeking through the window, watching M dance.  I could tell it was tough for her, but I was proud that she was sticking with it.

Taking a break while others dance.

At 7:30 they invited the parents upstairs for the audition results.  We were told that if our child came out of the room, they didn't make the squad.  At this point I started praying I didn't see M.

I watched through the window as girls started heading over to the corner by one of the adults.  From outside the room, we couldn't tell if that was good or not.  I saw M walk over to the corner and I turned to my friend and said:  "She's walking over to Vihky."

Friend:  "Is that good?"

Me:  "I can't tell."  "Wait, they're smiling.  No, they're clapping.  OMG, she made it!"

I started hopping up and down and acting like a loon!  SHE MADE IT!!!!  Woot!  We were invited into the room and given paperwork telling us rehearsal schedules, fees and other pertinent information.

We weren't even out the front door of the building before M was on my phone telling people she'd made it.  She was so excited and proud.

Heck, so am I!

If you happen to be in the D.C. area in the next few months and you catch a Wizards game, be watching for her.  She'll be the little one, dancing her heart out!  :0)

What A Night!

It's 12:15AM Saturday morning and they're all asleep.

If I never hear another high pitched scream it'll be too soon.

At exactly 7PM, there was a knock at the door.  It was like a Filene's Basement wedding dress sale.  The door opened and they flew in.

They were here for half an hour and were already clamoring for snacks. 

I knew then it would be a long night.

By 8 they were already bored.  Geez.

Snacks were served, presents were opened and more playing commenced.

The hair and nail salon opened at about 8:45ish and lasted until after 10.

The hair spray and polish was a hit!  Other than the smell of the spray, they loved it!  FYI, blue & purple show up best on dark hair, green and pink best on lighter hair.  :)

Teeth were brushed and play happened again until K crashed at 11.

Enchanted entertained them until M came in begging to go to sleep.  It was 12:05AM.

It's 12:15AM Saturday morning and they're all asleep.

Finally.

And I'm going to sleep now too!

Happy Birthday Mir!

Dear Mir,

Seven years ago today, at the exact time this post was published, you shot your way into this world.  It was a moment I'll never forget, mainly due to the fact it was drug free and oh so painful!

Since day one, you've been a ham for the camera.  We have maybe a handful of pictures where you're not smiling.  I'm glad though because you have such a beautiful smile.

 

Not only do you have a beautiful smile, but you are also a beautiful dancer.  I remember your first stage debut.  You looked so scared up there on that big stage, trying so hard to get that shuffle tap right.  I was so proud of you then, and I'm still extremely proud of you today.  You are a shining star and my precious ballerina.

I pray that God continues to bless your life in everything you do and that everything you do is for Him.  Nothing can hold you back except yourself.   Don't you ever forget it.

Happy 7th Birthday baby.  I love you!

Love,

Mommy

Sometimes the Stars Align...

M's birthday is next week and she'll be 7.  She's got dance choreography camp all next week, but we've made plans to bring a cake to the dance studio to celebrate on the actual day.  We'll be going to the aquarium on the weekend as a family, but she still wanted to have an actual party with friends.  We've been struggling with what to do for months, and we finally figured it out!  Last weekend, she went to a sleepover and when she got home she announced that's what she wanted for her birthday.  She wants to invited the sisters, girl #3 and her sister and my friend Mel's daughter.  (the sisters and girl #3 were referenced in this post.)  Woot!  This one should be easy, right?  Wait, that will be 5 girls other than my own 2.  SEVEN????  Under the age of 9????  WHAT AM I THINKING AGREEING TO THIS????  (I'm thinking Valium will be needed next weekend!)

We headed out today to get some invitations.  I knew what *I* wanted to get, but like I was going to get my way.  We hit the Party City and immediately found these guys:

M loved them because "they're big pink flowers and we all love pink".

Right. 

We cruised up and down the aisles looking at all the fun stuff to put into a pinata (which evidently is a must for a 7 yr. old...even if it is a slumber party!) when we came across these in another invitation section:

OMG! How stinking cute are those????  Do you see the glitter?  On the letters, and the cupcake, and the brush, and the bear????  TOO FRACKING CUTE!!!!  And the "pillow" pulls out and looks like this:

M and I both squealed right there in the aisle.  No really, we did.  These were EXACTLY what I was thinking would be perfect for the party, and M loved them too!  (I'm thinking the fact they were pink probably didn't hurt either.) 

We threw a package of them, along with 2 cans of colored hair spray, into the cart and headed to check-out.  Of course I had used my brain and cut out the "20% off your total at check-out" coupon off my mailer this morning, so cha-ching I saved $3.  Hey, every little bit helps!

Then we get home and this is in the mail:

Now normally I wouldn't get too excited about a Tarjay mailer, even with the promised $5 coupon on the back, except this was inside:

Holy guacamole ya'll!  This little guide has a party countdown time-line to help people like me keep things on track!  (Never-you-mind that we're already a week behind according to their schedule :P)  LOVE IT!

Then I'm sitting here, finishing up the Tarjay mailer, when I see another piece of mail.  It's a check...for over $50!  It's more than enough to pay for the party goodies next week!

Glory hallelujah!!!!

Let's not forget to mention that I also completed 5 of the 6 things on my to-do list for today.  If you must know, the one thing I didn't complete was making those dang curtains for the front window.  I'll get to it, I will.

I'm thinking of cutting my losses and turning in early.  I'm afraid to see what might happen if I try to push my luck. 

Random Happenings

• I got to play tooth fairy not once but twice this week!  M's top 4 teeth and bottom 2 teeth have been loose forever.  We've been waiting for them to fall out and they picked this last week to do it.  Tuesday she lost one on the bottom and then her top front tooth on Wednesday.  Now, bless her heart, she looks like a one tooth havin' backwoods redneck.

If you have small inquisitive children you'll appreciate this one.

• I was showering earlier this week with K and I bent over to adjust the water temperature.  I got quite the surprise when K goosed me!  Then she ran around screaming "I poked Mommy in the butt!".  Yeah, good times.  *Snort*

• After dinner tonight, D was acting goofy.  I caught it on tape to share the idiocy with ya'll.

• Earlier this month, I embarked on the task of potty training K.  In case you were wondering how K is doing, the answer is FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!!!!  Somehow that first weekend something clicked and she's been doing great since then.  Last Friday, I posted a question that no one seemed to notice.  I can honestly say that that problem has also been solved.  She's even staying dry at night!  She's had a couple of accidents when she drinks too close to bedtime, but all in all I'm quite proud of her.  We started taking her out around town in her p@nties last week.  She's been to church and earlier this week to VBS and she hasn't had any accidents.  Glory be, and dare I say, my diaper days may finally be behind me!  Now watch, this will come back to bite me in the butt big time.  :P

• Last week I did a post about winning a prize from Education.com through a contest on Bossy's site.  I mentioned that there were 2 different prizes available, and that I had won the fort.  Well, I was cruising the web and found that Joeprah was having a giveaway too.  It just so happened he was giving away the other prize I didn't win from Bossy's giveaway:    .  I'm not a quitter, and I really wanted that kit so I entered Joeprah's contest.  Holy cow, I won!  Now I have another goodie coming from Education.com and I bet they're going to flag my address and not send me anything else.  I promise it was all purely luck!  Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket.  :)

Ya'll have a great weekend and I'll see you again Sunday for Weekly Winners!