june ~ week 25 {father's day, baseball, dance camp}

hello there.  how are y'all?  
here's a lil' peek into our neck of the woods.  
or the big city.

thanks to pinterest, we were able to come up with some adorable daddy gifts for father's day.  handmade is best, yes?  we were particularly fond of the iDad card.  too fun.

juicing.  
i'm trying to work up the mental strength to do a short re-boot.  my hesitation?  i like to chew my food.  one day... soon. ;)

bella.  she is a purse hog.  she also has a thing for all of my camera bags, as well.

speaking of bags... gracie packed her dance camp items in a pillow case cover.  crack me up.  i let her unpack it... who knows what's in there?!

from work, hubs was gifted great tickets to a baseball game. great tickets = good restrooms.  priorities, you know.  

food and parking were on us.  ouch.  we had a great time... pretending to 'catch' the ball, 7th inning stretch, pizza faces, loaded baked potatoes, and peanuts!  well... mama and gracie prefer peanut m&ms. ;)

the crowd was slim.  maybe something to do with the economy and recent major shifts in our players.  we kinda miss the old team.  need to learn these new names...

while gracie spent time at dance camp during the day, nator and i hit the used book store.  she managed to find 6 books!  

i also treated her to a little more marble slab.  nom-nom!  the least i could do since she was giving up a much anticipated playdate with friends due to sister's camp. 

mama cannot be omnipresent, you know.

this week, our piano teacher announced that nator would be adding a little voice in her lesson and extending her time to an hour.  that's what happens when your piano teacher attends your sound of music performance.  our sweet teacher has a masters in voice... and wants to make sure nator has the right tools to preserve her sweet lil' vocal chords.  love it.

hello, gracie feet.  let's just make ourselves comfy at the theater, yes?  ;)  daddy took us on a family date.  pei wei and brave.  have you seen it?  it's a bit intense.  had my heart pounding and gracie tearing up at moments.

this week, the portable-dual-screen dvd player was stolen from dk's car overnight.  thankful to the keen eye of a concerned citizens reporting a suspicious car in their neighborhood, the police officer that came to our home, the detective, and a scared 12 yr old spilling the beans... it was recovered!  well, minus the headphones... but we never expected to see any of it again!

mama also hit the gym once.  mama is sore.  mama is determined to find a gym routine again.  these girlies' fluctuating schedules sure make it challenging.  the saturday morning secret to going to the gym?  sneaking out before hubs has the smell of turkey bacon throughout the house.  hot, yummy breakfast = kryptonite. ha! 

and the much anticipated dance camp.  oh, my girlie.  this will be the last year in the younger camp... at 11 yrs old, gracie will be moving up with the teens next year.  *sigh*

fun with friends.



speaking of friends, this lovely friend is a very involved, great-grandmother to the young lady in this picture {2 pix above, to the right of my girls}.  i can't imagine doing as she and her husband did - taking in their family member - willing to raise her - starting all over - when she was just a baby.  my friend is an 80+ yr old, sharp-minded, retired school teacher, who is so sweet to support us in our decision to homeschool.

for those who've asked, my video camera died.  hubs found a reasonable recorder, but i'm still getting used to it.  

interpret that as... mama was recording her girls during a sound of music performance... only to discover that she hadn't hit the right button.  *sobs*  so, she shall have to be content with her few iphone recordings.  horrible sound, and all.  *sobs*  until the official dvd is handed out.  *sigh*

and that, my friends, is just a quick-wee-peek into our week.
how did your week treat you? 

thank heaven for lil' girls :: dance recital 2012

dress rehearsals and tutus.

girlie blankets, hair products, shoes, foot paws, and la-te-da bags all over the floor in our huge-girls-only cloud of hairspray dressing room.

ten year old dancing with the teens.  we're easing into the upper levels.  bitter-sweet.

false eyelashes and cute hairpieces.

holding onto schedules, lens caps, and your girlie... while trying to capture the quick memory before going on stage.

giggling with friends backstage.

quietly cheering side-stage.

sisters.

costumes in their favorite colors.

veeeery speedy costume changes for this girlie.

when one of your girlies is passionate about dance, she signs up for both shows.  the other only desires one.  interpret that as: 2 dress rehearsals + 2 performances + 1 day + 2 girlies = 26 costume changes.

this is mama after said marathon.  mama was tired... and stayed in bed until 2 p.m. the following day.  daddy was a trooper during recital, too.  he was not feeling well and made trips during the day to bring chairs, food, and tights. 

it all ended with flowers.  
thank you, daddy!

girls are fun.
and a lot of work.
amen. 

april~week 15/366 {eggs-school-cuts-dance}

after discovering what goodies the easter baskets held, 
we spent a lovely easter sunday. at home. relaxing, yes?
thankfully, hubs takes over dying eggs.
we hid coin-filled eggs indoors.




some of them were easier to find than others.
{see that sweet portrait of gracie at 4 months old? *sigh*}



bucket-heads were trending this easter.
at least in our house. 



letters of affirmation found in 10 yo's room.
warmed our hearts.

a homeschool picnic with theater friends 
that left poor nator seeing spots.
she fell and whacked her back.
so thankful for our chiropractor!

unexpected birthday gifts mailed 
from a sweet aunt, uncle and cousins.

gracie giving her history narration under covers. *giggle*

watching youtube tutorials, involving scissors.
watching the gas station being built behind our home...
fill the ground with gasoline.  *sob*



following through on the tutorial, i cut nator's hair.
no, i am not a professional.  

we have really been enjoying a relaxed history discussion time... colors have been used more.  hahhhh...




we met sweet friends for a picnic.
adult conversation is always welcome. ;)



nator, a supportive sister, tries to inform us of the woes of enduring yet another dance competition over mexican food.  believe me, we all feel the same way... well, except for gracie. ;)

still.  the show must go on...

it requires starbucks.
cake pops, hot tea, banana nut bread, and dark chocolate to get us through.
backstage, gracie pulls out a game of pictionary man.

between performances, we dodge 'things' left behind on the floor, due to the pet expo next door.  we rock at multi-tasking.

when all is said and done, we are completely depleted of all energy.  forming complete sentences might become a challenge.  so... we go home, hands full of costumes and take-out. 

life is better when you are wearing stretchy pants anyway.



bragging parent alert {unlike all of my other posts *ehem*}: 
so many solos, yet gracie was one in a handful of kids who received an invitation to NYC.  so proud of this girlie.  it's just too bad plane tickets didn't come with the invitation. ;)



honestly, this competition was a little easier.  everything was on the same day and the room was quite large.  we weren't running into each other in the dressing room.  so important when so many divas are under one roof.  keepin' it honest, you know. ;)



dance competition.  we'll see you again next year!

psh!  who am i kidding?  gracie is already thinking up ideas for next year's performance. ;) 

i'm thinking of re-naming this blog.
"chronicles of a tired mama"
catchy, yes?

feb/march~week 9/366 {school of life-dance-dolls-recital}

thank you for all of the sweet comments regarding a family member who is battling a difficult health diagnosis. 
many difficult conversations taking place here.  conversations that should be followed with a looong nap. if only. keepin' it honest. ;)



isn't my mini-me up there cute?  seriously.  this is how i look right now.  posting this blog on the sofa, computer resting on the arm.

levitating in the mom-wagon is not something you will find me doing. but we do what we can to entertain ourselves while waiting on sister. 

sometimes, in the quietness, mom wants to cash in on that nap.  the collapsing, snoozing pets set the tone.

sometimes, i find a girlie surrounded by... books, ink pads, smash books, stickers, hair accessories, crochet, puzzles, tv remote, spelling lists, history, american girl magazines, eating a snack in pajamas -- yet doing their math.  good girl.  oh how i wish i had been homeschooled.  

gracie has taken to body art.  aka... doodling.

i think i've about got our curriculum for next year figured out.  just realized... did i ever share what we've been doing this year? that stuck with us, anyway. ;) hmmmm...

a yummy quick snack -- gf waffle, organic blueberries, and nature's hollow honey.  num-num.  {this is a shout-out to the wonderful customer service at nature's hollow - they recently delayed shipping on an order accidentally, and in return... doubled my order at no extra cost! nice.}



sometimes, all of the american girls get a lesson in grammar and science.  another great way to learn is to become the teacher.



family team headed to dance competition. i know. we are insane.  but we are losing our insanity together, right?  

i can testify to at least one dance-mom's insanity. {not me-ha!}  seriously, she tossed all lessons in character out of the window, while giving a small group of moms a lesson in dressing-room-territory-etiquette.  and i worded that as nicely as i could.  crazy lady.  okay, maybe that wasn't nice. 



beau has fangs.  i sometimes wonder if his habit of sleeping with his tongue out has caused his little teeth to shift.  in his playful state, pupils fully dilated, he has taken to biting anything.  ugh. the girls are looking forward to his lazy-old-man season of life.  but i know it will be here soon enough.  

oh... but when he gets sleepy, he melts-my-heart.   he curls perfectly in my lap -- reaches his front paws (no claws) up to my face, as if to hug me.   sweetest-lil'-softest-ball-of-fur... e.ver.  just what i wanted in having another cat. hahhh... {thanks, again, schmoopie!}

at dance competition, nator brought her loom to finish a hat she'd started at home.  she got quite a bit of attention each time she worked on it.  one dad said he might even start one. ;) i suppose it is a bit unusual to find a young lady working with yarn at a dance competition.  we are so proud of her.  love that kid.


 
good food.  false eye-lashes.  texas-sized waffles.  showmanship.  expensive souvenirs.

supportive sister.  priceless memories.  piano recital.  proud parents.  puffy-shirt-buttons-about-to-pop, proud.



we needed a day of recovery... but there was a field trip planned. {news of that soon}  we even homeschool on sundays, if need be.  truthfully, school is always in session.

aaaand... one might find themselves buying grapefruit on the side of the road when one travels afar on said field trip.  because it reminds one of the days in which one's grandpa used to sell produce on the side of the road.  only, this nice man was selling comforters, too.  one may not have eaten the grapefruit yet.  should one be afraid?

i love when hubs is home.  especially, on the weekend.  for many reasons.  one of which is... he makes wonderful pancakes with fresh fruit, turkey bacon, and eggs.  organic - the key to my heart.

how is that for a very random-all over the map-post? ;)

feb~week 6/366 {competition edition}

again... this was the week the ny giants won the superbowl. yay!  wait.  football takes priority in a post?  i know.  i barely know who i am anymore. 

if you follow us on instagram, this will be rather redundant. my apologies.

grapefruit + stevia = yummm.  i only bring exciting stuff to the blog.  yo.

kiddos sucked into the abyss of old home movies and pictures = sweet nostalgia.

gracie borrowed my shirt. it has begun.

daddy was out of town, so i took our girls on a dinner date, after a day at the zoo {also dance lesson and taking headshots for several kids at theater that day, too}.  the person in charge of my schedule needs a good ol' fashion talkin' to. *ehem*

gracie performed competition dances at the local high school.  gracie has a wonderful, supportive sister in nator.  everyone needs a nator in their family.

the girls made posters for the upcoming dance competition.  then we forgot them.  oh well.  there will be another.

meeting sweet friends at the zoo.  {tip: when a park employee asks to take your picture, tell him he can... so long as he snaps one with your camera, as well.  it works most times.}  and ummm... they really should clean the glass on these enclosures.  clean glass = better pictures.  it's all about the pictures, right? ;)



 
so great seeing things we are currently learning.  turtles.  have you ever noticed the backbone inside the turtle's shell?  fascinating.   we stopped short of holding the live tarantula. *shivers*



bracing ourselves.  competition season is here!!  leaving at the crack of... too early.  see the excitement on my face?  walking between prepping for the next performance {the dressing room is like an episode of dance moms. #helpme} and watching them.  all day.  thank heaven for a supportive hubby and cheerleader sister to help soothe the day.

we're only allowed pix backstage... not on.  so these are, of course, bought.  this is gracie's passion.  can you tell?  it's why we do what we do.



 
confession: albeit crazy, i succumbed to putting false eyelashes on my 10 yo.
tip:  they really do last longer than simple mascara.  her eyelashes looked stage-ready from sun up till sun down!
less makeup to apply.  it's a win-win. besides, they were embellished with bling.  it was love at first sight.

what indulgence have you succumbed to... only to find that it was the best thing since sliced bread?  really.  it would make me feel better. ;) 

december {so far}

hi.  remember us?  we've been just a tad busy.  
but i'm sure we're not the only ones. ;)

things to remember...

decorating cute lil' houses with our homeschool group.

we decided to let this take the place of our annual gingerbread house decorating at home... this year.

fun with the lego advent calendar.

shining moments on stage.  these girlies have grown leaps and bounds.  so proud of them!  not bias at all.  nope.

we met prince charming.  he really can be found at a grocery store.  and he's a nut... cracker, that is.

snuggles with jazzy.  this dog cracks me up.  she and gracie are two peas in a pod.  really.

girlies trying to figure out which number belongs to them {we numbered the gifts instead of naming them this year}. 

my birthday.  but not much time for celebrating this year.  

life calls.

mama wore her #1 MOM pin.  she may have forgotten it was there... and wondered why the moms at theater were calling her #1 mom.  *blush*

making {lots of} caramel popcorn for gifts.
gracie sewing lil' pillows for barbies.



busy hands.
full hearts.
curriculum on pause.
tired... all over.



daddy's grillin'.
checkin' the naughty/nice meter.
wooden doll crafts.
playing with rhinestones and iphone apps {photofunia}.
trampoline fun... while waiting for cold weather.

16 dance classes. 

3 theater practices. 

6 theater performances.

1 dance competition team performance.

2 dance christmas parties.

4 piano lessons.

1 piano christmas recital.

1 spontaneous family-photo-shoot.

1 homeschool christmas party.

a scrooge production, starring one of our best friends. 

a christmas production, at our local collage.

a hubby's company christmas party {on the same night as dance and theater performances}.

hubby out of town two weeks in a row.

this week, we are in recovery mode.

watching a lot of christmas shows, while mass-producing hats.

all before we do more last minute shopping...

after we pick up hubs from the airport.

holiday crowds make me sweaty.

christmas-day-countdown is in FULL. swing. here at the family team.

you?