It's Hard Finding the Perfect Dress!!

I am so excited that my daughter finally found a dress for her upcoming culmination from Elementary School. Sunday we closed down the mall and I was so frustrated and grumpy because we couldn't find ANYTHING. She tried on a couple of dresses, but she wanted a "dress up" dress. She liked this white dress, but it looked like a communion dress and I didn't think white was appropriate for the occasion. We finally gave up and came home empty handed, with sore feet and a headache. I figured I would try again somewhere else besides the mall. Yesterday we ended up going to the mall again for a completely different reason, but I think fate stepped in. We went to Libby Lu's to buy some high top tennis shoes for her to wear with her hip hop costume for the dance recital. I decided to check out some stores in the little section where Libby Lu was located, and we found QT Kids which had a plethora of "dress up" dresses in every color imaginable!!! We went over the rainbow and found the pot of gold. Thank goodness the dresses were reasonably priced as well. Of course the first dress she picked, they didn't have her size. But then she picked it again in blue and LOVED it. I asked her to try on a few more just in case, and of course I liked the other ones better in blue, pink, and purple. In the end, we took the original blue dress and she was in heaven. She loved trying on the dresses and swirling around. Now finding shoes was hard. I still need to look for more. I bought her a pair but I think they are too casual. I can now cross off another thing off my list and try to get some sleep. I can't believe in 2 weeks my baby is going to leave elementary and head to middle school....aaaaaaaaaack. Where is my baby??? When did she grow up??? I can't stand it.

Swimming Fool

Today I went to my sister's house to celebrate my nephew's 4th birthday and to try out their new pool. The pool is gorgeous and we all had fun swimming in it, including the dogs. It was nice to take some time to relax with family and just hang out. I need to do this more often.

I decided that I would try and control my anger and replace it with nurturing toward my child. For the month of June I am teaching her something new every day. After I teach it to her, she needs to write it in her journal so she can read back and remember this informative month. On the first I taught her how to pump gas. Yesterday I taught her a card trick. Tonight I taught her the word PRESTIDIGITATOR, which means a magician or conjurer performing sleight of hand for people who didn't know what it means. This is relevant because Mandabear is going to the Magic Castle tomorrow with her Girl Scout Council as a reward for selling over 500 Girl Scout Cookies. She is very excited to go and that she reached that goal. The Magic Castle is a restaurant and magic theater perched on a hill in Hollywood. They are very frou-frou as you have to dress up and you cannot get in unless you know a Magician or become a member. I've been there a few times and it's been a fun night. The building is an eerie Mansion where you have to tell the owl a password before the bookcase opens and you may enter. I can't wait to hear all about it when she comes home.

I have to start googling my 27 more things to teach my child. I'm hot, tired and full of chlorine, but I'm gonna continue on because the internet never sleeps!!!

I Just Wanna Dance!!

Mandabear and I went to the Performing Arts Middle School she is going to in the fall to watch a dance production and it was AMAZING!! It was hard to believe that the kids were just in 7th and 8th grades. There were some 6th Graders and you can really tell the difference of skill level. Miss Heidi told Mandabear today at school and I decided to check it out, seeing as there is so much drama about the "neighborhood" with hubby o' mine. The show was about all the progressions of dance and they did the typical hip hop, jazz and ballet as well as belly dancing, tango, praise and even the Charleston!! The production was colorful, fun and continuous. I was exhausted just watching it by the end of the night. Miss Heidi also introduced us to some of the staff and it made Mandabear feel really excited about attending school. She was really worried at first because of missing her friends, but this show blew here away and she realized that she wanted to do that too!! And I want her to do that, and I WANT TO DO THAT!!! or at least be around it, which I'm sure I will. My heart was so full of joy when we got home. Dancing and singing just bring me so much joy, either doing it or being immersed in it. Hooray for the kids, dancing endlessly with no A/C in 90 degree heat in the auditorium. Thanks so much for putting your hearts and souls into the work!! What great role models!!

White Trash Moms

Yesterday I was signing up my daughter for summer dance classes and was subjected to 2 very rude, white trash moms. We were in very close quarters as the dance studio office is very small and we were all there for the same reason. The employees were trying to sign up people and take care of their needs as quick as possible and MOST of us were waiting quietly until our turn came up. Barefoot WTM1 starts whining, "When is it going to be my turn?", then she starts yelling that she needs a smoke because she is having a nicotine fit. For 1, she doesn't need to yell because we are all so squished together our knees are practically touching. And 2, do we CARE that she needs a smoke? Sometimes people just give too much information as if anyone cares. WTM2 then yells at WTM1 that she only needs to register 1 kid and she has 3 to register, so she is going in front of her. Then WTM1 jostles over to WTM2 and tries to take her seat (there are 3 chairs and 2 benches across from the chairs) All this in a stuffy office with 100 degree heat glaring through the windows. WTM2 then proceeds to smack WTM1's butt very loudly and sends her back over to the other side. Now at this point I wanna smack BOTH of them but I'm being very calm and trying to ignore their antics. I have an anger management and patience problem and I am very proud of myself for not throwing down with both of them and actually sticking around to get the task done. Of course both their cell phones ring and we are subjected to their conversations about what they want for dinner and what they are doing later. Meanwhile WTM2's other kids are running in and out of the dance studio and whining to her.

I was trying to think of a beautiful island to compose myself, when it finally became my turn. When all was said and done, I realized I didn't have my check book to pay for the tuition and they were charging me for 2 months in advance to hold her place in class. I made the dreaded call to hubby to tell him about the small fortune we had to outlay today and basically his normal answer came, WE DON'T HAVE IT. I told him I would write a check against my credit line and then we can pay it back with normal tuition money when the time came. All that waiting and I couldn't finish what I came to do. I decided I would return when Mandabear's class was done, but being a compulsive worrier, I thought that possibly in another 1/2 hr. her classes would fill up and I would have to deal with a heartbroken daughter. I drove home, got my check and promptly returned relieved that WTM1 was gone. WTM2 however was still there chatting it up with the employees, making it harder for them to process paperwork and I had to get to the end of the line, even tho' I had to just bring a check. I really needed a reward because my patience was really being tested. My reward was having all the classes she needed being open. I have to say that it is not my nature to let loud, obnoxious, rude people monopolize a situation, but I did not want to jeopardize anything with my daughter's dancing future with the studio so I let it be. I guess I'm glad I did and then I can vent here on this blog. The rest of the day went downhill as well, but I guess once you have drama, more follows.

I am trying hard to turn over a kinder, gentler leaf but it's so hard in this world of inconsiderate people. I already see how I handle things affecting the way my kid handles her things. She's a yeller like her mom. She's impatient like her mom. She's easily frustrated like her mom. Her dad is like that too. If you're surrounded by these things, you can emulate it because that's all you know. I know that too well because this is the legacy my dad left to me, my sister and my brother. They do the exact same things. I hope one day we can break this cycle.