Behind the glitz and glamour

So last weekend was a bit of a mix and match weekend.

Thursday night I took the girls to see Midsummer Night's Dream.  It was performed at a high school and it was brilliant! I thoroughly enjoyed it. They used a hexagonal stage so they were performing to five different angles which gave an extra depth from an audience point of view as well as making the performance very intimate, but I imagine made it a little harder from an actor's point of view.

I love cupcakes!

Plus they were serving high tea style food. I had a cupcake. I do love cupcakes.

Then Pixie was sick Friday. Pixie only gets sick once or twice a year, but when she does she is grumpy, tantrumy, miserable and needs lots of cuddles. I managed to work from home for half a day, but I admit the extra sleeping time for me because "I need you to cuddle me and I will cuddle my puppy" was a lovely bonus. You have to find a silver lining even to sickaling babies.

Friday night and Saturday I took Tink camping. I was helping to QM (cook) at a Guide leader training camp. (Apple very nicely kept the other two, even the sickaling one).

I love camping. The stillness, the time-out, the running away from technology, the campfire - it all soothes my soul.

Sitting around a campfire is one of my favourite places to be.

Luckily there was some soul soothing.

Sunday was a showcase performance for dancing. In case you are wondering, our dance school used the term 'showcase' rather than concert because it was a short concert, no costumes, and was a chance for the dancers to show friends and family what they have learnt in term one this year.

(The "no costume" bit was the important part of that last sentence that I would like you to remember for later).

Dance hair. Note the different colours? Much easier to tell them apart now.

I was helping back stage. By "helping" I mean I was in charge of lining everyone up to get on stage, checking shoes, attempting to keep them quiet, bossing around the lovely adult dancers who were helping me and the other mum helper, and dealing with random small children who may or may not know their own name.

No costumes meant less adults needed backstage just in case you were wondering where everyone else was; it was great that most of the parents were able to watch this concert.

In case anyone else finds themselves in this position, I thought I would give you some helpful tips:

1. Take an emergency kit (ie bandaids, needle and thread, bobby pins, hair ties).
2. Learn to sew so you can use the needle and thread for emergency costume repairs (or find out who backstage can sew).
3. Take needle and thread out of your bag after the concert (otherwise you may prick yourself and bleed everywhere at an inopportune moment).
4. Hair ties are amazingly useful for shortening leotard straps to avoid "flashing".
5. Small children may not know their own name.
6. Small children may not know what class they are in or who they are in that class with.
7. It is highly likely most of the small children will not know the name of the song.
8. After making realisations 5 to 6 you will be cursing the lack of costumes. When they are dressed the same they are easy to match (like dominos).
9. It is helpful to have street cred when working with small children ("Guess what?! I am Miss Buglet's mummy" works wonders for me).
10. Find the one small child who actually will talk to you and knows people's names to be your sidekick. Chances are they will be right.
11. It is possible to organise large numbers of children while carrying a crying toddler on your hip. 
12. Be confident when you give directions. Children smell fear and indecision.
13. Know your dance teacher so you know what goes. I know I can tell kids "I promise your hair/shoes/costume/makeup will be ok, the main thing is to smile and have fun", because I know that is the ethos of the school.
14. Take a pen. Make notes.
15. Double check the list before so you know what is going on.
16. Check to see how sound proof the room is. This time I hadn't realised how little soundproofing was between the room we were in and the audience.
17. Clapping a rhythm is a good way to silence the room (if you haven't seen this done, basically you clap a rhythm and they clap it back. Lots of teachers use it, we don't use it a Guides because we have a not-so-secret be quiet signal).
18. Glitter is awesome, but check your commitments for the next week before applying liberally. 
19. Enjoy the moment to be part of the team. These sort of events don't happen without all the cast and crew. 

Job done for another few months! Now back to cruisey dance nights of knitting, reading and writing.

Disclaimer:

• It is doubtful I am qualified to give parenting advice, there is still time for me to stuff up.
• I am not qualified to give dance advice, or theatre advice of any type.
• I am not qualified to give professional advice.
• I am not even allowed to give legal advice without supervision.

I would recommend finding more reliable sources for any advice of any nature.

Social media madness

I have a confession to make. I may have accidentally found myself looking at uni courses earlier this week. It was an accident. I promise! Nevertheless, expect a spate of blog posts as I remind myself that writing is a more fun, cheaper, less stressful, and a more manageable lifestyle choice for me at this point in my life.

See. All written down. And on the internet. So it must be true.

The internet is the point of this post, and more specifically the sudden increase of social media types that I have suddenly found myself using.

I've written before about how much I love Facebook, but in the world BFB (Before Facebook, for those not in the know), I did have a very short affair with Myspace. My Myspace page had a pet pig that belonged to me and a pet tiger that belonged to DB. I still occasionally visit them.

Buglet was highly amused to discover this, when it randomly came up a friend's birthday party. Much to our amusement she promptly opened an account. About two days later she closed it after declaring that she didn't get it. I am pretty sure that this is the 21st century version of messing around on a typewriter for those of us who grew up learning to type on computers, however basic those computers may have been. Black screens with green writing anyone?

In the last two months I have started a Pinterest account, a Twitter account, and an Instagram account. (Links in the side bar. Except to Instagram, I haven't worked out how to add a link to that one yet, but you can find us at @philosophy_minors).

There is a reason for that sudden influx. In February I went to a Progblogger event, and having a profile across multiple platforms was one of the tips I was given. See I can follow instructions!

So far I think Twitter is working well for me, and probably for all my Facebook friends who may have been sick of being spammed by me. From a Philosophy Minors point of view, I am still using the Facebook page for quotes from the Entourage, for stories, and for sharing other people's memes. Twitter is more of a stream of my consciousness. That said, check out #Buglet, #Tink, and #Pixie if you want to find posts relating to the girls. I also use the #lifewithteenagers a lot for posts about the girls. But if you want an insight into the vagueness of my mind and if you enjoy random thoughts that is the place to go. If you do check it out, I will leave it up to you to decide which of the girls' traits come from me!

There has been family interest in the Twitter account. Buglet was totally thrown by the fact I had started one. The Pixie suddenly started offering all sorts of useful tips on how to increase my followers so that I "could beat Buglet". She doesn't have an account, so how she became the Twitter expert I don't know.

Blogging while watching the girls' dance class in my Dance Mum Hoodie
Instagram photo.

Instagram is brand new. I only started the account on Friday. But there will be pictures. Of the Pixie's artwork, of Tink's hairstyles, and lots of food posts because Buglet specifically gave me instructions to not become the sort of person who posts pictures of all her meals. So far I have only posted one in five days so don't let this put you off. I think I have been spending too much time with teenagers. The urge to start an account increased just to be contrary. Annoying my children seems to be a trait I have been developing lately.

That should distract me from studying for a while, right? Updating multiple social media accounts and attempting to not be totally boring takes a quite a lot of effort. I can see why businesses outsource it for time management purposes. So much fun though!

Any thoughts on the most useful social media platforms? What do you find the most fun?

Disclaimer:

• It is doubtful I am qualified to give parenting advice, there is still time for me to stuff up.
• I am not qualified to give social media advice.
• The Pixie is definitely not qualified to give social media advice.
• I am not even allowed to give legal advice without supervision.

I would recommend finding more reliable sources for any advice of any nature.

Dancing Divas

Beginning of 2007 I got a flyer in my letterbox, and I picked up the phone to make a call. Little did I know that that flyer would change my life forever. This might sound a little dramatic, but it is true!

I made the call. What sold me on the dance school was when I asked about how they dressed the girls for concerts (the word "prostitute" may have been used) the teacher new exactly what I meant, and reassured me that the costumes used were all age appropriate.

A week later all three girls started in the same class.

A term later, Buglet moved up a class, and the Pixie tried a shorter class.

8 years, three studios, two name changes, and countless hours of dancing later we are still there, Buglet is a student assistant teacher, and we still love the studio. The teacher kept her word. I was cursing her this year for the amount of accessories involved in the costumes (I was in charge of the quick change room) but her costumes have remained age appropriate.

Buglet wanted to do dancing, and I thought it would improve their confidence and hopefully help them be more coordinated than me. It never crossed my minds that they would actually be good at dancing. Turns out that they are good.

The teachers are so much fun and the atmosphere is so lovely that even I have given a few classes a go! I tried tap for the first time two years ago and it was so much fun. I love the clip-clop of tap shoes. I totally suck at it. Buglet is in the adult tap class now and she thinks I should come back and do it with her. "It will be fun Mum. You can stand behind me so you have someone to copy and then we can practise together at home". I suspect if I take her up on this offer the in-house tutoring there will be a lot of stress involved for me.

So there you go. I have traveled a path that I never meant to start on.

The fun and the glamour ......

Things I have learnt about being a Dance Mum:

• Find a studio where you love the atmosphere. You will be spending a lot of time there.
• Label everything.
• Help where you are able to help. It is fun being a part of the team.
• Smile.
• It doesn't matter if you stuff up, just keep doing your best.
• Develop a hobby that you can do while sitting and watching for hours. I knit teddies. One year I ended up with my own mini-craft group going with some of the sisters of girls in Buglet's class.
• Deal with the fact that your children may develop skills you can never hope to gain.
• If they have adult classes. Give them a go! It might be fun. And it is setting your children a good example.
• You can tape your boobs to hold them in place. You may tear skin when you take the tape off. I have not tried this, but I have seen the evidence.
• There are many types of dance stocking.
• Do not cover yourself in glitter the weekend before important meetings at work. You may not be able to avoid incidental glitter, but self-applied glitter should be carefully thought out.
• If you find the right place, it isn't just your dance school, it is your dance family.

.... and the hours of hard work.

Things the girls have learnt from being dancers:

• Confidence.
• Dedication.
• Hard work.
• Fitness.
• Decision making and impact of your actions.*
• Strength. Of personality as much as body.
• Team-work.
• Fun.

*Buglet has had to make big decisions after (non-dancing) injuries. Including deciding not to dance last year, and not dancing on pointe this year. When she couldn't dance I was so proud of her for instantly volunteering to help back stage. She's also danced in a concert with a broken tail bone (Doctor said it wouldn't make it worse, I did check!). Buglet has also sat through many classes learning by watching when injury has meant she can't dance.

The big thing I learnt this year was that being Buglet's mummy gave me lots of "street" cred with the Tiny Tots. Somehow I managed to end up dealing with several of them backstage at concert. A "do you know Buglet? Well, I am her Mummy" seemed to mean that I was instantly trusted. Yep. I feel a milestone has been reached, I am just not sure what one.

Disclaimer:

• I am definitely not qualified to give medical, fitness or dance advice.
• It is doubtful I am qualified to give parenting advice, there is still time for me to stuff up.
• I am not even allowed to give legal advice without supervision.

I would recommend finding more reliable sources for any advice of any nature.

The week that was aka GMM/NSGM

I had so much fun with my last Good Mama, Bad Mama post that I decided to do it again.

Because I have no imagination, here is my third effort. Please free feel to comment with your own highs and lows of your parenting week.

No-one is perfect, and it is good to remember that. Plus overall I think I do ok.

I may also have been inspired by similar type posts on other blogs.

******************************************************************************

Good Mama Moment (GMM): Taking Tink (plus friend, plus the Pixie) to see a friend in a play. Bonus points because it was Shakespeare so I get to feel like I am enhancing their education.

GMM: Remembering to rock up for a backstage meeting on Tuesday night.

GMM: Tink stayed at home from Guides because homework was more important.

Not-So-Good Mama Moment (NSGM): Teasing the Pixie because she made up the funniest action I have ever seen in a game I have been playing at Guides for 17(ish) years.

Good Guide Leader Moment: Teaching the girls a new game that I loved.

NSGM: Letting the girls organise their own fake tan for concert (with the lovely lady across the road). Plus I am still not sure it was my finest parenting moment that I let them get one at all.

GMM: Not laughing at Buglet when she rang me in tears after she had her tan, and being v cool, calm and collected about it all. Then calling Apple in a panic to see if she could go around and make sure all was well.

NSGM: Laughing a little when I got home.

GMM: Cooking one of my favourite dinners and having on the table by 7.30pm on a work day. Bonus points for making cauliflower and broccoli in cheese sauce which I do not like at all, but the girls love. (Side note: the word "table" should be very broadly interpreted).

GMM: Leaving work early to be a good dance-mum and getting the girls ready for concert, and me ready back-stage ninja.

NSGM: Bribing the girls with lollies to be good on the car trip. Smart moment was putting Apple in charge of policing this.

NSGM: Telling Pixie I didn't have time to discuss what went wrong with her dance. My words may have been "I don't care right now, baby". In my defence I was in charge of the quick change room and I had 12 girls to worry about.

GMM: Debriefing on the way home with traditional McDonald's.

Total Brag Mama Moment: Realising that being Buglet's mummy gave me lots of credibility with the tiny tots. So, so proud of her work with them this year.

GMM: Taking Pixie to the shops so her sisters could sleep for a bit longer.

NSGM: Lots of shouting at children to be good in the car.

NSGM: Banning car dancing until after concert because I didn't have time to deal with blood noses or black eyes.

GMM: Back stage ninja, night 2.

NSGM: Realising that the first time I had seen them on stage these concerts was the finale of concert 2.

GMM: Crying. I am so proud of them. This may have also been exhaustion.

NSGM: Telling Buglet her dance injuries were related to dancing with big boobs. She was crying. I was cuddling me. She kicked me. Inappropriate, but quite reasonable in the circumstances.

GMM: Super awesome birthday celebrations for Tink including The Hunger Games themed food.

GMM: Telling the girls (including extras) to eat fruit at the celebrations so I could feel better about my parenting.

NSGM: Asking Buglet if DB was being good when I rang to see how their shopping was going.

What a weekend! Going back to work almost feels like a rest this week!

Disclaimer:

• Do not attempt a similar post unless you are sure it will work out to be an overall positive. You do not want to end up feeling worse about yourself.
• It is doubtful I am qualified to give parenting advice, there is still time for me to stuff up.
• I am not even allowed to give legal advice without supervision.

I would recommend finding more reliable sources for any advice of any nature.