according.to.kim

The next two months

May and June are going to be crazy for us. We have soccer four nights a week for the next eight weeks {cringe*}, dance classes two nights a week (as usual) for the next five weeks, and weekend commitments for the next seven weekends in a row -- several of those involve Irish dance as we gear up for Mosaic. (Thankfully, both Sparks and Brownies end next week.) On top of all that, I'm desperate to keep working on things at home -- my paper clutter class (four more weeks), other organizing and purging projects (so many things I want to get done NOW), yard work (oh, the yard work!), printing my backlog of photos (four more weeks), my Library of Memories class (four more weeks -- this is the scrapbooking part of the class and I was really hoping to participate!)... arrrgggghhhh. Obviously, some things are simply not going to happen. Notice I didn't even mention regular housework. Without a doubt, our house will not be very tidy over the next two months! When I do have time to work on something, I would rather move forward on some bigger projects than tidy up a space that will look just the same within a day or two. (Of course, the mess will drive me nuts at some point!)

*How'd that happen? / What the H-E-double-hockey-stick were we thinking?! Well, all three girls wanted to play soccer this year; Georgia is excited that she can finally do something her sisters are doing; we haven't done soccer since 2006; and it's pretty hard to say no to an activity that gives children lots of fresh air and exercise, and is both inexpensive and close to home (the soccer fields are only half a block from our house), don't you agree?! Of course, the girls are in three different age groups and I thought there might be some overlap in their games (which would have been good), but no -- there's no overlap whatsoever! Madeline's games are M/W, Sophia's games are T/Th, and Georgia's are Thursday, before Sophia's. I sure won't complain if we have the odd cancellation due to rain, but I do not look forward to the crappy cold and windy weather that's sure to happen, especially in May. Nice weather will go a long way toward making this a pleasant experience for all of us! Fingers crossed.

Correction (May 1): Just learned that soccer runs for seven weeks, not eight -- yay!

Giving myself a break

After the mother-daughter Spark Sleepover this weekend, and Sophia and Madeline dancing at 6:00 p.m. today (both of which are ten times more work for the parents than for the participant/performers!), plus doing housework whenever I had a chance this weekend, I'm far too tired to write up my highlights of the week. Hopefully tomorrow night.

Irish dancing at L.I.T. tonight!

You MAY be able to see Sophia and Madeline dance at the Luther Invitational Tournament tonight at 7:00 p.m. here: http://www.lit.ca/live_broadcast.html

I started hard shoe!

I started learning hard shoe Irish dance tonight! I know it's going to be very challenging for me but also a lot of fun. It sure didn't take long for my feet to start hurting. There's a wedge at the front of the shoe that makes the ball of your foot take the brunt of each impact. I will have to get some gel inserts like one of my classmates.

Also, four new adult students started in soft shoe tonight, which means I am no longer one of the "extreme beginners"! Seeing them just starting out really makes me realize how much I have learned over the past eighteen months. (Anyone else interested? You could start learning with the other new students right away!)

On this subject, I just found a great new website called World Irish Dancer Blog. There are some great videos posted there.

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Today I'm thankful for:

• my body which allows me to dance (in spite of some aches and pains)
• the freedom to go out in the evening and take a class
• better weather

Over the past week

• Sophia's class went to see Anne of Green Gables - The Musical at The Globe Theatre on Tuesday. Her cousin B went too. Lucky girls!
• Madeline and her Sparks group sang songs and read children's books to residents at Pioneer Village. Madeline took a great poetry book, The Wishing Bone, because she doesn't know how to read yet, but has memorized her favourite poem from that book (Perpetual Number Song). Neil's cousin Rhonda met us there and stayed with Madeline while I went to my dance class. Thanks Rhonda!
• Sophia and her Brownies group took a city bus to the Central Library. After my dance class, I went to the library and helped Sophia get a library card. She was very excited about getting her own card and then choosing some books and DVDs to borrow.
• I managed to do a little Christmas shopping at the Cornwall Centre during lunch breaks. It's very handy because my office building is attached to the mall, but unfortunately, it doesn't have all the stores I need.
• Neil and I went to parent-teacher interviews with Sophia and Madeline's teachers on Wednesday. They're both good students and well-behaved at school. We're pleased! I meant to copy the teacher's comments from Sophia's report card, but I forgot and have already returned it to her teacher.
• Rhonda came over to stay with the girls while we went to the school. The girls enjoy having her over, and it's great to have someone we can call to help us out once in awhile. Thanks again!
• There was no school on Thursday and Friday.
• Neil took the four girls to the Science Centre after they practiced their Irish dancing on Thursday.
• We both took the four girls to Agribition on Friday afternoon, then to their former babysitter's house to wish her a happy birthday. They were all excited to see Sharon and she was happy to see them.
• I went to a fun Pampered Chef party last evening. I had to get more Prep Bowls which are great for food prep, temporary storage (b/c they have lids), and heating or melting things (b/c they're glass), and are the perfect size for kids' snacks and desserts.
• I had an extra private dance lesson to work on my Slip Jig this morning. I still don't have it down, but definitely made progress today.

Here we are...

...all ready for our recital. Certainly not the nicest backdrop, but I'm sure glad we got this photo!

Things I haven't mentioned

1. We were invited to three weddings in Alberta this summer, and I regret that we can't attend any of them. They are all for Neil's cousins. I really like family weddings and would love to go, but I don't have any extra vacation days to spare and it would be too difficult to do the trip to AB and back (Okotoks X 2 and Fort Saskatchewan) with the kids on a three-day weekend. Plus, there's the expense of fuel (especially with the prices these days) and accommodations. We just can't do that right before our trip to Victoria that we've been planning all year. And with that trip, we'll be doing enough driving this summer!
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2. We didn't sign the kids up for any activities this spring or summer. We'll have Sparks until mid-May and dance until mid-June and then we're free! Quite awhile ago when it was nearing time to register for soccer, softball, etc., we just decided the girls had had enough activities this school year (with skating and swimming as well) and it would be nice to have a break from organized activities. We'll just do our own thing, such as introducing throwing and catching with ball gloves, as I mentioned last week.
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3. I injured myself in dance class this month. It started three weeks ago with just a bit of pain, and then it became much more of a problem last weekend (I didn't go two weeks ago because I was sick). I don't know what to call this injury. When I lift my left leg up to a certain point, say 90 degrees, there's a clicking or catching of something (like a tendon?) along the bikini line in the front when my leg is on its way down. It doesn't hurt on the way up; just down. Well, this is definitely a problem in Irish dancing. Legs need to go up and down a lot! It's also a problem when I'm putting on, or taking off, pants and socks. Otherwise, it doesn't hurt at all. So weird. Anyway, I have to get this fixed! I tried dancing today and it was not good. I need to book physio therapy or massage ASAP.
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4. Since I have been getting sick so much lately, I decided to start taking more vitamins. Perhaps I should have been taking more before, but I guess I was resisting because I don't like taking pills all that much. I had been taking two Cold-FX daily for the past couple months, but now I'm also taking 1000mg C, a timed- release B50 Complex, and 4x500mg Evening Primrose Oil (hoping it will help my skin too) each day. So far, since Monday, I feel really good. Dare I say, better than usual? Could they have kicked in that quickly? Maybe it's just that I'm completely over that nasty cold, and I feel much better by comparison.
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5. I'm at a hair crossroads. This happens to me every two or three years. If my hair is long, I want it short; if it's short, I want it long. I have gone back and forth like that my whole life. It's been two years since I last went from long to short, so this is right on schedule, but this time, I seem to be having more trouble deciding what to do. I think it's because I would like to stick with short hair, but I really can't stand making the appointment, and going (it takes time!), and forking over $40 every three months or so. I just hate that. (This is also why I have never coloured my hair before. Ever.) So now it's been five months since I last had my hair cut and I have to make a decision. Because if I'm going to stick with short hair, there's no point in suffering through this growing out length any longer than necessary! I like it short-short or shoulder length, and I'm not crazy about the in-between stages. Here are a couple of pictures of me with "good" hair (incidentally, I was pregnant with Georgia in the first photo, and that's her on my lap in the second):

Anyone have an opinion about what I should do? If so, I'd love to hear it. I like my hair both ways, so I'll agree with you no matter what you say!

Rainbow butterfly

As always, the girls had their faces painted  by Street Culture Kidz at Spring Free From Racism. And, as always, they did a wonderful job. Madeline requested a "rainbow butterfly" and she sure got one! We were there at just the right moment because the artist was able to spend a little extra time on Madeline's face. She said she hadn't done one like that before, so we arranged for me to send her a photo and I sent this one.

The SFFR Family Day event was good. It always is. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling very well so that made the afternoon more challenging for me and I couldn't eat nearly much as I would've liked. In fact, before we left, I was feeling quite ill as I rushed to put rollers in Sophia's hair after her swimming lesson. We had to go to a drugstore on the way so I could pick up some Gravol. I think that helped as I felt quite a bit better for the next couple hours, but then I felt awfully tired; probably thanks to the Gravol which "may cause drowsiness". We were there for more than two hours before Sophia and Bronwyn danced. And we stayed for awhile after their performance while Sophia had her face painted and ate more food. By then I was feeling quite drowsy and the girls were also becoming increasingly tired and demanding. I think we stayed a bit too long; I was pretty crusty by the time we left! Georgia and I layed down as soon as we got home at 4:30 p.m. I'm feeling a little better now.

Daily pic: 15 Dec 07

Frost on the Mugo Pine in front of our house. It was quite foggy out today, resulting in a lovely coat of frost on everything. The temperature was nice and mild too.

Madeline and I went to our last dance classes of the year this morning. I'm enjoying my class very much! I've already learned the Reel and Light Jig (though I'm far far far from perfecting them), and today started learning the Single Jig (which, surprisingly, bears more resemblance to the Reel than the Light Jig). After my class, the students from my class, those from the more advanced adult class, and our teachers met at Bushwakker for lunch. Great food! I enjoyed getting to know my teacher and some of the other ladies a little better. I learned that my teacher's parents both grew up in Ireland, but met here in Saskatchewan after immigrating. Just thought that was interesting.

Daily pic: 04 Nov 07

A few of our bead creations. Still a very popular activity in our house. The one in the middle is an Irish dancer in case you don't recognize the outfit. We had to make one of those of course (the pattern was included in the kit). Speaking of Irish dance, our classes are going well. I have learned the reel -- though it's far from perfect, and I still have to think hard to get through it! -- and now I'm learning the light jig which is what both Sophia and Madeline are learning right now. I enjoy my hour-long dance class on Saturdays very much! It's a good workout too. I almost wish it was twice a week.

Hmmm, this photo says nothing about Sunday... Yesterday, we just worked on cleaning up our disaster of a house and then I went to a baby shower at Zest. The food was good, but it was the company that made the gathering great! I hadn't seen some friends for far too long.

Daily pic: 15 Oct 07

This is the building where we have our Irish dance classes. It's in Regina's old warehouse district. The studio is at the top left where the lights are on. There's a bakery across the street and every Monday evening when we go to Sophia's dance class, we can see loaves of bread zipping along the conveyor belt. The smell is divine!

Daily pic: 08 Sep 07

My newest pair of shoes! I'm very excited to announce that I'm going to be taking Irish dance lessons -- and I had my first lesson today! Though I had thought about it briefly last year, this came up quite suddenly for me when Neil and I ran into another mom we know from the girls' school yesterday. She told us that she and her two daughters are all taking lessons and they only have to pay for two, and her class is back to back with her youngest daughter's class.

Well, I thought, if that's the case, maybe I could do this too... It's affordable -- heck, I was going to have to pay for two children anyway, the class time works for us because Madeline would also be in the class right before mine, and I've always thought it would be challenging and fun. Plus, I will have a much better idea of what Sophia and Madeline are supposed to be doing when they practice. I really had no clue before.

Both Madeline and I had our first class today and we had a great time! Madeline had been wanting to participate in Sophia and Bronwyn's lessons for the past two years and she's finally old enough to begin. Surprisingly, she was a bit apprehensive on the way to her class today, but then she was totally into it as soon as the lesson started. She definitely had fun. My class was a bit nerve-wracking at first because we quickly jumped into learning dance steps (1-2-3s and 7s). And there are some experienced dancers in the class as well so that was a little intimidating for the raw beginners like me. Thank goodness I'm not the only one! I enjoyed it very much anyway. It was also a very good workout which is excellent because I really should do more exercise than I do. (And I won't be playing volleyball this year so I don't have that activity anymore.) My legs are certainly going to ache this week!

So, today marked the official beginning of our extra-curricular activities for this school year. Madeline and I have dance classes on Saturdays, Sophia and Madeline have swimming lessons on Sundays (until early December), and Sophia has dance class on Mondays and Sparks on Tuesdays. I think it's a good mix of activities and I know it will seem hectic at times, but not unmanageable.

Daily pic: 02 Jun 07

Sophia, Bronwyn, and Madeline watching (from the side) another Irish dancing group on the same stage on which they performed. At each pavilion we visited, the girls had to get as close to the stage as possible to watch the dancers. On Saturday, we went to the Ethiopian, Carribean, Polish, and Chinese pavilions as well. We saw an amazing Polish dance performance by a group from Calgary who were brought in especially for the 40th anniversary of Mosaic.

Sophia and Bronwyn had two performances on Saturday and they were required to keep their Irish poodle/bubble socks on in between because they're glued to their legs with a special glue (otherwise, they fall down too easily). It works well!

Daily pic: 01 Jun 07

The girls did really well at Mosaic tonight! Between yesterday and today, we've visited the Laos, Punjabi, German, Irish, Italian, and Francophone pavilions.

Daily pic: 26 May 07

Madeline and Sophia watching Ukranian dancers at the Cathedral Village Arts Festival on Saturday. Sophia and Bronwyn performed an Irish reel on this stage a little later. (They've also learned a jig this year, which is quite impressive, but they dance a reel in their performances.) The dance season is almost over. Last class tomorrow evening, then practice Tuesday evening, and performances at Mosaic on the weekend. The Irish pavilion is at the Callie Club this year and they dance on Friday and Saturday. (If you'd like to know the specific times, email me.)

Daily pic: 05 May 07

We had a busy Saturday.

The girls had their skating lesson in the morning. On Friday, Sophia was a little worried about skating and said she didn't want to go (I don't know if it was because of her finger or because she didn't have fun last week), but she didn't mention it on Saturday. She went, did well, and had fun. It was great to see! She had one of Neil's large thick mittens over her left hand to protect her finger. Whenever she fell down, she kept her injured hand out of the way. During the lesson I thought: I want to remember how slow and tentative Sophia is on skates right now because before we know it, she'll be flying around the ice at top speed. I know she will.

Madeline had another trying lesson. She was down on the ice as much as she was up. At one point, she was trying and trying and trying to get up without success and she spotted us watching her through the glass. The look on her face almost brought tears to my eyes. Her eyes were pleading, why won't you help me? She was a trooper though. She didn't even start crying (I think many four-year olds would have). She kept trying and by the end of the class, was able to get up on her own more consistently.

In the afternoon, Sophia and Bronwyn performed Irish dancing at a Strawberry Social fundraiser for Save the Children. It was good practice for them to perform in front of an audience as Mosaic is just around the corner. They performed their dance twice and the second one was a vast improvement over the first in terms of synchronization and distance from each other. This photo shows their starting position.

Later, Neil and I dropped the kids off at Laurel's and we went to Bushwakker for the Cinco de Mayo Tequila Tasting night. It started with an excellent Mexican meal: Romaine Leaf Salad with Shrimp and Cilantro Cucumber Dressing, Adobo Rubbed Beef Tenderloin with Guajillo and Red Pepper Coulis, Black Beans fried along side Wild Mushrooms, Sweet Corn and Serrano Chilies garnished with Fried Smoked Ham, and Mexican Chocolate Tart with Cinnamon-Spiced Pecans. The main course was delicious, but a little too spicy for me; Neil was in heaven. The chocolate tart was outstanding and the highlight of my evening. After dinner, we tasted five premium tequilas (Cabo Wabo Blanco, Patron Reposado, Casa Noble Reposado, Corralejo Anejo, Herradura Anejo) and one premium mezcal (Aztec Leyenda del Milagro Reposado Mezcal). None of them can be purchased in Saskatchewan. "Tasted" is the keyword for me. I didn't drink more than half a teaspoon of each. Can't say I'm a big fan of drinking straight tequila, no matter how premium (I do like margaritas though). Neil, on the other hand, enjoyed every drop. He loves "good" tequila, which is why we were there, of course.

Added, 11:55 a.m. I forgot to mention the entertainment. We enjoyed watching Mexican dances performed by the group, Alma Chilena, and a Flamenco dance by another performer.

Daily pic: 24 Mar 07

Sophia (1st) and my niece (3rd) dancing at the Spring Free From Racism event this afternoon. They were cute!

Daily pic: 17 Mar 07

We went to watch Irish dancing at the Cornwall Centre this afternoon. This is one of Sophia's teachers from the Prairie Gael School of Irish Dance. Sophia wasn't dancing today but she will be performing at the Spring Free From Racism Family Day next Saturday (Mar 24). We go to that event every year (see last year). Great food and entertainment (and free admission)!

Daily pic: 08 Jan 07

Sophia and Bronwyn removing their shoes after Irish dance class. Definitely a photo I wouldn't have thought to take otherwise. By the way, they don't usually wear sweaters in class, but they didn't want to change their tops today.

Sunday night

I really need to go to bed, but I'm feeling out of touch with my blog. I don't know why; it hasn't been that long!

This cold is brutal. It seems like I've had it forever (it's only been a week, but it came on strong just as I started feeling better after my pneumonia/sinus infection), and the symptoms are just starting to let up a little. Georgia is still not well either. She doesn't have a fever any more, but her nose is very sore from being wiped. She can really put up a good fight when she sees the tissue or washcloth coming.

I did almost all of my Christmas shopping on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. I enjoy shopping for kids' toys, and I like getting the best prices so I do shop around. I bought the girls' birthday presents this weekend too and I'm very pleased with what I bought and how little I paid! (Did you know that at Superstore, if the wrong price comes up when an item is scanned, you get it for FREE if the correct price is less than $10.00? Neil and I each went there on Saturday, separately, and we each got a $9.97 item for free!) I find it so easy to shop for my daughters and nieces, but holy cow, am I ever clueless when it comes to things for boys -- especially for my five-year-old nephew. It took me ten times longer to pick out something for him than for any of the girls.

I went to a Prairie Gael School of Irish Dance parents' meeting yesterday. The main topic of discussion was traditional school costumes. They want to eventually have enough made for intermediate and advanced-level group performances. This web page shows some examples of traditional school costumes. The first one (Bell) is the most similar to what the Prairie Gael costumes will look like. The costumes will be student-owned (i.e., parents pay for them) and they'll cost more than $500 each (made from scratch); however, they should have a long life and high resale value. (I must add that new solo dresses which are typically more elaborate can cost as much as $2,000!)

Today was a good, fun day. Sophia was in the Santa Claus parade with the Sparks and Guides at noon. The weather was decent for the parade (about 2C) and Sophia enjoyed it. I went to a Stampin' Up! scrapbooking "stamp camp" this afternoon and made four lovely pages -- two Christmas and two winter- themed. After that, I joined Neil and the girls at our friends' home for the Grey Cup game. I didn't watch the game at all, but I enjoyed visiting. It was a nice evening out.