Aug
31
Tiny Dancer, You Had A Busy Day Today.
by Leslie
Lucy had her first dance class yesterday. She was SO EXCITED. Truthfully? So was I.
I’ve been working hard to keep up with Kindermusik and (at least try to) enroll! enroll! enroll! despite my pending due date, nearly unnavigable belly and doctors advice to stop, mainly so I can afford to keep my girls in activities like this.
It had been suggested to me that I shouldn’t worry so much, that I should just take it easy. Lucy wouldn’t know the difference if I put her in class or not. “She’s only two,” people have told me.
And I have said, “ARE YOU KIDDING?” This child has been begging to follow a leotard-clad Julia into the studio for at least a year. She’s been playing “ballerina” in the mirrors in her playroom alongside her big sister since she could stand. She wants to take dance class. It means so much to both of my girls. And I won’t lie – it means something to me, too.
Lucy wore Julia’s old ballet shoes for class. There was a time when this would have bugged me, because, from my “only child” perspective, I was convinced that Lucy deserved her own shoes. But, as the girls have grown and I’ve witnessed the bond of sisterhood, I now realize, wearing Julia’s shoes made it even more special for Lucy. There’s no one she’d rather be like. And though this may not always be the case, it is right now. So, I’m going with it. It’s sweet and it saves me $15.
Lucy dove right into class, jumping, twirling, bouncing and smiling. She reminded me so much of Julia that I had to go back and read what I wrote on Julia’s first day of dance:
Julia wasn’t hard to find. She was the bouncy one. The one that, when the teacher walked around helping the kids get into their positions, walked after her, straightening arms and adjusting feet, too. The one that had to run out into the waiting room about fifteen minutes into the class to declare, “Mommy! I’m doing it! I’m doing ballet!”
The difference? While Julia jumped in to assist the teacher, Lucy actually told the teacher that she’d like to teach the class and proceeded to shout out instructions while the girls played with a parachute.
Julia sat on the sidelines with me, fighting the urge – and my death grip that was holding her back – to join in, watching her sister.
“Lucy’s really cute, Mom. I can’t believe she’s so big now,” she told me. I could tell she was proud. I wished I’d taken some photos or videos the night before when Julia showed Lucy how to plie after bathtime. But I was stuck sitting on the floor until Dave made it upstairs to help me up and they were naked, so it would have been weird anyway.
When class was over, we came home and celebrated with popsicles. Julia toasted her sister saying, “Now, we’re both ballerinas!” and they clinked their frozen treats together like champagne glasses.
Ah, to be the mother of little girls!
Aug
25
Dear First Grade Teacher,
by Leslie
how incredible she is
this girl in your class
brilliant and hilarious
so eager to please
she respects you already
you are the teacher
not just of her head, but her
heart and her spirit
for answers, validation
make her feel valued
underappreciated,
tired, underpaid
talking and not listening,
or picking her nose
is the dark spot in your day
she’s the light of mine
won’t you remember, you’ve got
my world in your class
Aug
23
The Truth Revealed
by Leslie
It turns out Lucy did not cut her hair. And Julia’s conscience can only handle about seven hours of deceit.
Her confession came amid a flood of tears, which isn’t nearly as shocking as the fact that Lucy – at 28 months old – never gave her sister up. I questioned her all day about her hair. She was adamant that she did nothing to it, but she never ratted Julia out. The kid was as cool as a popsicle.
I’m not sure what to think of this.
Should I be impressed? Proud? Maybe a little scared?
Aug
23
Here is Lucy just a few days ago.
This is Lucy today.
And this is what she had to say about where her bangs went.
Aug
18
The Haiku Buckaroo Contest, Volume 7
by Leslie
So, maybe you thought I’d kicked the haiku habit. I mean, things have been a little light in the 5-7-5 verse around here. But that’s the thing about addiction – you can relapse! So let’s celebrate the hopeful return of the Daily Haiku with a reprisal of the semi-annual (and completely underrated) Haiku Buckaroo Contest!
Here’s how to enter:
Write a haiku.
(A haiku has 17 syllables:
seven in the second line
five in the third line
Just so you know.)
Bloggers: Post your haiku on your blog. I’d love it if you’d mention this contest in your post in a linky fashion. It’s the first step in establishing a cult following and it’d be nice to help a girl out. Once your post is published, submit a link directly to your entry post with the Mr. Linky below.
Non-Bloggers or Bloggers Who Don’t Want To Post It On Their Blog For A Reason I Don’t Understand But Support Because I Am Young and My Heart Is An Open Book and I Say, “Live and Let Live”: Submit your haiku via this entry form. I will provide a page on which all non-blogger haiku submissions will appear. Once your submission is received, it will be included on the non-blogger haiku submission page and a link to it will be added to Mr. Linky under your name.
You may enter more than once. Each haiku will be judged individually.
The contest winner (a.k.a. The Haiku Buckaroo) will receive:
The contest deadline is 11:59 p.m. EST, Wednesday September 1st. The winner will be announced on Monday September 6th.
Just seventeen syllables
And it could be you
Good luck!
Stuff I Do
-
Stuff You Should Do
You know, Stuff.
