Christmas Show

Last night was our rink's annual Christmas show.  Belle has participated in almost every show since she started skating.  The only years she didn't were the 2 years she was at Junior Nationals during the show, so for obvious reasons couldn't.  It has always been one of our most favorite parts of the holiday season.  Many rinks plan a production for this time of year, like Nutcracker on Ice.  Our rink, however, allows the skaters to choose a favorite Christmas song and create a performance.  This means that you get to see a huge variety when you come to our show.  It is always a unique experience. 

One special "rite of passage" has remained consistent.  Each year one skater, typically a senior who will be graduating and moving on, performs to "My Grown Up Christmas List".  This year it was Belle's turn.  She has already performed this for a couple of exhibitions at the outdoor rink in our area, but this was different.  This was her home ice and what could be the last Christmas show she skates in.  Hopefully she will be back in years to come, but since who knows what life will bring we both realized this might be the last one.  I wasn't going to cry, but I didn't even make it through her introduction.  So, when you watch the video and wonder why the camera is shaking, now you know.  I should have remembered the tripod, I never do! 

Anyway, on this last Sunday before Christmas I present to you Belle.

Wal Mart Today

Why did I pick today to go into Wal Mart?!  I should have know when the parking lot was full what I was in for.  Did it stop me, NO!  I proceeded in to get my blank tapes for the camcorder (Belle has her Christmas show at the rink today) without hesitation.  I was determined to get the tapes and get out.  I didn't even get a cart so I wouldn't be tempted to browse.  $67 later I was out.  I only got a few extra things.  I found a couple of stocking stuffers, a skating snowman cup (Peter Pan will tell you I have an obsession with cups, plates, salt and pepper shakers, etc. that have any sort of skating theme), and 3 DVD's (I NEED Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and Charlie Brown Christmas.)  It only took me 1/2 hour.  Most of that was standing in line to pay.  I vow not to return to Wal Mart until next year!  Ask me tomorrow if that worked.

Enough Already!

The floors are finally in, well except for 4 transitions that won't arrive until after the new year.  The house is a wreck!  We managed to mess up the cable, that meant a dreaded wait for the Cox repair guy.  He was actually very prompt, very helpful and we are back up and running.  So, I am trying desperately to clean and put things back where they belong.  The floors really look amazing, but my house ins not in any state of order.

Belle and I went to Boston sunday to look at Boston University and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.  We had a really fun trip and even got to have dinner with Peter Pan's sister while we were there.  Belle says she is the cool, fun Aunt who teaches you how to make jello shots (wait, that is my sister, actually Belle and Moose have 2 really cool, fun Aunts!)  I was hoping that Belle would hate the schools in Boston, but no such luck.  She really liked them and now she is torn about where she wants to go and why.  Her choices are all very different from one another.  In my mind that makes money the deciding factor, Belle wants no part of that discussion.  She really wants to be able to decide solely on the merits of each choice. I truly hope she gets that opportunity.

I returned from Boston to a pile of school work, grad school application pieces I need to finish up, several pieces of business for this weeks skating exhibition at Mac on Ice, and a huge mix up with the competition application that I sent off for a sanction.  I have a lot of work to do tonight to correct all the mistakes.  That is of course why I am blogging, I have soooooo much extra time.  I am also trying to clean and decorate for Christmas, and play Secret Santa at work. 

I spent a couple hours decorating tonight and I did get the tree up (not decorated completely) and the mantle decorated.  I just got frustrated with the way it was all going and as much as I love the new floors Christmas tree bulbs SHATTER when they hit it.  Reason one that carpet is better.  However, it looks really nice.  Hopefully it will stay standing and I won't break anymore ornaments. 

This isn't a great time of year to be so overwhelmed.  I am just swamped under paper work and other junk.  As of now, I have officially had enough!  Just saying, okay!

Cleaning and Tossing

Okay we made it through this week and now I am supposed to relax and refresh on my day of right.  Not a chance.  Today I get to pack all the book shelves, closets, etc. downstairs so the flooring install can happen Monday.  This is a pain in my,  well you know where.  I didn't realize how much junk can accumulate in just a few years.  I have found magazines from 2005, skating related, but still what was I saving them for, textbooks from college (mine not Moose's) and a variety of old PTA directories and phone books.  Why did I feel the need to keep all of that? 

I can tell you why, I might need it someday.  In fact I am fairly certain that just after Peter Pan takes it all to the dump I will need it!!!  Well, maybe not, but that is my fear.  What if I really need a phone number from that directory?  What if that skating magazine had an article I need to refer back to?  What if I need to look back into that outdated textbook for some crucial piece of job saving information?  Now I realize the chances are pretty slim that will happen, but it would be just my luck.  So I am throwing the stuff out, but it is stressing me big time.  I keep telling myself that it is out of date, I don't think my college chemistry book from 1985 will be useful to anyone.  I'm not sure it was useful to me back in 1985.  I do feel a certain kinship with those people who end up on "Hoarding" .  It is hard to let go of things.

So what am I keeping?  Yearbooks, baby books and calendars,  stuff the kids made (I found the cutest little book Belle made in Kindergarten!)  I am not ready to part with that stuff yet.  Hopefully when I am ready Belle and Moose will be ready to accept it.  It is sort of sad though, all the things that just get tossed.  They were important at one point in time.

So Saturday morning clean and pitch, here I come!!!  If you hear wailing that is just me being frustrated with the whole process.  But call me next week when everything is done and see if I am not happier without all the clutter!

Good Idea?!

It seemed like such a great idea this morning.  My class is working on counting (the chapter in our Kindergarten math book is actually counting 0-5),  My class is way ahead of the curve though,  so, what could be better than making Holiday count down chains.  You remember them, alternating red and green paper loops that make a chain.  That would be perfect.  We would all have to count to 24 and make a pattern with our loops.  Fun, engaging, perfect math lesson... NOT!

My para-educator suggested that we have them write the numbers on the strips of paper.  Wow, she is good.  What a fantastic way to tie it all together.  So there we were at math time.  2 experienced Kindergarten educators, pulling our hair out. First of all, getting the paper strips sorted into patterns stopped some of my class.  They had green and red paper strips everywhere.  When we finally got to the part where they were supposed to be writing the numbers they started doing crazy stuff.  No one was listening, no one got what we wanted them to do, and mostly it was just a HUGE mess.  I could hear her at the next table redirecting her group.  "Everyone get a red strip of paper.  Now write the number 1 on it.  No write a 1, on the red strip.  No just on the red strip.  No not on all the red strips..." 

I was faring no  better with my group.  "Make sure you have red, then green, then red, then green.  Remember a b a b patterns from a couple weeks ago.  No not a a b b, just a b a b.  No you don't need a stack of all the red and all the green.  Now turn them like this (I showed them to turn them horizontally) and write a 1.  No, only on the top strip.  No not vertically (we have actually worked on the words horizontal and vertical!)  No don't write 1 on all of them.  Your pieces are all over the floor."

We decided to give up on writing the numbers and just start gluing.  That didn't go well either.  Making the loop and holding it long enough for it to stick was painfully difficult for these five year olds.  We looked across the hall at the perfect chains hanging outside another Kindergarten class and wondered how exactly they had done it.  Finally, we both sort of gave up and said, just make a chain and put it in your mailbox!  So much for a great idea!!!! Tomorrow I am making handprint reindeer, they should be really cute...