I *LOVE* dance recital! BUT! (Warning: RANT)

Tonight was the first of 2 performances of my daughter’s dance recital.  I danced for 15 years, and I love dance recitals!  I love that one of my daughters has the bug, and I love watching her and her friends perform.  We have found a studio that is high on professionalism, care, nurturing, and of course, DANCE!  The recital is run like a fine oiled machine, and it is a pleasure to be there.  Except when rude people have no respect for the rest of the audience!  Here’s the skinny:

Rant: if you can't sit still for an hour (53 minutes to be exact) DON'T COME! And if your child can't sit still that long, hire a babysitter!  I was totally pissed when I had to allow a woman and her toddler out of my row in the middle of my daughter’s ballet number!!!

Not to mention the people just wandering around the seating area of the performance hall.  One guy who was apparently seated in the front row at some point was coming back to his seat, and he was a bigger guy, with a baseball cap on (don't get me started) and he just sauntered to his seat, climbed to the middle of the row, and took FOREVER to sit down - all while dancers were performing on stage!  Seriously, folks!  That’s just plan RUDE, disrespectful, and uncalled for!  I have not been that angry in a LONG time!  Are you KIDDING me?  I would say if you have to get out, go between songs, but that’s one of the things I LOVE about my studio’s recitals – the songs are all the same length (2.5 minutes) and there is NO BREAK between songs.  Each half of the show is between 50 and 55 minutes and there is a 15 minute intermission.  Every year.  Every time.  You can bank on it.  I LOVE THAT!

So, please don’t disrupt other people.  The  announcer at the show reminded everyone to turn off their cell phones and that flash photography was not allowed during the show before the director took the stage.  But, I guess he should add one about staying in your seat until intermission.  SHEESH!  You would think people would have enough common sense and manners to do that on their own…  But they don’t.  They don’t seem to realize that my dancer spends hours and HOURS of her time - as does the studio staff  - and I spend lots of money (lessons, shoes, fees, costumes, TIGHTS - $13 a pair for recital!) for this ONE time a year, and I hate that someone who had no manners had to ruin it for me.

I did send an email to the director when we got home tonight.  She was my first tap teacher “back in the day” and I totally respect her, so I wanted her to know what happened tonight.  Not that it will change how stupid people act sometimes, but it makes me feel better.

So, next time you are out at a public performance of ANY kind, please be respectful of the performers.  It's the right thing to do.  Thanks.

A season of busy-ness

Today is Wednesday. We are barreling at light speed towards the end of another school year. Which means activities are ending and winding down (unless it’s baseball – that that’s another story!) and our schedule is changing. Emma’s 2 reading tutoring after school classes ended last week. The Wednesday night children’s programming at our church ended last week, too. Lara’s dance recital is in a few weeks, and her current gym class ends about the same time. End of school means field trips, end of year parties, school carnival, camp outs, testing, graduation (on so many levels), good-byes and looking towards the long summer. The kids are reacting to the change in schedule as most kids do – just a bit “off.” And bedtimes are a mess – trying to squeeze in all the things we have to do… This time of year always makes me tried, and stressed out. This year is no different, except the reasons are different, more somber.

In our house, it also means illness. Allergies are running rampant. Strep throat, hacking coughs, runny noses, itchy eyes. I have become the queen of medicine dispensing the last few days! Triaminic (day or night?), Zyrtec, antibiotics, cough syrup, inhaler, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and the list goes on. I am lucky that my kids are all “good” medicine takers – never really fight it. And the girls are old enough to swallow pills now, so that makes life so much easier. But, it’s a lot to keep track of! And they all take different doses of everything, so it’s like a crazy math puzzle with no right answer – just a best guess!

So, I’m tired. I’m stressed out. I’m probably over-medicating my children. And I’m sad. I miss him. So many things I want to share, but can’t. Graduation at my office is Friday night – which means I am party planner extraordinaire for 50 people in 2 days (which reminds me – I need to call the caterer…). 3 more weeks of dance class before recital. Baseball for Emma and Jake is in full swing. The events on my Cozi calendar keep popping up one right after another. And here I am, just trying to keep my head above water. I love my family, and I thrive on being busy, but I’m ready for the end of this season to come.

One thing I am DESPARATELY looking forward to? My “Honeymoon!” My husband is taking me on a trip to a destination unknown (by me) for our honeymoon. We got married 28 days after he proposed in the middle of football recruiting (when I was the assistant to the recruiting coordinator in the Oklahoma State University Cowboy Football office), and there was no time for a trip, then we got pregnant, had an infant had a toddler, had a preschooler or had no money. Here we are five years later, and my hubby has planned this secret trip for me. We leave in 3 weeks. It’s a break we are BOTH looking forward to, for so many reasons!

Old Habits

Really ARE hard to break.  It has been a TRYING week.  Snowmageddon 11 had us out of school and off work for 3 days.  My monthly visitor paid a visit, and due to bad road conditions and a promise to be in a wedding, we all 5 lived in ONE hotel 40 miles from home for 3 days (missing a 4^th day of school and work).  ALL of that chaos really threw a kink in things.  I weighed this morning, since it’s been 2 weeks, and it was a gain.  I kind of figured as much, but it still came as a bit of a blow.  The good news is, today is a NEW day, and I can start all over again!  I have already pressed play and gotten my work out in today, already read today’s reading on my youversion reading plan, Shakeology is on deck,  and it’s not supposed to start snowing again until tomorrow.

I do have to say that this week was a blessing in many ways, though.  I got to see a beautiful, unique, and FUN wedding between two of the most wonderful young people, all through a haze of huge snowflakes.  I got to spend days on end with my wonderful family and see how truly well behaved, grateful,  and charming my kids can be, and how well my husband and I can work as a team, even in close quarters and on someone else’s time line.  I loved being a part of this wedding.  I love how weddings renew our own vows in a way.  And, I loved that I got to teach my wonderful husband a little bit of two stepping AND the Cupid Shuffle.  I have always liked to dance and its fun to get the whole family involved!

So, here’s to new beginnings!  Back to school and work, back to eating healthily and working out, back to being accountable in all ways!  And, Valentine’s Day is only a week away…  :)