Keep the THANKS in Thanksgiving. Celebrate it, don't shop it.

 I have heard a lot about keeping the Christ in Christmas, but before we even get to December’s holidays, we are losing Thanksgiving! 

I am going to feel so old saying this but I remember when Thanksgiving was about a big family meal and  actually GIVING THANKS.  Everyone packed into Grandma and Grandpa’s house (or whoever was hosting), said one thing we were thankful for that year, before eating turkey and pie. My brother and I split the wishbone and made a wish. We watched football and overate, as a family. There was no shopping on Thanksgiving. Stores weren’t even open, so that employees could enjoy their turkey and football. 

Now, Thanksgiving is becoming about getting good deals on stuff that you probably don’t need. But how good is a deal if it destroys the meaning of Thanksgiving.  Rather than “thanks,” the holiday is becoming about greed and stores are placing their bottom line before their employees, families and traditions. Toys R Us is open at 5pm. Isn’t that dinner time?  Soon other stores will be following suit, each opening a little early in an attempt to beat out the other and soon, stores will all be open on Thanksgiving and slowly but surely, we will lose Thanksgiving all together. 

Is it really necessary to shop on Thursday? Can’t we trample each other for sale items the DAY AFTER we give thanks for all that we have, like we have done every other year? 

I know it is impossible for everyone to have off from work on Thanksgiving and I know that not everyone can get together with their families, but we can still save Thanksgiving.

This year our family Thanksgiving is rather small. My grandmother is not in the best of health and a large family Thanksgiving just isn’t possible. A large portion of family lives far and airfare is outrageous but my husband and I intend to start our own traditions and stay out of the reach of those who are intent on destroying the holiday all together.

A lot of people are saying that after dinner they are just sitting around, doing nothing so why not get a jump on shopping. Well, instead of doing “nothing” -do something.  At my house, this year we will start the tradition of building a gingerbread house with the kids, from scratch. This year we are making a log cabin, but every year we will build a different style house and decorate it differently.  If you don’t want to dedicate that much time, you can just build a boxed one. 

While coming up with this idea, we came across several others:

Write a letter to Santa with your kids. Remind them to THANK Santa for all of the gifts they received last year and report on things they did during the year. It will make a nice reminder to read back when they are older.  

Play a game. If you have a big family and it is nice out, play some touch football as a family. If not, try a board game marathon. 

Decorate the Christmas tree or hang your stockings.  (Maybe even make ornaments for the tree- CRAFT TIME!)

We got free place mats from the local grocery store (GO WEGMANS!) where kids can draw what they are thankful for this year.  I don’t see why this couldn’t be done on regular paper. 

I know a lot of things are Christmas related and may seem “cheesy” to some, but you can always watch a movie together or read a book. The point is to celebrate Thanksgiving, not shop it.

My Gender Reveal

In the morning morning my left me a dress a dress that he bought and sent me a text that said to be ready at 630 and I would find out more then. 

So I got dressed (in a dress that he got for me to wear) and my parents and grandmother and baby drove me around until we arrived at The Vintage restaurant. Josh had planned a gender reveal dinner complete with pink and blue wrapped chairs. 

In the corner was a big cardboard box that said "Boy or Girl?" on the front with a question mark balloon holding down the lid. 

 Everyone at the restaurant was looking to see if the baby was a boy or girl, but we decided to make them wait and order dinner first. But after we ordered, I stood next to the box...lifted the lid...and out came...

PINK BALLOONS! It's a girl!  

Looks like a lot of the gender predicting old wives tales were wrong. 

We are happy to have a little sister, close in age, for Emmelyn to grow up with. Can't wait to meet her!!

 

When Should Children Learn About September 11

This morning when I was driving my 8 year old step-daughter to school, I asked her, "Are you doing anything for September 11th in school today?" and she looked confused when she answered "No, I don't think so." So I asked her if she knew what September 11th was and she said, "Yeah. Isn't it Halloween?" She had no idea what I meant by September 11th. It must be a say for candy or presents, right?

I gave her a very brief summary of what has happened and she just said, "Wow!" She wasn't afraid or worried just a little shocked.

I was shocked that she was so completely unaware. I know she is only 8 and maybe the school thinks she is too you to learn hear about terrorism and I don't expect her to understand the economic or political affects of such a tragedy, but it isn't necessary to scare a child with potential dangers on American soil in order to pay tribute to a day that I think is far more relevant to their lives than anything currently found in a history book.

During that time, rescue workers and every day people, risked their lives to save people they didn't know before that day. Heroes were made from some of the greatest acts of humanitarianism that this country has ever seen. We ask them who their heroes are but they are completely unaware of the bravery and selflessness of the people who sacrificed themselves on September 11 to save the lives of others.

I don't expect them to hear high jacking details that will keep them from ever wanting to get on a plane again, but following the terrorist attacks came the biggest surge of American patriotism that I have ever experienced in my lifetime. There is an significant lesson to be learned about how no matter how big or invincible you may seem, you can always be knocked down and the importance of banning together to stand back up.

Maybe 8 is too young, but I think that they should at least know the importance of today and if told correctly, September 11 isn't just a story of plane crashes and terrorism but of heroism and patriotism.

Regardless, today is an important day that should be remembered by all Americans. God Bless the families of those who were brave in the face of danger and God Bless America.

Boy or Girl: Gender Predictors

In 3 weeks I find out the gender of Baby #2 (hopefully then I will have something better than #2 to call him/her), but I thought it would be fun do gather some gender predictors in the meantime and see which ones end up being accurate. I don't know if even that will mean anything. THey really all have a 50/50 shot, right? Pretty good odds!

This is actually a reasonable sample size of the crazy number of gender predicting old wives tales are out there. 

Your body:

Shape of Belly: Carrying a low, smaller belly that sticks straight out is a boy. A high, big round belly is a girl. This is tough because I don't really see either of these traits in my belly, this early. My belly is smaller than it was with my little girl and definitely not as round, so it may just be my eating habits, but I am going to go with BOY on this one.

Skin: Is your skin dry (boy) or oily (girl)? I am going to give another point to BOY on this one. I have been needing a lot more lotion lately. 

Hair: Is your hair dull and brittle (girl) or full and healthy (boy)? My hair didn't get full and bouncy like I imagined when I was told that pregnant women have great hair but when I was pregnant with my daughter, my hair was a disaster. This time it is pretty much the same. So I am going with another point BOY. 

Face shape: When your face gets fuller and rounder when pregnant, it means you're going to have a girl. If your face is long and narrow, it's a boy. I am having a hard time believing that my face would slim down during any pregnancy, but it definitely isn't as round as last time, so again, I am going BOY on this one. 

Shape of Legs: If your legs have gotten really big, you are having a boy. If they stay in shape and lean, you are having a girl. Hmmm... well, my legs haven't gotten any leaner but they haven't gotten any bigger either. These are kinda hard. I am going to give my first point to GIRL. 

Leg Hair: If the hair on your legs has been growing faster than normal, you might be having a boy. I feel like I need to shave all the time so BOY gets another one. 

Nose: This one is really weird but if your nose is growing and getting wider you are likely to be having a boy. I think this one is really out there but I am going GIRL. 

Boobies: If your left breast is larger than the right breast, it's having a girl. If the right breast is larger, it's a boy. I have an obvious GIRL point here.

Eye Test: 

The eye test is when you pull down the skin under your left eye if you see a V or branches in the white part, you're having a girl. I don't know if I am understanding this one completely but my eye is just white, so BOY, it is. 

Your habits/symptoms:

Cravings: Are you craving sweets (girl) or salty foods (boy)? I didn't feel like I had any cravings last time or this time, really. I didn't need anything specific. A little bit of both, I guess, this is a DRAW.

Morning sickness: Are you having morning sickness (girl) or feeling great (boy)? I had some with this pregnancy but with my daughter I was sick as a dog, so BOY gets another one.

Gracefulness: If you are graceful throughout her pregnancy, you are having a girl. If you becomes clumsy, you are having a boy.  I am having trouble with this one because I spilled everything when I was pregnant with my daughter. I was anything but graceful and I haven't started that yet, so if I went with the opposite it would be boy but it I followed the old wives tale it would be girl. I am going to call a DRAW on this one. 

Sleep Position: If you prefer to lay on your left side, you are having a boy. If you prefer your right side, it is a girl. I move around a lot at night but my husband claims that whenever he gets up in the morning I am on my left side, it could be because he is pulling for a boy, but I don't know, so I guess it is my left side and BOY.

Headaches: If you are having headaches, you might be carrying a boy. This is a huge point for BOY for me this tim around. My head is constantly throbbing.

Random Tests:

Previous kids: 

 If you have another child and that child's first word was momma, you will have a girl. If your first child's first word was dadda, you'll have a boy. Emme's first word was Dada but how does this one work if you have more than one child. Oh well, BOY.

Show me your hands: 

When the pregnant woman is asked to show her hands, it's a boy if she keeps her palms down and a girl if she shows her palms up. I read this one myself, but before I read the whole thing I held my hand out, palm down so I could follow along, so my best guess would be BOY.

String Test: If you dangle a needle on a string over your wrist (or some say belly) does it swing in circles or back and forth? Circles means boy and back and forth means girl. When I did this the needle swung back and forth rather quickly and forcefully, actually so team GIRL definitely gets the point.

Name that Baby: It is said that when you can only think of specific names for a boy or a girl, you will have a baby of that sex. I don't know about this one because last time we only had boys names lined up and we had a girl. This time we have only girls names. I am faced with the same problem as whether I am graceful or not, so I am calling another DRAW.

Bread: If you eat the ends of bread, it's a boy. If you eat the middle of the load, it's a girl. This has to be the most ridiculous one for me. I don't even eat the crust so you won't catch me eating the "butt" of the bread, ever. So regardless of my baby's sex, I think this one would turn out GIRL. (This one is probably the most random)

Time of Conception: The person that is most aggressive in bed at the time of conception is the opposite of what the baby will be. Ummm..GIRL.

Chinese Gender Chart The Chinese Gender Chart allegedly has an accuracy rate of over 90%. It is based on how old the mother is at conception and the month that (s)he conceived. This chart told me I was having a girl last time and it was right. This time it says BOY.

Mayan Gender predictor: If the year of conception and the mothers age are both even or odd, it is a girl. If one is even and the other odd, it is a boy. For me they are both odd, (but this test was wrong with my daughter). One point GIRL.

Toddlers: If a toddler boy expresses interest in a pregnant woman, she is having a girl. If he doesn't show interest, she's having a boy. I don't have any toddler boys so I can't do this one.

Fetal Heart Rate:  If the baby's heart rate is above 140 bpm, it is said that the baby will be a girl. If it is under 140 bpm, then it will be a boy. The heart rate at our last appointment was over 140 but just barely. I think it was 148 or 143. Emme's was always in the 160s, so I think I am going to guess BOY.

Drano Test: This test involves peeing into a cup of Drano (as if you haven't had to pee on enough things already). If the mixture turns green, it is a girl. If it turns blue, it is a boy. 
***I recommend skipping this one. Drano fumes can't be great for you and it doesn't work anyway. My Drano started clean and finished pee yellow. 

Baking Soda Test: Again you need to pee into a cup...this time with baking soda. If the mixture fizzles, it's a boy. If it doesn't, it is a girl. My pee fizzled like crazy. Point for BOY.

Key Test:  This test involves someone putting a key in front of you.If you pick up a key at the top (the roundest part), you are going to have a boy. If you pick up the key at the bottom (smallest part), you are going to have a girl. If you happen to grab the key in the middle, its twins! I went for the narrow part. GIRL.

Knife/Scissor Test: Have someone hide a knife and a scissor under 2 different couch cushions when you are out of the room. After they are hidden choose a seat. If you sat on/near the knife it is a boy. If you sat on or near/scissors, it is a girl. I sat no where near the knife and right next to the scissors so this test tells me baby is a GIRL.

That si a total of 9 points for girl and twelve for girl. Only time will tell!

Holy @#$% We Are Having A Baby!

Surprise! And when I say surprise, I really mean it.  My little girl is almost one and a half and we recently found out that we will be welcoming Baby #2 in January.

I had been feeling extremely tired and unusually naseous, but there was no way I could be pregnant (or so I thought), but just to be sure I took a test and just as I suspected, it came up negative. Chalked it all up to stress. When my symptoms got worse, I took a second test and a third and a fourth and a fifth...to the point where the check out girl at CVS asked "you know that you have to pee on these, right?"And then suggested I try the digital kind (which I did!). They were all freakin' positive! No way! Impossible! (Riiiight?) --Actually, the chances were 1 in 100 to be exact.

Apparently, there was no form of birth control capable of stopping this baby from being conceived. But we take our blessings when they are given to us and while every baby is a blessing, this little one has "God's plan" written all over it.

...Either that or my husband has the "Michael Phelps" of sperm!

* I am sure not sure who would blush harder at that comparison, my husband or Michael Phelps.

In all seriousness, we know that there are lots of people out there who are struggling to have children and we are very blessed and excited to be having another baby.  His or her big sisters are ecstatic. Well, Olivia is, Emmelyn just stared at the ultrasound screen, eating her cheesy puffs as if she were watching a movie, but she sure looks excited in her picture!

We are all already very much in love with our squirmy little peanut and are thrilled that our family will be growing by two (very little) feet in 2014. 

Playing Baby Defense

I know I have really been neglecting my blogging, but I have good reasons.

First my husband has been working long hours, so that means twice as much diaper duty and running around for mommy.Second, my adorable, calm little baby's has been possessed by an energetic, incredibly curious, fast, walking one year old.

Where did my baby go? I remember she was so small and I could carry her around. She was so quiet and sweet and I could take her everywhere. We would go out to dinner and she would just sit in her chair and peacefully eat her Gerber puffs, one at a time and smile at the people eating around us. Everyone would stop and say "your daughter is so cute and we can't believe how well-behaved she is!" We could stroll around the mall for hours and she would sit in her stroller, just watching the people. Suddenly, she had turned one and has been replaced with a completely different child. Don't get me wrong, she is still as sweet as can be, but I can no longer sit her on the ground and expect to find her in the same spot when I get back from going pee. I am much more likely to find her racing down the hall, trying to break through the baby gate or pulling all of Sissy's clothes out of the bottom drawer and trying to put them over her head.

When we go out to eat, she now needs to taste everything in my plate and most of it ends up on the floor. Going to the mall means shopping with one hand and trying to keep her from climbing out of the stroller with the other. when she isn't climbing out, she is emptying out the contents of her diaper bag until I let her out to walk around, which is an entirely different challenge.

It isn't so much that she is misbehaving, she is just incredibly curious and independent. She doesn't want to be in the stroller because she wants to get out and try to push it around herself. (Which means, watch for your toes fellow shoppers!) She doesn't throw her food on the floor but it ends up there because she insists on feeding herself.

Her new favorite thing to explore is the toilet. She wants to put her hands in the water and splash around (she also does this in the dog bowl). So I have to follow everyone into the bathroom and make sure that they put the lid down.

So basically, I haven't been able to blog because I have been trying to preserve my folded laundry and plumbing, looking for missing shoes (she loves to carry around people's shoes for some reason), trying to arrange everything in the house in a position that is "out of reach" and racing my little angel to whatever she is up to next. Basically, I have been playing baby defense.

Gotta love this "exploratory" phase. :)

Pin Under Review: Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

I am starting with this one because it was requested and sometimes mommy needs a cupcake that she doesn’t have to share with the kiddos.

 These cupcakes promise to be easy to make, delicious and taste like an Irish Car Bomb.

 For those who live under a rock an Irish Car Bomb is a beer cocktail made with Guinness Irish stout, Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Jameson Irish whiskey. To make the drink, whiskey is poured on top of the Bailey’s in a shot glass, and the shot glass dropped into the glass of Guinness. Once the shot glass hits the bottom, you have to “drink quickly” or the cream will curdle. I can’t vouch for what goes on once it is inside your stomach, but I have always found it smart to limit the number of Irish Car Bombs to just one, however the cupcakes are delicious and there is no curdling involved.

 I made these for my cousins college graduation party and they were almost gone before dinner was even served. People loved them. I should tell you that they are more expensive to make than the average cupcake. They require several alcoholic products and some pricier than normal chocolate.

 In reviewing the Pins, I found that while some recipes were dry and others were way too dense, most of them did not taste like Irish Car Bombs, so in the end I ended up combining two and still making some alterations to make Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Jameson Chocolate Ganache Filling and Bailey’s Irish Butter Cream Icing.

 What you will need:
 

For the Cupcakes:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1½ sticks butter, room temperature

• 1¼ cups white granulated sugar

• 4 large eggs

• 16-20 ounce Guinness stout

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Jameson Ganache:

• 8 ounces (2 large bars) bittersweet chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)

• 2/3 cup heavy cream

• 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

• 1/4 cup Jameson Irish whiskey

For the Bailey's Irish Butter Cream

• 2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 5 cups powdered sugar

• 3/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream

Cupcakes:

To make the cupcakes, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. (I will now refer to this mixture as the “powder”). In a separate large bowl and a mixer, mix together the butter and sugar until light and airy. Beat the eggs, one at a time to the mixture and then add the vanilla extract. Make sure it is all mixed well.Start mixing in the powder mixture you made and alternate adding the Guinness. (ex. Add some powder and mix, add some Guinness and mix, add some powder and mix, add some Guinness and mix, etc) until all of the Guinness and powder are mixed in.

WARNING: The powder mixture is very light. If your mixer is set too high when you add the powder it will fill the room and not the bowl.

**My recipe says 16-20 ounces of Guinness. The original called for only 12 ounces. So I started with 12 I couldn’t taste anything other than bitter chocolate. So I continued to add until I could taste a hint of Guinness. I would not add more than 20 ounces because it will change the consistency of the cupcake.
Scrape down the sides and bottoms of the mixing bowl, and fill your cupcake tins (should be lined with cupcake liners) about half way. Then bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

**Let the cupcakes cool before trying to cut into them or ice them, but cut the cupcakes BEFORE you make the ganache filling (you will see why).

Once the cupcakes are cool, you need to cut a hole in the center, but not all the way through to the bottom. I used a really small paring knife and it came right out.


 Ganache:

Now you are ready to make the Jameson Ganache. Make sure that you use bittersweet chocolate that it is at least 70% cocoa or it doesn’t taste the same. The recipe called for the bittersweet chocolate to be grated into the bowl, but I broke them up and placed them in the chopper, which was much easier.

Once the chocolate is chopped, place the chocolate and butter in a bowl. In a sauce pan or microwaveable cup bring the cream to boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter. Leave untouched for 2 minutes. Stir until thick and glossy. Add the Jameson. The original recipe called for a few tablespoons of Jameson, but I continued to add and taste until it was a strongly alcoholic chocolate. When you eat the cupcake, this is the part where you actually taste the liquor. This was the best part. People would have eaten the chocolate ganache alone.

**My secret and the reason we cut the cupcakes before we made the ganache is this. The ganache you just made should be really watery (and that is okay, it will thicken up on its own). While it was watery I filled the holes in the cupcakes so that some of the chocolate would be absorbed by the surrounding cupcake and make them moist and flavorful.

Let the rest of the ganache sit and it will start to thicken up. You can speed up this process by placing it in the refrigetaor, but don’t leave it in there too long. Once it is more of a chocolate sauce then a liquid, refill the holes in the cupcakes replacing what was absorbed by the cake. You can use a plastic bag, (scoop in the chocolate and cut off the corner, and squeeze it into the cupcake), but mine was mostly still full from when I poured in the more liquid chocolate, so I just used a spoon. When I was done, I iced the cupcakes with a thin layer of the ganache so that there was some in every bite because again, this is the best part.

Frosting:

To make the frosting, beat the butter and confectioners sugar until light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes and then slowly add in the Bailey’s Irish Cream. Again, it called for a lot less Bailey’s but I found the frosting to taste like really sweet butter, so this recipe increases the Bailey’s added. It called for 6 tablespoons and I actually doubled it to 12 (3/4 cup). You can always use the taste and add approach to this until you find a frosting that you like. 

I don’t have piping bags, so I placed the frosting in a regular Ziplock bag and cut off the corner. Squeeze the icing onto the cupcakes and you are done!

(My cupcakes)

 Pin Review:
These can be made by the average pinner, but they do not taste as promised without some changes to the recipe. The drawbacks are the pricey ingredients (for cupcake standards) and the mess. You need to use quite a few bowls, spoons and appliances. However, the cupcakes were a huge hit and I have already ben asked to make them again.

The lawyer in me feels like I should also state the obvious, just incase. While there is probably not enough in these cupcakes to make you drunk, not all of the alcohol is cooked out of them so they DO  CONTAIN ALCOHOL. This product is not appropriate for children, pregnant women, anyone recovering from addiction, etc.
 

Pinning Is Only Half The Battle

..actually, in most cases it is a lot less than half.

I used to be one of those people who refused to use Pinterest. For whatever reason I decided that there was absolutely no need for it and that I was not going to use it and I fought the trend.  I don’t think I had a real reason for it, I just didn’t want to submit to the craze.

Somewhere, somehow, that changed. I don’t know when it happened or how it happened but I started pinning and I haven’t stopped since. I pin everything- recipes, photography ideas, children’s projects, home projects, art projects, party ideas…you name it. The thing is, as with most people, I am an ambitious pinner with only a slightly creative hand. Most of those things don’t get passed the pinning stage because they get lost in the sheer number of things that I have pinned, but I have actually attempted quite a few projects and recipes.

The problem is, almost everything on Pinterest claims to be “so easy to do” or “the most delicious recipe, ever!” Not all pins are what they claim to be! (Imagine that! Can’t believe everything you read on the internet!) Of course, people aren’t going to pin things and say, “This took me 4 months to make and it still doesn’t work” or “I would rather eat dog food!” but the reality is that not everything is delicious and some things are just not made for the average D-I-Y attempter. 

Sure, building a playhouse out of pallets is “so easy” if you are a carpenter or an architect but it isn’t “so easy, anyone can do it!”  And sure that super healthy dessert with half the calories and all the taste is delicious but it also contained 4 ingredients, each costing over $8.00 that I had to go to three different organic health food stores to find. So, it may cut calories but it is hardly a cost effective, time saving treat. (Oh, and there is no way that your children will really love it more than ice cream!) 

I have even attempted some pins that were just plain lies. It wasn’t a matter of whether it was easy or time consuming. It just didn’t work.  On the other hand, some projects actually turned out to be a lot easier than I had anticipated.

Can you make anything you want glow using glow sticks? Does vinegar really clean everything under the sun? Can you use applesauce as a recipe substitute? I don’t know all the answers but I do know some and I have even modified some recipes and Pinterest projects to be better or at least easier. (Toot, toot!)

So I have decided that, I am going to provide some “Pin Reviews.” Before I buy anything on the internet I always Google the reviews first (mostly because returning things you bought online is a pain in the a**). If someone else already bought it and discovered it is going to break in less than a week, why should I buy it?

Same applies to pinning. If I already lost three days of my life trying to make a bee trap out of honey, a water bottle and a paperclip (Call me Macgyver!) because Pinterest promised I would never be bothered by bees in my yard again, and the bees were unaffected then why should you waste your time, too?

By the way, I never tried that bee trap thing and I don’t know if it involves any of those items. But I did pin something about an “easy” bee trap- I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.

So check back for my Pin Under Review and I will let you know what I think is possible, delicious and worth the effort and what is just…not!

Pins Reviewed:

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Dance Mom Problems!

We signed Olivia up for dance this year. She has been going to classes since September with her BFF, Alivia, for tap, jazz and ballet. I learned recently that three dances may have been a bit ambitious.

The dance recital is coming up, so I thought, this is a good time to have her practice her dance. The teacher burned (or is it burnt?) us a CD of the songs they are dancing to and told us to have them practice at home. She was  reviewing it in class and telling me that she knew the dance, so we didn't practice much, but since there was no class held on the week of Memorial Day, I thought it was a good time to brush up on some dance skills. Turns out, they should have been practicing a long time ago!  It may be too late to save this recital.

I got the girls together and we played the CD and...they just stood there.

(Yup, that looks a lot like the face I saw)

"Uhhh, were we supposed to dance?"
YES, please!
So we try again. This time they dance and the first few steps don't look bad, but all of a sudden they are doing two completely different things and then BAM- nothing! They just stop.
Uhhh, we forget!

I thought you knew the dance? You both told me that you were so good at it and were ready for the recital. What happened?
"We don't know. We just can't remember." 

What about the part where you were doing two different things? Are you supposed to do two different things?
"What part?" 
ALL OF IT!
"No, we don't think so!" 
Do you know who was doing it right?
I got a simultaneous- "she probably was!" (So they aren't even confident in the part where they were actually dancing)
What have you been doing in class?
Learning the dances!  (Obviously not!)

Luckily, I recorded one of their dances classes, on my phone so I was able to teach it to them. Step by freakin' step, while watching a tiny little video on my IPhone. Did I mention that in the video, none of the kids in the class are doing the exact same thing, so I wasn't sure that I was even teaching them the right thing? One of those kids have to be right... I went with the little one in the front who seemed to be paying more attention than the others.

While we are learning the ballet dance (which took forever because they forgot each step almost immediately), they continuously assured me that they were so much better at the tap and jazz dances. They liked those songs so much better so they were better at those dances.

So after they have a mild idea what they are supposed to do and I encouraged them to "when in doubt copy someone else but don't just stand there", we move on to Jazz (still have tap ahead of us) and boy, oh boy, they were right about one thing, they do like this song better because they know all the words....too bad they don't know any of the steps!

I was pretty close to going full Abby Lee Miller Dance Mom on them, but at this point, with tap still untouched, I didn't have the time. I did get pretty close though.
What are you guys going to do if you don't know the dance on stage? Are you really just going to stand there like you just did now and make that 'I have no idea what I am doing? Where am I?' face?
"No?"
Is that a question?
"No. No, we won't."
Then what are you going to do?
"We don't know. Just remember it?" (Again, a question??)
Well, I didn't know 'just remembering it' was an option. Why didn't you say that before we started? Why don't you "just remember it" right now?
"Ummm, cause we can't remember."
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Let's move on to tap. They loved this song. Again, they knew all the words but the dancing was worse than jazz. I had been wondering why the teacher hadn't just put them in the back of the group and hope they copied the others, until I took a closer look at the video I had taken of class and then I saw, well, you can't put them all in the back row, can you?

This recital could very well end up a disaster of little girls, running into each other on stage, but as long as no one gets hurt or just stands there and stares at the audience, I am going to consider it a success at this point.

We also have to change their hair in between dances, as if, getting a 7 year old to sit still and look straight ahead while you pull out all of the bobby pins and brush through the hairspray that was required to get their hair to stay in a low ponytail with a side part, isn't hard enough, we have to refashion that mess into a nice, high bun with no fly-aways and a tiara. She doesn't have enough hair for a high bun! (We will be using a Hot Bun! Yup- As Seen on TV- "You'll have the best buns in town!") And have you ever tried to put eyeliner on another person? How about a 7 year old?

Tonight is our dress rehearsal. I hope the Miss Emily is prepared to "unteach" them all of the dance moves I taught them during our home lesson. (Hey! She was the one who told me to practice with them!)

Wish us luck!