The Dance Recital

Well, we did it! We survived - and recovered from - dance recital week. Any parent who has a tiny dancer knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about!

Lily just finished up her third year of dance. This past year, she took jazz, ballet, and acro for the second year in a row, with her BFSB. (Best Friend Since Birth - she came up with that term!) She dances at a local top-ranked dance studio (they just announced they placed in the top 20 dance studios in the nation), and they have an amazing award-winning competitive team, so the recital is always a huge production!

The week leading up to the recital was intense! Lily had her last dance class, then a rehearsal to learn the recital finale, then a full dress rehearsal, then another finale rehearsal...and finally, the recital...PHEW. Plus, I had to cut, tie, and bedazzle two recital shirts for the finale. It took F-O-R-E-V-E-R. Lily was nervous (her former thespian parents told her that was perfectly normal), but had an amazing time!

Life Lately:The Pregnancy Edition

Happy November! Life Lately has been very busy and very exciting. If we're friends on Facebook or Instagram, you probably already heard the news...if not, all you have to do is read my previous post!

Although the busyness of life isn't going to slow down, I'm finally able to function better. I'm hoping to get back to a regular blogging schedule in this month. I missed writing and reading blogs so much while I was sick!

Here's a peek at life lately...

The Weekly Mom Life Recap

Happy Monday! We're starting the new week after having our first relaxing weekend of the Summer. It was LOVELY! The past two weeks have been really busy, so the break was much needed!

We finally have a fairly quiet week ahead of us. Other than my work (and there's plenty of that) and the usual everyday chores, the only thing we HAVE to do is go grocery shopping today, run a few errands, visit my parents on Friday, and go to a graduation party. I still can't run thanks to my broken toe, but I have big plans to start yoga again this week!

Here's a recap of what we've done over the past two weeks (Spoiler Alert: We've been busy!):  

Dance Recital Mania

Lily's second year of dance came to an end this weekend, and we got to see all of her hard work during the dance recital on Saturday! Lily is not a competitive dancer, but she does take classes at an award winning studio that's filled with awesome teachers and incredible competitive dancers. We love the dance studio, and the dance recital at the end of the year is a big event!

Friday Mom Life Favorites

Happy Friday! We are a week into Summer Break, and it isn't nearly as relaxing as I thought it would be. I'm taking a much needed break from the chaos, and sharing a few of my current favorite mom life things!

Life Lately & Weekending

To say that life has been busy lately would be an understatement! The older my kids get, the busier life becomes. And sometimes, nearly a week goes by between blog posts. As much as I wish I could do it all, I simply can't, and my family ALWAYS comes first! 

The Long Christmas Break

Happy Friday, my friends! The past month has been very busy for me, and I was feeling really overwhelmed. I had so much on my plate that Grant urged me to take a brief blogging break for Christmas, and I agreed. I had only planned on taking a break for a week, but one week turned into two. Although it was the longest blogging break I have ever taken, it was exactly what I needed! 

Christmas didn't turn out as expected, but I will save that post for another day! If you follow me on social media, then you already know that Liam got really sick on Christmas, and ended up in the hospital. But in the spirit of easing back into a regular blogging schedule, I'm just going to recap some of the fun things my family did during my long break.

With four kids in school, there are a lot of activities during the holiday season. I'm not sure why that happens, but it tends to make the already busy time of year even busier! I could barely keep up this year!

Dancing Queens {Lexie & Lily's Dance Recital}

We did it! We officially survived our first year of having two girls in dance. Over the past month, it felt like we lived and breathed dance, but watching Lexie and Lily dance at their recital was worth every minute (and every single penny)!

For the past nine months, every Tuesday and Thursday evening was spent at the dance studio. We had to juggle our schedules at times, but we made it work. Thanks to Grant leaving the office early on Tuesdays, and my parents watching the rest of my crew on Thursdays, I didn't have to drag my other kids to the studio twice a week. I also had a dear friend step in to take Lily several times when I had other commitments.

Overall, it was a great year, and my girls had a lot of fun! Lexie was in the tween hip hop class, and Lily learned tap, ballet, jazz and acro. Lexie just dances as a recreation, and this was Lily's first year. Let me just say I have a feeling that I'm going to log in many years at the dance studio!

The dance recital is a HUGE deal where the girls dance. I'm talking major production. The studio has an award winning competitive team, and several "stars" danced at that studio (think Dance Moms fame). People actually drive from out of state each week to dance there!

The girls opted to do the recital finale, in addition to their regular dances, so they had a lot of rehearsals leading up to the recital. They spent two entire weekends before the recital learning the dance for the finale, and on Friday, they had a full dress rehearsal. Each dance had a time slot to take the stage, but of course Lexie and Lily's times didn't coincide in any way!  I ended up taking Lily for her two rehearsal times in early afternoon, then returning with Lexie in the evening for several hours. 

I learned a few important lessons at dress rehearsal!

1. Buy a portable clothing rack for next year.
2. Do hair and makeup BEFORE arriving.
3. Buy hairspray and bobby pins in bulk.
4. If you think you are applying too much makeup, you really aren't. 
5. Find an empty spot when you arrive and stake claim IMMEDIATELY. 
6. Make sure the girls pee before they put on their leotards. 
7. Get close to the stage and take all the action photos while they are onstage during the dress rehearsal. 
8. Don't bother taking video, because you are just going to order the full DVD anyway!

So...we survived the dance year and we survived the dress rehearsal. We were exhausted by the time we arrived home that evening, but we still had the recital ahead of us!

Because the studio that my girls dance at is very big and very popular, the recital was split into two times. Thankfully, both Lexie and Lily ended up in the 1:00 show. And thank goodness it was split, because their show lasted 3 1/2 hours!

The girls were a bundle of nerves when we arrived at the auditorium, but also very excited! I let Grant and Dylan find the perfect seats while I went backstage with the girls to help them get ready. (We opted to leave Liam with our awesome "framily" for the recital since we knew it was going to be a long afternoon.)

I think I was just as nervous as the girls! It was incredibly stressful trying to fix two heads of hair and apply makeup to two faces, plus make sure they were wearing everything they needed for their first numbers. I have tons of personal experience with performing, but I'm not quite sure I'm cut out to be one of those dance moms!

Somehow, I pulled it together and had them ready 10 minutes before showtime. I even managed to snap a few pictures first. They looked so cute!

I wasn't sure if I should stay backstage since Lily is so young, but I knew Lexie would be with her most of the time, and I really wanted to watch the show. I decided that Miss Independent would be perfectly fine, so I kissed them goodbye and left them near Lily's dance teacher at the stage entrance.

(They were fine! Lexie said Lily got a bit weepy when they were lining up, but as soon as she stepped onstage, she turned back into a little ham!)

Apparently, things were just as chaotic and cutthroat in the auditorium! Grant said his seven saved seats in the perfect location were almost stolen several times in the 10 minutes before our family arrived! 

By the time I got to my seat just before curtain, he was already overwhelmed, and had no idea what to expect since he had never been to a dance recital. He had only been to the dance studio twice before. He was completely impressed after the first 30 seconds of the opening number! (The teachers and dancers are incredibly talented.) This year's recital theme was Pop Royalty, featuring songs from Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, and many more!

Lily was the first of our girls to take the stage for her tap number! I'm not going to lie. My hormones were in full force and I was practically sobbing! She looked so sweet up on stage!

Lexie took the stage next. I was so impressed with her confidence and stage presence! She even missed 6 weeks of dance due to her broken wrist, and it wasn't even noticeable!

The entire first half was amazing and I was able to watch the entire thing! As soon as the lights came on during intermission, I raced back to the dressing rooms to get Lily changed for the second half. I was very surprised to see the girls already dressed for the second half! Lexie got Lily completely ready, and they were sitting on the floor eating snacks, putting on makeup and watching the recital on the TV.

Lexie and Lily said they loved dancing onstage, and they couldn't wait for the second half! When I left them to return to my seat for the second time, I didn't feel the least bit guilty!

Lily performed her ballet/jazz number during the second half! It was so sweet, and made me cry even harder than the first dance!

After her dance was over, I raced back through the dark auditorium, to get her changed for the finale, then returned to my seat. The girls were energized, excited and ready to perform!

Lexie and Lily's first dance recital was fantastic! The excitement on their faces during the finale brought tears to my eyes, especially when they released the confetti over the stage. They were caught up in the excitement and so thrilled to be a part of something so special. They were both bitten by the dance bug that afternoon!

As for what the future holds, I'm not sure! Lexie was completely certain that she was giving up dance in the Fall for soccer, but now she wants to dance again. Lily will be starting Summer dance on July 3rd, then taking a few classes during the regular season. After that, she can decide whether she want to join the competitive team or not. I may not be the "perfect" dance mom, but I will do what makes them happy! And it looks like dancing does just that!

I ran back to get the girls, and help them gather the tutu and glitter explosion, as soon as the curtain closed. We rushed back to the lobby so my mom and dad could congratulate them on a great performance. (Grant's mom and nannie left immediately after Lily's second dance, but I'm so glad they got to see most of the show.)

We were blown away by the dance recital and so proud of our two dancing queens! I can't wait to see what the future holds for both of our girls!

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Tips to Handle the Busyness of Kids' Activities

It's My Thing: Tips to Handle the Busyness of Kids Activities

With four kids in eight different activities, life is extremely busy! It may sound like my kids are doing too much, but in reality, it's ME who is overbooked. 

I am a firm believer that every child should focus on their passion, but not overextend themselves. Education and just being a kid is every bit as important as focusing on an activity that they love. Although we encourage our children to get involved, we have an important rule: one school activity plus one sport/extracurricular activity per child at a time! Anything more is just too much.

I feel like many parents these days push their children to do EVERYTHING in the hopes that they will become a star. Their kids have activities, lessons, practices and games every single day of the week. They are pushed to excel at everything they do. 

That lifestyle can be detrimental in so many ways. Education gets pushed aside, and childhood quickly loses its innocence and fun. Kids are not allowed to just be kids anymore. Instead, they have to work hard every day so they can be the best. But kids are NOT going to excel at anything if they are pushed to do everything!  It's vital that kids have time to just be kids and nothing more, or else they will burn out very quickly. 

We are NOT those parents and we seem to be in the minority. We always encourage our children to try the activities that interest them. If it's not a good fit, they must complete the activity then move on to something else. Through trial and error, our three older kids were able to find what they love. They don't have something scheduled every single day of the week, so there is enough time for homework, play and a social life.  Because they get time to relax and have fun, they each have an activity or two that they are passionate about and excel at!

Each of my children have their own "thing." My family spends a lot of time on the court, at the dance studio and onstage. 

Dylan, Lexie, Lily and Liam proudly shared their "thing" and showed how Fruit Shoot is perfect for every adventure!

Dylan traded in years of playing baseball for time spent on the court. We were bummed when he decided he was done playing baseball, but we quickly found out that we were a basketball-loving family!

When Dylan isn't on the court, he can be found onstage playing trumpet in band, playing violin in orchestra and singing with the entire sixth grade chorus (mandatory). I can't guarantee he will stick with it much longer, but we loved watching his concerts, and we're proud that he tried! He's also a big fan of skateboarding, riding his hoverboard and playing football. Basketball, however, is definitely his "thing!"

Lexie chose hip hop as her activity this year, and she loves it! She has no urge to dance competitively. She just enjoys it as a recreation, and it will definitely help when she follows in her parent's footsteps, and takes the plunge into musical theater!

Lexie is our musical child. She loves to sing so she joined the extracurricular 4th grade choir this year, and can't wait to continue next year. She also plans to start playing flute in band next year, just like I did. I am really looking forward to all the concerts and musicals ahead of us!

Lily is our performer! I always say that if any of our children are destined to be a star, it's her. She has a BIG personality and loves to make people laugh! She just started dance this year and she's hooked. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it, but I have a feeling competitive dance might be in her future.

When she isn't dancing, Lily's other favorite activity is going to Storytime each week. Reading and crafts are two of her favorite things! She also insists that she's going to become a cheerleader, sing on stage, and become a YouTuber. None of those things surprise me one bit!

Liam is our light and our joy! He's still young, so I'm not quite sure which activities he will choose as his favorites. Based on the fact that he never stops moving and is incredibly adventurous, I would vote for parkour! All I know is that Down syndrome doesn't slow him down one bit!

As for now, he definitely knows how to work the camera, and he rocks his brand rep gig!

The collective activities from four children adds a lot to my schedule! This on the go lifestyle takes quite a bit of juggling, but it's just a short phase in our lives. The trick is to always be prepared! Here are my favorite tips for keeping up with the busyness of kids activities while supporting their passions:

Pack a bag.

We have a designated on-the-go bag that we keep stashed with the essentials. Some of our necessities include extra snacks, a first aid kit, tissues, wipes, a charger, a book for mom, travel toys and activities, extra pullups, hand sanitizer, lotion, chapstick, and notebook and pen, gum and mints.

Stay hydrated.

Staying hydrated is KEY. We keep the fridge in our garage stocked with on the go drinks so we can grab one on the way out the door. Fruit Shoot is my kids' favorite!

Fruit Shoot is a very popular juice drink for kids in the U.K. for so many good reasons! Fruit Shoot is perfect for an on-the go lifestyle with its convenient, mess free, resealable bottle. It's made with real fruit juice, and doesn't contain artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup. They offer varieties made with real sugar as well as varieties made with no sugar added. My kids have tried every flavor and love them all. Fruit Punch is their newest flavor and is also a hit!

Prior to trying Fruit Shoot, juice pouches were my go to. But they were so messy and not so good for drinking in the car. They were constantly tipping over and spilling. Fruit Shoot's resealable cap and durable bottle make this brand superior to the pouch!

Set up childcare.

Sometimes it's so much easier to find a babysitter for siblings during classes and practices. Taking along three extra kids can be really tough. If my husband isn't home from work, we ask one of our parents to step in. My parents bring over dinner every Thursday, then stay until my husband gets home from work while I take Lily to dance. It's the busiest night of the week at the dance studio, so it's much easier on all of us!

Have activity bags.

Have a designated bag for each activity, and always have it packed and ready to go! Dylan has a basketball bag, each girl has a dance bag, Dylan has band and orchestra bags, Lexie has a choir bag and Lily has a library bag for Storytime.

Have everything ready to go the night before.

The night before the activity, gather up everything that's needed. Place the items in the activity bag and place necessary clothing on top. It will really limit the stress of trying to make it out the door on time without forgetting anything!

Stock up on easy snacks.

Fill a kitchen drawer with packaged snacks that are perfect for on the go! Always keep the drawer fully stocked and load up before running out the door.

Give them your attention.

Although watching every single moment of every practice or class is impossible, it's important to let them catch you watching from time to time. It makes them feel important and special! Their faces always light up and they work just a bit harder when I put down my phone or laptop and just watch what they love to do!

Make it a family thing.

The importance of family is our main focus. My entire family attends the majority of games, recitals and concerts. It's so important to show each of our children how much our entire family cares about them!  

We love watching our kids do what they enjoy most! Supporting their passions is so important. Our kids are happy, thriving and doing what they love!

I would love to hear your thoughts on kids activities! How much is too much? How do you juggle the on the go lifestyle? What is your kid's "thing?"

Want to find out why Fruit Shoot is superior to the pouch? Use the store locator HERE!