Friday, February 27, 2015

Happy Almost March!!

I probably won't get a chance to get on here tomorrow to post so here I am now!

We'll be spending most of the afternoon / evening in Detroit for an early dinner at the Hockeytown Cafe and then Monster Jam afterwards.  Love us some monster trucks!!

So it's been pretty calm around here.  It's too stinkin' cold to do anything outside.  The negative temps overnight and barely making 20* during the day SUCKS!!!  My poor car needs a bath so bad!  I want a red car again instead of blotchy pink from the dried salt.

So it's been quiet around here.  Randy's been getting home pleasantly early from work - as in a reasonable time and can actually have dinner with us!  It's so nice to be able to spend time with him!

As for studio life, costumes are starting to trickle in.  There were a lot we were able to buy on our own this year.  I got her dress for tap on Amazon.  I got her solo costume from a website and we got her pants for hiphop at Old Navy this afternoon.  Miss Angela is going shopping with her partner Sunday to find matching 'leather' jackets for their duet.

I finally broke down and uploaded my videos from Nationals onto YouTube.  So here they are for your viewing pleasure......

Senior Small Group Lyrical - National Champs!

Senior Small Group Pom - 3rd place

Senior Small Group HipHop - 12th place

Good night, all!

Friday Funny 022715


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Uptown Funk "Oldtown Cover" ft. Alex Boye', & The Dancing Grannies
This is epic !!!

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

2/25 weigh in....

Ya know it's really tough to come up with interesting post titles on this blog!  

I survived last week's bout of food poisoning and this week's PMS with a 0.5 lb loss.  I honestly didn't know how the scale was going to reflect it, so I'm quite pleased.

I don't know what it is about this time of year that things happen that cost tons of $$ (Randy's car, the furnace, dental crowns for me & the kid, dance comp fees, etc) and I feel guilty about wanting to start my gym membership back up.  I'm going to have to simply break down and rearrange the living room so I have a bit of space to use my Walk At Home DVDs.  That's all there is to it.  I need to get some exercise and with the lovely -20* wind chill they're calling for the next couple days....anything outside ain't gonna happen.

I really did have a 9 point day on Saturday.  A bowl of cereal and some popcorn were all that my tummy could handle.  And an 8 AP week?  I am so glad that I'm feeling better!



Since I didn't go to my meeting last week, this was my first meeting with my new "fearless" leader, Dez (Desiree).  I liked Eileen a lot, and Dez didn't disappoint.  She's very energetic & personable and funny, too.  She filled us in on the dangers of Girl Scout cookies tonight.  Surprisingly - most are 2 points each - and a couple are 1 !!   Which is good since I ordered 5 boxes from a little girl at the studio whose mom is one of Angel's teachers.

So this weekend we're going to see the monster trucks in Detroit on Saturday.  Normally we get downtown early, get a good parking spot close to Ford Field (and also the exit ramp to the highway) then walk around looking at the sights and have some dinner at the Hockeytown Cafe.     Sunday I'll probably be taking Angel & her duet partner to the mall so they can find matching leather jackets for their costumes. Ooo, maybe I'll walk some laps!



Monday, February 23, 2015

Friend Makin' Monday - All About That Bass

Happy Monday!  I'm feeling much better today, altho I had a dentist appt this afternoon so half my face is still numb and my tongue is just starting to feel like it fits in my mouth!  Tomorrow I get to take the kid in for the same treatment!





All About That Bass

Here’s how it works: you copy the questions, answer them and post them to your own blog. Then you come back here, and in the comments, post the link to your blog post with your answers to this week’s questions. If you don’t have a blog of your own, just post your answers in the comments.

1. What kind of music did you grow up listening to?  I remember hearing Ernie Harwell all summer long doing the Tiger games (I swear they played all day, every day when I was a kid!) and the radio was always on the country station.

2. When you were old enough to get your own radio in your bedroom or your own Walkman or mp3 player, what kind of music did you prefer to listen to?  My first cassette tape was Michael Jackson's Thriller.  And I was getting into my tween years when MTV started, so I was exposed to a lot more music than I would have just at home.

3. Did/do you ever sleep with music playing?  No, I tend to stay awake listening instead of sleeping.

4. Do you like to listen to seasonal music?  I will listen to Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving and not a day before.  And on the 26th, it's gone.  Nothing else reaches out to me.

5. What was your favorite singer/band/group growing up?  In middle school it was Duran Duran and once I hit high school, Def Leppard - and they're still my favorite.

6. What was your favorite song growing up?  Dad singing Delta Dawn?

7. What is your current favorite singer/band/group?  Oops, I answered this already.  Def Leppard.  On the weekend of our 6th anniversary, Randy and I went to see Lita Ford, Poison & DL in concert (the greatest show EVER!!!) and the next day saw the Rock of Ages movie.

8. What is your current favorite song?  Turn Down For What.  No idea who does it, but it just makes me want to move. 

9. Do you have an all-time favorite song?  Neon Moon by Brooks & Dunn.

10. Did you ever want to be in a band? Or, were you ever in one?  No, long ago I accepted the fact I have an occasional lisp and have never played an instrument.  However that doesn't stop me from rockin' out in the car, and oddly, Angel says she likes to hear me.  Think she needs her ears checked!!

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Checking in...

Hope everyone is having a good Sunday - staying warm if that's your case (like it is mine!)  Actually it's like 23* so it's almost balmy here!

I didn't go weigh in this past week - I came down with what I assume was a lovely case of food poisoning - probably from some leftover chicken I had Tuesday night.  Today is the first day I've felt somewhat back to normal.

Looking at my progress report so far this week - I have no idea how the scale is going to reflect this.  Way under on Thursday, Saturday & Sunday but way over on Friday.  I thought I was feeling better, so I had a BELT from Tim Hortons for breakfast - a bagel with bacon, egg, lettuce & tomato and a hash brown (NO Donuts!!!)  Lunch was leftover Chinese food - broccoli chicken.  Dinner we went to Panera and I had a You Pick Two combo with a bowl of french onion soup, a half sandwich with turkey, bacon, lettuce & tomato and one shortbread cookie.  Holy crap - that trip to Panera alone cost me 25 points!!  It sure sounds reasonable, but looking at their stats - what the hell do they make their bread out of???

I should have known Panrea was bad news - that food felt like it sat in my stomach all night and most of Saturday.  

I went easy today with a bowl of cereal at breakfast, a single serving size baggie of trail mix mid-day and some leftover spaghetti for dinner (I started this post before dinner so it doesn't show).  I was very cautious with that.  I'd been really looking forward to it but I made sure to eat slowly like one is supposed to do - putting my fork down and left plenty on my plate once I had enough. We'll see how this sits in the tummy.  

Activity this week has been nil.  I only had to make 2 trips of the dance shuttle this week.  She only had a couple classes Wednesday and still got out early since so many kids were out of town (this is mid-winter break - they had no school this week) and there was a special class this afternoon for kids who wanted to drop in, so she was there with her team.  I honestly felt like I was forgetting to do something!  I mean, I had evenings to stay home!  And I did.  Maybe a quick trip to the store on the way home and that's all I did!  Friday we went out for dinner and stopped in a 5 Below store and browsed for a bit.  Yesterday I went from my bed to the couch and one trip all the way to the mailbox!  

But anyway.  I am so done with this cold.  Our weather alert radio just went off a while ago with wind chill warnings again ... up to -25 below tonight and -15 below tomorrow.  There might not be school again!



Friday, February 20, 2015

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Friend Makin' Monday - Valentines Day

I'm going to be messed up all week!  The girl had her Nationals dance comp this weekend and we didn't get home til yesterday, so today feels like Monday to me.  If you want to read all about it, here's the link to the post in my other blog, but in a nutshell - this pic sums up the weekend...  
They won National Champs for senior small group lyrical!  

I am so proud I could burst!!

So onto FMM...


Valentine’s Day

Here’s how it works: you copy the questions, answer them and post them to your own blog. Then you come back here, and in the comments, post the link to your blog post with your answers to this week’s questions. If you don’t have a blog of your own, just post your answers in the comments.

1. How was your Valentine’s Day? What did you do?  As I mentioned above - I was at a dance competition, doing the dance mom thing.  It was a long weekend, but enjoyable. 

2. When you were a kid, did you exchange valentines in school with your classmates?  Yes, we pretty much had to.  We got a list with all the kids' names so we didn't leave any out. 

3. What was your best Valentine’s Day date/day/etc?   Ummmm...... I guess this past one.  I forgot to mention in my other post that Randy had flowers sent to the hotel for Angel and I !  A pink rose with purple filler for her and a bunch of pink, red & white carnations for me.  It's been a while since I got flowers from him so that made it especially nice!

4. Do you like Valentine’s Day?  Not usually.  

5. What is your favorite Valentine’s Day treat?  Hmmm,  there's nothing I can think of that screams only V Day to me.  Conversation hearts, but I don't like them. 

6. Do you have any Valentine’s Day traditions?  Nope. 

7. What is your least favorite thing about Valentine’s Day?  Seeing the bitches at work get flowers sent to them! 

8. Do you decorate for Valentine’s Day? Share a picture if you do.  I have things here & there.  I decorate for basically every holiday to some extent - Christmas & Halloween being the big ones. 




 My skeleton cupid has a sash that says Fatal Attraction - lol!

9. What is the best present you have ever received for Valentine’s Day?  Can I get back to you on this?  Drawing a blank!

10. Is there something you like to do for people you love on Valentine’s Day?  No, it's just another day, but I do get a card for the hubby.  This year I left it on the bed when we left so he couldn't help but see it.  I also like Sara's idea of volunteering at an animal shelter.  

Monday, February 16, 2015

National Champions, BABAAYYYYY !!

Whew, I'm getting ahead of myself!  Grab a beverage & settle in - this is gonna be a long one!  I am so proud I could just bust!

OK?  We left right as planned at noon on Friday.  It wouldn't be a road trip without at least one deviation from the route.  I75 in Detroit is stupid that you have to exit 75 in order to stay on 75.  Traffic was backed up there and I totally missed the exit, so we ended up in the middle of downtown.  We passed right by the Renaissance Center, Joe Louis' fist and went under Cobo Hall.  Luckily, the next exit also took us to 75, so we had just taken the scenic route. 
 The rest of the trip was uneventful, even thru the construction zones (aka half of Ohio).  We cruised along nicely until we hit Cincinnati and it crawled.  And then I missed the exit to cross the bridge to Kentucky and we ended up touring the Cinci riverfront area and what I suppose was the ghetto.  I've taken us thru the worst parts of Detroit, so this wasn't bad or scary at all!  And of course my phone was almost dead, so I barely was able to check the map app and get us back where we needed to be.  I am so glad that all Hampton Inns look similar, because once we rounded that bend in Wilder, KY - it stood there like the Holy Grail!

My friend and partner in crime Laura arrived with Mal & Hailee not long after we got there.   Friday night they had to meet at the convention center and got some practice time in.  Then we went out for a team dinner at Olive Garden.

 Saturday was the 1st day of the adventure.  I have to say I wish all dance comps were run as well & smoothly as this one!  For being such a large venue & event - it was so nice!!  They did awards for 5 or 6 divisions at a time throughout the day on Sunday so there wasn't a long boring ceremony at the end.  It was interesting that for each dance, they entered and left at the front of the stage, and there was a VIP section in front of the stage for friends, family & teammates to watch, take pics or video!!  And the coaches were allowed to yell corrections & counts out to the team if they wanted!  I'd never heard of that being allowed before.

OMG, they had cowbells for sale at the table with the t-shirts & stuff!  How could I not get one??  Angel told me later that the other girls loved me & my cowbell!  Every time I saw them, I'd ring it & yell "WooHooo" at them.
So they competed both days.  They should have been done after hiphop on Saturday but no.  As Laura & I were waiting, first I get a text that they're going over the dances (thanks videos!!), then I get a call from Angel telling us to come upstairs fast, Hailee was in a stretcher!  Of course Hailee was the only kid whose mom couldn't make the trip, so she came with Laura and was staying in our room!  As they went over their dances, she twisted her bad knee and couldn't walk.  It took some discussion with Laura, Hailee, Coach Jon & the EMTs about what to do.  Laura ended up taking her back to the hotel so she could rest and then wait to see how she felt Sunday morning.  She seemed perfectly fine when she got up.  She wore her heavy-duty knee brace and took her prescription anti-inflammatories that she'd forgotten the day before.

Waiting to go onstage for lyrical. 

 Angel kind of stands out as the only blonde, 
even in my crappy screen-shot from a video pics!

 Waiting for pom.  It so weird to see them dressed like this!!
I think the bows throw me off. 



 Waiting to go on for hiphop.
 I got some cool pics, but in my opinion, it wasn't the hip-hoppiest dance ever.  
The music started out too jazz-like. 
 Only she could take this moment to strike a pose for the photographer!!
I showed her this and just said "really?" And she told me that she looked up and the photographer was right there with the camera pointed at her, so she had to smile! 
She's on the far left - she's so proud of her upside-down twerking skillz.
 This part scares me every time!  
Her ankle is still touchy. 

 There were only 2 teams doing senior small group lyrical.  The other team is from Port Huron, MI and had beat the Movement Project at the last comp.  
Suddenly it became a rivalry! 
 Awards were the tensest few moments ever!  I can only imagine how those girls felt - since I felt like I was either going to cry or throw up.  The emceee did the drumroll, then commented the score had been really close (it was - they won only by .10 of a point!!) and then paused. AAARGH!  Then he announced the second place winner & it took him saying the first part of the other team's name before it sank in and I started jumping up & down and screaming - as were all the other moms!

This is a crappy pic because I was shaking & screaming, 
but I love it since it so perfectly shows the emotion of the moment!!


 Fancy jackets, gold medals, a banner and a giant team trophy! 
 There were 5 teams in their pom division - and they came out with 3rd place bronze medals and a smaller trophy.  Not too shabby!
All the graduating seniors got special pins, also.  
 Heehee - Laura's selfie in the car after lunch
 Hey!  I finally caught the whole team!  Waiting on awards for hiphop.  They got 12th out of 15 dances.  They were pleasantly surprised with the outcome. And best of all - they beat that Port Huron team in every dance! 

Sunday Laura & I were sitting in the audience, watching other dances when Angel suddenly appeared next to me.  She tried to look all sweet when she asked how much I loved her?  I never know how to answer this question, since I know something happened that I will not be happy about.  Sure enough. She left her bra for hiphop back in the hotel.  Luckily they were getting ready really early so I had plenty of time to go back and get it without freaking out or stressing.

The were done with their awards fairly early, so we were hoping to get back to the hotel somewhat early.  But they wanted to stay til the end to find out who got all the "Bids to Worlds" which are paid entries to the World Finals this year.  So once we were ~finally~ done there at 10pm - we went in search of food.

One of my FB friends had commented on a post that we should hurry & get out of the area because winter weather was coming in.  I was honestly surprised that Randy hadn't said anything, since he always keeps an eye on stuff like that!  We had most of our stuff packed up Sunday night, but when I got up at 7:30, snow had already started.  So we hustled.  Let's just say that I checked my phone on the way home (Angel was driving so it's OK!) and less than an hour after we'd left the hotel, they had issued a level 2 snow emergency.  No one on the roads unless necessary!  Whew!!  We outran it as we came north.  We actually got thru Cinci faster in the snow than we had going thru on Friday.

It's been a long day, even tho we got home around 3. Angel showed me in the car that her ankle was swollen again, so it's a good thing she gets a couple days rest without having to go to school or anything.  I fully expect her to be planted on the couch until she has to go to her couple classes Wednesday night. I'm OK with that, since a champion should get some rest!!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

I shouldn't be sitting here....

I haven't even begun to pack and my goal is to be on the road to Kentucky at noon tomorrow!

JamFest Dance Super Nationals - here we come!

I'm pretty sure we have all the parts to all of the costumes together, except for the top of the jazz dress that Miss Angela is currently rhinestoning.  A dancer can never have too much bling!  You can bet there will be pictures later.  If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter or FB, you'll see them sooner.  Results, too.  Angel told me they only have one other team in their division for jazz and they feel the most confident with that dance. If they win their division, they get jackets and that's pretty awesome.

I brought her duffle bag home from the studio, to air her shoes out.  And trust me, I don't want that toxic aroma in my house, so they're out in the nice cold garage.  It is also pretty interesting to inventory said shoes every so often.
*1 pair of Converse high tops
*3 pairs of black tap shoes (not sure where one of those came from!)
*1 pair of black jazz booties
*2 pair of tan jazz booties (not sure where one of these came from either!)
*7 turners (an odd number???) , these are sort of like half ballet slippers, that cover half the foot with elastic behind the heel.
*1 pair ballet slippers
*1 pair of paws that just slip over the toes & cover the ball of the foot
*1 pair of tan tap shoes

and in the house are the ones she is taking this weekend...
*1 pair of "freeform" jazz shoes for jazz & pom
*1 pair of sparkly Kombat boots for hiphop

And we left her pointe shoes at the studio.  

That's a lot of freakin' shoes.  We could actually get rid of several of these.  1 pair of the black tap shoes are ones that my niece wore for a season - she clearly didn't do much with them since they were barely scuffed!  Both the tan tap & jazz shoes.  She hasn't worn tan shoes for a while.   And some of the turners are in bad shape & can be tossed.

I was hoping she was going to get a week break after Nationals.  Nope.  Next week is mid-winter break at school and the studio goes by the same general schedule.  But she has a couple classes next Wednesday.  Some rest is better than none, I guess.  Hopefully her aches & pains get a chance to heal.

Randy is mostly over his bout of the Plague and sadly gave it back to me.  He slept most of last weekend and was sent home from work Monday, then worked from home Tuesday.  At least this time it's mainly just a stuffed up nose & tickly throat.  Ugh.  We're gonna have an extra kid in our hotel room this weekend, and I don't want to give this to any of them!!

Oh crap, my mind is starting to wander so I better wrap this up.  Gonna be a busy day tomorrow!

OMG, first look at what I found online!

Beagle Bonez!  I wanted a dog for my Halloween display and didn't want the bulldog that I saw in all the stores.  Grandin Road had a big one but they are too pricey for me.  This one is too perfect!  Jack didn't quite know what to think of it wearing his old harness and getting to be on the leash.


Friday Funnies......on Thursday night - close enough!!
...except for hockey.  
This one is sadly true.  I was singing at Meijer tonight! 

It's supposed to be crazy cold here this weekend and not much warmer where we're gonna be in Kentucky - so stay warm, ya'll and have a great Valentines Day!