Dance Disco Heat WIns Gold

Here's a video of La Nina's Ultimate Gold winning dance performance. She's the kid in the center in the beginning and the kid in the splits at the end.

Turning 7

La Nina's turning 7 in a couple of weeks and I've been asking her what she wants for her birthday. Here's our last conversation as close as I can remember:  

Me:  What do you want for your birthday?

LN:   Toys

Me:  What kind of toys?

LN:  I don't know, what do I like?

Me:  I don't know, that's why I'm asking.

LN:  I guess I want a purse.

Me:  But that's not a toy.  

LN:  What about shoes?  

Me:  Not a toy. 

LN:  Then I don't know what I want.  May be a digital camera.  

Me:  Not a toy.

In her entire life, I don't think La Nina's ever really played with a toy.  Sure, if the Magster's playing with something, she'll join in.  But I can't think of a single time she's gone into her room, found a toy and played with it.  I don't think it's going to start now.

Socks

In my house, there are two children who each have two feet.  Two feet on each of two people makes four feet.  I've counted, I'm certain this is right.  Yet for some reason, every day I find five socks laying about my house.  These socks might be in the living room, the entry hall, the laundry room, the bathroom, I've even found them under the kitchen table, but the number is always the same:  five.  

And for some reason, this stumps me.  Why would people with an even number of feet need an odd number of socks?  Do these people take extra socks in their pockets in case a sock experiences some sort of trauma that requires changing?  Do these people have a third leg I've yet to discover?  Is the dog using one sock to keep his stubby little tail warm?  I'm really clueless on this.  

I'm also perplexed by the fact these socks materialize from thin air.  The other night I watched the girls peel off their socks in the entry hall.  Four barefeet slapped across the hardwood floor as they made their way to their bedrooms, yet in the hall I found five socks.   Then last night, I saw the two-legged creatures strip and crawl into the bathtub.  I saw four feet and found one extra sock on the bathroom floor.  

Not surprisingly, my laundry never comes out even on socks.  Some weeks I'm off by 2 socks, others weeks its 3 socks but it's never the same number two weeks in a row.  I'm not disturbed by this, but I am quite curious about the chronic odd sock count.  I suppose it's yet another mystery of parenthood to which I may never find an answer.

A Win

After more than a year of competing, countless hours spent in hair and make up and some hard lessons on losing gracefully, La Nina's dance group won 1st place in a dance competition over the weekend.  I snapped this picture of her dance team and their teacher with their much coveted trophy.  Thankfully, the hardware lives at the studio.  Even better is that the girls now have learned you really do win some and lose some, up until now...it's been all "lose some." They did a great job on Sunday and we're all proud.  

Not to be outdone by her sister, the Magster took a soccer ball in the nose at her indoor soccer game.  Once the bloody nose stopped, she was back on the field.  All witnesses say she was quite the tough little trouper.  Unfortunately, I missed the whole episode.  

Life with a non-eater

The Magster doesn't eat.  Really, she eats about one meal every three days.  Don't get me wrong, she's offered food three times a day, but routinely she simply doesn't eat more than a bite or two.  Lately, I've been telling her she can't learn if she's hungry to try to cajole her into eating before school.  It hasn't worked.  Then today, she said this.

Maggie:  "Mommy, my tummy makes funny noise while I'm at school."  

Me:  "It's because you are not eating enough before you go to school and you're hungry."  

Maggie:  "I don't like to eat." 

Me:  "Yes, but it's something you have to do."  

Maggie:  "I like to eat cookies and ice cream.  Can I have that before school?" 

Me:  "Absolutely not.  You need to eat something healthy."  

Maggie:  "Okay.  I'll have a donut."   

With that she pushed away her mac and cheese, apples and milk in hopes of a donut.  And no, she didn't get a donut.  She went to school with hardly any lunch...again.

PS-  I'm considering not paying my taxes this year.  Do you think that will qualify me for a cabinet position with the current administration?   I hear there's an opening in Health and Human Services.

Sick Kids

For the first time all school year, I had a kid home sick.  La Nina work with a deep sounding cough and rather than risk pneumonia or bronchitis, I kept her home.  

Of course, this meant my plans were tossed out the window like old soup and I had to readjust to having her around.  But somehow it's different now.  She works the remote control like an old pro.  When she grew tired of the television, she turned it off and fired up the computer.  We played a couple of games after lunch and she retired to her bedroom to relax on her own accord.  

So, yes, I wasn't able to leave the house all day.  All my errand will wait until tomorrow or Wednesday.  Yet, tending a semi-sick child was much easier than in the past when I was on call for every channel change, computer glitch, forced nap, meal required and diaper change.  The one thing that hasn't changed:  I'm still wiped out from the whole ordeal and hope she's able to get back to school tomorrow.