Resolutions

With only one day left in 2010, I think it's safe to officially declare I kept my 2010 resolution. I did something I've been meaning to do forever and I'm so happy I did it. I started a book journal. For those non-bibliophiles, a book journal is a journal where you record the books read during a calendar year and make some comments to yourself about them. Probably having a book journal is a sign that you're a complete dork. Since I'm actually writing about my book journal, I'm sure that makes me an uber-dork.

Yet, here are some of the great things I can do now that I have a book journal. Here are a few fun facts from my journal:

Books Read During 2010: 27 (My sense is this is about average for me.)

First book of the year: The Help, by K. Stockett

Most recent book completed: Garden Spells, by Sarah Addison

Books I Couldn't Get Through: 1 (Cutting for Stone...I gave up around page 200.)

Best Books: The Help, The Book Thief, The Girl Who...series, Elegance of a Hedgehog

Worst Book: Getting to Happy, Terry McMillan, Sweeping Up Glass

Book that made me laugh so hard I cried and embarrassed Maggie in a public place: Sh*t My Dad Says (Really, she told me to "get a hold of myself")

The great thing about a resolution like this one is that I know I'll keep it going. Now, that I've started tracking my reading, I'm sure I'll always do it. Now, to find an easy resolution for 2011...hmmmm...

Playdate Post

We're in the middle of a huge playdate, but I just have to write this conversation before I forget it.

Nice Christmas Carols are playing. The kids just finished decorating cookies.

Friend #1: Can't your mom put on hip-hop?

I freeze in the kitchen and think, "Over my dead body."

La Nina: We don't get that kind of music in this house.

Friend #1: Yes, you do. Your Mom is listening to XM. I can show you where it is.

I'm thinking, time for this kid to go home.

La Nina: If you do that, she'll make you go home. She really doesn't like hip hop.

Friend #1: Oh, okay.

I almost burst out laughing. Especially since it's true, but it's also true that La Nina doesn't like hip hop. It's the only form of dance she doesn't do because she can't stand the music. I've done something right!

If it's not one thing...

Tonight finds me incredibly sad. This afternoon I had to put my dog, Pete, to sleep. It turns out that limp Pete has had for the last month was bone cancer that had spread to his lungs. In the last couple of days, the cancer had weakened his bone to the point it broke. There was no point in further treatment. He died in my arms at about 4pm. He was 10.

His breeder named him "Wicked" and never was there a more appropriate name. He loved nothing more that to chase cats, steal food from the kids and snuggle into any bed left unattended. He could jump higher than any dog I've ever seen. In fact, when he was younger, his hind legs would hit my shoulder when he jumped excitedly at the park. (I'm 5'7", so this was really something.)

Pete, despite his many failings, was a dog with a gentle soul. He was the dog who got up with me to tend to babies in the middle of the night. He was the dog who logged more walking miles than any friend. He was the dog who made me laugh so hard I cried, usually after I recovered from wanting to kill him. He managed to break 4 plates in one mad dash across the living room one night. He once stole an entire pork tenderloin off the counter. He ate more than one gingerbread house. He also knocked me down more times than I can count, but unbelievably, I only remember seeing him knock down the kids a handful of times. He was two when La Nina came home from China, but adapted beautifully to life with a child, especially when he figured out she dropped food and he liked the food she dropped.

While I know this was the right thing to do, putting a pet to down is an incredibly hard thing to do. Especially at this time of the year. Especially after the past couple of months we've had. Especially when you think a trip to the vet might yield a bad prognosis, but when you expect to have time.

For the first time in probably 20 years, I live in a dog-less house. No one will meet me when I get out of bed in the early in the morning. No one will help me when the kids have a nightmare. No one will clean my floor after a really bad spill. Well, I guess I'll clean up after a bad spill, but no one will run the pre-clean cycle with his tongue.

To my dear Wicked Pete aka Navarro's Burning Sky: rest in peace my pal. You were loved and you will be missed.

La Nina's Big Weekend

I admit it. I'm a shameless briber of my children. I figure I don't like to work for free, so why should they want to work for free? I don't typically bribe much around school things, but sports and other activities, I'm all about rewarding performance.

For soccer, it's been easy. You score a goal, you make a pass, you stop a goal, it all earns you something good. Because with soccer I'm dealing with Maggie, it's ice cream cones for small accomplishments, DS games for the big ones. In the last game of the season, her dad promised her a DS game for a hat trick (3 goals)..and by golly, she got a hat trick. When he shouted in from the side line, she could get another game for a 4th goal. There was fire in her eyes, and let me tell you...she came close.

For dance, it's been tougher. How do you measure it? It's tough. But La Nina had a big convention last weekend, and I came up with something. The audition. She had to compete for a scholarship. Last year auditions were a disaster. She complained and created every excuse in the book about why she couldn't audition. Sore tooth was the best one. Exactly why a tooth would prevent a kid from dancing is beyond me, but she went for it anyway. Even leading up to the convention, she was whining about the audition. They suck. I admit it. Two rounds of choreography, cuts, little kids get no mercy. The age range is 6-10...if little kids can't do the choreography they get cut. And trust me, littlest ones are cut first.

Here's what I told La Nina to make her feel better: She walked into the audition room without a complaint she got $5. (Hey, life is about showing up a lot of the time.) Then, if she made it past the ballet round of choreography, she'd get another $10, make it past the jazz round another $20. She had $35 on the line if she made the finals for the scholarship. About the same as a DS for a hat trick.

Audition morning dawned and La Nina was all smiles. She bopped into the audition room and waved over her shoulder securing the $5. I left at that point, so I really have no idea what went on in the room. Even now, I don't know what happened. Moms aren't allowed at auditions.

When I showed up at the audition room 90 minutes after drop off, La Nina greeted me at the door. She had a smile on her face and she said, "You owe me 35 bucks."

Okay, that meant she made it to the finals. At an AUDITION. That means she didn't have a tooth ache, a stomach ache, a liver ache, she made it through two round of choreography and she succeeded. I was so proud and completely stunned. She's only 8. She was competing against about 150 kids under 11. And she landed in the top 16. WHAT??????

It was about a 4 hour wait to find out whether or not she won a scholarship. In this case, she'd win a free pass into the convention for the following year. Really, not a big amount, but more just a way for a dancer to get some recognition. I heard from a teacher who was allowed in the audition, she did great and was probably the youngest kid in the finals, so really she had so much to feel good about and $35. I was ready for the disappointment. What an honor for her to make the finals.

Off to the finale we went, La Nina bolting ahead of me. I was staggering behind her carrying all her junk. Only 8 kids were getting scholarships from her room and everyone should be proud, then the names. And much to my utter shock, La Nina's name was called. She won a darn scholarship. At a girl.

So, say what you will about the downside of bribing. Yes, she should do well for the sake of doing well. But sometimes, incentives work. And if they drive a kid to do something that scares them a little and succeed, I think that's a great outcome.