Who is he talking about?

A couple of years ago, when La Nina was new to the whole dance scene I remember seeing this group of girls dance. They were amazing. They did this tap routine to the Travis Tritt song "T-R-O-U-B-L-E". They were dressed all in black, and man, could those little girls tap. I started talking to their Moms and they were all in 2nd or 3rd grade...old compared to my Kindergartner. Those little tappers made quite an impression and I'm still talking about them 3 years later.

Last weekend La Nina completed her final performances of the 2009-2010 season. Her group, nicknamed the "Moes", because they danced to Joe Jackson's "5 Guys Named Moe", performed in the recitals for the dancers aged 2 to 6. The "Moes" were the Big Girls at this show. At this point in the season, the girls are basically dialing in their performances. They can do this dance in their sleep. I've seen this dance performed at least 15 times, so even us Moms don't even bother to watch the performance, we busy ourselves with things like World Cup games that are being played at the same time.

Anyhoo, after the show, I took the "Moes" into the back of the theatre to watch last part of the show. As we were walking through the halls backstage, this dad of one of the other performers stopped them and said, "You girls were awesome. How old are you?"

They answered "8" because they all are 8. And then he proceeded to tell them how great they were. He asked them how many years they had been dancing, etc. (Before you think he was weird...I swear, he was just a Dad lined up for the Daddy-Daughter dance...nothing odd about it.)

While the girls politely (and professionally, I might add) answered the questions and I checked the US-Ghana score on my phone, it suddenly struck me: To him, they were as good as the TROUBLE girls were to me 3 years ago. It was really shocking. I don't see these girls like that. I've seen that dance so many times. I've seen them nail it. I've seen them mess it up. I've seen them just go through the motions. But to an outsider, they were really good. I guess La Nina is getting somewhere with this whole dance madness. And just like her growing up, I don't notice the changes because I'm blinded by the hours, when I should be trying to see the months.

That little 'aha' made the fact I missed part of World Cup backstage at a dance recital worth it...almost. I might not say that if the US had won.

New Television Rules

To the children in the house:

Due to World Cup soccer, we're instituting a few new television rules in our household. These rules are only in effect until World Cup ends in mid-July.

1.) There is no longer a 90 minute limit on morning television. You are allowed to watch as many hours of television as it takes to get through the two full length soccer games.

2.) There will be no asking your mother questions when the ball is in front of either net. She must concentrate on the game and is not responsible for any answer she gives. And no, you may not eat cookies for breakfast no matter what I say.

3.) Under certain circumstances it is okay to call a player, referee or situation "stupid". Those instances may include (but are not limited to) players who are red-carded in the first half, goalies who drop balls they should catch unless it results in a US goal in which case we don't complain and obviously fair goals that are called back by referees who are blind to muggings in progress.

4.) Your mother is allowed to rewatch goals on the DVR as often as she likes and you may not question her. She's checking for offsides.

5.) Your mother is allowed to explain any play she feels it is important for you to understand and you are expected to watch the play and nod accordingly. She may give you a quarter if you ask a question about the play in question.

6.) If any adult in the house utters a swear word while watching the game, you are to dismiss it from your memory immediately and if anyone asks if you've ever heard that word, then you are never to answer, "My mother says that all the time while watching soccer."

7.) Under no circumstances is anyone in the household allowed to change the channel during a game.

8.) Once the final game is played, normal rules are back into effect and yes, the word stupid is back on the bad word list once World Cup is over.

Summer's Here...and not a moment too soon

I tell you, the last two weeks of the school year are utter chaos. There are school plays, water days, field days, donuts for dad, dance recitals and dress rehearsals. I've felt like a hamster running as fast as I could on a wheel that wouldn't stop spinning. Then, last night hit. We wrapped up Maggie's dance recital and I realized it was over. No more end of the year insanity. Just days of blissful summer time stretching before me like a lazy trail through a peaceful meadow.

Of course, this is really just an illusion. La Nina's next dance season starts July 12. There are plenty of summer camps planned and vacations too. But I'm trying not to think about all that packing, unpacking and laundry. I'm trying to focus on the lack of homework, the delightful reality of not rushing children to school every morning. The smell of chlorine and suntan lotion on my kids' skin. Lazy afternoons by the pool. Awww...just pour me another margarita, let me slip into some sandals and all will be well in my world.

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The City

Going to the city a couple of times in the last few days made me realize how much I miss being there everyday. I worked in downtown San Francisco for five years and while there is no way I could do it now, I miss it. I miss the energy of San Francisco, the amazing walks I used to take every Friday, the neighborhoods, the food, the shopping...let's not forget the shopping.

The funny thing is I've started taking the kids into the city. We go to Giants game in the Spring and Summer. We meet friends in there for dinner whenever we can. During the winter, we go ice skating. La Nina has a dance convention in there around Thanksgiving and we make a long weekend of it. When you consider, field trips and other random events, we're probably in San Francisco 8-10 times a year.

I noticed today the girls are getting pretty city savvy. The girls ride BART like pros. Of course, La Nina can't stay awake for longer than 5 minutes on the train, but that's sort of just her nature. The girls are very clear on the purpose of cabs and they know sometimes it's really quickest to catch a cab at the nearest hotel. And most amusing, they even know some people ride cable cars just for the experience, but really cable cars are a great way to avoid the hills. On top of a hill, La Nina pointed out a cable car stop so we didn't have to walk down the hill. When got on the cable car, she whispered to me that the other people looked like they didn't go to San Francisco much because "they take pictures of everything."

Of course, they still have a lot to learn. They're good about crossing streets with the lights, but they still make me nervous. They know to avoid drunks and the homeless, and they just keep walking when a pan handler approaches us, but I wouldn't want them to navigate the street people by themselves. And forget bathrooms, La NIna blanched at a standard Chinatown bathroom today and it wasn't even bad. But at least she went. The Magster held it for hours to avoid the bathrooms. I'm still not sure how she did it.

It's funny how you end up exposing your kids to the things you enjoy, simply because they are things you don't want to give up just because you have kids. And somehow, the kids start enjoying them too. Of course, when the thing you enjoy is San Francisco, it does have a downside. By the time my kids are teens, they will be completely comfortable navigating the city without a car. That means in their young teens they'll be able to lead a group of wayward suburban youth into all kinds of trouble. My apologies now to all the parents of their friends.