Friday, April 30, 2010

Fill in the Blank Friday is new for me! Melissa does it frequently and I love this week's theme. So there you go! Want to join in? Head on over to the little things we do and link up!


1. My absolute favorite movie of all time is...(this is really tough for me to pick!) You've Got Mail. I love this movie. I love Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan separately and together. There's something so wonderful about this movie. It's simple and adorable. The bookstores helps too. :) I love it and I loved it especially when Dave and I were starting our friendship over Instant Messenger. :)

2. My favorite movie as a child was...NOT Follow That Bird. UGH! It was The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Lion King. We were a Disney household to the Nth degree. (Note, this house is too!) I loved the Hunchback so much. It was a beautiful story and beautifully told.


3. The best movie quote ever is..."Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void." -Kathleen in You've Got Mail This quote just sums up how I feel about my life so often. So often I play the shoulda coulda woulda game. What if I had gone to New York after high school? What if I hadn't left Allegheny? What if I had taken the opportunity at Disney? I hate that game.


4. My favorite actress is...Meryl Streep. No one holds a candle to that woman. I consider myself rather well versed in acting and Meryl Streep is like reading a textbook on being an actress. She is the end all to be all. My favorite actor is Tom Hanks. So talented! So amazing!


5. The movie I could watch over and over is...Julie and Julia!! It's my second favorite, after You've Got Mail. I know the lines and often annoy Dave with my Julia Child impression. :)


6. My favorite movie genre is...romantic comdey. A close second goes to classic movies, especially musicals! Definitely. I don't really care for horror movies. I can tolerate action movies, some of them are actually quite good. (I love Iron Man, Superman, Batman, etc.) I'm okay with sci-fi. I tried to watch Avatar the other day but thought it was boring. Children's movies, especially Disney/Pixar are great!

7. A movie I'd like to watch this weekend is...Post-Grad. It was just a little, made no money chick flick but it has my girl Alexis Bledel in it!! I might have to look for it at Wal-Mart tomorrow. :)

Thursday, April 29, 2010

100th post...Let's talk Baby!

This is my 100th post, so I thought it only fitting to introduce my weekly pregnancy updates. These are mainly for my enjoyment and my family who isn't around to watch my burgeoning bump expand, but you might just like it as well. :)

Pregnancy Week-by-Week
How Far Along: 13 weeks and 4 days
Size of baby: Almost 3 inches long and almost a full ounce...Think a big shrimp! :)
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Don't know, don't care. I am eating as healthy as I can and hoping for the best. I wasn't at my goal weight when I got pregnant this time, so I am focusing on being healthy, not the numbers this time.
Maternity Clothes: Some shirts because...somethings have blown up. I can still wear normal jeans and things, but that's changing soon I think.
Gender: I say boy, Dave says girl. We'll find out in 4 weeks or so.
Movement: Nope not yet. I think I felt flutters in bed the other night, but I'm not sure. I don't want to jump the gun here. :)
Food Cravings: PIZZA! Goodness gracious, pizza. I could eat it morning noon and night!
What I miss: I miss my stomach not feeling like I did 100000 sit ups every night.
Sleep: Crazy dreams almost every night.
Symptoms: Occasional sickness, light headedness. I have crazy vivid dreams. I also have the sorest abs I've ever felt!
Best Moment this week: Not being sick! Woohoo!!
What I am looking forward to: Our next appointment in a few weeks because we'll be scheduling our gender scan!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Rosy Ro



A little Rory loving for you on this rather windy Tuesday. How can you not smile looking at those little teeth??

Top 2 Tuesday!





Taylor over at Undomestic Momma hosts this cute blog carnival every week. I don't usually participate, because Tuesdays seem to be insane around here. Why? I don't know! But today I am!!

The question is...Top 2 Things You Like To Do in the Summer...

1) Go to the Drive In!

(photo from Family Drive-In's FB page)
We don't have much to do in Kane, but in the summer we do have the Drive In. It's the greatest theater ever. The food in the snack bar is AWESOME and the people that work there are always great. (Hi Kandis! :)) The summer before Rory was born, Dave and I went almost every weekend. For 6 bucks a person, you get to see 2 movies. Food is super reasonable, so it's like dinner and a movie for a steal. :) It opened last weekend and I'm dying for a cheeseburger and fries already!

2) Teach Summer Dance

(Taken from a friend/student's FB page :))
I love my summer classes. They are relaxed, full of students whom WANT to be there, the music is loud, the weather is beautiful and for some reason, its when I am most creative. Several of the best dances I've ever put together were born during Summer Dance sessions. Can't wait!

Now, head over to Taylor's blog and join in!!

Side bar: It has been ascertained that my toe is indeed, not broken! Woohoo! It is instead a bone bruise, courtesy of stepping on a pen cap in the office yesterday. PHEW!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Foot

I'm prettttty sure I broke my toe tonight. Not the toe part, per say, but the toe falange (Correct? My sister would know.) part running under the ball of my foot. It hurts like nothing else and is starting to bruise.

Now the question is! I am pregnant. I can't get xrays and I can't really do crutches too well. What to do, what to do. Note, I've broken all ten toes at different times in my life. (I've danced since I was 2.5 and on pointe since I was 13. It's a given.) I know what a broken toe feels like and I know what to do. Tape that baby up and put on your sneaks. No biggie. They can't make a little mini cast for it anyways! But I've never felt THIS type of pain before. It's a dull ache and it kills when I walk. I wore sneakers tied nice and tight all night and that did make it bearable. (I have a good tolerance for foot/ankle pain though. See note about 20+ years of dancing.)

What would you do? Or if you have no advice, just enjoy my whiny entry. :)

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Teething and no eating?

Rory is popping in at least 2 more teeth right now, maybe more. I can see two tooth bubbles, so add that to her already there teeth and we've got...FOUR! :) Anyways, they are really bugging her. She's whiny, out of sorts, sleepy, has had a low fever a few times this week, diaper rash. You name a teething symptom, our girl has it. But this one is new today.

She. refuses. to. eat.


Imagine! That beautiful little almost one year old won't eat? SINCE WHEN??


So far today, she ate a beautiful breakfast. Rice cereal topped with yogurt, as usual and a 7 oz bottle. Typical and easy. Lunch?? Well she had one spoonful of mixed veggies and one spoonful of chicken noodle dinner. Then she proceeded to hit her lunch plate all over her and me. Good grief. (She did drink almost all her bottle, so it wasn't too much of a worry.)

I thought for sure she'd be starving for dinner. I made her a finger food meal, thinking perhaps she didn't like that I was feeding her lunch and wanted to do it herself. Carrots and pasta with a little cheese on top. She's had this identical meal 3 or 4 times and gobbled the whole thing right down. Not today! She had approximately 2 pieces of carrots, one piece of cheese and no pasta.

Rory did however take a distinct liking to Gerbers Lil'Crunchies in Mild Cheddar. (Think healthier, smaller and easier to eat cheese puffs.) She ate probably 15 of those. I tried a little more yogurt since she ate it fine this morning. Rory went for about 3 spoonfuls and that was all. Again, she drank her bottle.

Is this normal? Is this okay?? One day of surviving on cheese puffs and yogurt is fine, we all have weird food days. But how long is it okay for this to go on?? Can I blame it on her teeth or is she just becoming a toddler?? (She will be one in two weeks.) And of course! She begins this trick when Dave is gone for the weekend. Isn't that how it always is?

Babies are so super confusing.

Friday, April 23, 2010

This house

Let me preface this entry by saying I really love my house. It's the perfect size for a family of 3. We'll squeeze in Pumpkin Head in October when we need to and we'll make it work. I am so grateful that Dave and I are able to be homeowners already and have an established home base. I enjoy the security of owning a home and really enjoy decorating.

Here's the rub.

The house we bought when we were married belonged to my Aunt and Uncle previously. My Aunt Barb has TASTE. She always looks beautiful and this house was stunning. (You should see her new house! It's amazing!) She's also a photographer and paints well, so it's no wonder she had a beautifully decorated house.

I am not as artistically inclined in that way. I can't choreograph a dance to decorate the walls, you know. We've lived here for three years and have changed...one room. We made a Steelers room in the basement to house our many pieces of Black and Gold memorabilia. We didn't even change the nursery when we found out we were expecting because Aunt Barb painted it beautifully like the Hundred Acre Woods. Gorgeous. I tired to get a picture to upload, but it is not working and I refuse to get frustrated! haha

Anyways! The point of this entry...I need to redo some rooms in this house. I am ready to make changes. I am ready to make this house more "our own." I want to redo the nursery for Pumpkin Head, I need to do the spare bedroom into Rory's big girl room. I want to redo our bedrom and our bathroom. The problem is, sans the nursery, I have no ideas. No clue. We need a new bedspread in the bedroom, so maybe that's where I should start.

Where do you get your ideas for decorating? Suggestions please!?

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Competition Pictures

Here are some pictures of some of my dancers doing their thing at competition a couple weeks ago. These photos were taken by King Shots Photography, but I bought them on a CD so I get to share them!! :)


"Calle Ocho"


"Delta Nu"


Jordie and Allison in "Your Love"


"Le Cirque"


Overall, it was a great competition! The kids didn't score as well as they are used to, but the judges were incredibly tough. I don't mind that for one second. It makes them better dancers and me a better choreographer because I learn better what to improve on. We have another one in 3 weeks and it will be 50 times better because we learned learned learned at this one! :)

More pictures to come when MY cd comes...these are off one of my students. I ordered the same ones though, so it's cool. :)

Monday, April 19, 2010

Broken ring...?

My engagement ring broke today.

Seriously.

I was wearing it and it started itching me, which is highly unusual. I've worn it every day since early July, 2006. It has never itched me or bugged me. I even wore it the entire time I was pregnant with Rory. I never had to take it off. But today, it was bugging me. I took it off and noticed the diamond part was pushed down a little on one side. Turns out, the band is broken off entirely from the diamond on one side. HOW that happened?? You got me! Ugh.

I've been trying to remember what in the world I could have done that would break it cleanly like that I can come up with nothing. I work with my hands, but I wouldn't call it manual labor. I don't think spotting a child could break my ring like that.

Any ideas on how in the world that could have happened?? I mean seriously. hahaha Good thing Dave and I don't get upset about that kind of stuff. I told him when he called at lunch and his response was the same as mine. "It can be fixed. But how did you do it?!?" :)

Friday, April 16, 2010

5QF how I love you!


Thanks again, Mama M, for another fantastic Friday Fun! :)

1. What words do you use on your blog/online that you don't use in real life?
Hmmm...Not too many, I don't think. I write as I speak, very conversationally and upfront. I think they are probably more words I use in real life that I don't use on my blog...like my entire dance venacular. HA!


2. Do you still write checks?
I absolutely do! I write checks for bills, studio rent, things like that. I also use cashier's checks and money orders at times as well. So there!

I do use my debit card for purchases online or at a store, naturally. I don't use credit cards EVER.


3. Who was your favorite President and why?
Oh I love so many! Don't get me started on the Kennedy family. I love them. But when I am pregnant, I can't talk about Bobby Kennedy or I will cry. (Love those hormones, yah know...)

But my all time favorite president? That's tough...maybe FDR? Regan? I like a lot of Presidents for lots of different reasons. I have a deep appreciation for George W. Bush as well.

Excellent question!


4. Are you a yeller?
NO! NO! NO! I am not! I have sworn not to yell at my dancers and to this day, I've only ever yelled MAYBE four times. All were well deserved and all were necessary. I do speak loudly at Rory when she is getting in to things she shouldn't be, but I would not call it yelling. I try not to yell ever. I think there are better ways to discipline. I won't say I'll NEVER yell at Rory, but it will be as rare as possible.


5. Have you ever dumpster dived?
No way! Gross!!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Big news!

Big news...

Arriving on October 25, 2010* will be the newest addition to our family! Rory's baby brother or sister will make his/her grand entrance on that day! :)



*I know the exact day because I had a c-section with Rory and due to some medical stuff, I'm not allowed to have a VBAC. No complaining here! :)

Friday, April 9, 2010

Musing on children.

Last night at dance, my soloists got done early so my mom and I were chatting with them for a few minutes. Somehow we got on the topic of young girls, like ages 8 or 9, thinking they are fat or ugly. We were all discussing who tells them they are fat? Who puts that idea in their head?

Kristen said something really profound that struck me. She said "I think we get that way because we hear people around us criticizing themselves. I know I'm hard on myself because I hear my mom being hard on herself." (Just for the record, both Kristen and her mom are beautiful, in shape, wonderful people who need to go a whole lot easier on themselves!)

Lightbulb.

I never thought about it like that before. It makes so much sense. My cousin, Kaari, is 9. She often says funny comments about her booty being big or her legs being fat. None are serious, the girl weighs 47 pounds and knows she super small. But she is always imitating my sister and I. For example, on Easter, we were all laughing with my sister because when she went to the driving range with my dad, she made him tell her if her shorts made her thighs look big. Quite funny and not your usual golf talk. Kaari has repeated this line several times, always in funny situations and never seriously, to me over the last week.

I wonder what effect that kind of statement would have had on Kaari if she was indeed a little larger. When we were all laughing about it, none of us were thinking about the impact it might have on Kaari. (She's the only girl kid in the family. Rory is too young to get it yet.) My family is incredible. We are accepting of each other but we also push each other towards fitness goals. We really aren't judgemental about weight or appearance, we just want everyone to be healthy. All families aren't like this though.

Could this be the root of the downturn in self esteem? One of the roots anyways? Take it outside the family. Women are constantly hearing stories about dramatic weight loss, body improvements, etc etc etc. What if things focused more on healthy living, not just being as small as you can be? Would my students then look at chips not as an escape from reality or an evil food, but as a nice treat once and a while? Would they not laugh at Angie when she brings three apples as her snacks instead of processed and packaged goodies? If healthy living was the focus, not dieting or losing weight, wouldn't it all go hand in hand?

I wonder.

I want to protect my students from the world. I know I do. It's a problem I have. I am way too over protective of my flock. I want to sheild them all from the rudeness and injustices other children throw at them. (Then again, I know my dancers are mean to kids at school too. No one's perfect.) I think next year we'll start some sort of healthy bodies, healthy minds, healthy dancing program. Encourage little things like healthy snacks and water drinking, versus Chinese take out and Pepsi every night. Occassionally, sure, every night...no way. My small part, I guess.

I'm off for the weekend. Gone to competition! Pray for safety for my girls and that the negativity that has been brought in to the studio lately can be pushed pushed pushed away this weekend! We all brings "gifts" and I want the girls to use theirs this weekend! (More on gifts in my next post...:))

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Wishful Thinking

Today I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to get things together for our big competition this weekend. But at this moment, I am taking 15 minutes to relax and drink a Diet Coke. So while I do that, I am blogging a little nonsense that includes some wishful thinking.

So here it is.

If I had extra money lying around, I'd buy these things...(all images from Google
Images, cited where possible.)



A LARGE Purple Punch Tote by Vera Bradley. I mean how adorbs is this.
(http://cdn2.ioffer.com/img/item/126/098/585/k2BhTzr6gZfGhxx.jpg)



A membership to the Disney Vacation Club. (This one won't be happening any time soon. Sad face.)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2e/Disney_Vacation_Club_logo.png/200px-Disney_Vacation_Club_logo.png



Inground Pool. I drool!
http://indianapoolsandspas.net/images/pic-kidney3.jpg


But of course, my budget mind says no no and no to all of the above and so much more! We've got lots of things we NEED, before we focus on wants. I know this to be true, but that doesn't mean I'm not secretly saving my pennies for that DVC membership someday. It might be retirement before I get there, but darn it. I'll get there!! :)