Survey Sunday!

Sunday has rolled around again and I'm already looking forward to this week. We're in my favorite time of year at dance. Costumes are arriving, we're working on dances in all their classes, the kids are excited to be in the most exciting 5 months of the year! :) I am feeling so much better about my teaching abilities since Christmas break. I am rejuvenated. Everyone need a break, myself included.

Now! On with Survey Sunday.

Today I am playing along with Sunday Stealing. Head on over and check it out! It's fun. I love these Linked Up blogs I've been stumbling upon. Great way to find new bloggers to follow. :)

Sunday Stealing: The Current Obsessions Meme

Book:
I am really into Jodi Picoult the last few months. Though I haven't been reading as much lately as I usually do, every time I get a chance, it's Jodi that I reach for. I think my favorite of her's that I have read thus far is "The Pact." WOW is all I can say.


Snack:
I am on a quest for a healthier lifestyle so this is a fun one for me. My favorite snack right now is a tie between 2 things. I love SmartOnes freezer desserts. They are the perfect size, come in tons of flavors and really aren't that bad for me. They satisfy my sweet tooth while at the same time not throwing off my entire day of good eating. I am also totally in to fresh vegies right now! The more carrots and celery and peppers and tomatoes and mushrooms I can get my hands on the better!

Restaurant:
Olive Garden is my obsession lately. Mainly because you can get everything in a lunch portion, eat delicious salad and a breadstick or two. Also, leftovers are like...GOLD from there.

Beverage:
Water. It's even edging out Diet Coke on my list of must have liquids lately.

Decor:
Ugh. I need a decor obsession. I need to redo my entire house. It still looks exactly like when my aunt and uncle here lived here. (Which, by the way, my aunt has really great taste!! This would be why I havn't been quick to change much...haha!) I just need to make changes and make this house my own. Starting with my bedroom which I would like painted in brown, light blue and lime green. Rory's room needs done before we even start THINKING about another baby. I want her room done in shades of purple and orange polka dots. My bathroom needs to be seaside style. My kitchen needs to be black, white and red.

So much to do. So much paint to buy. haha

Actor:
Confession. I have a huge, 8th grade girl style crush on Zac Efron. Do not worry, Dave knows. He has his own 12 year old boy style crush on Hillary Duff, so it's okay. :)


I mean hello.



Actress:
Amy Adams! Amy Adams! Amy Adams! She can do funny. She can do serious. She can sing. She is amazing. (Need examples? Check out Julie&Julia, Enchanted, Night at the Museum 2, Doubt, Sunshine Cleaning, Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day, Drop Dead Gorgeous...)

Plus she's beautiful and totally embraces her natural red hair.



Movie:
Right now, my favorite movie is "Julie&Julie." It is brilliant. Watch it! You will love it! Also, you will feel insane urges to cook things completely from scratch, which I've been doing all week. It's helped my healthy choices, for sure.

The other movies that round out my list of lifetimes faves are "Little Women," "The Devil Wears Prada," "Sex and the City," "Dead Poets Society," and "Night at the Museum 1 and 2." I'm also a huge fan of almost all Disney movies, specifically "Up" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

TV show:
My favorite not cancelled TV show at the moment is Tabatha's Salon Takeover on Bravo. Love it. Love her no nonsense attitude and good ideas. She's a brilliant business woman.

Hobby:
All I do is dance. And that's what I love!




I'm not in these pictures, but those are my students. Aren't they awesome?

Band:
Always and forever my favorite band will be BEN FOLDS FIVE. But I am currently obsessed with the Christian group FFH. I've been a fan since high school. They recently took a lengthy break while the lead singer was battling MS. They are back now and better than ever, I have to say.

Song:
"This Is What It Feels Like to Be Led" by FFH.
This song is therapy for my soul. I listen to it when I need reminded that my steps are directed by the One True God. I am never alone in my search and my path is alread planned out. The tough stuff and mountains I have to climb are merely bends in the road designed to make me stronger.


Meme:
I don't have one! Sorry!

Blog:
Hmmm...I'm not sure yet!

Lover:
My husband is my best friend. I love him and somedays find myself trying to remember what it was like before Dave. I can't even imagine not waking up with him beside me (almost) all mornings now. He is my other half.

Friend:
I'm totally obsessed with my students right now. I can't help it! They make me laugh, they make me cry, they are a huge blessing.

Quote:
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." -Eleanor Roosevelt. That's my life quote. :)

Peeve:
I HATE mouth noises. Chew quiet around me or don't chew at all. I have over sensitive hearing towards strange mouth noises. I try hard not to think about it but MAN it bugs me. One time in high school I was eating lunch with my friend Nikki. She was eating carrots and was SOOOO quiet!! I told her I would eat lunch with her every day because she was my perfect eating partner. haha

Sport:
Well the Winter Olympics are almost upon us again. This leads me to mine and Dave's favorite Winter Olympic sport...


CURLING!! hahaha It's true, we love it. :)

Singer:
Lady Gaga!! I'm so in love with her music. It makes me want to dance around, which most times I do. She's so fabulous in a crazy way. I like her because I think she understands being a celebrity is just a big game. She definitely isn't her true self when she's in public and being that way allows her to have a person life and a public life. She's a smart cookie that Lady Gaga, PLUS her outfits?! INSANE!! :)

Enjoy! Head over to Sunday Stealing to join in.

A Week in Review!

According to the syllabus, we are scheduled to do a weekly review today. So we shall! Grab a pencil, there might be a quiz...:)

Sunday, January 3, 2009:
Happy Birthday to my best high school friend, Allie! (She's also the mom of the cutest boy in the world, Carter. He'll be ONE next month! Where did time go??)
I really can't tell you what we did last Sunday...must have been pretty boring? haha

Monday, January 4, 2009:
I worked, Dave worked, Rory got back on a nice schedule. Phew!! I taught competition team classes all night and I love my team this year. SKDF Girls (And Hunter, too!) are a good time, for sure.

Tuesday, January 5, 2009:
Happy 25th Birthday to MEEEEE!! I took Rory to the doctor for her first "sickness" and am still not sure how I found my way to the office. We usually go to the office closer to us, but the doctors were at the OTHER office on Tuesdays. Somehow we got there! (Where was my TomTom when I needed it? Oh yes. In Dave's car. The one with free OnStar Turn by Turn! hahahaha) Chelsea and I went all Julie&Julia for my family for dinner and made bruschetta, homemade marinara with chicken, mashed new potatoes and ceasar salad! :) Dave surprised me by getting Cook or Be Cooked in addition to my best present GLEEEEEEE Season 1, Part 1 on DVD. :)

Wednesday, January 6, 2009:
Back to work! Back to a routine! Back to real life! I love holidays, but I crave my schedule and my routine. I like when Rory is on course, I am on course, the whole family is running smoother when we are on our schedule. This was a pretty mundane day at work, nothing out of the ordinary. One of my high school classmate's (who's daughter I now teach) mom passed away after a long long battle with cancer. So much sadness has been infiltrating my dance studio lately and it just breaks my heart.
Also my student Audri's 7th birthday! :)

Thursday, January 7, 2009:
Happy Birthday to my student Marcie!! (Lots and lots of January birthdays at Studio K, for sure.) I taught my regular Thursday classes. I made a break through finally with my boys acro class. They weren't responding to my usual methods and their behavior was typical boy: slightly wild and totally crazy. I got through to them though with, of all things, a simple sticker chart and cookie challenge. When the whole class earns 10 stickers, they will all get cookies. They can get bonus stickers for good behavior, good teamwork and good communication.

Speaking of which...I've noticed that my boy students already don't communicate well. They TALK, but they don't ask for help when they need it nearly as often as my girls, they don't tell each other the plan when they are completing a task togther...it's so interesting. It's a behavior that they will carry on through their life. I making it a point to work on my boys' communication skills. Their future wives can thank me. :)

Friday, January 8, 2009
My birthday celebration!! Dave and I took my sister and our friend Lindsay down to Cary and Jason's. We met up with my college roommate and went out on the town for the night. SO much dancing! SOOOO much fun! It was so nice to be with friends and actually behave like I'm only in my 20's instead of 50 for once. (My Dad's words, not mine! haha) I have good people in my life, for sure.


Heather and myself! Allegheny College Alumni looking FIIIIINE. hahaha


Saturday, January 9, 2009
HAPPPPPPPY BIRTHDAY to my girl, Nikky! She's 20 today. No longer a teenager. :)
Today was pretty relaxed. We got up late, went to Olive Garden for lunch then all headed home from Cary's. I picked up the baby from my mom's and now everyone is napping...except me. :) Grilled Cheese with (turkey) bacon and tomato sandwiches with soup for dinner tonight.

All things considered, a pretty great week! Disney Trip in 25 days and a wake up!

Want to know why I love my job?

Here's why!



(Disclaimer. I don't usually post pictures of my students faces, but one of these girls is my cousin and the other 2 both have Facebook so that's a-okay. :))

But I swear to you if these little imps call me OLD one more time...straight to the back row!

When the recital gets closer, I'll post videos of their dances for you to check out. Want to know more about my studio? www.danceatstudiok.com

The Day Formerly Known As Accomplisment Thursday.

I totally lied to you. Thusdays are suppossed to be ACCOMPLISHMENT Thursday, but nah. Boring. Thursdays are a wasted day of the week. It's allllmost the weekend but not quite. There's not quite enough of the work week left to make you feel worthwhile yet you rush to get stuff done so you won't have to do it on Friday...sooo...Blah. Thursday. Worst day of the week.

Except for me. Because Thursday is my Friday at the studio...Fridays are office days at home, which means coffee and pajamas and a late afternoon shower. So really I can't complain. hehe

I've decided to host Obsession Thursdays. We'll discuss each week things we are *obsessed* with.

This week's theme is...
I am totally obsessed with ________________ on TV.

Confession. I have 2 favorite shows.

The first, and my all time favorite...
Gilmore Girls







I love this show. I started watching in the first season, actually, and kept up with it for a while. Then I started dancing on Tuesday nights so I stopped watching. I rediscovered this gem freshman year of college and it's been no turning back ever since! I love the language of this show. It's so witty and quick. I also love Lorelai and Rory's style. I can't wait to be skinny again so I can dress like them. So classy and fun at the same time.

The best part about this show though is the relationship between Lorelai and Rory. They are more than mother and daughter, they are true friends. I want that relationship with my daughter...coincidentally named Rory. (And yes, this is where it came from!) I went through a super tough time in college (another blog for another day) and Gilmore Girls was such a comfort to me. Marathons upon marathons helped keep my spirits up. It's such a heartfelt show, even the tough stuff is balanced well with humor. Good stuff. :)

My second favorite...


Don't hate. If you haven't watched it, you are missing out! I was a total doubter after watching the teaser episode last May. I though it was awful. I didn't get it. But I gave it another shot when it came back on and I am now a total gLeek. Dave was a doubter, then he watched the football players singing Single Ladies scene and now he's a total lover of all things glee too! We have both soundtracks and I got the first season on DVD for my birthday Tueday. It comes back with 4 or 5 new episodes as soon as stupid American Idol is over. (End of April, I believe) WATCH IT. You will LOVE it.

And, p.s., the dumb fake pregnancy is over and it looks like Terri is gone. Thank goodness. That was the absolute stupidest storyline. I'm glad it's done.


What's your TV obsession? Link up! Lets hear it!

Feeling slightly inferior tonight.

(Please do NOT be offended by this post. I am not posting about one person in particular or even one situation in particular. Being a dance teacher, I am constantly in contact with other moms and am always comparing myself to them. I don't think the other moms in my life, dance family friend or otherwise, mean to make me feel inferior! haha I'm also not compliment grubbing! I don't need a pat on the back, I just need to know other moms feel te same way at times.)

Do you ever, as a mom, feel like everyone else is succeeding and you are floundering? Sometimes I feel like all the other moms I know have mastered the back stroke and I can barely doggie paddle. How in the world do other full time working mothers manage to make their own baby food?! I feel like I don't have time to hit the grocery store to get the jars, let alone strain and puree my own. Dave is super involved. He has the baby on his own every night from 2:30 until she goes to sleep because I am at work. I can't imagine doing all this without him to help out.

Sometimes I feel like I am putting Rory at a disadvantge because she hasn't had a more "natural" upbringing. She's been formula fed since day 1, and not at my choice. (I didn't...produce? HA! How do you say that delicately?!?) We use disposable diapers out of sheer convenience. No real other reason. We use jarred baby food and she sleeps in her own crib. Why? Because I need my OWN sleep, and p.s. I worry Dave would smush her. He's a flipper all night long! :) She goes to daycare a few times a week because I HAVE to get work done. I own my own business and I need office time.

Now, none of the decisions are "Wrong" per say. None of the other options are wrong either. Who can really say what's right or wrong? What's right for me wouldn't be right for someone else. What's right for RORY certainly wouldn't be right for other babies. Rory needs her bottle 4 times a day, others need it 3 some need it 5. Rory naps twice a day, others more, others less.

I think the biggest thing that has got me down today is this. Why is it that women can be so catty towards each other? Why can't we keep our mouths SHUT and be supportive of each other? I know I do it. I know I think in my head at times, at the store or the pharmacy "Ummm hello. Put a hat on that kid!" Or "Eww. Wash that kid's face." None of those types of thoughts are either NICE or NECESSARY. I don't vocalize them to strangers, but I've caught myself critcizing other moms to friends or family. Why? Why do I feel the need to judge them? Am I such a fantastic mom that I can sit here, on my pretty white tower, and look down on other moms? I don't know their situations. For all I know, the baby could have taken his hat off in the car and Mom couldnt' stand to fight him to keep it on one more time. The other baby could have smeared food on his face without his mom knowing. All these things Rory has done but I don't sit and judge myself like that.

I think my resolution is this. I am going to make it a point to compliment other moms on how great their kids are. I deal with a ton of sweet kids every day and I'm sure their moms and dads don't hear good things from teachers and coaches enough. Maybe if I start with my circle of moms, you would start with yours. I'm pledging to stop the judgements and quiet the voices in my head. Who knows. Maybe by stopping the judgements in my head, I'll learn to realize I'm doing an okay job as Rory's mom. I'm not perfect and I've got a lot more learning to do, but in the end I love her. And really, that's all she needs.

Wishful Wednesday

Kelsey at Seattle Smith's hosts Wishful Wednesday and today's topic is 'I wish' .... I had _______ hair/hairstyle!

Well. I wish I had Kristin Chenoweth's Hair! Specifically in "12 Men of Christmas."

OMG. Girl has VOLUME for dayssss. That's probably what I'm most jealous of. I'm not after her color, I can't be that blonde. It looks unnatural and weird on me. I am best at a medium brown with tons of highlights. But that VOLUME. How does she do that!? I can tease my hair some, get a nice bump on my crown. But I can not for the life of me get volume on the sides or in my bangs.

I have her length, just not that height. I could really benefit from the use of her hairdresser every morning around 7:30 when I am struggling with my teasing comb and hairspray...:)










Thanks Kelsey! And a big thanks to Kelly over at Kelly and Co. for linking me to Kelsey! :)

Reicpe Tuesday

It's Recipe Tuesday here at 567Kate. This recipe is easy and crazy delicious. I made it for the first time last week and Dave and I looooved it. Thanks Rachael Ray!

Chicken and Broccoli Mac-n-Cheese

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 pound chicken breast tenders, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound macaroni elbows or cavatapi corkscrew shaped pasta twists
2 1/2 cups raw broccoli florets, available packaged in produce department
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
3 cups whole milk
1 cup chicken stock
3 cups yellow sharp Cheddar
1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard
Directions
Place a pot of water on to boil for macaroni.

Heat a medium pan over medium to medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute a couple of minutes then add onion and cook another 5 to 7 minutes until onions are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and reserve.

To boiling pasta water, add pasta and salt to season the cooking water. Cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook 3 minutes more or until pasta is cooked to al dente and florets are just tender.

While pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne and paprika and whisk together over heat until roux bubbles then cook a minute more. Whisk in milk and stock and raise heat a little to bring sauce to a quick boil. Simmer sauce to thicken about 5 minutes.

Drain macaroni or pasta and broccoli florets. Add back to pot and add chicken to the pasta and broccoli.

Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt it in, about a minute or so. Stir in mustard and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and cooked pasta and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings, transfer to a large serving platter and serve.



I didn't use the mustard, mainly because I didn't have any. (ha!) I also used low-sodium chicken stock and fat free cheeses. You can easily leave out the onion, if you aren't any onion fan. (We are!) I left out the cayenne as well, again none in the cupboard. It would be delish though. I highly recommend this recipe!! It was crazy easy and it could easily be made the night before or on a Sunday and then baked on a Tuesday. (I like make ahead meals!) It also makes a TON so there's plenty for lunch for your husbands (or you!!) the next day. I tucked a bunch in to Dave's lunch box and had some myself for lunch. We both agreed it was just as good, if not better, the next day.

If you make it, let me know how you like it! Enjoy!!