Hectic Mom's Blog (aka Cindy)

We are home - finally. 
 
Man, what a long weekend.  Prissy did awesome.  She brought home a first place trophy for Intermediate Solo.  She also came in 2nd on Regional Solo (advanced solo - it's different) and advanced to the divisional juvenile solo event.  She came in 5th - which is all the juveniles that had come in first or second in their age for regional solos.  So - 5th was absolutely amazing.    Yay Prissy. 
 
We're really tired.  I took lots of pictures.  I'll post them - maybe.  But, not tonight.  Tonight I want to go to bed.  I have so much stuff to do - being away for the weekend really puts a dent in the working mom's "errand" time.  If I could - I would totally take tomorrow off just to catch up.
 
Sorry for the short post.  But, YAY PRISSY!  (oh and Jasmine is totally hiding from Prissy and I - she disappeared when we opened the garage door and we haven't seen her at all.)

Posted by Cindy at 07:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is sort of a boring update - I can't be witty and charming everyday. Oh, or at all I guess. *LAUGH*

Today was a typical Monday... I had a thousand meetings... Running from place to place... Holding my pee until I saw yellow (because I didn't have time to go, yo.) But, it wasn't a horrible day - just really busy. Productive as well - which is always good for the psyche. (I got one of the three presentations done that I've been working on forever. Woot!)

This is the week of baton. Prissy had a lesson tonight, she has a team make up practice tomorrow, her regular team practice on Wednesday, and a baton camp on Thursday and Friday, then Regionals (for the Western United States) this weekend. She'll be competing against her biggest challenger - we'll call her BATONGIRL. Prissy and BATONGIRL are often neck in neck. Last year, BATONGIRL won 1st place and only beat her by 10 points in both states and regionals. And this year BATONGIRL beat her by 10 points at states. However, the rest of the season, Prissy has been beating her by 30-50 points (the other girls of the same age are 100+ points behind Prissy and BATONGIRL.) BATONGIRL won a 1st place in Nationals in one event and 2nd place in a different event. So, beating her is a really amazing thing. I hope that Prissy beats her - and if not - oh well. It'd just be really cool for her - I think that it might be a really big confidence booster for Prissy before going to Nationals. BATONGIRL will also be at this baton camp and the girls are friends - which is always nice to have some friendly competition.

On a kitty update. Oreo (btw - is a girl cat) and Jasmine are becoming fast friends. They are playing with each other now. No more hissing or growling. Oreo is still soft smacking her in the head occasionally - but it's clearly playing and not being pissed - no claws no pain. Oreo still follows her everywhere, but occasionally runs past her to get Jasmine to follow her back. I was a little worried on Saturday - but not anymore. Oreo will be Jasmine's protector and big sister (that will torture her just a little. Just like a real big sister.) They were laying next to each other a little while ago. As far as Pookie (our scaredy cat) - I'm not sure she even knows we have another cat in the house. She's just thrilled we have kitten food (which is her FAVORITE.)

Sorry for the long post, it's just been a decent day.

Posted by Cindy at 08:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today was a great day. Yes, yes, it really was! I mean it!  We had a retirement party this afternoon for 4 of my team members. One actually left the company and stopped working and the other three are retiring from our current company (because they have put in their sweat and tears for enough years) and will be rehired at the new company. Anyway, we all got to leave early. And these people are some of my favorite people.

I work in a very very male dominated industry (computer engineering) - it is not always easy. I have the most awesome group of people.  Two of the retirees are women, and these two women in particular have taken me under their wing to "groom" me. They decided long ago that I would become the next WOMAN MANAGER. And you know what - I am. These two women have paved the way for me (and the other women in the industry.) They have participated in women's conferences (in our particular industry) and pushed back on the jerk men to make them see.. These are women that I look up to, and I had the greatest honor to manage. But, they are also partly responsibile for me getting this position (just giving me the courage to pursue it and for paving they way to even allow the possibility of a woman manager.)

Anyway, the party was AWESOME... It was great to leave work early... It was great to see everyone that I haven't seen in awhile.

Tomorrow, we travel to a baton competition... My daughter and I will drive several hours and stay in a hotel room tomorrow night. It's very exciting for both of us. First, it's wonderful for us to spend some alone time together (I have to make sure to balance it out with my son.) And competitions are always fun and exciting... Anyway, I like the whole deal... We get there and go out to dinner (just the two of us) and then come back and cuddle and watch TV... Then I'm ALWAYS so proud of her in competition... She's just so amazing..

So, today was a good day... I'm feeling positive, energized, and ready to go back tomorrow... Tomorrow morning may be a different story, but right now - I'm just feeling all around good... :D

Posted by Cindy at 08:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Oh - today the baton season began for us.  For whatever reason, I'm unable to embed YouTube videos, so, check out Prissy's videos  here:

Dance Twirl

Solo

Prissy did excellent awesome.  She Got a 1st in presentation (no video), a 1st in Solo and a 3rd in Dance Twirl,  The Dance Twirl was all ages - so she was competing against some of the best around.  She did absolutely incredible.  She also passed her Compulsories (just moves that she gets judged on - and you increase in difficulty at each pass.)  Anyway, Prissy loves to compete and it's fun to watch her.  She is pretty tired however and actually, I'm pretty tired too.  I think I'm getting Bubba's cold, but I hope not.

That's all for tonight.  This weekend has gone WAY too fast.

 

Posted by Cindy at 07:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ok - I've been SO LOOKING FORWARD to sleeping in today.  I was planning on sleeping as late as absolutely possible.  The kids were prepped, hubby was prepped.  I was SLEEPING IN!!! Ahhh... The kitten decides to snuggle around 6ish - and she's purring and making biscuits like crazy, but it's soothing and I can pretty much sleep through it.  8am the phone rings.  OH MY GOD!!!  I jump out of bed - thinking it was my alarm.  Trying to figure out what he heck is going on - I finally realize that it's the phone, and I have a phone on my bedside table.  I answer it and it's a survey.  It fully woke me up and I was SO PISSED OFF.  It was survey about an oil change I had a few weeks ago.  I yelled at the guy - DO YOU KNOW THAT IT'S 8am ON A SATURDAY MORNING??!!!  AND I WAS STILL ASLEEP??!!!!  AND YOU WOKE ME UP??!!!???  He then quickly said, "uhhh, we'll call you back at a different time" and quickly hung up. 

While the place I get my oil changed is awesome - I don't think I'll ever go there again because if I do, they might CALL ME AND WAKE ME UP ON THE ONE DAY THAT I GET TO SLEEP IN!!!!!!  Needless to say - I was totally awake then.  Completely and totally, no going back to sleep for 30 mins, or even an hour.  I'm still ticked off - some jerk from a survey company took away my ONE sleep in day.

Anyway, I made my list of things to do for Christmas, etc.  And I immediately got stressed out.  I have SO MUCH STUFF TO DO!!!  However, I went to Taekwondo, we have testing on Wednesday so we are working hard to get enough classes in.  Then we had lunch, went to the library and put up the Christmas decorations (which look awesome) and then I went to Target and got a bunch of stuff - including the book exchange books and the work exchange gift and a couple of other things that I need (like toilet paper.)  So, I'm feeling better about that.  I finished up another Christmas gift and it's ready to send and I bought my Christmas cards.  My best friend is super organized and has had her Christmas shopping done for months (so has my mom actually - she has already purchased AND shipped all of the gifts.)  Whoo!  So, I'm feeling a little bit better.  I also got my long walk in for the week - so I'm completely exercised and down several pounds.  If this weekend is anything like last weekend, my weight will go up, but it is certainly on a downward trend.  At my lowest this week, I was 8.4 pounds down.  That's nothing to sneeze at.

Tomorrow, I have to get up super duper early - the baton competition season begins.  Prissy has her team event, her marching event, her compulsaries (which is new for her), her presentation, her solo, and her dance twirl (which is new for her) individual events.  It's a small contest - so, hopefully she does well.  But, it begins now.  I've been stressing out over the little girls team costumes, and Prissy's individual costumes.  The is the first year I've had to worry about it.  It's still a little bit stressful - but should be ok.

The only bummer part of this weekend this far is that Bubba has a cold.  He was all stuffed up when I picked him up from school on Friday and he was still pretty clogged up today.  No fever, just doesn't feel great.  He still went to Taekwondo, but is just generally a little slower.

That's all - I'll give a report tomorrow on the competition!  Wish Prissy luck!

Posted by Cindy at 07:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My daughter competed in the USTA regionals in CA today.  Her team didn't perform, but she so so so wanted to compete with her solo events.  She did great.  She placed 1st in Beginning Solo, and 3rd in both Intermediate and High-Intermediate.  The intermediate set had 6-10 and 6-11 year olds in it.  Way too big of a range - so the fact that she came out as 3rd was absolutely awesome.

As far as the regional solo (this is the "Big One") Prissy placed 2nd.  I think this is absolutely fantastic.  Out of all girls in her age range in the Western United States - (including Hawaii and the entire western states) she placed 2nd.  How amazing.

Can I just tell you how proud of her I am?  We didn't need to go to this competition - but she really really wanted to.  I wasn't sure I wanted to travel for it - but she loves baton.  So we did.  Can you imagine the courage it takes for an 8 year old child to get up in front of 3 judges - all by herself, in a gymnasium filled with people watching her?  She just went up and knocked them dead.  For the final regional solo one of the three judges placed her first, but the final numbers were 1000 to 990.. Dang she was close.  Anyway - she did awesome and she will compete at nationals next year.  Her coach came today to be with her - which I thought was just the coolest thing ever.  Prissy is talented... I'm just going to follow her lead - if she loves it - I figure we can just go for as long as she wants to.  She was disappointed that there are a few weeks off (they restart in August.)  When her coach said she could get started on a dance-twirl routine Prissy cheered.  The child loves baton... :)

Here is the floor before the competition started - with quite a few people warming up.  I thought it would give an idea of the size of the gym.

 

 

We were at Cal State East Bay in Hayward, CA.  The campus is pretty nice.  While we were waiting for awards, we walked around campus and found this view.  Absolutely stunning.

This trophy is from beginning solo and the medal's are from intermediate and high intermediate.  There are two pictures - one of just Prissy and one of her and her coach (who is also a Rockette - so cool) ...

Here was the final awards ceremony.  Prissy lost this one by 10 points.  It was 1000 to 990.

And Bubba was quite the trooper during the entire competition

Posted by Cindy at 07:24 PM | Permalink

Really -

On Sunday, on the way to the baton competition, we stopped at Starbucks.  It was probably 6:45 - 7:00am.  I was NOT going to start a very long day without my Starbucks.  Anyway, there was not a single car around anywhere, and I pulled out of the parking lot where it was specifically an entrance (which doesn't make sense and people pull out of there all the time.)  Anyway, my daughter then explains to me that even though it's not a LAW, it is a rule that we should obey because we are all responsibile to keep each other safe in our community.  These are her words, I kid you not.

Then, a little later in the drive, she starts telling me about an author that she particularly enjoys (I cannot remember her name), but she writes non-fiction.  The story my daughter read was about a quilter who passed her quilts down from generation to generation.  My daughter was especially interested in this as I have quilts that my grandmother made and will pass down to her.

Then, last night at dinner, we were talking about something and she said, "Oh, that's grand!"  and I started laughing, and my husband said, "Did she say great or grand?" and she answers "Grand.  Of course." 

She is always coming up with these little weird words and sayings that normal people don't use in every day conversation.  She is an absolute avid reader, she picks very diverse books from the library - Chinese Fairytales, books of poetry, fiction from the 1800s, new fiction, historical fiction and is just now getting into non-fiction memoirs.  It helps her vocabulary quite a bit - but, it just cracks me up to hear some of the things coming out of her mouth.

Until tomorrw...

Posted by Cindy at 08:02 PM | Permalink

Well!  We made it through the weekend!  No stomach flu - attended all the events.  Got most of everything done!  Ahhhh.... I can't tell you how great that feels.

My daugther did very well today.  I have uploaded the video of her solo to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXeFLN6XMq8.  It is still processing and will hopefully be up very soon.  I will also try to embed it here.  This is the compressed version - I also have the fully uncompressed one at google - but it also is processing and I do not have the URL for it yet.  I will post it in here when I get it.

So, today - let's see, here are my daughter's stats:

• Intermediate Basic - all ages - 4th place
• Advanced Basic - all ages - 3rd place
• Beginning Presentation - all ages - 1st place
• Intermediate Presentation - all ages -  2nd place
• Advanced Presentation - ages 0-11 - 5th place
• 1st Contest Solo - all ages - 1st place
• Novice Solo - all ages - 3rd place
• Beginning Solo - ages 0-9 - 2nd place

The first picture (with the ribbon-sash) is from her 1st place in presentation.  The second picture is after she got her 1st place in Solo - she has a coat on - the place was FREEZING cold.  These poor girls must have been dying (I had a sweatshirt and a coat and _I_ was freezing.)

 

So, she covered it from 1st to 5th place and did a great job.  The video is of her Novice Solo.  Novice means that the child has never won before.  Having the 6-7 year olds with the teenagers is not entirely fair - but my daughter still held her own.  She actually did great considering she was one of the youngest twirlers in each set.  This is the first competition that she has done her Solo - so it just gets better from here.

This leads me to my question.  When I was younger - I was so self critical of everything I did.  I always thought I did horrible and I needed to improve on oh so much.  My daughter however, thinks that she is really really good.  She is good, but her image is a little distorted - she thinks she is significantly better than some that are actually significantly better than she is.  I'm not sure which is better - it's probably somewhere in between.  I think with the self-critical view - that there are things that can be identified to improve, but it probably doesn't help the self-esteem much.  On the other side, thinking you are the best gives you great self esteem - but, maybe makes you blind to the things that you need to fix. 

Since she wants to be president of the US - whe will probably need the enormous self-esteem and big ego.  Whatever, I'm not discouraging her... I'm glad she thinks highly of herself..  *LOL*  Maybe it won't take her 25 years to finally believe in herself.

Until tomorrow...

 

Posted by Cindy at 07:55 PM | Permalink