Pageant Day, The Full Story

Yes, thats right, I entered my two year old in a pageant.  Before you get all judgy judgyson on me, lets talk about it.  I was in a few pageants growing up and I loved it.  I don't remember feeling like it was really about who is pretty or not, but more of just an avenue of competition.  I enjoyed competing, I enjoyed learning from other girls, I enjoyed challenging myself to feel comfortable standing pefectly still in the middle of a stage with everyone staring, it was fun to me.  I lost more than I won and I still loved it. 

So how could I not try it out with RL? If you truly know me this does not surprise you.  Sure there are some cons to pageants (as there are with anything), but I also believe that there many learning opportunities. 

Now, let us get one thing straight.  I am ONLY interested in pageants that the girls can wear Sunday dresses.  I prefer Sunday dress only pageants, but they are sometimes hard to find.  I do not plan on buying RL a $300 pageant dress for competitions.  I ONLY enter pageants that makeup is NOT allowed nor spray tans, fake teeth, and all of that other craziness that you see on Toddlers and Tiaras.  I like natural pageants vs glitz.

The day started at 5:30 AM.  Yikes.  She was screaming that she wanted to "get out of my bed". Already, I am nervous. I had planned on her sleeping just a tad bit later. :(
I am not sure what got in to her, but she was actually in a great mood.  I asked her where she was going today and she excitedly said "the pageant!!"

Driving to our destination was a little strange.  I had to stop and check my GPS to make sure I had entered the correct address.  This place was most certainly off the beaten path.  Instantly upon arrival both my dad and husband questioned how in the world I found out about this pageant!!!  It was country living at it's finest with random dogs greeting each guest as they stepped out of the car.

We made it to the venue and got ready happily and had a great time!! I loved spending this one on one special time with her.  We practiced on the stage and she loved it!!

Competition time.  Okay, this is the part that I will admit......  we were the only one in our category.    So, the pressure is off.  She did GREAT on stage.  Waved, smiled, had lots of fun.  She repeatedly said "my turn on stage". 

The other girls competed.  I thought about what I liked and didnt like about the pageant system.  Likes include the confidence, poise, comfort level with strangers that it encourages.  Dislikes include perfectly performed "routines" with props while the child stares at the mom demonstrating each step. One may think that I would jump at the chance to perform a little dance "for my daughter" as the audience oohs and ahhs over how great of a dancer I am in  my "late twenties".  They would probably want to know if I could teach them a few moves. The judges may turn around and watch me instead.  Okay, sorry, let me jump back to reality.  In real life, I want the kids to show their own personality, smile natural, make eye contact, be who they are.

I know putting a child in a pageant is a contreversial subject with lots of opinions floating around covered in judgement.  I know some of you may think of me differently once you have read this post.  For us, we will try it out here and there as long as it is fun for everyone.  I really feel that there is alot to learn.

Now....doesn't she just look adorable???



And here we are playing with our crowns. She "wanted" me to have the big one of course.

Mr P's Tee's. Trust me..You Will LOVE Them

I have a good friend who is an AMAZING artist, a creative designer, and just an overall great person to be around.  Check out this picture she painted for our living room...



Amazing, right??

About a year ago she began a tshirt company with her husband.  They are locally inspired and range in sizes from baby to adult.  Here are some pics of my family sporting her line.















Let me tell you what I love about these shirts.  They are hands down the most comfortable piece of clothing you could ever put on your body.  I am not kidding.  I did not know this comfort existed until I bought my first Mr. P's Tees (named after her son Pierson).  Wooded animals or garbage munchers not exactly your style? Mine either....but it doesn't matter. Think comfort people.  My sister recently pointed out that every time she sees me, I am wearing this shirt.  You may even catch me with 3 day old spit up covering the front because I cannot bear to go one day without slipping on this shirt after work.   Maybe I should consider purchasing another shirt??

Exactly...in walks the sale promo...


Thats right...she is having her first big sale! I cannot wait!! D will be out of town and I am usually a hermit when I'm left with both kids, but I CAN.NOT. miss it!  I must be there first for the best inventory.  So I will load R up in my new ergo, dangle a promise of ice cream for good behavior over RL, and GO SHOPPING!! &nbsp

;I strongly encourage you to check out her line and try on a piece of goodness.  You will not be sorry. If you are not in town look it up on facebook!!

No coupons needed......it's a sale!!

Learning new things

I am so excited to be in san antonio visiting with my sis and her baby boy john as well as mom, brother n law, and nephew john. I brought Ruddick with me and he did great on his first flight ever!! He slept through most of the time!!

I am learning so many new things while visiting. I love to inspect my friends and families homes. Not in a judgy way but in a desire to search for new ideas kind of way. Some friends know this about me and encourage me in a walk through their home. Some even get offended if I dont take notice of something they are especially proud of. For my more sensitive friends, I make my observations in secret. No need to risk a friendship due to my constant curiosity.

So let's move on to some new things I've learned.

Groovebook


This is an app that makes 100 of your moble pictures into a book each month! For 2.99 a month, I am so excited to have a rolling record of my kids activities with such ease.

Learning colors


My 2 year old nephew is a genius! I'm teaching him to say so himself! So, my sis must be doing something right, right? Therefore, I'm taking notes. Here are her Colored circles in the kitchen as a constant and fun reminder when learning colors.

New blogs:

Mix match mama



Plain chicken



And my child can now push up all the way!



Thats all for now, but I still have another day to learn!

Remember the day craft box.

This out of date recipe box was passed down to me from a cowoker moving out of the country.



Since recipes can easily be found with a quick google search these days I didnt have a huge need to store recipes, however I liked the shape so I wanted to use it for something.

I remembered seeing a pin about writing a note about your children and/or family on an index card everyday of the year. Jotting down what you did that day, something you noticed, or their current likes and dislikes. What a perfect box!

Modpodge/scrapbook paper/wooden letter






I LOVE how it turned out!! Now lets see how many days in a row I can remember to do this!!!

Chalkboard menu

I am obsessed with the presentation of meals. Really with any type of presentation.

The last few times I've had people over and created a "dinner spread", I felt like something was missing. I wanted some type of personalization. My table only seats 4 (1 highchair) so really just 3 therefore a tablescape is out.

I typically lay all my food items across the bar countertop buffet style, so this is where I needed the extra punch. I'm sure I didnt come up with this on my own, I must have seen it somewhere but I dont know where.

Chalkboard menu:

I took a wooden picture frame from goodwill and painted the wood with color of choice and the glass with chalkboard paint





This project was actually an all day event. It took several layers of chalkboard paint to cover the glass. You will need to paint both sides so that any streaks you create will still be black.

I painted a layer, let dry, held the glass in front of a window to check for streaks, and painted again.

Loved the way it turned out!

Cartwheel at target

Cartwheel is a new way to save at target that can be very overwhelming at first glance. Its actually much easier than it appears.

What is it? It is basically an extra percentage of savings on selected items. It can be stacked on top of target coupons AND regular coupons (all 3 can be used on 1 item).

1) You select the items you want to save on (you will have a limit of item offers at a time)

2) You add to your cartwheel list

3) You have one barcode to scan at the register for savings on all of your selected items.

Lets get started...

Step one - download the app. Its quicker, easier, and you dont have to print out anything to bring in with you to the store.



I was overwhelmed with the app at first so I chose to go the print out route, which caused 2 registers to freeze while checking out. Lesson learned. App only for me!!

Step two- browse offers.



There are a ton of offers. You can browse specifically or all offers. If you have trouble getting to the menu page, swipe to the right.

Step three - select your offer by touching the item and selecting "add"



Be mindful of the expiration date.

Once all your items are selected, go shopping!!!

Step four- select "my bar code" and show to cashier BEFORE using other coupons at check out.



And thats it!! Savings on all of your selected items are subtracted.

Tips:

As with any coupons, dont buy items just because you save. Look for items you are going to buy anyway (diapers)

Maximize savings by stacking with other coupons

A target red card is a MUST. It is simply a debit card attached to your checking account. No extra fees. With this card you save an additional 5 percent on your total bill!!!

Never buy anything from target without searching to see if savings are available.  You can do this while your walking in.  Sometimes I feel like everything in the store is available on cartwheel!!