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Meet Amy
I have struggled with the answer when asked, "What do you do?" and it isn't work-related. Ultimately, we settled on that I find things and untangle things. But I also read (a lot), pretend to wake surf, and watch Hallmark films.
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Two weeks ago today Jade and I were having a conversation about soda, sugar, obesity and energy. We talked about what happens to sugar when you digest it and what happens to your energy level. Jade was amazed at what sugar can do to your body.
During the conversation Jade said that she’s bigger than the other girls in her dance class. She talked about how she feels big and doesn’t want to be fat.
I don’t know if I handled this right. It is one of those times, as a mom, you wish you didn’t have your own insecurities and your own issues.
So I said to her that she has a beautiful body and that she has a strong body but if she wants to feel better she could quit drinking soda or eating junk food. (Sure, I know I shouldn’t even have junk food in the house but it is one of my weaknesses). I also told her she could eat more healthy foods.
As the conversation came to a close she suggested we have a challenge to see if the two of us could go one month without sugar. I felt like that was a pretty significant challenge for our first try at this so we settled on no sugary treats and no soda. And at the end of the month we would talk about how we feel energy wise.
Here we are half way through the challenge. She has done amazingly well. Instead of fries she’ll get a salad, when everyone else is getting ice cream she’ll get a sugar free yogurt. And she has had better energy, been happier and fallen asleep quicker. Me? Oh I’m miserable! I am constantly wishing for sugar – ranging from a few Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate chips before bed, a mug of hot chocolate in the morning, a maple bar, a tootsie pop, to a caramel apple, a hot chocolate chip cookie or chocolate covered cinnamon bears.
2 more weeks – we can do this. And hopefully Jade will realize she is beautiful (no matter how she compares to the other girls in her classes) and that she feels better when she isn’t loading up on sugar.
Although the year has been filled with travel, very little of it has been for “fun”. Luckily we did get to have our annual trip to Lake Powell.
We do Lake Powell the hard way. We CAMP. But we camp the right way.
There are 3 families that are consistent each year. Those 3 families each have a boat. Each year the boat families invite another family, so there are 6 families total. Unfortunately this year, one of the invited families had to cancel last minute so there were just 5. Then each boat is responsible for one day’s meals. That way the other two boats don’t have to worry about preparing meals on their days off. Who ever came up with the idea to do it this way was GENIUS!
Every year we go to the same bay but have had different camp sites. The water level has varied so much the past 3 years that even if we tried, the site would be enough different. This year’s beach was probably my favorite.
I love getting to know the other families that we go with. We only see them once a year, so there is always a lot to catch up on. The kids actually do a pretty good job of staying in touch via email. (Especially since Ivy will send multiple screenshots of whatever game she is playing). The water is always warm but never glass. There are just too many people enjoying the lake to get perfect water. Over the past 3 years we have been very lucky with the weather, but this year was the worst. Every afternoon we would hurry back to camp as lightening lit up the sky. We’d tie down the tents and put away the shade tents as the winds would pick up. Each time Ali would ask someone to say a prayer that the storm would pass us by. And each day we’d barely get a sprinkle. But, I got to photograph the amazing skies!
Then the nights were amazing with the full moon and the clouds. The campsite acr
oss the bay had fireworks each night too. Again, all of this provided me with great photo potential.
The kids had a blast and everyone was safe. The worst injury was cut from stepping on a broken bottle.
Here’s a video to show some of the action that took place behind our boat….
Lake Powell – 2012
Helaman 7-9
Cut out several of the footprints and have them lead to a picture of the prophet.
What do you think the footprints mean that lead to the picture?
Why is it important that we follow the prophet?
One of my favorite primary songs is “Follow the Prophet”. The chorus says…
“Follow the prophet, follow the prophet.
Follow the prophet; don’t go astray.
Follow the prophet, follow the prophet.
Follow the prophet; he knows the way”.
What does “astray” mean?
Do you believe that the prophets will not take you astray?
What kind of things does the prophet tell us to do?
Today’s lesson is about a prophet long ago. Nephi was a prophet during a very difficult and prideful time. We are going to watch a movie about Helaman chapter 7-9.
Before we begin this story, can anyone tell me who the Gadianton Robbers were?
There were a group of murderers and robbers that were formed by Kishkumen and Gadianton. There were many of them among the Nephites and an even greater number among the Lamanites. The Lamanites tried to destroy them while the Nephites embraced them and many joined them. They created secret sings and handshakes and words so they would know who was part of the group.
What have other prophets said would happen if we did not repent?
How can listening to our modern day prophet help us in our lives?
Why does it sometimes take courage to follow the prophet?
What can you do to strengthen your testimony of the living prophet?
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In closing, I’d like to share a quote by Elder James E. Faust:
“We have been promised that the President of the Church will receive guidance for all of us as the revelator of the Church. Our safety lies in paying heed to that which he says and following his counsel” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1989, p. 11; or Ensign, Nov. 1989, p. 10
I know that President Thomas S Monson is the living prophet. I know that he will never lead me astray and that if I choose to follow his counsel and commandments, I will not be disappointed in my life. I will find peace and happiness in all that I do. There will be joy, love and an understanding that our trials will help us grow.
Attending a national dance competition is a big commitment – financially and emotionally (plus it took most of my vacation time from work). It was a big commitment that I was happy and willing to make.
A 9-year-old dancer knows if she loves dance. She knows how to work hard and she knows what commitment means. It means not having playtime after school with the neighbor friends. She knows that she isn’t supposed to goof around during classes and she knows that financially dance is a big sacrifice. (A sacrifice that is on the top of my list of necessary priorities).
Following nationals, she has an even better understanding of what it takes to be a dancer and a national champion.
The challenge is that she is still just a 9-year-old little girl. A 9-year-old girl who loves to giggle, play and dance. She’s also a 9-year-old girl who has insecurities and wants more than anything to be accepted by the other girls. Nationals is a time for all of wants to be addressed in an intense 5 day time period.
Here’s a little background on what it takes to get to a nationals competition…
Dance class 4 days a week for 2-3 hours per day, homework packed in to one or two days during the week, three weekends during the school year filled with regional dance competitions. It also means missing activity days for church and having to say no when school friends want her to play after school. Plus, the girls that you are spending 4 days a week with are all working just as hard as you are and there is little time to visit. If you’re lucky you get to participate in a carpool and then the girls get 15 minutes of laughter time before and after their time dancing.
Their busy schedules make weekend competitions and the occasional parties very important to the relationship of the team. The longer they dance together and the more competitions they do together improves how well they dance together. And unlike friendships developed in the neighborhood or at school or church, these friendships are built by trust, teamwork and shared passion.
****My belief about the benefits of friendship built on a shared passion will come in a different post. This post is about how nationals built character.
At a dance convention the dancers have the opportunity to take it seriously or consider it a party. Oh, or they could get totally burned out.
Sometimes a dancer needs a little bit of a reminder about what matters.
A typical day at a convention is filled with hours of dance classes where there is no parent in the room nor is there necessarily their familiar director. The problem with this setting is that the typical things a 9-year-old loves (see above) all come into play. How fun is it to run around and play tag or run to the “bathroom” with your friends? Unfortunately it is sometimes too tempting. Which is what we found out the first day of the convention. Oops.
Our little group of dancers worked really hard but had their moments where play crept in.
Once we had that disconnect realigned, the dancers learned what it means to focus and what it means to apologize to people who aren’t part of your every day life. Two points that those girls will never forget.
The dancers also learned how important it is to be a gracious winner. We always focus on how to be a gracious loser and to congratulate the winners. What we forget is how to win with grace. It was shocking to hear some of the parents from other students growl at us or huff past us while they muttered the name of our studio. And it was very refreshing to watch some of the girls make friends with the students whose parents scowled at us. Our girls understood that just because you won, you aren’t any better than them.
** Jade smiled more during this dance competition and convention than I have seen her smile in months. She was so in her element and showed that she found her passion. Following nationals she is even more committed to dance and more excited about what is in store for the next year.
At the beginning of the month, the girls and I traveled down to Orange County for the LA Dance Magic National Finals. Jade’s team had to qualify for nationals at a regional competition in Utah. They had worked really hard and did a fantastic job at regionals but this was our first national competition and I wasn’t sure what to expect.
We arrived on Monday afternoon for a rehearsal. There were teams from Michigan, Texas, California, Utah and Arizona. (And since I didn’t get a program, I don’t remember from where else they traveled). The Hyatt was crawling with adorable dancers (and softball girls in Irvine for a championship). I expected Jade to get nervous and crawl into her shell – but instead she rose to the occasion and was out-going and super happy.
Tuesday was the day for solo competitions. The age divisions were Junior Prep (7-9), Junior (9-13), Teen and then Senior. We had quite a few competing in all of the age divisions but I only attended the Junior Prep and Junior competition. Jade and most of her team were in the Junior category – which was difficult because they were all on the bottom end of the age group.
The studio did an amazing job. There was one of our girls in Junior Prep and she took first place and won a cash prize. Then we had 4 girls in Junior division. All 4 of them received high gold scores (platinum is the highest – but no one got that in their division). I was really impressed with the competition and was shocked when our 3 nine year old girls from our studio all scored in the top 5 while our one older girl took 1st place! (4 out of the top 5 were all from our studio!)
Wednesday (or the 4th of July) was finals for all of the group numbers. Jade’s group competed in 3 numbers for their age division and then they were in a production number that was in the Teen category.
Jade danced these 4 dances the best I have ever seen her dance. It was so much fun. (Even though I wasn’t allowed to take pictures). There was so much energy with the kids and enough genuine smiles that made it all so worth the trip!
At the end of the day, the kids took 1st or 2nd for each of their genres. Plus they were invited to compete in the Xtreme Dance Challenge. In Junior (ages 9-13) they took 3rd place overall and in the production number they took 1st overall.
Pretty fun being a National Champion! And yes, the excitement of the kids shows how proud they were to have worked so hard and then delivered on the day that it counted.
I may not be a “dance mom” but I sure do have fun watching my daughter grow and develop her talents.
Tune in for the next post about the lessons learned and the growth experienced by attending a National competition.
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