Tia's Favorite Video

Watching the baby watch the baby

I felt like I needed to take Tia somewhere today, except it was foggy and cold out so we stayed inside. I asked her if she wanted to 'go to the store' and 'go out' but she said she wanted to 'stay home.'

So I just watched her take care of her baby for awhile, carry the baby carseat around, change her pretend diaper and tuck her baby in with a blankie. We 'laid down in dada's bed' and read her 'first words' book. She sat in my lap and I smelled her head and chubby cheeks.

We didn't really do anything today, but I felt like they were the most important moments ever.

Fashion Moment

I'm filling in at work and a sales person just walked into the studio wearing these fabulous boots. How much do you think they cost? (She's in sales, so they must be expensive...NO!) She was proud to tell me they were $36.99 at Target. Why is it that when we buy something expensive that looks great, we don't brag about it, but when we find something cheap that looks great, we tell everyone we run into? Awesome. I'm going to go buy them.

How I became a Hip Hop teacher

The new YMCA in Shoreline just opened, so I went with my sister and my 7-year-old niece to check out an afternoon Hip Hop class. On the first day of classes, outside the exercise studio, there was a man in a YMCA polo telling people that the class was canceled because they didn't have a teacher. I thought, "Hmmm...a dance class with no teacher...I'M a dance teacher...but Hip Hop isn't exactly my forte...should I tell him I teach CardioFunk?" I did, and gave him my card. A couple of days later he emailed me and asked me if I wanted to teach the class.

I was a little concerned because the description of the class on the schedule says "Your chance to try a variety of styles such as breaking, popping, locking and krumping" --- I don't even know what krumping IS! After consulting with my sister, who said, "Just do it. How hard can it be?? It's the 'Y'!" I decided to go for it.

The next week, on my first day, there were already 10 people waiting to take the class when I got there, 7 kids and 3 adults. Since I've never taught kids before, I made it up as I went along and taught a routine that I also taught in my CardioFunk class. What I learned: the steps that I think are EASY, are NOT easy for everyone! So I have to go back to BASIC basics. So much for the class description. That is such a relief!

So now I teach three classes a week, Hip Hop on Mondays and Wednesdays and CardioFunk also on Wednesdays. Now Ian says, "You're the busiest unemployed person I know."

Maybe eventually we'll all learn what 'krumping' is.

Sweet Pea Update

Tia is 20-months-old (I've learned that only moms count in months after one year). She'll be 2 in January. She is a typical strong-willed little toddler. She loves wearing "momma shoes" and I think she's becoming more girly, because lately when I change her out of her jammies, she only wants to "wear dress," not pants.

She can speak in 2-, sometimes 3-word sentences and her vocabulary is growing exponentially. One of my favorite little phrases: when she doesn't like what's on the radio, she says "new song, guys."

Too much to do, still not enough time

How is it that I can't seem to get anything done?

I mean, I don't work and yet, I haven't found time to do something as simple as water the plants. I have these lists I keep, in the bathroom, in my closet, next to my bed, in my purse...wherever and whenever I think of something that has to be done....call the repairman, pay the cable bill, e-mail a friend on her birthday, etc. If it's not written down, it doesn't get done. But more often lately, it's like I wake up the next day and forget to look at the lists. I forget about them and therefore, everything on them, because new lists of things to do materialize every day.

When I was working full-time I got more of the 'list-type' things done. Maybe because I had to squeeze it all into 24 hours, whereas now, 'tomorrow' is always a possibility. I feel like I am time-management-challenged, like I need a refresher course or something. Like I once knew how to juggle all this stuff, but now have become lousy at it.

Or I may just be getting old.

Notice in the picture that I'm still referring to a list in my day planner from LAST month. That's how I feel all the time.