My little ballerina

T* has been in various dance classes since around the age of 3. She has always really enjoyed it, she loves to dance! It's been really neat watching her come into her own with regards to her confidence in dancing and the way she has changed with listening to the teacher. When she first started dance she was all over the place, talking, not paying attention, not listening, sitting outside the room I would hear the teacher call T*'s name more than anything else almost, it was kind of funny in some ways, and horrifying in others (oh my god, my child does not know how to listen, and can't do as she's told!). Now though, she is completely different, she's become this perfect little girl, never talks when she's not suppose to, always does as she's asked, tries her best. It's great to see, school has helped in that department a lot, so have all the other programs that she has been in.
Today she started a new dance class, it's the same teacher she had last year but in a different studio. The class sizes are a little smaller and the teacher is great ( I think it helps that she has two little ones of her own). I'm looking forward to seeing how this 'term' goes. It will be a new experience this time as the teacher is really focused, she works with them to make sure that they understand everything and they are learning all the proper moves. T* has done ballet with her before but this time they actually have the mirrors and the bare to work with. It's really cute to see these little 4 and 5 year old's doing all these ballet moves. I am so happy that we are able to put T* in these kinds of things, especially when she really enjoys it, so far ballet and swimming are the only 2 things that she keeps going back to. It's grate to watch her grow in both of these things. Today was cute as well because we got all T*'s new ballet stuff, her leotard, her new ballet shoes, and her new skirt, we are just waiting on her tights and her new dance bag. As I said, this dance class is a little different. We need to have all the proper clothing this time, no going to the department store, luckily we got discounts by ordering through the teacher, that and the store she uses has pretty good prices anyways, it's also not that bad because T* can use everything but the shoes for a few years. I love watching her dance anyways so it's all totally worth it, the look on her face is priceless. I can't wait till the recital at the end of this term, it's going to be great!

Things they never told me about being a mom

Life really changes when you have children. There are somethings that others tell you but there is a lot that no one really talks about. Sometimes we are so afraid about what others will think of us that we never say how we are really feeling, it's great when you have someone that you can talk to about anything, unfortunately we don't always have that person around. I was watching The Oprah Winfrey Show the other day and they had a bunch of mothers on talking about the things they like and don't like about being a mom. They called it a judgement free zone, a place where you could talk about your worries and fears without the worry that people would look at you as if you were a bad mother. They talked about the things that they just really didn't like about being moms, dirty diapers, throw-up, super late nights, snot, those kinds of things. Then Oprah asked the mothers to come up with things that no one had ever told them about being a mom but wished they had known. It got me thinking about things that I found out only after I had my daughter, things I feel it would have been nice to know before hand but at the same time, I know I probably wouldn't have totally understood before baby. Here is my list
- There are times when you wish you were kid free again
- At times you feel like you have no identity of your own, you're just the mom
- By the time your child turns 3 you automatically have 2 kids, your child and their father
- You will never feel as if you have had enough sleep
- Sometimes you will get so frustrated you will need to walk out of the house for a while
- There are times you will wish you listened better in school because you have no idea how to answer your child's questions
- Some days you will forget that you had a life before you had kids (this is not always a bad thing)
- Most of the time you feel as if your child is better dressed and more put together than you are
- Your purse becomes soo much more, a first aid kit, a toy box, a colouring book (that wasn't a nice one)
- You no longer remember what normal band-aids look like, all the ones you use have characters on them
- You realize that you can actually love someone so much it hurts
- You find that the best part of your day is when your child comes up to you out of the blue and tells you they love you
- They teach you to really see things again, with wonder
- They make you appreciate quiet time :)
Not everything that I didn't know is a bad thing, that's what you realize when you have kids. Even the things that totally frustrate you still make you smile. Honestly, children are great teachers if you just listen to them.