dksquared

Degen's Recital Costume 2014

Well, this is about as good as you're gonna get on the blog for Degen's costume. It is a super-cute one, and he really loves it, but most of the photos are of Robot-Degen (similar to the one above, but at least it is a full-body shot so you can actually see the whole costume). Degen is tap-dancing to "You've Got A Friend In Me" from "Toy Story" in this year's mini-show.

Kyrie's Recital Costume Photos 2014

Here are some photos of Kyrie in one of her dance recital costumes. This year she has two dances in the "big" show. She is pictured in her costume for her ballet performance to "My Girl." Her other costume is for her hip-hop dance to "Hard Knock Life" (from 'Annie' with a remix by Jay-Z).

Photos 2014

Okay, so here be my babies....growing up! We went to get their annual (+dance) pictures taken at the same studio we have been going to for 5 years. I wish that I had a hundred super-cute photos to share, but some portrait sessions just don't go the way that you plan...it all depends on the photographer. The girl taking the kids' pictures was nice enough, but she just did the very basics of her job, and I am completely terrible about stepping up and saying anything as a complaint.

She did okay in that she did get photos of the kids and some of them I could actually use... but she had no creativity or even ideas about how to pose them beyond a single pose (alone, together, change outfit... thank goodness I brought multiple outfits). The kids weren't overly helpful in the endeavor either as Degen is going through his fake-smile phase (and I tried my best to talk to him and get him smiling naturally, but the photographer wouldn't take photos until I was DONE talking and he was back to his robot-grin), and the girl didn't call for "back-up" or use any of the 'smile' techniques I have seen a hundred times at the same studio.

And bless Kyrie's heart, she does well with her smile, but once that girl is set in a pose she is a statue... so I have groupings of 3 shots in a row of her that look exactly the same....EXACTLY!

Sigh... so part of me wants to complain and part of me is just glad that it is over with because prepping the kids and actually getting the photos done is a little stressful. And I am grateful for the few good photos that I did get. I know I will probably go back there next year, but beforehand I need to remember to utter a quick prayer that we get a good photographer and make a request for the strength to speak up.

Here are some examples of our photo-shoot "issues":

Degen as robot:

And I am posting these as an example of my little statue (who is adorable in this photo), but these are 3 different photos...can you spot the differences (hint: there are none!). So, this studio advertises that they take 60+ photos (we walked away with about 70 on a CD), but when you have 3 shots apiece of the same exact pose, the number of usable & unique photos you get is quite diminished.

Cats & Kids

A few pics that were too cute not to share. The first one is of Lilah & Degen. Lilah is a super-cool cat whom everyone kinda loves immediately. She is the only cat that I have ever met that loves kids more than she loves adults. She is a sweetie, but often seems to only tolerate Darren & me, but around the kids she is laid back and very affectionate. She loves to be outside, and when the kids are out there with her she is climbing on the playset with them or rolling in the grass to get them to give her belly rubs. Lilah is really Kyrie's cat, but I found her cuddled up with Degen one morning. Now what cat do you know that willingly plops down with an active 5-year old boy?!

The photos above & below are of our Bentley-puss. He is such a big guy, and he can either be standoffish to the point of nipping at your hand when you try to pet him or in your face wanting attention. There have been several times that we have had to kick him out of the 'quiet' room during lessons because he won't stop jumping on the kids' tables while they are working. He also is the only cat that I have known that seems to appreciate music. When the kids are practicing the piano, he will often jump on the bench and sit next to them while they play... not sure what that says about their piano playing at this point- ha! We love sharing out days with our great, big Bentley-boy!

A Thanks to Teachers & Coaches

As some of our activities wrap-up for the year or culminate in recitals, I wanted something to show our appreciation to the kids' teachers & coaches who have worked with them this year. This was a easy project to put together. I measured out strips of decorated paper that was white on one side. I then used a razor cutter to cut a scallop about 1/3 the way down from the top of the paper (careful not to get too close to the edge. I rounded the top edges and folded up the bottom third of the paper and tucked it under the scallops I had cut. Then I added some "sprinkles" and a red circle to be the cherry on top. Inside, I taped a gift card to our favorite ice cream shoppe. We hope that our teachers & coaches have a great summer and enjoy their gift cards!

Mother's Day Gift 2014

This is our Mother's Day gift for this year. It started when I bought some cute kitchen magnets with food substitutions and measurement equivalents. I wrote some small poems and made a simple apron template. Then the kids punched holes and used stamps to decorate the aprons. I tied a ribbon through the holes and put the magnet inside. This was an easy project that the kids thought was super-cute! We sent them with love to the important women in our lives! Thank you to our moms, grandmas and aunts!

Homeschool: Conservation & the Earth

These are some of the activities and books from our Conservation & the Earth unit. I like this unit because it has so many applications to our life right now. The kids are discussing and applying what we are learning about in lessons immediately. And Kyrie, especially, is at an age where she is able to understand the problems facing our environment and get motivated to act. For her, this unit also included work for her "Household Elf" Brownie badge, which is all about conservation. I also had activities for exploring rocks & minerals and using recycled materials to build & create.

The kids were excited when I pulled this activity out! We made enough paper pulp to make paper for days...literally.

Degen's unit folder. The concept was to make a mini-collage of what makes Earth beautiful.

Working on independent work.

Kyrie working on a diagram of the water cycle.

Kyrie making a natural glass cleaner using water, rubbing alcohol & vinegar. You gotta love any project that concludes with the kids running off with rags to clean the windows (see picture below)!

Kyrie collected bags to take to the store to recycle. I am good about recycling and composting, but in the past I have often either let plastic bags just collect or tossed a few here & there. Since this unit, I am much more motivated to keep on top of our plastic bag recycling.