Settling In

Wow, it's been a long time since posting. It's been a crazy couple of weeks. With productions for me next week, it will be crazier coming up. But we've managed to maintain a nice balance here, even with the addition of three extra practices per week.

Poor K fell victim to her first cheer snobbery this week. Having a background in tumbling gives her quite the learning curve for the stunting aspects of cheer. So when one of the girls who had been making cheerleading a career these last several years decided that K wasn't experienced enough to spot her during stunts, it hurt K's feelings a little bit. My first reaction was to suggest maybe she should help the cheer snob take a tumble from the top of the pyramid (or whatever it is that they do nowadays...), but that seems like it is the opposite of helping this cause. No matter how much it would have made me feel better. Instead, I just told her to keep focused, keep learning, and stay away from that horrible girl.

This week, we ordered the new uniform pieces and accessories that we weren't able to purchase at the garage sale. Came up to juuuuuust about the same amount as ALL the used stuff we got before. Hardly seems comparable. And can anybody explain to me why it was necessary to purchase both a monogrammed bag AND backpack? Craziness. Even crazier? The text conversation Katy and I had while she was ordering everything (no moms allowed, but of course):

K - Cheer Mom! How many pairs of each color of hot pants are we supposed to buy?
CM - Doesn't the sheet of paper that coach sent home say one each?
K - I don't know
CM - Well...ask your coach.
K - How many of each color?
CM -What did coach say?
K - I need hot pants in each color
CM - What ARE hot pants?
K - Bloomers.
CM - What did the coach say?
K - I think I need two in each color
CM - What is everybody else getting?
K - Two in each color
CM - *sigh* FINE. Get whatever you need
K - Are you on your way yet?

And then later in the car...
CM - Soooo...why did we need to buy two of each color?
K - Well, the seniors said that after a few months, girls will start losing their hot pants. Then they'll steal yours and you need a back up
CM - So we're underwriting the thieves at $37/pair of fluffy panties. Beautiful.

The fun part of all this uniform stuff? Playing dress up the cheerleader. I've had her prance around in front of all the family members that have stopped by over the last two weeks. FUN. Luckily, she doesn't mind...yet.

Own or manage a business? Check out the new program ad option under the fundraising page.

Current Mood: PAR-TAY - it's Battle of Flowers today!

If Only I Had A Money Tree

I made it through financials night alive. And pretty happy, I must say. I mean, relatively, of course. Who can say that they are truly HAPPY that they just dropped almost five bills on uniforms in one night? Well, I'll tell you - somebody who would have had to pay double that for new ones, that's who.

The whole garage sale was as predicted. Luckily for us newbies, they showed us what all of the uniforms we would need looked like in the meeting before. She gave us the price list again. Reiterated the rules. And after that, we hoofed it over to the sale. All the women speed-walking as nonchalantly as they possibly could so that they didn't give that scent of desperation off to the other moms. You don't want the others to think that you have to buy used, natch. I, on the other hand, was not quite that subtle. Grammie had graciously volunteered to spring for anything we could find at the used sale, so I was at that door and ready to go. What? You aren't sure if you're holding that for someone else? Can I wait? NO - MOVE ON TO THE NEXT TABLE, K. I think my heart was even racing at the sport of it all at one point. OH NO! If we talk too long to Girl X, we will miss out on whatever Girl Y is selling. HA! Looking back, I probably had that wide-eyed, about to be hit by a truck kind of look. Whatever we did must have paid off. We ended up with both uniforms, both bodyliners (which are not, incidentally, leotards like I had supposed last week), warm-ups, rain coat, jersey, and even an extra couple of goodies that good-ole-Grammie thought that K must have.

We also received our first fundraising packets. To avoid clutter on this super-entertaining part of my blog, you can find all of that interesting information about the totally necessary products that you must have on the link above where it says "current Cheer Mom fundraisers." I know, I know - how did I ever come up with that page name? It IS a gift.

And also - I made it into the carpool. BIG SCORE. Aside from the increasingly panicky feeling that I was going to struggle every single Wednesday trying to get her to another city (yes, it's only Bulverde...), I have not reached that overly-involved Cheer Mom status where I WANT to sit and watch every practice. I really only like watching the ones where the girls do flips. And even then, I get bored after about thirty minutes. I guess that makes me still a fledgling Cheer Mom. Maybe that will change. I doubt it. But maybe. Look for tomorrow's post regarding whether or not I survived my first carpool driving experience with four cheerleaders in the car.

Current mood: satisfied and eager

I have FIVE followers now! I am so excited. My followership is growing. Yes, I am fully aware that I just invented that word.

Survival

We successfully navigated this first week of practices. Whoo! Despite the fact that the new gym is in Bulverde, we have to travel there during rush hour on 281, practice is on Wednesday (choir) night, and I missed the carpool sign-up since one of the mom's cars only seats four extras, we were on time and she did great. Everybody who thinks that carpool mom with only four seats should get bumped in favor of me having seven, raise your hand. Thanks.

But seriously, I might offer to take both her shift and mine, because even with that, I'm still driving less than doing it all on my own. Everybody wins.

AND Katy found a girl from this year's freshmen who is willing to sell her uniform (only one out of four will be passed down) (of course) and she has got to be the exact same size because it fits Katy perfectly. Score. Even the coach approves. Now, if we can find the warm-ups, jersey, "comp" (competition??? Help me here. Surely it is not "comp" as in complimentary. I wish :) top/skirt, and whatever a bodyliner might be at Monday night's free-for-all spirit garage sale, we will save some serious cash.

Is it horrible that I am secretly glad that the dance studio rehearsals are closed to parents? I am not sure I am cut out to sit and watch rehearsals for an hour and a half each day. Although maybe it's teaching me something about my aversion to just being still. We shall see. For now, I'm ready for the weekend. This was a lot to process in one week.

Current mood: exhausted & down one full tank of gas

The First Day

Katy's first night of stunting. Thank goodness that LOST still taped on the DVR. Chris made sure that happened. Only one of the many, many, many reasons that I am hopelessly in love with that man.


Looks like Katy will be a base. Somebody told her tonight that she was "beast." Uhhhh, ok? She is happy with that compliment. Craziness. She had a blast at her first team gym night. Can't wait for the rest of this week.

I totally passed by the gym tonight. Had to call one of my buddies to make sure that I could find the place. If I end up driving every night, I will definitely take BC's invitation for vino time in between rehearsals (sigh - practices). I may have missed the carpool recruitment. STINK.

Kate had so much fun. I am glad that she has found her niche.

I am also glad that I finally, finally figured out which uniform to buy for Katy. ONE, ONLY ONE!

Time for bed. LOST has me lost....still love Desmond/Penny storylines....

Current mood: Tired; let's go to bed, baby

Annnnnnnd we're off

So I work at a church, and more specifically, I work in the music department of a mega-church. Which means that my blogging has been severely neglected this last couple weeks due to rehearsals, rehearsals, rehearsals, and services, services, services. But hold tight...because this week? Practices begin.

I believe there are three. Katy is still over-the-moon excited, which = awesome. I am still waiting around, trying to figure out when I am going to figure it all out. I mean, I'm a pretty intelligent human being in the real world (which I'm starting to learn is not necessarily the same as the Cheer World), but I have to admit that I'm pretty clueless about this whole cheer business. Tryouts were bad enough...I stressed about whether I was supposed to buy bloomers or biker shorts. Bow or ribbon? If I buy the wrong thing, does she get kicked off? I almost directed her ride home to pick her up from the back on try-out day (disqualifiable offense) and blew all her chances. I am learning that a big part of being a Cheer Mom is following instructions. I can do that.

This week, we start tumbling and stunting. I hear that they have already changed practice times and that it is not all that unusual for that kind of change to happen frequently. My black calendar and I are a little nervous.

Next week, we have parent meeting (a.k.a. - "the financials") and uniform garage sale night. Being me, I have already called the school to see which uniforms we are to buy. Should I bring cash or do I write them a check? Are the tables organized by grade level or dance/cheer team? Apparently all my questions will be answered that night at the meeting. Thirty minutes before the free for all begins. I have visions of girls and moms knocking each other out of the way in the effort to try to save a few dollars by not ordering new. I mean, there were only twelve girls last year and twelve coming up...surely there is going to be some stiff competition out there. You know what this reminds me of? Buying used books for college. You feel like you're getting this great deal by buying used, but really you are only saving like 25% and still feel the pain in your bank account. I better get more mileage from these uniforms than I did those books...I did glean this handy piece of advice - "don't let the seniors scam you into buying all their stuff - they're just trying to earn money for college." Um, excuse me? I still don't know what the freshmen uniforms look like!! How will I even know?

I am so getting scammed.

Current mood: exhausted, but excited to find out what this week will hold