DIY- 'Frozen' Dancing

OK- so, I am a specialty dance teacher at Arches Academy this year, and during my January classes, anytime I put on the Frozen song, 'Let It Go' during free-dance time, the kids just go NUTS. They dance and sing and use their last ounces of energy and oh my gosh, it is the best thing.  And this is boys and girls, pre-k age all the way to 8th grade. Disney has struck a chord with children and the idea of Elsa and her 'Ice Powers'.

I wanted to let the kids enjoy the 'Frozen' dancing even more this week, and so on my way to teach, I picked up some thick hair bands and a couple of spools of shimmery white ribbon and...oh heck- it was a hit!

It was too hard to teach and take pics at the same time, so I hired some really cute girls to demonstrate this easy, DIY Ice Powers idea.  This is Haily, our great friend Eva, and little Josy.

So, now, if you have kids at home who need to let some energy out while being creative at the same time, have them make their own Ice Powers, put on "Let It Go", sung by India Menzel, move your couches to the walls and "let them go"!  Happy dancing!

 ,

 (I couldn't resist, it was so fun to watch that I had to try it myself...)

Thank you to my dancers who followed my directions so perfectly!  Love you girls!  (Josy is in heaven in this picture...)

mean girls

They exist at every school.  They operate in groups.  And we have already run into an ugly little patch of them here where we live.  Should I report their behavior?  Should my girls even bother being friends with them?  We live in Happy Valley where most of the kids here go to church on Sunday, where they learn about the Gospel and the Golden Rule...  Maybe parents don't even realize their daughters are the 'mean girls' at school.  This is one thing that I could totally do without. 

I am having flashbacks:  

When I entered a new school in fifth grade way back in the 80s, I was targeted by a group of mean girls who all wore the high end clothing and had perfectly in-style hair cuts.  They didn't like me, I don't for sure know why, I didn't even know any of them!  I was cute, had shiny blonde hair and confidence; that must have bothered them because they hazed me for an entire year.  No teacher noticed, no parent caught on, and only two girls stuck with me as friends, an African American girl and a Latina girl. Bless them Lord, forever and ever.  

I do wish an adult had helped me, even if it was to try and help me understand the situation clearly and what sort of power I could have for myself on the playground, excuse me, I mean "battlefield'.

So, report mean girls, right?  Or will that backfire for my own girls at school?  Will the group be even meaner, and just hide it behind fake smiles?  I actually don't know how to handle this very well.  Some websites say to stay as little as possible out of the social seen at your kids' school.  But at what point do parents need to become a part of it?  Need help..   

come on over!

You really should come over.  Husbands at work, Grandmas and Aunties in other states can all see what your cute kids are doing, right when they do it.  No plugging in and downloading and waiting to post to blogs or facebook...so nice...

christmas card 2013

Well hello there!  Been a while...  My poor little family blog!  I have neglected it for quite
some time now... many bigger things have taken the front burner over here @ the Garys...
Although I do feel it is important to still document the kids' fun times and milestones for mine
and Aaron's family, all of whom live in California...yep...no built-in babysitters for me...
Waaaaaaaaa :( !!  Moving on--  here is our Christmas card whose pictures were taken
at Thanksgiving by my cute Dad at the University of Pacific campus, with his tiny
digital camera!  Thanks Pop!