So recently I turned 50 and recently I lost just over 50 pounds.    People want to know:  How did I do it?  I would love to tell you that I have turned into some fitness freak or weight loss guru.... but the truth is so much less exotic.   Let me start from the beginning:

Last summer about 3 months into the pandemic, I started exhibiting signs that there was something wrong.... heart racing, dizziness, numbness, etc.   I really thought I was having a heart attack on a daily basis.   Tried to get into see my dr, but it had been a couple of years since my last physical so I was considered a "new patient" and the closest appointment was in December.    So I tried something else.    I reached out to a cardiologist who was able to see me pretty quickly.    Sure enough, I was suffering from high blood pressure.   The first thing the dr told me was that I needed to lose weight.    I wanted to tell him... "Dude I have a mirror.... I could have told you that."

I am 6 feet tall and at the time weighed 240 pounds.   So I started by setting small goals for myself.   The first was to weigh less than my son who is 6'4" and 230 pounds.   The second was to no longer be OBESE on the BMI scale.  Then to be under 200.  Then to lose 50 by my 50th.   My next goal is to hit the Normal weight range on the BMI scale.  I think I have 3 pounds to go.   This journey was about getting healthy not necessarily about what the scale said, but it was a metric I knew how to measure.

Exercise:    I started just by walking.... not strolling... a brisk walk where your heart rate goes up.   I walked 3 miles 6 days a week.   After doing that for 3 to 4 months,  I started a couch to 5K program.   One I found on Pinterest.   Once I was able to run the full 3.1 miles, I added running to my regime.   I now walk 4 days a week and run 2 days a week.    At the beginning of this year, I added weights and resistance training by joining the gym with my very best friend.   We laugh a lot but we are getting the work done.    I ran my first official 5K last week with a time of 31 minutes 6 seconds.    Not bad for an old lady.

Diet:   I do not follow a diet.   I use My Fitness Pal to track calories.  I have a sugar addiction.    So I am trying to cut out processed foods and sugars.   I have found this makes natural sugars so much sweeter.   In the beginning, I stuck to 1500-1700 calories.  When I hit the plateau,  I added calories.   Sounds crazy, but I did a little research and it worked.    So now I hover around 1800-2000 calories with the lower days in between.   I have tried and loved to learn veggies that I thought I hated.   Fish has been a large part of my diet.   But I save room for things like butter, cheese, and an occasional treat.    I have learned some great substitutions and tricks from watching TikTok....

Support.... I have a lot of support from other women in my life.   Childhood friends, my sister, my best friend, work friends, a walking buddy.   This was instrumental to me.   I don't think they cared when I bragged about every milestone.   They cheered me on.   This was what kept me going.  

This may not work for everyone but it is what worked for me.   You have to do what works for you and what you can be happy doing.   Essentially, it is a lifestyle change.   I know I wanted to be healthy for my kids and for myself.   I am taking on this 50 year with a sense of renewed energy.   If I have inspired someone else to get a new lease on life, then I am proud of that too.   I have included some pictures for reference.   

Before

 Now

Love and Loss

I came here to write a blog about being in quarantine, and I found this that I had written last summer.  Why I had never published it I do not know.   I am sure that it was therapeutic at the time. 


To have loved and to have lost........ I thought when I lost my mom that I would not have to endure that kind of pain for a very long time.   It about destroyed me.   I stayed strong because I too was a mom.    My mom left me 10 years ago.  Although there is not a day that goes by that I don't miss her, all the old feelings of loss reared its ugly head this week.   

When the police showed up to my house last Sunday morning, the first thing that I did was to check the bedroom of my teenage daughter to make sure that she and her friends had not snuck out and gotten into trouble.  What happened next was something out of a movie.   My baby brother had lost his life in a motorcycle accident.  It then became my job to alert the rest of the family.   In a complete fog,  I called my sister first.  I could not bring myself to call my dad who had lost so much already.   I am beyond blessed to be supported by an amazing husband who stepped up when I needed him most.  

I spent the next week figuring out how to say bye....... I am not sure I have figured it out yet.    I tried to make sense of it, explain it to my kids, or help make decisions.  I was no help to my sister and my dad.    I helped the only way I could...... I put the pictures together for the memorial service.

Those pictures brought a flood of memories.   All the times Chad tortured me.   How he would argue with me or hit me or just pester me.   Or jump out of the bathroom cabinets while I was using the bathroom.    Or how he would remind me who won the horse race.   How he thought the University of Michigan was the best University ever... knowing full well that both his sisters went to the rival University of Illinois.   Outwardly, my brother was an asshole.    But he was a caring asshole.  There were good memories too.....memories of the amazing neighborhood I grew up in.  The fun times and laughs we had. 

We most certainly did not always see eye to eye.   But recently we had found common ground and spent time doing what we loved best.... harassing other people.  Actually... it was the three of us.... my brother, my sister and I who were brought together by a common thread.   We proceeded the way we were taught best ..... with a great deal of humor and a lot of inappropriate memes.  While Chad did not choose a life past remotely similar to his sisters, he got us and he balanced us out.    The last time I saw him, he seemed genuinely happy and we laughed and joked.   

I am not a crier by nature, but there are moments of quiet when I cannot help myself.   My eyes won't stop leaking.    My grief is compounded by missing my mom.   This would have absolutely killed her.   But I am selfish enough to admit that I really need her right now.   Although I have the most amazing group of friends, holidays are all of a sudden a little bleaker.   My family is small and is dwindling.   

Everyone has been so generous..... How can they help? What do I need?

I need time.

I need a distraction

I need to be connected with those he loved

I need a drink

I need one last conversation and one last joke

I need to learn to say goodbye

Silver Linings

You pick an activity for your kids then you choose a place to train for that activity.   You choose carefully, researching the best places to fit your needs.    These places become a home away from home for your children.   You become invested in what they are teaching, their philosophies, their people and their program.   You may spend years developing relationships with the people who run the program and the other parents who attend the programs.   What happens when the rug gets pulled out from under your feet?   Whether by choice or by circumstance, there is a time for you to move on.

It has happened to me twice.   Twice I have been ensconced myself in programs, made friends with parents, and entrusted these programs with the growth of my children.   And twice I have had to find alternatives: once by choice and once by circumstance but both abruptly.    Whether you are prepared for this or not, it is a hard transition.   Change is scary.

I have some friends at the studio where my daughter used to dance who are going through this very thing as we speak.  Their studio is closing at the end of the year.  They have had many months to ponder this and to lament about what they are going to do.   I think this might be worse than it ending abruptly like it did for me.    I am here to assure them that there is a silver lining.   It will be ok.   It might be better than ok... it might just be the change you need.  

Their situation is similar to one that I faced when the horse barn where my daughter rode closed.   And it did so rather quickly.   I had only a short time not only to find a place that would further nurture my daughter but would also take quality care of my horse.   I was panicky.    The place I boarded my horse was a great situation.   The trainer understood and liked my daughter.   She taught great horsemanship and equitation.   We would have stayed there had the barn not closed.   Now 5 years later, I am happy that the decision was made for me.   She needed something new/something different.   The new trainer had new things to teach my daughter.   It was a slightly larger barn with a slightly different philosophy.    My daughter had more opportunities to ride a wide variety of horses.   The new trainer also cares for my daughter very much.   We are still in contact with our old trainer and old friends, but we have made new friends along the way.   Like the dance world, the horse world is pretty small.  My horse is healthy and happy.   She has settled and become a steady school horse.   It was the change we needed that we didn't know we needed.   It was the silver lining.

I think one important part of this message is that it is essential to get instruction from more than one person.   No one trainer can know everything.   But if you find a couple of good ones, then you take the best from both and turn it into your own knowledge.   I also found this also to be true when I left the old studio and took my daughter to several different studios with different philosophies.    I discovered what I liked and didn't like.    She developed her own style.  Both upheavals were ultimately good for the growth of my children.

Another thing I know people worry about is losing touch with their friends.    Your friends are your friends no matter if you ride/dance together.   If your friendship is based on participating in the same program, then you probably aren't really friends.   I do keep in touch with people my kids used to ride/dance with.... and I have gained new friends along the way.

Although loss and change is scary, it is very likely that you will look back in a year and wonder what all the fuss was about.   You will cherish the memories and be well on your way to making more.   You will settle into a new normal and your child will adapt in their own way.... maybe easier than you will.   You just might find things about your new situation are better and there might be things you miss.   I know in both cases, my stress level was greatly reduced. Once I got over the shock of the change, I was able to embrace it and enjoy the new situation.

Remember to keep yourself open to finding that silver lining.   

College Ready?

So I did it, I dropped my first born off at college.    I am beyond excited for her.   College is a great place to mature and learn and make some of the best friends that you will ever have.  In my preparation for this moment, I have encountered a couple different kinds of responses when people find out you have to drop a child off at college.   None of their words are spoken out of malice, but I found the responses intriguing and probably based on their own experiences.

#1.... "It's not like she's dying, she's just going away"   I found this said mostly with people who had no kids or who had not sent a child off to college.   And I couldn't agree more... she is certainly not dead.   I can still communicate with her, and social media has made it really easy to still be a part of her life.   What did die was my family as I know it.   I think one of my super powers is being a mom.   I think that I am pretty darn good at it.  I feel it is my purpose.   So when the cohesive unit I have so lovingly put together is split up..... a part of that dies with it.   Everything has to change.... it's buying one package of meat at the grocery store and not two.....   It's having one less driver to run places....  It's not staying up waiting for her to get home because I am no longer in charge of that.   My life will change.  It is not a bad thing.  It is just different.


#2  People asking if I am "ok"   Quit asking me if I am ok.    Because I am.... and I am not.     This is everything we have worked for in the past 18 years.    Every year in school, every extra curricular, every life lesson was leading up to this.   Gabby was ready to go to college when she was 8.    I have taught her to be fiercely independent. She is more than ready.   And despite the diverse community we live in, it is really a microcosm of what the rest of the world has to offer.   She is ready for this.
So why do you ask me am I not ok at times?    I have spent the last 18.5 years preparing her for this.   I have spent years making sure she is ready.    I have invested A LOT of time in making sure she is a great human being.    I have done such a good job that I will miss everything about her.   She is not perfect, but she is one of the best.   I see that she is anxious about making new friends, and that makes me anxious for her.   I know once people get to know her that they will see what I see, and she will be more than ok.   But as much as I tell her that, she will have to experience it for herself.  

#3 People who expect me to be heartbroken.  I am a little, but my excitement for her certainly outweighs my missing her.    I think social media sets us up to ask for sympathy and get responses from people.   The expectation is that I will be a hot mess of tears.   And if you aren't then somehow you aren't a good parent.  If your emotional there is no shame in that.   If you are stoic, there is no shame in that either.    I will be honest...for the whole week leading up to her departure, I would lock myself in my bathroom and bawl my eyes out.   But now that the deed is done, the anticipation was ten times worse than the actual act of leaving.   I cried for like 30 seconds... and let her go on to start her adult life.  Because let's face it, as much as you miss them you don't want them living at home forever.  College is the perfect transition to full blown adulthood.   Actually Gabby asked that I try not to cry too much because then she would cry, and she didn't want to look like a "bitch baby."   Well we were very proud of ourselves for not being bitch babies.   (not that there is anything wrong with that)

#4 Mom friends...    I have a strong support network of moms who are going through the exact same thing.   I am the first one to make the trek, but they were with me every step of the way offering words of encouragement and support.   I can't wait to return that favor for them in the coming weeks then go out to dinner and drinks and talk about how great our girls are doing.   It is definitely a life changing time for all of us and having a support group is so important.   I cannot thank them enough for the support.

Well I am home, and it is time to create a new normal.  It is time to start to count down the days til I get to see her again. And it's time to start assembling her very first care package.   Good luck to all you parents who still have to make this journey.   Make it yours and do what you have to do to make it ok for you!!!

Thirteen Reasons Why to watch this show with your kids

Unless you have been living under a rock, you would know that Thirteen Reasons Why has become a phenomenon to rival Pretty Little Liars and Grey's Anatomy.   While the premise of the show might have parents a little on edge, watching this show with your kids is important.

1.  It will make you uncomfortable   As a society, we tend to sweep hard issues under the rug.   Watching this show with your kids will be uncomfortable.   Themes of rape, underage drinking, drugs and suicide are at the forefront of this show.   Uncomfortable is good because sometimes we need to go outside of our safe zone in order to understand.

2.  Bullying   Teenagers often treat each other like shit whether they are aware of it or not.   One of the themes of this show is bullying and how the things we do to and say about each other make a difference.   All teens have been affected by gossip and bullying in some form or another.  If we can teach our kids to simply consider others and their hardships, we might just make this world a better place.    The basis of this show is bullying.   And while what one person said might not be that damaging.... stock pile it with what everyone says.  Sometimes it is a lot to take in.   If we teach our kids to build each other up instead of tearing each other down, we are doing society a service.

3.  Underage Drinking and Drugs   This story line clearly outlines the dangers of underage drinking.   Teenagers are not yet responsible enough to handle the consequences of drinking or to monitor themselves to determine when enough is enough.  That is why there is a drinking age.   Two very specific incidents will speak directly to this issue.   If your child goes to high school, they know kids who do drugs and they probably know someone who sells drugs.  A conversation about making smart choices when it comes to drugs is always important.   Kids think they are invincible.   It's ok to remind them that they are not.

4.  Peer Pressure and Mob Mentality  The group of kids involved in the plot line clearly pressure each other to take action in ways they would not if they were working alone.   And there is a large group of them working together which creates a mob mentality.  I tell my own daughters that I trust their judgment, but sometimes I don't trust what others will try to lead them into doing.    I worry about what will happen when they are put into a situation where they will be required to make a "good choice"  Sometimes even if you do make the good choice, if you surround yourself with those that make bad choices then you are guilty by association.   As the size of the group grows, the pressure to make the popular and sometimes bad choice increases.

5.  No Means No  Going back to #1.. there are several very uncomfortable scenes in this show.    Two such scenes involve rape.. one of an unconscious girl and one of a girl who doesn't speak up.   We must teach our daughters and sons not only that this is never acceptable, but also that it is necessary to report it.   Because if the first of those girls would have reported it, the second may never have happened.    Several people witnessed the first rape and no one said anything.

6.  Time spent with your kids is valuable.  Kids grow fast, and time spent with them is valuable.   Why not spend time doing something they enjoy.   Kids everywhere are talking about this show.   Spending time watching this show with them is time well spent.   You do everything for them when they are young, but they probably need you even more when they are teens.    Soon they grow up and go away..... so why not.

7.  Healthy Relationships   This show definitely opens the avenue for discussion on what makes a healthy relationship.    I have two teenage daughters, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about who they were choosing to involve themselves with.   I don't care what nationality, religion, gender, etc they choose to date.  But I expect whoever they choose to treat them with the same respect I expect from my children.    I want them to be kind, respectful people who behave in school and society and who work hard.  I emphasize often that part of a healthy relationship is communication... and I am not talking text and Snapchat.    Had Clay and Hannah actually talked, would the outcome have been the same?   

8. Just because your kid is smiling, doesn't mean they are ok.   We all want the best for our children.   We want them to be ok.    On the outside, this girl looked happy and well adjusted.   Her parents were involved.   They never suspected a thing.   While living in paranoia is not good either, let your kids know it ok not to be happy.   But it is always good to talk.  It goes back to #7.... healthy relationship and communication. 


9.   Know your kids friends  and if possible their parents.    So far my girls have been on the right track.   I think they are making great choices.    And honestly, for the most part I trust them.   I do get concerned with who they choose to surround themselves with.   My eldest is in a gifted academy, and most her friends are like her.  They are responsible, kind, respectful with a lot of common sense.   My next oldest..... not so much.   I worry about her more because her peer group aren't always the kids that have been raised in the same type of environment as she has.    She will definitely be exposed to more opportunities to make bad choices.   So in a way, I have to trust her more.  I have to communicate with her more and make sure she stays the great kid I believe her to be.  Did Hannah's parents really know her friends? 

10.  Its ok to snoop on your kids  So as much as you want to trust your kids and their friends, sometimes it is ok to check up on them.   I require my kids to give me passwords to all of their electronic devices.    Some kids will not be ok with this.   And I ask..."why, not"  What are they hiding?  That would make me even more concerned.   I've heard other kids say they need their privacy.   And they can have it when they are grown and living on their own and paying all of their bills.    I pay a gross amount for my kids to have cell phones.   These phones are mine, and I can do whatever I want with them.    I have not found cause to snoop on them often but if I was suspicious about something,  I would make it my business.    If my kids want to hang out with a new friend, I try to learn something about them.    Social media makes this really easy.  I also track their phones... especially when they don't reply in a timely manner.   Never let life get too busy to check in on your kids.  This might seem over the top and that I don't trust my kids.   But they are still developing into adults, and they still need guidance.  This show might just show you another side to teens that you didn't know existed.  Get to really know kids these days... it might be an eye opener. 

11.Not my kid  Going back to #10.  If you think you know your kid, check up on how they talk with their friends.   The kids in this show seem to be the kids that have so much going for them.   They were the athletes and the go-getters.    This was my scariest take away from this movie.   I mean I think my kids are "good kids"   They seem to make good choices.    But what if I am lying to myself.   I think all kids have the capacity to make bad choices.  At the end of the day, you just have to pray they don't.  You have to give them the tools they need and hope they use them.  

12.  Let your kids know its ok to snitch  What's the saying.... snitches get stitches....... What if just one of those kids would have told an adult.  The domino effect of the events in this movie is unreal.   What if someone would have stopped the dominos from toppling over.   Just one ripple in this chain of events would have changed the entire outcome.   You don't want your kid to throw everyone under the bus for the smallest infraction... that would be annoying.   But some of the occurrences in this show were life altering.    It is always ok to alert an adult if someone could potentially get hurt.

13.  Suicide ruins families and other people and is never the solution.  This girl thought her only course of action was to end her life.   She destroyed her parents and her friends.    If she had opened up to them, she would have found support.  I was really afraid that this show would glamourize suicide and make it a viable option for teens who are depressed, being bullied, etc.   I hope instead that it showed the devastating effects.  I am curious to see the statistics on teen suicide after this show has gained so much popularity.   Hopefully this show has opened the door for more people to talk to their kids.  

I am not a perfect parent.  I do not have perfect kids.  But I am fighting like hell to make sure they are healthy, happy people who are good human beings.    I am working to give them the tools they need to accomplish that.   And I love them like crazy.   They would probably tell you that I am too strict or expect too much.   I thought the same of my mom.   But I think I turned out ok so she must have been doing something right.  

So while I gave you thirteen reasons to watch this show..... there is only one.... and that is communication.   


   

Musical Epiphany

Ok so here's the deal.    I have never really been a fan of musicals.   OK Roz, Jen,  Gabby, Abby, and the rest of the EHS cast.... you can quit cursing my name.  Over the past two years, I have come to appreciate them so much more.   My oldest daughter, Gabby, has developed a passion for them.   While I myself have ZERO musical talent, I have come to appreciate those that do.  

Many of you know from my Facebook post, that Gabby's senior musical, Pippin, was this past weekend.   This blog is dedicated to things I learned about the theater, my daughter, and her friends over the last week.   I was fortunate enough to be allowed to photograph the shows both in the audience and backstage.   Here are my findings.

1.  Pippin is a very 70's musical.    The story line is confusing.    But there is so much meaning to be found in this lesser known musical.... and I will get into that later.  So instead of dropping acid before you see it, I suggest that you view it multiple times.  I saw it a grand total of 6 times.   And I might finally get it.

2.   While sports at schools are given great accolades, the arts are not as heavily advertised or attended.   This is a shame because the students in these performances put in as much practice and work as any athlete.    Nightly rehearsals, get-togethers to practice lines, and private lessons to exercise their most important instrument..their  voices.    They even vary diet to keep their voices in tip top condition:   No dairy, special teas, honey... add to that Airborne and vitamin C drops to keep from getting sick.   They are in training, and they take it VERY SERIOUSLY.    I implore more schools to give the arts as much recognition as the sports.    My other daughter is lucky enough to attend the Fine Arts Academy at Larkin High School.  Their attention to the arts is what all schools should emulate.   I did see some Elgin High teachers and the principal at performances.  The proof in this lack of dedication to the arts is the student run twitter account.    They tweeted about a basketball game twice in all enthusiastic caps.   For the four performances of the musical, they tweeted once with an enthusiasm that couldn't even get them to capitalize the days of the week.   There were 50 students involved in the musical.    Surely we can muster some enthusiasm for that.

3.  The theme of this play strongly emulates a common theme in the real life of a Gifted Academy student.  Pippin is looking for something fulfilling in his life.  He takes a lot of advice from the "actors" who build him up to be extraordinary, and they tell him what he needs to be fulfilled.   In the end, the masses try to get him to complete "the finale" to his life.   But Pippin finds his own way, and eventually does not succumb to the suggestions of others.  This parallels what a lot of senior academy kids have gone through this year.... what my own kid has gone through.   These kids are extraordinary in many aspects of their lives.   And they feel there are certain expectations to fulfill.   They stress about doing the right thing.  For them it is choosing the right college, the right major.    Parents, teachers and peers alike all expect them to choose a good school and have a major/occupation that is worthy of their intellect.    My own kid struggled with wanting to do what others wanted from her and what she wanted for herself.    Like Pippin, sometimes you have to look past other's expectations and discover what you are passionate about.    She doesn't want to be a lawyer or a neurosurgeon.   Her passions lie in less academic pursuits.  She is passionate about horses and music.  And she is exceptional at those things.   While not "academic,"   these interests certainly require work and cultivation. To be great at anything requires a deep seated knowledge.   Careers in these pursuits are often harder to achieve.

4.  While EHS does not host the fine arts academy, the members of this cast are wildly talented.  They are also humble, polite, smart and just great kids.   I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to talk about each one of them

Abby L  Leading player.   If this girl does not end up on Broadway or making music somewhere, I will be astonished.   I can't wait to say,  "I knew her when."   Not only a talented vocalists.... she plays the guitar and ukulele maybe even the piano.    She also writes and composes her own music.   And her acting skills are spot on.  Some of her songs gave me goosebumps.   I could listen to her sing all day.  She plans on majoring in music in college.  She is a natural leader with the ability to discuss and analyze the music and roles she play.    She is AMAZING! 

Walker D  Pippin. He has the voice of an angel.   At one point he has to sing without any music, and his voice is sweet and pure.   He is also proficient at the piano and the ukulele.  I have never met a nicer kid.   And while I do love to give him a hard time, I also find him to be an "extra ordinary" human being.  He has a strong sense of  what is "just" and isn't afraid to stand up for those beliefs. He also plans to pursue music.

Nathanial B  Charlemagne.   Strong voice and a strong musician.  He really can project his voice.   Also plans on majoring in music.    His acting skills could also take him far.   He has a dry sense of humor that translates really well to stage.   Once he is cast, he really embodies a character.   He is polite and kind, quiet and introspective.

Matthew Q  Lewis... I consider him the "Robin Williams" of the group.   Always funny and always a little extra.    His "dad voice" however is frightening.   You never know what he is going to say, but he always says it with panache.    He plays the viola with such passion that you can tell the joy with which he plays.   He has been known to play other string instruments as well such as the violin and bass.   I am not sure there anything he can't do musically.   I have known him since the 7th grade, and when he isn't giving my young son gaming advice, he really is a nice young man.

Sonia K  Bertha.... "Still attractive"  I mean always attractive.... She is beyond stunning. And maybe the nicest person on the planet.   I had so much fun getting to know her better this weekend and laughing with her.   Always laughing with Sonia around.   Her interpretation of Bertha was spot on and never failed to make me smile.  She never missed a beat and her voice was perfection.  I don't think she is planning on majoring in music; but what ever she does, she will go far. 

 
Gabby L  Catherine.....she's not your "average ordinary kind of woman"  She's amazing.. and she is mine.    We honestly had no idea that she could sing until last year.    She has been playing the violin since 4th grade and can often pick up songs and play them by ear.   But singing is new to her, and she nailed the role of Catherine.   From being in this musical and last years, I have seen her confidence grow.   The kind of confidence that I have only seen when she is riding her horse.   So to have another aspect of her life that gives her that much joy and confidence... how could I not embrace it.   She's planning a major in Equine Business Management, but I would be shocked if music didn't play some role in her life past high school.  In true Gabby fashion, she has submersed herself in all things musical.  Her cast mates have been supportive and like a second family to her... So for that I am truly grateful.

Sarah T  Fastrada.. the only Junior who is a  lead... she is gorgeous, talented and dedicated.   I am curious to see how far she will go.  I don't know her as well as the others, but she lights up a stage.   I may have to come back next year just to see her on the EHS stage once again.  

5.  The teacher, directors, choreographers who support these kids don't just care about the musical.   They care about these kids as human beings.   They work long hours and sacrifice sleep, nutrition (no Frito's aren't technically dinner) and sanity to support these students.   Parents who support these kids also sacrifice time with their kids.   I was fortunate enough to get to know some of the parents a little better this weekend, and it is easy to see why these kids are so fantastic.   They have been raised by some equally amazing parents.     I would like to give a special shout out to Jen and Ms Zahora for believing in my kid enough to give her a part in this musical.   Also to Roz who not only keeps me laughing but has given my kid the confidence to "go for it"


Now go out and support the arts.    Attend a concert, a play, a musical, a dance show in your community.   I think that you will be surprised how well put together and talented the kids are.   Support them like you would a football, basketball or soccer team.

What I learned from hosting a Harry Potter Marathon

Nineteen hours of geek fueled viewing bliss.......  Harry Potter 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 7.2 back to back.   Add twelve teenagers and one crazy mom. Recipe for success.   I learned a lot in those 19 hours.

1.  Gabby has the most amazing group of friends.    They are polite, intelligent, artistic overachievers who also know how to have fun.   I enjoyed their company immensely.    Made me realize how much I will miss all of them  when they  leave for college next year.    They didn't seem to care how geeky  a HP marathon was.    They logged into their HP accounts and talked about what houses they were in and what their patronus was.   We had lots of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws and couple Gryffindors.   No Slytherins were in attendance.  These are kids with great manners who are ready to take on the world.   I cannot say enough about how awesome they are. 

2.  Teenagers don't really watch movies.   They spend a lot of time on their phones....sometimes fact checking the screenplay..sometimes playing each other in games.      They watch enough of it to comment from time to time, but they spend just as much time harassing each other about their scores and who is on the leader board.  They also text in a group chat although they are all in the same room.

3,  Teenage kids eat a lot. 

4.  There are a fair amount of people who dislike Ron Weasley.  One in particular was very vocal about her dislike of both Ron and Ginny Weasley.   I think that in her ideal world, Harry and Hermione belong together and Ron and Ginny just got in the way.  

5.  Matthew Q and Jackson are the same mental age.  They shared their favorite YouTube videos and giggled like 11 year old boys.

6.  Even18 year olds get excited about trying butter beer.  It was a little sweet for my taste, but the kids seemed to like it. 

7.   Gabby Lee would do just about anything to keep me from showing her friends the video of her 3rd grade talent show!

7.2    I am not designed to pull an all-nighter.   I wasn't in college, and I am not now.   I adore my sleep, but I wouldn't have changed a thing.  I got to spend valuable time with my girl and her friends.  I would lose sleep again to have that opportunity. 

I guess the moral of the story is that if your child asks for something crazy like this, do it.  The time spent together is something you will value forever.   I guess I am getting greedy with the time I have left with her before she goes off to college.   And Harry Potter is awesome.... skip the credits and you can watch them all in 19 hours.