Sarlabeth's Corner

Dance Studio Funnies

2011-11-08T10:15:00.001-05:00

This blog is hysterical! Steps inside the studio owner or teacher's mind and tells GREAT stories about some of those funny moments that could only happen in the context of a dance studio!

http://www.therecitaldoctor.blogspot.com

Bunny Briggs and Duke Ellington

2011-10-01T22:53:00.000-04:00

"Bunny Briggs...the most super leviathonic, rhythmaturgically syncopated tapstamaticianisamist..." ~Duke Ellington

For those of you who haven't seen this clip - a little peek into Bunny's ridiculous stamina! Enjoy!

2011-07-11T23:38:00.000-04:00

Just got my new business cards and matching case from VistaPrint today. So excited - they look beautiful in person! I'm looking forward to using these for networking at Chicago National Association of Dance Masters this coming week. If you love these, don't forget that you can get 250 of your own (obviously not just this design). Click here to order yours!

Note: This is an unsolicited post, however, I receive a $5 credit for each friend who I refer.

My Christmas Cards!

2010-11-28T01:01:00.001-05:00

Angels Heard High Religious Christmas Card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Love!!!

2010-11-17T11:19:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

It's that glorious time of year when Pumpkin Spice Lattes abound, and where I shell out WAY too much cash for that little happy cup of lovely, warm, spicy goodness. So I went on a hunt to find the perfect recipe.

After several sludgy, disgusting pumpkin-filled cups of weak coffee, I decided to wing it and make my own version. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Fill your mug half full with hot, strong coffee. Fill the other half with 2% milk - hot is better, but you can also zap it in the microwave once you've added the milk. Sprinkle with two dashes of pumpkin pie spice, 3-4 drops of real vanilla, and a heaping teaspoon of sugar. Stir well. Top with whipped cream and a dash of pumpkin pie spice... et voila!

New Youtube link

2010-10-24T00:45:00.002-04:00

For those of you fighting with the initial release Politico link below, try this one! This features a new ending that focuses on serving one another.

While you're at it, have you seen Chuck's new blog? It's at http://bluerealitymusic.wordpress.com/. YAY!

P90X Update: Adjustments

2010-10-21T11:21:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! It's been a while... is your beginning of the school year as hectic as mine? My kindergartener has personally killed at least 7 trees all by himself with the amount of paper in his "take home folder" each day! Unbelievable... but my fridge looks FANTASTIC. :)

So my P90X updates have been sorely lacking, and it's most because I've had a yo-yo thing going with my weight. I bounced back from vacation in Canada remarkably well - only gained one pound with all the drinking and eating. Here's to long walks and SLEEP!

However, my days are off whack because I really feel like I cheated for a couple of weeks. So here's m verdict. I originally was to be finished about two weeks from now. However, I'm going to just arbitrarily give myself until November 15th (about two weeks extra) and work backwards from there. This puts me at about day 58, with only approximately 36% of my weight loss goal met (currently 135.5 lbs).

I'm determined to get in my P90X workouts, though my body is screaming after five hours of teaching dance on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Anyone have thoughts on how to manage my day better? I'd love to hear your ideas to avoid being so bone weary!

I also haven't switched my diet from Plan 1 (eliminating fat) to the next phase... I remember reading on my BeachBody Coach's site that he didn't pack enough calories to support the level of workout that he was trying to accomplish in the second 30 days (Thanks, Tom Hirt!). I'm going to do a little research on Phase 2 diet and see if I can do some decent menu planning the rest of this month.

Has anyone out there had success with a menu that was kid-friendly, quick and still met the P90X Phase 2 guidelines?

I'd love to hear from you!

Back to School and the Work at Home Mom (momblognetwork.com)
Trying to lose weight? Don't skimp on sleep! (self.com)

Politico

2010-10-15T22:50:00.001-04:00

Check out Chuck's new single - a little "in your face" video that all of you should dig. :) Like it? Spread the love to all your friends and family!
Love,
Sarah

Late Beginner Blues And How To Get Beyond Them

2010-08-30T09:54:00.003-04:00

This is a great post from my friend Nichelle at Dance Advantage! For all of you that are adult beginners or even teens that have started dancing later in the game!

Late Beginner Blues And How To Get Beyond Them

Product Review: Protein Bars (Pure Protein, PowerBar, and Zone)

2010-08-27T09:00:00.005-04:00

Worldwide Sport Nutritional Supplements Pure Protein Bar - S'mores
Too chewy, tasted ok. The layer of marshmallow was just shy of disgusting, though. My jaw was fatigued after eating one. Kept me full, though. Did the job it said it would do.

Nestlé Power Bar Proteinplus Bar - Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor
My favorite so far. Texture usually gets to me, but this one was great! Not too chewy, great flavor, definitely packed a punch with 23g of Protein. Looking forward to trying the other flavors!

Image by Nestlé via Flickr

Classic Zone Perfect - Fudge Graham
My mom warned me that these were too sugary, and I just thoguht she was being a health food nut. She was totally right. This just tastes like too much syrup, too much sweetener... and that's coming from a total sweet tooth! Not worth it for less protein, either.

8 wonder foods for female runners (athletes).....

2010-08-23T09:00:00.001-04:00

Compliments of Joan Karp's blog at Blueberry Hill Academy Personal & Group Training: 8 wonder foods for female runners (athletes).....:

"8 Wonder Foods for Female Runners (from active.com) By, Matthew Kadey, MS, RD The most recent slew of studies suggests that what you tos..."

Day 16: Catching Up!

2010-08-20T15:12:00.023-04:00

So I've missed everyone! Between being injured, having our friends visit for a week and starting Fall Registration for the studio, there has hardly been a moment for blogging. Here is a quick update on a few things, for my regular readers!

Clutter Challenge - House
House is relatively clean still... just shy of a miracle! The House Fairy visited the boys the other night, and she promised a special gift if they could complete the checklist she left for them: make beds, put away trains, put bikes back in barn before dark, clean up dress up bin, put dirty clothes in the hamper, brush teeth, and be in bed by 8:30. We've got all but the dress up bin and the beds working like a charm!

This week, in preparation for our friends, I unpacked boxes of my classic literature and put them on the shelves in the living room, I put away all the clean laundry (this is more monumental than it sounds), and I changed linens everywhere. While they were here, I rewarded all my cleaning efforts wtih a $2.60 purchase of some tiny little drip candles from DairyLand. I was sad they didn't have thicker ones that were the right colors, but they look great hanging on my rustic key hook by the front door!

Mommy is going to get a visit from the House Fairy if she 1. Polishes her master bath. 2. Gives away two boxes of her clothes. 3. Cleans the entire floor of her office - like swept, mopped, etc.

For the record, big studio is completely clean thanks to a little elbow grease and some mirror experts (aka Olia and Olivia Corman)! Still working on the waiting room, etc.

Clutter Challenge - P90X and Body Clutter
Offically, Kenpo is my favorite workout of the ones in the Lean Program. I have lost 6 pounds in 15 days and I'm hoping my cheese and chocolate doesn't undo too much of the weight loss streak while I'm on vacation!

Vacation PlansSpeaking of vacation, I'm super excited to go to Canada with the family this week and next. However, that means that I'll be taking another break from blogging. This vacation is television free, computer free, phone free... completely unplugged. LOVE IT! We are taking 29 library books with us - everything from Star Wars Dictionary to Karl Rove's autobiography to Amelia Bedelia Goes to School.

Reflections in Verse and Prose: Major Schools of Ballet: Six Differing Styles

2010-08-20T03:24:00.001-04:00

A great article for anyone studying or teaching ballet! Thanks to Sheri for taking the time to share with all of us!

Reflections in Verse and Prose: Major Schools of Ballet: Six Differing Styles

Day 5 - Injured

2010-08-10T10:52:00.000-04:00

So somehow, I did something weird to my middle toe on my right foot, to where I can't walk on it at times and have to keep it in a sneaker to keep the pain down. So I focused all day Monday on decluttering the house and cleaning to get ready for Ed and Marie (Chuck's best friend and his wife) and their kids to arrive. Because of the power clean, the following areas look FANTASTIC now:
1. Back porch
2. Kitchen
3. Downstairs bathroom
4. Dining room, including kids desk area and bookshelf
5. Living room, including bookshelf and toy mountain
6. Steps and hallway
7. Upstairs bathroom
8. Guest room

Areas that are better but still need work:
1. Master bedroom - Chuck's dresser and nightstand need help, underneath bed is scary, floors need to be swept and mopped
2. Master bath - sink organized and clean, floor and shower gross
3. Kids room - REALLY a lot better, toys need another purge, clothes need to go to attic
4. My office - entry way is cleaned up, costume catalogs recycled, but the desk and filing are out of control!
5. Chuck's office - oh Lord.
6. Laundry room - constantly a mess of non-laundry stuff

So, no workout, but I cleaned for hours and hours yesterday. I'll be using it as my rest day and make today my Day 5 Legs & Back with Ab Ripper day instead. Not sure how that will feel tomorrow!

Day 4

2010-08-10T10:36:00.001-04:00

Image by j.lee43 via Flickr

Day 4 was actually two days ago - I'm behind!

Yoga was killer, and I'm really thankful that Jessica came over to do it with me. We took her before pictures and got to work, however I was not fully prepared for my arms to completely cease all function on my 23rd vinyasa to upward dog.

I have a couple of product reviews coming soon, including some various recovery/performance drinks and protein bars I've tried. Watch for those soon!

Day 3: P90X Body Clutter Challenge

2010-08-08T01:49:00.000-04:00

Today was a crazy day! No weight change this morning (to be expected, I suppose. ) Ice skating with the boys this morning, grocery store afterwards, crappy fight with hubby, dishwasher reboot and kitchen tidy up, chicken BBQ with the family, power clean the boys' bedroom and hallway, Fireman's Carnival with the boys (where we got a 2nd place trophy at the Kiddie Tractor Pull!). It's 1 a.m., and I'm just finishing my Ab Ripper stuff and printing Fall brochures, 50 at a time.

TIRED!

I should work on my mailing lists so I can get these schedules out the door by Monday. I also should declutter my office - got a bunch done last night, but it's a HUGE project. So... I think I'll go to bed instead. If Mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy, and I don't do so well without sleep!

Office as it was 2 days ago

For the record, the P90X Ab Ripper workout (15 minutes) is brilliant. Tough, but to
tally brilliant. I love "The Mason Twist" at the end!

G'night, all!

Day 2: P90X

2010-08-06T14:17:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! How's your clutter challenge going? Anyone have pictures they want me to post? Here's my yellow Van Gogh room after a little cleaning session. Since I took this picture, the clutter on the dresser to the right has disappeared.

It's Cardio day, and let me tell you... it's not that hard. Except for that ridiculous workout the day before, and not getting enough sleep, and not drinking enough water. The exercises are seriously awesome, though, and there isn't so much repetition that you want to kill yourself after five minutes. I lost two pounds in sweat yesterday, and I'm sure I sweat another 27 cups during my workout today. We'll see what that equals on the scale tomorrow morning!

Today's agenda includes a lot of errand running - library stops at Schlow, Pattee and Centre Hall. (LOVE Centre Hall's library the most)! For those of you following my book reviews, I have some fantastic ones coming soon - just catching up after being away on vacation.

I also have to drop off a second round of paperwork for Elijah at Grace Lutheran Preschool and stop by GNC. I figure if I'm decluttering, I'm also going to need to make sure I have at least some kind of protein bars or supplements.

Is it weird that I'm DYING for a smoothie right now? :)

Day 1: P90X

2010-08-06T03:34:00.000-04:00

In light of my new clutter busting habits, I decluttered and cleaned the back porch, kitchen, spare room and living room today. I also spent a bunch of time learning about the new P90X program by BeachBody my brother talked me into doing... my version of getting rid of "body clutter", I suppose!

I took my before photos and I'm deathly afraid to put them up for everyone to see - I am completely HORRIFIED at my back side. Have you ever noticed that you can't SEE your hind end unless you contort yourself, but the rest of the world has to look at it all the time!?!? Yikes.

So I'm biting the bullet and posting this, with the understanding that things are going to CHANGE.

So today I did the Chest & Back workout, not understanding that it wasn't the Core Synergistic one that I needed for the first day of the Lean program. Thought I was going to die. I didn't think anything could be harder than those messed up push ups in Gilbert's hip-hop classes, but was I ever wrong!

My favorite part was the moment I completely collapsed while trying to do the Diamond Push ups. Gotta love it. Looking forward to Cardio in the morning, and I hope Rachael, Jessica, and maybe some other friends can join me!

Good night for now.

Clutter Challenge: Fighting the Curse of Clutter

2010-07-18T02:52:00.001-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

Ask anyone who has babysat my children or visited my home, and you'll get an honest truth from them -- my house is a wreck and a complete reflection of the state of affairs in our household right now. With a home-based business, two small children, a confirmed bachelor-type husband, and a freakishly artistic scatterbrain (that's me), you get a house that's not just dirty, it's messy and energy-sucking.

I've long grown tired of the "Your desk reflects the state of your mind" argument. If that's the case, then I lost my mind a couple of years ago. I also am to the point where I can't see another one of my friends' beautiful mopped kitchen floors, pristine enough to actually serve their toddlers a meal directly off the floor.

Do these women sleep? Perhaps they're not in the thick of planning a full-length production of Alice Wonderland, so I'll give them that, I guess. Regardless, I am tired of my house being a dumping ground, and I'm freaking out about my 5-year-old, who is showing MANY signs of being a hoarder already.

THE CHALLENGE
So - here it is. The Clutter Challenge... also known as the Big "CC". From now through August 8th, I'm giving myself a few rules, and I hope some of you will consider taking this journey with me! Comment below if you're with me!

1. I don't have "Work-Life Balance". In fact, according to Erin Doland, author of "Unclutter Your Life in One Week", the concept is complete B.S. in the first place. Who wants to spend as much time working as they do enjoying their personal life? That's 84 hours a week! My goal this week is to spend no more than 40 hours preparing, teaching, thinking or dancing, despite my need to finish the Fall schedule and run Pixie Prep School. Instead, I will dedicate 30 minutes in the morning and 1 hour in the evening to decluttering, work no more than 8 hours a day, and spend the rest of my time doing personal/family stuff - even if it's chores or baking or laundry!

2. My new motto will be, "Everything must go". While cleaning, I'm going to remember these words by a commenter on LifeHacker.com:

"When I'm cleaning out the house, I always try to imagine how you would describe the average American home to someone:

"Well, you live on one floor and sleep on the second floor. There's another floor underground where you store a lot of stuff. Then there's the attic at the top of the house where you keep even more more stuff. Stuff that doesn't fit on those two floors can be stored in the garage. If you still need more space, you can build a shed."

Image by Paladin27 via Flickr

3. Friends are coming to stay with us August 8th, so we don't have much time to get Round 1 accomplished. I also will be heading to Chicago for a week, so there will definitely be some crunch time put in before and after I am gone. Round 1 lasts for three days and is simply this: throw crap AWAY. Get it the heck out of the house. Give the CRAZY shoes I haven't worn in three years to someone walking barefoot in the snow (ok, well... you get the point)! We call this "boogie" cleaning in our house. Everyone gets a bag and races the timer to put 21 items of garbage in their bag before the timer goes off. With my 3 and 5 year old, this is typically 10 minutes... you can make it more or less as needed. Thanks to FlyLady for this technique. We love it!

I promise you I'll need a few friends to join me on this journey. Anyone want to clear out that clutter and reclaim your closet? Find your home office a place of peace and not chaos? Or perhaps you need to purge the paper (my biggest problem)... Let's do it together!

Giveaway at Midday Escapades: Bake Me A Wish! Cake

2010-07-16T01:30:00.001-04:00

Lynn at Midday Escapades is celebrating her Blogoversary with a Giveaway from Bake Me a Wish! Cakes. Pretty sure you won't want to miss this opportunity. Ends 7/30. Blogoversary Giveaway #2: Bake Me A Wish! Cake

Starting Your Child in Dance: What age is the right age?

2010-07-16T00:00:00.002-04:00

This is the first post in my Starting Your Child in Dance series, which will be focused on all your questions about your child's training. I'd love to hear your questions, concerns or anything you've been dying to know! Keep in mind this is from a mom's perspective, but I also am a professional dancer, have taught 3, 4 and 5 year olds for nearly 22 years and I own a dance studio, too!

I frequently get phone calls from first-time mom's and dad's wondering what the right age and the right class are for their little one who loves to twirl around the living room or bop to the Top 40. I've always given everyone my honest thoughts. However, after watching David (my 5 year old) today in dance class, I thought I'd share my most practical and helpful advice with you here.

1. Two-year-olds are too young to take class on their own. Mommy and Me type of classes are fine for them, but they definitely need some help from you to enjoy this process.

2. Three-year-olds are ready to take class, however the adjustment will be tricky for them due to their lack of social exposure. Meeting a new teacher, exploring a new space that has HUGE mirrors, making new friends, learning new movement, and even hearing new music are all a lot for a little one to take in. Please keep in mind that there will be an adjustment period. Don't give up on your kid just because they're nervous the first few weeks! The clingy thing happens to the best of us - leaving and sitting in your car in the parking lot is sometimes easier than sitting in the waiting room where they can see/hear you, too. Just ask your teacher what they'd prefer.

3. Four-year-olds are no different than three's, except that they can hop on one foot more easily. Kids can easily take the same class three years in a row and not remember a blasted thing you taught them. This is NORMAL! Remember that while you can always hope they learn something, they are still very young and don't even know their right from their left, let alone the difference between a chassé and a passé! This is about FUN, EXERCISE and SOCIAL SKILLS at this age.

4. Five-year-olds are fantastic, but are balls of energy. These almost-Kindergarteners are eager to learn, eager to please and eager to make noise. They love to show you what they know, and they understand how to play games now. They are really beginning to process what you give them in dance class, and if you have to pick and choose, then a ballet or creative movement class is best, even for boys. (Tell Dad Lynn Swan and Walter Payton took ballet every day.) This initial introduction to skipping, marching, leaping, turning, etc. is really important, regardless of what style they later grow to love.

5. Six-year-olds are at the golden age. Now with some school under their belt, they understand rules and listening and focus so much more easily. They have a better attention span, and this is the time to let them explore ballet, tap, jazz... whatever they express interest in. Be sure to ask them what they are learning. It should be a lot of brand new, real-life dance terminology, unlike the 3, 4 and 5-year-old lingo they used to use. Terms like plié, relevé, shuffle, flap, jazz square, grapevine... these should all crop up in conversations, and especially in those impromptu performances in the living room!

6. Beginning middle school and high school students are trickier to place, and a good studio will be sure to ask you lots of questions about their learning style, their age, their size (this really is important to those pubescent girls that feel TALL everywhere they go), and above all else, why they want to take dance. At most good studios, there should be a few classes geared toward a teen/adult crowd that you'll want to check into. Be careful that your 17-year-old doesn't end up in class with 6-year-olds by herself. If there are a few other "older girls", that can work nicely, but there's nothing worse than be the tall girl in the middle of a bunch of little ones on stage.

SOME OTHER TIPS:

*** PLEASE teach your child to follow through with their commitment. A little kid who learns early on that they need to finish what they started will grow up to value their classes and activities much more than those that are allowed to quit the second they "don't like" something. This also will make your kids really think about which activities they genuinely WANT to do, thus helping you avoid the money pit of extracurricular trial and error.

***Having the proper attire for dance class is as important as it is for football practice or ice skating lessons. Your child's success in dance class, both in attitude and in accomplishment, will be directly tied to their "equipment" fitting correctly and matching dress code as laid out by the instructor. Be on the look out for my post about dress codes and tips for back-to-school dance fashion as we get closer to the end of August. In the meantime, you can check out Discount Dance Supply for all your fun gifts, dance bags, etc. If you use my promotional code of TP29255 at checkout, you'll receive a 10% discount (reflected in your final order confirmation page).

A Day in the Life

2010-07-15T01:11:00.001-04:00

So there are many of my readers who work at home or who are Stay At Home Moms. For the rest of the world who cannot figure out WHY we don't do laundry and have an immaculate house every day, here is a little glimpse of a day in my life!

8:00 AM - Wake up, coffee, collect/wash eggs, breakfast for boys, check email
9:00 AM - Dress boys, collect library books, enter reviews in book log

9:30 AM - Insurance agent stopped by to take photos of some dimensions, work on fall schedule
10:00 AM - Shower, get ready
10:30 AM - Chase kids around until they get dressed and eat a snack
11:00 AM - Phone call with possible new teacher
11:30 AM - Leave for library with kids
12:00 PM - Kids earned tons of stickers and prizes for their reading this week! Mommy won entries into the grownup prize drawing at the end of the summer, too. I'm proud of my focus and how many new books I've tackled!
12:45 PM - Dollar General for diapers
1:15 PM - Lunch, TV time, and bike riding for the boys
2:00 PM - Call references for new teacher
2:30 PM - Chuck to teach at Rainbow Music
3:00 PM - Bethany (babysitter) arrives; teach dance
3:00 PM - Ballet Technique - working on turnout concepts, weight awareness and distribution, and our Fox Hunt variation. Think I'm going to turn it into a Cheshire Cat variation!
4:15 PM - Jumps & Turns - gotta love anything A LA SECONDE
4:45 PM - Tap Technique - fantastic improv circle today. Lots of great things happening for my intermediate students. Freedom in their vocabulary, brain/feet connection, "stealing" eachother's steps, and even some nice phrasing!
5:45 PM - Crunch Rehearsal - had a moment of brilliance when I realized a duet I did to "Coffee in a Cardboard Cup" can be reworked as a trio for the Mad Hatter, March Hare and the Tea Mouse!
6:45 PM - drive babysitter home
7:15 PM - eat very fast dinner, tend to chickens, take photos of garden, pick beans & berries with Chuck
8:30 PM - scooch boys inside to get a bath and put pajamas on
9:15 PM - fail to load live stream of So You Think You Can Dance on my PC. Very aggravating.
9:30 PM - pull out Fall Schedule to work some more with Chuck on new setup so we actually get to SEE David after all day Kindergarten. With our current schedule, we would never see him!
10:30 PM - discuss (without any disagreements - BEYOND remarkable!) schedule changes, teachers, pricing, etc. with Chuck
11:30 PM - reheat a cup of coffee, work on new leotard colors for Fall dress code
11:45 PM - assign all students to levels and classes
12:15 AM - sneak single spoonful of chocolate cookies and cream ice cream and locate cup of coffee - still in the microwave
12:30 AM - create and label file folders to contain mountains of crap filling my desk space right now.
12:45 AM - check email, catch up on Facebook, start new blog post re: Savion Glover's negative NY Times review
1:00 AM - work on Mom Blog Network badge, print coloring pages for KinderMoves class tomorrow night
1:15 AM - BLOG!

Summer Garden Update

2010-07-14T00:00:00.001-04:00

This is a fantastic little article on blanching your zucchini, squash, beans, etc. We're watching our beans closely - just a day or two more and we'll be ready!

Preserving Summer Vegetables With Freezing

So far, here's what we've "harvested":

Eggs! (over a dozen a day from our awesome free-range, chemical-free chickens)
Strawberries (done with these for this season)
Black raspberries (still going strong!)
Green onions (pick one or two for cooking each week, the rest are staying in the ground until the fall)
Lettuce (eaten by bunnies... we're on round two with a fence now)
Beets (same story)
Zucchini (just one - made two batches of zucchini chocolate chip bread!)
Blueberries (harvested a quart from my mother in law's kitchen!)

Here's what's on the horizon:

Tomorrow - more black raspberries, zucchini, some yellow beans, onion
Later this week - blackberries, pickling cucumbers, yellow and green beans, onion
Next week - lettuce, spinach, onion, mulberries

In the indefinite future:

Corn
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Canteloupe
Watermelon
Brussel Sprouts
Carrots
Basil
Roma tomatoes
Big Boy tomatoes
Black walnuts
Apples

Next year:

100 more strawberry plants will bear fruit
Blueberries will bear fruit
Grapevines will bear fruit
Young cherry/apple/peach/pear trees might bear fruit

Book Review: The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander

2010-07-13T22:43:00.001-04:00

The Grand Duchess Elizabeth, also known as New-Martyr Elizabeth to Orthodox Christians, is the beautiful heroine of this historical fiction by Robert Alexander, released last year. I'll admit that I am wildly picky about books on this holy woman, seeing as I chose her as my saint when I converted to Orthodoxy. She led the typical life of a German princess, was granddaughter to Queen Victoria, and through marriage into the Romanov family, became a Grand Duchess, third in wealth and status only to her sister (the Empress Alexandra) and the dowager Empress. Upon the assassination of her husband by revolutionaries, she sold all that she owned and took her vows. Using the money from selling her jewels and fine clothes, she opened the Convent of Mary and Martha, serving the Russian people until the day they come to "collect" her with the rest of the Romanov martyrs. The stories that surround her assassination are fascinating - from her bandaging other wounded victims after being thrown down a mine shaft and being bombarded with grenades, to her angelic singing of the liturgy for hours on end before they died. Whatever the truth, she was a remarkable woman.

Robert Alexander's book is very well-researched and thought out. He does not encroach on the historicity of her true story, but he does a wonderful job of weaving together the lives of nobles and peasants as they experience the Russian Revolution from different perspectives. I love the casual mentions of events that were enormously important to others, but to Elizabeth, were of little impact. Alexander manages to paint a wholly realistic picture of life in Russia, from accurate depictions of the jewels Elizabeth owned to the food that was served in the worst slums in Moscow.

I recommend this book to all young adults interested in history, Christian women looking for a fantastic role model, and anyone wanting to dig into a true story about an extraordinary historical/political/religious figure. This one's on my "Buy in hardcover for my personal library" list!

Friday Finds

2010-07-09T19:04:00.000-04:00

I tend to love reading blogs by other mom's, especially those who are juggling things and wearing lots of hats. They always seem to have great reviews of products I might use, recipes that are legitimately easy to use and family-friendly, and great advice about things we've been experiencing with the economy, our grocery bill, and keeping the kids cool in this heat!

This Friday, I'll share with you two of my FAVORITE finds. The first is The Pioneer Woman. What an awesome site! I could spend all my time on her various nooks and crannies, including everthing from her new cookbook to her posts about beginning photography. Ree (the author) is brilliant, funny and worth checking out. She is also a part of the BlogHer Publishing Network.

The second is one I just found last night... Family Balance Sheet is also a part of the BlogHer Publishing Network, which I am aspiring to someday join. The posts there are practical, realistic and totally helpful in this economy. Everything from conserving water to gardening updates are featured on this site, but the focus truly is smart money management and being fiscally responsible. LOVE IT!

Sarlabeth's Corner

Dance Studio Funnies

Bunny Briggs and Duke Ellington

My Christmas Cards!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Love!!!

New Youtube link

P90X Update: Adjustments

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Day 5 - Injured

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Day 3: P90X Body Clutter Challenge

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Giveaway at Midday Escapades: Bake Me A Wish! Cake

Starting Your Child in Dance: What age is the right age?

A Day in the Life

Summer Garden Update

Book Review: The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander

Friday Finds