I’ve never been able to approach people I didn’t know, or actively involve myself in a group conversation. I’m much better off (and so much more comfortable) with a (very) small group of adults, talking about anything and everything that comes up. The bigger a group gets, the more inclined I am to just listen and take it all in, and the less anyone is able to get to know me or discover that I am actually a fairly interesting, mildly funny, intelligent woman with a whole plethora of her own opinions and stories.

That used to be enough to send me over the edge and make me wonder what in the world was wrong with me that I can’t as easily “make new friends.” Why was it so upsetting to me that other people can introduce themselves to strangers and just… talk?

Do I wish I was as able to network and socialize and make people notice me? Sure, who doesn’t? But do I cherish the connections and new friendships I do make? Absolutely.

I’ve come to realize that it’s okay to be quieter than a lot of my peers. It’s okay for me to need to sit in a hotel room and read a book or watch TV while so many others are finding a place to go when the “official” party is over and they’re just getting started.

It’s okay, it’s who I am.

I don’t feel old, though. I feel pretty out of shape, sure, but that’s more my lack of consistent exercise than my age. I still have to go to the dermatologist regularly to fight the pimply skin I’ve been arguing with since I was a teen. In about a week and a half, I’m getting braces (Invisalign) to deal with the teeth that have always made me self-conscious.

It still feels like I just graduated from college, even though I’m more than twice the age of most of the high schoolers I work with. I’m going to have an honest-to-god teen this year, but I still wish my daughter’s outfits came in my size.

I have gained so much more confidence in myself than I had when I was a teenager myself, which pretty much means I don’t care what people think when I wear things like a “Readers Gonna Read” t-shirt or a dinosaur skeleton necklace. It makes me happy, so I’m going to do it. Just like reading Young Adult books makes me happy…one of the novels on the top of my to-read list is the one my ten year old just finished.

I guess what makes me feel old is my inability to understand some of the trends and slang the “kids use these days.” Not the ones that have come back around since I was a kid, of course (although, I can’t say I understand some of those, either), but the newest ones that lead to a google search or a visit to Urban Dictionary. My new “computer” glasses make me feel kind of old, too….not the glasses themselves (the frames are 100% glittery), but the idea of them.

I’m probably gonna be the 57 year old with the rocket ship t-shirt and hot pink reading glasses, reading my YA series, but just like Diet Coke is telling us, you do you, I’ll be me.

This handsome dude is leading the way for the rest of them….navigating the brand new challenges of middle school, tweenhood, extra responsibilities.

This handsome dude’s current obsession is Undertale (the musical). He lives and breathes it.

He’s making animations on his phone and filling his personal YouTube account with them. And then bombarding the rest of us with the links.

This handsome dude is clever, and smart, and sweet.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DUDE.

Part coloring book, part joke book, the HaHa Color-Me! Joke Book is the highly entertaining best of both worlds. When I say “highly entertaining” I mean, my two youngest went through the whole thing, reading jokes out loud and choosing their favorite picture to color, and then spending the rest of the night making up their own jokes (which, really, could use some work but that’s so not the point).

And hey! As you can clearly see, this book allows you, the mom with too much to do already, to get things done WITHOUT A YOUTUBE VIDEO IN THE BACKGROUND. (just my house?)

If you buy from this link, you’ll also get a lovely Halloween-themed bonus that I absolutely love. [BTW, who’s ready for Halloween?] 

Enjoy! And, oh, did I mention, for every PRINT book this author sells, she will be sending one to a child in need who can’t afford one. So when your child laughs, you know you’re sharing the laughs with another child. <— I love this!  

If you want to buy the book and use it for your own fundraising or in your kid-friendly business, or give in goody bags or as birthday gifts  (instead of those junky plastic toys that kill the environment and don’t add any value to kids). You can sign up for the #gigglegiver program and get a bulk buying discount.  

It’s my honor and privilege to introduce you to the HaHa Color-Me! Joke Book. When we make kids happy and joyful, I feel like we’re doing this parenting thing right (whether we make perfect Pinterest treats for the school Halloween party or not).

Q: When does an astronaut eat lunch?
A: At launch time!

So who wants one? For free? Who wants to share the art of the Knock-Knock joke with their six year old (okay, maybe that’s not a bonus but it IS entertaining)? Who wants their eight year old to sit at the table with jokes and coloring pages instead of the newest video on how to make rainbow slime?

Comment with your favorite joke and you’ll be entered to win!

For bonus entries, share the following on Twitter or Facebook and leave a comment that you did. “I entered to win the fabulous new HaHa Color Me Joke Book from @gfunkified: http://wp.me/p2nIwS-2ie”

One winner will be chosen on lucky Friday, October 13. Everyone is welcome to enter.

https://hahakidsjokes.com/

Imagine a story told in song, like an other musical, but the actors are professional ballet dancers. So not only do they sing beautifully, but they walk with the grace of people that have trained for most of their lives, and glide across the stage, into each others’ arms.

The story, set in post-war Paris, is romantic, and told through dance as much as its told through words. The set magical, and the show itself is nothing short of delightful.

From KCstarlight.com:

An American in Paris’ enchanting choreography, beautiful score drawn from the music and lyrics of George and Ira Gershwin, 14-piece live orchestra and a cast brimming with professional ballet artists will make for an evening to remember under the stars!

Tickets for An American in Paris at Starlight Theatre are on sale now for $14 to $142. Tickets are available online at www.kcstarlight.com, by calling 816.363.STAR (7827) or at the Starlight box office at 4600 Starlight Road, Kansas City, MO 64132. All performances begin at 8 p.m.

I was given two complimentary tickets to the performance in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are, of course, my own.

MAMMA MIA! is So. Much. Fun. The songs have you tapping your feet and clapping your hands all the way through, and the family drama leaves you wanting more and wondering what will happen next.

It was a beautiful, PERFECT night for the show last night, and it looks to be a perfect weekend for it, as well.

From KCstarlight.com:

MAMMA MIA! is one of the most successful musicals of all time, the eighth-longest running show in Broadway history, and one of only five musicals to have played for more than 10 years on Broadway (October 2001-September 2015). The show originated in London’s West End in 1999 and continues there today.

Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA’s songs from “Dancing Queen” and “S.O.S.” to “Money, Money, Money” and “Take a Chance on Me,” MAMMA MIA! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.

The musical tells the story of an independent, single mother, Donna Sheridan, who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island. Donna is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter she’s raised alone. For Sophie’s wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends – practical and no-nonsense Rosie and wealthy multi-divorcee Tanya – from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos.

from kcstarlight.com

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Donna, Sophie has invited three guests of her own. On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, Sophie brings back three men from Donna’s past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love blooms and old romances are rekindled on a lush island full of possibilities.

From kcstarlight.com

The story line, about making a life for yourself, valuing the family you have and wishing for the family you’ve always dreamed of, is led by the timeless music of ABBA (sung by the extremely talented cast). You will laugh out loud, long for these characters to find their way, and sing along. GUARANTEED. To the very, very end, you will have fun.

Tickets for MAMMA MIA! at Starlight Theatre are on sale now for $14 to $127. Tickets are available online at www.kcstarlight.com, by calling 816.363.STAR (7827) or at the Starlight box office at 4600 Starlight Road, Kansas City, MO 64132. All performances begin at 8 p.m.

I was given two tickets to the show for the purpose of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own (as always).

The show runs through June 11, with a total of 8 shows to choose from. Tickets for Disney The Little Mermaid at Starlight Theatre are on sale now for $14 to $102. Tickets are available online at www.kcstarlight.com, by calling 816.363.STAR (7827) or at the Starlight box office at 4600 Starlight Road, Kansas City, MO 64132.  All performances begin at 8 p.m.

Based upon Hans Christian Andersen’s timeless tale of love and nearly 30 years after the beloved animated film was released, Disney The Little Mermaid continues to spark the imaginations of the young and young at heart. The musical tells the story of an adventurous young mermaid who lives in a magical kingdom beneath the sea, yet longs to leave her ocean home and live in the world above. It also features the songs we all know and love, including such favorites as “Part of Your World,” “Kiss the Girl” and the Academy Award-winning “Under the Sea.” Along with the classic songs from the Disney film, the musical contains over a dozen new songs. My personal favorite of these new songs was “She’s In Love,” which showcased the mersisters and Flounder (Flounder was awesome, by the way).

We’ve been fans of the Disney movie for as long as we can remember, and we were so excited to see it live on stage (I was just as excited as the girls were, I’m not ashamed to admit it), and I can promise you, we sang those songs all the way home. (Okay, I did. The girls fell asleep after about five minutes in the car.)

Cast of Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID. Photo by Mark & Tracy Photography

I am always, ALWAYS impressed with the shows at Starlight. They are professional, entertaining, and often, spectacles of color, sound, and energy, and Little Mermaid did not disappoint. The set was actually more sparse than a lot of Starlight’s productions, but it went seamlessly from underwater to the surface scenes and back again.

AND, extra awesome bonus: for this season on, Starlight has two large screens above the stage, so you can see close ups of the actors, even from the far back seats.

Fun fact: the original Broadway cast had Titus from The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt in the role of Sebastian.

I really felt (and my daughters agreed) that every actor had an incredible singing voice….and you can’t necessarily say that about every show you go to, no matter where or what it is.

Diana Huey in Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID. Photo by Mark & Tracy Photography.

Jennifer Allen in Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID. Photo by Mark & Tracy Photography

Next up in the schedule is Mamma Mia! (and I am SO excited)!  Check out the full summer Broadway lineup on KcStarlight.com.

I received two complimentary tickets in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are completely, utterly, undeniably my own.

photo by Sarah Guthrie

First of the Lasts

I walked through an invisible wall, a thick barrier from the hallway to the sensory overload that was the fifth grade classroom. There were eggs being dyed, donuts being eaten, laughter, confusion, and the communication struggles that can only be between a room full of eleven year olds and a group of their moms. The high volume didn’t mean that instructions were actually being heard or attention was where it belonged, but even amid the exhaustion that comes from adults corralling two dozen kids and kids letting loose without actually being out of control, everyone was having fun.

It was my oldest’s Easter party at school. Like a typical unorganized mom of four, I probably wouldn’t have thought about the fact that it was his very last school party before he goes off to middle school in the fall unless the head room mom hadn’t sent a note home saying as much. In just one short paragraph, she reminded us that we would never again have the chance to spend an hour in a sugar-induced room of chaos with our kids and that they are, in fact, growing up too fast.

As the oldest child, he’s gotten the shaft many a time. Once he was old enough to go to school, he had a toddler sister (and shortly after) a baby sister. Then his baby brother came along. All of these siblings demanded care during the school day and weren’t all that pleasant to take to their brother’s classes. They did go once in awhile, when I wasn’t able to take them to their grandpa for babysitting, but I was so preoccupied by keeping them out of the party treats and classroom toys and holiday crafts that the best I could usually do was take a picture of big brother and little sibling to at least prove we were there to help and celebrate.

Once his younger sisters got a little older and went to school themselves, we had discovered that they required a gluten free diet. I’m not sure if you’ve dealt with food allergies at school, specifically during the times when the entire class period revolves around food (like birthdays and holiday parties), but I think you can probably imagine that I felt better being in the classroom with them to make sure they didn’t eat a gluten-filled treat from a well-meaning but clueless parent volunteer.

Of course, then all of the kids were old enough to go to school, which meant that I was free to help out during the day! It also meant that I am one person and they were in four different classrooms. I finally got the chance to see the baby of the family in the school environment, so I went to his parties sometimes. I played the gluten police at the girls’ parties on many occasions. And my oldest, who doesn’t often get worked up about things, would, every once in a while, ask me why I never came to his parties.

That isn’t to say that I always screwed the biggest brother over when it came to school. I sat next to him on the stuffy, bumpy school bus for field trips a few times. We visited museums and nature centers. I sat with him and his friends while we ate sack lunches and I listened to them talk about Minecraft and movies and whatever else they loved and I didn’t really understand.

As he gets older, I’ll freak out about each new thing he goes through first, like the braces, and advanced movie ratings, and school health talk experiences. Thank god for my friends with older kids that have already gone through this stuff and let me pick their brains when my son comes home from school and says “I think I need to wear deodorant….my armpits are starting to stink.”

So when that paper came home telling me that my boy was walking into middle school in the fall and that if I didn’t make it to the party, I would never get another chance, I made sure to get it on the calendar. I didn’t call the head room mom to tell her I could be there and help, though….I just showed up. As a result, the other moms were assigned jobs and I got to just go and watch. I did set out the snacks while the other moms got the groups through their stations, but for the most part, I got to stand on the perimeter and chat, take a few pictures, and just experience. Not bad for my son’s very last school holiday party. And I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he appreciated that I came to his classroom and stayed there while the other three parties in his siblings’ classes were also taking place.

It’s all about learning as you go with your oldest child, and with a big family, sometimes you just can’t give everyone all of the attention that they crave. But a little goes a long way.
I’d like to think that I treat all of my kids the same, but I know that’s not entirely true. I expect more from my oldest, and sometimes think that because he is the oldest, he can handle the disappointment of losing out on my time. But I’ve also had more time with him and get to experience everything new as he does. My mom has always said that kids are like pancakes….you always burn the first one. Hopefully, you can scrape off the black bits and smother it with butter and enjoy it just as much as the golden brown stack underneath.

For a few weeks after school started this past fall, and all of the kids left for eight hours every day, I was sad….a little lost. But then I realized that I really, really enjoyed having the house to myself, and the quiet, and the freedom to go someplace only having to worry about my own self. The introvert in me rejoiced (and continues to rejoice).

Some people feel like they need to go out and get a job when all of their kids go to school, which is awesome to be able to do without worrying about day care costs as much. But I work from home (mostly) and can Netflix binge TV-MA shows while I work (because aren’t all the really good shows nowadays rated TV-MA??), so it’s kind of perfect.

I’m never lonely, though. I mean, I’ve got this little girl glued to my side nearly every second of the day, and can’t walk or sit down anywhere without another (bigger, older guy) plopping on the floor. Actually, it’s more like easing onto the floor, because you know…he’s old.

We recently took in another guy that needed a new place to live, another heeler named Rusty. He’s younger and chubbier and doesn’t always tack himself onto me. But, he also doesn’t let me go anywhere without being involved. Although, he’s the only one that doesn’t follow me into the bathroom. In fact, the first time I got up and went to the bathroom with him here, he stopped at the doorway and acted a little embarrassed. Which is TOTALLY fine with me because it gets to be kind of a full house in there as it is.

Most days I do an exercise video, which is so much easier without the rest of the family talking to me or needing something from me or watching me. Louise does think that that’s the perfect time to play ball, but you know, whatever. We don’t get outside for ball much during the day, so I’m happy to oblige. Grim has his spot on the couch, and as long as I don’t give him any attention and then walk away, he stays there. Russellmania didn’t get the memo about mama’s exercising, though, and it took a few days for him to…not sit in front of me and stare.

So anyway, I’m not a crazy dog lady. Yet. I don’t have one-sided conversations or anything. And I would never use any kind of baby talk when I say hi to them. Never. Not ever. Ahem. I’m not like that. Yet.

I just lead the puppy parade.

Our youngest is almost done with kindergarten. He’s starting to read. He’s got his own opinions about EVERYTHING. He fake cries a lot, and snuggles a lot. He hugs his big brother and tells him that he loves him in his sweetest little boy voice. And he means it.

He changes his mind as quickly as he can make it, or he can hang on to his decision until the end of time. It’s anybody’s guess.

“Smile.”

“I am smiling.”

He likes:

His momma. Louise, and big sister Ivy.

He does not like:

Bedtime and waiting (he wanted to put Henry and Essie on there, but I knew it was temporary and not nice so I vetoed that).

His favorite foods are:

Quesadillas and pizza (and they’re pretty much all he’ll eat right now except for breakfast foods).

His favorite movies are:

Moana, Ghostbusters, and Godzilla.

His favorite book is:

Ghostbusters

His best friends are: 

Blaine, Jru, and his momma.

He is stubborn, he is sweet, he is six.