Eggs, Art and Friends

Good evening everyone. A bit behind on writing/blogging but it's been a pretty busy week (and weekend) Let's get to it. Wednesday was a really busy day. Tuesday night when I got home from work, Mia was asleep on the couch, but suddenly woke up and asked half-asleep "can you come to lunch tomorrow Daddy?" Yeah sure that's fine. So Wednesday, I met up with her for lunch. Her friends were surprised I was there, but like the last time, talked my ears off. I couldn't stay for recess (which of course lead Mia and Charlie to do puppy dog eyes) but returned later to teach the 2nd grader class Drawing Characters 101-Featuring BB-8.

I was honestly nervous. I have never taught a group of 23 kids before, I'm not that great at public speaking and frankly not even sure they'd enjoy the experience. Luckily, all of them did. They were super polite, friendly and asked many questions. Some wanted me to be their permanent art teacher and one kid asked for my drawing I did (with the kids) I told him if it was okay with his teacher it was fine with me. So I gave it to him. He wanted it signed and I found out the next day, he had it framed to put on his wall. I felt like I was a bit rushing myself because of the sincere lack of time to teach them. We had to move as slow as possible so all of the kids were on the same page (literally) After we were done, I showed them my binder of 130+ drawings I've done for Mia. They really enjoyed that. I was asked to return again before school lets out. Now that I know their skill level, I may teach them something like Emoji's or something simple, yet a bit challenging if you look at it correctly. Wednesday, I taught them shading and making an object "move". If I do Emoji's I can teach them color value and gradients with yellow. These are tricky concepts but I think they can get it. The class ended up being a lot of fun for me and I look forward to the next time I meet these guys again.

After the class was over, they all were giving me high fives as I attempted to find Mia. Mia met the very friendly 2nd grade teacher and we were on our way. Friday was Mia's first full day of Spring Break so what did we do? We hung out at Noelle's house with friends. It was nice enough out for the kids to play outside for a few hours.

Saturday, we took her to dance which we found out later was cancelled. Blah. Later, we played tennis with Jill's buddy Leanne who visited for the weekend. Mia was having a hard time with it, but wants to try it again. Later, we went to my parents house for some Easter egg hunting with cousins and dinner. After that, Jill, Leanne and myself met up with my friend for some tasty alcoholic ice cream drinks.

Sunday, I watched some of the crappy Chelsea vs Man U game in between our Easter Brunch with Jill's family. The game was garbage. The Blues couldn't make a shot off and just couldn't break down their defense. The gap is much smaller for the lead and we meet up with Spurs for the FA Cup semi this weekend. Later, I went to work.

Today, Mia met up with friends Hayden and Cecilia at the park. They had a great time, and tomorrow, Mia's meeting up with some of her old preschool friends she hasn't seen since October.

This week, we're just making the most of Mia's Spring Break and enjoying the weather while it lasts. Saturday I was supposed to see the Descendents but I have a feeling it's going to fall through.
That's all for now, thanks for reading!

If The Shoe Fits, TIE it!

Good afternoon everyone! Been a busy week, and April seems like it's already flying by. Mid week, I watched the very exciting Chelsea vs Man City game. We were ahead going into the 2nd half and I had to run to pick up Mia from school. As soon as she got out of class, I had said "hey how was school?" She responds quickly "Great, but what's the Chelsea score?" Priorities. She was glad we were winning and as soon as we ran home, she shed everything off (jacket/backpack) and sat down on the chair to watch the rest of the game. While cheering on our favorite team, she was also able to write up her thank yous to her friends for their birthday gifts.

Towards the end of the week, Mia had mastered something truly fantastic. The always tricky shoe-tying. That morning, she was playing with the laces on my hoody and just about had it but we didn't have time to play around so she had to get to school. Apparently during school, one of her friends Cecilia's laces were loose and asked Mia if she could tie them for her. Mia said she wasn't sure how to tie yet, so Cecilia took the time to show her the method she knew. By the time I got home from work, I was told she could do it. Friday morning, she tied her OWN laces like a pro. I'm totally proud of her. We really didn't have much to do with her new skill. It was her friend that had the patience to show Mia. She now likes to untie our laces only to re-tie them herself. Bravo little diva!

Saturday, she had dance class. I think she's slowly losing interest in it. She's looking into maybe doing a different activity after she finishes her semester and the dance recital. I think its good that kids want to try different things. She didn't quit mid-through everything and still really loves dancing.
Who knows, maybe she'll keep going, but as of lately she's been wanting to take tennis lessons with her BFF Charlie from school.

After she got home, we drove to the zoo. I skipped the Chelsea vs Bournemouth game because the weather was absolutely gorgeous and it'd be insane not to be outside. The Blues won and I watched the highlights before I went to bed. At the zoo, Mia took her instamax camera and took beautiful photos of the animals. Later, we went to the park and enjoyed even MORE of the day off together.

Sunday, the nephews came over and Mia took them to her playground at her school while I went to work.

This week I'm teaching the class of 24 2nd graders on character drawings. Nervous but excited. It'll be a lot of fun and I hope the kids really enjoy it. Mia starts Spring Break on Friday and has a birthday party to attend. She wants to keep as busy as possible on her break so hopefully we'll get to hang with lots of friends. Saturday is Easter at my parents house and Sunday, we'll do an Easter Brunch at our house before I go to work.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Dance Party at Mia's House

Good morning everyone. It was quite the busy week over here so let's get to it. Monday was Mia's actual birthday, so I surprised her class by joining Mia for lunch. It was truly a trip. A few of them yelled "MIA'S DAD!" when they saw me as I joined her for lunch. I got to first hand, watch how they do everything. She sorta forgot I was with her, as she walked off to get her strawberry milk and mark where her name is on the list for payment. All of her fiends tried to figure out where to sit and where I'm sitting. They all talked my ear off about everything from boys, to math to "how do you do art so well?" It was fun. There was no chance that I'd leave without joining them for recess, so after they finished their food and were dismissed, they got their coats and went outside. The weather was pretty lousy, but they made the most of it. Most of the time, they tried to figure out what they actually wanted to do. We ended up playing duck, duck, goose. It was fun. They were sad when I had to leave, but Mia was glad I was able to join her and didn't let me leave till I got a kiss on the cheek.

Later, Jill and I together picked her up. She was totally surprised that Jill got to join me. She's never picked up Mia before, so it was truly a treat. We went to Stone Fire Pizza for dinner and games after. Mia's getting really good at racing games and beat both Jill and I at Mario Kart. We had an amazing time, just the three of us.

Wednesday, I was off again and Mia got to walk home with Noelle. Wish it was warmer out, but luckily Saturday was pretty great. She went to dance class as I watched Chelsea let a pair of stupid goals go in from Palace. No clue how we blew this game, and couldn't get any of the dozens of shots in. They play this week so I hope we can beat Man City and widen the gap back to 10 points. Later, we got our taxes done and set up for Mia's friends-from-school party. We had 8 girls total in the living room watching Moana after a very noisy dinner of pizza. The kids ware crazy, but from what I could tell, had a great time. They didn't make it through the movie, since some of them wanted to do art projects. A few wanted to sit with me and watch it. One lounged on my lap as the others were having a dance party. It was intense. After about 8pm, they all started leaving one by one, giving Mia big hugs. She said this was the best birthday party ever. I'm truly happy we could give her something like this. It wasn't an overly expensive party at a big place, but it was fun enough for the kids and thats all that matters. She's got some really fun friends that love her to pieces and I love watching them interact and talk about which boy likes that girl" etc etc. They got her light sabers, Shopkins, a handmade pillow case, and dolls for her birthday.

Sunday, Mia did homework before I went to work. This week, nothing super busy going on. I may have a photoshoot for Ian Bennett's clothing line, but we'll see how the weather is. I was recently presented with the possibility of teaching a 2nd grade class art and drawing techniques as a "reward' for good behavior during class. This is an honor and I'm excited to dive into it. Haven't completely decided on what to do, but it should be a lot of fun.

That's all for now, thanks for reading! :)

Birthday Beauty

Today is Mia's 6th BIRTHDAY! But...before we get to that, much to cover from the week. I had some random days off including Monday (for some reason) so Mia and I spent the first day of Spring hanging with her neighbor friend and classmate Noelle. We also brought Remi along with us so Noelle's dog Daisy and Remi ran around their fenced in yard. It was cute. They just chased each other all over the place and had a blast. She tuckered Remi out a few times. All in all, everyone had fun.

Wednesday after school. Mia wanted to do some drumming. She can just about reach the bass drum pedal. I think then next time she wants to play, I'll lower things so she can reach them a bit more comfortably. She can rotate sticks in between beats like a pro when she's playing the lower tom. "Dad, can you teach me something new on drums?" was probably the coolest thing she's said lately. Next time, we'll try something new and fun.

Saturday was her birthday party with family, but first was dance class. She had a great class and they had a demo of some dance moves from older kids. Mia was pretty impressed. Later, family came over and we celebrated her birthday. She got lots of great gifts and enjoyed spending time with her family. Her Grandpa Chicago and I had to build this big Monster High play set of the catacombs in her room. Took about an hour but it was worth it since Mia absolutely loves it. Another gift she's been really enjoying is this Hello Kitty Instmax style camera that prints out photos immediately. She's got about 25 pictures on the wall of her room. Her Grandpa Grumpy bought her 4 small containers of butter because apparently thats all she asked from him and today, Mia's wearing this beautiful dress she got from her Auntie Ashley and Uncle Zombie. After Mia fell asleep Saturday, Jill and I stayed up and binged Skin Wars on Netflix. That show is pretty fascinating.

Sunday I took off, and we spent some of the day cleaning and Mia spent it playing with new toys and such. Jill's parents came over for dinner since Mia wanted to stay in tank top and shorts and not leave the house. Eventually, the diva went to sleep and I spent the rest of the night drawing her picture while Jill did some photo work.

Today, I took off and will be joining Mia for lunch. Jill secretly is getting out early so she can walk over with me to meet up with Mia for some birthday fun. We love our little diva and are fortunate that we'll get to spend time with her today. It's hard to believe for us that she's already 6. She's grown so much in a short amount of time. Between 5-6, she's learned amazing things. She can write really well,  she doesn't have the stage fright she used to get, her art is beautiful and she writes the best stories. I think the most amazing thing, is that she she learned how to make friends. This may seem simple but think about that. You send your kid into a new school where they know almost no one. They walk into a class room full of 20 kids and they have to figure out who do they have something in common with. Mia made so many friends since starting Kindergarten in the Fall that to this day, impresses me. It could be as simple as finding people that are into the same things you're into, but it's still interesting to me. Mia's still in love with a boy from her 4K class, Trey. She talks about him every day and how she'l marry him one day. With all the great things she does and has done, she still has her diva moments and we have little battles. It's not all sunshine and cupcake here. Sometimes the battle is about clothes, going to bed/getting up or toys. Ugh. I'm hoping at 6 years old, she'll figure out tying her shoes and/or riding a bike with two wheels since they're two goals she'd like to accomplish.

This week, we'll be getting ready for Mia's 2nd and last birthday party. This one's with friends so it should be fun and crazy with a bunch of girls running around the house. Hopefully they'll have fun. I'm sure Mia will want to take pictures with all of them with her new camera. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Sushi for Divas

Good evening everyone. Hope you got to enjoy the week. It started a bit rough with some snow that we haven't seen since before Christmas! I don't exactly remember our total snow fall, but it was enough for the kids to enjoy at recess. It was a rare moment for me not to care that much about my drive home. Mostly because the snow wasn't sticking much and I had new tires that I was curious how they would do in the lousy weather. They were supposed to be better for the Winter and did just fine.

I missed the Man U/Chelsea match for the FA Cup quarter finals (Blues successfully won). Wednesday, Jill had to teach a photography class at her new studio space so she'd be home late. With that, Mia and I decided to visit her after school so she'd get a little time with the diva before she'd see her awake the next morning. It was difficult for Jill and I do feel bad for her. She was lucky that I was able to come over so she'd get to see Mia. I would see her go to school at 8:30am and not see her awake again till the next morning. It's tough for me, and I know it was tough for Jill. We love our little girl very much and enjoy the time with her that we can. I made Mia apparently the best grilled cheese sandwich ever for dinner, we did homework, picked out her outfit for the next day and read before bedtime. She read a story front to back with zero problems. It always impresses me how she can just pick up a book and read it. She's already passed the level most Kindergartners are at so that's amazing.

Friday was St. Patrick's Day. The leprechaun that came to visit our house gave Mia a little scavenger hunt to find little treats for her. Mia was super excited because she'd get to dress in greens and do her hair fun. Friday evening, Jill's BFF Leanne drove in from Illinois. I came home from work to all three girls sleepy and Mia playing a smaller version of Connect 4. It's a new favorite game apparently and she's really good at it.

Saturday, she had dance. Jill and Leanne took her while I got to watch the Chelsea vs Stoke match. Haven't been able to watch a Chelsea game in weeks due to schedule conflicts. Great win 2-1. Stoke was hacking players left and right and Hazard didn't even play (calf injury). Another crucial 3 points added to our total further separating us from the pack. Later, we went out for lunch to this great sushi place neither of us have been to. Mia apparently have had dumplings before elsewhere so Jill ordered that. The rest of us had a plethora of different dishes from their All-You-Can-Eat lunch menu for $16. Great value if you use it correctly. I had ordered a few different rolls that were fantastic. One of Jill's was called a Flying Fish Roe. For some odd reason, Mia wanted to try it. So she did. She honestly loved the little fish eggs in the sushi! She'd even say in a dark way "goodbye baby Nemo's" as she'd take a chopstick full of them and drop them on her tongue. Creepy kid. Still shocked that she really liked it and she said she was going to brag to her friends she had sushi. Later, we met up with Jill's parents, her brother and my Mom for the much anticipated Beauty and the Beast!

This has been a classic for so long so the build up to "will this be as bad as Cinderella was" was a big nerve wrecking. We couldn't have been more wrong. The movie was amazing. The music was perfect. Even the new songs they added (just two) and the characters were great. I've been seeing some press and bitchy parents complaining about what could be a "gay" couple of scenes between Gaston and his sidekick. It's a total bromance if anything, really. So what if Josh Gadd made his character homosexual. They're on screen chemistry was great and had plenty of laughs from the kids. No reason to be a prude and boycott a classic movie turned live-action. Mia absolutely loved this and it was so refreshing to see it in live-action.

Later, Jill, Leanne and Tommy went out for drinks so Mia and I stayed home. We wrapped a gift for Mia's friend Ryan's party Sunday and went to bed shortly after. The diva was pretty tired.
Today, we went to Good Harvest for breakfast. Super tasty. Mia went to her friend Ryan's party shortly after and from what Jill told me tonight after work, she had a lot of fun.

This week is a bit weird. Off tomorrow (with a store meeting in the morning), Off Wed and Thursday and I have the weekend off for Mia's family birthday party. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Sales for Tails

Greetings everyone. Looks like we're not quite out of Winter yet. Most of the week, we had colder temps which doesn't make walking Mia to school or the dog fun, but what can you do, its March and Wisconsin. Wednesday we got Moana so Mia immediately wanted to watch it. Such a good movie and I hope her friends like it for her Movie Night themed birthday party. Saturday morning, she had dance class followed by a women's clothing event at Jill's studio. Mia set up her Mia's Fashion Jewelry Boutique at the event selling hand-made necklaces and all her profits benefited the local animal shelter. Such a sweetheart. Always doing her part to help the animals. The event went alright and she made a little bit of money, however I think she'll sell a lot more this week. I've got several people wanting to buy pieces of her collection so it'll be a busy week trying to get all of that in order. She would get bored throughout the event because she wasn't as busy as she hoped.

We had kind of a chill rest of the night considering we were up pretty early Saturday and Friday night Jill and I were up late getting the pieces together so the girls pretty much crashed around 10pm. I stayed up and drew Mia's picture.

Sunday, we got some items for Mia's birthday party for the gift bags so we're in good shape in that department. They cleaned the rest of the day and went shopping for a friend of Mia's that's having a birthday party this coming weekend while I was at work.

The drive home last night wasn't that bad, but I got off the freeway when I saw an accident and took the long way home. I do have to say, its great having new tires that specialize in this kind of crap. Definitely made me feel better going routes that would normally give me trouble.

This week, nothing major going on. St Paddy's Day is Friday so Mia's got some cute outfit and accessories she wants to wear. Saturday, we're going to go see the new Beauty and the Beast.  Sunday, she has her friend Ryan's birthday party so that will be fun.  Today, I'm missing the Chelsea vs Man U FA Cup match. Should be a really good game considering Man U is going to be missing several star players and the last time we met, we destroyed them.

That's all for now. Drive safe and thanks for reading!

Another Week, Another Performance

Good morning everyone. MY was it a busy busy week. Most of the week I was off (including the weekend!) YAY! I had some mandatory vacation hours to burn or else they'd be gone, so I worked Monday and took the rest of the week off till Friday. Tuesday, Jill picked up some paczkis from the nearby bakery. Huge lines but she got a dozen. Right away, she wasn't super impressed. Mia liked the raspberry ones. It was nice to be away from work most of the week. Wednesday, I went to Jill's studio to help out with any lifting or moving around heavy things for a few hours. Thursday was Mia's performance with the classes at the Journey into the Arts program. Her school hired a couple of singer/songwriters to help write songs with the kids and perform them for their parents and family. The kids had TWO shows Thursday night. I volunteered to help out with the first one.

 My existence at the show to help out was plain pointless. They told me to help with "crowd control" with a class. So naturally, I stood with Mia's for a little while. I had to take a kid to the bathroom at one point but that was about it. The woman in charge then told me to wait in the wing and help escort kids on and off the stage. Okay that's simple enough. No. The teachers were getting the kids on and off stage and onto the risers. I just stood there like an idiot and completely felt out of place. Not planning to volunteer again for a school-wide event like that unless its something more direct like "tickets" or something. Anyways, Mia and all of the kids performed very well. Her class did two songs. Most of the other grades did one each. It was amazing. By the end of the 2nd performance, she was so tired and ready to go home.

Friday she was off from school so in the morning, we had scheduled a photo session with Ian Bennett and some of his Wave players at Brookfield Indoor. He texted me that he was going to release his 2nd collection of clothes and apparel and wanted new images. Awesome. So, Mia watched and I spend about 10-15 minutes photographing him and two other players in some new gear. We left and went home where she was bouncing off the wall with energy. Turns out, her friend who lives down the street had some friends over so Mia immediately wanted to run over and play with them. Luckily, her Mom said it was okay so they played for about an hour before Mia's grandparents came over to watch her when I had to leave for work again.

Saturday, she had dance and later, we went over to my parents to help celebrate my Mom's retirement from work. Mia chased the cousins around most of the time. They had a lot of fun :) Later, I had a Milwaukee Torrent supporters meeting.  Great turn out comparing to the previous year. We had some new faces that were passionate about having a team here and wanted to get as involved as possible. Great!

Sunday, Jill drove to Fond Du Lac for a baby shower so Mia and I drove to my parents to go play at the park. Later, we met up with Jill and went to her parents for their weekly Sunday dinner. Uncle Tommy also attended so Mia was pretty excited to see him.

All in all, busy but fun weekend. Mia was totally excited to see her costume for her big dance recital and we made the most of the time together. This week, nothing major going on. We'll probably do her balloon photo soon for her upcoming 6th birthday. Chelsea plays today (which I'll miss) Thanks for reading!