Lesson Learned

I snagged this template free from Jessica Sprague for her "7 Days in May" challenge, and thought it perfect for this layout I needed to do.

The journaling in the center box reads: "Nate’s 4k class theme was “Busy Bees” so I decided (last minute as always) to make bumblebee cup-cakes for the last day of school. I googled for inspiration and became obsessed with learning to make cake-pops. Ever the over-achiever, the project soon evolved to a beehive cake surrounded by bee & flower cupcakes & flying cake-pop bees. I picked up the cake & realized I should in future photograph them before moving - as it plummeted to the floor."

The journaling at the bottom of the page reads, "I’m just grateful that the cake was purely a surprise for fun. No one expected it or was counting on it - it was not the focal point of the party or anything. Nate and I were disappointed, but I managed to salvage enough of the cupcakes to appease him - they were not as pretty, but they were still yummy. I guess the worst part was being late for the program."

The good news is, I DID learn to make cake pops, and boy are they yummy! There's a bit of a learning curve to dipping them just right and getting them to stay on the stick, so I had LOTS of "imperfects". I took a batch to Alex's troop meeting, and the scouts had no complaints!

Cheer Mom

I have always said that my daughter - with her athletic body, competitive spirit, good looks, extroverted personality, and big mouth - was born to be a cheerleader. This past fall I enrolled her in tumbling classes in preparation for tryouts for the high school team. It worked, she made the JV team as a rising 8th grader.

I sat at the "new cheerleader reception" on Monday night with a bag of mixed feelings. I was super proud of Cassie, and pleased with myself for helping her get what she wanted. I was already picturing the fabulous scrapbook I'll be creating in my head.

I was also nervous - I don't think of myself as the "cheer mom" type, I can't imagine I will fit in, but I don't want to disappoint or embarass her (any more than I do just by being MOM that is . . . )

I looked around thinking, this sure wasn't my crowd in high school. I was a nerd, did well academically, historian of the drama club, president of the English club, but certainly NOT a cheerleader! While I may have affected an air of disdain for the cheer leaders, honestly, I didn't have the opportunity. I didn't have the financial or emotional support from my family which is necessary for cheerleading and most other activities. It was never an option for me. I remember secretly wishing I could be a cheerleader, but that was a closed door.

I AM a Cheer Mom. Regardless of the stereotype or the "clicks" I may encounter, I am in fact a Cheer Mom now. What have I gotten myself into now??