Lipstick, Lycra & Leaping: Cheerleading is a Whole New World

Miss fab has always had boundless energy and has never simply walked anywhere - she skips, twirls or cartwheels to her destination. She can turn somersaults, do backwards walkovers and perform the splits in rapid succession, as well as lift her leg right up by her ear.

As others have witnessed her acrobatics, I've often been asked whether this flexible athletic kid does gymnastics... to which I've had to say sadly, no. Gymnastics required too much waiting around; Miss fab gave up on it when she was four.

Then she heard about Cheerleading from some girls she met while camping and wanted to try it. Cheerleading sounded like just the thing for a girl who can't sit still, so I said, hey sure why not... until I began to hear stories about the make-up, skimpy outfits and pageantry. Not to mention the hair bows.
Oh dear. Could I in all good conscience let my kid take part in something which might only bring out more of the diva within (Couldn't she just keep playing netball?)?

Bottom line, I was too worried about what some of my friends might think. Once I realised this, I took a deep breath, signed her up ...and have been nervously awaiting our first Big Event ever since.

On Sunday the day finally dawned. Our very first National Champs, Rock'n'Cheer competition. Thankfully I have moral support in my friend Justine (mum of classmate & teammate, Yaz), who has been equally nervous for all the same reasons.

Justine arrived bright and early to glam up our girls - makeup, glitz and glamour is as much a part of the team's presentation as it is in Rhythmic Gymnastics, or iceskating. (This is what I consoled myself with; it's not a beauty pageant, it's a legitimate team sport, just with lipstick).

The hair bows take a bit of getting used to, but I have to say I don't mind our team uniform at all. I'd been in a state of nervous anxiety ever since signing up, about what crazy get-up our pre-teens might have to wear, but when they were revealed I was rather relieved - our uniform is plenty modest with not a bare midriff in sight.

The comp was held at the North Shore Events Centre and it was massive. I had no clue it was so big, with so many teams. Apparently there were over 1000 young cheerleaders competing!

[Warming up]

There was not a pom-pom to be seen. Cheerleading is not what you'd think based on American teen movies and Glee.
It's all about team-work, choreography, acrobatics, coordination, stunting and performing with a great big smile on your face.

There were loads of categories for every age and stage. Our team ("Galaxy Shooting Stars") is at the beginner level for under-11s, but there were (at least) two groups below us, based on age. To be honest I'm still a little unclear on how it all works.

[Our team in action; the above two photos were taken by another mum, Luana]

Our girls did really good, remembering their moves and looking like they were having fun. It tickled me to see Miss fab rock out onto the floor with the hugest grin on her face; she really comes alive on stage. There is not a moment's nervousness, she absolutely revels in the limelight. As two of the oldest - and tallest - girls in the group, Miss fab and Yaz get to be "back bases", which is far less glamorous than being the "flyers" but is essential nonetheless. Teamwork, see? Everybody plays their part for the good of the team.

As I said, the team did good. In fact, our girls placed third in their division and came away with bronze medals. Woop woop!

So what did have I learned about this brave new world of cheerleading?

Firstly I learned that it's not as scary and pageant-y as I thought. I was worried for nothing, really. Sure there's lots of makeup and the strange obsession with hair bows, but it really is a very exciting sport to watch and to be part of. The girls had a great time competing, being part of something huge and - lets be honest - getting glammed up.

All in all, I think we can live with having a cheerleader in the family. Cheerleading might not be quintessentially Kiwi, it might involve more hairspray and glitter than you see on the netball court, but it's what my girl wants to do. And it's what she's GOOD at. 

It might not be for everybody, but I'm OK with it being for us.

Well done, girls, and Roll on the next Pageant Competition!

xx

..............

P.S. Huge thanks to Daddy who dragged the boys along and came to support our girl. It's a big change from being on the football sidelines and we sure appreciate you braving this world of lycra and lipstick. You rock, Daddy!

Life Round These Parts *a Loving post*

Well, hello. You're still here.
It's been a week of it, that's for sure, what with the dramatic events of last Thursday and its aftermath.
(Did you miss that post? I got sick, dehydrated, fainted, banged my head on the way down and got knocked unconscious. Ended up being taken to hospital in an ambulance and have been woolly-headed with concussion ever since).

Today I thought I'd ease back into the blog with a wee round-up of life hereabouts, as it's been a while since I did that. A "things I'm loving" meets "wow I'm grateful" combined with "here's the haps".

I'll start with today.
Friday is my day off and since Scrag woke up in the middle of the night with a nasty cough, I kept him home. We've been playing schools. I've been putting to use all the things I've learnt since becoming a teacher aide, which means my kid has been doing spelling, handwriting and maths all morning.

Here he is on this very cool maths programme called SumDog. The kids at school use it to play math games where they can play against kids from all over the world. There's a paid-up version you can subscribe to but the free version does plenty. I introduced it to Scrag this morning and he's loving it. (that name again? SumDog. Try it, it's great for younger kids, very visual and fun).

After our lessons we had lunch. It was sunny, so we ate it on the porch.

I can tell you, I never thought I'd say this but I can actually (for the first time in my life) see the appeal of homeschooling. *GASP*
Settle down, I love my local school, and I'm not-on-yer-life gonna pull my kids out of there and start trying to teach them myself, but I have to say there's something very satisfying about working one-on-one with your kid, setting your own pace etc. Like I said I can see the appeal.

Now that I'm a *ahem* working woman again I am completely LOVING my job (which I was sadly absent from for a week after my dramatic demise). It's hugely satisfying, tremendously rewarding and perfectly tailor-made for me.

All my mummy-skills are being put to good use, I get to be creative and proactive; every day is different. Since I started I've taught my student to ride a bike without trainer wheels (!) and together with another student who I also help, we've created a super-hero called SuperCat, among other things.

We are making progress in spelling, oral language and engagement with others. Best of all, the teacher who's class I'm working in has told me my efforts are making a huge difference in the class as the boys I'm working with have settled down and it's had a flow-on effect to the rest of the class.

I am sooooo glad I acted on impulse and walked into that office last term!

While I'm gratuitously patting myself on the back, I might as well mention my writing efforts elsewhere. Here's the cover of the latest Parenting Magazine, and there's my article in the big blue writing: "Encouraging Independence". Yep, that's me. Writing about how to get your kids to do stuff for themselves so you can put your feet up and spend longer reading/doing DIY/planning parties. Haha. Seriously, it's a great parenting strategy! I wrote in brief on the same topic for the parenting website Mothering from Scratch, where I am a "MOMtor" (regular contributor): "Teaching Kids Independence". It's a survival technique.

Right. So now I have spent way too long on this post and I'm gonna run out of time to bake muffins with Scrag for our after-school visitors, so in brief:

The football World Cup in Brazil has got us up early, biting our nails, rooting for our team (England). See that box of tissues on the coffee table? Yep, we needed them.

Bye, bye England. Uruguay knocked them out. Sniff sniff. It's a valuable life lesson in dealing with disappointment, I guess. Poor Dash. His dad has had a lifetime of practise (getting his hopes up every World Cup only to have them dashed), so he can sympathise and give you some pointers. Just as well we have a life outside football, aye guys? 

In general apart from an increased level of muzzy-headedness and general confusion, life goes on in its usual circus-like fashion. This is how my dear daughter turned up to school the other day. Ha.
She's a clown, alright.

Anyway, best get off here and get baking.
Have a great weekend.
xxx

Drama, concussion and an ambulance trip

I'll make this quick cos I have a raging headache (from the bump on my head) and I'm doing this on my phone while lying in bed, recovering from my very dramatic day yesterday.
Actually I can hardly remember any of the dramatic events, but what my husband told me is This: I got up to puke in the loo, he heard a thump and I was lying on the floor. He helped me up, I went back to the loo and there was another louder thump... this time he find me in the hallway unconscious. He thought I'd had a stroke. (I hadn't, but luckily he was there).

Apparently I was incoherent and didn't know what day it was; I kept asking him the same questions... I remember nothing.
He took me to a&e where they called an ambulance and off I went for a CT scan and some IV fluids.
The verdict is Giardia (from Fiji) which caused me to dehydrate and then I fainted, hit my head and got concussion. Ouch but my head hurts!
Luckily, thankfully my husband was there.

Luckily, thankfully it's nothing permanent or life threatening (though he was pretty freaked out at the time). 

LUCKILY, thankfully I didn't have to stay in hospital overnight.

Giardia is nasty (all but one of our kids have had the vomit bug this week) and even if you drink only bottled water, they might still get you with the salads. (The only kid to not puke is the one who doesn't eat salad).
Moral of the story? Don't eat salad in Fiji.

Escaping the Winter (in Fiji)

Today in Auckland the rain has not stopped beating down. I'm sitting here with chilly fingers, wearing ugg boots and a woolly scarf, and I can't help thinking, "It's probably warm and sunny in Fiji right now..."

Last week we were blessed (soooo blessed) to be able to escape the Winter for a bit, with a family trip to Fiji. We had some accommodation points that needed to be used, we couldn't get booked during school hols, so we bit the bullet and took the kids out of school for a week, because, well, why not?

Ahhhh, the bliss. Beautiful one day, perfect the next. Fiji in Winter is the best place to be. It's not too hot, and not too humid (like it is during the summer months there); the temperature for this mama bear is JUST RIGHT.

Perfect for spending every day chillin by the beach, or by the sea; swimming, reading, relaxing.

This guy went from being unable to cope in water past his waist to diving for objects on the bottom of the pool and swimming in water over his head. That's a valuable life skill, right? Definitely worth missing a few days in the classroom for. (He also tanned nut-brown; the fairer-skinned family members* are sooo jealous).                              

*Fair-skinned family members = me and Dash

It's amazing to me how a week - a mere seven nights - can feel like forever when you're away from the Rat Race. In Fiji, there are no phones ringing, no text messages, there's no place you  have to be and no need to look at your watch. Consequently it feels like you've been living this way foreeeeeever.



The early morning school/work rush, the daily activity juggle, homework stress and the housework grind all seem like a distant memory.

You start to feel as if you've always lived this way. Waking up when you feel like it, drifting down to the pool. Ordering drinks at the swim-up bar, signing the kids into kids club and then reading for hours, uninterrupted. (I chewed through "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Winter of the World" among others.) What can I say? It's bliss.

There were a surprising number of kids at the resort, considering it was term-time. Enough so that there were always friends to be made and fun to be had...

Of course we didn't just sit by the pool all the time. We did venture out to a couple of places just to shake things up a little. We went on a fast boat, did a bit of shopping, spent a day at the World's Biggest Inflatable Water Park - that sort of thing. 

(On the last day, Mr G also took the two older kids on a snorkeling boat trip; we were all meant to go but sadly I was "indisposed". Major Bummer Dude.)

The Inflatable Water Park "Big Bula" is relatively new, and loads of fun for the kids.

It's located on Denarau Island (where our resort was) and has loads to do, plenty of shady spots and very cool staff. Our kids had a blast.

Ahhhh, Fiji. Where strangers walking down the road shout out "Bula!" wherever you go. Where it's summer all year round and the sunsets are out of this world...

Our favourite thing each evening was to go to the awesome open-air thatched restaurant, order drinks and watch the sun sink into the sea. Every night, a the sun put on a different show. We never got tired of it.

(These photos are raw from the camera; no filters, just God painting with colour in the sky)

Ah, Fiji, thanks for the memories and a great family holiday.

You were the perfect place to go and escape the Winter.

We are so blessed to have been able to spend a week away from the cold, the rain and the grey in a tropical paradise. 

We love you Fiji! Vinaka vaka levu!

• More Family Travel Adventures on my Travel Page

Where on Earth Are We?

Right now we are where the sun is shining and the palm fronds are waving gently in the tropical breeze. We're dodging out on the frosty mornings, iced-up windshields and numb toes for a week, and have headed for warmer climes.

It's not school holidays, but we couldn't get booked then, so we're pulling the kids out of school and having a family vacation without the crowds. It's only a week off school, after all, and there will be plenty of life-enriching educational experiences to be had on holiday (we tell ourselves and their teachers).

So where are we?
I'll give you some clues.

 CLUE #1:  We have been here before a long, long time ago... (when there were just two kids, and one had a broken arm)

 CLUE #2:   It's somewhere that's warm enough for swimming all year round.

 CLUE #3:   It's somewhere with white-sand beaches where you can snorkel, see tropical fish, and ride horses on the beach.

 CLUE #4:   A bloggy friend (who currently lives in Oz) lived there for a while (awww and just look at our baby girls, poolside...)

 CLUE #5:  It's in the South Pacific and is a short 3-hour plane trip away from Auckland, (perfect for a quick tropical escape in the Winter).

Have you guessed yet?

See you when I get back next week, tanned, relaxed and well-read.
I'll have pictures to share. (Don't hate me.)

xx