I Can Roll Over, Too

The big news of the week is the antics of the grandson. If you haven't seen Diana's blog, I recommend it. Luke is a delight and stress-reliever.
I was thrilled to hold Luke during Peter's basketball game Friday night. He really followed the movement and sound of the game. He doesn't mind if other pretty ladies and cute kids sitting around us pay attention to him, too. Marv coached his team to a victory over another good team. Peter made us proud in so many ways. He was amazing on rebounds and strong with assists. Also exciting for Peter this week was the chance to miss a day of school to go skiing with the Oldenburg family at Boreal. His lift ticket was free due to a coupon I cleverly found! Yay me! This photo was borrowed from Lyle and Ciara's ski outing with him. On the downside, Peter got a case of poison oak this week in the neighborhood nature area from playing outside in the spring-like weather. The doctor prescribed prednisone to cope with it.
In addition to Luke's milestone, we had another first with Emmy's solo dance for the school choir concert. Emmy worked so hard practicing and staging her ballet to accompany a song based on St. Francis of Asissi's Let Me Be An Instrument of Peace. I'm thankful for a choir director who balances meaningful pieces like this with the fun ones. They also performed "One Day in the Emerald City" and "Popular" from Wicked. Emmy had only a brief session with dance teacher Ms. Leneice from Tricks and a little coaching from Diana and me to help her prepare. There were some anxious days and nights worrying about what her peers would think. She asked me to get her out of it a few times, but I encouraged her, saying if she wanted to perform professionally, she would have to "put herself out there." So, Wednesday night she took the plunge, made herself vulnerable and completed the performance. Could her technique have been better? Sure, she's not a serious dance student. How about the choreography? Could've been better--it was a tough number to dance to. However, for sheer stage presence and energy, she was a huge success. I don't think she could have been better. She accomplished leaps and bounds in a teeny space of time and in a teeny space on stage between microphones, cords and decorative plants. Her smiling face as she held her final pose said it all. She did it! There was a glitch after her performance when the boys choir came on stage to sing a finale with the girls. One of the boys nudged her as he passed by and said, "Your dance was horrible." This kind of criticism had been her greatest fear. Emily dissolved into tears right there on stage which only subsided through many hugs from the girls around her. The audience didn't really know what was going on. Some didn't notice and some, like me, wondered when the boys came up if her foot had been stepped on. Fortunately, she had the choir director's closing announcements to recover during and pulled herself together in time for "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." It was lucky that the boy chose to apologize the next before receiving the wrath of Emmy's friends. Emmy was honored to have the support of her dad, Diana, Mac and I, many compliments after the show and in the days that followed. We congratulate Emmy on her casting as the Young Kangaroo in Suessical--she gets to have her own libretto! If you want to mark your calendars to come see a performance, let me know. The cast includes older teenagers and looks like it will be great. Shows are March 27, 28 and 30th.
In addition to Emmy's thrilling and drama-filled concert, I got to ride a hormone roller coaster all week! This includes both the onset on Peter's adolescence and the onset of my menopause! For me, it may just be peri-menopause, because in addition to migraines, hot flashes and night sweats, I still get to use feminine products (and you understand I'm not talking about lipstick and mascara.) The best of both worlds! I am surviving and, so far, no one else has been seriously injured. My best advice is to call before visiting. That goes for Marv, Peter and Emily as well.
On a lighter note, only 10 more days til my birthday and the excitement is mounting! I hope the rest of you are enjoying the magic of the season as much as I am!
I would have entitled this my "wish list", but as many of you are painfully aware, and as I believe I just mentioned, I am experiencing mood swings. Many people say silly things like, oh, as you get older birthdays just aren't as much fun as they used to be. I trust I won't find that to be the case. I have a solution for preventing any possible "over the hill" distress.
Here, new and improved since the last gift-giving opportunity, are a list of my demands.
Of course, a lovely card will do as well.

Mom’s Demands

Hugs/affection

Quality time (see Family Fun or Martha Stewart for ideas):
• Make crafts
• Cook together
• Jigsaw puzzles
• Outings
• Shopping (I really need new athletic shoes and jeans—someone could go out with me)

Gifts of service (see list posted on oven):
• Cleaning
• Organizing
• Repairs around the house
• Help with family history
• Computer upgrading
• Learning to do Facebook
• Help with family blog

Hugs/affection

Other
• New label maker or repair/refill current label maker
• Socks—white low cut athletic socks and ankle/knee in various colors to wear with pants/jeans
• Magnifying mirror for tweezing—see Bed, Bath and Beyond
• Food processor

And, don’t forget, the one thing I really need is a hug!