Of Dunce Caps and Diplomas

Are you sick of hearing about the puppy? If you wanted to read about dogs all the time, you would read doggy blogs, right? You are here to read.... um... what are you here to read?

Never mind.

So a couple of weeks ago, I told you about our first Puppy Kindergarten class at PetSmart.

Pure. Chaos.


Well now I have PICTURES.



Rowina's class is filled with a pretty relaxed group of puppies





*This cotton ball on legs is Saban :)







*Prancer is not relaxed... but Prancer is so darn cute it doesn't matter.



The class had a test. The dogs had to maneuver an obstacle course.


See the obvious space between toys and treats? ROWINA.

The dogs were to start by sitting and then go into loose-leash walking beside the treats without taking any of them (the command was LEAVE IT). At the end of the line of treats and toys, they had to sit and then lay down. Then they were supposed to walk back down the line without eating any of the treats and sit again.

When it was our turn to do the obstacle course, Rowina wouldn't budge.



We had to physically place her at the beginning of the course, and sitting wasn't on her agenda. She ate a treat and I basically had to haul her down the obstacle course. No sitting, no laying, no LEAVE IT. She was the worst in the group. It was like she had been hanging out in the Mystery Van with Shaggy instead of being trained.

ROIKS!

I wish that I had a picture of my children's faces. They were so ashamed of Rowina's performance.

Our instructor asked everyone to go a second time and Rowina NAILED it. I mean stinkin' perfect! The kids were elated.

We moved on to the STAY command. STAY worked pretty well except for one minor glitch - The Boy wore Heely's to PetSmart. So the experience went like...

My Mommy says STAY! I can STAY.



See? I really can STAY. Give me the treat cause I am good at...oh look!



There goes my boy rolling by. I need to chase him. Okay okay, let me try again.



I can STAY... just look how good I STAY! Let me have the treat cause... oh, there's my boy again! He is zooming by me so I need to play with him... huh, what? You wanted me to STAY?

By the time we were on our way home I had developed a nervous tick...



... and these two rascals



...thought it was funny.


It wasn't.

Regardless of how I felt about, I'm linking this post to the Life is Funny Blog Carnival.

Saxophone and Beads

Oldest Daughter was asked to be a part of a saxophone ensemble. Saturday, she performed with the group in the French Quarter in Fairhope Alabama.



This was the first time that Oldest Daughter has played music outside of school organized band events. I'm thrilled that her first experience was a success!



"The Stance"




Oldest Daughter was the only girl playing in the ensemble but it didn't bother her a bit.



We had been there (in the cold) for quite a while (in the cold), when the Mystic Mutts Mardi Gras parade began (in the cold). The sax ensemble continued to play which was similar to the band playing on the Titanic - there was so much happening no one really paid much attention to them anymore. It didn't matter if they had an audience or not... the music was wonderful and they had a good time together.

Diva Daughter watched the parade and thought it was awfully good too!












Diva Daughter caught a few beads and took pictures of the dogs. A good time was had by all!

Are you ready for some football?

Not long ago, I watched Keetha's Colts

play Dianne's Jets

(Hope is a Jets fan too) to see who would go to the Super Bowl.

I thought of my blogbuds during the game (being a fan with so much at stake can be stressful). Our household was divided - Bryan pulled for the Jets (he just couldn't pull for former Tennessee Quarterback Peyton Manning) so I pulled for the Colts.

The Colts got the win and I was elated for Keetha and disappointed for Dianne. That's the way it is when you care about your friends more than the game (now if it were Alabama vs Auburn? Well... I'm sure you know how I would feel about my friends then).

We watched the Minnesota Vikings play our New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship game. Have I ever told you that before football season, Bryan and I decided to support the Saints? Well we did and look how well it turned out.

The Saints won the NFC Championship and they are going playing in the Super Bowl this weekend! As much as I HATE to be at odds with my friends... and even though I am a relatively new Saints fan... and even though Keetha gave her blue mylar wig a makeover (she's a hard core fan I tell ya)... and even though blue is my favorite color (it matters).... and even though she pulled for my Tide during the college football season...

Who Dat!

*This is the first year I am going to watch the Super Bowl for the football. I'll still enjoy the commercials and the half time show but yeah! I'm ready for some football!

Random Thoughts

The Boy had a great Birthday. Thanks for all of the well wishes!

*****


I think Bryan would like to mail a postcard to PostSecret that says. "It drives me nuts when you send cupcakes to work with me to share. Baby, I'm 39 years old, not 9." My response would be, "It drives me nuts to be in a house with leftover cupcakes. Throw the darn things out the window for all I care. Just don't make me pitch them in the garbage after I baked them."

It's not like I'm trying to undermine his authority with dessert, right?

*****

Hey Jude written in code?



Oldest Daughter works on songs that she likes and writes the notes on notebook paper. She really sounds awesome when she plays Hey Jude. She figured out the notes for the Harry Potter theme song, and then converted it to her sister's 'key signature' (??? I think that means she worked the song out twice).

I have promised to find her some more music books and sheet music but the time that she spends working it out for herself seems like a good thing. It gives me hope - with her level of Band Nerdiness, I think she'll stay out of trouble.

*****

My son gets excited about receiving pens for his birthday.




I am giving him a matching pocket protector soon.

*****

Diva Daughter went with us to Andalusia for the All State Band tryouts. She was returning the support that Oldest Daughter had given her (at least, this was the way it was in my mind). As Oldest Daughter became more and more nervous, she began to be snappish with her sister. I pulled the Diva aside and told her to have compassion on her nervous sister and not to take it personally.



Oh but no.

Diva Daughter does not have "Everlast" written across her chest



and she was NOT taking any crap from her sister. Start with nerves, add some indignation, and a dash of hormones.... presto! SISTERS.

To her credit, Oldest Daughter apologized (without being told to do so) for her behavior. Diva Daughter was stubborn for a minute but eventually they hugged and made up.



NEITHER of them apologized to me for having to endure their drama.

*****


I went back to bed this morning for about an hour and I am STILL tired. I think the sink full of dishes and couch covered in laundry are bringing me down.

*SIGH*

Celebrating The Boy's Birthday with Royalty.

Please hold me Blogland. I am the slightly melancholy mother of a nine year old boy. NINE. YEARS. OLD. He'll be in the double digits next year which will be tomorrow because time is flying by ridiculously fast and wasn't it just yesterday that he was a toddler and throwing the cat into the toilet (which she still hasn't forgiven him for) and asking to watch "Beggies" (Veggie Tales) and begging for Yoo Hoo (so maybe he still does that) and taking a nap with his hand in my hair because Mom was way more comforting than a Teddy Bear and I WANT MY BABY BOY!!!

*breathe*

In other words, Happy Ninth Birthday to The Boy (who is growing up SO fast)!

The following are his answers to the latest meme posted by Mimi, Queen of Memes...

1. An unexpected blizzard occurs. The power goes out for 10 days. There is no food in the house, no gas in the car, no heat, no TV, no computer, nada! You are snowed in and can't get to the store for supplies. How would you survive? How would you get out of this mess? I would eat the snow. Um, what else could I do?

2. Tell us about your last snowball fight. I scraped ice off of a car and threw it at Diva Daughter *heh heh*

3. You have been asked to make a snowman. What is his name? George.

4. I have mountains of snow outside my door. I would like to make snow soup. What is the recipe? Fire, a cup and snow. You put snow into the cup and you hold it over the fire. That is the official way to make snow soup.

5. It is Day 5 of the Big Blog Blizzard. You have been hunkered down for a very long time and in danger of losing your sanity. Your blog neighbors (that would be us) come callin' to see if you're OK. We peek in the window. What do we see? What are you doing in there? Looking for sugar, what else? DUH. *turkey!*

6. Who is the flakiest snowflake in your life? Diva Daughter.

7. You are Snow White. Which dwarf is your favorite and why? Aw great. I'm a princess. *ha ha* Dopey cause he's funny and cause he doesn't have a beard and he burps bubbles.

8. What is the most fun you've ever had inside during a snowstorm? I've never been in a snowstorm. But I think I would be running around with the power off. I'd probably run into a wall or something.

9. What was Jack Frost nipping at? What is that supposed to mean anyway?

10. Due to blobal warming (that's blog + global for all you non-blog speakers) your snowman has prematurely melted. What was his last request? Well, to not let him melt. Would you want your snowman to melt?

Sometimes he sounds SO much like his dad.

His class is studying famous Americans and today The Boy dressed up like Walt Disney. He looked quite handsome in his $2.50-brand-new-bought-at-the-thrift-store wool suit (it was a little big but I hemmed it with a stapler).

Son, I miss the baby boy that you were, I like the kid that you are now, and I have confidence in the man that (through the Grace of God) you will become! You make me proud, kiddo.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! *SMOOCH*

If at first you don't succeed...

My daughters are self described band nerds. They take their music seriously.

Oldest Daughter tried out for the County Honor Band but she didn't make it. Diva Daughter made County Honor Band on trombone and while we were SO proud of her, our hearts ached for Oldest Daughter. She was happy for her sister though, and I was proud of her for being supportive.

Oldest Daughter buckled down and practiced harder. She still had Alabama All State Band tryouts to consider. Her band director contacted me and said that there were almost fifty alto saxophone players trying out for the two available spots for our district. However, there were about twenty tenor saxophones trying out for one spot. Oldest Daughter has played the alto saxophone for four years but if she wanted to try to play her music on the tenor saxophone, her odds would be slightly better.

Oldest Daughter began taking lessons with saxophone teacher Susan Harrison, owner of Jubilee Music. Though the fingerings on the tenor sax are the same as the alto, it was a big change for Oldest Daughter to undertake in a month. Thinking of how hard that kid worked to make the switch to tenor... well, I am just so proud of her.

Susan was a Godsend and she helped Oldest Daughter, not only with playing the horn, but with confidence in her abilities. My parents believed in Oldest Daughter enough to buy her a used tenor sax. Her band instructor made the trip to Andalusia, Alabama to be there for her students who tried out for All State. Oldest Daughter ultimately had to do the work but she had amazing support.

Oldest Daughter tried out for Alabama All State Band on Saturday and MADE IT!




I could go into the details of our day... how there was a mix up and initially she thought that she hadn't made it. I could tell you about watching her face as she read the posting and her telling me " I didn't make it but it's OK. I didn't think I would." I could tell you that she went back to check the list for a friend, and spotted her own name listed as the bass clarinet; it was an ordeal to make the correction and to find out that not only had she made All State, but that her score was the third highest posted on the list. Or I could tell you that I cried in front of strangers when they confirmed that she did indeed earn the one tenor sax spot for our district in the Alabama All State Band.

As she said on the way home, "This has been a 'Praise the Lord' day!"

I have praised those who helped her make it and I have praised Oldest Daughter for her hard work. But most of all, I give God the glory for everything that has happened. I see His hand clearly and I believe that He has shaped Oldest Daughter's character and molded her through these experiences. He used her disappointment to make success sweeter. I praise God that He has my children in His care.

Thanks for being here and be blessed Y'all!

Poetry

I get a LOT (and I do mean a LOT) of searches on my blog for the dust bunny poem. I think they are looking for the following...

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

So there you have it dusty poetry searchers! Convenience... another service offered here at Dust Bunny Hostage.

Shhh, my dust bunnies are sleeping. I told The Boy I needed to rock him so I would be excused from house cleaning today. Ice cream... he can be bribed.