when you're pleased to discover you're raising a good winner AND a good loser

You always have to wonder what is going through your kid's heads when they compete. We have a kid in a competitive sport. We learned that Illinois has a high amount of competitive gymnastics teams, almost more so than any other state! Due to this, we try to stay neutral on winning and losing. We try to remind her to simply try her best and we are proud no matter what.

Last week was our week for nationals. She went in with a big smile and a positive attitude. We reminded her to try hard, do her best and listen to her coaches. We said she will do great. We said we are proud no matter what. 

Well... this kid went out and KILLED IT on the first two events! I mean, trophies and cheers and all the things. It was amazing to witness. She was in her zone. We whooped and hollered and gave hugs and cheers all around. 

Event 3 and was good, but not the best. I hesitated to start the conversation, but she knew. She flat out said the warm-ups didn't feel right and that threw her off. She said she didn't do great. When the total scores came out she began jumping up and down saying, "I'm not last! You guys, I'm not last!" I was waiting for tears or frustration, but nope. Again, this kid continues to amaze us. She accepted that the routine didn't go great and was more excited that she placed at all. She's my "glass half full" kid.

Event 4 should've been a landslide. Unfortunately, it didn't go that way and she knew it. You could see it on her face. I wanted to run out there and give her a big hug, but we had to wait for her to come back to us. When she came back she was able to tell us where she made the mistake that resulted in her lower score. She patiently waited for the overall scores and rankings. She ended up POINT TWO POINTS from getting a medal. Point 2!!! She just kept saying, "Point 2!?!" 

All in all, it was a great week. She smiled and accepted her trophies. Then she smiled and accepted her ribbons. She thought through each routine to identify successes and mistakes. She wants to continue and is ready to head back to the gym.

After all this, I don't have to fear the tearful hysterics or the excessive gloating. We can handle the good and the bad news. We smile and nod graciously. We reflect. We smile and shake hands. We can do this!

dollar tree has all the fun!

I can't even remember how long we have had this little easel. I DO remember it was a random trip to Dollar Tree to grab seasonal items, snacks, fillers, or whatever. She wanted a tiny easel for her room to change out when she changes out her room decor for each season or holiday. Done. $1 for something cute and easy that we can enjoy together!

The chalkboard markers were on sale during a yarn run at Michael's, so this little easel really was a cheap and easy way to keep her entertained. This summer she wanted to try to draw fruit. I must say that for someone drawing freehand on a tiny chalkboard, she nailed it! I grabbed a skewer stick and got it wet so we could wipe away some of the color for details. It turned out better than expected. 

I even googled fruity summer sayings until we found one she liked. Here is to hoping for a sweet summer time! It has arrived! This year it is especially well deserved and exciting because we have fun plans all summer long. We hope everyone has a sweet summer time while school is out!