Stop! You're embarrassing me!

It's Friday! Greyson's entire school headed to Imaginon to see a wonderful African dance & drumming show called Dejembe Fire.  Our class gets there just before the show is to start.  Greyson's class was already there and awaiting the show.  They led our class in and to my demise the only section left was one in the very front left of the theater.  Great!  So we sit down...our K-1 class of rowdy little folks and wait.  I myself am already a little nervous.  First, I am sitting right on the freakin' end of the row and second, these shows always grab folks out of the crowd for some good ol' fashion participation and fun.  I think, well...maybe I will be safe.  You see, Greyson cannot stand for me to do anything remotely embarrassing.  He freaks, and sometimes will even cry if he feels it is bad enough.  Usually it isn't even anything that warrants his reaction but everything to him deserves over reaction.  So the show starts and there is mad drumming, dancing, and all kinds of interaction.  Then it happens.  The lady exclaims that she heard Charlotte had the BEST dancers around.  That's when it hit me, right in the gut.  That horrible feeling that something is about to go terribly wrong.  And yes...things did go South fast.  They say the expert pickers of "talented dancers" would be headed out into the audience and if you are tapped you were to come onto the stage.  GREAT! I all but rolled into a ball...became part of the theater chair and still I was chosen, of course, to go up and shake my groove thang. UGH!  I went up and prayed my son would not scream and melt down from somewhere in the blackness of the crowd.  I along with at least 10 others, did our dance moves as we were taught.  Then to top of the embarrassment to Greyson, I was chosen again to solo a part of the dance with our instructor. She claimed she noticed one of the ladies who must really spice it up in the kitchen when cooking and wanted her to show off her moves. Lovely! I am sure I looked like I was doing the white woman's overbite the entire time.  (So Grace! How are things at the palace?  Fine! Thank you for asking!) I hear Greyson was crying and hiding under his coat.  I had managed to humiliate him to the "nth" degree whether I meant to or not.  Poor guy!  He somehow survived it and did not freak too badly. Years ago it would have been much worse.  Probably him running down and yanking me off stage while screaming the whole time.  So today was a lesson in being a good sport, participation, and living through something we thought was horrible that turned out to be not quite as bad as we all thought.  The lesson will continue of course but it was s step forward none the less.  I need a full time gig but I don't think those folks at Dejembe Fire will be hiring me anytime soon.  My inner African  has just been ready to bust out!  Today was the big day...Sorry Greyson!  Mommy loves you "to the whole wide world" regardless of what you think. 

Valentine's Day 2011

It is that big day for some...Valentine's day.  Greyson did not have school today but we did have a student,parent & teacher conference.  It went well and I think he is plugging along in school as he always has.  Soaking up things as he goes and not always letting on to what he has in that brain of his.  His teacher went over his MAPS scores which are supposed to act as a gauge for where he is and how well he progressing.  I am not sure those things are accurate as far as he is concerned so I do not put much weight in it.  Never the less they have to have something to gauge where the children are throughout the year.  So...I listened and went on my merry way once we were through.  He needs some work in spelling because he still continues to spell phonetically.  It makes his written work quite the interesting read for sure.  You must be on your toes when reading anything he has put down on paper.  He had a poem that cracked me up.  Having the NO filter mouth he had written about batman and all of his awesome qualities.  Then he ended it with Batman's enemies are CRAP! hahahahahahaaa  The teacher laughed but she had to alter it for our family friendly atmosphere at school when she hung it up...saying they were "nothing", or something along those lines. Greyson was not pleased with her having to do this she said. hahahahahaaa I can hear him screaming now, "For the love of God Pete!"  His favorite explicative.  He showed me some of his work while we were there but didn't explain much about any of it in true Greyson fashion.  I had to pull from him any information I wanted on any given item.  It's like pulling teeth.  Ugh.  He also enjoyed throwing each item at me after finding them in his cubby hole.  What fun...afterwards we got him some lunch and headed to the park for a day of fun with his pal Umberto.  He had a great time.  I had to offer a few social prompts to him but overall he did great.  I am still trying to help him understand the whole it can't always be his way, or what he wants to do.  He has to remember the give & take.   He does much better but still falls into the "let me tell you what we are gonna do" if we are not careful.  Tonight we shall celebrate.  Celebrate that our little family truly loves each other..."to the whole wide world" as Greyson says.  I couldn't be luckier to have such a wonderful partner and son.  I am proud to call them family. Today, and everyday, I celebrate our love.  I'm so glad, you're my family!..."If your in my heart, you're in my family...if I'm in your heart, I'm in your family"  So that said...extended family and friends...that goes for all of you too.  You know who you are! Happy Valentine's and thank you for the love you provide daily. <3