Slacking On Duty

I've been slacking off again.. Haven't written on the blog in a long, long time. I'll pick up where i left off about Miss Haana putting in a lot of effort in her poster for the art competition up at school called Reflections.

The school announced the winners mid November, and after a lot of waiting for each category, it was finally time for announcing the winners for the painting category. My little Miss Haana won an award for her painting called 'Its all within reach'. We took pictures, and a very proud little Haana posed for pictures in front of her displayed art work at school.

Today we went to an outdoor ice rink, and the little girl wanted to ice skate. She's been to just 1 ice skating class which was at least 2, and maybe 3, years back. She knows roller skating but not with inline skates. So i was apprehensive. I went over the basics of how to stops, but i think she was too excited to care what i was saying. I hoped she doesn't fall too often. She was to go into the ice rink by herself.

She wobbled as she put on the skates, and i cringed about how it might go. But then, she got in the rink, wobbled a bit, didn't fall and just like that, started skating. She wasn't holding on to the sides, she was really skating. I was amazed at her and watched her go with simply amazed, dazed happiness. I was reminded of my own attempts at trying ice skating, which weren't exactly very successful, but weren't disastrous either. All i need is a little more practice which would need a lot more dedication!

And, i think i need to find little Miss Haana some ice skating classes too in the future.

Brave Heart

Miss Haana and I went to a mall today to pick up something for me. It was supposed to be a quick, targeted trip. The little girl looked down from the third floor and looked at the ice skating rink on the first floor and had the all too familiar sparkle in her eyes. 

We headed down to check if they have any age limit for the skating rink. They gave me their smallest skate and told me if this fits, the little girl is good to skate. It fit! So we rented some skates and were good to go.

They had a section of the rink with a rail so I could hold Miss Haana's hand and walk along with her- me outside the rink, she inside. It was slippery for her initially. We started off with me holding both her hands. We went back and forth a few times and soon I was holding only 1 hand.

A little girl (much older than Miss Haana) came by several times to tell me and Miss Haana that she was doing really well! She came by to hold her hand and walk/skate with her too. And she told her how to step and how to balance herself and then slide her steps. The little girl and I went back and forth a few more times. 

And soon, she didn't want to hold my hand anymore! I was scared because I wasn't on the ice, and I wondered if she fell down in the ice and I could reach her- then what? But no such thought bothered my brave little girl. She went a little away from my reach and pulled up her hands in a ballet pose! And then she walked slowly to a small pink circle projected by the overhead lights on the ice, and looked and me and told me it looked like an 'O'. I agreed. 

She started to slip a few times, but regained and was fine.

I was so amazed and proud of her! She did awesome, and I can't help but brag about it! 

I should probably confess at this point that my own past endeavors in ice skating are not as inspiring. I had tried ice skating by taking a lesson long time ago. But I had had a couple of bad falls and landed on my elbows. The evening ended in the ER and both elbows being in a cast - one for 1 week and the other for 4-5 weeks. I never stepped on the rink again. Today when I saw other kids possibly first timers get in on the skating rink with trepidation but egged on by their parents who were on the rink, wearing their skates, right behind them; I felt a tad sad.

I had told the little girl before we got into the rink to not be scared and be brave- not give up, even if she falls. And indeed our first skating rink experience ended with her being the brave one, and her Mumma being the scared kitten. I guess I should look into getting some elbow pads for me.