Ballet Class

We had a ballet class at home on Sunday last. 

The little girl has been taking ballet lessons at her Montessori. Last week there was an email from their teacher detailing the dress code all the students will need to adhere to. We needed a proper ballet attire with a tutu, pink tights and pink shoes. It warranted a trip to a proper ballet store. 

The store was full of so many little dresses.. And they were all so divine! So pretty. In black and pink and purple and blue. Dresses with sequins, with net or embroidery. Or with small pink flowers! It was beautiful. I narrowed it to about 10 dresses with difficulty- dresses be tried out. When we got to the fitting room and tried the first dress (purple one) it was very cute indeed. 

Then it was a big struggle to remove this one to try the others.

Eventually we came back home with 2 dresses - purple and a black with pink tutu. 

Then, Sunday morning, the first order of the day was to wear the dresses. And once into the black dress with pink tutu, the little girl was now a ballerina. So she immediately became our ballet teacher who began with instructing us how to stand and where.

Stand here, properly. No, don't lean back. Come forward. Stand here.

(Once satisfied with the placement of the student).

Ok now do like this (a ballet pose), and now this(another).

Now let's sit down. Sit down. Cross cross apple sauce. 

Now do this( lean left), and now this ( lean right). Now do butterfly.

Now pull your leg straight. Now another.

Now let me switch on the music.

(She gets up and presses an embroidered button on a stuffed horse nearby- and music plays).

Now let's sit down again, property.

Ok.

Now get up.

Now touch the horse (?what?!)

Touch the horse, you too Mumma!(I realized I hadn't quite done it.)

Now jump ( we do a frog jump, and again).

...

I graduated from the class. But somewhere around "touch the horse" I wasn't sure if it were a ballet class anymore!

Carrot is my friend

Yesterday Miss Haana and I went to grocery shopping. As is the case with most grocery shoppings involving the little girl, it was long and fun. 

Even before we entered the store, she found a small baby cart which was just her size. The baby cart was taken on a ride everywhere in the store. Every aisle I went to, the baby cart came. Every aisle I picked up something from, the baby cart got it's share of action too. I gladly picked up several compliments from fellow shoppers who were giving my little girl "Oww so cute!" looks! 

Somewhere during our shopping expedition, we turned to the bread aisle. We got out bread fix loaded into the baby cart. And my next destination was to be the vegetables. So I asked the little girl- 

"Gugu, now let's go and get your friends."

I wondered if she will get my joke. 

For weeks or months or years I've been trying to get her to make friends with her vegetables. Her initial declaration was a blanket statement- "I don't like vegetables". But patient parental coersion brings her to be somewhat amicable- to some of them on some days. Carrots are on the good list but still need persuasion.

She paused for a moment and instead of guessing I meant we should go and get vegetables next; she asked "Mumma would we go and get carrots now?"

Now if carrots could hear, they would be so happy they're in the good books right now!

Now I wouldn't go too deep into my twisted world where I'm essentially implying vegetables are your friends and then you eat them!!! :-( I just want them to be together. 

Grocery Shopping

Miss Haana and I made a trip to the grocery store yesterday. I usually am not the one doing the groceries. But mostly if I'm going out somewhere it's with my little baby girl. I thoroughly enjoy our trips together - even to mundane places and places otherwise labelled as "chores"- with her, it all comes alive; with her it's different! 

So we were at the nearby grocers on Sunday afternoon; we got our fill of vegetables and milk. I ambled through an aisle that had Burt Bee's products. I like their colored lip balms (with shimmer;)) so I picked out 2 colors I haven't tried. As soon as I picked them out, the little girl (sitting on the shopping cart at this point) wanted to hold them. 

However the lip balm sticks were rigged. They had magnetic pulls that led them to fall to the floor every 30 seconds or so. All through the store for the next 30-45 minutes, I picked up the lip balms from the floor for 500 times or so. (Ok, maybe some exaggeration, but not by a lot!) I finally got tired of it when one time this little girl sitting cozy on the grocery cart dropped the lip balm and it rolled under the shelf and it of reach. We were way to the other side of the store (from where the lip balms were kept) and I was getting tired. I got mad, and told her I'm going to take it away now, and took the lip balm away. 

Attention and naughty energy was soon diverted to a pack of colorful rubber bands I had just picked out and put in the cart for making her pony tails (a recent fetish- both of ours'). Fearing the same fate as the lip balm for the rubber bands; I scolded her not to touch the bag. "If you touch it, I'm not going to get it!" I scolded. The little hand that was reaching out to the rubber and packet, stopped just short after that statement. It hesitated for a few moments, and then decided not to risk it, and was withdrawn.

A few minutes of relative peace and silence ensued. I got done with what I needed to fill my cart with and rolled to the checkout counters. Since a few minutes had passed, the little girl thought it's safe to start again. 

Conversation started with neutral topics. "See Minnie Mouse Mumma"

"Where Gugu?"

"There"

"Oh ya, Gugu! I see Minnie Mouse now!"

A couple more neutral sentences later, attention was diverted to the rubber bands again, "Mumma can I touch it now?"

Seeing the humor in the situation now that I'd cooled off, I say yes (why not)!

Next statement? 

"Mumma can I pick it up"

Something tells me that was the plan from the beginning. <3