Vulnerability

I started this blog 10 years ago.
Hannah was two years old and in the stage of temper tantrums and terrible two's.
I was pregnant with Claire and thought blogging might be a fun way to document life.
An outlet for me to write about motherhood and also journal the memories and moments that I didn't want to forget.
I had no idea what blogging would become for me over the next several years to follow.

Blogging reminded me how much I love to write.
Through blogging, I discovered a new love and hobby for photography. I discovered an outlet and a purpose for myself during a time when motherhood was all consuming.
I made some amazing friendships and connections with people that I had no idea would even be possible. I've made lifelong friends through this old blog and when it first began I was certain that the only person reading would be my mother.
She might be the only person reading now, but that's ok.

I stepped away from the blog for some reason.
I told myself that life was getting too busy.
The girls were getting older and there just wasn't time to blog.
I think the truth was more like this; life got messy, and busy too. But rather than continue to share, I shut down.

There wasn't one thing that happened. It was just life. As it happens to all of us. It's not always pretty and sometimes it's hard.

I just read Brené Brown's book, Daring Greatly.
My book club chose it for this month's book and I can't wait to discuss it because it is so profoundly honest and truthful with so many wonderful nuggets of wisdom that will stay with me forever.

In the beginning, Brené talks about vulnerability and shame and what defines the two. She mentions a study done in the US on conformity to feminine norms that listed the important attributes associated with "being feminine". They were listed as "being nice, pursuing a thin body ideal, showing modesty by not calling attention to one's talents or abilities, being domestic, caring for children, investing in a romantic relationship, keeping sexual intimacy contained within one committed relationship, and using our resources to invest in our appearance." 

Brené sums this up by saying this: "Basically, we have to be willing to stay as small, sweet, and quiet as possible, and use our time and our talent to look pretty. Our dreams, ambitions, and gifts are unimportant."

As I read Daring Greatly, I realized that this is exactly what I had started to do. I wasn't blogging because the girls got older and life got busy. I was staying quiet because it fits into the "box" of social norm.

I am not the same person I was when I first started to blog 10 years ago. I've glanced back through some of my old posts and they make me cringe because of what I wrote or what I said. We all grow and change and evolve as time goes on and that's just part of the journey. It is my goal to continue to grow and I am grateful for the process.

When I was hired as a Styling Lead for Stitch Fix in 2017, I was in San Francisco for one of many training sessions at HQ, and Margo Wheeler, one of the company's leaders, said that "Growth doesn't feel all nice and pretty; it's sweaty." That could not be more true. Especially for me in that moment as I sat there in a room full of leaders, wondering if I really belonged there too. I am one of those sweaty people anyways without experiencing growth. Every time I watch a suspenseful moment on tv my hands break out in a full-on sweat. Applying for this role at Stitch Fix was one of the scariest things I'd done in a long time because I knew that I was opening myself up to vulnerability. I knew that I was going to work so hard to try to get the role and spend so much time applying for the role and that by applying, I was exposing myself to the hurt and the vulnerability that I might experience if I didn't get it. And that's exactly how it works. Vulnerability is scary. It exposes us. And it makes us realize that we might be a lot safer if we just stay small and fit into that box of feminine norms.

I could write more on all of the growth and many lessons I learned while I was on the leadership team for Stitch Fix but that is for another day.

This post is more to say that one of the things I have learned, from Stitch Fix, and from Brené Brown's book Daring Greatly, and just from life, is that if we aren't willing to open ourselves up and be vulnerable from time to time, we might miss out on some of the greatest experiences of our lives because we chose to stay small and to fit inside that box.

Last month when I discovered that Claire had lice, I freaked out.
Remember how I said I get sweaty?
I'm talking sweaty hands and pits, my heart was beating a mile a minute, my hands were literally shaking, I was PANICKING, and scared to death that #1, these things were on her head, and #2, that I was going to have to take care of this, and if I'm being honest, #3, that I would catch lice from her myself.
I'm getting sweaty again just thinking about that day.
But here's the thing, once we face our fears and deal with the thing that scares us, you learn, you grow, and guess what?

It's not so scary anymore.

That is exactly what happened with the lice.
I mean, yes, lice are gross disgusting parasites and I hope I never see one again for the rest of my life!
But once I learned more about them, their life cycle, how they work, how they are spread, and how to treat them, it was no longer this big scary thing.
It was just lice.
We handled it.
And thankfully we all survived.

I knew lice is a common thing among elementary school-aged kids.
What I didn't know, was how many of my friends have experienced this same thing with their kids and even themselves.
What I didn't know was how many people would share their story with me once I shared mine with them.

Of course, I was scared to share. I was scared to admit that it happened to my daughter for fear of what others might think.

Why? Why do we do that to ourselves? 

Brené talks about how vulnerability is the first thing we look for to connect with someone else but it's the last thing we are willing to share. Here is what she said: "The difficult thing is that vulnerability is the first thing I look for in you and the last thing I'm willing to show you. In you, it's courage and daring. In me, it's weakness."  Of course, it's not really a weakness, but fear makes us believe that it is.

I decided to share about Claire having lice because I knew it wasn't something to be shameful or embarrassed about. It's just a thing that happens and you take care of it. We are lucky to live in a country where we can take care of it. I am thankful that we have the resources and ability to resolve something as trivial as lice. It's been taken care of and I've spent a ridiculous amount of money on shampoos, sprays, and essential oils to now use as preventative measures to ensure we never deal with this again. I might have also made a few purchases for myself and told Mr. Hass it was my lice removal fee. Ha! A girl's got to get some sort of reward after dealing with that mess right? 

I was pretty surprised by all of the comments and messages I got from people who have experienced the same thing. So many people were willing to share their experience with me and I thank you for that. If I had not allowed myself to be vulnerable and as Brené Brown says, to dare greatly, I might never have heard from so many of you who were willing to open up to me about this too. Thank you for sharing with me and for helping me to realize that our vulnerabilities are what help us to connect.

Vulnerability is one of the many threads that connect all of us to each other. We are all human. We all experience fear and vulnerability at some point. Most of us are afraid of the same things. But we don't talk about it. We stay quiet. As women, we stay inside that box of feminine norms to not be seen or to only be seen in the way we think we are supposed to instead of showing up as ourselves. 

I've also been a little sad that because I was willing to be vulnerable about lice, Claire has had a few hurtful comments that have come her way. A few kids have told her that they are not allowed to be her friend until her lice are gone. That painful truth right there is enough to make me wish I stayed small and quiet and didn't risk my and her vulnerability to share about this experience. 

Although, now I see, that even though Claire had to hear those things at school, it's also been an opportunity of growth for her as well. We've had a lot of family talks about vulnerability, and fear, and kindness. 

People will always be afraid of what they don't know. I was so afraid of lice. I was scared to death of lice. But now? Well, I've learned that while disgusting, they can't jump, they can't fly, they're common, yes, but you can't catch them by looking at someone who has them, or by touching their pencil at school, or by being their friend. 

Sometimes we have to face our fears, be vulnerable, get sweaty, and grow. 

When was the last time you allowed yourself to be vulnerable? Maybe today is your day. 

Back In The Saddle

Hello! 

It's been almost 3 years since I've blogged.

I've missed it. 

I am learning that life is flying by me at a rapid pace.

The older the girls get, the faster it goes.

So here I am. 

I am jumping back in the saddle.

Or, sitting back down at the keyboard, or whatever,  but you get my drift. So yes, back in the saddle! 

I've been waking up in the night writing full blog posts in my head. 

I got a massage a couple of weeks ago, and do you know what I did the whole time? 

Relaxed and fell asleep?

Nope. No, I wrote 4 blog posts in my head so I wouldn't forget some of the stories I want to remember. 

If that's not a sign telling me to blog again I don't know what is. 

I am jumping in today with just a quick hello and I will be back to sharing Hass House happenings and other news on the regular so get excited! 

This last summer was fun and the older I get, the more I understand that the days are long but the years are short. Summer days felt longer than they do now during the school year, but either way, the years feel way too short. 

Mr. Hass turned 40 this summer and we celebrated in Big Bear with family and friends. We also celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary in July. We went to Temecula for some wine tasting and ate dinner at Ponte. 

These two seem to have grown and changed just since the start of the school year already. Hannah will be 12 in two weeks and Claire turns 10 a week after. They used to play with legos and spend hours playing outside. Now their days are filled with school, homework, and softball practice and games. The little one wants to make slime, watch YouTube videos and spend her chore money on anything with a unicorn/glitter on it while the older one wants to play Minecraft, redecorate her room and learn how to apply makeup. 

Each week it seems like we are stepping into new and uncharted territory as parents that we aren't completely sure how to navigate. It makes me want to write. It makes me want to share my experiences and hopefully be able to connect with others through them. So that's what I plan to do. Stick around, I hope you'll join me on the journey!

And before I go today, a few pics and random things from last weekend. You know I love to write about the randoms. 

Last weekend we packed up the Prius and drove to Mesa, Arizona to visit with Diane, my mother in law. She recently moved into a new place and we went to visit and help her hang some pictures on the walls and get settled in. 

On the way there and back we listened to multiple episodes of a new to me podcast by Lewis Howes. 

He interviews some of the world's most brilliant business minds, athletes and influential people to find out what makes them great and how you can apply their lessons to your life. We just bought his book and I can't wait to read it. If you are interested, check out his 5-minute Friday podcasts, they're short sweet and to the point. After a couple of those, I was hooked! Hannah really liked this one too. 

One of the episodes we listened to was an interview with Kobe Bryant. It was super inspiring and I had no idea about his passion for storytelling. I love to read and write and I love how powerful and inspiring stories can be. He wanted to tell stories that relay important messages that he wanted to teach his kids without sounding redundant and he was inspired to come up with the podcast called The Punies with a cast of unique characters to share his stories. Each short story teaches an important lesson in a fun and entertaining way.

So, of course, I immediately subscribed to the podcast and we listened to several during our road trip. They range from about 14 - 17 minutes and they're perfect for kids! 

After discovering how much we all liked The Punies, I googled the top 10 podcasts for kids and found the Dream Big podcast by Eva Karpman. This 9-year-old little girl is so well spoken and wise for her age. She has several episodes and they are all such great life lessons that inspired all of us. We listened to lessons on learning how to go with the flow, how to deal with haters, what to do when a friend lies to you, what to do when you get angry, and a good one about the famous Zig Ziglar quote: "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." One of my favorites was the interview she does with Simon Sinek. Let me know if you check them out! 

This last weekend, I also learned something else that I am still in disbelief over. 

Are you ready to hear what it is?

Hannah's legs are longer than mine!

Yup.

You heard me.

My soon to be 12-year-old daughter's legs are longer than mine. 

I am 5'9 and Mr. H is 6'4, so it's no surprise that she is tall. 

I guess I just wasn't prepared for her to pass me up just yet. 

I've still got a couple inches on her, but not for long.

I just don't even know how to wrap my head around it. 

I guess I can always buy some new wedges. Haha. 

That's all I got!
Be back soon.
Xo,
Genn

What's Up With Those Hasses...

Well hello there!

Looooong time no bloggy blog.

I've missed it.

And the idea of trying to pick up where I left off is a daunting task.

So how bout I just jump right in with recent random haps and we see how that goes huh?

First let me ask, is it Hass', as in What's Up With Those Hasses? Or is it Hass's?  Or is it Hasses?  That darn "s" at the end really throws me.  Be glad those of you whose last name does not end in "S"!

Okay, moving on.

 You do remember me right?
And Mr. Hass?  I know it's been a while so I'm just making sure. ;)
This picture was in the parking lot at Panera before an impromptu Wednesday lunch date.  I had a slow day at work and whaaaat, the opportunity for us to have lunch sans kids never happens so it had to be documented!

I'm not sure I even remember how to pull together a blog post so let's just go with random shall we?

 The winterball softball season is coming to a close for the girls.  This is Hannah's second season and Claire's very first!  We wound up having them both on the same team and it was so much fun to watch them play!  Claire was so timid at first, but I think she really enjoyed being on the same team as Hannah and she has learned so much!  They've had some awesome coaches this season and it's been a fun experience.

 This was on Halloween.  Their team is The Great Whites and the Coach dressed up like a shark (I think it was more his wife's idea but the girls loved it). 

 Later on Halloween night Noah came over to trick or treat with the girls.  

 Just waiting for go time.

 I love this picture of Mr. Hass.

 I was at work and he text me this picture one morning.  The poor guy has been dealing with some really awful bone spurs on his heels and has not been able to run for several weeks.  It was really getting him down but he's recently been able to ride his mountain bike a little bit after a cortisone injection to aid his recovery.  

 One week after Halloween Hannah turned 9.
Nine!
9?!?
Nine.

 I know all parents say it, but I simply can't believe it.  Nine just sounds so old, and so close to ten, which sounds SO old, and so close to teenage years!!!  And then of course that makes you ask yourself, "Have I really been a parent for Nine years now?!?!"  And then your parents laugh at you because they ask themselves the same thing, only their oldest is 35 now, so wow, yeah, I get it now. It really does go by that fast.

I started this book a couple days ago.  So far I think it's going to be a great read.  There's something about these next few years that makes me nervous.  Hoping to gain some insight in this book.  

On the Friday before her birthday Hannah came home with a card that each of her classmates had made.  They were all so sweet but this one in particular immediately brought tears to my eyes.  It was so sweet, and so spot on about Hannah.  She is always so happy and radiates such joy that I loved reading this from one of her peers. So so sweet.

I am helping out in the girls classrooms every other Friday and they just seem so grown up to me this year.  Claire has really grown since Kindergarten, and Hannah too.  They've both grown more than an inch in height since school started this year!!  Walking into the third grade classroom it is just so crazy to realize how old these kids are getting.  Hannah seems especially older to me this year.  That jump from second grade to third is a big one!!!

Hannah started the Harry Potter series this year.  I've never read them before so I told her I would read them with her, but she is reading them so darn fast that I cannot keep up!!!  She is halfway through the 5th book!  They are huge books too and she has been earning lots of AR (advanced reading) points for them in school.  Each 3rd grade students goal for AR points for the year is 40 and Hannah now has 97 after taking the comprehension test for the last Harry Potter book that she read.  She found out she will be receiving a special AR trophy and last Friday the principal took her picture in the library holding all of the HP books she's read so far and her picture will be going inside the school trophy case in the office.  She was thrilled.

A friend recently told me about Jen Hatmaker's fabulous book For The Love.

It was hilariously funny and so raw and honest about life and parenting and motherhood and fashion and finding grace.  A great read.

I've recently become obsessed with something that I feel the need to tell you about.
I'm usually not one to watch a ton of tv.  I mean, we have our shows but lots of times I would rather read than watch a show.
But this show... oh this show...

I'm obsessed.  I never watched it when it was on years ago.  I think I was in that in between age of having an interest, a little bit older than Rory, but not quite old enough to relate to Laureli.  But now I just want to move to Stars Hollow and become bff's with Laureli Gilmore and have Rory babysit and be a role model for my girls and drink coffee and hang out in Luke's diner... soooo yeah, I'm obsessed.  Good thing I'm only on season two and I've got hundreds of episodes left to watch!

I chopped my hair off sometime after my last blog post.  It was fun and I like change but now it's growing back out.  I'm happy to report that I can now sport a baby pony.  And now that I am going to try to make an effort to blog a bit more maybe I'll even bring back a What I Wore Wednesday post here and there...

I shared this photo on instagram today saying "Today has just been one of those days... woke up feeling rested, had time to braid both girls hair, yoga was awesome, dinner's in the crockpot, it's sunny and only 65 (hello Fall wardrobe!) birthday gifts are wrapped for the big 7 year old tomorrow, and I might even blog today!  I said might..."  

Well I did it!  I blogged!  What an accomplishment.

It was no small task let me tell you.  I started this post after dinner while Mr. H was helping girls finish up some homework, and if only you could have heard a soundtrack to this evening, or seen how many times I almost threw in the towel on this post, went upstairs to shower and called it a night!  When the girls were little it was so easy to blog when they were napping and I was home. Now when they are in school I am either running errands, trying to get a workout in and dinner planned and a shower done, or I'm at work, and once they get home from school it's a whirlwind. Everyday.  But I miss documenting the days and I miss having a place to share my thoughts so that one day my girls can look back at this blog and recall some of these memories, and to also have a glimpse as to what their mother was like when they were young.  

So I will try to be back.

Soon.

Or soon'ish. ;)

12 Totally Random Things

It's been awhile since I threw together a totally random post.
So here it is comin' right at ya...


Random thing #1
I discovered the greatest lip color/moiturizer for busy moms.
Who has time to apply lipliner AND lipstick these days right?
These color sticks by Revlon are the best thing!! They provide some color, without be drying at all. Actually they are pretty moisturizing and feel smooth and not sticky when on.

 I wasn't too sure what colors to choose, but for fear of the darker ones being too dark, I went with these two.  The pink one is 001 Honey, and the coral colored on is 035 Charm.  I love them both!
I found em at Target for $7.  Not bad eh?!

Random thing #2
I was supposed to have a friend highlight and cut my hair a few weeks ago and I couldn't make the appt work out.  So I took matters into my own hands and threw some foils in at home.
I color my own roots every 3 weeks because I am so grey, but have yet to attempt a weave on my own head...until now!

The highlights are very thin and toned down so you can't really see them in my selfie.  ;) 

Random thing #3
Hannah and Claire have now both earned their 100 Mile Club t shirts for running 25 miles so far this year.
Sounds like a lot right?  I think so.  And it's crazy that there are some kids who go to so many of these 100 Mile Club events and have WAY more miles than that already.  It's crazy.  We try to go as often as we can and not stress about it.  

 And now that they both have their blue shirts they don't seem too interested anymore.  Ha.  Figures.  

Random thing #4
The girls are still in dance but not for long.

 They are enjoying it, but I'm not thrilled with the studio so far.  I'm thinking they can finish this month and then we will take a break through December until soccer starts up again.

 Tuesday mornings at 7am is usually when we go run at 100 Mile Club, and Tuesdays after school they have dance.  So it's a long day and with the holiday season upon us, I think it will be good not to overdo it.

 You should be a fly on the wall in my house on Tuesday night before bedtime.
Oh the drama.
Oh the tears.
Oh the fighting that ensues.
Oh the number of times I stay in the kitchen cleaning up with my headphones on and my music turned up as loud as it goes, trying to pretend that I can't hear any of it.

Random thing #5
A random picture of a bento box.
This one isn't too exciting.
Looks like a turkey sandwhich, pomegranate seeds, some sliced pear, and bunny crackers.

Random thing #6
I'm really diggin' my new highlights.
This selfie was before a very long work day recently.

Random thing #7
This is about as put together as I can force myself to look on Thursdays, after I get home so late from my crazy busy work Wednesdays.

Random thing #8
The Boise State flag is shining brightly in all it's orange glory on our front porch.

Random thing #9
I discovered THE BEST and EASIEST chai tea recipe on Pinterest!!!!

 Here's the link.  I couldn't beleive how simple it is!!!

Random thing #10
I bought these light colored camo pants on sale from The Gap months ago, and finally felt brave enough to wear them.

Random thing #10
I took the girls to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 a while back one Saturday while Mr. H was working, and our power was shut off from 8am-4pm for some Edison thing.

 The good news is we had fun.  The bad news is, the movie was bad.
I thought it was super boring.  They seemed to enjoy it just fine.

Random thing #11
We had friends over for dinner a couple weekends ago.
I made PW's lasagna.
You can't go wrong with that.
It was a crowd pleaser.

 I meant to get more pics of our fun night, but there was a pumpkin painting contest for the littles, and let's just say that kept my hands pretty full with no time to grab the camera.  But we had fun.

Random thing #12
I love watching the girls talk to each other over their homework while I am in the kitchen working on dinner.

Also, can you see my new curtains in the pic?  They were just a cream colored panel I bought at that fancy French connection we all love so much, Le Target, but the panels did not hit the floor.  So I bought a darker panel and had them added on for length.  I was very pleased!


Well, I told you.
12 totally random things.
;)

Catching Up With What's New in the Hass House...

Man has life been busy around here!!!
Is anybody even out there waiting around for me to update this old blog anymore???

When my girls were both babies, and toddlers, I can remember wondering if my days would always be like they were, and if things were every going to change.  You know I love them both to death, but you know what I mean, the monotony of a mother's day can be so long, tiring, and thankless.  I used to think that perhaps when they both went to school for a few hours in the day I might have more time to myself.

Ha.  Ha.  Ha.  
Well, in some ways I guess,  yes I do have a couple hours in the morning.  But do you know how fast that time goes?!
And Wednesdays I am at work, and Fridays I am helping in both girls classrooms until Claire gets out of TK.  So really that leaves me three days from 8-11am of free time.  
And most days I seem to spend it running here and there so fast trying to get all of my errands and housework done, moving at whirlwind speed.
And then it's time to pick up Claire.
We come home, we eat lunch.
I clean up lunch.
And about one hour later it's time to get Hannah.
And then the whirlwind speed continues with homework, and sports and dance and daisy scouts and dinner and clean up and showers and time to pack lunches for the next day...until it is finally time for me to sit on the couch with Mr. H and maybe stay awake long enough to watch an episode of Breaking Bad or Homeland.

I'm not complaining, I'm just saying.
Tis the season of our lives, and I am a little afraid for how much busier it may become.
Free time has been hard to find, and when I do have it I don't always choose to blog.
But I do want to keep up this blog.
Plus I think it helps to improve my long term memory so I'll keep at it.

Here's some pics and randomness of what's been happening around here...
walking to school...

100 Mile Club afternoon runs at Dos Lagos...

Last month we all went to the 100 Mile Club Family Night at school.  They had Jamba Juice there, and the girls got to meet the school mascot, the Orange Bengal. 

 They also got free sunglasses for being first to arrive.

More walks to school...

6am sure does roll around so fast!!!

I try to remember to take a pic of the girls bento boxed lunches...  

I bought the new Weelicious Lunches cookbook and have gotten SO many great ideas from it.  And not just lunch ideas, but dinner too.  I'm so glad I came across her first Weelicious book randomly at Barnes N Noble one day.  Her books have been so helpful with ideas and easy meals to feed my fam.

Vino in the tub... because it's good, and because I can. ;)

The girls have been begging to sign up for dance classes lately.
All Claire talks about is becoming a ballerina, and Hannah says she wants to learn some hip hop moves.
So I did some research, and got them signed up at a non competition studio near us.

The first day Claire seemed like such a natural!

I didn't get to see much of Hannah's class because they shut the blinds once they began working on their Christmas routine.  We signed up too late for that so the girls aren't actually performing in it, but they don't seem to mind.

Claire's teacher reminds me of Taylor Swift.  She's so cute.

Today will be their third week and so far they still love it.

This is a few of the moms with kids in Claire's class that I have gotten to know this year.  She has really lucked out and has such a great group of kids in her class.  There are 6 of us who have been having playdates after school and gotten to know each other a bit.  
A few weekends ago my fam had dinner at one of the girls houses with one other family and we had such a fun time.  

We all bring snacks and drinks for the playdates and this group of kids all plays so nicely together.  

One of the girls is married to a brew master! He started home brewing a couple years ago and has really gotten into it.  He's got an amazing set up in his garage complete with a dishwasher for sterilizing his bottles, and he even grows his own hops.  He makes his own label, and the night we had dinner together he brought several of his brews for everybody to try.  His coconut porter is seriously one of the best beers I've ever had.  Maybe he'll teach Mr. Hass his secrets.  :)

One of Claire's friends from school invited the girls to a great birthday party a couple weekends ago.

They had a huge water slide, and lunch was served.  But that wasn't even the big attraction... it was the reptile guy that came and shared all of his slithery friends.  The kids LOVED it! And so did all the parents! It was a fun party for all.

Are you cringing yet? ;)
I couldn't believe the size of that yellow snake.
Ca-reeeeeeee-py!
And there's Hannah having a blast holding it!
She loved getting to hold ALL the snakes!!!
I could not believe it.

Claire was not quite so hands on with the slithery fellas.  But she sure seemed to enjoy it none the less!

I think this big crocodile looking one freaked me out the most!
It was fast!!!

Ok and the tarantula.
Yeah, the tarantula freaked me out quite a bit too.
Not Hannah.

What a fun time we all had at the party though!
Then it was time to run home, grab some In-N-Out for dinner, freshen up, and then I picked up the babysitter so Mr. H and I could go see a movie.
I can't even remember our last date before that.
Life has just been so busy with the girls lately, and often times the sitter isn't free when we want to go out, and some nights I don't think I can stand to stay home and sit on my couch for one more Saturday night.
So even though Mr. H had worked the 6am-3 shift that day, and then came straight to a birthday party to meet me and the girls, and we were both yawning and so tired from the day, we still jumped at the chance to get out together.

And the poor guy even had to be at work at 6am the next morning.  We saw The Butler.  Both of us enjoyed it.

Selfie in the car on the way to dance last week...

Mr. H had to leave work early that day and meet me at the dance studio so that I could leave and go straight to Girl Scout Leadership Training.

It was supposed to be from 5-8pm, and it went until 9pm!

And we had a 3 page test at the end of class!

But now it's done with and I learned a lot about Girl Scouts.

During training I kept giggling to myself every time I thought of Shelley Long in the movie Troop Beverly Hills.  The instructor talked a bit about the Girl Scout "camporee" (a two night camp excursion) and all I could think about was when Phyllis Nefler (Shelley Long) checks her troop into The Hilton hotel after attempting to camp and gets caught by the Wilderness Girls head honchos.  They say to her something about you think this is "roughing it", and she replies how sharing a bathroom with NINE people IS roughing it!  Oh, it kills me.  

I am now the co-leader of Hannah's troop and plan on being a leader of Claire's troop next year when she starts Kinder.  

The following night I was at work from 9-9.  It was a busy week!

This last Saturday I worked the first half of the day, and later some of Hannah's Daisy troop met up at Cooking 101 for a cooking class.

 It was such a cute sight to see!!!

 The girls seemed to really enjoy it too.
They learned to slice and dice pretty well.
They had to slice up pears for a dessert that they made.
And then they chopped carrots, onions, parsley, and garlic to go into their chicken fried rice.

 (I shared this photo on instagram and commented about the six pack photo bombing in the background.  haha.  That's a nutritional store behind Cooking 101 and it was on the window.)

 They cracked and scrambled their own eggs,
and this was the finished product...!

 And it was mighty tasty!

 The girls were all funny and hesitant to eat it, but once they did they scarfed it right down!

Such a fun outing!!!
Tomorrow Mr. H is taking the girls to meet up with the troop at a local pumpkin patch and corn maze.  I'm so bummed to be missing it but I'll be at work.

Last Sunday we went exploring in Oak Glen.
And as soon as I get the chance I'll share some pics from the day.
Until then, here's one of my little Clairey Beary and her binos.  :)