A Taste of Gold

Our little gymnast.

This morning was Khloe's first competition for Women's Artistic Gymnastic, Compulsory A, Age 9, Level 2 . She exceeded expectations. She blew us away. She was incredible. Today is one for the books. 

She started this gymnastics journey with no clue of what a competitive world is like. All she know is that she loves gymnastics. She started at 4y.o. for a Spring and Summer session with Club Jump (Recreational gymnastics only). Just for a try. She was excited then, because that year, they don't offer Acro Class for her age, at her dance school. Gymnastics captured her heart. However, she chose to take ballet and acro for Fall. So gymnastics was pushed again for every Spring and Summer. 

Then, Gymnastics Energy, a club for both recreational and competitive gymnastics, moved closer to the heart of the city. This was in 2016, when Khloe was 7 y.o. I've been wanting to register Khloe here because of good feedback, especially with training. I wanna see how far Khloe will go. 

So Spring of 2016, she started in Gymnastics Energy. After her first session with Sr. Rec. Girls, she was advised to do the Summer Session to prepare for a test, so as to be considered for Mini Stars/Interclub, their feeder program for competitive gymnastics. Khloe took the Summer Session, and did the test. Just like that, she was asked to register for Mini-Stars (a younger group for 4-6y.o., as her skills are not as strong enough for Interclub). She started the Fall with Mini-Stars, and come October, she got invited to train for Pre-Comp as part of the ODP (Ontario Development Program) come November.

It was whirlwind. I was hesitant at first, because being part of the competitive program is double the hours of a recreational, and double the cost as well. It also involves parent-volunteer hours and fundraising campaign. We have to think twice. Khloe was nervous, too. The thought of competition scared the heck out of her. But it is such a sweet invitation. Khloe was so proud of herself to be invited, given that she's only been  with the club for 6 months. 

November 2016 started the whole parade of crazy schedules that left our lives up side down. The fact that she is not a strong athlete yet, and training so late, the first competition coming January 2017 is like a storm looming. But Khloe, the trooper that she is, trained like a pro, molded her skinny built into this rigorous world of gymnastics. 

Come January 2017 competition, ODP level, and she surprised us with an All-around Silver. Second competition gave her another Silver for All-around, and her 3rd competition finally landed her with an All-around Gold. This is depite preparing for a recital for Ballet and Acro, which happened two days before her last competition. 

And just because Khloe is into the competitive world, her outlook in life changed. NOPE. She still still the same Khloe. She even added swimming into our crazy schedule. She even managed to get the most coveted academic award in school year end -- Literacy Award for her grade. This is a back-to-back award for her every year end. She still managed to maintain her straight As. 

So as a treat, we had a weekend-getaway to the Big Apple, New York City. This is our treat for her, as she added the Eye of the Tiger Award for the Yearend Banquet of Gymnastics Energy on the top of her academic award. 

Only to come back for another 4 weeks of Compulsory Gymnastics Camp for the Summer. No rest there, indeed. But I think, once an athlete, always an athlete. The 2 extra weeks she rested away from training, which she filled with a STEM camp and a Robotics Camp. More brains, no training is NO good for a gymnast, that Khloe can't wait to be back for Fall. 

September 2017 Fall started.. and we ended up with this first competition today. No qualms, no expectations.. Khloe surprised us today with:

Gold - Vault

Gold - Beam

Bronze - Bars

7th - Floor 

Bronze - All-around!

Special Award - "Most Confident On Beam".

Totally surprised... it took us moments and back at home before it all sunk in. Our very own, Khloe Chantalle, got herself some GOLD!!

You gotta be kidding me? But surely those Gold Medals are real. 

We are so proud of this patootie.. and we are so happy to see that proud smile on her face. 

Aim high...hold on to your dreams.

That Podium, with no. 1 on it, was just once a dream for her. Today, she was on it..not once, but twice.

Can't be any prouder!

Every Princess Deserves A Bloom Or Two

As a supportive parent who wanna treasure every milestone our daughter passes through, I am that borderline-stagemom-wannabee, who strictly adheres to this specific recital/competition etiquette -- flowers/bouquet for my princess.

I always tell my husband, it is customary, it is important, it is a must! This is after going through series of competitions, with recital mixed into it, my better-half can't help himself but complain. Then I remind him again that it's our own little way of showing her how much we support her, that, we appreciate her efforts and her desire to do her best.

At one point I asked myself, "can we actually get away without one?" ( for her last competition, especially given the fact that we just gave her a bouquet for her recital the day before). Nope. I felt so guilty before the awarding, that I ended up buying a single rose.

What I learned though is that, although it may be okay to get away with it, but there are different ways where we can save a bit. Flowers are not cheap, but we can surely shop around or spin a DIY for a personal touch.

I am used to buying a bouquet for Khloe's every recital. This ranges from regular-dozen roses to a dozen of long-stemmed roses. I avoid the preppy-expensive flower shoppe. Like seriously, my little ballerina wouldn't know the difference. I would pre-order it at either Zehrs or Sobey's. Just let them know it's for a recital and they'll have it ready with that pink little bow and wrappings. With Sobey's, you can actually pick a bouquet of your choice and they'll arrange it for you. You can walk away with a beautiful bunch for less than $20.

On her first gymnastics competition, I decided to spin it into something smaller. I am not sure what's the general consensus, but I thought of getting a cute, smaller bouquet. Then Sobey's made me this:

Sans the balloon, it was less than $15. Khloe loves it... as it was just of right size. Her next competition 2 months after was out-of-town. We ran out of time evening prior, so we pulled over to the next personalized-cookie store. And this is what we came up with:

As it's a last minute thing, this cookie/gummybear bouquet is twice the amount of the one above. And nope, I am not gonna do that pulling-over splurging ever again.

For her first competition this year, I decided to put my personal touch on it. As this meet is one that we are hosting at our home-gym, cramming is out of the question. So I picked a bouquet of small roses and came up with this:

I threw in a cutie bear that says "I love you", and for the roses, I paid $9 for a bunch. The rest of the craft supplies came from my craft box.

I guess, what I am trying to share is that... making our little ones feeling loved and supported doesn't require lotssa $$$ from our card or wallet. These kids don't expect fancy flowers. All they wanna see is that proud look on our face, and that little reassurance that we are always there for them.

It's all in that little thought. Sometimes, even fake flowers can do the trick.

Gymnastics Competition: Getting Ready

Khloe's first gymnastics competition for this year is coming up. She moved up to Compulsory A/Women's Artistic Gymnastics Level 2 (Born 2009). Our experience from last years ODP (Ontario Development Program) armed us with enough ideas on how to prepare for this year's competition with less stress.

Having said that, here's a mom's point of thoughts on how parents/guardians of a newbie gymnast should take into consideration:

• Competition is 4-5 hours long. This is from registration, march-in, warm-up, competition proper, to awarding. Be prepared for those long hours (as spectator/supporter/no. 1 fan). Concessions are usually available, but you are welcome to bring your own food/drinks if you have enough time to prepare. 
• Be on the venue early. This would ensure a perfect spot for you to watch, and to prepare your gymnast and lessen their stress. As much as they look tough and ready, they still do have butterflies in their stomachs. (Some venues don't have enough room for spectators). It's a first come, first spot basis.
• Bring your bouquet or flower or stuff toys. There's always someone who sells at the sideline where the awarding will be held, in case you forgot. Your gymnast will appreciate it surely. 
• Make sure you packed their gym bag before leaving the house. Competition suit, scrunchie, training suit, socks, hockey tape, hair ties, hair spray, comb, snacks and water. Keep their hair as intact/tight as it could get. Between warm-ups and events, their hair could easily loosen up. Hair spray/gel/mousse is your bestfriend at this point. This needs to be all done before march-in. They have no time to fix it in between. I use this most of the time for Khloe's hair. It's a snap on bun.
  
• Bring cash to pay to watch. They usually have a family-of-4 rate. 
• Bring camera. They have official photographers (usually pre-arranged before comp proper). Still.. you are welcome to snap your own. 
• Cheer, support, enjoy and have fun! It's your gymnast's time to shine. They worked hard for this moment.

Me, Myself & I

💻

I am a proud mom of our princess, devoted wife to my husband, a part-time employee and full-time chauffeur for our daughter's activities. 

I love reading when I have a good-peaceful time, digi-scrapbooking when I am totally free from anything and my back won't bother me, and blogging when I feel like writing down my thoughts. 

However, for parental reasons, my ME-time got limited to a few, and slips out of my hand. 

But seeing our daughter happy makes up to everything. I am the proudest mom on earth, as I watch our daughter grow up to be a kind, respectful and God-fearing girl that she is. 

I hope to share my thoughts, ideas, beliefs and informative randomness that my brain strikes through, as I go through this beautiful journey of motherhood and marriage. 

To Live Each Day

2018: Revisiting The Old Me

This is the year when I will try keep it normal. For myself, and my little family. 

It's been a whirlwind of events, chaotic schedules, and a hoopla of activities for our 2017. At the end of the year -- I felt like I'm drowning in a sea of memories. 

So I promised myself, "I'll keep it normal this year!."

I'll start with this new blog. It is with hope that I can keep it together -- life, love; wishes, realities; the bad, the ugly; the truth, the lies.

I hope to be back to the old ME,

Living life each day like it's my last!