After months and months of my daughter mentioning dance and throwing hints that weren’t so subtle, I’ve decided to bite the bullet and sign her up for dance classes. I waited as long as I did because I wanted to be sure that she was sure. Dance classes and troupes are VERY expensive and I didn’t want my money to go to waste. But it happened all in good timing because right as I was looking into this studio, her old dance teacher reached out to me to tell me that she had relocated and it was the exact same studio I was looking at.
We’re just getting home from her lesson along with a parent meeting. Last week was her first full lesson. She enjoyed the two hours that she spent learning new techniques; and to be honest, I enjoyed the two hours that I got to spend by my lonesome since parents aren’t allowed to attend the sessions. It also allowed me time to think about how organized I’ll have to be when the season really starts to pick up. My current planner is strictly for me — work, school, etc. So I wanted to get her activities separate from mine because OCD.
I did a haul a few weeks ago and took advantage of the clearance section at Office Depot for their school supplies. I picked up a few cute folders and a binder that I’ll use to get all of her material pertaining to her extra-curriculars inside. The folders were priced at 2/$3 and the binder was marked down to $3.
At the beginning of the year, I designed and organized my own planner but decided to resort to something smaller and more lightweight. The gold folders will be cut in half and used as dividers. I plan on using the templates I created and keeping it as simple and straight to the point as possible to keep it lightweight — annual calendar for important program dates, monthly calendar pages, tuition receipts to keep up with payments, newsletters that are issued, fundraiser information, and that’s it. I. Swear.
Since my son doesn’t start his activities until mid-September/October, I have time to focus on my daughter’s binder while also getting a head start on his as well. I’m still out on the hunt for the perfect one, like I felt this binder was perfect for my daughter.
Nevertheless, I can’t wait to be the mom with the chair and the cooler. LOL!
Marie
September 12, 2015 at 2:04 pmHow cute is she!
I kno all about how expensive being a dance mom can be. I’m a dance mom of two and they want to do EVERYTHING. Every competition every event. But as long as you stay organized you wont drive yourself insane. And Im sure babygirl is loving it right now.
Rae
September 13, 2015 at 8:14 pmThanks Marie! And yes, she is loving it and is excited about the events that she has coming up.
Shannon
September 13, 2015 at 4:20 pmShe’s so cute!
I still haven’t gotten it together with being fully organized. I’m so busy that things often slip my mind, even just remembering to look through my organizer sometimes. It seems like the older I get, the worse I become at being organized. I have to admit that I definitely have things more in order than I did in the past. It’s still not enough, though.
Rae
September 14, 2015 at 2:53 pmSometimes I still have my days, but I can say that they are getting fewer and fewer. Keep at it — you’ll eventually get that momentum going and you’ll have a system that works for you.
Mia
September 13, 2015 at 7:30 pmAwww she’s so adorable!
You have me ready to make a trip to office depot, those are so cute. I’ve never been good at planning or staying organized but I’m sure when my little one gets older and wanting to start activities I will have to follow your lead. I would love if you share your secrets in a blog post about how you organize and plan for yourself and then your beautiful kids. 🙂 I’ve tried post its, a journal, etc but nothing works. I end up storing them in a drawer in my bedroom and never using them so any little tips will help.
Rae
September 13, 2015 at 8:14 pmTrust me, you’ll get the hang of it. I wasn’t always this organized.. well, I was and was told I was going overboard. Then I decided to try and play things by ear more and I saw how much stress it brought onto my life. Certain things you can play by ear and some you just can’t.
I plan on doing another post when my skills are really put to the test when my son starts football. Actually planned on doing a series. But for now, you can read the post on how I organize and plan for my work day here: http://est1987.net/2015/08/methods-madness-work-life-balance/
Mimi
September 14, 2015 at 2:27 pmGirl. Addison started dance in July and she is enjoying it but just one more thing on my to do list. I said I was going to do a post on keeping track of school work and extra curricular because it is so much with two kids and your own stuff. Cute bag, where did you get it. Still haven’t gotten Addison an official one
Rae
September 14, 2015 at 2:48 pmI’m sure she is! And yes, please do that post. All suggestions are needed and appreciated. Because of you, I’m planning their homework/gameroom as we speak. Don’t ask me if I’ve started cleaning and organizing the room yet tho.
They don’t know how much is done behind the scenes, but I’m sure they definitely appreciate it. My daughter has had this bag for a long time. I think it’s a barbie bag that my Mom found at a thrift store some years back. She treasures it. I’m still working on getting a dance mom bag for myself.
Kim
September 16, 2015 at 4:58 pmDance can be expensive. My girls started at 2 and 3. It was great but they closed the business down a few years later. I hope she does well and I hope she enjoys.
Rae
September 20, 2015 at 1:50 pmYes, it’s definitely expensive. I’ve already made it clear that she will not be able to participate and do EVERYTHING with the group like battle comps, etc. We’re in a first year, so she’s just working on the basic techniques. I did allow her to participate in my university’s homecoming parade. We’re both excited!