Have you ever been to a "First Friday" event? We have done a few in the surrounding cities, but this will be a first for us in our own beloved Canton, GA. The past ones included live bands playing on the square, free food samples from the local restaurants, bounce houses for the "littles", and extended hours for the local businesses (support local). It is always a family safe atmosphere, and our children always ask to go back. The events are always held on the first Friday of the month, hence the name, and are free to the public, and often, are themed, and have fun contests to participate and win prizes in.
This Friday, May 2, 2014, The "First Friday Canton" event begins at 6: 00 PM. Our very own STARS Drama group will be on hand to give out some yummy treats and to invite you to some of our upcoming shows at our new home, the historic Canton Theatre.
Coming up May 30th and 31st, we have a really moving Memorial Day tribute, "American Heroes," to honor those who have served and protected our country and the freedom we know today. (That is the reason we are making a TON of red, white and blue cupcakes.) Shay will be singing a patriotic song and sharing the history of it.
"AMERICAN HEROES" A TRIBUTE TO OUR MILITARY
Through Music and Song
Stars Drama Troupe - Tisha Gotte, Director
May 30 & 31 Tickets $10.00 and $12.00
Call 770-704-0755 for tickets
Also, the next family-friendly play we are producing is right along the lines of our weather… "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."
THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ
Follow the adventures of a young girl named Dorothy Gale in the Land of Oz, after being swept away from her Kansas farm home in a cyclone. The play is based on the novel written by Frank Baum. Come meet the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion as they help Dorothy fight off the Wicked Witch of the East and the good witch Glinda. Will the mysterious Wizard of Oz help Dorothy find her way home? Come see this popular heart-warming tale. All children will receive Coloring pictures of the popular characters and a program they can have signed by the entire cast. Photo sessions after each production will be offered with characters of the play.
June 21st two showings. Matinee 2:30 PM and 7:30 PM. June 22nd Matinee: 2:30 PM Ticket Price: 10.00 Children under 12 and Adults $12.00
Last summer we sent the children to acting camp with Tisha Gotte. We had no idea that a week of half-day camp was going to change our lives. We are so grateful for the opportunities it has allowed for our family, and for the development in our seven year olds life. Shay was a mature, bright, and shy child. She even tells people that she still is on the shy side, but she loves performing, and is incredibly confident to speak in front of an audience. The director, Tisha Gotte, has raised FIVE children of her own, and when your child is under her wing, you know without a shadow of a doubt, your child is safe, given the tools to develop their acting abilities, and adored. Ms. Tisha works hard to make sure that each child's character and God-given gifts are nurtured. Tisha works hard to incorporate actors of all levels in her plays, as well as children and adults with disabilities. When you attend a STARS Drama performance, you are guaranteed a cast and volunteer crew, including our director, that has worked as hard as they can to provided a wholesome, quality performance. Tisha regularly auditions and casts families (parents included!) into her productions.
Recently, STARS has moved it's acting classes, shows, and summer camp to the Canton Theatre. Shay has had a few rehearsals there in the past month, and each time she walks in, she is more excited than the time before. This opportunity to perform on a historic stage, with a "real" theatre feel, is more than she dreamed of. While she has been in rehearsals, I have had the pleasure of speaking with the theatre manager, Mr. Bob Seguin. Mr. Seguin has welcomed this diverse group into his "home," and that is no small feat considering he is sharing with us an opportunity to perform high quality shows in a really remarkable theatre that had its' beginnings in 1911, showing slides and silent movies.
Currently, there are a few spots available for the upcoming summer camps, which are divided by age, and finish the week with a special friends and family performance at the theatre on the Saturday following that week of camp. Camp is from 10:AM-4:PM this summer. Multiple children discounts available. *Besides acting, our children worked on the set, played silly games, and did a lot of crafts last summer. No telling what this summer has in store for them!
Sign up early for acting classes starting in the Fall. STARS Drama divides their classes into levels based on experience, and works hard to develop acting abilities so that your child, if they chose to, will be able to move on in their acting career. We are always sad to see part of our STARS family leave us, but know that each of these talented individuals will go far and we will see them again- maybe on the big screen! There is always room for more, and we would love to have you join our family.
Please share this post with those those around you feel might appreciate the information. Come join us for some yummy, free fun this coming Friday night at 6:PM in Downtown Canton
Apr 27, 2014
Adventures talks fifty shades of disgusting
The conversation is truly an ongoing, never ending, and disgusting. And yes, I am still talking birds, bees, and blood. Well, not entirely. Tonight, it was mucus. The cervical kind. Yup. I really went there.
Shay knocked on my bathroom door as I was undressing and getting into a shower. I had just put them to bed, and what better time to stall bedtime than AFTER I have just said "good night?" Yes, as I am about to get myself ready to relax. Through the door, she told me that she had to use my bathroom since Charlie was in theirs. (What the heck? I just had him go before prayers! Master of procrastination.) So, I said she could come in, and I pulled down my panties, pulled the panty liner out, and hopped into the shower. (Are you grossed out yet?) Well, Shay then asked why I use the sticky thing in my panties. She said, "Is it to catch the blood?" (See we have already done what I thought was the the hardest part. Oh, but wait. Just when you think you have hit the bottom, you find yourself still digging further down.)
Me- No. That is to catch the mucus.
Shay- From your nose?
Me- Well, not really. It's cervical mucus.
Shay- Oh.
*And here is where I felt I had honestly answered her question without dancing around it, and that just maybe there was hope that she was just going to drop it. Oh, but of course not. This is the inquisitive beauty that heard about the vaginal bleeding and kept on asking questions.
And here is how I explained it… and if you think you might get ill, now is the time to leave the page.
And here is where you might want to take notes in case your child wants to know about cervical mucus.
Me- You see, a few days a during the month, the days that G-d makes it so that a mommy's egg is available to the sperm that want to swim upstream, G-d made special food for the sperm to eat on the journey to the egg. It's like manna from heaven--- but not. It's really more like slime from the vagina, and really, that's all we need to talk about.
Shay- It's like science. Can we do a science experiment?
Me- With my cervical mucus?
Shay- Eww. No. Like, just a science experiment of some sort. We haven't done one in a while. But not with that stuff. That would be gross.
Me- You are so wise. And just for the record… I wasn't offering my cervical mucus up experimentation.
Shay- I know. Good night!
And that my friends, is how it's done. (Getting it done meaning getting your kids to go to bed without stalling anymore since they have come to realize that any further conversation might scar them for life.)
Shay knocked on my bathroom door as I was undressing and getting into a shower. I had just put them to bed, and what better time to stall bedtime than AFTER I have just said "good night?" Yes, as I am about to get myself ready to relax. Through the door, she told me that she had to use my bathroom since Charlie was in theirs. (What the heck? I just had him go before prayers! Master of procrastination.) So, I said she could come in, and I pulled down my panties, pulled the panty liner out, and hopped into the shower. (Are you grossed out yet?) Well, Shay then asked why I use the sticky thing in my panties. She said, "Is it to catch the blood?" (See we have already done what I thought was the the hardest part. Oh, but wait. Just when you think you have hit the bottom, you find yourself still digging further down.)
Me- No. That is to catch the mucus.
Shay- From your nose?
Me- Well, not really. It's cervical mucus.
Shay- Oh.
*And here is where I felt I had honestly answered her question without dancing around it, and that just maybe there was hope that she was just going to drop it. Oh, but of course not. This is the inquisitive beauty that heard about the vaginal bleeding and kept on asking questions.
And here is how I explained it… and if you think you might get ill, now is the time to leave the page.
And here is where you might want to take notes in case your child wants to know about cervical mucus.
Me- You see, a few days a during the month, the days that G-d makes it so that a mommy's egg is available to the sperm that want to swim upstream, G-d made special food for the sperm to eat on the journey to the egg. It's like manna from heaven--- but not. It's really more like slime from the vagina, and really, that's all we need to talk about.
Shay- It's like science. Can we do a science experiment?
Me- With my cervical mucus?
Shay- Eww. No. Like, just a science experiment of some sort. We haven't done one in a while. But not with that stuff. That would be gross.
Me- You are so wise. And just for the record… I wasn't offering my cervical mucus up experimentation.
Shay- I know. Good night!
And that my friends, is how it's done. (Getting it done meaning getting your kids to go to bed without stalling anymore since they have come to realize that any further conversation might scar them for life.)
Apr 19, 2014
Adventures talks birds, bees, and not elves.
Being honest with my children is something I take great pride in. Sharing the knowledge of life is something I take very seriously. And to balance that, I take Santa, our elf, and the Tooth Fairy, just as seriously. Indoctrinating my children into our faith was never a question for us. And while our faith does not necessarily teach us about the whimsical side of the holidays, the magic lies in drawing them closer to knowing that sometimes we just have to believe. As an adult, I think those magical things help us understand the importance of not understanding, but believing in things we can not conceptualize.
And so, here comes another morning where the Easter Bunny will dump some eggs on the house to seek after an early Mass. The Easter Bunny isn't a really big deal in the house, since we only refill the same plastic eggs each year with a piece of candy or pocket change. (I bought a small bag of York Peppermint Patties and then found about $1.50 in loose change to throw in some additional eggs.) And then, bought each child a fishing pole kit for about $20 each. (We really wanted to buy some after our first fishing attempt last weekend with friends.) And so, we are making "fishers of men…"
The conversation made me very uneasy. I tried to just stay quiet, and when they tried to engage me, I changed the topic and put the music on. I am not ready to explain away the lies and deception we charade around each holiday or tooth loss. They will only be young for a short period of time. And when they started asking questions, I got so nervous that I made a wrong turn getting on the highway this past week. I am not kidding. It is that upsetting to me.
However, menstruating was also a topic of discussion, and somehow, that was flawlessly executed.
Shay- How come some of our eggs are eggs we eat, and some are chickens?
(We have gone over this numerous times, but it came up again.)
And so, I then explained that it was not fertilized by the daddy, and quickly explained how girls have eggs, and we drop one a month if a daddy doesn't fertilize it. Then went quickly into explaining how girls' eggs are teeny-tiny, and we can't see them, but we know they are coming out since we bleed them out. And yes, for some reason, I realized how completely comfortable I was with this conversation, and yet, explaining the secular side of our traditions makes my palms sweat.
As for the child who was on the receiving end of the vaginal bleeding conversation? One mellow, low-key, "eww," was all I got. And then, "I think I won't have eggs for breakfast, after all."
And so, here comes another morning where the Easter Bunny will dump some eggs on the house to seek after an early Mass. The Easter Bunny isn't a really big deal in the house, since we only refill the same plastic eggs each year with a piece of candy or pocket change. (I bought a small bag of York Peppermint Patties and then found about $1.50 in loose change to throw in some additional eggs.) And then, bought each child a fishing pole kit for about $20 each. (We really wanted to buy some after our first fishing attempt last weekend with friends.) And so, we are making "fishers of men…"
The conversation made me very uneasy. I tried to just stay quiet, and when they tried to engage me, I changed the topic and put the music on. I am not ready to explain away the lies and deception we charade around each holiday or tooth loss. They will only be young for a short period of time. And when they started asking questions, I got so nervous that I made a wrong turn getting on the highway this past week. I am not kidding. It is that upsetting to me.
However, menstruating was also a topic of discussion, and somehow, that was flawlessly executed.
Shay- How come some of our eggs are eggs we eat, and some are chickens?
(We have gone over this numerous times, but it came up again.)
And so, I then explained that it was not fertilized by the daddy, and quickly explained how girls have eggs, and we drop one a month if a daddy doesn't fertilize it. Then went quickly into explaining how girls' eggs are teeny-tiny, and we can't see them, but we know they are coming out since we bleed them out. And yes, for some reason, I realized how completely comfortable I was with this conversation, and yet, explaining the secular side of our traditions makes my palms sweat.
As for the child who was on the receiving end of the vaginal bleeding conversation? One mellow, low-key, "eww," was all I got. And then, "I think I won't have eggs for breakfast, after all."
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