I continue to admire the ladies who compete in the International Pageant System. Their dedication to their platforms and to the communities of Idaho is something to aspire to. I often mull over the idea of competing myself, but for now remain content to support my daughter and her goals.
Amanda's involvement in the pageant continues to be a positive influence on her. On those days that I become frustrated by the typical teen issues, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel because of the pageants. Let me explain. Teenagers often talk back, question authority and refuse chores because that's what teens do. But because of the pageants, this same teen will also talk about getting involved in food drives, hosting bakes sales with the proceeds going to feed the hungry, and participating in a charity walk to raise awareness in the fight against cancer.
The holiday parade season is officially here. It started last Saturday with the Boise Veteran's day parade (my personal favorite). The weather was wonderful, not too warm and not too cold. The Saturday after Thanksgiving will be the Boise Holiday Parade, then upcoming are the Meridian Winter Wonderland parade and the Caldwell Night Light Parade. Time to stock up on those thermal hand warmer packs.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Survived Another Year
Well we survived another year of pageant activity. It all came to a close on August 14th. As I watched my daughter on stage I began to realize just how emotionally invested I was in her and this competition.
As mom, I just really wanted her to have fun and do her best. As a pageant mom, in my eyes she was one of the best on that stage and I was disappointed that she didn't make top five (my heart broke for her as they called that final name, a girl with the same first name as my daughter, but not my daughter) the judges must have missed something. Doesn't visibly saying "thank you" the escort that helped her down the stairs count extra?
OK, back to just a regular mom. I am so proud of her. Even though she didn't make top 5 she maintained her grace and poise. She was genuinely happy for the girls who did make top 5, and one of her best friends came in second. The girls are so kind and sisterly with each other. I give credit for this warm and friendly atmosphere to the director Autumn Short and her assistant director Missy Scrivner. It is because of these ladies that I find myself recommending the International Pageant to every mom I meet that has a teenage daughter.
As frantic and hectic as it all feels sometimes, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Good thing too, because it's almost parade season!
As mom, I just really wanted her to have fun and do her best. As a pageant mom, in my eyes she was one of the best on that stage and I was disappointed that she didn't make top five (my heart broke for her as they called that final name, a girl with the same first name as my daughter, but not my daughter) the judges must have missed something. Doesn't visibly saying "thank you" the escort that helped her down the stairs count extra?
OK, back to just a regular mom. I am so proud of her. Even though she didn't make top 5 she maintained her grace and poise. She was genuinely happy for the girls who did make top 5, and one of her best friends came in second. The girls are so kind and sisterly with each other. I give credit for this warm and friendly atmosphere to the director Autumn Short and her assistant director Missy Scrivner. It is because of these ladies that I find myself recommending the International Pageant to every mom I meet that has a teenage daughter.
As frantic and hectic as it all feels sometimes, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Good thing too, because it's almost parade season!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Share Our Strength, The Great America Bake Sale
Amanda and I were out looking for locations to hold this year's bake sale when we learned about some of the local rules we didn't know about last year: 1) We must have a sellers permit, fortunately those are free, but they take time to apply for and 2) Foods for sale to the public must be made in a commercial kitchen, not so fortunate.
So, the solutions I've come up with so far are either a) hold the bake sale at one of the kids' schools or b) partner with a local baking company. Amanda sent an email to a local company called Life's Kitchen. I'm really hoping we can partner with them. They are a non-profit program that trains young adults (age 16-20) in the culinary arts and life skills to ensure their transition toward independent living. I think they are a natural fit for Amanda's platform Share Our Strength.
Amanda sent Life's Kitchen an email late last week and we are anxiously waiting to hear from them. Cross your fingers and send us positive energy!
So, the solutions I've come up with so far are either a) hold the bake sale at one of the kids' schools or b) partner with a local baking company. Amanda sent an email to a local company called Life's Kitchen. I'm really hoping we can partner with them. They are a non-profit program that trains young adults (age 16-20) in the culinary arts and life skills to ensure their transition toward independent living. I think they are a natural fit for Amanda's platform Share Our Strength.
Amanda sent Life's Kitchen an email late last week and we are anxiously waiting to hear from them. Cross your fingers and send us positive energy!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Charitable Season in Full Swing
And so it begins. We are starting to register for the big charity events. Strength.org announced a national challenge: How many bake sales can our volunteers hold in one weekend, April 16th-18th? Well we're ready to be counted. We are working on securing a location, baked goods and publicity.
Amanda registered for the Idaho International Pageants team in the Susan G. Komen for the cure event in May. I can't wait to see what June and July hold. Good news is I have my camera back, so there will be lots of pictures!
Amanda registered for the Idaho International Pageants team in the Susan G. Komen for the cure event in May. I can't wait to see what June and July hold. Good news is I have my camera back, so there will be lots of pictures!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Soroptimist Presentation
Amanda gave her first, not-for-a-grade, presentation today. She spoke to a group of sixth grade girls involved in the Soroptimist group at her former elementary school, Grace Jordan.
I was impressed with how prepared she was. She started by introducing herself and then she asked the class how many of them remembered her from last year. It was a great ice breaker. She involved her audience by writing quotes on the board. She started with "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." She asked the group what this quote meant to them and then she talked about what it meant to her. She followed that with "The only person who tells you you're dumb is you." Again she asked the group for their input and she talked about self confidence and believing in yourself and what you can accomplish by remaining positive. Her final quote was "Do not seek destiny, let destiny find you." I think this one was my favorite. She talked about expectations and not letting yourself get too wrapped up in what "could be". If you let destiny come to you it's a surprise and a cause for celebration, but if you try too hard and don't achieve what you want exactly as you picture it you can feel disappointed instead of being happy for what you do accomplish.
After the quotes Amanda went on to tell a little about herself, her involvement in the International Pageant, her community service experiences and her experiences with the Soroptimist group. She then encouraged the class to ask random questions. She was asked everything from what is your favorite color (pink), to who is your favorite sibling (none). She is a natural orator, she really had fun today.
I was impressed with how prepared she was. She started by introducing herself and then she asked the class how many of them remembered her from last year. It was a great ice breaker. She involved her audience by writing quotes on the board. She started with "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." She asked the group what this quote meant to them and then she talked about what it meant to her. She followed that with "The only person who tells you you're dumb is you." Again she asked the group for their input and she talked about self confidence and believing in yourself and what you can accomplish by remaining positive. Her final quote was "Do not seek destiny, let destiny find you." I think this one was my favorite. She talked about expectations and not letting yourself get too wrapped up in what "could be". If you let destiny come to you it's a surprise and a cause for celebration, but if you try too hard and don't achieve what you want exactly as you picture it you can feel disappointed instead of being happy for what you do accomplish.
After the quotes Amanda went on to tell a little about herself, her involvement in the International Pageant, her community service experiences and her experiences with the Soroptimist group. She then encouraged the class to ask random questions. She was asked everything from what is your favorite color (pink), to who is your favorite sibling (none). She is a natural orator, she really had fun today.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Odd Ball Phrases
About a week ago I woke up in the middle of the night, nudged my husband and told him to scoot over because he was smack-dab in the middle of the bed. I then rolled over to go back to sleep and began to wonder where in the heck did "smack-dab" come from.
As I pondered, I realized that smack-dab always seems to be used in conjunction with the phrase "in the middle". You never hear someone say "I was smack-dab on the left of the issue" or "I was smack-dab on the right of the issue". It is always "I was smack-dab in the middle of the issue". One internet dictionary site even uses the phrase "smack-dab in the middle" to illustrate the meeting of smack-dab is an adverb meaning directly; squarely.
I tried to look up the origins of "smack-dab" on google. No luck. In fact, so far I've just found other ponderer's wondering the same thing I am; What are the Origins of the phrase "smack-dab in the middle"?
As I pondered, I realized that smack-dab always seems to be used in conjunction with the phrase "in the middle". You never hear someone say "I was smack-dab on the left of the issue" or "I was smack-dab on the right of the issue". It is always "I was smack-dab in the middle of the issue". One internet dictionary site even uses the phrase "smack-dab in the middle" to illustrate the meeting of smack-dab is an adverb meaning directly; squarely.
I tried to look up the origins of "smack-dab" on google. No luck. In fact, so far I've just found other ponderer's wondering the same thing I am; What are the Origins of the phrase "smack-dab in the middle"?
Monday, January 4, 2010
Are beauty pageants obsolete?
When my daughter, Amanda, was in the fifth grade she asked me if she could compete in pageants to earn scholarship money for college. I was shocked by her logic (smart kid) and mortified at the thought of my little girl parading herself in front of strangers. I told her I'd research the possibility and let her know.
I started my google search. I found an article that confirmed all of my worst fears, pageants are all about exploiting our insecurities as women. The article by Timothy D Heard stated "A beauty pageant basically consists of a competition of physical appearances, the answering of a few intelligent questions of which the respondent has derived their answers from anyone but themselves, followed by a respectable show of talent, albeit minor. The winner of such pageants then goes on to attend certain state or national events and act as a pretty 'spokes-face' for, I shudder at the thought, minor political events. The use of such people for representation of state or country is equivalent to the rich man who is married to his 'trophy wife' who escorts him to parties and conventions and in some way or another compliments his character by hanging off of his arm and looking pretty. So much for the women's equality movement."
I could have stopped my search there but to honor my daughters request I had to do my due diligence. Which lead me to the Mrs. Idaho International Pageant system. This pageant was different than what I had come to expect. I didn't see "scholarship" as part of the prizes, but the judging criteria included a "platform" and there wasn't a swimsuit category, but fitness. I was intrigued, so I emailed the director.
The director was kind and helpful. She sent me information regarding the upcoming preteen competition, but I wasn't comfortable with the idea yet so hemmed and hawed and we ended up missing the event. Just as I had put the whole thing out of my mind I received an email invitation to a workshop the pageant was hosting at a hotel less than a mile away from our house. How could I pass it up?
Amanda and I attended the workshop as observers. Everyone greeted us warmly and we watched as the gals went through a "walking clinic". The girls, and women, were being taught how to stand and walk with poise and confidence. It reminded me of drill and ceremony from when I was in Basic Training. So far I was unimpressed, but I wasn't deterred yet either. After the walking clinic the director was going over the platform pages with the contestants. This was the part I was most curious about. I learned that the contestants platform was a charity that she, the contestant, chooses to support. The contestant creates a page that is presented to the judges that explains the charity and the contestant's involvement with the charity. As I listened to the director I realized that she was explaining really explaining was how to create a resume, or even in broader terms a business plan. This was a true underlying life lesson to be learned by participating in a pageant. Additionally they required their contestants to be involved in the community, and my barely 13 year old daughter didn't have to wear a swimsuit on stage. Maybe pageants aren't all "Toddlers and Tiaras" after all.
I signed Amanda up to compete in the 2010 Miss Teen Idaho International Pageant. Local titles are awarded to contestants on a first come first serve basis and she was selected as Teen Ada County 2010. She was so excited, the pride in her face was heart warming. Amanda chose Share Our Strength, the Great American Bake Sale (learn more at strength.org ), as her platform and had already scheduled a date for her bake sale. It was a lot of work putting it together but I was in this for the long haul to support my daughter. We weren't able to sell all of the bake goods so we decided to donate them to a local charity, the Boise Rescue Mission. Which led to another volunteer opportunity for Amanda. She chose the volunteer her time at the City of Light, a women and children's shelter. I was watching my daughter grow up in front of my very eyes!
The pageant encourages all of it's contestants to participate in community events, including parades. I think this has become Amanda's favorite part. Through these events I've had the opportunity to meet other pageant mom's. No one that I've met so far has presented themselves as an over bearing parent pushing their child to do something that they don't want to do. In fact the contestants appear to be more sorority sister than competitor's.
The least fun thing so far with pageants is sponsor hunting. The each contestant must purchase an ad page in the pageant program. To help pay for the ad page and other pageant expenses (application fee, clothing, hair, make-up, and etc) the contestants can opt to sell ad space on their page. We are an average family earning a modestly average wage, selling ad space was crucial for us. We visited several local businesses soliciting for support financially and for Amanda's platform as well. At first Amanda was extremely uncomfortable with talking to the business owners and I had to schedule days for us to go out and visit businesses, but by the end of the summer she was telling me we had to go sponsor hunting. We were able to garner enough support to pay for Amanda's interview outfit, evening gown, hair style and ad page fee.
The whole pageant experience was wonderful. The director truly cares about "her girls". She is former Mrs. Idaho International, Autumn Short. Autumn has been wonderful! She hasn't exactly held my hand through this whole process, but she has given me guidance. I was impress by the speech she gave the contestants about sportsmanship. She relayed how she participated in another pageant system that involved a lot of underhanded, back stabbing conduct (wardrobe sabotage and so forth). She informed the girls if anyone was caught behaving in such a manner, everyone would be disqualified and the winner would solely be based on interview scores. Hearing this relieved my fears: I was concerned about Amanda's well being because I could not be back stage with her. In fact, as it turned out Amanda was in excellent hands backstage. At the last minute we changed Amanda's evening gown. One of the producers knew that this was Amanda's first pageant so brought an evening gown with her that morning, just in case. The gown I bought for Amanda was pretty, but the dress being offered for the day was gorgeous! I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of these virtual strangers, that I had to fight back tears.
Amanda didn't make it into the top five, you could see the disappointment on her face, even from the back row of the theater. My heart broke for her and I began to doubt the value of letting her do this. When I first saw her after the pageant I could tell that she was deflated, but I was so proud of her and all she had accomplished because of the pageant: she learned how to present herself to a potential sponsor, she learned how to put together a resume (her platform page), she learned how to conduct herself in an interview, and she learned the importance of being involved in the community. In fact later that evening she was presented with the Community Service Award, for this years pageant, to me one of the most prestigious awards given by the pageant.
We've already submitted her application for the 2011 Miss Teen Idaho International pageant, and we are looking forward to everything in store for us this year. Oh, and to answer the question "Are beauty pageants obsolete?", No. No, they are not. When you find the right pageant system and maintain the right attitude they can be a truly rewarding experience. My daughter is not parading around on a stage just to be judged on her outer beauty. She is getting involved in her community, participating in school groups and team sports, making friendships that will last her a life time, and learning skills that will help her make a positive impression on any college admission board (or any job opportunity for that matter).
To learn more about the Idaho International Pageant system check out their blog http://idahopageants.blogspot.com or their website at www.mrsidaho.com
I started my google search. I found an article that confirmed all of my worst fears, pageants are all about exploiting our insecurities as women. The article by Timothy D Heard stated "A beauty pageant basically consists of a competition of physical appearances, the answering of a few intelligent questions of which the respondent has derived their answers from anyone but themselves, followed by a respectable show of talent, albeit minor. The winner of such pageants then goes on to attend certain state or national events and act as a pretty 'spokes-face' for, I shudder at the thought, minor political events. The use of such people for representation of state or country is equivalent to the rich man who is married to his 'trophy wife' who escorts him to parties and conventions and in some way or another compliments his character by hanging off of his arm and looking pretty. So much for the women's equality movement."
I could have stopped my search there but to honor my daughters request I had to do my due diligence. Which lead me to the Mrs. Idaho International Pageant system. This pageant was different than what I had come to expect. I didn't see "scholarship" as part of the prizes, but the judging criteria included a "platform" and there wasn't a swimsuit category, but fitness. I was intrigued, so I emailed the director.
The director was kind and helpful. She sent me information regarding the upcoming preteen competition, but I wasn't comfortable with the idea yet so hemmed and hawed and we ended up missing the event. Just as I had put the whole thing out of my mind I received an email invitation to a workshop the pageant was hosting at a hotel less than a mile away from our house. How could I pass it up?
Amanda and I attended the workshop as observers. Everyone greeted us warmly and we watched as the gals went through a "walking clinic". The girls, and women, were being taught how to stand and walk with poise and confidence. It reminded me of drill and ceremony from when I was in Basic Training. So far I was unimpressed, but I wasn't deterred yet either. After the walking clinic the director was going over the platform pages with the contestants. This was the part I was most curious about. I learned that the contestants platform was a charity that she, the contestant, chooses to support. The contestant creates a page that is presented to the judges that explains the charity and the contestant's involvement with the charity. As I listened to the director I realized that she was explaining really explaining was how to create a resume, or even in broader terms a business plan. This was a true underlying life lesson to be learned by participating in a pageant. Additionally they required their contestants to be involved in the community, and my barely 13 year old daughter didn't have to wear a swimsuit on stage. Maybe pageants aren't all "Toddlers and Tiaras" after all.
I signed Amanda up to compete in the 2010 Miss Teen Idaho International Pageant. Local titles are awarded to contestants on a first come first serve basis and she was selected as Teen Ada County 2010. She was so excited, the pride in her face was heart warming. Amanda chose Share Our Strength, the Great American Bake Sale (learn more at strength.org ), as her platform and had already scheduled a date for her bake sale. It was a lot of work putting it together but I was in this for the long haul to support my daughter. We weren't able to sell all of the bake goods so we decided to donate them to a local charity, the Boise Rescue Mission. Which led to another volunteer opportunity for Amanda. She chose the volunteer her time at the City of Light, a women and children's shelter. I was watching my daughter grow up in front of my very eyes!
The pageant encourages all of it's contestants to participate in community events, including parades. I think this has become Amanda's favorite part. Through these events I've had the opportunity to meet other pageant mom's. No one that I've met so far has presented themselves as an over bearing parent pushing their child to do something that they don't want to do. In fact the contestants appear to be more sorority sister than competitor's.
The least fun thing so far with pageants is sponsor hunting. The each contestant must purchase an ad page in the pageant program. To help pay for the ad page and other pageant expenses (application fee, clothing, hair, make-up, and etc) the contestants can opt to sell ad space on their page. We are an average family earning a modestly average wage, selling ad space was crucial for us. We visited several local businesses soliciting for support financially and for Amanda's platform as well. At first Amanda was extremely uncomfortable with talking to the business owners and I had to schedule days for us to go out and visit businesses, but by the end of the summer she was telling me we had to go sponsor hunting. We were able to garner enough support to pay for Amanda's interview outfit, evening gown, hair style and ad page fee.
The whole pageant experience was wonderful. The director truly cares about "her girls". She is former Mrs. Idaho International, Autumn Short. Autumn has been wonderful! She hasn't exactly held my hand through this whole process, but she has given me guidance. I was impress by the speech she gave the contestants about sportsmanship. She relayed how she participated in another pageant system that involved a lot of underhanded, back stabbing conduct (wardrobe sabotage and so forth). She informed the girls if anyone was caught behaving in such a manner, everyone would be disqualified and the winner would solely be based on interview scores. Hearing this relieved my fears: I was concerned about Amanda's well being because I could not be back stage with her. In fact, as it turned out Amanda was in excellent hands backstage. At the last minute we changed Amanda's evening gown. One of the producers knew that this was Amanda's first pageant so brought an evening gown with her that morning, just in case. The gown I bought for Amanda was pretty, but the dress being offered for the day was gorgeous! I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of these virtual strangers, that I had to fight back tears.
Amanda didn't make it into the top five, you could see the disappointment on her face, even from the back row of the theater. My heart broke for her and I began to doubt the value of letting her do this. When I first saw her after the pageant I could tell that she was deflated, but I was so proud of her and all she had accomplished because of the pageant: she learned how to present herself to a potential sponsor, she learned how to put together a resume (her platform page), she learned how to conduct herself in an interview, and she learned the importance of being involved in the community. In fact later that evening she was presented with the Community Service Award, for this years pageant, to me one of the most prestigious awards given by the pageant.
We've already submitted her application for the 2011 Miss Teen Idaho International pageant, and we are looking forward to everything in store for us this year. Oh, and to answer the question "Are beauty pageants obsolete?", No. No, they are not. When you find the right pageant system and maintain the right attitude they can be a truly rewarding experience. My daughter is not parading around on a stage just to be judged on her outer beauty. She is getting involved in her community, participating in school groups and team sports, making friendships that will last her a life time, and learning skills that will help her make a positive impression on any college admission board (or any job opportunity for that matter).
To learn more about the Idaho International Pageant system check out their blog http://idahopageants.blogspot.com or their website at www.mrsidaho.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
