dance Archives - Jen is on a Journey

My First Teen, You Make Me Proud #ThenAndNowKids #CPTC

October 8, 2018 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

This post is sponsored by the Center for Parent and Teen Communication. All opinions (and memories!) are my own.

THEN
I remember when we’d get in the car and you wanted to sit in my lap and pretend you were managing the steering wheel. Then there were the times you’d sing the clean up song with me as we’d tidy up your room. You bit your lip and were shy every time the limelight was on you (singing happy birthday, being Mary in the church program, your first dance recital).

NOW
You dutifully commute 500 miles, 14 hours each week to college to study what you love and earn that degree. You are so responsible and keep all your belongings, your job, and your life perfectly organized. You shine with confidence on stage dancing your heart out as a student, a performer, a choreographer, and instructor.

You, my oldest child, have had a challenge to set the bar high for your siblings and you have exceeded this standard 100-fold. You didn’t choose your spot in the family, but believe me, your brother and sister see your inspiration every day. And, mom and dad could not be prouder! These days fly by so quickly, that I want to bottle up each and every moment.

Watch this touching video:

The link in the video is to a valuable resource, The Center for Parent and Teen Communication, for every parent navigating the teen years. You can get a taste for the type of advice you’ll find with this post from the director, Dr. Ginsburg.

The parenting journey is not easy, but it’s one that we must commit our whole selves to every day.

Share your favorite memories of your child (children) in babyhood and how they still have those same traits into their teens, I’d love to read them in the comments below!

KH by Kalani Subscription Sock Box {+Discount Code} #KHbyKalani

April 13, 2017 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

My oldest daughter is a dance major in college. Working on her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in choreography has been a dream for her since she started dancing at 3. She’s passed that love of dance on to our youngest daughter who now takes lessons from her big sister and is also a competitive dancer. Something else they share is the love for the TV show Dance Moms. On weekends when my oldest is home, she and her little sister hang out and watch the show on the iPad and talk all about the Abby Lee Dance Company and how one day they’ll start a studio together! One star from the show Dance Moms is Kalani Hilliker, and she has recently started a sock line from her love of fun and silly socks! KH by Kalani socks are now offered in a monthly subscription Sock Box and we just received a few pairs to check out!

KH by Kalani

Both my girls have had a love for socks, particularly mismatching them or buying cutesy-styles with animals or food on them. When we heard about KH by Kalani socks and saw a few of their style, it was a perfect fit. When ordering a KH by Kalani Sock Box, you receive two pairs, that Kalani herself has designed, right to your door step each month! Designs are new each month and they are perfect for the dance/sock lover in your life, a fun gift idea for a friend, or to start a new tradition for holidays and events!We received a pair of the Lips socks and a pair of the Sushi socks in our shipment. When we took them out of the bag, the first thing my daughter said was that they were so soft, I think the word she used was “quality” as it’s the word eleven-year-olds use for impressive! The socks state they are one size fits most, and for my daughter’s size 6 in women’s shoe size, they were a nice fit. The patterns are bold and the inner lining of the sock is white, so when stretched you can see some of that “whiteness” show through.The socks are warm, comfortable, and really cute according to my daughter and her friends that were with her when she tried them on at the dance studio. She tried them on barefoot, but looks forward to wearing them with her jazz and tap shoes next week during class.

Each monthly shipment of the KH by Kalani Sock Box comes with two pairs of stylish socks for a great value of $19. Each pair sells individually on the website for $14.99. The vibrant colors attract the eye, and we love her signature with a heart at the toe of the socks!

Discount Code

Readers of my website are eligible for a 20% discount for individual pairs of KH by Kalani socks using the code: jenisonajourney20 at checkout.

To learn more about the KH by Kalani, the adorable sock styles, and the subscription Sock Box, visit http://bit.ly/2oany6n.

Product was sent for honest review.

Dancing with Chrissie Fit and Jordan Fisher from Teen Beach 2 #TeenBeach2Event #InsideOutEvent

June 12, 2015 by The Mom Jen 9 Comments

I’ve been a dance mom for as long as I can remember. My 16-year-old daughter will receive her 10 year award at our local dance studio tonight at recital, and our 9-year-old received her 5 year award last year. We’ve endured hours upon hours of weekly lessons as well as dozens of weekend trips for dance competitions, dance camps, and master classes. I’ve soothed sore muscles, comforted hearts for second place, and cheered at the top of my lungs for top awards. I’m in awe of the talent my daughters possess, the dedication they commit, and their love for the art is expressed with full force.

So with that said, I cannot take any credit whatsoever for their abilities! I love to dance but I have two left feet. In my mind I’m Grace Kelly on the dance floor but in reality (and thanks to my wedding video) I look like a newborn deer trying to find my footing. My husband is the same way. As his legs sway he uses punching movements with his arms that just isn’t anywhere close to dancing. I recently started Zumba fitness and watching myself in the mirror is quite comical. We’re a sight to behold, let me tell you.

Enter last Tuesday morning. 24 bloggers and I walked into the Disney Channel Studios ready to meet with two talented dancers from Teen Beach 2 following a screening of the movie. The movie is a sequel to Disney’s Teen Beach Movie (2013) about two surfing lovers who find themselves traveling back in time to the 1960’s where they land in the middle of filming of a beach musical movie. Both movies are jam packed with catchy songs, amazing dancers, and outstanding choreography. After the screening we met stars Chrissie Fit (Chee Chee), and Jordan Fisher (Seacat) and had a great Q&A session with them (I’ll be sharing that later along with a full movie review, keep an eye out for those posts).

But, what I was totally nervous about was the dance lesson. The two were so gracious to spend some extra time with us moms and teach us choreography from the movie! Casually and so patiently they ran through the steps of the 8-count with us to the song “Gotta Be Me,” you’ll have stuck in your head in just a few minutes. Thanks to Gayle’s son, the choreography is written out here:

Here we are in action. We ran through the steps quite a few times, each time moving our lines back so we could all see Chrissie and Jordan’s body movements and pray to keep up! Per usual I’d step back on left instead of right or I’d forget to keep marching.

Below, watch the video all the way through and just admire the dance talent of these young actors and performers. Then, starting right at the :43 second mark, that’s where our dance lesson started!

See how fast it goes, dancing is not easy! That’s just one of the many great song and dance numbers you’ll see in the movie. The soundtrack is going to be something I’m sure your family will want to buy as much as the movie to keep you singing and dancing all summer long!

My daughters on the other hand had that move down in 3. 2 seconds! More power to them, I say. They loved the first movie and are bound to enjoy Teen Beach 2 just as much and you’ll be so impressed at the numerous positive message the movie portrays. Bravo Disney for another wonderful family movie!

Dancing with Chrissie Fit and Jordan Fisher from Teen Beach 2 was such a blast. They are two wonderful actors that you really need to keep your eye on, as my girls would say, “they know what’s up!” Set your DVR’s, get your jazz shoes on, and see them in action when Teen Beach 2 premieres on Disney Channel Friday, June 26 at 8pm!

Disney sent me on a 3 day all expenses paid adventure but all the opinions are 100% my honest opinion!

Introducing ivivva: The Hottest New Athletic Brand for Girls

May 4, 2012 by The Mom Jen 4 Comments

My oldest daughter has been dancing for 7 years and my youngest, 2 years. Something that we’re always in the market for is quality dance apparel that will last them each dance season. The girls love to look for items that are cute and fun too, but aren’t necessarily costumes! They want exercise wear that feels good on their body and recently we were introduced to ivivva (www.ivivva.com), a young, fresh, athletic brand that provides dance-inspired, cross-functional athletic apparel for girls that move.

Ivivva’s brightly colored clothing is perfect for dance class, gymnastics, ice-skating, or just having fun. As the sister brand to lululemon athletica, ivivva products are similar in quality, function, and technical design, but are designed for a younger generation of athletes.To boot, the ivivva athletica line has a Disney’s Shake it Up inspired set of clothing, a show that my girls watch and love! We were sent some of the Shake it Up inspired clothing to try out on my little dancer!

First, the Twist it up Tank and Stretch it Up Crop pants my girl wore to jazz and tap class as well as practicing her moves at home. Extra liner coverage in the bra area would be nice support for older girls, the pants have gathers on the side for additional style. Both have luon fabric with 4-way stretch, fit snug for maximum movement. I love that both the top and crop pants have smooth waist and are tagless or have hidden tags so there’s no itch or irritation. There’s a hidden pocket in the waistband of the crop pants for money or a key, plus a spot where you can label your outfit in case they get lost!My girls says they are comfy and soft on her skin! We also got a KeepURCool Racer II tank, the paint splatter design is bright and colorful and comes like the other pieces, with flat seams. The tank is pre-shrunk so you don’t have to worry about it not fitting after a wash!Pair the tank with the Shrug it Up Shrug and the Rhythmic Short II and you have an adorable outfit! Kendall wore this to hip hop class and has begged to wear it to school (with the crop pants), we’ll have to see about that! The shorts and tank are snug fitting and the shrug is a relaxed fit that can be worn two ways, as shown above and by folding the front hem up for a sleeves-only look, both are cute! The thumb-holes are perfect for keeping sleeves in place and for some added warmth.With the Warm it Up Jacket, you can wear it before class, after, and anywhere in between really! Zip pockets keep your belongings safe and is breathable like all the other clothing to keep you cool when you are working out, dancing, what have you!

We are so pleased with this line, all the pieces are comfortable, sassy, and made well and they will last! If you’d like to see more products, visit ivivva at http://www.ivivva.com/ or on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/ivivvaathletica.

Products were sent for our honest review, all opinions our own.

Lexi Luu Designs Dance Wear

March 31, 2011 by The Mom Jen 1 Comment

Over the past 7 years we’ve had dancers in the family. Going to competitions, conventions, and dance recitals you see the cutest of the cute in dancewear and it really makes girls feel confident and look adorable! I came across the Lexi Luu Designs offering really fabulous and unique dancewear for kids, www.lexiluu.com.

Ruffles, lace, sequins, oh my, these tops, bottoms, skirts, and sets for dancers will stand out and make all the other girls go, “ooh” and the moms go, “where did you get those?!”

In Lexi-Luu dancewear you’ll feel comfortable and cute! Wear it to dance class, performances and other special occassions. Fashionable for jazz, hip-hop, gymnastics, cheerleading and exercise. Browse our Gallery. Find a Store near you. Read our Blog and get to know Lexi. Discover the Lexi-Luu outfit that will make you shine!

My dance stars tried out a few pieces of the Lexi Luu collection. My youngest got a light blue set with shimmer and shine, criss cross tank with “booty shorts” and they are perfect on her. The fit is nice, not tight and flexible for her ballet and tap classes. There is conservative coverage on the outfit, age-appropriate, which I appreciate.Her friends in class wear items like this they buy at conventions, so now she feels she “fits in!”

My 12-year old got a hot pink and black lace set. The booty shorts fit her perfectly and she really likes the color/lace on the sides, though the top is a halter, and she felt slightly uncomfortable figuring out how to wear it with her bra on. I thought it was a bit mature for her, she will wear it under another lightweight tee, but alone she’s too shy to attempt it. She wears the shorts to jazz, tap, and lyrical and they are comfortable and flexible.

Find out more by following them on Twitter, @lexiluudesigns and Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lexi-Luu-Designs-Inc/114988908562209

We were sent product for honest review.