On Karate...

As I start to get into my own martial arts education, I am starting to look more carefully at how my daughters practice.  I worry about becoming a "karate mom" or a stage mom; wanting them to be the best in their own classes so that I look like I'm doing my job outside the dojo.  This is probably really bad.  As they say in swimming, coaches coach, swimmers swim, and parents parent.

My oldest daughter, Lulu, loves karate, but since she is 10 and quite stubborn, she thinks in her head that she's Wendy Wu, Homecoming Warrior.  She loves what she's doing, but she is overzealous and needs to learn control and respect for her fellow classmates and her sensei.  I used to cringe when she was in class and doing something that's so incredibly "off"; I worried about whether her actions made me look like a bad parent?  What should I do to help her work on this?  If I work on it too much outside of class does that make me a crazy obsessive?  Will she resent me for correcting her?  Why do I even think this is all about me?

Fortunately, being a student of karate has given me a lot more confidence in addressing this.  Before, I was just in the audience and not knowing the proper techniques, all I could do was just stew in frustration and worry.  When she got out of class I would find myself upset with her because of what I perceived as her showing disrespect.  Now that I'm learning along with my girls, we can run through what we're working on together.  And we have fun!  And she's even corrected me a few times, which makes me a better student.  My daughters and I have bonded in a whole new way, changing the dynamic in our relationship.  I am moving away from being the "mommy" to being a "mom."

So today, when she was being corrected on her technique, I listened attentively and nodded, confident in knowing that we could go home and learn together on how to make it better.  I'm becoming more calm, less critical, and that in turn helps Lulu gain confidence.

hat is done, hat is done!

I finished the Olympic hat and it is sooooo cute!!

Oh, and I got my yellow stripe belt, too....and spent all last week in Washington DC for work.  I had a goal of finishing a pair of socks just for me, but that never happened.  I was so exhausted by the time I was done with work every night that I fell into the Westin "heavenly bed", never to be heard from until 7:30 the following morning.

I'll write more later.  We have house guests and I need to make dinner (tortilla soup with cornbread...)..

Still waiting.....

I missed karate on Tuesday night because I had to travel for work.  I'm going through withdrawls!  I keep doing roundhouse kicks and posing in front of the bathroom mirror like I'm freaking John Travolta on Saturday Night Fever.  I should find out this tuesday if I passed my test.  My class partner passed (yay!) and reassured me that I did, too.  We shall see!  I'm so hard on myself; I want to get a perfect "grade" on the belt test, even though I know that there's a few things I could have done better.  I guess this explains why I just found the most perfect sport for me--something that plays on my inner perfectionist, that one that makes lists and is super organized (the one that virtually disappeared after I got married and had kids).

On the knitting front, I continue to be a knitting demon.  I have made 3 hats this week.  I met my friend in Minneapolis while I was there, and in honor of meeting her I made her a "raspberry beret".  I mean, because, well, you know. Prince.  I also got a request to make a cloche-type hat with a flower for my other friend, which I whipped up last night.  And I just started on the Olympic hat...whee!

I hope to have this done no later than tomorrow night.  I have to go to DC for work Wed-Sunday, so I want to bring a sock project with me.  Socks are so easy and fun...and portable.  I'm hoping to make a few pairs in my quiet evenings post-work.  Yes, I'm a wild woman.

First Karate Test Tomorrow; Valentines Day Gifties

I test for my yellow stripe tomorrow.  I am so ready!  I’ve practiced on everyone in the house but the dog, and nearly everyone in my Tuesday night class.  I’m now looking forward to the next test; the yellow belt, which will probably take me two months to achieve all the points.  That’s fine.  I am learning that this is a marathon, not a sprint.  It’s not a matter of just getting from one belt promotion to the next, its learning the kicks, strikes and punches until they are part of your instincts, as rote as lifting a fork to your mouth or holding a pencil.

And so that’s how I get to where I am now, where I dreamt last night about tying my belt correctly.  That might actually be a side effect of my OCD tendencies rather than making karate part of my heart and soul..

On the knitting front, I took a break from The Blanket that Won’t Knit Itself and finished another pair of socks for my boss’s birthday on 2/18, and then some Valentines gifts for a friend of mine who asked me to make her some patterns from Lion Brand.  So here’s the pouch and the envelope I made for her:

The pouch was super simple, and the envelope was fun.  Neither turned out as big as I expected, so I had a lot of yarn left over to make her two hats.  One was the red and two pinks twisted together to make a chunky hat, and I used the shocking pink and a bit of purple I had to make this horse motif hat:

This is for her little girl Kate.  What little girl doesn't like horses?

All the snow we’re getting in the Upper Midwest is giving me ample opportunity to work on these little projects; since I stop knitting pretty much between May-August I need to get some things done for Christmas now before I run out of cold weather.  Today I’m winding the three hanks I got to start on my Olympic Hat…I seriously cannot wait to start on this project.. I’m off to print the pattern from ravelry right now..