Isabella has been having dancing lessons for three years now and she really loves it. Her dance school is called 'Rompers Stomp' and they have a great philosophy of creating an atmosphere where kids can learn to dance in a safe and fun environment. Plus they don't just dance, they sing and act, they make stuff, and a big plus for me is that there is no competition. Our dance school doesn't expect their students to participate in Eistedfords. If they want to do it then of course they are given guidance, advice and help with it but there is no expectation to take part in competitions. The other great thing is that parents can volunteer to help out in various roles withing the dance school in exchange for benefits, discounts, or in my case free lessons for the entire year!!!! The only thing I have to pay for is concert tickets and a small costume levy. My role is to paint and create props for various groups for the dance concert at the end of the year. It is a pretty big job but I think it's a pretty good deal and one I'm extremely grateful for. I was gearing up to tell Bella we couldn't afford dancing lessons this year when Jo, the dance school owner, asked me if I'd be interested in expanding on the painting job I usually do (one or two items) in exchange for a 'free year'. I was so happy because Bella just loves it and she's good at it too. Anyway I have just completed the first set of props. 14 Dog Kennels. It became a bit monotonous after a while but once they were all completed they looked pretty good. I lined them all up outside for a photo and it reminded me of the boathouses a Brighton Beach in Victoria. I love the boathouses...I don't love the dog kennels...I just like them! Actually I'll be pretty happy to hand them over and begin the next project - surfboards!
Half finished dog kennels decorated my floor for two days and nights. I had to paint at night because Charlotte loves to paint and that just wasn't working! So I was burning the midnight oil for a couple of nights.
Some of the finished projects. The kids had fun coming up with names for the kennels. Of course they wanted to name them all after the Hawthorn football players but we were short on space and had to stick with names with 3 or 4 letters. You'll notice there is a 'Bud' though, after our much loved Buddy Franklin.
Brighton Beach Boathouses...Oh no that's right it's out the side of our house, silly me.
