Friday, February 24, 2017

This Dance Mom is Fueled by Bulletproof in ALL Forms!

We're about to head into competition season with my tiny dancer, and that means early mornings, long days, sporadic mealtimes, short bursts of crazy activity with dragging periods of waiting, questioning moments of why I allow my daughter to do this...no, no, I kid. She may be young, but her passion is enormous, and I don't regret any part of our choice to let her do this. I have plenty of people make comments on our full weekends and how bad they feel for me, but it's not a sacrifice at all to support my daughter in something she loves.



But...

It does take plenty of effort on my part. She's still young enough where here job is primarily to be the dancer. I get her bags and costumes organized and double check she has the right tights and shoes and accessories. I've learned the ways of stage makeup and how to create the perfect bun (both high and low!) and how to fasten a headpiece securely (big pins are the key). I make sure her jacket and shorts and dance booties are ready for awards, and that I've got plenty of fuel packed to keep her going. I rise at the crack of dawn, suck down a quick coffee before the sun comes up, and wake her up when we need to leave super early and figure out how to get to all these venues and where to park and how to find our dressing areas. I keep track of her lipstick and shoes and costumes, even during quick changes when I'm just throwing things into our giant Dream Duffel. And in between her dances, I keep her spirits and energy up while keeping her looking "stage ready". Then I drive home while she sleeps in the car, wash off the makeup and shampoo out all the hairspray, dig through the rubble in the bag, reorganize, and get ready for the next time, which occasionally is the next day.

By the way, if there are any dance moms out there NOT using a make up eraser and clarifying shampoo, you're missing out. Saves me SO MUCH TIME.



This is our third year in competition dance, and I think I'm just about getting to the point where I'm getting the hang of it. I know what to pack and what's a waste of space. I know which snacks will be scarfed and which will be ignored. I know to pack an extra phone charger - or two - and how to find the spots with decent reception.

Dance mom. Soccer mom. Cheer mom. Hockey mom. We're all the same - taking the heckling from others because of how much we'll invest - time, money, energy - to keep our kids going. Most of us are really happy to do it. 

But it takes a toll on me, and honestly, I'm not great at keeping myself going. It's not easy to make good food choices when you aren't quite sure when and where you'll be able to grab a meal. It always surprises me when a competition for dancers, kids who need to keep their bodies healthy and energy high, have a concession stand stocked mostly with pizza and candy. I'm telling you - I've been working hard to put good stuff in my body, but during competition season, it's easy to fall off the wagon and eat sugar to keep going, only to suffer the crash and crankiness a short time later.

This month, Bulletproof sent me a package full of collagen protein bars. Chocolate, shortbread and lemon bites full of good stuff and really light on sugar. As soon as I tried them, I knew what was going in the dance bag for me.

Dream Duffel, booties, flask for the coffee and bars to keep me going. Ready for competition.

My every day life as a chauffeur was a good place to give these bars a test run for lasting fuel. I've been good about having my Bulletproof coffee every morning (and that flask keeps it hot for hours) but I'm still not great about eating breakfast. And although I always make sure I have snacks for the girls in the car, I don't usually have snacks for me when I'm running them from dance to gymnastics and back again. What happens far more often than I care to admit is a quick stop for a donut. Or a bag of chips from a convenience store. And if the scale at my doctor's office can be believed (I'm still in denial that it's at least ten pounds off), all those "just this one times" are adding up.

These bars are definitely just what the doctor ordered. They satisfy a craving, they give me the pick up I need to keep going, and they replace the bad stuff from becoming an every day thing. The lemon is my FAVORITE and I won't have any regret eating that instead of a candy bar when my stomach is growling. I know that they'll be up for the challenge of keeping my hands steady and my mood good when I'm in a theater for twelve hours. And when it comes to keeping the costumes organized, a clear mind with NO brain fog is just as important as the labels on the garment bags.

Coffee, chocolate, garment bags and dance gear. Just the essentials.

Because this kid is worth it...and I am too.

Getting her headshots done- the things we do.

This is a sponsored post brought to you by 3cConsulting. The opinions are completely my own based on my personal experience with the product.

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