school – Lori Romano

Day 124 – The rhythm is gonna getcha

May 4, 2019May 5, 2019by Lori RomanoLeave a comment

There are a few things in life I’m fairly certain I cannot live without, things like air and water and music. Yeah, music is right up there at the top of the list. It’s the only universal language. It’s the only thing that every human has in common (besides the fact that we’re all, well, human). We all have a favorite song. We all get caught up in a rhythm. We all find, at one point or another, that certain songs or notes or lyrics just have a way of plugging right into our souls.

Music played a big part in my life and Stevie’s life. We both took music lessons and played drums, and I sang in the school choir for a few years. And it was Stevie’s epic drum solo during my freshman Orientation Entertainment that made me fall head over heels for the guy I would marry nine years later.

When the kiddos came along, it was clear pretty early that they were tapped in too. Cadence was singing along to songs before she could even speak full sentences (and we’re not talking Twinkle Twinkle Little Star here, this girl was belting out songs like “Hold On” by Alabama Shakes and “Rapture” by Blondie and “Please Read the Letter” by Robert Plant and Allison Krauss by the time she was 3). And she started begging to play guitar shortly after. We made a deal with her–start with piano lessons and if you do well and stick with it (and don’t give us too much grief about practicing every day), we’ll sign you up for guitar too.

We’re going on almost three years of piano, and now in our first year of guitar lessons, and Cadence is killing it! Today was her guitar debut at her recital and we were so proud!

And Henry, our little shy guy, is finally starting to come out of his shell for the public performances at preschool. Two years ago, he just clung to his teachers and tried not to cry. Last year, he stood tall on the risers, but just stared at us with a little smirk on his face refusing to sing (even though 10 minutes later he gave us a perfect performance of “The Wheels on the Bus” in the privacy of our own car on the drive home). This year, there was singing, dancing, and even some rhythm sticks involved in the performance and H-man was absolutely flawless.

Now he’s even talking about learning guitar. You know, if we play this right, we just might end up with a Romano family band.

Day 11 – End of a long week

January 11, 2019by Lori RomanoLeave a comment

There’s nothing quite like coming home at the end of a crazy week and spending a full three hours trying to convince your stubborn 3-year-old that, no matter how vehemently he protests, he does in fact have to poop. Preferably in the toilet.

This kid has elevated stubbornness to an art form. He’s so lucky he’s cute.

On a brighter, and much more exciting note…it was Report Card day and Miss C is rocking all A’s! Whoop!

We did see one 3 rating (out of a 4 scale) in “Works collaboratively with others” and when questioned why that was lower than all of the other rankings, Cadence explained that sometimes during the math group work, her group members would start getting off topic and jacking around when they were supposed to be working, so Cadence would just break off and work by herself to get it done.

We told her, if that’s the case, we’re happy with a 3 out of 4.

So we celebrated by playing a game of Life.

Yep. Just another exciting Friday night at the Romano house.

School, Soccer, and Style

August 23, 2016by Lori RomanoLeave a comment

The end of summer rush hit us hard around here. Between our trip to New York, Henry’s birthday, school shopping, appointments, paperwork, and trying to figure out what our schedule is going to look like with Cadence starting 1st grade and me starting a new job on Thursday, we’ve barely had a minute to sit down and breathe. But we’re not complaining. We’re excited to turn the page on this brand new chapter. And in those few free moments we managed to find these past weeks, we’ve had a whole lot of fun.

Cadence and I had a special girls’ day to go get her hair done. She’s been asking to dye her hair for quite awhile not. I’m not sure whether the obsession started because several of her favorite cartoon characters have funky-colored hair, or because she saw a few photos of me with pink/purple/red/blue hair from my college days. Either way, Stevie and I knew it was something she really wanted to try, so we decided it would be a fun back-to-school treat to let her give it a go. Miss C has always had a very unique sense of style, and both Stevie and I are supportive of Cadence’s desire to sport a little extra color. So C and I headed to the College of Hair Design last week for a cut and a little color (she asked to dye her whole head; we agreed that we’ll start with a streak). And other than Cadence getting a little bored when the bleaching lasted more than an hour, we had a blast and were both so excited with the results.

Yeah, our kid is cool.

Sunday, Cadence started fall soccer with the YMCA. We thought we’d give it a try since she’d done so well in the Happy Feet league. It was the perfect day–sunny, warm but not too hot–and Stevie, Henry, and I had fun watching Cadence play. Team Coventry ended up losing 2-1, but it was a great game, and Cadence had two awesome breakaways and really controlled the ball well. It’s amazing how good she is for only starting to play soccer in January.

Since Cadence is running around looking so stylish, I figured it was time for Mr. H to finally get the haircut he’s been so desperately needing. Little man’s hair was hanging down into his eyes, and he’s been sporting a full mullet in the back for quite some time now. These days, the boy is obsessed with books and Mickey Mouse, so I put some Mickey cartoons on the tv and gave him a board book to look at and dove right in. Other than stealing the spray bottle from me and demanding his own comb, he did awesome, and I think I managed to give him a pretty straight cut. But he looks so different! Seriously, he doesn’t even look like my baby anymore, and I don’t know how but cutting his hair made him look taller. Long or short hair, he’s one handsome little man.

Somehow we managed to fit it all in and get everything done, just in time for Miss C’s first day of 1st grade today. I can’t even believe she’s this old already, and it amazed me how mature she looked standing there on the front step impatiently waiting for me to get the obligatory first day of school photos. Impatient or not, she couldn’t hold the serious face long, especially after I pointed out how Electra was creeping on her in the background.

And now H-man and I are waiting for her to get home so we can hear all about the first day. And then I’ll have one more day home tomorrow before I head back to the office life and start my new position at the University of Nebraska. I can’t wait! Just when I don’t think it’s even possible, life always finds a way to getting more interesting. But with Stevie, Cadence, Henry, and Electra along for the ride, I’m ready for any new adventure that comes my way.

Space

January 20, 2016July 12, 2016by Lori RomanoLeave a comment

Cadence’s class recently began studying the sky. She comes home each day talking about the stars and the planets fascinated, like her Daddy and me, by the vastness of all the space stretching out from our little ol’ planet Earth. Stevie downloaded the Star Walk 2 app, which helps Cadence get an up close and personal look at every star and planet floating around out there. We’ve taken to looking at it nightly. We read interesting little facts about the planets and study maps of the different constellations. Cadence has been diligent about coloring in her “moon tickets” as she tracks the waxing and waning pattern of the moon each night before she goes to bed.

Funny how a 5-year-old can ignite your interest in space again, just when you’ve gotten to the point where you’re too busy with all of your adult responsibilities to really even notice it anymore.

Project Life 365 – Day 113 – Hands

April 23, 2013April 24, 2013by Lori RomanoLeave a comment

The hardest part of going back to work after being a work-at-home mom for the last 3 years was trying to wrap my head around leaving my little girl in someone else’s care for the majority of the day. Well, that and actually have to get up, change out of my pajamas, and be both sociable and productive before 8:00 a.m.. Productive? Sure, I can handle that. No biggie. But being sociable in the morning, five days a week, before the caffeine has kicked in? You’re pushing your luck, friend.

Luckily for us, the transtion from two-day-a-week morning preschool to full-time preschool was pretty painless. Sure the first couple weeks we were all worn out, and Steven and I spent some time harassing each other about the lack of hot water for whomever was last to shower.

But overall, we really can’t conplain, because just three and a half weeks into our new lives, we’re getting the kinks worked out and we’re all feeling pretty satisfied.

And, best of all, it’s clear that we made the right decision for Cadence. She hops out of bed every morning ready to start the day, and comes home each afternoon excited to share all the new things she learned in school. And tonight, as I sit, listening to my baby girl giving her Daddy and me a lesson on the alphabet and the sounds each letter makes, I know, without a doubt, that my girl is in very good hands.

God bless the beautiful souls that take such great care of her while we’re away.

Project Life 365 – Day 46 – Reward

February 15, 2013by Lori Romano1 Comment

Okay, so maybe I’m a total dork, but I don’t mind admitting it. I consider going back to school a reward.

Laugh if you want, but I am seriously excited!

Yeah, this is just my admission to take a few summer session courses before I get around to the nitty gritty of diving headfirst into the counseling psychology program in Fall 2014, but it’s a step and it feels good to be moving forward.

Great way to start a weekend if you ask me. 🙂

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