How...

to get a Katie dressed very quickly in the morning. Find the new summer shoes that were put away in the January sales. 

Today is Katie's "half birthday". She's been looking forward to it. Not in anticipation of any gifts, celebrations, cake or otherwise. Simply, because being 6 and a half is important. She had a music lesson this morning, so started the day with reading and then a clarinet practise before we went out to her lesson. Her and B reconciled wonderfully and had a great lesson. The picture was a huge hit. She worked really hard, though we decided that one of her orchestra parts for school is too hard as it's about a G3 standard (she's approaching g2 so it's a bit of a jump) and B totally understood on closer examination why Katie'd had a fit about part of it. Last lesson, Barbara had decided to initiate a sticker chart for Katie to award B stars, based on how much Katie enjoyed the lesson. She'd said there would be three available (one for each instrument, I think being the theory) but Katie was adamant that today she'd give B 4 stickers. And made B write her name on the chart. 

We made a speedy march to school, as even with the permission for a late arrival we had to rush! I don't mind though, she had a wonderful and progressive, important time. 

I picked her up from  school and she was telling me all about a play that her and some friends had done around the Queen's birthday and her family, and that they'd been allowed to choose royal themed dress ups today, to go with the crowns that every child had from dinner time. 

Ballet tonight, of course. Working hard on their show dances as is the way every class this term. We're having dramas trying to sort some of the costumes. I think their clown dance may produce me a lot of work in due course.... 

When we returned home, she decided she wanted a bath. Then decided she wanted mama to come in the bath. We ended up sitting and chatting (and playing with the ducks....) for quite a while. She was pretty late to bed as a result but it was lovely! 

I realised I didn't do "Katie's Round-up" when she turned 6, and when she was 5 1/2 I did a round up, so.... 

Katie at 6 1/2 
*weighs 19.5 kg 
*has lost 2 teeth, but has yet to have one fall out 
*has her first wobbly tooth 
*Is 112cm tall 
*has 10 1/2 e feet 
*Is in G7 swimming 
*Plays piano, clarinet and recorder
*Got distinctions in both her first graded dance exams
*can make a cup of (Yorkshire) tea
*played her first solo music festival
*played her first duet 
*has started windband
*won her first ballet solo 
*danced on stage at the London Coliseum 
*owns 16 monkeys 
*loves Chopin, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Center Stage soundtrack and all classical ballet music
*dislikes not completing something 
*still doesn't like cheap chocolate or white chocolate 
*love Galaxy golden eggs and Haribo 
*likes blueberries and curry 
*still thinks in mama's arms is absolutely the best place to sleep