Riot and Frolic

a mostly ballroom dance, but also a bunch of other stuff, blog

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about

I own and rock people’s faces off teaching ballroom dancing at Dancers Studio in St. Paul, MN. My husband and I compete professionally in American style and wrangle eight children in our spare time. I’ve been teaching and competing in ballroom dancing for over 25 years and have lots of opinions on it. I am an expert by any means, but there are quite a few dancers who are better than me and I have a solid knowledge of basic technique, so suck it.

Category: Domesticality

  • My Favorite Things

    I'm going Big Picture on this one, because it's been a tough year and there's a short list of things that have helped me enjoy it.   And no, even when I get to actual things, nothing is sponsored and I still don't have ads, but if you want to buy me a coffee, I…

  • Going Out with Kids : A Primer

    A few years ago, I loved reading a particularly snarky, but helpful parenting column on some website.  The author I enjoyed most had three kids [maybe I did as well at the time] and was so funny and practical.  A few months down the line, she admitted she never took out all her kids at…

  • All the Crappy Stuff

    Lest one think I am a jolly penguin and all of the circumstances of the last six months have just rolled off my good-humor-insulated back, I am here to complain about all the crappy stuff that's transpired. Since March 13, when we had our somewhat eerily-timed and, retrospectively, final showcase in our former studio space,…

  • Happy Anniversary

    To celebrate nine years of the blog, here's some fun facts and greatest hits for you: after over 750 posts, half a million views, and quite a few guest stints, you'd think I'd have run out of things to say, BUT I HAVE NOT. this blog is older than five of my children. the longest…

  • Cheers! Here’s to Being Adequate

    While unconditional love and patience and compassion and self-sacrifice are all hallmarks of a good mom, I think we need to declare a new trait.  Because you know what's underrated and necessary in motherhood?  Adequacy.  With Pinterest moms, Instagram families, and the glossy filter of Facebook, few people are content with just "good enough".  But…

  • On Running

    I run three days a week.  I have done this off and on for four kids (it's easier to say that than keep track of the years).  Each morning, as I hit the sidewalk, I groan.  Not merely an under-my-breath, mostly inaudible sort of groan, but a loud, full body, complete with eye roll GROAN. …

  • Life with a Newborn – with a Crappy Graph

    Sometimes I forget how life is after I bring a new baby home from the hospital.  You'd thnk I remember by now, what with 5 of these experiences in my pocket, but NO. Since momnesia is real, I decided to make myself a graph as a visual reminder of what to expect when I'm no…

  • Don’t Know What I’m Doing: Hot Jam

    A couple of people have compared me to Jessica Day from "The New Girl" and I usually blow it off as she's a great Every Girl who epitomizes how many of us feel from day to day.   But tonight, I'm excitedly sitting in my dining room listening to the lids on my cans pop. AKA,…

  • Doing Weird Things

    I've been trying new things lately.  They often seem weird and I often feel stupid attempting them.  Most of the time, I don't have anything but my wits and good ol' Google helping me out. I've Instant-Potted four things in one day so I didn't have to turn on the oven or stove. The garden…

  • I’m Not A Beauty Blogger

    I do not qualify in any way as a beauty expert, except that my sister-in-law stated that "I've never seen anyone in the real world, outside ballroom dancing, do contouring well." So there's my qualification.  Not a great resume, but let's run with it. I have four products that make my life infinitely easier and…