When I Was in Junior High, My Home-Ec Class Had a Fashion Show During Which We Modeled What We’d Sewn, and All I Remember Is Being Mortified Because My Mom Was Weeping As I Galumphed Down the “Catwalk” in My Navy Polyester Slacks

Imagine if she’d had a blog, back then in 1980–oh, the photos of me she could have posted for the world to see!

Small mercies.

Anyhow, this Millenium Mom is going to use her blog, right here, right now, to brag about the highlight and joy of her twelve-year-old daughter’s life,

and, Praise The Evolution of Synthetic Fibers, it’s not a pair of navy polyester slacks.

Rather, it’s my Girl’s national magazine debut (the experience was chronicled here). Indeed, a little over a week ago, we received a box of twenty advance copies of the back-to-school issue of Discovery Girls magazine; a few days later, her subscription copy slid through the mail slot, and in a few weeks, the issue will be for sale on stands across the country in stores like Barnes & Noble, Target, and Wal-Mart.

You’ll want to crack open your piggy bank and set aside at least one full shopping day towards the end of July.

In short, we are very excited here and are shouting our glee at everyone with at least one functioning ear or the ability to read body language. In the off chance your piggy bank doesn’t rattle when you shake it, let me give you a rich and savory taste of the magazine contents, as they relate to Girl. In the process, yet another bloggy pseudonym shall fall, as her name is plastered all over the thing. I figure, however, that most of us are all pal-ed up on Facebook, and a third of you are probably engaged in games of Words with Friends against her, so it’s not like I’m raising the veil on some great mystery here.

Anyhow, there were two days of photo shooting during the DG experience: one at the Jelly Belly factory outside of Milwaukee (Girl is wearing a striped sweater in those pictures), and one in a professional studio (Girl is wearing–wait!–a striped sweater in some of those, too…along with a “cover outfit” in one shot…not that she made the cover, but, er, em, she definitely made the cover in my heart, and a heart’s cover lasts decades longer than any old piece of glossy magazine anyhow).

Below is the actual cover of the actual magazine, not the one in my heart (which you can’t see, Silly, as it’s nestled well away from view; only Byron and the makers of Britain’s The Office in the final episode, an episode which made me burst into tears and sob wildly at the romance of it all, are able to see and touch it):

Last weekend, one of those cover girls there was in Duluth with her family, so she and Girl got together for a bit to see more of each other in real life.

Enough of real life. Back to the magazine and my labored and awkward attempts to scan in pages!

The picture below shows that all our Piggyback Riding and Pyramid Foundation Lessons paid off. Not every DG girl is able to hop aboard another or serve as a bottom brick as easily as ours:

 

These are the “profile” shots; I’m not terribly fond of the appearance of horns that photo gives Miss Allegra, but then again Angelina Jolie is currently rocking such a look in her costume for Maleficent, so perhaps the Girl’s hair was prescient with regards to this trend.

 

The picture below is the “cover shot” of Allegra and a girl named Taylor. I quite like it–especially because they put her in clothes she’d never wear otherwise, and I enjoy seeing her dressed up like her name is Muffy.

 

Part of the DG experience was that Allegra had to write up essay answers, when all was said and done, to more than twenty questions. For that alone, I appreciated this magazine.

 

I absolutely love her answer below, as it’s Truth to Power. She spent about half of her math time, during our homeschooling year, crying out of frustration. This year, when she was back in a traditional classroom, she was the Rock Star of math class–very advanced and the light of the teacher’s life. Thus, so long as she spelled “hated” correctly when recounting her homeschooling experience, I call the year a win.

 

Can we all dance around and squeal like pre-adolescent girls now?

Comments

comments

Comments

13 responses to “When I Was in Junior High, My Home-Ec Class Had a Fashion Show During Which We Modeled What We’d Sewn, and All I Remember Is Being Mortified Because My Mom Was Weeping As I Galumphed Down the “Catwalk” in My Navy Polyester Slacks”

  1. ds Avatar

    Congratulations, Allegra-Girl! Well done. Dancing and squealing, Mom. You done good.

  2. Friko Avatar

    Dancing and squealing.
    Well, actually, more like galumphing and squealing.

    Do I get the impression that I am in the vicinity of a very proud mum? Brag away, proud mum, brag away. Why wouldn’t you.

  3. chlost Avatar

    I am not sure why this is, but I feel proud of her, as well! Squealing! Dancing! Cheering! Yay Allegra!!!

    I love the essay. It is a huge debate in our family right now, as our granddaughter is of kindergarten age, and our daughter-in-law has decided to “try homeschooling”. Oh, wait, does my opinion show? Anyway, I think Allegra did a great job in this entire magazine spread, and I completely understand you and Byron and Paco being absolutely over the moon proud of her. Congratulations!

  4. Secret Agent Woman Avatar

    That’s really fantastic. And I love the honesty in the essay. I wouldn’t home school my own unless I were in a situation where that was the only option. And I’ve seen tragic cases where dreadfully unqualified people homeschooled their kids.

    Incidentally – I had to model my middle school home ec creation, too – we made denim wrap skirts. At a time when I did NOT wear skirts. It scarred me, I tell you.

  5. lime Avatar

    what an exciting thing for allegra and your family. you have every right to giggle and squeal like a tween. that is one honest girl there and between her going back to be the star inn her class this year and being able to verbalize how frustrating homeschooling was as a student i think we get a nice snapshot of the pros and cons. either way, pat yourselves on the back for raising such a confident, eloquent, and poised young lady.

  6. Vicky Avatar
    Vicky

    Definitely squealing and giggling for Allegra! I can understand the frustration of home-schooling, I got Modern Maths and when I asked my father to help me, he did things a completely different way and it always ended up in tears! In fact, I’m not sure why I asked him. But great news for Girl, and it must must be a great booster for self-confidence.
    Tebrikler!

  7. Green Girl in Wisconsin Avatar
    Green Girl in Wisconsin

    SQUEEEEEEE! She looks so pretty–sounds so articulate–and strikes me as completely wholesome midwest awesomeness. I can’t WAIT to hold the actual mag in my hands!

  8. Bone Avatar

    Wow, so much to comment on, so much time!

    1. I sewed a pair of jam shorts in Home Ec. Fortunately, I kept them so that I was able to blog photographic evidence a few years ago.

    2. Can I get in on this Words With Friends?

    3. I really need to watch the British version of The Office. The American version jumped the shark long ago.

    4. There’s a Jelly Belly factory near Milwaukee!?!? I’ve been to Milwaukee before. I did not know this.

    5. It was really hard to focus once you mentioned Jelly Belly’s. (Or is it Bellies?) Buttered popcorn… mmmm.

    6. Congrats! To you and Allegra.

  9. pam Avatar

    Your girl knows how to rise up to a challenge and scoop the prize. Congratulations to all – raising children is not easy, neither is being one, and I love to see your successes and pride in such well-deserved achievements. Such wonderful adventures you’ve all had as a family, all based on “having a go”. Loved this post – such a buzz seeing the magazine photos – thanks!

  10. Chantal Avatar

    awe! How awesome is that! Way to go Allegra! She is growing up so fast!

  11. geewits Avatar

    I can not wait to see my husband’s face when I send him to Barnes & Noble to get this magazine for me. I wish I could record it.

  12. Jess Avatar

    Allegra is da bomb.

  13. heart in san francisco Avatar

    Allegra is soooo beautiful and clearly has a radiant personality. What a delightful experience for her! Congratulations to the charming cover girl as every page in which she appears is a cover.

    I sympathize completely with you as I have also been attacked by stinging nettle AND poison oak/ivy/sumac in every bodily crevice. Cortisone helps a little, but it is surely one of life’s more odious experiences. I would rather see you in a magazine, too, Girlfriend. Feel better soon!

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