I recently joined a blog circle, where each month, we all write a blog post on the same subject, and link to one another. The theme for August is “A Day in the Life”. (And be sure to check out the next author in the circle! Link at the bottom of this post!) I don’t think my life is particularly interesting from the day to day. I get up. Send my daughter off to school. Go to the office or have meetings. Pick her up from school. Make dinner. Go to bed. Rinse & repeat. So I had to think about this one, and thought I’d share a Day in the Life that was TOTALLY out of the ordinary for me: Pageant Day.

Yup. If there was one thing in life that I never, ever, ever thought I would be, it is “Pageant Mom”. However, it seems I have slipped into this new role rather easily, and it wears like my favorite old hoodie from college. Who knew? You see, I am NOT a girly girl. I also always thought pageants were silly, a little ridiculous, and well….we’ve all seen the shows on TLC. Then my daughter was invited to compete in the National American Miss Maryland pageant. And she begged and pleaded with me to do it. And I gave in.  I had no idea what the preparation would be like, but the title of this post is “A Day in the Life” and not “Three Months in the Life”, so I’ll spare you the details. What I can tell you, with absolute certainty, is this: I do not regret our pageant experience one tiny little bit. If I could do it all over tomorrow, I would, without hesitation. 

So, why? Well, let me give a little background. Maddie Claire was selected as a Maryland State Finalist for the Princess age division. (That’s 4-7 year olds. She was 6 on competition weekend.) This meant she competed with 95 other girls in her age division for the state title, and opportunity to go to Nationals. Let me tell you – the National American Miss organization is a CLASS ACT. Oh my goodness… they are all amazing. The skills these girls learn will be useful every day of their lives. They score the girls on community service, personal introduction, interview, and the formal wear presentation. My daughter learned poise, how to speak confidently on a stage in front of hundreds of people, how to believe in herself, how to make new friends, grace, and so much more. Just watching her transformation over the pageant weekend was enough reward in itself, but she also had so much fun. Here, let me share some photos!! (I apologize for the phone pics. I had enough to carry without lugging around my big camera! Professional red carpet photos at the end!!)

We are so proud of our girl, just for competing and giving it her best. Will we do it again next year? Absolutely. I also have to brag a little bit…Maddie Claire finished in the top 15 overall, was 1st Runner Up Most Promising Model, Winner of the Most Photogenic Award (which earned her an invitation to the National Competition and may have given me some awesome bragging rights, LOL!), received a Portfolio Award, Spirit of America Trophy, and a few ribbons as well. It was an exhausting but wonderful time!! You can also see more of just Maddie Claire at her Tumblr page. And yes, she is available for modeling. 😉

To check out the next “A Day in the Life” post from our amazing friends, please visit Heather Cox Photography’s August post!!