or you learn!
In my previous post, you got to see in all their glory our spectacular (fail of a) first experience with National American Miss. Back then, we had NO idea of what we were doing. I like to think we learned a little bit between 2012 and 2013, but looking back I can see we still had so much to learn!
We were still on a budget, so when it came time to prepare, we re-used what we could and bought pre-owned what we needed to replace. The most I have ever spent on a gown for my daughter was her first year at NAM. $450 for a little girl’s dress. Older me wants to chastise younger me, but honestly, I had no idea back then.
What we all learned:
- Prepare early! Make sure ALL your ducks are in a row about a month before the pageant. This includes wardrobe and introduction. You do NOT want to be learning your introduction (or changing it) the day before you compete.
- Paperwork is paramount! It must be NEAT and readable. Fun fact: I’ve been typing up paperwork every year since 2012 when I started on a typewriter. I may never get rid of it because it’s sentimental now.
- Do NOT spend a lot of money on stuff that doesn’t matter.
- Reuse/repurpose when possible. You’ll thank yourself later.
- DIY what you reasonably can and outsource when you can’t.
Here we are in our repurposed interview suit. I added cuffs to the sleeves because her arms had grown. Was it the best choice? At the time, absolutely. You can see that we also tamed down the “disco hair” and got rid of the unfortunate bangs (that I still haven’t been forgiven for). We also re-used the same state finalist sash for pictures because we hadn’t aged out yet.
My daughter’s gown was purchased used from another mom at a different pageant and we used it until she outgrew it. I spent less maybe $50 or 75 for it and it was a Sugar by MacDuggal. I was nervous about the style because it was a one-shoulder, but it turns out that the previous year’s Princess winner wore the same dress and won, so my fears were somewhat assuaged.
As you can see, it’s cute and fit her, however that HAIR. I still hadn’t learned what to do with her hair and I’m mortified at the dangly earrings. Again, you win or you learn. This was the year that we stretched ourselves and tried something new: Optionals! We added one optional, Casual Wear, to the mix to give our daughter a stretch goal. She knew nothing about modeling, especially when it came to NAM and what they were looking for, but we were proud of her nonetheless for trying something new.
She wore a completely off the rack ensemble from Justice with shoes from Payless (RIP, Payless). The whole outfit was about $50 brand new. We still have the outer top somewhere and it would probably still fit her as a crop top. If she wore neon fuschia things with sequins (which she refuses to do). If I were to do it over again at that age and time, I’d be hitting the resale shops like Once Upon A Child to grab name brand items in excellent condition for pennies on the dollar.
After our learning experiences from the year before, my daughter’s practice and our efforts to “do better” with the things we could do better with paid off. She won “Best Resume” and was a Top 15 finalist. That year there were 108 Jr. Pre-Teens in Division 2 in the program book. To put it in perspective, there were 114 in Division 1 as well. So well over 225 competitors ages 7-9 years old (as of January 1st). To be chosen as a semi-finalist out of that many was mind-blowing to us. We had NO coaching, no professional hair stylist, no expensive wardrobe. And there we were.
Another thing that is mind-blowing to me now is that these two girls, then 9 and 11, are now at 15 and 17 “Pink Drink sisters” and good friends, years later. I never would’ve thought in 2013 that in 2019 people we met then would be part of our family now. Friendships are the biggest win of all. That’s the beauty of NAMily.