Danceathon at Wembley by Team Honk for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day 2015

What with Danceathon and everything, wow, it's been an emotional week. I made a mad dash to TK Maxx to get their official Henry Holland Red Nose Day onesie on Thursday (a week ago today), followed by getting hair grips and a tutu skirt in Claire's Accessories. It's great to know that with those purchases you're making a donation to Comic Relief. A huge ten pounds goes to Comic Relief from each sale of the onesie for example. I do love it and have worn it three times already (for our World Book Day movie night, for Wembley's Danceathon, and finally for our school Danceathon), although the chances are high that I may wear it again tomorrow for Red Nose Day itself. It'd be a great way of taking part in Pippa's #MyKidsDressedMe. That reminds me, best put the washing machine on!

The above pic was taken by me, in the mirror, in the loos at school, as I changed into the onesie for school's danceathon on Tuesday. I don't know why/how I look so normal in it when I looked like a HOUSE getting into the Mr Tickle car outside Wembley Arena, as you'll see later, below. I think thanks to bloating, I have big days and less big days.

It was a long long day Sunday 8th March and a gang of us met at Paddington station:

We then had a long walk to Wembley Arena from Wembley Central.... except it went incredibly quickly as we were all busy chatting. Someone had said on Facebook the walk would be 15 minutes so I thought we could consider it a warmup, but looking at Google now, I am realising why the walk passed so quickly; twas only a wee 6 minutes. The walk was GREAT for calming my nerves and getting me grounded and centred, but it seemed that feeling was short-lived unfortunately. As with everything in life, preparation is everything, and it was a little lacking here - oooops. Arriving at the venue itself was superb as there was a Mr Tickle character AND a car that bounced and moved when you tickled its interior (if you could get into it first that is, which with my stupid rucksuck wasn't the easiest of tasks). This can be seen in full effect if you watch my Danceathon You Tube video.

We got inside, and the first thing to make an impact was the @PopChoir - they feature in my Danceathon Video, at 4 minutes in. Oh my God they were moving! Talk about heart-opening! I only wish I'd stayed and videoed them for longer, but I was like a kid who didn't want to be parted from his/her Mum. I felt that I needed to stay with everyone or I'd get lost. Later, when I knew my way round the venue, I realised how terribly silly this had been of me. Nerves eh?!?!?!?

So we found our way to the cloakroom queue, at which point I went into a complete panic. For no other reason than my mind was too blank to know what was in there... could I hand it in, when there may be something I needed in there? Also, I convinced myself that my train buddies would want to go home, and they'd be cross waiting for me, when I was in a long queue at the end of the night to pick it up (this was a real memory from nightclub days from *coughs* decades ago - yes, I am OLD)! This turned out to be an irrational fear, as when we left there was hardly anyone in the venue apart from staff and security. We were doing a group photo, post-event and they were patiently waiting for us to do that before politely shimmying us on our way. I went into the loos to empty the blasted rucksack, and it turned out the whole bottom half was easter eggs - 100 of the buggers - that I'd intended on handing to everyone. Turned out I never got chance to do so and carried them home again. I didn't realise the counter I emptied everything on to, was actually one of those flat designer basin things and at one point the tap came on, directly above my change of clothes, which I really hadn't needed to bring with me anyway. I was happy travelling to and from Wembley in my onesie. So, it turned out, the only thing I took out of my rucksack was Aaron's PLANES lunchbox, which had my vital snacks in. A side pocket had Nurofen in, so me and Jane took this opportunity to take the pain killers that would get us through the day - me for my plantar fasciitis and her for her knee. So to anyone who saw this inner toilet, rucksack car crash, I do apologise. I am normally the sort of composed person who looks out for everyone else, so it really wasn't me, neither was it helpful, for me to go into panic paddy mode :-(

When we eventually got on the dancefloor I realised I couldn't dance with my satchel handbag crossing over me, so I put that and my (Aaron's) lunchbox on the floor in front of me. It VERY soon became evident that I couldn't dance around my handbag. Just as with the cloakroom queue this wasn't after all a nightclub, despite its close imitation of one. Yes we danced for hours, yes there was loud music, bright lights and security but there was no alcohol ;-)

So I put my two bags against the wall, as I was dancing far left anyway, but security was tight and I was immediately told to keep them with me. Nell and Tinuke BOTH danced with rucksacks (as they were in the no bum bag gang like me), so really I should have brought a small rucksack with me (I have many) OR should have gone back up to Aly (who was kindly minding my bag while spectating and being @Team_Honk s online presence for the day) and swapped the contents of my rucksack for things I needed, strapped it on tight and danced with it on. I've danced while carrying a large Aaron so could easily have danced with the rucksack on my back, instead of two (in the way) bags at my feet, that nearly tripped up Kath. I made my overdraft bigger by getting the onesie, the hairgrips and the tutu, as I wanted to do everything by-the-book, but somehow still managed to put my foot in it - literally!

Suffice to say, I therefore didn't feel comfortable enough to dance properly, so busied myself making videos, 43 clips in total, which resulted in this Danceathon video which I am quite proud of, as badly edited as it is LOL:

When I did the school Danceathon, on Tuesday, I danced PROPERLY, being that I didn't have bags at my feet. BUT then the penny dropped, it WASN'T just the bags. At school I was near enough that I could SEE the instructor, whereas at Danceathon I was really far back, and as the whole thing was choreographed (and I am meant to wear glasses and don't) I really really struggled. I've deliberately waited 5 days to post this post, as I know in the initial days everyone wants to read HIGH posts, and so much of this sounds like sour grapes. 

It's not though, I just didn't do enough physical prep, in that I didn't have a much needed bum bag with me, and didn't do any emotional prep as we had incredibly bad news as a family, at 2:30 in the morning, Friday night/Saturday morning. So I kind of went into zombie mode, emotionally, all day Saturday, and therefore didn't have my whits about me to be the bubble and bundle of positive energy that I normally am. To anyone who walked passed my cloud of panic, I can only apologise. I think there are probably a few people I do need to apologise to. This has been a hard post to write. Quite emotional. But that's my circus and my monkeys to deal with.

A makeup red nose

I am incredibly grateful to Jane to travelling to and from with me, including collecting me from home and depositing me at home, before and after our LONG train journey. Now she's a lady who was prepared. She even had red face paint in her bag, so I did her a Bare Minerals makeover, and she loaned me the paint so I could do cheeks and a nose - well it is red nose day (tomorrow) after all :-) We had such a fabulous time on the train, as you can see at the start of the video. The funniest bits aren't even on there as I was too busy having a laugh to film. Us on the train is probably my favourite pic from the day.

For the most part of the day, I danced with Nell and Tinuke who were great dancing buddies, but also Hatty who's not in these pics:

Story of Mum is a complete legend, and that's another legend seen below: Richard Curtis (he who's won so many film awards AND the very same man who started Comic Relief back in the 1980s with Lenny Henry):

That's her Mum in those pics above, no, not her Sister. As well as starting #MyKidsDressedMe she also sold the above balloons, at 3 pounds each, in exchange for sponsorship and she danced unfettered in them ALL DAY. Proof being, that end of the day they're only just taking them off (then they rolled on floor and popped them, but I don't have a pic of that):

We actually got a pic with the legend that is Richard Curtis too. Excuse the blur. I'd actually seen him wandering around for about 30 minutes and didn't have the confidence to approach him, despite recognising him. So funny, that when I eventually did, I only did so when others did and there was a queue. Hence the rush and the blur. We also got a pic with Emma Freud on Instagram, but it's crazy dark.

At one point my cousin, her husband and his brother came in to spectate. Which was a tear jerker in itself as she personally sponsored me 30 pounds. The only friend/family to do so. I only publicised it in Facebook statuses which she straight away picked up on. I was too shy to email/DM/text people directly. So, anyway, I digressed, I went up to the spectator's area, where I got some great footage, in my video above, like everyone dancing to Jesus Christ. At which point I also got a photograph of a photographer. I adore this pic for some reason.

At Danceathon, Tanya went on stage, to show her tattoo to the cameras (a red nose tattoo that has earned a lot of sponsorship), footage that I hope makes it to Friday's Red Nose day show on BBC1, but it is in my video above from 18:44 minutes in (along with the Team Honk accompanying applause) if it doesn't make the cut. Her showing her bum on TV very soon became known as #ArseGate on Twitter

It is incredible how bright and empty and how quickly, the dance floor was, so soon after it all finishing. There was footage on the big screens of kids shouting out THANK YOU. I wish I'd filmed it, but here's some of Team Honk when it became time to say night night

Me and Jane were still BUZZING on the way home. We inhaled a Burger King with Kath from Dreaming of a Craft Room at Paddington station and scoffed our weight in sweets on the train. We then found some time to be #FunnyForMoney as that's what it's all about tomorrow.

What are YOU doing for Red Nose Day Friday 13th March?

At our school we did a Danceathon on Tuesday, for which all of the children, aged 4-11 are getting sponsored. (The traditional way on paper so I don't know a total). It was Zumba and was AMAZING!!!!

I've sold noses before and after school every day, with our PTA. I've just heard that we've run out, so we've got through over 300. Everyone has been so generous. With them being blind bags and 9 styles available everyone bought them in multiples, with one Dad even buying 20!

We don't have a Sainsbury's anywhere nearby, so we bought our red noses for 18 pounds for every 60 on the school's deposit scheme, and it was incredibly popular! People loved the convenience of buying them in the playground and it created SUCH a buzz.

We bought four noses on Tuesday at school after our Danceathon and our luck was in, as ALL FOUR were different look:

Four of the nine red noses available

But as I would like to have all 9 of them, I bought another one this morning, and my luck was out as it was a duplicate. I wonder, dear reader, do you have all 9 and how much did you have to spend to get nine? I guess it could become like stickers, where you swap them in the playground. GREAT FUN!!!

Oh, I am YET to reach my TARGET so I would love it if you could SPONSOR ME. The WONDERFUL people from +Funky Moves Dance Funky Moves Dance already have as have Hotter Shoes, who actually supplied the footwear that kept me with a spring in my step all day, like this:

It's all getting a bit #FunnyForMoney around here #teamhonkdanceathon #TeamHonk #Danceathon

A photo posted by Liska (@newmumonline) on Mar 8, 2015 at 6:49am PDT

They really are INCREDIBLY springy. The fact that I have plantar fasciitis and was able to be on my feet all day, is really saying something about their footwear!!!! Even though there were times I did not dance, every time we were asked to jump up and down, I always did, and the springiness ALWAYS supported me. The promised comfort you get from Hotter is for real. This is what I was wearing: 
Star Shoes from Hotter in Turquoise

If you want to watch a +Red Nose Day video that is HOT off the press, watch this. A beautiful lady called her twins Lenny and Henry:

in honour of Lenny Henry who started +Red Nose Day with Richard Curtis, back in the 1980s.

Bye for now Liska

xxx