CIRCUS MOM
Geovi, Jodie, Alyssa and Erwin UriasWritten by Caitlin Byrne
from theadvertiser.com
Jul. 17, 2011
Some kids say they want to run away and join the circus. Geovi and Alyssa Urias will never have to worry about that: They've grown up in it.
But while that gives them some amazing opportunities, their mom Jodie says it doesn't change her parenting perspective.
"I'm just an ordinary mom with a very extraordinary career," said Jodie.
And extraordinary is the perfect word to describe what the Urias family does. They are currently touring with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus on the Zing, Zang, Zoom — Gold Edition tour.
Their act, the Urias Family Globe of Steel, involves Jodie standing in the middle of a steel globe while her husband, Erwin, his brother and his brother's fiance ride motorcycles around her at 55 miles per hour.
But Jodie says the craziness of their act fits into her life perfectly. "It's a great analogy for my life as a mom — always surrounded by chaos!"
But despite that chaos, they try to keep their kids lives as normal as possible. Geovi, 10, and Alyssa, 7, still go to school, do their homework, and spend time with their parents, just like kids who aren't traveling around the world with the circus.
"They go to school Wednesday through Sunday," Jodie said. "On Mondays we're traveling and Tuesdays are what we call a 'dark day.' There's no media appearances, set-up or performances. On those times we try to spend as much time together as possible."
While the kids have attended both public and private schools, their parents really enjoy the opportunities the school on the tour have given them. They go to school for four hours with their teacher and then do the rest of their work at home.
"It's great for them, because they're really excited about their day and excited about learning."
And traveling around the world with Ringling Brothers has provided some great learning experiences as well.
"They learn about things in school that coincides with places we've been or are going to," Jodie said.
"They were studying Rome right about the time the Ringling Brothers went on their first European tour, and we went to Italy and were able to take the kids to the Coliseum. It made me want to cry because if it had not been for the work that we do, that might be something my children would never have seen."
Performing in the circus runs in the Urias family. Erwin is a fourth generation circus performer. His parents were actually performing the same globe act in the 1970s that the Urias family currently performs.
But does that mean that Geovi and Alyssa are destined for a circus career? That's entirely up to them.
"We do what other parents do. We teach our kids what we know so that they can't make an educated decision about what to do." Jodie said.
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus on the Zing, Zang, Zoom — Gold Edition tour will be at the Cajundome this Thursday through Sunday.
And for moms on a budget like Jodie, this week's performances are full of opportunities to stretch your dollar. On opening night, Thursday, all tickets are just $10, and kids tickets are $10 for performances all week long.
But if you get to the show an hour early, there's a ton of fun activities for kids that are all free. There are vintage circus costumes that you can try on, jump ropes, tightrope walking (with close supervision of course) and you can even meet Dutchess, one of the shows elephants.
"It's a fun and a learning experience," Jodie said. "It's almost like a circus museum!" Jodie be teaching hoola hooping, and says she loves the preshow because it's when they get to meet everyone who comes to the show.
Jul. 17, 2011
Some kids say they want to run away and join the circus. Geovi and Alyssa Urias will never have to worry about that: They've grown up in it.
But while that gives them some amazing opportunities, their mom Jodie says it doesn't change her parenting perspective.
"I'm just an ordinary mom with a very extraordinary career," said Jodie.
And extraordinary is the perfect word to describe what the Urias family does. They are currently touring with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus on the Zing, Zang, Zoom — Gold Edition tour.
Their act, the Urias Family Globe of Steel, involves Jodie standing in the middle of a steel globe while her husband, Erwin, his brother and his brother's fiance ride motorcycles around her at 55 miles per hour.
But Jodie says the craziness of their act fits into her life perfectly. "It's a great analogy for my life as a mom — always surrounded by chaos!"
But despite that chaos, they try to keep their kids lives as normal as possible. Geovi, 10, and Alyssa, 7, still go to school, do their homework, and spend time with their parents, just like kids who aren't traveling around the world with the circus.
"They go to school Wednesday through Sunday," Jodie said. "On Mondays we're traveling and Tuesdays are what we call a 'dark day.' There's no media appearances, set-up or performances. On those times we try to spend as much time together as possible."
While the kids have attended both public and private schools, their parents really enjoy the opportunities the school on the tour have given them. They go to school for four hours with their teacher and then do the rest of their work at home.
"It's great for them, because they're really excited about their day and excited about learning."
And traveling around the world with Ringling Brothers has provided some great learning experiences as well.
"They learn about things in school that coincides with places we've been or are going to," Jodie said.
"They were studying Rome right about the time the Ringling Brothers went on their first European tour, and we went to Italy and were able to take the kids to the Coliseum. It made me want to cry because if it had not been for the work that we do, that might be something my children would never have seen."
Performing in the circus runs in the Urias family. Erwin is a fourth generation circus performer. His parents were actually performing the same globe act in the 1970s that the Urias family currently performs.
But does that mean that Geovi and Alyssa are destined for a circus career? That's entirely up to them.
"We do what other parents do. We teach our kids what we know so that they can't make an educated decision about what to do." Jodie said.
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus on the Zing, Zang, Zoom — Gold Edition tour will be at the Cajundome this Thursday through Sunday.
And for moms on a budget like Jodie, this week's performances are full of opportunities to stretch your dollar. On opening night, Thursday, all tickets are just $10, and kids tickets are $10 for performances all week long.
But if you get to the show an hour early, there's a ton of fun activities for kids that are all free. There are vintage circus costumes that you can try on, jump ropes, tightrope walking (with close supervision of course) and you can even meet Dutchess, one of the shows elephants.
"It's a fun and a learning experience," Jodie said. "It's almost like a circus museum!" Jodie be teaching hoola hooping, and says she loves the preshow because it's when they get to meet everyone who comes to the show.
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