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Need a Mommy Mulligan

12 Aug

Wow, I feel like I really blew that one. I wish it didn’t matter to me so much. Why does it? Why did I need Nate to wear nicer clothes (polo/khaki shorts, etc.) on the first day of school? I mostly think it’s because I want to take that obligatory first day photo where the kids are all decked out in their new duds. But that’s what I want, not what my kids necessarily want – and that should matter, right? I should let them have a say in how they’ll be dressed in that picture, right?

It’s just, based off the outfit that Nate picked out himself (by himself), his First Grade first day would’ve been captured like this:

  • Gray “fast” shorts (basically, athletic shorts) with a bright orange stripe down the sides
  • His new black sneaks
  • A white graphic t-shirt with a tiger and a monkey rockers in shades
  • Spiderman character socks

I told him that he could for sure wear that on Tuesday, except for the Spidey socks because they really didn’t match, but I wanted him to wear a polo shirt and dress shorts for the first day. He could even wear his new sneaks. He expressed his displeasure in many whines and dramatics, even telling me his new sneaks would look “weird” with the nicer clothes.

That’s when I spoke what I wish I could un-speak. I told him I wondered why that would look weird but the non-matching Spiderman socks with the non-matching shorts and shirt doesn’t look weird to him. He paused, defeated. I felt like a jerk. After all, the little man picked out that band tee outfit all by himself and laid it all out ready to go. It was something he would feel good wearing on the first day. I walked out and told him I’d steam his tee.

He came to me and said, “What about my nice shirt with the guitars?” I hugged him with tears in my eyes and talked to him about why it mattered to me like it did but that I should have considered his feelings more.

We compromised. He’s now wearing his polo shirt that has guitars on the chest with nicer shorts and he plans to wear the shirt he really wanted to wear on the first day – a violent looking doughnut tee that he thinks is funny (forced mom smile) – on the second day. (Turns out, I found a small hole that needs stitched in the band tee. I swear I didn’t put it there.)

The best line of the whole ordeal was Andrew asking me, “Did you tell him, ‘You go to school to learn not for a fashion show’?” (Thank you, Fresh Prince.)

I guess I need to take some of that advice. Besides, I have a feeling uniforms are on the way …

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Sweet Spree

6 Aug

There was the white sweatshirt with neon-colored, glow-in-the-dark hand prints all over it. There were the jam shorts. The coolots.  The acid wash jeans. That one white jean shorts overall piece with polka dots that really made my collection complete. (Rocked that one the first day of school.) All of it added up to hours of me in a dressing room and mountains of the latest department store styles.

I have very fond memories of those sprees with my dad from when I was a pre-teen. Wild fashion sense aside, of course. It was cool that he would let me pick out what I wanted – giving me the chance to feel independent and content with my choices.

This was the first year that Nia really wanted to contribute like that. She’s always been an easy shopper. I could hold something up, ask her if she liked it, and more times than not, she would. Done. This year though, she told me the stores she wanted to shop at (Justice, Crazy 8’s and Target) and walked in knowing the style she wanted.

We had so much fun. She seemed so confident about what she wanted, especially the zebra print belt and shiny heeled sneakers. We giggled in the dressing room when she tried on jeans and they were gigantic on her. She didn’t even have to unbutton them to get them on and off. Two Beans could fit in there. Each time she would grab one of my size 10 selections (just in case, you know?) that made her disappear, she would tell me, “See? I told you I was an 8.”

She is so excited to wear all of her new clothes and I didn’t have the heart to make her wait until school to wear her heeled sneaks. (I also wanted to make sure she could walk in them and they didn’t hurt her feet.) She wore them around the house as soon as we got home and then to the grocery store the next day. She wants others to adore them as much as she does, expressing disappointment as we left the store, “Nobody said anything about my shoes.”

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I love that you love them, Bean. I have a feeling they are only a glimpse of what’s ahead and hope shopping together is something we always enjoy.

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Birthday Bliss and Trip (Times Three)

10 Jan

I’m not bringing this up to start a fight or make him feel bad, but Andrew forgot my birthday the first year we were married. I merely point that out to reduce the level of bliss this blog post exudes.

He now finds a way to outdo every birthday with little surprises and special gifts that shows he pays attention to me.

He had roses waiting for me in the garage so I would see them when I walked to my car. He braved the beauty department makeup counter to buy me the “fancy” mascara I wanted.

That would be swooning enough for sure but there was more.

This is the cookie cake that Andrew had delivered at my work for my birthday.

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Thank you, Cookie Creations of Atlanta

This is the dress, also purchased by Andrew, that I wore when I ate the cookie cake that Andrew bought me.

Happiness and Photo Courtesy: http://www.jessicasimpsoncollection.com

These are the hot heels that Andrew delivered upon me before I left for work in the dress that I wore when I ate the cookie cake.

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Also, Jessica Simpson

These hot heels also added some adventure to the day that marks 34 years alive. I tripped three times in these beauties. And I would do it all again. My embarrassment and possible pain is the least I can do to show my thanks, appreciation and love for all Andrew does for me.

And I think he’s thankful for things like calendar reminders now. Maybe forgetting my birthday was the best present he ever got me.

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Nate Strut

18 Apr

Maybe it’s because he sees his daddy in a blazer and tie each Sunday. Maybe it’s because he wants a break from his fast pants. Maybe it’s because he just likes to be dapper. Whatever the reason, Nate wants to wear his little clip-on tie whenever he can and has been asking for his own blazer for weeks now.

Well, we finally bought him one this weekend and he couldn’t wait to wear it. He didn’t want to take it off after trying it on and then negotiated to wear it home from the store.

As soon as he buttoned it, he began to strut. Oh yeah. He knew he was lookin’ good. He was feeling it. I can’t help but think of the John Travolta movie and Bee Gee’s song “Staying Alive” when looking at these pictures. At the end of the movie, Travolta’s character, Tony Manero, says he wants to strut and then the song plays.

Our little ladies’ man.

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Sole Offense

3 Nov

I am not worthy of my shoe selection for I am guilty of shoe abuse and neglect.

I don’t deserve the shoe rack Andrew built for my fancy footwear. Instead of putting my pumps, sneaks and sandals away to be safely and neatly stored on the shelves, this (regretfully) is how I treat them:

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Cuddled up on the bedroom floor

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Dumped downstairs with a few of Nia's

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Vacancies on the shoe rack

I must change my ways. I sentence myself to routine and proper care/keep of my shoes and maybe I’ll be rewarded for good behavior – say with new shoes?

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Lip Glossaholic

2 Mar

It all started a few years ago. A small dab and that was it. She was hooked.

There ought to be a warning label on those tiny tubes of tasty temptation. “Warning: Once you smooth this on your lips, your mouth will never be the same. (Smaller print: Especially dangerous when given to young girls. Has been known to turn some girls into clown faces, pouters and pickpockets.)

I want some lip glohosssss!

Please mommy. Please can I have some lip glass?

Pickpocket

Success!

This is not our first experience with the power of the flavored lip gloss. I’m more than happy to share my stash with her – if I have any left to offer.

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Shhh! Don’t tell Victoria!

20 Sep

I have a secret to share and it’s not for all to know.  Trust me.  You will not want to read past this sentence if you don’t want to hear about my new love of Target bras.

I’ve been a Victoria’s Secret shopper for as long as I’ve been able to pick out my pretty things by myself.  Now though, I’m loving me some Gilligan & O’Malley.  They are comfortable, pretty, flattering, easy to adjust and are much, much cheaper than my former fave.  (I got my G&O for $11.99 compared to the usual $35ish at VS.)

Now, I will still turn to my girl for the sexier things but as for the day to day, it’s Target all the way.  Even Consumer Reports says you should consider a Gilligan & O’Malley.  Their report was the reason I experimented and I feel so smart and economical now. Oh yeah, and uplifted if you know what I mean.

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Bra Drawer Confessions

10 May

Yes, like the title says, this post is all about my bras.  It will not be obscene or perverted or erotic (well, not intentionally anyway).  Will it offer more information than some of you may care to know?  Well, if you don’t want to know why I feel the need to have five different sizes of bras then you probably have already read too much.

First there’s the 34B.  I remember this particular bra fondly.  It was my first sexy one.  I got it when I was in college and I had happy, young girls.  I tried this one the other day.  HA!  Very funny and very tight. So you’d think I would have tossed it, right?  Yeah, I tossed it.  Right back into the drawer.  What am I thinking?  I don’t even want to be that size anymore – not when I used to be a…

34C.  This is my proudest and biggest collection of bras.  I wore these during my last college years (I thank the pill!) and up until my first pregnancy pushed me into another size – I’ll get to those in a short paragraph.  Anyway, I still have maybe 5 of these tucked away with care.  I tried them on and it was quite pitiful.  They were also too tight around but the girls got lost in there.  The bras wanted to support something and I don’t have anything to offer them, yet I just can’t let them go.  A part of me (that part that still wants to weigh 125 or less) believes that maybe someday I’ll get to pull out the 34C’s and actually strut around in them again.  (Not that I ever really strutted in them but maybe I would if I got to wear them again.  Who knows, maybe I’d do a few flips and break it down or something.  Why not?  I think a crazy celebration would be in order.)

There’s two other C’s chillin’ in the drawer too.  The 36 and 38C’s came into my life after having the babies.  I think they were actually a little too small looking back on it.  Breast-feeding really accentuated the positive and I shouldn’t have kept them confined!  Oh yeah, as far as pregnancy and nursing bras go, they are not kept in my everyday bra drawer so I don’t count them on my “why in the world do I still have these” list. Besides, who knows what will happen – I might need those special ones again.  (Not that we are planning to need them again!)

That leads me to the present day ah-tah size.  I have no freakin’ clue.  I thought I read that breast-feeding was supposed to help keep the girls still in the ga-ga category.  HA!  What a crock. I even tried it with both babies thinking that it would improve matters.  (Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t just do it because it was supposed to be best for the boobies, but of course, also because it’s supposed to best for the babies.)  All that information aside, I am now trying to manage a 36B.  It’s not my perfect size but it works ok.  You know, until my chest mysteriously grows overnight or until I go let some lady at Victoria’s Secret size me up and then, yet again, probably add another bra size to my stash.

So, was it good for you?

 

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Didn’t Even Flinch

15 Mar

Not only is she growing up so quickly, she’s also super brave!  While we were at the mall today, Andrew asked Nia if she wanted to get her ears pierced.  I don’t think he ever thought she would say yes!

Pretty Princess Earrings

 

She asked if it would hurt like a shot and he told her yes.  She didn’t care – she wanted them pierced.  We walked into Claire’s and the very nice clerk asked her what earrings she would like.  She knew right away.  Who cares it’s the birthstone for October?  It was a pretty, pink, sparkly earring and it was her choice.

She sat on Andrew’s lap and watched as the clerk cleaned the earrings and put on latex gloves.  I thought that for sure would scare her. Nope. She didn’t even seem tense.

The clerk used extra care to make sure Nia didn’t see the piercing gun as she went in for the first ear.  The clerk counted – one, two, three.  That was it.  Nia’s tiny earlobe just had an earring shoved through it and nothing.  Not a deep breath, not a whimper, not a cringe, not a flinch, nothing.  We asked her if she was ok and all she said while smiling was, “It just surprised me a little bit.”  With that, she got her other ear pierced and then got to pick out other pretty princess earrings to wear later.

We are still in shock.  What a brave little girly girl with the pink, sparkly earrings. You amaze us every day.

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Our Little Addict

14 Mar

Sometimes I don’t feel like the mommy as much as I feel like the “supplier.”  There are certain things that we just cannot let Nia have at her disposal.

1.  Her use of construction paper must be monitored.  Now, I’m not so bad that I hold all the paper and only give her a sheet at a time or anything.  (What fun would that be for either of us?)  But, if I let her have free reign over the entire stash of construction paper, we would need to restock it every day.  It can get out of hand real fast if we’re not careful.

2.  Tape.  Wow, does she have a passion for tape.  She wants to tape everything. Don’t have a hair clip?  Tape it.  Did a glass break?  Tape it.  She will cut up the tiniest pieces of construction paper and then want to tape them together or to other whole pieces of construction paper.  Glue won’t do.  Nope.  She’s gotta have the tape.  It appears as though she’ll keep getting her tape and paper fix thanks to her Aunt Sissy.  She recently sent us a nice supply so as long as I maintain control of how much Nia’s using, we should be good to go for awhile.

3. Flavored/Scented lip gloss.  She would love so much to be able to carry 3 or 4 tubes of it in her tiny purse and apply it liberally throughout any given day.  I would love for her to be able to do that but I can’t let her because she’s allergic to something in them. I feel so bad that I have to confiscate them from her when she gets them as a gift.  (If I don’t she will sneak away and smear them on her mouth over and over again until the gloss looks as though she was eating it as well.)  She always asks, “Can’t I just try a little Mommy?  Just a little?”  My heart breaks because I remember how much I loved those glosses when I was little but I just cannot let her get her grip on the gloss.

4.  Scented lotions. If she could she would use the whole bottle in one day. If she’s even alone with a small bottle for more than a few minutes she smells as though she just painted herself with it.

Ah, and this is only the beginning.  I’m sure it’s only going to get more interesting and challenging as grows up.

 

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