Ballerinas

I think I started something with the Glamour Shot thing.

Saturday was declared 'ballerina day'.  Not a national holiday, but one we chose to celebrate regardless.

 

Ballerinas wear buns.  The below photo was taken as an example of how a ballerina might style her hair.

 

Maisie begged and begged to get her hands on my camera.  I told her to take a photograph of her favorite thing in the living room.

 

Below is what she captured.

It's one of my favorite subjects too.

Glamour Shots

Ross had Boy Scouts Thursday night.  The girls were bawling they couldn't go to the meeting and Mike was feeling guilty leaving them so upset.  However, the topic was knife safety and the thought of our girls holding knives was not on my to-do-list for Thursday.

 

The situation called for serious intervention.  I knew there was only one way... one suggestion... two words that would remedy their agony. 

 

Glamour Shots.

 

Two words that took me back to 1992 as I considered looking for a pair of Guess jeans, a banana clip and the krimper.

 

But it worked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike returned from Scouts and asked if we'd been playing Glamour Shots. 

 

He never ceases to amaze me.

 

 

 

Lunch at School

Molly and I decided to eat lunch with Maisie in the school cafeteria today.  We walked into her classroom as they were finishing indoor recess.  Apparently Maisie was being a bit of a brat.  One of Maisie's friends was consoling another friend who was crying that Maisie wouldn't play with her.  The consoling friend explained that Maisie told the crying girl she wasn't her friend anymore because she colored on her snowman picture.  The consoling girl continued rubbing the crying girls back and I listened to Maisie try to talk herself out of it.  The crying girl then began hugging Molly who ate the attention up like nobodies business.  And this is only kindergarten. 

Lunch was another story as I had to tell another girl she was full of drama and to keep her hands out of the other kids' corn.  This is flu season. 

 

I figured we'd better say 'hi' to Ross as well.  Last night he told me his teacher smells like donuts and I wanted to get to the bottom of this.  As we walked into his classroom, he was also in the middle of indoor recess yet didn't seem terribly excited to see us.  Nobody was crying though, so I figured that was a plus.  We stayed just long enough for him to request a beef and bean burrito for after school.  I double checked my nametag to be sure it didn't say 'Taco John' and quickly left his room without getting a whiff of his teacher.

After spending nearly 15 minutes in the restroom and Molly having touched every hand rail in sight, I decided to douse both of us in hand sanitizer and make a bee-line for the exit door.  School lets out at 3 and I've got a burrito to make.



Ready for lunch with Maisie.

 

 

 

 

Reading

Between the pages of a book, is a lovely place to be.

 

 

Tomato Soup

My kids swear they hate tomatoes. 

 

I let them pick out the Michelina's 4/$5 microwave meals for lunch today at Fareway.  It's all about the little things.  They all chose the macaroni and cheese (because Ross did).  They carry their frozen Michelina's boxes around the store and act all possessive over which one is 'theirs'.  Luckily for me normal people don't venture outside in this kind of weather so the store was like 'open-gym'.  As I was shopping for floss... weird I know, but we've been out for a few days and I know how critical flossing can be for cardiovascular health, I began to hear the screeching.  Out of the corner of my eye, I spied a box of Michelina's macaroni and cheese sliding down the grocery store aisle with three kids chasing and tackling the box.  As my children wrestled the box of mac and cheese like it was a fumbled football (two were crying and the other was growling), I seriously contemplated the 'glide' floss verses 'reach'.  I decided to splurge and go with the 'glide' this time.  Again, it's the little things.  Eventually we left and was confident employee's later celebrated our departure. 

 

I prepared the frozen macaroni and cheese and heated a bowl of tomato soup for myself, figuring I'd get to eat it as my kids hate tomatoes.  At least that's what they say.  Molly wanted a 'bite'.  Then Maisie did. 

 

I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story.

 

 

 

 

My kids swear they hate tomatoes.

Random Friday

The kids headed back to school Thursday.  After dropping them off and returning home to thaw out my hands, I realized Maisie was more than ready to go back.

Dr K-4  Hop you hab a grate bae

love Mrs. hall

After school she was quick to tell me her friend Caleb was going to Florida.  I asked how long he would be there.  She replied, "I'm not sure, probably a year."

Ross returned from school eager to get a new bed.  He's been sleeping on a futon for over a year.  His choice. 

On New Years Day, I helped him deep-clean his room.  I have no words for some of the discoveries that were exhumed.   During the excavation process, we went back and forth about whether he'd like to start sleeping on a real bed.  He struggles with change and this was a big step for him.  Therefore, as soon as he was ready, we moved forward with the plan.  Once Mike came home from work, we disassembled his 6-foot loft bed, moved the futon, vacuumed up a ridiculous amount of bullet shells and beads and assembled his new room. 

 That's when Mike pointed out that in 10 years we'll be moving him into a dorm room.  I told him to shut-up.

Ross' new bed.

Since I was busy helping with the new bed, Molly took the liberty of washing dishes for me. 

She spoils me like that.

When They Leave

As Mike and I discussed our New Year's Eve plans, I couldn't help but look back.  Not just at the past year, but at past New Years.  Some fun, some lame, some expensive, some stupid, some dangerous, and some pathetic.  Despite the abundant pile of New Years party invites to sort through (please take a moment to laugh out loud), we settled on staying in.  We made homemade pizza which I swear was one of my best yet, drank more wine than usual, crowded together on the too small couch, watched Molly smear cookie frosting into the rug and eye shadow on her chin and stayed up late... till 10.

 

 

 

 

One day our babies will leave home.  We won't get to celebrate New Years with them anymore.  They'll have their own friends (with any luck we will too) and they'll ring in the New Year without us.  The thought makes me more emotional than that dang Apple commercial where the teenage boy makes that home video for his family. 

 

 

 One day Mike and I will have more money to blow, more time to spare and possibly a couple party invites to sift through. 

And on that day I'll be silently thanking God for giving me the best of my days back when He did, and I'll be grateful for soaking it in while I could.