Sugar and Spice and Pig Tails

I love kindergarten! Not just the 2.5 hours of time to myself (that I often squander reading blogs!!), but the grade that I can dress Olivia any darn way I want and she complies, without peer pressure... Cathrynn has always been a tough sell. Comfort only for her first years, and then jeans and tshirts.

Anyways - I hope she doesn't hate me one day for her homemade outlandish outfits that I adore!! I'll just tell her they're all the rage and often purchased by mom-bloggers who also frequent Etsy!

of course

it's school pictures this week.

I've heard through the grapevine, from a pretty reliable 12 year old that I have the rep of being that "up-their-butt" parent. In the 'hood we have kids from 5-12 years old and I can't tell you how many near catastrophes I've singlehandedly prevented. One 12 year old is known for teaching little ones to play hide&seek in cars in 90 degree weather - even my littlest one knows to always check with me first!

I came home from work on Sunday and DH claimed they'd only been at the neighbor's house for a few minutes. Hmmm, it's free childcare for him, you calculate how long they'd been there. The mom doesn't hover like I do and it seems one of my kids always comes home with a story that raises my eyebrows or blood pressure! I knew from the moment I saw Cathrynn that something was up. She tried to blow it off. And then fessed up - they'd been down in the basement playing on the treadmill and the neighbor girl cranked up the speed and C got swept off. The mom didn't even know they were on it or that anyone got hurt. I'm just glad it wasn't worse.

On a cute note, DH told Cathrynn that they'd touch up the photo at the school. She explained to me that it would probably be the art teacher since she has the paints, lol!

September 11

Where were you?

I woke up with my baby daughter and staggered downstairs and was watching the TV for a few moments in disbelief. I called my mom at work. I woke up DH who just happened to be off that week. Vince was at school, a mile away.

I sat glued to the TV. I cleaned my baseboards. I could not stop cleaning.

The sky was insanely blue and beautiful. Has it ever been that way since? It doesn't seem like it. It lost it's bright blue just as much as we lost our innocence.

The days following were surreal. I live by a major airport and the skies were blank. It was eerie. When the planes started flying again, I started panicking every time I saw one. I'm still leery of them. Just today, the skies are full of military planes that seem closer and louder than normal.

But normal ended for me that day. Just as I always knew it could and would.

perhaps

you're driving down the road, the same road you drive 10 times daily. You are driving to the elementary school, like you do twice a day, faithfully. But, you aren't listening to Hannah Montana on Radio Disney.

For some reason you are listening to Steve Perry and Journey, Faithfully. Important to note that it's Steve Perry. And not the impersonator/impostor who replaced him the late 90s. And you want to know why more people aren't outraged over this wanna-be Steve P. Don't they watch VH1, Behind the Music?

And then you can not imagine that 25 years have passed since high school. And you can't understand how time flies and stands still at the same time. And you realize perhaps you aren't crying over this band break-up and the reinvention. Perhaps you're crying over the fact that you are 43 years old and still struggling. With kids, spouse, finances... And it doesn't seem possible to have covered 25 years, and you wonder if you've gone anywhere.

Or perhaps, you're crying because your capris are too tight and you used to be really vain. And that these extra carbs are the baggage you'll carry through middle age. And perhaps you're crying because too much eye make-up at 43 looks silly, where as too much eye make-up used to be pretty sexy. And that you can change your hair color and style but the afternoon sun is unforgiving. Roots are roots and wrinkles are wrinkles. And perhaps, what you see in the rear view mirror is just that.

But perhaps you have a friend that you can call and not be able explain why you're crying. And they'll understand 100% and your tears will turn to laughter. And you'll think that perhaps PMS is better than menopause.

my funky & fun brown eyed girl wears retro daisies

Liv models an outfit that I forgot I made her. I found it buried in my WIPs - also known as work-in-progress, or in my own case - stuff I start but rarely ever finish! The brown floral is some fun old stock I came across on a thrifting venture a while back, a few crisp yards of uncut polished cotton. The middle stripe is from a 1940s house dress. I loved putting them together :D
She's still having issues. She wants her Mommy. Yesterday was a better day as she only cried "two times". She isn't one of the ones that needs dragged from the car by brute strength. She waits until the weight of the 2.5 hours she's been away from me starts to mount. Can you imagine if she were in full day kindy??? Yikes...