The tell tale signs of my yougest growing up

I went into Gymboree yesterday and after looking around for a few minutes realized that the Gymboree chapter in my life is over.  I really haven't bought anything there for Heidi in a couple years but I always go look.  Yesterday she was with me.  She declared to me that she was too old for those clothes.  Really?  Are you sure?  I just haven't wanted to admit it.  No more Gymboree.  She wants Abercrombie. 

During dinner Heidi was telling me about Sponge Bob and how he works at a place where he never gets paid.  I have never seen an episode of Sponge Bob so I asked why he works there if he doesn't get paid.  Heidi said, "Well, he's not very smart.  He's a sponge, you know."

I love spending time with my girls one on one.  I have the best times with them that way.  Yesterday Makenzie had a ballroom dance competition downtown and was gone from 6- 11 p.m.  Chris took Emma snowboarding with him which left Heidi to hang out with me.  We dropped Makenzie off at her designated meeting spot and then we went to Target to get her some church shoes.  To my surprise we found some. Why are church shoes so hard to find?  I've been trying to find a white pair for her for over a year. I think I've waited too long in the past to start looking and when I start looking they either only have a fancy flip flop white shoe or they don't have anything in her size.  Well, yesterday we got lucky and had several pairs to choose from.  I guess the trick for white church shoes is to go well before Easter. 

After Target we went to the mall.  I was on a quest to find inexpensive shirts for Heidi. She has had a growth spurt and while her shirts all fit her in the shoulder width, they do not fit in length. I am cheap on many things. Clothing being one of those things.  I want quality but I don't want to pay for that quality. This is why I only shop the clearance racks.

First was JcPenney:  The clearance stuff they had was all long-sleeved. That made sense but would not do.

Then there was Gymboree:  See above

Then Maceys:  All long sleeved...again

Then Gap kids:  Same as Maceys and Penneys

Then Nordstrom:  Nothing in my price range.

Heidi asks if we can look at Abercrombie.  

I agree to this and I stand there in the middle of the mall looking between Abercrombie and Abercrombie and Fitch trying to remember which one it is that has the kids clothing. Because I cannot tell by looking at the clothing which is which.  It's like the clothing in the kids one is mini teenage versions.  And the teenage clothing is just as small as the kids clothing.  It basically all looks the same.  I peak in at Abercrombie and Fitch and see a billboard of a half-naked man.

Hm......

So then I peer in at Abercrombie.  This billboard has three children doing somersaults.  I'm hoping I have it right and we head into that one. 



It was the right one.

And as luck would have it I found the best deal there.  Short-sleeved shirts for under $10.  Heidi was thrilled. It was from Abercrombie. Now she can look like she's 16 and not 4. 

And I can cry.

Things that made me happy today...

Making my children healthy lunches to take to school
Volunteering at Emma's middle school
Volunteering at Heidi's grade school
Eating a sandwich for lunch of home canned tuna and home canned dill pickles
Feeling the sun on my skin

Smelling my Winter Daphne's first blooms
Finding out that Heidi's battle book team won today
Watching a few minutes of Bewitched
The Fed Ex man delivering my Pampered Chef spring products
Resting
Listening to my scriptures in the car
Seeing my bed made
Feeling the quietness of my home
Enjoying the songs of spring birds outside


What made you happy today?

Check this out....

Since this past summer I have been following a blog called Your Homebased Mom.  I found it in a search for salsa bars.  Not the kind where you go do salsa dancing and they serve alcohol but an actual Salsa Bar as in a variety of salsas where one can dip chips.  My search led me to Homebased Mom.  As I was reading her blog I was surprised to hear her mention the Portland Oregon Temple.  I later found out that she is a blogger right here in Beaverton.  Other blogs were about the Beaverton Farmers Market and fun parties that she had created.  Of all the blogs I read I have gotten the most useful ideas from hers.  Her ideas are fresh, inexpensive and very easy, anyone would love them.




Right now she is having a giveaway of a beautiful necklace.  Everyone needs to go to her blog and check it out and enter.  Go here to enter.  While you are there look around a bit.  You'll be glad you did.

Emma's 12 year-old Birthday Interview

What is your favorite TV show?    Survivor

What is your favorite movie?   The Sound of Music

What is your favorite color?   Lilac
What is your favorite food?   Fudge brownies

What is your favorite thing to do with mom?   Going to Irish Dance competitions

What is your favorite thing to do with dad?  Go to Dairy Queen and snowboarding

What is your favorite thing to do with your sisters?  Go to Skateworld

What do you want to be when you grow up? An author

Do you have a favorite friend? Miranda

What is your favorite thing to do when you are not at home? Spending time with friends

What is your favorite toy or thing?   My baby blanket

What is your favorite book? The Alchemist

What is your favorite animal?   Dolphin

Do you want to go on a mission? Yes

Do you want kids?   Yeah

What's hard to do?   The pacer test in P.E.

What have you learned from your Primary teacher this year?   Learned about the three degrees of glory.

What do you love to do?  Irish Dance and soccer

Emma, I love you.  Happy Birthday to my amazing beautiful daughter.  You are so talented and have such a love for your Father in Heaven.  You want to please Him and that makes us very proud as parents.   You are a good friend, loyal, caring and kind.  You are fun to spend time with and I'm excited for you to enter the YW program and to start working on Personal Progress. 

A mother's dilemma

Today is one of those days where I feel like a complete failure as a mother.  Where do you find the balance between teaching life lessons and living life to the fullest?  I have a daughter who is turning 12 on Thursday.  This is a joyous time.  It's a monumental birthday.  It's like crossing the threshold into teenage-hood (is that a word).  She will be entering the young women's program at church  which is full of fun and activities and invaluable lessons as well.  I want to celebrate this birthday.   We've been planning this birthday party for months ever since we found out that the Percy Jackson movie was coming out the day after.  Well, this past weekend I almost put an end to the festivities.  She was acting like a pre-teen can and had an attitude with her sister, dad and me.  After her tantrum was over I told her she needed to apologize to her sister, me and her dad.  And until she had, I wasn't going to do any more planning for her birthday.  You see, this young daughter of mine has a hard time with saying she's sorry.  Saying she is sorry would have to mean that she is not perfect.  And that's a difficult thing for her. I talked to her about it and told her that I know it's hard for her but that its an important enough lesson to learn that I was sticking to it.   That was on Sunday.  She still hasn't apologized.  When I talked to her about it this morning she said she didn't feel like she needed to apologize to her sister and told me why. 

Today I needed to talk to her about her schoolwork just like i do every day.  We go over what is due for the next day and what was assigned that day.  She hates these conversations. She has told me that she feels I don't trust her and that is why I am asking her.  I explained to her that it has nothing to do with not trusting her.  It is so I will know what is going on in her life so that I can help her and be aware of what she has going on.  I've explained this to her several times.  Today when I asked her about her homework she again started making sarcastic comments.  I told her to leave my room and that I was done talking to her about her homework.  I could have had more patience.  yep, i know this.  I really don't feel like having a party for her.  I feel like she would not appreciate it at all.  I feel like she has been disrespectful of her parents and siblings and shown an unwillingness to work on things at school that she has been not doing well on. 

There is that hand of the equation.  Then there is the part that when I need her to do something for me, she does it.  When I need someone to tickle by back and cuddle with me, she is the one I know I can call.  She is the one that gets up on her own each morning without being woken up by me. 

So what do I do?  Am i overreacting by cancelling the party?  There is the bit about her not apologizing yet.  Am i being too strict by cancelling her birthday party over something like that?  I just don't know.