A Walk Down Memory Lane

B3 and I took a walk down Memory Lane....


As little girls, both of ours absolutely loved this game. We would play for hours on end. It was entertaining, educational and simple. We could make it last as long or as short as we wanted.

I got the game out for a couple of little boys that were at our house earlier in the day with B2; she was baby-sitting. When they left, B3 and I decided we should play a game for old times sake.

The end results were different than they used to be. The girl beat the pants off me. She's got great memory skills. Look how big her winning pile is.

Wonder if she could beat me at Candy Land??

A Girl and her Pants Update

The girls and I did go shopping last night. Specifically for jeans.

Guess what we didn't find?

Yep. No jeans.

Never fear, I did not leave the store empty-handed. We did manage to find great deals on other items that were on her list such as long-sleeve shirts, khaki pants and a sweater for church, and athletic pants.

Here's our haul.

We got a deal. 10 pieces for $113. Not bad.

But still no jeans. Let me just share with you that we found a pair of jeans that fit her and in my opinion (which doesn't count) and that of her sister were darling on her. Oh but no. We couldn't possibly buy them. Apparently there are jr. high fashion rules which I am so not aware of. Something to do with the fact that the shoestrings on her tennis shoes were visible?? What?

Shoestrings and shoes were also an issue when we got home and she tried on the cute little fleece pants & sweatshirt. And I quote, "The pants look dorky with my tennis shoes. My feet look huge." Well I hated to break it to the girl but she does have large feet. What could she wear? Well, I did tell her that flip-flops were out and if she wasn't going to be wearing those pants with shoes she already owned that I would return them. I played the bad mom card. Oh the drama.

Girls don't have school tomorrow and I'm not working so once again I'll be hitting the mall to accomplish my mission of finding jeans.

And, last night just reminded me, yet again, why I did back-to-school shopping with one girl at a time. Guess I better pack the Tylenol tomorrow and remember to treat myself to a diet coke!

And on a couple of side notes -- 1) she apologized later for making an issue about her shoes and 2) she did wear the cute little fleece pants and matching sweatshirt to school today. With her tennis shoes. What a dork. (I'm kidding. She was darling.)

A Girl and her Pants

When it comes to keeping our youngest in clothes, I'm always a step behind. Or maybe two.

It's been this way her entire life and I don't understand it. She has these growth spurts and suddenly. nothing. in. her. closet. fits.

This year I thought I would avoid that. I purchased new jeans (a single pair) for her in late August thinking that she'd at least have pants for that first cold morning.

In recent days, we've had more than one cold morning and the only pant that seems to fit her is that single. pair. of. jeans. That won't do for a 12 year old. GIRL.

Yesterday she raided her sister's closet for a pair of pants that fit. She was fine with that. Sister was not.

Being the good mother that I am, I spent my lunch hour yesterday scouting the mall for jeans. SALE jeans.

I found some.

There's shopping in the near future for a 12 year old girl and me. The future will be tonight.

Milestones of the Auto Variety

B2, our oldest at 15, got her official "restricted driving license" last week. She got her instructional license in May. Her driving has much improved since that first outing but let's face it, she's still a NEW driver.

With the restricted license comes the ability to drive oneself to/from work and school without an adult in the car.

In her mind this should be an automatic. As well as her own car.

Lawman and I are not so quick to oblige. We realize that we will have to let the girl go out at some point without us in the vehicle. The fact is though, we're not as excited about it as she is though.

She informed us a couple of nights ago that she had accepted a baby-sitting job for Saturday evening which would require her to drive. She also mentioned that it's about 12 miles away and it would require her to drive home at 10pm by herself. On a 2 lane road. No shoulders. Lots of curves. Uh, I don't think so. Fortunately, I knew Lawman would be on my side. As it turns out, the mother who asked her to baby-sit had a conversation with her husband the following day and they both decided that they didn't want our daughter driving that particular road by herself or at night. They thought about where they'd be in a few years with their own daughter and they knew they wouldn't want her on that same road by herself at night. Driving a car. So, all is well as B2 will be riding with the mom to/from the baby-sitting job. (Answered prayer.)

We did allow B2 to drive herself last night to a baby-sitting job. It was only 1/2 a mile from our house so we thought this might be a good way to test the waters. She did great. She called us when she got there and called again when she'd be heading home. Perfect.

Today she drove herself to school. It's a half-day so she'll be done early. She forgot to call us when she got there because she and her friend, Bailey, got so caught up in the fact that they were able to "park next to each other" that they got a case of the giggles and concerned parents slipped her mind. Go figure.

There's so much more to driving than steering, using turn signals and that sense of independence that comes with it. Lawman and I remember how excited we were when we were at this milestone in our lives. What new drivers don't realize is that you have to be a defensive driver - always be aware of your surroundings. Even further down the road than just where you are right now. The responsibility you have as a driver is huge. Not only for yourself but your passengers, pedestrians and other drivers. One mistake on the road and it can cost you. Big time.

And granted, given Lawman's line of work, he's seen more than the average parent/driver and he doesn't want his daughter to be a statistic. Many accidents can be avoided. It requires patience from our new driver (you'll get your independence in due time) and standing firm in making decisions/choices from us as parents (if we think we should say no, then we're probably right). I know our choices won't always be popular with her but that's just part of parenting. I know she'll "get it" when it's her oldest baby that's 15 and asking for the car keys.

Friday Night Fun

We've discovered that as our girls get older and have their own social agenda, it is sometimes difficult to get good quality time together. Scheduling a date with them seems to work well. Tonight we have a Family Date Night (FDN) on the calendar.

It's been a while since our last FDN so I think everyone is looking forward to this evening. The rules are simple -- family only.

We've done a variety of activities for FDN from movie rentals, going out for dinner, playing cards or games, taking a hike, miniature golf, going to the movies, etc. It doesn't always involve going out, sometimes it's just a quiet evening at home.

Tonight we are going out. There's a new place in town called Time Out Corner which offers miniature golf and an arcade.

My favorite thing about FDN is that we interact with each other. I hate to admit it but as the girls have gotten older and schedules fill up, sometimes I feel like we're just going through the motions.

Has your family struggled with this too? What do you do to connect with each other again?

Big Girl Panties and Drama

We live near one of the elementary schools in our community. If you stand at the end of our street and look north you can see it. Literally. It's all of 2 blocks away.

When school starts each year all of the neighborhood kids walk to and from school together. It's new to them again. That lasts until the weather turns cooler and it's no longer fun to walk.

One day a couple of years ago I wasn't going to be able to meet Blonde 3 after school due to an appointment. It was a nice day and I told her she would need to walk home after school. B3's reaction was full of drama. And granted, with 2 girls in the house I should be used to it. Here's our conversation.

Me - I have an appointment this afternoon so I won't be able to pick you up from school. Go ahead and walk home from school and I'll meet you at the house.

B3 - Do I have to?

Me - Yes. It's a nice day.

B3 - I don't want to.

Me - Honey, I won't be back from my appointment in time to pick you up. I will meet you at home.

B3 - Can't you ask someone else to pick me up?

Me- No, you're going to have to put your big girl panties on and deal with it.

B3 - Panties are so over-rated.

Let me just say that I couldn't keep a straight face. I was in stitches and so was her big sister. Oh, the wit!