The Shoe Rack

Let me explain the story behind this picture.

Yesterday I thought I had a brilliant idea. To put a shoe shelf right by the front door. 

This is because our front entry way always looks like the clearance shoe aisle at Target.

ie. 40 pairs of shoes are haphazardly strewn in the way of your walking path.

Well I was tired of it.  So I thought a shoe shelf was one of the best ideas I have ever had.

(Well I have had  other good ideas, so it is hard to really say it was my "best." Like the time I thought I could use scissors to shave my legs.  Or the time I thought that "deodorant" soap meant you could skip deodorant.  Or the time I put scotch tape under my eyes to get rid of my fine lines.  Or the time I put egg in my hair and then rinsed it out with hot water. Or the time I didn't shower for a week because it was swimming week for my 7th grade gym class. These are just some of my good ideas I have had over the years. You will notice they all had to do with grooming.)

 

Well Don came home from work and basically told me that our front entry room looked like a closet and it looked ridiculous.

I defended my brilliant idea and told him I had come up with a perfect solution to our shoe problem.

He told me we should just take our shoes to our room when we come in the house.

Whatever.

 

So this morning, when I entered the room, I noticed that he had placed 6 more of his shoes on the shoe rack.  And then I noticed that he also placed his hat and his tie on our door knob.  Also a chair (and  a back pack which I moved as we were getting ready for school) 

This was his passive aggressive way of proving his point.

And I thought it was so hilarious that I had to take a picture and blog about it.

 

Having Chloe's shoes by the front door got us out of the door faster this morning.

Unfortunately the time I gained by being "organized" was lost after I backed into my neighbor's pony wall this morning and deflated our new tire. 

That was not one of more brilliant ideas.

And I guess if I am being honest, neither was my shoe rack.

 

 

And a picture of Macie, just because.

A Pretty Dull Mommy Post

Some things that have been going on around here:

 

 

 

 1. Parties.  Chloe has a new idea for a new party every day.  These cupcakes are from her cupcake party.  She insisted she have a candle to blow out as well.  She also has a "clubhouse" outside that she made with chairs and blankets.  Unfortunately she can't convince anyone to visit her clubhouse, because no one wants to be hospitalized for heat exhaustion.
2. School.  I think I am used to our new schedule and have found myself using the time Chloe is at school, to get things done around here.  Like naps. I try to take one of those every day.
But seriously, Chloe is loving school and thankfully gets up happily every morning. 
I also have a little babysitting job three days a week after school which has been going really good.  Now I can just buy my own stuff on my wish lists without hinting to Don.  (Oh wait, I already did that anyway)

3. Macie. Macie gets some alone time every day now.  And I think she likes it, but she is always very excited to pick up Chloe after school.  Macie has blossomed into a lovable toddler.  The other day we had a dance party, and she displayed some new ballet moves.  She now can balance on one leg for about a second, doing an arabesque.  I turn on music every day now to make her dance because I just can't get enough of her arabesques.  She thinks she is such a big girl. 
Last night she ended up in our bed, and about 3 AM I heard a thump.  I frantically got up to assess the situation, prepared to soothe her trauma.  But there was no crying. I go over to her and realize that she is now fast asleep on the floor. 
I wish she would sleep that soundly in her crib.

Adventures in Parenting A School Age Child, Chapter 2

Lesson learned:

Never ever, ever, ever forget to bring your picture ID when picking up one's child from school.  You could be arrested.

Today I went to pick up Chloe fifteen minutes early from school.  I had to go to the office to sign her out.
I figured they might ask me for a picture ID, but in true Melissa fashion, it lied securely at home, in my gym bag. 
I told the office lady that I forgot my ID.  But I showed her my debit card, which had no picture, but it was the best I could do.
She told me that she remembered me from when I signed her up for school and she said she would let me take her this time, but in the future I needed to bring my ID.
As we are getting in the car the lady comes out and says, "Ma'am.  Um wait.  Are you sure you don't have anything else you can show me? I just can't let you take her.  I just have a bad feeling."

I said, "Uh, no. I really don't have anything else."
And she repeated, "Well you will have to come back inside.  I just can't let you take her. I have a bad feeling. When she came to the door, she was acting strange when she saw you. Something just doesn't seem right."

So she took Chloe, and I followed sheepishly 10 feet behind.
We went back into the office, so that I could be privy to all the strange looks of curious onlookers.
And I just stood there not knowing what to do, realizing that no matter what I did or said, I only looked more suspicious, and Chloe looked more awkward. 
I said, "Well I don't know how to prove that she is my daughter.  Uh Chloe, tell them something about me."
To which Chloe whispered in my ear, "You make me good food."
(No, no, no Chloe. Something more like , "I remember her giving birth to me 5 years ago." )

Well that didn't work. So then I just stood there until the Principal was called up to the office to come assess the situation.
Thankfully the Principal said that she heard Chloe say "Hey that's my Mom's car!" as she was being taken to the Office the first time.
And thus, I was allowed to take my daughter home.
It was very strange being treated like a possible child abductor. 
Maybe I should stop wearing this outfit when I go to pick up Chloe from now on. 

Adventures In Parenting A School Age Child, Chapter 1

I'm a little perturbed.  Last week Chloe told me a "big" little girl yelled at her in line to "Go!! Go!!!" 
She did the impression for me.  And it wasn't nice.  And it made Chloe feel sad.
But, whatever.  That's life, right?  Gotta learn how to deal with people who need to go to etiquette school.

Then today she told me that she had a bad day because a SEVEN year old in kindergarten named "Big Z" was mean to her.  He yelled at her for using a yellow crayon that apparently belonged to "Owen."  Now I am not sure if "Owen" is the given name for "Big Z" or if Owen is another child.  But regardless, I am having a hard time having tender, loving feelings for Big Z.  Also, I don't really think it is cute to give a child a nickname with one letter and "Big" as an accompanying adjective.  But I mention this only because as previously mentioned, I am not having tender loving feelings towards Big Z, nor towards his parents for that matter.

I told Chloe to tell him to be nice.  After all I think the way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them so they know you do not exist for the sole purpose of having a place to wipe their shoes.  She didn't really like that idea.

So then I told her that if he keeps bugging her, she should tell her teacher.  (By the way, I don't think kids should tell the teacher about every little slight, and for the most part I am of the opinion that kids need to learn how to solve their interpersonal conflicts by themselves)
To which she replied, "No, I can't do that.  That will just make Big Z mad."

And that there is the zinger.  Do I know that kids don't get along? Yes.  Do I know that sometimes they say things to each other that they shouldn't? Yes.  Am I okay with my daughter being AFRAID of another child? No. 

I will admit, my Momma Bear claws are extended, and gripping the door to her kindergarten class, ready to snatch my daughter, and take her back home to our cave.

A lot of people like Pinterest.  I guess I have an account, although I have no idea how to use it.
I think I decided that I can only handle one social media at a time, or my brain could implode.
It used to be Myspace, but I moved on rather quickly from that once I realized that I needed to post risque pictures of myself and get a glitter backdrop on my page to fit in over there.
And then after Myspace, came Facebook.  And then after Facebook came Pinterest.
Well, I am just not on the Pinterest bandwagon yet.
Probably because I know myself well enough to know that I should not even attempt to recreate any of the DIY stuff you find over there.
That is why I think this website is hilarious.

Ward Campout

 The week before school started, we squeezed in a couple summer getaways.  Just the girls and I went to Flagstaff with a friend.  I took no pictures...We had a fun time, except that Macie hardly slept and therefor I hardly slept and of course got a cold afterwards.  But the weather was amazing.  We took a drive up to the top of the mountain and let the kids play around, and we went to a thrift store and I found Chloe a cute little tea set, and we played at a couple parks.  It is so strange that there are actually places that you can go outside during the summer.  I think I am too young and too poor to be a snowbird, but that sounds really nice.

 A few days later was our Ward campout.  The girls loved playing outside. I hardly saw Chloe for two days because she was too busy playing with all her friends.  And macie just wandered around.  There were a ton of dogs there and she was in heaven.  She just followed the dogs around for 2 days.

Someone remarked that the great thing about camping is that all the children look homeless, but it is totally acceptable.  And I completely agree.  It is great that they can get filthy and it just doesn't matter.

Chloe is obsessed, OBSESSED with planning parties.  She made all these invitations and made me write down the words that she said so that she could give them to all her friends.  Unfortunately her party preparations usually take too long and by the time she is done, there is no one around anymore to come to the party. Also, she is usually the only one that knows that she is having a party.  This party involved invitations that instructed them to meet at a tree.  I have no idea what she actually had planned to do at the tree, but I am sure it was going to be great.

Funny Things This Week

*A woman came to my door and saw Macie standing beside me and said, "You have a beautiful baby brother."  (This was almost as funny as the time that someone asked me if Chelsey was my husband.)
*Macie can say a word.  The word is "No."  It is an awesome first word.  And she shakes her head along with it for emphasis.
*I discovered this week that when Macie hears the word "prayer" she folds her arms, and smiles and waits for someone to congratulate her for being so smart.
*Chloe gave Chelsey another makeover.  She doused her with perfume, put a bow in her hair, and applied blush and lipstick.  She angrily said, "I'm just one of those woman that will never like makeup or perfume.  Never have, never will.  (grunt)  I can't believe I just called myself a woman."
(She continued on with her rant a few minutes later, and I heard her talking to herself....)
"This is why I stopped going to girls camp.  I want to go to a real camp. One without all this LDS stuff.  One where they actually do camp stuff....like canoeing...on Sunday."

Chloe's first week has been an adjustment.  After the initial melodrama (by me, gee I wonder where Chloe gets it from), I started to see some real pluses to the new arrangement.  

1. I have a clean house for half the day.

2. I can take a nap with Macie.

3. I can run errands and only go half insane.

4. I only have to listen to one child cry about the car being sweltering.

5. Since I'm already up, I just make myself go to the gym.  (eh, this only applies about 30% of the time. )

6. Chloe absolutely loves school.  (I ask her what she does at school, and she says "Color and watch a movie." Why in the world they need 6 and a half hours to do this, is another soap box for another day.)

The minuses are, I just really miss my silly goose and I want her back.  (Oh, and I also want my sleep back.  Anyone that knows me or has lived with me, knows that I don't spring out of bed, bright eyed and bushy tailed.)

So much for a stiff upper lip.

I dropped Chloe off today for her first day of kindergarten.
She has been so excited. And I have had a pit in my stomach for a week.
She enthusiastically packed her backpack last night, and jumped out of bed this morning.
She ate her princess slipper and crown shaped pancakes.
She picked out her watermelon skort, her unicorn shirt, and requested her hair be put in pigtails.
She hoisted her heavy backpack to her shoulders, filled with kleenex, markers, colored pencils, glue sticks, and a carefully prepared sack lunch, and insisted that she be the one to carry it.
I took a picture of the occasion and we drove to her school.
I parked. And walked her to her classroom.
She walked right in and confidently took her seat and immediately started coloring.
I kissed her and told her goodbye and that I loved her.
Twice.
And then I walked out.
And then I got in my car and drove back home, went inside, got on facebook, saw her picture, and the picture of me about her age, with my Mom,
And then I cried.
For like an hour.
The realization that childhood is a mere minute, hit me hard.
The realization that babyhood is even shorter....
I am not sure how long weep fest 2012 is going to last, but feel free to join me.

THE Wiggles

Before I talk about the Wiggles Concert, here are a few shots I found on my camera, courtesy of chloe. 

 This is one of her Easter eggs.  4 months later, Don finally told her it was time to bid farewell to her eggs.  It was a difficult parting.  So I told her she should take some pictures of her eggs so she could remember them.  And so she did. And a hilarious video of her talking to her egg. 

 And now on to the wiggles.
Chelsey and Chloe made this sign to take to the Wiggles concert.

 My favorite part is the arrow Chelsey put by Chloe's signature with the caption "My neice chloe worked on this sign.  She likes you too.  I mean, she helped me with it."
During the concert, the Wiggles actually read out all the signs. Every single one of them.  We were in the second row, and the guitar playing wiggle (Murray) stood on the stage, squinting trying to read the sign.  He said, "Welcome back Greg, I missed you."  And then he just stood there trying to read her name.  Finally he jumped off the stage and got right next to the sign and read Chelsey's name.  That was pretty awesome.  I can just imagine poor Murray standing up on the stage, looking at this sign, and trying to figure out which paragraph he sould read out loud. 

 That yellow blob, is Greg Page, aka, Chelsey's most beloved Wiggle, and/or person on the planet.  I was standing right by him in the aisle, but alas, this is the best shot I could get.  He came off the stage to come pick up all the roses for Dorothy the Dinosaur (Because Dorothy the Dinosaur loves roses, duh.)  Chloe and Paloma (her cousin came along) went right over to him and hugged him.  And then Chelsey joined them, and apparently Greg said , "Hi there" to her.  And then Paloma and Chloe followed him up the aisle with star struck expressions.  I had to go grab them as I was pretty sure they were turning into stalkers. 

 This is a very bad picture of the roses they threw up on the stage.  They decided to throw the roses they brought for Dorothy the Dinosaur up on stage before the designated time.  And the roses just sat there.  So they went back up to the stage and grabbed them.  And then threw them again.  And again, they sat. 
Then when the designated time came to give Dorothy the roses, Chelsey says to me, "Where are the roses?" And I said, "Uh the girls threw it on stage."
And she was ticked. "what??!! I wanted to hand those roses to Greg!"
Well I guess it all worked out in the end, because as I mentioned, Greg did say, "Hi there."

 Once the confetti came down, the girls turned all their focus towards the colorful bits of paper on the floor.

 The girls all had the time of their life.  And I loved seeing them all so happy.  I was afraid that the night could have been ruined by the lady in the front row that told Chelsey to move out of the way (she was dancing in the front with all the kids) because she couldn't see the stage, but luckily Chelsey didn't start obsessing about that until AFTER the concert.  And I'll admit, I felt like I wanted to tell that lady a 10 minute sob story about why she shouldn't have done that,  but I refrained.  Other than that, it was an awesome experience. 

 Chloe loves the Wiggles so much now, that she made me write a letter to Netflix requesting that the Wiggles be shown on their instant videos. She checks every day to see if the Wiggles have been put on Netflix yet.  She wonders if Netflix has gotten her letter yet...and I am pretty sure they haven't. Considering that I hid it on top of the refrigerator because I wrote down a false address because that was way easier than finding the real address and most importantly, finding a stamp.  I might as well be trying to win an Olympic Gold medal in gymnastics-that's easier than finding a stamp around here.

 So that was The Wiggles.  And here are a few more self portraits I found on my camera.

 This reminds me of Godzilla.

 Chloe puts blankets down in her room and things to do on the blankets, because you can't ever be too prepared for a party.

Chloe starts school in three days.  And I am not happy about it.  I just get this pit in my stomach thinking about her being gone 6 hours every day. I can't believe we are already here.  And now forever more, our schedule will include school, and not the "what shall we do today?" attitude that we have adopted around here. I have loved the preschool days, where I have them with me all day (Okay, I don't mind a break). But a six hour break, every day, for the rest of her childhood, is not sitting well with me.  I want her with me, gosh darnit. I hate realizing that our day will now be based around school. Ya.  I am not happy about this. Did I mention that?  You know what I want to do? I want to find a Mom that home schools, and I want to send her there for 2 hours or however long it takes to learn the stuff they need to learn, and then I want her back.  Ugh.  This is going to be hard.  I already hate kindergarten and it hasn't even started yet.