Thursday, July 27, 2006

Best Friend

When my twins were little I stumbled into a conversation with someone I kind of knew but wasn't really friends with who had a son a few months younger than my girls. We were both really stressed and decided to get together that week because 2 against 3 is always better than going it alone. It was so fabulous we made it a habit. Once a week, without fail, we got together for lunch or shopping or just to let the kids play at the park.

Before long we were calling each other nearly everyday, meeting up two or three times a week. She was my emergency babysitter, and I was hers. We new where the cups and plates where in each others homes and what each others kids would and would not eat. We even started calling each other just to run errands so one of us could sit in the car with the kids while the other ran into the post office/bank/whatever that only ever takes you a minute, but is so daunting to do if you have to load and unload all your kids that you put it off forever.

About 18 months ago she moved to the north side of town to be closer to her husbands job. We weren't sure if we'd manage to still get together once a week, but knew we were going to make and effort to keep this going. Despite the rising gas prices, the addition of children to our families (2 each since we started getting together), her oldest going to school and the distance we still get together as often as possible.

We are each other's sanity. The place we turn when we just can't believe what one child or another did today, or when we aren't sure we can handle anymore of life's junk.

We started with 4 kids between us and our total child count has doubled since the early days of our friendship. Now we are our own playgroup. Our kids have grown up together. Our husbands get along great.

She's the sister I never had, the best friend I always needed. Found on a day I really needed someone to understand my life and having her has made all the difference.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Fashion for Everyone (unless you're not an acceptable size)

I had planned to post a comment to Mom-O-Matic's original post, but life (aka 5 kids) got the better of me and I didn't get back to it.

The problem at Target is really the almost complete lack of a plus size department. Literally there are 3 or 4 racks of clothes compared to the 30 or more racks of clothes for the "regular" sizes. (Admittedly this might be a quirk of my particular Target, but the 2 in my area have the same meager plus department, and given the fact that most of these national place have detailed plans for layouts and where and how to hang certain things, I'd bet all Targets are pretty similar.)

Forget fit and fabric. You can't find what isn't there.

What is there is stretch jeans (yuck) and t-shirts with zero shape and clothes that bring to mind fat hookers.

I am not a fashionista. I am mostly a t-shirt and jeans gal (although I'm trying to dress it up a bit more - Stacy and Clinton would be proud), but even I at my most lazy cannot bear to wear Target clothes.

So get a clue, Target. We are here. We may not be completely satisfied with our current body shape or size but we would like to look good. Give us a little help.

It's Broken - Really - Well Sort Of

M broke her elbow. Two and a half weeks ago on J's birthday (thankfully after the party). Her cast comes off on Thursday. I forgot to tell you? She fell off her scooter. No she wasn't wearing a helmet, but she didn't hit her head (this time, I know already) so get off my back. Yes we own elbow pads, no she wasn't wearing them. She can't put them on by herself and we don't require it, so no pads. Not sure they would have helped anyway.

So again the ER doc says definitely broken. So we head to the orthopedic office. He says he'd be hard pressed to show me where it's broken. What the ER doc said was a break, that looks a lot like a break to me, was really a normal looking growth plate and that the "break" wasn't really visible, but certain things on the x-ray that look like nothing to me, coupled with the pain, swelling (we're talking baseball on her elbow) and her extreme refusal to move it, indicate a break and so she is in a cast (red) for just under 3 weeks, at which point the cast comes off so she can start moving it (otherwise it gets too stiff) and we go home with a removable splint and a "no running no jumping order" for about 3 weeks meaning she will miss the first couple of weeks of PE and recess.

She has been a real trooper. No complaining or crying even though she missed out on swim lessons (which we will hopefully be able to make up during August). We went to Six Flags with the cast on (because the Ortho said definitely not after it came off for at least 3 weeks and by then the ticket she had earned from school would have expired and there is no way we can afford to take 3 kids and 2 adults to Six Flags without 3 free kids tickets and a buy one get one free for the adult tickets ($53 versus $200)) and even road the Mind bender with 3 loops and the Wheelie. Way to go M!

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Way too soon for me . . . .

In the beginning there was a tiny 6 lb 13.6 oz baby girl with cheeks that practically touched under her chin. She had enough attitude invitro how she'd be positioned from one appointment to the next. At the time of delivery she jack-knifed, feet to face, and tried to come out two feet and a hand first, forcing and emergency c-section.

I thought that I had 12 years or so before that stubborn attitude turned into a tween that talked on the phone for hours with her friends.

She has been on the phone for 45 minutes.

She is 6 years old.

I am in so much trouble.

Friday, July 7, 2006

Four Things I Miss Now That I Can't Find Them

1. Mini Taco Shells -- perfect for kid-size hands and just so darn cute. Of course now they have ones with flat bottoms so they stand up while your trying to fill them. Also a great idea, but I still miss the minis.

2. Crustless Bread -- perfect for my non-crust-eating kids, and they miss it more than I do. It was so nice for them to eat and entire sandwich, now we are back to leaving the "rind" and complaining.

3. Huggies convertible Diapers -- I can still find these, but only at Babies R Us and that just isn't one of my usual stores. And to make it even worse, the diapers are at the very back of the store, forcing me to walk by all the cute clothes and such, at the very top of the very tall shelves, forcing me to either look for an associate to assist me (yeah, right) or climb the shelves, especially if I want two packs since I know I won't be back soon.

4. Licorice Altoids -- They took a little getting used to, but they were great. P loved them too. I've checked into buying them online, but I always hesitate when I see how much they want for shipping. P likes the cinnamon altoids as wells, but she eats them by the handful, I visions of her poor little tummy developing an ulcer -- unlikely I know, but worrying is what we mother's do.

Thursday, July 6, 2006

Before You Know It . . .

My children go back to school in 31 days -- not that I'm bragging -- which, of course will bring “back-to-school shopping.” As much as I’m for starting school the second week of August (it’s too hot for them to play outside in August so they might as well be in school), it brings with it a problem. You’d like your kids to look good for school, which means shopping, and basically buying a new “summer” wardrobe, because it won’t be cool enough for long pants, let alone long sleeves and jackets for at least the first 2 months of school, and the kids have run all of their current summer clothes through the red clay at least once (rendering them completely unacceptable as good clothes anymore). However, the local stores are clearancing their summer stuff and have put out the back-to-school (long pants, etc) clothes despite the known weather conditions, making it extremely difficult to re-outfit the kids for warm weather (and don’t tell me I should have shopped earlier, if I knew the summer stuff was going to be gone because 1) if it’s in the house they’ll find it and wear it (exhibit a – M and E still wearing sweats to bed even though I keep trying to hide them), and 2) we all like the thrill of back-to-school shopping (don’t deny it, you love it) but it’s no fun it you do it the week after school gets out, or earlier, seeing as how short’s weather starts here in April, and 3) growth spurts, hello, there’s not much worse than having a closet full of clothes that your kids can’t wear because the universe has laughed at your fervent hope that just this once they won’t grow 2 inches over the summer) especially as you add up the price tags and realize that in about 2 months you’ll be doing it all over again as the weather gets freaky (below 32 at 7:00 am when the kids get on the bus, and nearly 80 at 3:00 pm when they get off) and then just cold, and you pack away the warm weather school clothes hoping again that the kids don’t grow during the winter so you don’t have to shop again in the spring . . . and the circle of shopping continues . . .

But my kids go back to school in 31 days.