Revenge of the Round Brush

There are many ill-advised pairings....

Lisa Marie & Michael

(sorry abs)

Pickles & ice cream

Italian chili & candy corn

Inexperience & the round brush.....

Ouch!

Samantha was blow-drying her hair all by herself and saw a round brush in the drawer. She thought it looked like fun.

She came to the kitchen crying and that brush was stuck tight. I got really nervous after working at it for a few minutes. I couldn't get it to budge and the hair was ripping. I thought I was going to have to get the scissors.

Persistence and patience paid off however and just when I was about to lose hope..

It started to give-

This was all we lost. She was lucky.

She didn't feel lucky..

She did have a little lump on her head and was very bruised where we pulled and pulled

but we didn't have to get the scissors.

The brush is in the trash.

The girl is wiser.

A complement for you... and a complement for you.. and you... and you....

I had a funny little 3rd grader at my table last week at school. He has dark hair, a little round face and a thoughtful, quirky way about him. All week he would write me little notes on his worksheets and surreptitiously slide them over in front of me until I would write or verbalize a comment back...

While it did not feel wholly insincere, it did feel studied....experimental.....

"I like your hair color"

Thank you

"I like the color of your shirt"

Thank you

"You're nice"

Thank you

"Thank you for helping me with my work"

Your welcome

At one point he also tore off pieces of his worksheet and wrote similar complements and quietly sidled off to other tables and dropped them in front of the teachers there while I was focused on helping another student. He would slide silently into his seat just as I would look to see what he was up to. He'd smile serenely at me as I'd look at him sternly and admonish him to get back to his subtraction.

By Friday the other children at my table were beginning to notice. One asked me what he was doing and I responded that he was writing me a note. He looked confused and said to the note-writer "why are you doing that?"

The boy responded in an airy, nonchalant voice "I'm complementing the teachers. I like to give little complements"

I had to suppress a giggle because at that moment I pictured him like this:

only shorter

Timing.... It's everything!

One night last week Mark was working away at his laptop.

He took a break to look at a funny video. The 2 boys crowded around watching with him and I saw a great photo opportunity to get a shot of all my boys.

It's not easy.

Mark is not a poser. He does not smile for longer than 2.4 seconds and if you don't get the shot...

well, that's just too bad for you 'cause you had your chance.

I got the picture and then...

I got another as Mason let loose and Mark realized the little stinker

did just that-

right on his leg....

Peee-uuuu!

Sadie Hawkins

The Sadie Hawkins dance at Carly's high school is at the end of October. She and her girlfriends have been making plans on who to ask and what to do. Fresh off their happy experiences at Homecoming, they are excited to return the favor and be the ones organizing the "day date" and dinner, etc...

Carly picked out the boy and then contemplated on how to ask.

She went with one of these:

And one of these:

Accompanied by a note that read:

Since we "cantaloupe" are you able to go to Sadies? "Sobe" ready on Oct. 30th!

The letters of her first and last name were highlighted in purple (the rest of the note was in black) with instructions to unscramble the purple letters to find out who was asking him to Sadie Hawkins.

Last night, She and her girlfriends placed it on his doorstep, rang the doorbell and ran to the car with waiting open doors, driver with lead foot hovering over the gas pedal, jumped in and pealed out.

Today, we were cleaning house, doing homework, chilling and the doorbell rang. We got their within seconds and nobody was to be seen (quite a feat with our driveway)

but on the doorstep was the cutest response:

(I scream Yes! Lettuce go to the ball.)

(and the ball is purple; her signature color! either he or his mom is the noticing kind...)

It had us laughing and "aahhing" and made Carly very happy.

Have I mentioned Carly is really enjoying this being 16 thing.

p.s. she got her driver's license on Tuesday!

AHAHHHHHH!!!

How to know when you're really getting old....

I really wish I would have saved more clothes from high school. Who knew my kids would have so many 80's dress up days.

I do have this great high-waisted denim Bongo skirt.

It was actually my sister Christy's....

but we shared a lot of clothes and somehow I confiscated this one and she let me.

I wore it my senior year of high school 1988-89

and my freshman year of college 90-91

I typically wore it with a white t-shirt (sleeves rolled up twice) and a vest with a denim back and floral front panels.

I have a picture. If I had a scanner I'd show you what I looked like

It's hard to believe there was EVER a time when I fit into something that fits Rachel.

A couple weeks ago at school it was "flashback day" or something like that and they could dress up from any decade. Rachel wore "the skirt" and came home saying "you got a complement today mom" Always one to appreciate a complement coming my way I asked what it was...

She replied "I had several girls come up to me and ask me where I got my skirt. They wanted to buy one too"

I'm not sure that's a complement.

You're so old that your high school clothes are cute again....

She said people kept asking her why she wasn't dressed up and she insisted she WAS dressed up. This skirt was ACTUALLY CIRCA 1988 and her mom really really wore it in the 8o's.

and then to add insult to injury....

Last week Carly asked me where my 80's skirt was....

"In the basement, why? you have an 80's day this week?"

"No, I want to wear it for reals."

She did hide the super high waist a little but still. Crazy.

Oh... and that cool silver and black necklace Rachel's wearing...

When I went to college big pendanty necklaces were quite the thing and that had been in my mom's jewelry box forever and she let me take it.

so I guess what comes around goes around.

How old is that necklace mom?

(who knows the name of the 80's dance Rachel's trying to do?)

Samantha on dating....

After listening to Carrie Underwood's song "The more boys I meet, the more I love my dog":

Samantha: "What does that mean anyway?"

Me: She's saying that the boys she's dating are making her like spending her time with her dog more than with the boys"

Samantha: "duh!! of course. Wouldn't anyone like the dogs better?!!!"

understanding the shuffle...

Rachel yelling at the itunes application on the computer:

"just because I put you on shuffle doesn't mean you can just play whatever you want!!!!!"

Me: "um.... Rachel.... that's exactly what it means"

Rachel: "well, it just can't play stupid songs, it needs to play something I LIKE!"