Politics, Through the Eyes of a Child

CNN or some similar channel was on the TV this morning, as background while we were all getting ready. I overheard the following conversation, which cracked me up!
Son (to Older Daughter): "Is he the President of the United States?" (not sure who he was referring to; someone on the TV)
Older Daughter, very factually: "No, the other man with the big ears is the President right now. The brown man and the elderly man are fighting about who gets to be the next President."

I've never heard her use the word "elderly" before.....

WOW, has it really been a year?

I can't say that I have missed it - this blogging thing. (Although it has been fun to come back and look at the older memories!!) Or that I will be back for good; perhaps this is just a visit.
Or, perhaps not.
We have experienced many changes this past year. A new job, a new home, a new town, a new school. We are still settling in, and the kids are struggling a bit. Our old neighborhood was full of lively kids; our new one is strangely quiet. We've opened the activity floodgates, and I am hoping that will help. Girl Scouts for the oldest, dance class for the "baby", and still seeking the right fit for the boy.
I'm still getting settled into my new job, and hoping I made the right decision in uprooting us for this new opportunity.
I've also started my MBA, and am working on my third class. Only three and a half years to go...ugh!

Letters from T

Love Letter:



A Little Girl Scorned:

All Dressed Up...

Outfit details as follows:

HIM - Gymboree safari-print handsome shirt. Greenish-brown pants at least one - probably two - sizes to small. Work boots because his feet pop out of his other handsome shoes. One of dad's ties because boys wear ties to church. And a watch so he knows when it is time for donuts (community coffee & donuts afterwards). And plenty of "boy spray" - CK One, I think.

HER - Light blue jeans. Under a flowy pink-and-white dress. With yellow crocs. Hat from when she was an infant, currently used on her dolls. Pink watch, because her big brother was wearing one. And a string of faux pearls.

They got ready for church together, so very excited to get dressed up. My heart was warm. We went to Mass exactly as shown, and he got several compliments on the tie.

Then and Now

He bought her an iPod, and plans to spend the time between now and Christmas loading her favorite songs onto it.
An iPod.
She's not yet seven. Why did we buy her an iPod? Is she growing up too fast? Are we making a critical parenting mistake? Or maybe...am I overthinking this?

Then - I listened to cassette tapes in my SONY Walkman - the kind with giant headphones. Tiffany, Madonna and Debbie Gibson.
Now - She will listen to digital music from an iPod. Hannah Montana, some country crossover music and the High School Musical soundtracks.

Then - I carefully tightrolled by jeans and tucked them into two pairs of brightly-colored slouch socks. I pulled my oversize tee through a cinch clip, pouffed my bangs, and headed to school.
Now - She meticulously layers several tee shirts over eachother and adjusts them "just so", slips her feet into Crocs, pulls a tendril out of her ponytail to hang in her face, and heads to school.

Then - I was amused daily by shows such as Webster, Growing Pains and the Cosby Show. Watching TV was not the "hot topic" is has become today.
Now - She watches Zack & Cody, Hannah Montana and Cory in the House. I don't think her brain is warping from it.

Maybe it's not so different after all...
I think I'm going to buy myself an iPod, too.

You Just Haven't Lived....

...until you've spent a Saturday morning at a football game where the refs are approximately twice the size of the players!



Mine is a cheerleader:



The other team had twice as many, and they even did stunts!!!

This was our second game out of ten, and I am amazed at how organized and professional it is. There's an announcer who calls the plays and real uniforms and five-year-olds who actually know how to play the game. I guess that's what you get when you live amid the Florida-Florida State football wars. Gotta start 'em young - I think I saw a college scout in the stands!
(It's all in good fun, the Tiny Mites don't even keep score and the cheerleaders from both sides ate snack together.)

"I don't know how to handle that!!"

It was a typical two-year-old temper tantrum - rare for our little girl, but totally normal for her age. Complete with kicking, screaming and crocodile tears.
She wanted to watch High School Musical (2, securely preserved on DVR with a "save until 2020 when kids go to college or otherwise manually erased" option).
No dice....it was time to take Big Sister to cheerleading practice.
The brouhaha ensued.
After a few moments, Hubby got her under control. His hand on her shoulders, his face inches from hers.
"I love you very much, but we need to leave for cheerleading."
Her response?
"I don't know how to handle that, I want to watch High School Musical!"



What have we gotten ourselves into??