May 9, 2008

The Campaign for Twirly Dresses Continues

The little angel still hasn't grown out of the twirly dress phase.  It started sometime in when she was two.

We've gotten to the point where she doesn't cry if the dress doesn't twirl properly, but I've had to invent categories of twirling to satisfy her.  They are:

• Full twirl -- This is what you think of when you think "twirly dress."  It's the sort of twirl you get from a good square dancer dress, or maybe something you'd see on Dancing with the Stars.  This type of dress is not easy to find, unless you're willing to cough up $40 in a department store.  Extra bonus points for finding this type for $7 at T.J. Maxx (oh, and I have).
• Princess twirl -- This twirl is achieved from a more normal dress.  It balloons up like a bell, but doesn't show any undies.  Most of the little angel's dresses do the princess twirl.  You can find a dress that will princess twirl at Old Navy, Costco, or again, my beloved T.J. Maxx.
• Play twirl -- This dress doesn't really twirl.  But we pretend it does.  Think jumpers.  For the little angel to accept a play twirl, the jumper must be festooned with interesting buttons or maybe a giraffe. 

I used to think she shouldn't wear dresses every day because I had it in my mind that dresses are expensive.  Also, the steady stream of hand-me-downs that make up the bulk of her school clothes doesn't tend to include dresses.

As I've lived with a child who thinks she is royalty for four years now, I've come to realize that a dress is one-stop shopping, especially in the summer.  I've also realized that even fancy-looking dresses can be had for as little as $4 if you buy them at the end of the previous season. Last summer I got smart and bought eight twirly dresses on clearance, so now she has a twirly dress for every day of the week.  Alas, some activities call for pants or shorts, so last night we made a trip to Old Navy to cash in a gift card. 

I didn't realize that some children begin to select their own clothing at the tender age of four.  Thank goodness she was willing to work with the selection, which was poor, and we ended up with four pairs of shorts and four short-sleeved shirts that we both liked.  Good Lord, am I in for it.  I think I'm going to have to teach her the value of money early by giving her a budget.  Fancy Nancy is going to have to decide if she'd rather have one full twirl dress or five princess twirl dresses.  The combination of all these twirly dresses and her new affinity for braids has her looking like a character off Little House on the Prairie most of the time.  But a very cute character, I must say.

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Ever wonder who raised Chris Rock?  Review of Mama Rock's Rules up at Surrender, Dorothy: Reviews.

Posted @ 8:05AM in Parenting | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

May 8, 2008

The Little Angel Enters Training

Last night the Editor Across the Aisle came over for dinner and some wine.  I couldn't figure out why my beloved and the little angel were so late.  It was like 7:15 and they still hadn't come home for dinner.  Finally, the Editor Across the Aisle pointed out the open front door.  "I think I see a little person," she said.

The little angel popped through the door, grinning and waving.  I immediately grabbed her.

Me: "Where have you been? Were you on a special Mother's Day errand?"

Her: "That's classified."

Posted @ 9:05AM in Marriage | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)

May 7, 2008

Hard Conversations and Me

It's been a crazy week, and I've been busy talking a whole lot of other places.  The talking has left me a little bit emotionally exhausted.  You see, we've been talking about race. And talking about race is never an easy thing to do. 

I was telling some of my co-workers about my post with Kelly today at lunch, and they were all, "why would you stick yourself out there like that?"  One of my friends laughed and said I liked drama, then quickly apologized when she realized that it hurt my feelings.  I don't like drama. In fact, I kind of hate drama.  But I hate more ignoring what people are saying because you're afraid you're going to kick up some drama.

So I went ahead and e-mailed Kelly last week.  And we talked quite frankly about race. And my book. And race some more.

I would rather start a hard conversation than ignore a hard conversation. I just would.  I hope it doesn't end badly.

Posted @ 2:05PM in Writing | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)