Feeling Pretty

When Eldest was very young, she liked to wear pretty things. Like all girls do. We’re talking flowers in her hair, dresses, frills, the works. I loved to take her shopping and dress her up. It was like having my own living doll. Which was awesome, because most of my dolls were Barbies that I bent in half to make into “guns”.

Then Hubby decided to take over. And the feminine little girl transmogrified into a snake-charming, target-killing, bug-loving, dirt-digging tomboy who, like her father, preferred the comfort of black clothing and jeans. My sphere of influence shrank into a miniscule ring the size of a penny almost overnight. I was crushed, but hey! At least I had Little One still in my so-called grip.That lasted…oh, about two weeks. Once she saw that Eldest had her own unique style, she too, was done with me.

I just gave up...

So, imagine my surprise when Eldest asks me to take her shopping for new clothes. Now, normally I try to instill a bit of influence over what my kids wear. I am adamant about modesty, but have pretty much given up on the whole feminine thing with the girls, since every time I would try to get them in a dress I would get the inevitable eye roll accompanied by the always popular, “Moooom!!!”

Eldest: Mom, can you take me clothes shopping?

Me: Do you need jeans again??

Eldest: I want a new dress.

Me: …..

Eldest: Maybe some pretty tops to wear at school.

Me: You mean in other colors besides black, grey, or more black?

Eldest: *rolls eyes* Yes…

Me: LET’S GO!!!!!!!!

So, a dress, some tops, and heels later, she is enjoying her new look.

I don’t know how long it will last, but I will be enjoying it the whole time!! 😀

I Need a Laboratory in This House

The other day I mentioned that one Home Truth™ is to never “taste” anything you find on the kitchen island that you have not placed there yourself, because that is the current site of home experiments. I encourage this for the most part, especially when Eldest decides to cook. I must say, she is getting good at the whole cooking thing. I just wish she would do it more often.

Anyway, last night as I was pouring the last glass of wine for the next forty days and forty nights, I noticed that the last “experiment” was still on the counter. Here is the photo of the experiment before:

Pretty innocuous, right? Looks like a bowl of water, which is what I thought it was, and almost dumped out, until I reached inside it:

I have to thank my friend Nicole for this. These are reconstituted “spit balls” she sent Son for Christmas. This turned into a water refraction experiment which they used to explain this to their younger sister:

They get this from their father.

The drama that resulted from me almost spilling this? That they get from me 😉

Feeling Lost

Sometimes I wander through the house, looking at pictures on the wall, wondering how Time passed so quickly. I see my children making decisions about what to wear, and how to style their hair, and even what kind of milk they prefer, and wonder when I was demoted from that job. I look around me and feel lost, no longer sure of my job here, or if I’m doing a good job, or even if I still have a job. I see them losing patience with me when I restrict their TV habits or tell them a certain movie is too adult or scary for them. I hear their sighs when they have to explain to me where they will be, and with whom, and when they will come home, and who is chaperoning the event. Sometimes late at night, I cry for what I have lost, knowing I won’t ever get it back, and wonder if they understand that it hurts me to see them splintering the bounds of childhood. Being a parent is not just tough. It’s extremely painful and sad. But it’s also wonderful and full of joy and happiness.

And through the pain and the fighting and the struggles, I know I would never change any of it. I only pray that when it’s their turn that they have it easier. And that they have a new appreciation for their mother 😉

There is Never Enough Coffee

Last night was  the AFJROTC Military Ball for Eldest and Son. Normally the Ball is a smooth affair. This year proved to be a challenge, but only to my sanity.

Eldest, being the sweetie she is, invited three other girls to come over and get ready. Now, Eldest is not the fastest person in the house. Combine that with three other girls and one bathroom, and only ONE hair iron thingie, and you will have chaos. Son? He gets ready in less than 20 minutes, including the time he took to iron his pants and shirt. The girls, however, began getting ready three hours before, and still managed to run late. Nevertheless, Chauffeur Aggie managed to get them there on time after a few applications of fire under their…feet. And that’s when the fun began…

It wasn’t just the Ball, but also going to IHOP afterwards, and since it would be late, that entailed the girls spending the night, too. Which meant me getting the upstairs room ready, and staying up to be the chauffeur, and not imbibing at all!! Oh, and one gal showed up late, so it became five girls, and surprisingly, Son wasn’t as disgusted as he would have been three years ago. After fetching them home, they decided it was just too early to go to bed, so the giggling and the screaming and the “NO WAY??”s kept going until 1 AM.

And five hours later, the little dog woke me urgently.

So, two small pots of coffee later, my nerves are going through some repairs, hoping for some peace and quiet by noon. Of course, the caffeine in my system will make the world seem like it’s shaking, but that’s a small price to pay so I can function 😉

Steampunk’d

As y’all may or may not know, I am a fan of Steampunk. I love the look of it, and apparently Eldest does, too. Today we are starting to change her room around to accommodate all of her junk the new decor.

I have plans….

She doesn’t know it yet, but a lot of the stuff I plan to use will be coming from the local flea market, as well as Lowes™. We are talking copper pipes, fittings, ventilation ducts, PVC, faucet knobs, pulley wheels, and any random stuff I can find to give an “antique” look.

She may or may not agree with my take on the room, but I know what I’m doing. Some would argue that I am living vicariously through her, since I can’t do it to my room. And some would be right 😉

Mother’s Pride

Yesterday was a Red Letter Day here at Casa de Aggie. Both Eldest and Son were promoted in rank in AFJROTC. Getting promoted is a big deal in itself, but on top of that, Eldest made the rank of Cadet Captain as a junior, and Son was promoted two ranks for his service, from Cadet to Airman First Class.

They worked hard and are very involved in ROTC, and I’m proud to say they are fine examples of the program at our school. What they learn will help them achieve success in their future, no matter what path they take.

If only they would work half as hard on their rooms. That would be awesome!!

For the Birds

I am a big mystery fan, especially old school stuff. I can read Hammett and Christie and everything in between over and over again. The same applies for movies. The older stuff, grainy black and white, suspenseful music…ahhhh, that’s just classic.

A few weeks ago, one of the networks had an Alfred Hitchcock marathon. Y’all can imagine how jazzed I was! Four classics back to back, and no, Marnie wasn’t one of them, thank goodness. Psycho, Rear Window, The Trouble With Harry, and Rope. I got my tissues*, my cup of coffee, and my cozy throw, and sat next to Little One, who was home sick with a tummy bug. I had asked her if I could watch them and she was gracious enough to let me.

This is where y’all roll your eyes, just like I did.

First up is Psycho, and I’m enjoying it immensely, when I notice that Little One has turned over to face the TV and watch the film. I warned her that it was suspenseful, and a bit scary, but she told me she could handle it. And boy, did she handle it. At the end of the film she was raving about how awesome it was, and how we should get the DVD for it (I have it, but didn’t want her to go get it and demand to watch it again, since she missed the first fifteen minutes or so). Anyway, we end up watching all four movies and she asks me if Hitchcock made any others as suspenseful as those. “Many”, I said. “Do you have more?” she asked. “But of course, but I don’t think you are ready for some of them.” “Like which ones?” she wondered. And my soul froze, thinking of the one Hitchcock film that still manages to freak me out and leave me sleepless for days!!

I told her about Rebecca, and North by Northwest, but I kept The Birds to myself. I know my kid, and the moment she finds out birds start attacking humans in a sleepy little town, she is going to want to watch it, in the dark, all agog at Tippy Hedren in her beautiful green suit getting ravaged by crows. And then she’s going to want to sleep in my bed, where I will lay in the dark, waiting to hear the flap of wings on my roof.

No, thank you. I like being mistress of my domain.

*I always cry when Martin Balsam is killed off.

Today is the Day!

Yep…I’m 45!!

And I made you cupcakes!

I’ll return tomorrow with some less fluffy content, though by my standards around here, it ain’t by much. In the meantime, enjoy your day, and remember: birthday calories never count! 😉

UPDATE!!

Look what our friend SG brought me:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

There is a Tide…

Or in this case, Gain™. It’s Sunday, and the kids have to do their laundry. That means a lot of whining and complaining. But eventually, I calm down and let them do it their way.

I used to be a stickler for folding clothes a certain way. I got that from my mother. Shirts in thirds lengthwise, and then in thirds again widthwise. Pants folded in half, and half again. And don’t get me started on underwear. My mother is very old school, and used to iron boxer shorts. That is one thing we never had to do at home, thank goodness. But yes, we had to fold everything a certain way at home. But now having my own family, I feel I can give my kids leeway when they do their own laundry. Son likes to fold shirts in half lengthwise and widthwise, Eldest does the thirds and then in half, and Little One likes to fold in half and then fourths. It’s their laundry, so they should fold as they wish.

As long as it’s not just wadded up into a ball and shoved in a drawer, that is 😉

The Olden Days

Last night we had a block party for the neighborhood. I was the ONLY adult that dressed up for Halloween. Thank goodness I passed on the fairy costume. I think I a bit long in the tooth for that. I went as a be bopper.  You know: rolled jeans, boyfriend shirt with rolled sleeves, bobby socks…like this:

I had my hair up in a pony tail, and bright red lipstick, blue eyeshadow and cat eyeliner, and even a scarf in a bow! I was cool!!!

Until a teenage kid asked me what I was supposed to be.

Understanding that some kids really don’t know there was a century before this one, I explained as best as I could. Still, he wasn’t getting it. Until another kid piped up to explain:

Kid #2: She’s dressed like The Outsiders, remember?

Kid #1: Oh yeah, like in the old days.

Me: (Hears the grave calling. Gives them yucky candy)

Next year I’m going to dress up like the Crypt Keeper.  He’s closer to my age.