7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 103)

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Sassy Training I find it highly amusing that one of the required trainings my husband has had to take at work is referred to as SASE training.  I’ve heard plenty of funny stories about his co-workers and him, ones that have made me pretty sure that sassiness is one area in which they already excel.  

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Loveable Double Trouble I can hardly believe that the twins are turning one this weekend.  The other day when I was sorting my scrapbooking supplies, I came across a little round cut-out that says: “We made it!”  There are certainly days when that’s precisely how I feel by the time Vivi’s mom walks in the door, that despite all of the chaos that is pretty much inherently part of our day, that we made it through all having eaten, learned, played, laughed, sung, danced, and (for those under the age of 5 slept or rested for a bit, hopefully!).  I have no doubt their parents feel the same way some days and middle of the night times.  They are by far two of the cutest troublemakers on the planet! 

  Happy Birthday Livia and Sophia!!  

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Copy Cats The twins have learned all sorts of things from watching their big sister at play.  They know how to dance to the “Bop ‘Til You Drop song, play with the Boppy pillows, spread toys, blocks, and books all over the living room, smear their faces with food, make their sisters and others laugh…This week it’s been funny to watch Livie try to copy Vivi when she hears her sisters crying only Livie puts her hands up to her cheeks instead of covering her ears.  It’s quite a sight to see a little one crying with her hands on her cheeks, seemingly unaware that the noise is coming from her own mouth that makes her sister put her hands over her own ears in protest.

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Wacky Wednesday It was a looooong day for both of us. I'm most grateful for smiles, laughter, hugs, 3 cute little girls, a good book, and a husband who can make me laugh even in the midst of a crisis. I feel bad for our neighbors not only because our heating/cooling unit was leaking like a faucet, but also because Kevin had on Pirates of the Caribbean in surround-sound, which was probably making the people who live around us feel like the end of the world or a major flood is upon them. If all else fails, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming... (By the way, when Kevin asked me for a flashlight while trying to fix said leak, I got him the glow-in-the-dark pirate one we have.  He laughed.)

    

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Domestic Diva Daze I’ve been getting more stuff sorted and organized at home and am excited about making progress. If my husband and I were both as committed to getting things that need to be accomplished at our place done, we'd be so much further along. Lord, help us be united in and better about concentrating on the work that we do that is what You most want of us (which, I acknowledge, may very well not have anything to do with getting our living space in order).

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Dress Shopping with the Girls Our dear sister in Christ Michele Morris who is entering a cloistered Carmelite community on August 6 asked a small group of close friends to come with her to pick out a dress for her to wear on her entry date.  Of course, her asking me to come for this activity made me think of the first time when she went out to the monastery in Carmel, California, to meet the nuns and see if she felt called to become part of that community, and I did a special edition of What Not To Wear for Female Religious Vocation First Visit in honor of her trip.  Anyone who knows me is well aware I'm no expert on fashion, but I sure had fun coming up with this collage.

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Writing for Young Adults This undertaking can be quite challenging and rather amusing.  I'm sure I am now showing up in databases I wouldn't have before researching such things as would be appropriate to include in a book about and geared towards high school students.  There's no other reason that I would be looking up such things as: assault weapons, juvenile detention centers, the appearance of men's locker rooms in public gyms, the going price of stuff I've never used, etc.  Who knows what else I'll be looking up online as I continue writing?  Whatever it is, I'm sure that I'll likely end up in a few more databases.  

                  

Check out Jen Fulwiler’s tradition of 7 Quick Takes Friday at her tremendously popular blog Conversion Diary.

      

Does the Shoe Fit? (My Nanny Diary)

Apparently not, and I have the blisters to prove it.  I bought a pair of shoes a while ago, and I haven’t worn them but maybe once or twice.  They’re simple, rather plain flats.  Nothing exciting, flashy, or high-heeled.  I put them on last Sunday to wear to Mass and ended up regretting that decision even before we made it to church. 

    
We stopped by the grocery store to pick up some fruit on our way, and my right foot was really hurting me.  I took my shoe off and got out what I thought was a piece of rice, something white, but my foot hurt just as badly, if not more, after I did that.  I got to the car and discovered I had not one but two blisters on my right foot.  The skin had come off leaving really sore reddish spots. 

    
It had been so long since I’d even put those shoes on that it’s quite possible I wore them once and thought that I needed to break them in at some point.  Now, I’m sure that someone else needs to break them in, once they buy them from Goodwill where I dropped them off today. 

    
I try to keep these incidents in mind when kids clothing or shoes are too small or too big for them.  It can make me uncomfortable and even irritable to have ill-fitting footwear or apparel, and I am able to tell pretty quickly what it is that’s causing a problem.  Kids just get frustrated, and think something’s not working right, but they don’t really know what’s wrong. 

    
I don’t quite understand the reasoning behind purchasing footwear that’s four sizes or more too big for a kid and having them wear the far-too-roomy shoes every day.  Yes, they’ll grow into them, but first they’ll trip and fall a million times on the playground.

   
Some of the most amusing incidents have occurred with young children who have particularly small waists.  I can remember one adorable toddler in particular whose pants would often slip down below his diaper at which point, he’d step right out of them and run off when we were at home.  I’m not sure how much of his “loathing for clothing” (as I call the attitude many infants and toddlers have about getting dressed) had to do with the size of his clothes, whether too big or too small, but I do remember he was diligent about removing whatever he could as quickly as possible.    

    
This has been a common occurrence for the little ones in my care.  While out on walks, I’ve most often seen the little ones remove and toss to the sidewalk their hats, socks, and shoes.  Only once did I have to park the double stroller on the sidewalk and dodge traffic at a busy crosswalk where there’s no traffic light to retrieve a shoe. 

    
Another time when I was taking a little one for a stroll in the warmer months, she removed one of her sandals and tossed it over the side of her stroller without me noticing.  We got home before I realized she was missing a shoe.  I could not for the life of me locate the little girl’s white sandal when I retraced our steps, so I offered to go to the mall and buy a new pair since the family was leaving on a trip to London in the next couple days and wouldn’t likely have time to replace them beforehand.

    
Just keep it in mind the next time you put on something that’s a bit too snug or try and make something much too big work and are really uncomfortable.  It’ll help you be more empathetic and sensitive to the wardrobe choices for little ones in your care, especially when you’re the one who chooses what they wear.  After all, grumpy is a pretty normal reaction to clothes or shoes that don’t fit right (at least in my opinion).  

Fashion Faux-Pas

People who know me well and/or see me regularly are probably laughing that I would write a blog post on fashion anything.  Trust me, this is one area of fashion I know a lot about, and frankly find it amusing instead of tragic.  There are some who go out wearing unflattering clothing that isn’t even close to what’s in, but they genuinely think that they look nice, presentable, even chic because they match or are wearing expensive name brands or whatever.  I am not one of those people.  I go out in public wearing comfortable clothing, and I know that I don’t look stylish, cute, trendy, fashionable, or anything like that. 

Back in the Day

I didn’t used to be that way, and it’s still within my capability to dress nice and put make-up on for special occasions, but when it comes to the daily grind, I usually don’t, and that’s okay with me.  There was a time in my life when I would pour over magazines and was very interested in fashion, make-up, jewelry, and all of that.  The first period in my lifetime that jeans in a rainbow of colors were popular, I had quite the spectrum in my closet: red, black, magenta, purple, turquoise, navy, green…  I also had many pairs of leggings, brightly colored socks to mix and match, and wore white canvas Keds. 

    
Part of the dilemma for me is seeing things come back into fashion that I wore when I was in elementary and middle school (such as the above-mentioned items).  It amuses and confuses me to see my youngest sister (who I’d consider to be a bit of a fashionista) wearing tight jeans, white canvas Keds sneakers, brightly colored mismatched socks, leggings, etc.  She looks great in them, but I don’t feel compelled to run out and get similar clothes.  Denim shirts and jean jackets, been there, done that and can’t really figure out why they ever came back as hot commodities, though there are certainly much more disturbing flashback fashion items on the market.  Others can pull them off and look nice, but I feel that for me to do the same would be regressing, in a sense.        

Maybe it’s My Alma Mater

I went to Hollins University (which isn’t an all-girls school where there aren’t any men, but a women’s university where there aren’t any boys—undergrad is all women & grad programs have a few good men).  It is a long-standing tradition for Hollins to have Tinker Day some time each fall.  It’s announced the morning of as a day off of classes.  There are Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast, then students, faculty, and staff wear outrageous outfits to climb Tinker Mountain.  This legit reason to look incredibly tacky includes a hike, watching and/or performing hilarious skits, having a yummy picnic, and the subsequent community building that comes with such activities.

   
Just so you know, I wasn’t one of the “pearl girls.”  I don’t own a set of pearls, but even if I did, I wouldn’t wear them for everyday stuff and certainly wouldn’t pair them with a T-shirt and jeans.

Nannying Attire

For the past eight and a half years that I’ve been married, my day job has involved taking care of infants and young children as a nanny and/or as a program lead, summer camp instructor, or tutor at school.  I can still remember the hilarious look I got from one of my employers (who is definitely into the latest fashions and such) when I walked in wearing an outfit that I’d put together purely for comfort, warmth, and ease of movement that could be machine washed and dried.  I would not be surprised (just amused) if my attire was part of the gossip at her office and maybe in their neighborhood. 

    
My deal then was pretty much the same as it is now; the clothing I wear when taking care of infants and small children in their homes is going to be seasonably appropriate, comfortable, easy to move in, simple to wash, and something that will take a beating.  Pockets are nice.  Layers are helpful.  Name brands are not really a concern for me.  (I can be pretty hard on clothes, shoes, and jewelry, so form and function tend to appeal to me more than style.)

Pants Are Optional

I have adopted my mom’s philosophy for young children: let them be comfortable and easy to clean up.  Fortunately, the family for whom I nanny is of the same mindset when it comes to clothing.  On a normal day, the twins go from their pajamas into a Onesie (which for those of you who don’t know is basically a baby bodysuit).  A diaper and Onesie are pretty much what they wear every day unless we go for a walk or go out somewhere and more layers are needed.  Vivi often hangs out in her nightgown or a T-shirt and a pair of Pull-ups.  If you come to hang out with us and are under the age of 5 years old, pants are optional upon entry.  That’s not to say that there aren’t some days when you’ll come in and see babies in pants, it’s just to say that comfort, warmth, and being able to move, roll, bounce dance, fling food, get stinky, get messy, etc. are most important. 

My Wardrobe

I have a number of hand-me-ups, downs, overs…in my closet that I wear regularly.  Several sweaters, a pair of jeans, and a pair of khakis are from my youngest sister. I held onto a couple pairs of workout pants from my dad.  I was delighted to be given a hand me over comfy red fleece with pockets from my best friend from high school, and I’ve added a number of Goodwill finds still in very good condition…you get the idea. 

   
I do own some nice clothes, but I don’t find that they’re quite conducive to rolling with the down and dirty little people crowd.  It is not uncommon for me to be spit at, drooled on, sprayed upon, splattered with food and/or paint.  I frequently collect a pocket full of trash given to me by sticky hands while engaging in the seemingly endless process of cleaning bottoms and wiping noses.    

    
I can still remember getting strange looks when I ran errands one day after work.  I was wearing a white short-sleeve shirt (which I’d forgotten during our time at the Children’s Museum had gotten some green and purple paint smeared on it).  It took me a few people giving me strange looks since I was walking around dressed like a mom or nanny without any children in tow before I realized why they were likely amused and confused. 

Lounging at Home Attire

It has become a major source of amusement to my husband and me how outrageous my hanging at home attire combinations can get.  If it’s clean and comfy, then I’ll combine plaid pajama pants with a flowered top or two solid colors or patterns that clash so bad it’s comical while the two of us are chilling at our place.  I don’t go out of our place wearing these things (unless I have a coat over them and am just going down to get the mail or do laundry or something).  It cracks us both up.  I’m warm and comfortable.  Everybody wins. 

Hair Dos

A while ago I dyed my hair or had it cut in a way that was trѐs chic.  I’d curl my hair and style it different ways when I was younger, use hairspray, gel, and other styling products.  I haven’t colored my hair in years, and I get it cut so that it is out of my eyes, doesn’t take too long to blow dry, and is easy to put up in the summer.  These days, I get it cut at an inexpensive place called Great Clips.  The extent of my hair care most of the time is to wash it, blow it dry, and brush it (unless I’m rushing and miss that last step). 

Make-up (or rather a serious lack thereof)

During my sophomore year of high school, I never went to school without at least wearing powder foundation on my face and having my fingernails painted.  I wouldn’t even go sans make-up during Spirit Week when we had Pajama Day.  I own some makeup and know how to use it, but most days I just put Vaseline on my lips and I’m good to go. 

         

Jewelry

The only jewelry I wear regularly is that which has sentimental value and/or some health benefit.  I don’t even have my ears pierced.  For years, I begged my mom to let me get them pierced, and she made me wait.  By the time she said I could do it, I didn’t care anymore and actually liked being one of the few women who doesn’t have her ears pierced.  I have worn a Nikken necklace for a number of years ever since Kevin gave me one when we were dating as much for the wellness advantage as the romantic appeal.  (I got a new one recently because my other one fell off in our place because the clasp was so worn, and neither Kevin nor I could find the necklace.)  When I am changing diapers and washing my hands a bazillion times a day at work, it’s easier for me to leave my wedding and engagement rings at home.

It’s Gotta Be the Shoes 

I firmly believe that having comfortable, supportive, durable walking shoes is important.  I am very hard on shoes, and wear the same ones pretty much every day, whether or not they really go with my outfit.  Again, I have a few pairs of low heels and dress shoes, but most of the time, even if I’m wearing an outfit that would be considered business casual, I often wear my walking shoes.  Happy feet are important.  I’m tall enough as it is.  It’s hard for me to run in flip-flops.  Screwing up my feet, knees, and back by wearing heels on a regular basis doesn’t make sense to me. 

Looking Good

Just so there’s no confusion, I appreciate it when people look nice, wear flattering clothes, do their makeup, and have a knack for looking stylish.  Many of the fashion trends I’ve mentioned that I don’t feel inspired to follow are ones that others pull-off with panache.       

    
I was actually really impressed when I went over to bring my sister and her husband dinner one night this week.  She is eight months pregnant and had been getting things done around their house, but she was dressed fashionably with her hair done and makeup on.    

     
I think, rather than feeling really intimidated or lazy for not taking as much time on my appearance as some do, I might be getting to the point at which I can accept that’s not a major priority for me and, more importantly that my sentiments and approach to appearance are fine for me.