Childlike Simplicity

So Miles and Emily have been waiting anxiously to have a go at this year's wishbone. After being heldback for days waiting for it to get brittle, they made their wishes this morning as they pulled. Emily won. Miles was a good sport and congratulated Emily with excitement (Mom's wish came true). A few minutes later Miles asked Emily what her wish was.

Mom--"Wait Emily, if you tell what your wish is, it won't come true."

Emily--"But Mom, it already did. I wished that I would win the wishbone contest."

OxiClean, My Hero

So we spent an afternoon jumping in leaves that were a little damp. That's as good as it gets here in the NW. The kids had a blast. I'm sure there were many passersby wondering why we were raking leaves at the Clocktower when our ROA fees pay for that. Well, it was all for fun. Did you know that wet leaves seem to just make clothes wet until an hour later when everything starts turning brown? Yuck. I washed Lucy's shirt several times using different methods of stain remover. Miles' shirt had it the worst. I thought it would never be the same so I decided to use it for an experiment. I've told friends before how much I love OxiClean and what a miracle stain remover it is. I started wondering if it was mostly in my head. Nope. I tested a spot with OxiClean, a little hot water, and a toothbrush. Ten minutes later this is what I see...

OxiClean, I love you.

Twins

Despite what you may be thinking, this wasn't planned. Brett and Jenny came over for piano lessons yesterday looking like this. I guess these kids think alike (or their mothers do). Laurie--I think it's a sign that you shouldn't move.

Our Creative Children

Only in the blogging world would something that happened a week ago feel outdated. Well, I'm posting this anyway. For Halloween this year we had our traditional homemade chicken noodle soup (except I got smart and made the noodles a couple days earlier) and breadstick bones.

Each of our children came up with their own costumes...twice. For a costume party earlier in the month Lucy, Emily, and Miles were Little Red Riding Hood, a fifties girl, and half home insurance/half life insurance salesman respectively. On Halloween day that all changed. Miles became an ambulance, Emily an asian girl, and Lucy a...well, "silly man" which changed to "silly rock star" then towards the end of trick-or-treating she became a princess. I'm guessing she got frustrated that no one could figure out what she was.

Let me explain her "silly man" costume. She wanted to be a boy dressed in a dress and tiarra with silly glasses, you know the ones with the nose. Of course the only pair of those we had wouldn't stay on. They were kind of cheap. I don't keep quality silly glasses on hand. What kind of mother am I? Anyway, in order to keep the glasses on she added another pair...and another. Why not add to the silliness? Oh, and of course what's a silly man costume without a bow tie? Just before the trick-or-treating began, Lucy adjusted her costume. Who wants to wear three pair of glasses? Just add a top hat and voila. She's a silly rock star.

When Miles was a toddler, I envisioned Halloween being a stressful time for me as a mom--figuring out a costume, trying to pull it together, and spending too much money while my kids change their mind on what they want to be. It has turned into a time when I get to see the creativity of my children. I love that they do it on their own and figure out ways to use what we have. Don't get me wrong. I love having family themes and creating costumes that look great. My busiest Halloween ever included two costumes that I actually sewed myself and I'm still proud of my work (anyone need a candy corn costume?). My favorite costume as a child was one where my mom spent countless hours making a wig out of a hair net and yarn so I could be the best Blueberry Muffin ever. I looked great! It's just so fun watching my children make a costume that is all theirs. I love that they feel proud of their creations. Having less on my plate isn't so bad either.

Wow

Hmmm.....maybe I should limit my children's candy intake....