Bye Bye Bedding

Apparently, someone in the world of Home Goods retail decided that the parents of America have just plain given up on home decorating.


When you are pregnant, shopping for things for your child's room offers up so many options...you think your head is going to explode. Should the room have a jungle theme?...gender neutral?...or should we buy so much pink it is like you have walked into a giant box of cotton candy? The choices are endless and all of them are equally cute...no, cute isn't the right word... more ADORABLE than anything else.


The stifled interior decorator inside me was wild with possibility! Items like this cute little retro bedding [left] were begging me to buy them - and I would have...but I didn't feel like taking out a second mortgage on something she would likely wet on.



Now I am looking to a day where Hailey will have a new bed...a bigger bed....with bigger bedding. Again the inner-designer is excited at the possibilities and awash with excitement. Until I started searching for toddler bedding....and all I can really find is this kind of stuff....

ugh.

Now don't get me wrong...I don't mind cartoon characters - they make great Happy Meal toys. In fact, we have certainly done our part in keeping the legacy of SpongeBob Squarepants alive and well.

But I certainly don't want to decorate with them. Ick. Sorry SpongeBob...not even you and Patrick, regardless of how much you make me laugh.

I also don't want to dress my kid in them (if I can help it). However, I do admit to character PJ's (we have a very cool retro Scooby Doo t-shirt which is a particular favorite of mine). We have some shirts with cartoons on them, but mostly I try not to fall into the marketing trap. I don't Hailey to want something only because it has Dora on it.

I think the message from retailers is pretty clear... once your child begins to develop their own opinion and make their own choices...you, as the parent, loose your opinions and choices. Hmmm...Yo Gabba Gabba or Elmo...which annoys me the least? Constant marketing to the youngest possible age bracket is already tiresome to me. She's 3. I'm doomed.

I think it is probably time that I bite the bullet, buy a machine and learn how to sew.

Queen of Grapes

Last night I bought some pre-packaged produce department grapes to eat with out dinner.

I told Hailey that she had to finish her peanut butter sandwich and share the grapes with Mommy and Daddy (she loves grapes). She ate that peanut butter so fast, I don't think she actually chewed it...it probably just stuck to the roof of her mouth and eventually just dissolved.

When she finished, and I opened the package...she gave one grape to me and one grape to her daddy. Then she threw open her arms and declared "Attention Everybody, you've had ENOUGH! These are HAILEY'S" then she patted my sandwich and said... "Mama, finish your sandwich"

Never a dull moment. I guess she did technically share...next time I'll have explain HOW we share.

Ellen's Dance

A Eulogy for My Grandmother


My Grandmother was many things… a mother to 4, a wife to 2 wonderful men, grandmother of 13 and a great grandmother of many more. She was a sister, a friend, a church member and a beautiful spirit.

There are several things about Grandma that I will always remember. I’ll remember how beautiful she was and how she always looked so young for her age - my friends who met her would never believe me when I told them how old Grandma was. I will remember how after she visited, we would always look around for what Grandma had left behind, usually her purse or a hat. I know I will miss her sense of humor, it was a gift she gave the whole family. Holidays at my house are always filled with funny stories and Grandma was always right in the mix…telling her own and laughing along with everyone else.

The largest and most obvious aspect of my grandmother was the deep and intense love she had for her family. Her family meant everything to her. Even last week when I visited her in the hospital, the first thing she asked me about was my three year old daughter and if she enjoyed her swim class. Grandma was always interested in what was going on in the lives of her family, and she in turn was the center that held all the pieces together. I will be forever grateful that when she passed, she did so surrounded by those she loved the most – Stanley and her four children.

When I sat down to think of the impact my grandmother had on me, I remembered a moment from my childhood that made me feel like I was looking at my grandparents for the first time in my life. It was their 50th wedding anniversary and I was 13 years old. That night, my grandmother was dressed in a beautiful, soft pink colored dress… and she looked amazing. They renewed their wedding vows and we had a big reception with great food, skits, lots of laughing and dancing – there was always dancing. Many of you probably know that my grandparents were beautiful dancers…so much so, that I feel sorry for those of you who never had the chance to watch them together. That night, I’m not sure that my grandmother’s feet ever touched the floor… she seemed to me to just float above it.

As I watched them dance, I realized how much more it was than just moving to the music. When Grandpa stepped forward, Grandma stepped back then almost immediately, Grandma would step forward and Grandpa would step back. My grandfather would spin her out and give her that moment to shine…but Grandma always spun back to him and continued the dance. Even as young as I was, I realized… that was what marriage was about. Even though there was that give and take… even though sometimes you had to step back and give your partner their moment in the spotlight…you still had to face each other or the dance wouldn’t work. It was one of the greatest lessons of my life, and my grandparents didn’t even realize they were teaching me, they were just enjoying the dance.

My grandmother’s dance here is over now. I will miss her. I will miss her sense of humor, her love for her family. I will miss the lessons she didn’t know she was giving. But I won’t be sad, because I know that while this song is over, the music doesn’t stop. My grandmother is already onto her next dance…as light and as beautiful as ever.