Monday, July 30, 2018

Life Isn't Perfect, But Your Hair Can Be

I have enjoyed playing with and styling Hallie's hair since...well, since she grew enough hair for me to play with and style. We address (spray with lightly conditioned water, brush, and style appropriately for whatever she has on tap that day) her golden locks EVERY morning before school, and on the weekends we oscillate between fancy buns for dance and "off days" on which she just pulls her hair into a ponytail herself.

We don't usually have time, but when we do, Hallie and I love to try more complicated styles. We use Pinterest as our guide now, but in the beginning Hallie chose these styles from movies and television; for example, during Hallie's Frozen phase we tried ALL of the Elsa and Anna hairstyles.
Early Elsa
Late Elsa
Early Anna
Late Anna

Hallie's AJ (Aunt Jenna), also loves to play with and style hair. One of AJ and Hallie's favorite parts about vacationing together is taking the time each day to search for new hairstyles, choose their favorites, try each of them, and then take photos of their "work".
This pic might be my favorite from our trip... The diva relaxes in her
highchair (her actual highchair from baby and toddler days, which my
inlaws still have and in which her tush still fits) while her hairdresser
works on the style and her florist works on the flower arrangement.

In case you're in need of a little hair inspiration (and to show off AJ's impressive talents and my girl's beautiful hair), here are a few of this summer's favorite looks!
Rear #1 (pre-flowers)
Front #1
Rear #1
Front #2
Rear #2
Rear #3
Front #4
Rear #4
I think the bar has been set a little too high for when we return home after vacation...

Friday, July 27, 2018

High Five for Friday (7.27.18)

One
High five that my 11-year-old didn't break his cheek when his face collided with the hardest part of his five-year-old cousin's head! (Thankfully and interestingly, Carter suffered no injuries in the impact that caused Will's face to swell up like he'd hidden a plum beneath the surface of the skin.)

Two
Hallie loved meeting Dusty and Cooper, two members of the Mounted Madison police force, at their ice cream shop profit share. We would have enjoyed the ice cream treat that followed interacting with the horses regardless, but knowing we had supported these beautiful animals and their quest to make Madison a safer place to live made the evening even better.

Three
My girl finally got up on water skis! It took multiple attempts (some of which ended in tears), but those attempts made her eventual success even more sweet. She frequently backs down or away from challenges because she fears failure, so her willingness to try - and keep trying, even after literally and figuratively falling - something scary and hard made me extraordinarily proud.


Will also skied, and Will and Hallie tubed like crazy people together. Carter rode the ski trainer, but was only willing to go as fast...as Will could swim. He literally gave Will the universal "slow down" sign that skiers use while Will was pulling him - using only elementary backstroke legs - through the lake. Speed demon he is not.




Warming up on the ski trainer.
Miss Christi, this one's for you.
"Don't go too fast, Will!"
My 68yo rockstar dad showing us all up.

Four
I get my awesome packing skills from my dad.

Five
Home again, home again, jiggity jig! Today the kids and I fly back to Texas after spending three-and-a-half weeks with family in Wisconsin and Illinois. We can't wait to see Tom, Tux, and all of our friends!

The "closest" Tom and I have been since he and Will went back to Texas 17 days ago.


Happy Friday, Chasing Roots!

Linking up with High Five for Friday here:


Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Gone Camping

For 18 summers I went camping with my Camping Family (five families to whom mine is not biologically related but might as well be given how long we have known and loved one another). My dad the Eagle Scout and my mom the Girl Scout troop leader both knew - know - a thing or two about surviving in the wilderness and shared with my sister and me a great deal of their knowledge: how to set up a tent, how to build a fire, how to read a compass and roast a perfect marshmallow and leave every campsite cleaner than you found it. My parents tried valiantly to raise an outdoorsy camper...they did not succeed.

I hate mosquitoes and flies. I can't stand woodland varmints. I don't like being dirty or wet unless I know that when I'm done doing whatever caused the dirty or wet state, I can take a shower. Walking, running, or hiking on a hot day? Absolutely. A day at the beach? Count me in. Spraying myself from head to toe with sunscreen and/or bugspray? No problem. As long as I can shower off all of that sweat, chlorine, lake, sand, and product before I climb into my fresh, clean sheets in my soft, comfortable bed. Speaking of beds, I don't like sleeping in confined spaces or on the ground. And last but not least (this one should go without saying), I prefer an indoor flushable toilet over a pit toilet, five-gallon bucket, or wooded area in which to do my business.

I camped a few times during college, but not once since then have I set foot in a tent...including the tent Tom and I received as a wedding gift. (Not to worry, friends who gifted us said tent - Tom and the kids love it and use it regularly.) Until this past weekend, that is, when a Camping Family reunion brought me out of camping retirement.

As (bad?) luck would have it, steady rain and occasional thunderstorms kept me - and a few others - from officially camping on nights #1 and #2. We hung out at the campsite and participated in all related activities and events until bedtime, but then we drove the 20 minutes back to my parents' house so we could return the following mornings clean, dry, well-rested, and happier. (My dad and the more serious members of our 40+ group stuck it out, and to them I tip my hat.) But on night #3, the near-constant rain slowed to a periodic drizzle and we decided to stick it out.
One of our campsites after the first night of rain. No thank you.

I realized of a couple of things about myself that night.

First, I still dislike camping.

Second, I still like nature. While my parents did not raise an outdoorsy camper, they did raise a nature lover. I was reminded - by Will, actually, who took my hand and led me on a short hike to a "beautiful view" - that life outside is cathartic and inspiring and uplifting. Gentle sunrises and peaceful, leisurely sunsets. Blue skies and fluffy white clouds. Budding spring sunshine, fierce summer thunderstorms, crisp fall breezes, and freshly-fallen winter snow. Towering oak trees, groves of pine trees, and fields of tall grasses and wildflowers.
The "beautiful view".

And third, I still love my Camping Family. The first generation, my "aunts" and "uncles" who have known me for my entire life. The second generation, my "cousins" with whom I grew up. And the third generation, who are now becoming friends - like their parents and grandparents before them - while running barefoot through the woods, building sandcastles at the beach, singing songs around a campfire, and sleeping out under the stars.
Crushing the kiddos at Uno. (Just kidding - I
only won one out of eleventy hundred games.)
Cooking over the campfire.
Crafting dreamcatchers.
Playing chess.
I now apply sunscreen as efficiently and effectively as any
Texan. Note my assembly line and the many obedient children.
Chillin' at the beach.
Playing sand - er, mud - volleyball.
At one point the storms got so bad that we bailed
and went bowling for a couple of hours. It was at
the bowling alley where we discovered that my
sister and Will now wear the same size shoe.
Fresh off the safe sitter course
and already taking care of babies. 
Putting/drawing on Henna.
Scavenger hunt! (See that sun? It lasted for 12
minutes total during our 72 hours of camping.) 
Third generations wearing their red nose scavenger hunt prizes.
Campfire sing-a-long.
For decades - since the very beginning of these camping trips - my dad
has led nightly campfire sing-a-longs with his guitar and ukulele. A few
other musicians occasionally sit next to and play with him on the bench
of honor, and this year Will, who can now play a few songs on the
ukulele, was also welcomed as the band's youngest member.
Watching these two lead our group of 40 in song was such
a powerful moment for me as a mom and as a daughter.
Taking a break from the music to roast a marshmallow or two.
Ready to sleep in our tent!
Maybe...
"This campout is brought to you by mosquito
repellent bracelets, first aid kits, and prosecco."

I may not like to camp, but I can on occasion overlook that technicality if it means spending time with the ones I love surrounded by Mother Nature's beauty.
All 39 of us in attendance. If my calculations are correct, we were
only missing eight second generations/spouses and one third generation.

Monday, July 23, 2018

How to Communicate with a Tweenager

Thankfully both Will and Hallie still talk and listen to me...most of the time. As they grow older, I see glimpses of the beauty - the physical, mental, and emotional growth, but also the adventure, the laughter, and the milestones - that will accompany my children's tween and teenage years. I also see glimpses of the challenges, especially when it comes to open and honest communication, those years will bring.

A couple of months ago Hallie received a felt letter board as a birthday gift. At first she used it to share all kinds of important information with me:

Have question when off phone. (As if I could somehow see the letter board - in her room - while on the phone in my office.)

I want cookie. (What's new.)

Will's feet stink. (True story.)

I love unicorns. (So do I.)

And then I realized I could use it to share all kinds of important information with her.
(I embellished the board on our craft day back in June.) 

A felt letter board hanging on a little girl's bedroom wall is not a singular solution to the communication challenges ahead. But I think it might come in handy in the long run, and heaven knows I'll use whatever techniques and tools are available if I think they will help my kids hear me and me hear my kids.

On an unrelated note, happy birthday to my dad! So glad we get to celebrate with you, G-Paul!