Katie Holmes: Purveyor of Wisdom

This weekend the kids and I went to visit Nonna and Mommy and Daddy Lipstick. It was fabulous...sigh, I can't believe it is over already. Mommy Lipstick always saves her magazines for me and tonight as I was perusing Good Housekeeping, I saw the following quote by Katie Holmes.

"I've never met a 2-year-old who is terrible. I'm so cool with every stage my daughter goes through. I just think she's amazing. I hope she's not looking at me thinking, Mom, are the terrible 30s coming on for you?"

I have to admit my prevailing opinion of Katie Holmes was that she was a sweet Catholic girl who sold her soul to the glittery gorgeousness of Scientolo-Tom, but y'all, I love that quote. I can completely identify with it, especially this weekend. I have had lots of Pretty Girl snuggle time while JBB and Daddy Lipstick played at an arcade, ate junk food, and watched Power Ranger movies.

Sometimes I gaze down at Pretty Girl's little face and I can't help but think, is she really real? Is it possible that life can be this blessed? Can a child really be this sweet and precious? Is it possible that a mother could be so overwhelmed with adoration for her daughter? Apparently so.

B and M*

You know those weeks?

The ones in which you have...
feverish children
multiplying laundry
savage migraines
bad hair and worse outfits
mediocre suppers
more dirty dishes than clean ones
little sleep
and
lots of stress?

If you are having this sort of week, then we have a lot in common. Even my pre-ordered Twilight DVD arrived four days late AND I got a big pimple in the center of my forehead.

So, in conclusion, you are cordially invited to my pity party. Come wearing the worst-looking, most comfy clothes you own, BYOB (hey, it's not like I've been to the grocery), and we'll curl up and drool over a vampire.

*bitch and moan (it looked really tacky all written out in the title)

A Little Secret

Guess who...

read Twilight (after much nagging)

and fell in love

{immediately}

and then pre-ordered the DVD

while frantically acquiring New Moon?





.: MOMMY LIPSTICK :.

oh yeah, my mom's cool.

Everyday Low Prices

This morning I watched a bit of Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices.
It is another of the offerings in the "Wal-Mart is Evil" genre.

I hate the WM just as much as the next person, if nothing else for those migraine-inducing lights and the miserable shopping experience. The documentary profiles many former WM employees who speak at length about the unaffordable health plan. One woman's comments struck me like a bolt of lightning. She was a single mom with a couple of adorable little boys, plagued with a low-paying job and plenty of expensive expenses like daycare. She was not able to maintain the premiums for the WM health plan and reluctantly, gratefully, and heavily relied on public programs like WIC.

She also spoke about having her paycheck deposited, clocking out, and then doing the family shopping before leaving work. Therein lies the dichotomy...this lady was a victim of Wal-Mart's notoriously low wages, and yet she was also a beneficiary of the low prices.

There are millions in this country who are similarly situated...feeling angry at Wal-Mart's alleged injustices and yet thankful for the availability of cheap toys and socks and tools.

Many advocate raising the minimum wage to a more "reasonable" living wage. I'm sure nearly all who earn such a paltry amount would be delighted to have a larger paycheck. The darker underside to this argument is that those very employees would no longer have such low prices available to them. Can you think of a for-profit entity that will sacrifice revenue for the common good of society? Corporations are not compassionate. If their costs increase, so will the price of goods sold.

I recognize the circuitous nature of this discussion. It begs the question, Is there even an answer at all?

All Dressed Up

Thank y'all for your kind comments about my giant hair and gaudy dress. In the spirit of full disclosure, transparency, and the lively celebration of tacky things of the past, I am slightly embarrassed proud to present my junior and senior prom pictures.

 

 

I was fortunate to have two great prom experiences with two kind, strong, and very Southern gentlemen...all while wearing thousands of sequins. Those dresses weren't very comfortable. In fact, they were so tight that I could barely breathe, but I remember feeling so elegant and pampered that I was truly sad when it was over. I seem to have a grand fondness for sparkly dresses that compromise respiration and my very favorite is pictured below.

 

Random Things That I Find Amusing

Yes, that is a sequined butterfly on my red sequined prom dress.

Do you ever have one of those days when you accomplish everything on your list
and more
and then you are just so freakin' tired
that it doesn't matter that you have several great post ideas swirling around in your head
and all you can manage is a collage and a run-on sentence?

Just Not What I Wanted to Hear

Tonight after I got my babies settled in bed I curled up on the couch, ridiculously excited about wearing my flannel pj's, sitting on my comfy couch, and spending uninterrupted quality time with my laptop. I began with email and then moved on to Facebook.

Thanks to status updates and FB chat, I learned that the mother of a childhood friend lost her battle with lung cancer this morning. I last saw her at the alumni walk of my beloved high school building and I wrote about her in this post. I am just shocked.

This week has been surreal.

Thank you dear bloggy friends for all of your comments and prayers and for persevering through the gloominess of my recent posts. I am so grateful for you all.

Stunned and Numb

I was meandering through the shiny new Publix after work today, and my phone rang. I saw that it was Mommy Lipstick, and I felt very happy. Pretty Girl has required every bedtime trick in the Supernanny arsenal the last few days, and Mommy Lipstick and I have been playing phone tag.

I was completely shocked when she told me that a friend from childhood was killed on the stretch of road just down from their house. It has always been a busy road, though much busier in recent years. Beneath a hill in a blind spot another car was going the wrong direction. A head-on collision at highway speeds snuffed out the life of my friend. Her two year child was, of course, safely restrained, and survived (uninjured, I believe).

It is a bit of an exaggeration to say that we were childhood friends; it is really more accurate to say we were nursery buddies. Her younger sister and I are the same age, and we toddled along together in the church nursery. I am sure that seems like yesterday to her grieving parents.

We attended different schools, had completely different lives really, but we grew up in the same county with so many of the same experiences that are typical of small town life in the South. I feel an extra measure of grief because of that.

As I was driving the kids home from daycare, I had the sunroof open to the 72 degree air. The sun was shining through the newly blossoming trees. I glanced in the back seat and saw the bow in Pretty Girl's hair. I couldn't help but think that my friend will never have the opportunity to attend to such details of her children's lives. No more baths. No more days in the park. I felt like a colossal weight rested on my chest and my eyes burned with tears. Life is precious and so very fragile.

Week End

Hey y'all, I'm still here. We had a super-busy, super-fun weekend. It was 70 degrees, and I opened the windows all over the house. This makes me think of Nonna because she likes her windows open too. Speaking of Nonna, here is a picture of Nonna and DeeDa in 1944 or so. Isn't it cool?

 

Sigh and Swoon

Current Crush
Tuesday Night Favorite
Gold Standard
My All-Time Favorite

Happy Feet

Saturday morning I left Mr. Lipstick at home with the little ones and I went SHOPPING! First, a consignment sale for the kiddies. I found plenty of play clothes that began their lives as someone else's church clothes.

Then it was my turn. I visited a new consignment shop that always garners great reviews in the local newspapers. It did not disappoint. There was Chanel, Prada, loads of Marc Jacobs, Betsey Johnson, and racks of interesting clothes with delicately sewn, tiny little tags of chic-sounding words.

There was no shortage of to-die-for heels. I would like to write about how I pranced out of there in a stiletto with a red sole, but since my feet are "delicate," I decided on comfort. I bought these...Notice that the price is two hundred and forty-five dollars. That is, if you buy them new. My pre-owned version...25 dollars. Oh yes, and they don't even look like they have ever been worn.

Now I know that stylistically these MBTs make Crocs look like exquisite haute couture, and that is why I planned on wearing them only around the house. They feel so wonderful that I promptly broke my own rule and wore them to the grocery on Sunday. I think my legs are getting a little bit of a workout with the balancing, I love that I am taller when I am wearing them, and my feet feel soooo good. Win, win, win.