Dad's kitchen helpers. Also: Why kids shouldn't dress themselves.

Yesterday, the girls wanted to be Chris's little kitchen helpers so they got their aprons on and did what they're best at which is getting in your way while you're trying to cook. They were awfully cute though, so I took a picture. Today they were into more pretending games. We played Charlotte's web all afternoon. James was always cast as Wilbur or Jeffrey the littlest gosling (He's not in the book. They added a runty gosling to their play version.) I was Fern's mother, Eve was always Charlotte or Fern, and Laine played various supporting roles such as Avery, Mr. Zuckerman, Templeton, and the sheep. When Eve was Charlotte, she would stand on the coffee table humming the theme song from the animated film adaptation of the book, waving her hands and spinning. Of course. I mean, how can you spin a web if don't spin?! Then she would get out her pretend marker and write things like "Radiant Gosling" on the pretend web.


I've always felt that there are many situations in life where you must pick your battles. Parenting is no exception, and one battle that I've long ago resigned to losing is picking what the kids wear (or in Eve's case, don't wear.) I've just figured that there are way more important things to focus on like reading to them, teaching them to be kind to others, sharing, etc. But my decision to be lenient on choice of apparel is not without consequences. For example, see below:


Yup. That's a pink striped turtleneck over a Valentine's undershirt half-tucked into a denim skirt with floral trim, brown floral leggings, and white athletic socks. Oh and don't forget the pink light-up cowboy boots and compass around her neck for when we go on excursions. Yes, she went out in public like this. No, she didn't get arrested by the fashion police. She can outrun them as long as she isn't wearing her platform metallic silver clogs - or "high back ups" as she calls them. I mainly only purchase solid colored clothes these days which I thought would put a limit on the heinousity of the outfit combinations chosen, but some days, well... you saw the picture. As a consolation prize for sending me two daughters with NO sense of fashion, God gifted me with an adorable boy that wears what his mother makes him. See how much cuter this is?

I keep telling myself that the ugly outfit thing is just a phase. I went through it too when I was little. I used to pair my Hard Rock Cafe Tokyo shirt with these really atrocious spandex multi-colored pants. But then, that was the eighties , and everyone looked abominable in the eighties. Even the fashionable ones. It was like everybody stopped manufacturing attractive clothing between the years 1979 and 1996 so you can't blame me! Laine and Eve don't have the "I was a child of the '80's" excuse.