Lil shop of horrors…
(Homecoming Bonfire, 9-19-08)
So. Homecoming is this weekend, and you know what THAT means… Exactly. SHOPPING. (what were YOU thinking?!)
Now, sometimes I quite enjoy shopping. When it’s Christmas time and I’m searching for just the right thing to make my family smile, when it’s a special birthday, or just a quick ‘i love you’ moment to help make someone’s day… those are times I don’t mind the press of the crowds and the multitude of faces, or even the fat lady that walks around on my knees all day making them ache. (I really should have a talk with her, you know!)
But then.. then there was last Friday night, and The Homecoming Shopping Excursion! Since The Girl’s BFF (no, not Jill! MK!) is going with my son, it was decided that a joint shopping trip was needed, so that they could make sure they looked fabulous, and also because I told them they could help pick out The Boy’s outfit too. Color the teenagers happy! I should have known better.
You see, not only was it a Friday night in our small town where there’s only one real clothing store to speak of until our Walmart is built and finished… it was also Dividend Day. Dividend Day is quite simply the day where all Alaskan’s who signed up for direct deposit of their Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, suddenly had money in their pockets and a determination to spend it all RIGHT NOW.
I know. I’m an idiot. But, it was the one night that both girls could shop together, so I braved the wilds Of the Myer de Fred, with two giggly teenage girls in tow.
It was packed, but there were also racks upon racks of things that were 60% off, which made Mama happy, as we began our search. First, neither girl was certain what size they wore, in ANYTHING, or what they were looking for other then “Something… (gestures vaguely) …pretty.” It took four trips to the dressing room with multiple items each, where they shared the room and whispered to me to come check and discarded outfit after outfit. I also was the one in charge of making things work. (Hello, Tim Gunn!) I went back and forth between the racks, remembering where in the Sea of Sale that we found each item, in order to find the next size up, or the next size down, or no remember this one came in PURPLE too, can we try THAT one? Because changing the color would make it fit, rather then changing the size. Srsly.
There was a lot of laughter, giggling, grumbling, muttering, and even an excited squeal or two – one from me, as they declared something PERFECT at LAST! – and an infinite amount of patience so as not to beat down those who were just as eager to find that Perfect Something To Spend Their Money On. Also me.
Then after the dresses, there was 5 minutes spent picking out the boys outfit (because I am that good! And also, boys are easy.), on to the jewelry counter for accessories, hosiery for tights, and then… shoes.
OMG the shoes. These were too girly, they make me walk like a girl and I hate walking like a girl (this would be the one wearing PINK head to toe..) those are too sporty, these too big, those PERFECT but too small, those too tight, those OMG my feet would DIE, those perfect, but not in black (which I insisted on so that they could be use for concerts this year, too. Mama ain’t no dummy!), these ones are… you get the drift.
It also took three and a half HOURS, people. 3.5 HOURS! The last hour and a half? The Shoes. Finally, we were able to get out of there, with two very happy hungry freshman girls, and one exhausted and hungry mama. We made a pit stop at Taco Hell, and then it was home at last, where they naturally had to try everything on, AGAIN. Fortunately, they were still happy, though I came to one, very important conclusion through this experience:
I shoulda had all boys. It would have been SO much easier!
Don’t forget our Giveaway! Click here for your chance to win!
It's a PTB Giveaway!
As the mom to two (TWO! How did that happen?) teenagers and one rapidly entering that ‘tween’ stage (groan), I’m right smack dab in the middle of “OMG Life is so HARD” land. And it is hard – being a teenager, that is. You want all the independence you think you deserve, yet you still want the safety net of knowing Mom and Dad can and will rescue you if you mess up. It’s a constant struggle between doing what you want, vs. what you need to do/we want you to do.
It’s the epitome of “Life sucks.”
I’m not a big fan of self-help books, of meetings and groups, or people telling me how to do things that I know I should be doing but don’t want to do. I know, it makes me sound like a teenager, doesn’t it, in all my petulant glory, and why is she writing this blog then anyway, right? But it doesn’t mean that I don’t like to help when I can, or just talk and present anther view, or even listen when someone needs a shoulder to lean on.
That’s why I like the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series. Their real stories, of hard times and happy endings. I’m a happy ending type of girl, after all. There’s always something in there that reaches out and grabs you, and reminds you that you’re not alone. They are easy reading, they don’t slam solutions at you, they’re written by real people talking about things that happened to them, and let you come up with your own solutions in your own time.
All this to say that when Phenix & Phenix approached me and asked if I’d like to host a giveaway for the Teen Talk Series of Chicken Soup for the Soul® – I jumped at the chance! That’s how I ended up with four books in my hot little hands: Teens Talk Relationships, Teens Talk Tough Times, Teens Talk Growing Up, and Preteens Talk. And while they are in my hands right now? I want to deliver them to YOU, instead of keeping them all for myself. (mine mine mine! …wait. ok. yours.)
So, in the interest of easy contests, here’s what we’re gonna do. Every comment that you leave on this entry, will enter you into a random drawing for one of the four books. You don’t have to say anything profound in your comment (ME ME PICK ME! works..), or flatter me endlessly (though you know what they say about that…) but if you’d like to leave a little tidbit about your life with a teenager, or being a teen, or ask me questions about me and mine, please do!
I’ll leave the comments open for a week – starting today, September 18 through next Thursday, September 25th, at midnight Alaskan time. (That’s PST -1). The following Friday, September 26th, I’ll use good old Random.org to choose the winners. First drawn gets their choice of the four, second the choice of three, third the choice of two, and fourth gets the last book. I’ll then ask the winners for their choices, their addresses, and send the books.
After the cut, you can read more about the individual books, to help you make your decision on which you might want to choose if you win. So comment away! Tell your friends, spread the word, and join in! It’s a Parenting Teens Comment Party!
Our tiny kitty cat…
So, we haven’t put up pictures of the monster for a while, and the cat let her hold him so… (DUCKS)
OK, so remember when he was small and cute? Like this?
Yeah. He’s not so little anymore. And thinks he’s Top Dog. Thing is, he’s right. *L* Here’s Ace, 2 years old and, well, not so little anymore…
But still cute. And pretty tolerant of the Pup’s whims…
Just…. large. Very, very large. Anna’s no slouch either, but she’s no where as big, or as tolerant, as our Top Dog Tom Cat, Ace. Now you understand why the dog is so submissive to the big lug, don’tcha?! *grins*
Sometimes…
I wonder if my kids are going to be as opinionated as I am. I want them to be opinionated, and decisive, and willing to stand up for their beliefs. I want them not to worry about what other people think, but what they, themselves think, and to make up their own minds. I worry that I might not be instilling that properly, but then…
Then I get proof that yes, yes they are independent, opinionated little shits – with the added benefit of making me laugh, too!
For instance, a paper that the Pup wrote last week about the Iditarod Dog Sled Race (please note, this is a direct copy – all misspellings are hers.):
I would love to race in the Iditarod becaus I love dogs But it would be hard becaus of the entense whther but I still whant to. I think i’d be fun ecsept the whther. I dont get whiy some wone whould not whant to. well I think its graet and I dont care if you dont. so if you dont then so what. The End.*
I sense the next great blogger in our midst…
She got a B on the paper, by the way. *g*
*Translation if needed: I would love to race in the Iditarod because I love dogs, but it would be hard because of the intense weather but I still want to. I think it’d be fun except the weather. I don’t get why some one would not want to. Well, I think it’s great and I don’t care if you don’t. So if you don’t, then so what! The end.
Net Smart Teens!
So, we’ve talked a little about social media, Myspace in particular, and your teens here before, and I realize that not everyone has the kind of relationship with their teenagers (or tweens) that I do, and are a bit uncomfortable with opening up the discussions on how to be safe while online with your kids. No judgment here, it is what it is! Sometimes those little mini-clone buggers of ours can be near impossible to talk to, what with the rolling of the eyes and the “OH MAH GAWD MOM!” and “I KNOW ALREADY” and such that they tend to pop off with – sometimes ya feel you need a suit of armor just to find out what they might like for dinner. It’s ok, I’m there with ya.
Knowing this, when Ami hit me up and asked if I’d do an article on their site, NSTeens.org, I agreed at once. And then waited a couple days until after the finale of Big Brother because omg so much work and also GO RENEGADES! – but hey! I’m here now! (grin)
Anyway, NSTeens is a valuable site that will help open up those conversations with fun, colorful cartoons and good sense, giving you the opening through the piercing ‘I hate everything you stand for’ glare, when talking to your tween and teens about how much information is too much, and how to ensure that they are safe online. NSTeens also covers the issue of Cyber-bullying, which is on the rise, because threatening or bullying someone in 156 characters or less makes you the Big Idiot On Campus.
So check out NSTeens, on your own, and then most certainly with your tween/teenager! We all know common sense isn’t all that common when it comes to our kids, so why not use everything available to help them think before they post something possibly damaging?
That’s what I figured – so check it out today!
*Images Provided by the NetSmartz Workshop at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, www.NSTeens.org.
