First day of school

Up before the alarm rings. Brushed teeth without being asked. Healthy breakfast "because it's important to do well in school, Mom"

.

$267 dollars worth of school supplies. A backpack found after an entire summer of being lost. Outfits chosen days before. New haircuts. Endless queries of "Mom do I have school today?" every single day of summer vacation.

Lots of practice to say new teacher names. Excitement over having your best friend in your class this year. Determination that "this is going to be the best year ever, Mom."

All I can see are two kids growing up so fast.

High School......Attitude?

I was shopping at the mall with The Love Magnet today. She has definitely developed her own sense of style and did not want her mom dictating her fashion choices. Neither did she want to hold her mom's hand:

The Love Magnet: "I can do whatever I want because I 8 years old now. I am high school teenager now and you can't tell me what to do. If you tell me what to do I have worst. day. ever.! Don't talk to me! (Shows me the 'hand' in my face.) I a TEENAGER!"

Me: (completely flabbergasted and I'm sure my face showed it. I regained some composure and gave my kid that one-eyebrow-up head-cocked mom look that usually - usually! - works on my sons.)

The Love Magnet: "I just kidding mom! I just like the girls on Disney!"


(When did Disney start showing rude, disrespectful girls on their channels?)


The Love Magnet, (a few minutes later) in her sweetest, 8 year old voice: "Mom, I a good girl? I a good 8 year old girl?"

(Great. I have a daughter with two personalities. Little Miss Independent Streak, and Little Miss I-Want-To-Go-Swimming-So-I-Need-To-Remind-Mom-I'm-A-Good-Girl.)

What is 'high school stuff'?

Refer back to this post about High School Stuff.

Birthday Beach Party....as beachy as it gets in Idaho

Pinks, greens, and yellows. Flower leis from the party store. Bonne Bell Lip Smackers (remember those?) Cool bracelets metallic bracelets and funky rings. All the important high school stuff in a convenient party favor bag. We are ready for guests.

Banana Cupcakes with coconut cream cheese frosting. Kahlua pork over rice. Grapes and strawberries and bananas dipped in Danish dessert sauce. We are ready for guests.

One little girl just dying to have her friends sing Happy Birthday. Oh are we ready for guests!

We made rag-tied flip flops (thanks to Auntie Kimberly for explaining the how-to's).

We had fun in the pool.

We started the latest uber-cool birthday party trend - hiring our very own lifeguard! (Firstborn was either very serious.....or very bored.)

9 guests invited. 3 guests came (everyone else was going out of town - that happens at summertime birthdays). 3 guests were all we needed for a fabulous birthday party.

Check it out. Girls hanging out and talking girl stuff. Typical girl stuff.

(I had to zoom in on this one because The Love Magnet didn't want her mom to cramp her style.) This picture made all that planning and worry worth it. Soooooo worth it.

Ego boost

this morning as The Love Magnet and I are brushing our teeth, she rinses and spits and then turns to me with a toothpaste grin and says:

"Mom, you are one red-hot supermodel mama!"

Where does this come from? Does she even knows what it means? I don't care. I needed that ego boost today.

Birthday invites going out....

Half of the bday invites went out today. The rest weren't home so we'll try to catch them either tonight or tomorrow. The Love Magnet had a great time going up to each door ("By myself, Mom. You stay in da car.") and hand delivering each invitation.

Firstborn has been hired as lifeguard for our beach party. He might be persuaded to MC some fun water games. Maybe.

Food will be kahlua pork over rice (not authentic, but I don't think 8 yr olds will care), fruit kabobs with dip, pineapple juice, and cupcakes. The Love Magnet loves rice. She loves fruit. She loves cupcakes when they have birthday candles in them.

I'll stop at the party store for leis and beach party favors. Perhaps I'll pick up balloons to tie on everyone's towell with a gator clip. We'll throw in some flavored Chapstick. The Love Magnet thinks that all beauty routines must start and end with flavored, tinted Chapstick. She keeps two in her high school stuff everywhere she goes.