My love/hate relationship with v-day

I don't love teaching teenagers on Valentines' Day.

I do love dressing my kids in Valentines-y attire.

I don't love making tons of Valentine's cards only to discover that Ellie can't bring candy to school.

I do love writing sappy love letters to Tom.

I don't love not being able to spend my day with him.

I do love giving my kids heart-shaped boxes of chocolate because it reminds me of my own childhood.

I don't love making my daughter cry because I have to work and can't attend Muffins for Mom at her school.

I do love how excited she was about her hideously pink stuffed dog.

I don't love the sugar-high from all the chocolate my students consumed.

I do love all the chocolate consumed by me!

In which Ellie mistakes a headscarf for a blanket

We were sitting around the dinner table last night and Ellie was telling us about her day. She mentioned they had a substitute and then remarked that the sub wore a blanket on her head the whole time. Tom and I exchanged glances and I asked Ellie if she had said anything about it to the sub. To which Ellie replied, "Yes, I said, aren't you going to take that blanket off your head?"

Why is it always my daughter? But it did lead to an interesting discussion on different religions and always respecting the beliefs of others.

B.ound and G.agged Barbie

I walked into Ellie's room this past week and discovered this on her dresser:
I tried to get the scoop as to why Barbie was b.ound and g.agged, but Ellie just replied that her stories were secret. I relayed this to Tom later that night and he said that this is early-warning-sign type of behavior.

EDITED: You would be shocked at the keyword searches leading people to this post. I don't want those people reading my blog, hence the extra periods.

Random Bits

This past Saturday, Tom took Ellie to Monster Jam with my two brothers and brother in law and their kids. Tom is really not a fan of Monster Jam. It just isn't his scene. I am not sure it is Ellie's scene either, but she was happy to be with her daddy and her cousins.
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I ran out of gas on the way to work yesterday morning. The last time I ran out of gas, I was 20 years old and had just purchased my first car. I don't remember it being as stressful of an experience as it was yesterday when I found myself on the side of a busy road, in the dark, with two small children. I was there for 45 minutes before Tom arrived with a gas can. In that time, not a single person stopped to offer help or ask if I was okay.
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Ellie informs me this morning that a boy in her class, Cody, is so handsome. All the girls in her class love Cody because he is so handsome. She says he has straight blond hair and skin the same color as hers. But in the next breath she tells me that Jayden B. is her boyfriend. Jayden B. has "curly hair and brown skin." I ask her how he can be her boyfriend when she keeps talking about how handsome Cody is. She replies, "Well, I don't tell Jayden that I think Cody is handsome!" I ask her what she and Jayden do that makes him her boyfriend (with just a little fear of what her response will be). Apparently, she pushes him on the swing at recess. Also, sometimes he gets hurt and she helps him feel better. Whew. I can get behind that kind of relationship.

Vomit and New Shoes (but not vomit on the new shoes)

Here it is, already Friday, and I am just now getting around to writing about LAST weekend. My poor, neglected blog. So....last weekend. I had Monday off so I decided to take Ellie to see Beauty and the Beast 3D. I invited her cousins, Kinleigh and Olivia, to join us. When I picked up Olivia, Sabrina informed me that Kolby had been throwing up all morning and I might not want to take Olivia. As if I would leave her at home when she was all dressed up in her Belle slippers and carrying a rose and a Belle figurine! I figured that since she hadn't thrown up all morning she was probably fine. Famous last words. As soon as we were seated and the theater darkened, Olivia threw up. I took her and cleaned her up and told her to vomit in her clear, plastic purse if she felt sick again. What? She still wanted to watch the movie and so did the other girls! By the next morning, both Kinleigh and Ellie were throwing up.

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I also took Ellie to buy a new pair of Twinkle Toe Sketchers last weekend. Remember how conflicted I was about those shoes? Heehee. Now Ellie's thing is that she wants an iTouch because her cousins have them. On this, I am standing firm because Ellie loses everything. Oh, and she is 5. She kept begging and pleading until I told her she could have one when she is 8. I am sure technology won't have changed at all by then, right?

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When Ellie was getting dressed for school this morning, she pulled out her old, ugly Montessori t-shirt. I think she had worn it like twice for field trips back in the day. I tried to push her towards a different outfit, but apparently it is twin day at school and she and her little friend (who also used to go to her daycare) had planned this whole outfit together...right down to their matching Twinkle Toe Sketchers.