Visits from college and college visits

I blinked and then weekend came and went.

Friday, I cut my hair.  Big time.   It was way too long  and I decided a cut for a good cause was exactly what I needed to get it done.  With that said, I have 11" ponytails to send to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.  I'm still adjusting to my short 'do, but look forward to using much less shampoo and conditioner. 

Sunday was Father's Day.   We had my parents, B's folks and his brother over for lunch.  It was hot, but not so bad that we couldn't eat dinner out on the porch.  Always a plus, since it's my biggest dining table. 

Yesterday, a former colleague from USC Aiken was in Nashville with his family for vacation.  I hadn't seen him in probably 12 years, at which point he only had a 3 year old and an infant.   I didn't even have Gracie yet.   Anyway, Tim, Jenny and their 3 boys ages 11-16 came over for dinner and we had a great time catching up.  The kids got along wonderfully, so there was plenty of time for grown up conversation.

Speaking of colleges, my Facebook feed has been flooded of pictures from friends with kids on college visits or going to summer orientation.   Of course, everyone asks, "Where does the time go?"  I saw a lot of Orientation students first hand when I was at UT last week.  That was even sweeter because their orientation staff sported orange polos, much like the one I wore 24 years ago when I worked as an Orientation Student Leader at Illinois for 2 summers.

Nobody walks backwards pointing out campus highlights better than me.

But those college visits will be here for us before you know it.  It's exciting to think where Matt schools Matt want to look at.   Will he venture out of the South?   Is there any chance of a trip to University of Illinois? 

Where does the time go?

Musings from the barber shop waiting area . . .

For the last 10 days, Matthew has been talking about his need for a haircut.  Usually, this announcement comes at very inopportune times, like bedtime, during church, etc.  Not much I can do about it. And of course, when I can do something about it, I forget.

Bad mom.  It doesn't help that Matt has been slammed with homework the last couple weeks and the weekends have been jam packed.  And that haircuts are an easy thing to put off. 

This coming from the girl who last night looked in the mirror at her tangly, shaggy mop and wondered if she might make it in a 80's band,

But that's a post for another day.

I finally had the good sense to schedule Matthew an appointment at the barber shop across the parking lot from Gracie's gymnastics place while she was in class today.  Although he often works on his homework or reads while we wait, this would certainly be a better use for the time. 

When the barber called him over, I stayed seated in the waiting area.  I heard her ask him how he  wanted his hair cut and she glanced over at me.  I smiled, but stayed in my chair as Matthew talked about his hair, at times swooping his hands around his head.  

This, y'all, is a big deal.   Not just because his first tear-filled trip to the barber looked like this . . .

. . . but also because Matthew's evaluation of a good haircut is how long afterwards he can go without combing his hair.    He's definitely a "wash 'n wear" kind of kid.

At least we hope he's washing it.

When she was finished, she called me over and asked if it was short enough.  Trying to encourage his independence and pride in his appearance (no matter how short lived it is), I looked at Matt and asked him if he liked it.  He said yes and then ASKED IF SHE WOULD PUT SOME PRODUCT IN HIS HAIR!

We've come a long way . . .

Hair, hair, EVERYWHER!

I am so ready to cut my hair.  

There are a pair of scissors in a mug on the desk in front of me and I want to grab them and lop off some hair so badly. 

My hair is as long as it has ever been.  This is not an exaggeration. I started to grow it out with no particular plan, except that I was growing it out.  Over the years, I have worn it very short to just past my shoulders and many, many 'dos in between. 

As I do most summers, I couldn't stand having it down when the weather was so hot and I was tired of my daily ponytail or messy bun.   I was going to cut it.    And then I realized that I wasn't very far off from having enough hair to donate for wigs for cancer patients, so I bypassed a much-wanted cut for another trim and continued to let it grow.

And as long as I was torturing myself, I decided to grow out my bangs, too.  I know they go in and out of style all time, but I like them.  Plus, they are way cheapter than Botox in terms of hiding those wrinkles on my forehead.   But my sweet hairdresser convinced me back in June when I told her my plan that I would have more short-style options with that bangs grown out.  

So I let them grow, too.  And they are at a completely miserable length right now, may I add.  Not swoopy and beautiful like you see in the magazines. More like piece-y and annoying.  Add that to my ultra thick, shaggy hair and I am a hot mess.

About 6 weeks ago, I shared my plan with Gracie and she looked at me rather skeptically and said, "I'm not so sure about that."   She's sooooo good for my confidence.  I can't really figure if it's because she's trying so hard to grow hers long that she can't fathom the idea of cutting it or if she is somehow clairvoyant and the haircut I am eyeing will be a huge mistake.

Don't ask why I am now entertaining the idea that Gracie has special powers.  

But since I've said it on the blog for all to read, I can't back down . . . no matter what the redhead says. 

Blow out!

The kids had plans to go hiking and sleep over at Aunt Tammy's tonight, so I found myself sans children for the first time in quite a while.  Although I did have an event to work at school this morning (first official day back for teachers) and an appointment in the afternoon, I  found myself with several hours open and nothing to do (except for laundry. . . duh!).

First, I did some shopping. It's tax free weekend in Tennessee, which is usually to be avoided in my book, but I decided it wouldn't be so bad if I just shopped for myself and avoided things like school supplies and kids shoes.    Except quite frankly, I couldn't find anything for myself.    Isn't that always how it goes?!?  I did come home with an embarrassingly large stash of clothes for the kids, 1/3 of which will be returned because I wasn't sure on sizes, so in many cases bought two. 

However, in an attempt to take back some of the day for myself, I made an appointment for my very first blowout.   In the last 6-9 months, a couple "blowout bars" have opened around Nashville.  I had never been to one, but always thought it looked fun.  It's basically a salon, except there are no scissors or hair color.   It's kind of like the way old ladies used to go to the "beauty parlor" to get their hair set.    I had bought a 1/2 price coupon on Living Social or one of those websites a while back and decided today was the day to redeem it. 

In less than 40 minutes, my hair had been washed, blow dried and styled.  Between the heat and humidity of summer and the agony of growing out my bangs, my hair has seen little more than ponytails and buns since May.    It was kind of fun to go out to dinner with Bassam and have my hair down . . . and not a big, bushy mess to boot!  Apologies for the crummy selfie, but since someone will undoubtedly ask, I figured I'd better who how it looked and Bassam has gone back to work.

Now if I could only find a way to keep from waking up from crazy bed-head in the morning!

Bernice Bobs Her Hair

Waaaay back in my junior year of high school I was in Mr Formato's English class I remember reading the short story, "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  

This is is amazing for two reasons.  Well, actually three . . because let's face it the first reason should be because it's been 21 years and I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, let alone something I read when I was 16 years old. 

The second reason it's surprising is because I have long claimed the only class that I took in high school that stuck with me was typing.  I'm sure my teachers were all very good, but I can honestly say my quick typing skills are something I'm truly grateful for and I use every day. . . .unlike Geometry (Sorry Mr Puetz!).

The third reason I'm amazed that I remember both reading and discussing this short story is because my main memory of that class is Mr. Formato harassing me the entire year for being on the track team.   He would mock the fact that I "ran around in circles" and "threw a metal ball" (shot put) as though running around kicking a soccer ball was somehow more sophisticated (he was the soccer coach).    I'm sure somewhere in there I learned something about English . . . but other than Bernice Bobs her hair, I don't know what it was. 

So why am I thinking about F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mr. Formato and Bernice today?   Well, today the redhead got a haircut.  

Yes, really . . . that is where this all came from. 

We waited to cut her hair until after recital so we could do the updo easier---but for the last couple months, it's been downright straggly.  The bangs were growing out and there was a big difference between them and the back of her hair. 

And although she didn't go as short as Bernice, Gracie got the sweetest chin-length bob today---and I'm loving it.   And if she had any misgivings about cutting it shorter, they faded quickly. We made a Costco stop on the way home and within the 30 minutes we were there (had to have lunch, of course!), 7 separate people stopped her and complimented her 'do. 

He's a new dog!

In general, women are able to make more drastic changes to their appearances with a haircut.   Add bangs.   Chop off several inches.    Add layers.  

Men don't seem to change their hair very much.   I suppose a crew cut is a big change.  Or a person who has long hair going short.   Or a mohawk.    But typically, men and boys seem to have a basic hairstyle and stick with it for life (or until it falls out!).   I wish for my son to have a different haircut/style, but have given up battling the cowlick.  I wave the white flag. 

Before today, I thought dogs were kind of in the same category.  Charlie does look different when his hair is shorter versus longer.  But in general, when we get him groomed --it's the same cut every time.   When I dropped him off for his haircut today I mentioned to the woman who grooms him that I had to pull a couple of ticks out of us his ear this past weekend.  She suggested cutting his ears down shorter as well as his tail during the summer months so they would be easier to spot and remove.   

I have to tell you, I was surprised when I picked him up this afternoon.   We've had Chuck almost 2 years and I had no idea that his ears were so short!    I routinely play with his ears and use them to cover his eyes.   It turns out, those weren't his ears covering his eyes, but a whole lotta hair.    Compare it to the picture at the top of the blog, which was also taken right after a haircut!  Same bandanna, but a different looking dog!

Braids, breakfast and bagels --Oh My!

A busy couple of days.   Last minute scheduling for book fair, a slew of errands, mounds of laundry --but still I managed to get my first pedicure of the spring today.  Hooray!  Unfortunately, I am most unhappy with the color I picked out and didn't realize it until she was done.   Hmmm, I may be doing my own re-polish.  This is a dangerous idea, I  assure you, but I really don't like them.  The proof of how underwhelming it is is the fact that I can't remember the name of it and OPI has great color names. 

Alas, enough whining. 

We're enjoying some beautiful weather in Nashville.   Gracie is chomping at the bit to pick all of our daffodils which started emerging a couple weeks ago.   I probably should let her pick them since we'll likely have another cold snap that will kill them anyway.  She got her haircut yesterday, too, hence the fabulous little braids.  She has only asked me 15 times why I can't braid like Ms Becky.  

Whatever.

Picked up some adorable spring dresses at Costco for Lady G yesterday, too.  That's about all the spring shopping I've done . . . . at Costco.  But they are soooo cute and they were Hanna Andersson and Carters, so you know they'll wash and dry like a dream.

But back to the braids, the best part about them is sleeping in them and waking up with "mermaid hair."  Gracie was so excited about her "curls" today.   Bassam took her to school this morning because they had Breakfast with Dad for letter B weeks (bagels to eat, natch!).   

Over at Kenrose they were celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday so all the kids got to wear PJs and bring their favorite Dr. Seuss books.   Matthew was very excited about this, although was crushed this morning when he couldn't wear his Life is Good jammies to school because the shirt was too small.  If he kept his arms glued to his side it probably would have been okay, but if he raised his hand it was bare midriff, baby!

Snip Snip . . . .

In celebration of the arrival of summer-like weather, I took the kids for "summer haircuts" today.

Gracie, who had informed me she no longer "wanted sweaty hair on her neck" had a couple inches taken off and a much needed bang trim. Note the little glitter tattoo on her cheek. Apparently they are delicious to dogs.

Matthew stayed just a bit longer than a buzz cut --although the top was long enough to put in a mini-mohawk of spikes. No surprise, I love it and Bassam would probably prefer it be combed down.

Haircuts and funky trees

Although yesterday's early morning wake up call from Gracie was a bit of an energy drainer, it was still a great day. The kids got much needed haircuts after school and I got to have a Girls' Night Out with some friends. We headed to Sips 'n Strokes where we each created a cool Christmas tree painting. For a non-artist like me, this was hard, even though they walk you through step-by-step. Having said that I LOVED IT and would go back in a heartbeat! I think we were smart choosing a holiday painting too, because if it sucks, you really only have to look at for a month or so a year!

Haircuts!

A busy busy day at our place!

Tammy officially left us this morning. She is headed to Georgia to visit family and friends before heading for Miami! She found a faboo place near the beach and we look forward to visiting her soon!

Although a trip to the Y and swimming afterwards with friends Bennett and Renn were fun, the kids cite new haircuts as the highlight for the day (or maybe it's just the lollipops Miss Becky gives them when they're finished!?!). When you think about it, that's very funny, since neither of my kids used to be big fans of haircuts.

And in other hair news, we were able to tack a haircut on to Charlie's vet appointment. Yes, poor Chuck is headed in to get fixed tomorrow, plus get caught up on all his vaccinations. They will keep him overnight to make sure he is doing fine, so before we pick him up Friday, they will give him a slick new 'do.

Hugs and hair

While no one appreciates Matthew's spontaneous hugs as much as I do (and the fact that he is so free and easy about giving them!), I must say, I have been just a tiny bit put off that every time he does so (especially now that the weather is so warm), you have a sweaty head print on your shirt. This kid SWEATS and the fact that he inherited his mom's thick, albeit much shorter, hair does not help.

While Gracie was at camp this morning, Matthew and I decided to remedy that little problem, plus enjoy a mommy-son lunch date! This is probably as close to a crew cut as Bassam will let Matthew get. I think he looks quite dapper!

Hair!

If you ever have had the pleasure of going to the mall with Bassam (or any other place where masses of tweens and teens gather), you've heard his rants about all the clothes his kids will never wear, hairstyles they will never have, or holes that will never be pierced into their bodies.

Easy to say that stuff when your kids are 2 and 5.

Unlike my husband, I kind of like longer hair on little boys. Not 'dos like Kate Hudson or Celine Dion's sons wear (that get you mistaken for a girl)---but slightly longer, tousled or even a bit shaggy hair. Since the weather cooled down (maybe in early October), we've been letting Matthew's grow out. It has required frequent trims to try to grow out the layers and keep things thinned out, but since he loves getting his hair cut now, it's not been a big deal. And since his hair grows FAST, so it didn't take long for his hair to get past that short, little boy hair cut he had. Having said that, I snapped a picture of him at the zoo this weekend--and when I looked at it--I was forced to accept the fact that he even though I still think he is the cutest little guy on two feet, his hair is so thick that growing it long really just means big and bushy. Maybe he just can't have that sweet tousled haircut I had been imagining?

Yesterday I asked Matthew what he thought about getting his hair cut short again. Without missing a beat he said, "Okay. Let's go tomorrow."

And that was it! We got it cut today--and boy, it is SHORT!! Miss Becky gave him some "dinosaur spikes," which he loved. Our experimentation into long hair wasn't going to last past summer--I can't imagine how gross it would been with as sweaty as he gets playing. Still, I was a little sad as I saw the MOUNDS of hair that sat beneath the chair.

So here it is . . .the before and after. Looks like a completely different kid, don't you think?

traffic, haircuts, snow and other adventures . . . .

This was a CRAZY day for us!

I guess it started out normal enough. The kids and I went to the Y at 8 like we normally do on Thursdays. Traffic was very heavy on Wilson Pike and Concord Road (but not in the direction I was going) due to an accident with a semi I-65. We left the Y at 9:15 to get to Crockett Elementary for speech therapy (usually takes less than 5 minutes), and despite all my sneaky back road routes, by 9:40 it was clear we weren't going to make it today. You see by this time, they had shut down the Interstate all together and were routing traffic in to Brentwood. It was a complete dis aster--every major thoroughfare (and a number of the minor ones) were completely congested.

Since we had appointments for haircuts for the kiddos at 10:30, we decided we'd just roll over to Cool Springs. But guess what? Heading south was a not a problem at all. Besides, I have a really good back road route to Cool Springs!! We made it there with LOADS of time to spare. But since Miss Becky's prior to appointments hadn't made it, we got in early and were outta there in no time!! Gracie was especially pleased with her braid (and sparkles, of course!!).

I should point out, it was a miserable day weather-wise. Cloudy, rainy, cold and windy!! Yuck. My least favorite combination of all. Still, the kids and I decided to tackle a bit of Christmas shopping (plus lunch at Sam's Club--how gourmet!!) as long as we were out. Nothing was crowded, but of course getting from parking lot to store was no fun. The guy who checked us out at Kohls told us that he drove in from Hermitage--was supposed to be at work at 7:00 a.m. and didn't make it in until 9:30! That's how bad it was out here!!

The kids both took naps this afternoon and were delighted to see snow falling when they woke up. And not weak Southern snow....this was heavy, wet snow that collects on the ground, bushes and trees! Beautiful to look at and perfect for snowballs!! After dinner, we bundled the kids up and headed outside for some fun! Despite begging to go out, Gracie decided she wasn't THAT into snow once we got out there. Of course, the rest of our neighbors wandered out and before you knew it, all the kids were playing and Warren had filled up a pitcher with beer and it was a regular party!! Good times!

The kids are now warming up on the couch (I felt bad, despite two pair of socks and his rain boots, Matthew's feet were REALLY cold) and watching the Grinch!! Hasn't happened yet, but if I had to guess, we'll be out of school tomorrow. Of course, having a snow day when there is actually snow on the ground . . . that would be kind of crazy!!

Haircuts

After school today, the kids and I ventured out for new haircuts. Gracie just got a bang trim--and of course, sparkles!! Matthew's hair grows like bermuda grass---really fast and really thick. I swear, he could get a haircut every 3 weeks! Gracie could have probably skipped this time, but I guarantee she would have been really mad. It's easier to spend a few extra bucks and let them trim her bangs (which I think look cuter short anyway!).
Matthew had the visit from the police officer at school and learned about stranger danger. He kept trying to get Miss Becky (who cuts his hair) to grab his arm so he could yell "STRANGER!" I had to remind him that he knew Miss Becky and she wasn't a stranger. He looked me in the eye and said a bit of a know-it-all tone, "We could pretend, Mommy!"

Empty calendars no more!

With summer wrapping up for us, it was only a matter of time before our started getting busy with all of our fall activities . . . . wait, make that Matthew's fall activities. In the course of two hours, we found out that he will start soccer practice tomorrow and every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., his OT group will be back on Wednesday mornings before school AND his speech therapy appointments will be on Thursdays at 9:30. Whew! I can't imagine how crazy things will get when Gracie starts having activities, too (although thankfully, given her chatty nature and crazy vocabulary, I don't think speech therapy will be among them!!).

Speaking of G, the kids got haircuts today and Gracie got the cutest little braided 'do -- complete with sparkles of course!

TGIF!

The end of the week is finally here!! Thank goodness!! Matthew had speech therapy this morning at 9--and since I got my run in at 5:45 this morning (still hot!), we had most of the day to spend how we pleased. It was a nice change!


We did end up venturing out to Cool Springs, however, and got the kids haircuts. This is always a highlight for them (which is ironic since neither of them like them when they were younger). They scored some lollipops from the hairdresser and we happily went home.

After lunch, I filled up the water table and turned on the sprinkler. This was fun for them--and fun for me to watch, too! It must have worn them out because BOTH are upstairs napping as I type this!


The weekend looks quiet, although I hope to get all the leg work for Matthew's birthday party with his friends out of the way. It's one week from today and I'm sure will take more time for me to get together than I am expecting!

The allure of red shoes . . . .

After going to the Y yesterday, the kids and I embarked on some errands, which included looking for new sandals for Gracie. Somehow her toes peeking over the top of the shoe just didn't seem like that great of an idea.

Anyway, we started at Stride Rite in Cool Springs. Since everything is marked down & selection limited, I let them measure her feet and told them to bring out everything in her size. Poor little chubby feet--there were just four choices! Gracie tried them on...we nixed one for a bad fit and when I asked her which of the other three she liked, she said, "Mommy, these are not cute!" You know what? She was right! Why do little girls need to have hot pink and lavender shoes?

So on we went to Lonnie Young shoes. Since we were already planning on having lunch with Tammy at Vanderbilt, it was no big deal to drive into town. Gracie walked in and immediately gravitated to a display and said, "Oh Mommy---red shoes!!" She was in love! Needless to say, we left with red shoes (and another pair on sale--but that's another story).

I don't know what it is about the red shoes, but they put a spring in her step and make her just a bit sassy (which of course, is not always a great thing, but for the most part is pretty amusing!! )

We topped off the red shoes with new haircuts for both kids today. "Sparkle head" returns!! Matthew is especially fond of his new haircut, telling us every 1/2 hour or so that, "I look GOOD!" Nutty kid! Of course, he would be just as quick to remind you that he is smart! I was sort of half-listening today while we played "the math game" in the car (Matthew has recently mastered addition and subtraction using numbers up to 20) and when I gave a wrong answer, he told me, "No, Mommy! 19 take away 5 is 14! Do you need to use your fingers?"

A good hair day

Not to be outdone by his little sister (aka "Sparkle Head"), Matthew got his hair cut today, too! No sparkles for Matthew, although they did offer him some blue tinted hair gel to put on the front where he sometimes spikes his hair up. Matthew, however, declined the offer.

I'm fairly certain Bassam was pleased about this!

A girly girl?

Could it be that we are raising a girly girl?

Today I took Gracie for a haircut. I wasn't happy with her last one, so I decided to take her to another kid-specialty place in Cool Springs called "Sweet and Sassy." While they cut boys and girls hair, it is clearly marketed towards little girls. There was a whole gaggle of 8 year olds there for a birthday party getting manicures while wearing tiaras!

Anyway, Gracie loved the whole experience, especially when at the end, they sprayed glittery stuff over her little bob! She primped and preened and grinned at herself in the mirror! I know the picture won't pick up her sparkly hair, but I must say it was so cute!

However, concerns about her being TOO girly were short lived. Two hours later we were at Matthew's last (Hooray!) soccer practice and she was out playing rough and tumble with the 4 and 5 year old boys!

'

But she looked good while she did it!

It's cheaper than Botox . . . .

Hard to believe that the school year is wrapping up. Next week is Matthew's last at the preschool, although we are doing three weeks of Summer School/Camp there. Still, it will be a different teacher and it is focused on play and art. I'm trying to get organized with an arsenal of things to do and people to see.

Got a much needed haircut today. And after toying around with the idea for the last week, decided to take the plunge and get bangs! It's been a while since I had them, but I think they're kind of fun. Maybe it's the recent 35th birthday, but I've felt awfully conscious of the wrinkles on my forehead and between my brows lately. They're still there, of course, but out-of-sight, out-of-mind (at least a little!!!).

Tonight we saw "12 Angry Men" starring Richard Thomas (who played John Boy on "The Waltons") at TPAC. It was EXCELLENT!! I love the movie--both the original and the remake--and it was really cool seeing it on stage. This was also my first trip to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (Matthew saw "Go Diego Go" on stage there, but went with Tammy!!) and it was fun to do a grown-up night out!!