This weekend we were caretakers of Tom, the class turtle.  He’s not real which is a good thing because I’m certain he wouldn’t have survived three days with us if he was.  He’s a stuffed puppet, but to Lainey, he is more than real.  He has feelings. 

Tom comes with a journal in which you are to record his adventures and tape pictures.  And being that we are this far into the year, many kids have already taken him home meaning Lainey had read through every journal entry and stared at every photo.  Translation: my kid had high expectations for Tom’s stay with us this weekend. 

It started Saturday morning when Lainey asked to go to Dunkin Donuts.

Deep in a lazy morning haze, I answered, “Not this morning.  I’m going to make pancakes.”

“But Mom–Tom,” Lainey argued.  “He wants donuts.”  She held up the turtle so that his googly eyes were staring at me.  And you can’t really argue with a stuffed turtle.

We made it through Saturday evening convincing Lainey that our little weekend home routine was “super fun” enough for Tom’s adventure log.  But by Sunday, she wanted more–something that involved buckling Tom into a carseat and going someplace.  So we headed downtown because the beach was a little chilly and Kilwin’s Ice Cream on Fifth was second best.

I remembered the stroller which never happens.  And the fuel light wasn’t blinking when we started the car which also never happens.  Both girls let me do french braids, no one cried to wear a pair of flip-flops that didn’t fit, and Lainey didn’t have a meltdown over sock seams that didn’t line up with her toes, so really we were off to a good start.  Lainey carried Tom and walked next to the stroller while Nella sat inside and turned around every five minutes to smile and flash her “this is fun” face.  It was good.  Like “Three kids?  Of course I can handle it” kind of good.

Three ice cream cones later, we walked to a nearby street opening where locals and tourists shared fountainside benches and tables–a Fifth Avenue gathering place for anyone looking to enjoy a good sunny Sunday morning.  I unleashed the girls and let them run free in the opening while I stretched out on a bench and watched, lulled into a good motherhood trance by the warmth of the morning sun and the sounds of my girls laughing as they chased each other.  For twenty minutes, the girls played chase, running up and down the slight incline of a wheelchair ramp in front of our local theatre (stage, not screen), tossing Tom the Turtle back and forth as they ran.  I marveled at how far Nella has come–running steadily, cautiously slowing down with the incline and picking up speed when she reached the bottom again.  Everything was perfect. 

(before I proceed–everyone’s fine in the outcome of this story, so don’t hold your breath)

And then I heard Lainey scream.  Blood-curdling, shit-just-happened, National Defense Alarm scream.  The kind of scream that sends a mama bolting off her bench without her brain even telling her that’s what she’s supposed to do.  She’s shrieking “NELLA! NELLA!  NELLA!  NELLA FELL!”  And I could hear a muffled Nella yelling close by but couldn’t see her.  Until I looked into the line of bushes edging the wheelchair ramp.

I saw feet.  Straight up in the air.  Two little moccasins kicking from a bush.  I repeat, a bush. 

Look, I drew it for you because, believe me, the image is important.

I had to pull Nella straight up by her feet to retrieve her from the bush, and the whole time Lainey is losing her mind in fear that her sister’s really hurt.  Two kids screaming in the middle of Fifth Avenue, people everywhere, and a pregnant mama hoisting a toddler by her feet from the bushes.  I kissed and consoled Nella, her face a little scraped up, her feelings hurt more, and promised Lainey it would be okay. 

Here’s where it gets more interesting.   Because more seems to preceed interesting in my life quite a lot.  Lainey lunged to hug Nella (both kids still crying) and in the process, got her earring stuck in Nella’s hair.

Oh, you thought the first round of screaming was entertaining?

Shit just got real.

“MY EARRING! MY EAR! MY HEAD!” 

Their heads were attached and both were pulling to get away, still traumatized from the first round of injuries but now exacerbating the situation–and the screaming–by a hundred billion percent.  The screaming.  The SCREAMING.  Seriously.  It was out of control, not to mention their heads were glued, an earlobe was stretching beyond its capacity to stretch, and I was about to give birth from a squatting postion on Fifth Avenue in front of a hundred people. 

I attempted careful precision of head/hair separation, but it didn’t happen that smoothly.  There was a yank, more screaming, an earring went flying, Lainey’s right ear joined Nella’s cheek in Things That Were Bloody, and then–oh yes, there’s an “and then”–Lainey realized Tom the Turtle was missing.

Cue third round of screaming. 

“TOM!! TOM!!  MY TURTLE’S GONE!”

Tom apparently went down with Nella in the bush, so now it was my job to crawl on all fours on the cement, eight-and-a-half months pregnant, in the middle of downtown Naples, two kids still screaming, and search the bushes for a blasted class turtle.

And I found him.  Cowering under a bush.

Never did find the earring but I did tap into this amazing sense of I-Can-Do-It-ness as I carried Nella over one shoulder while pushing a stroller with a whimpering five-year-old six blocks up Fifth Avenue to our car. 

It’s like Marathon training, right?  You have to condition before adding another kid to the roost and, silly me, I hadn’t been practicing.

Nella has a nice chafed face.  And we keep laughing and reminding her of her battle scars and the story that earned them.

“Did you fall in a bush, girlie? ” we ask her.  “Was that scary?”

And she smiles and says, “Bush.  I cry.”     

And a few pics from the less interesting but every bit as lovely parts of our weekend:

morning blocks

playing with the lizard who snuck inside with our firewood

Panera cookies (Tom asked for them, of course)

Taking Tom to visit his “real cousins” at the pet store.

Spa Night

Nella’s all WTH trying to figure out what Lainey’s doing with the cucumbers on her eyes.  But then…

…tries it herself.

Love the way she adores and copies her big sister.  For every single thing.  She’s learned so many things through Lainey.

Pre bed reading

Nella Photo Bomb

Loving this quote to start the week: 

“Though we travel the world to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.”  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy Monday.

Tea Collection has been a long time sponsor of ETST, and it’s no wonder it’s a perfect fit–we wear Tea, we love Tea, and we love the way Tea Collection not only recognizes worldwide cultures with the influence of their clothing designs, but they find ways to give back such as partnering with the Global Fund for Children.

Since Lainey started school, I’ve learned to love one major quality of Tea clothes–they wash and dry beautifully without wrinkles.  We wear their soft and comfy day dresses a lot, and they look as good as the day we bought them.

Twice a year, Tea designers travel the globe and study new cultures, and then bring back what they’ve seen and learned to be expressed in their new clothing designs.  Last season, we were smitten with their Nordic influences. 

Both girls in Tea, Lainey’s Finn Flora dress currently on sale

This year, Tea unleashes their new South African inspired lines, African Indigos and On the Savannah. 

Loving the colors and culture that come alive with all these new pieces and, as always, loving the way Tea clothing lends itself to some good mixin’ and matchin’.

New favorites:

Top, from L to R: Boys/Girls Vilakazi Stripe Tee, French Terry Cargo Shorts, Zebra Tee, Checkerboard Vans, Zebra Stripe Flutter Dress, Mini Stripe Rib Leggings, Ostrich Smocked Mini Dress, Silver Umi Moraine Shoes
Bottom, from L to R: Desert Beauties Romper, Pazitos Sweet Gold Maryjanes, Elephant Pajamas, Hydrangea Romper, Yellow Saltwater Sandals, Vilakazi Stripe Romper 

Welcome back, Tea Collection!

Welcome back to our favorite online consignment shop for kids, Dashing Bee!  If you’ve shopped Dashing Bee before, you know their inventory changes regularly, so their site is a fun place to check in frequently for new, gently used clothes for your kids.  If you haven’t discovered Dashing Bee, check out their great selection of name brand children’s clothing and gear at affordable prices and enjoy the opportunity to shop from your home…in your pajamas, if you wish!

If you’re interested in being a consigner, check out Dashing Bee’s consigner page.  Consigners make 50% of all items sold–a great way to clean up closets and make some extra money.

My current favorites on their site: 

Dashing Bee owner and founder, Alison, answers some questions about starting and running her business:

1.) How did you get into the consignment business and why?

As a busy mother of two young children with a very hectic schedule, I quickly realized that taking the time to shop for growing children didn’t exactly fit with all the daily demands that all mothers face. Also, after seeing how quickly my boys grew out of their clothes from infancy on, I knew there had to be a more affordable way to dress them in nice clothing. After shopping and consigning at local consignment shops, the value of consignment shopping (and selling!) became very clear. After doing research, I quickly came to realize that there wasn’t an online service that would provide a more convenient and affordable way to for all families with growing children to buy quality clothing at economical prices. I then started Dashing Bee to fill this need and to make it easier for parents everywhere to eliminate the stress, hassle, and inconvenience of in-store shopping.

2.) What’s the most rewarding part of running your business?

The most rewarding part of running my business is knowing that parents across the country are able to afford high-end quality clothing for their children and much more of it! Customers write me thank you e-mails almost daily saying they never would have been able to buy their children high quality brands if it wasn’t for Dashing Bee! They also tell me how much they appreciate the time they save by using our service. They are able to volunteer more in their community or at school, exercise, or just spend more quality family time together. I also enjoy the fact that I can provide a marketplace online for people to make extra money by consigning their children’s clothing with us.

3.) Inspiration behind “Dashing Bee” name?

I was looking for a unique and catchy business name that would capture the essence of how busy parents are in today’s world. The word Dashing has two meanings: 1.energetic and spirited and 2. stylish. I think both meanings describe our children! The word Bee just fit because it was cute and our kids are our little bees!

4.) How do you balance running a business while being an involved mama?

I have two boys, Kyle (6) and Dylan (5), and I love being able to be there whenever they need me. I can take them to and from school and my husband, Brad, and I can spend quality time with them when they are home. I am able to volunteer in both their schools and do other volunteer work in the community. I am able to plan my workday around my children’s schedule. I can work during the day and after they go to bed at night.

I’m loving learning more about how these businesses evolved and how mamas are making it work. Clothe your kids affordably and support another mama business by shopping Dashing Bee!