A good day

I feel like I complain a lot on this blog, so, in contrast, I wanted to share about the lovely, almost-perfect day I had:

I woke up before my alarm clock and had some quiet time, and got the oatmeal started. Then woke up the cheerful children, who LOVE oatmeal. Score one! I finished Eleanor's last three braids at breakfast while we listened to Suzuki melodies, Irish fiddle tunes, and the orchestral excerpts from the "Jack and the Beanstalk" show at the CSO we'll be taking the kids to on Saturday. Miles helped me get all the beads on her braids - he loves making "padruns" (patterns) on the little plastic beader tools.

We made it out the door on time to CBS (and I actually finished my whole study on time); today the preschool kids had what Miles grandiosely termed their "show" for the moms. It involved marching in, reciting a Bible verse or two, and singing a couple songs. Eleanor was front and center, holding the sign for her group. Miles stood on the far end and rather in the back, not smiling and not looking at the audience...but he knew every word and every hand gesture.

We came home, after virtuously NOT stopping for fast food even though it is always lunchtime and we're hungry on the drive home Thursdays. Leftover pigs-in-blankets inspired no complaints (gross, right?) and Eleanor went to nap early, saying that she was super tired. Then Compliant Cheerful Miles (as opposed to his alter egos, Oversensitive Miles, Hyper Distracted Miles, and Angry Rebellious Miles) and I did some subtraction homework (working on borrowing) and had a very good violin practice session. I went upstairs to get some stuff accomplished while he read and practiced more in his room.

A bit later, when I came downstairs, he showed me the pile of paper he had made for me: "It just kept printing out, mom, so I put it here on the table for you." Thanks, hon; those are our taxes, done at last! He then asked me to do more violin with him, so we did that until Nora woke up.

The kids played nicely (I let them walk around barefoot in the rain out back) while I cleaned up a bit, and then we all loaded into the stroller to jog/walk to the gym. I surprised them by stopping at the park on the way and getting out a favorite dinner: homemade "Lunchables"! (That's what they call it when I give them a variety of crackers, meats, and cheeses, and tell them it's a meal instead of a snack.) They showed off a bit on the monkey bars, then we headed to the gym for some kickboxing fun. Where, incidentally, I got complimented on Nora's hair, and I quote, "Pretty good for a white girl!" High praise indeed, people.

After a relaxing twilight walk home, the kids got PJs on and we read a devotional book and the short "I Love You" book I used to read them as babies...then bed with (almost) no complaining!

To top the whole day off, I remembered that I had one beautiful sea salt caramel in my purse (from CBS), and that I had already tracked it in my food journal, so I HAD to eat it now!

OK, God, now how do I repeat this day?

another new hairdo and the comment that inspired it

And I outdid myself this time. At least, Eleanor sure thinks so, judging from the amount of complaining she did. We did "star" braids on each side of her head, coming together to form two little pigtails of braids.




The problem here is that, because her hair is so short and fine, these braids will start to get fuzzy in just a few days, and will be past my fuzziness-toleration-quotient in a couple weeks. So all this work will need to be picked out and redone. On the plus side, I think I'm getting faster; this style only took about two-three hours over the course of two days.

Funny story (or funny if you weren't me): I was down at the Moody Church Halloween festival with the kids, and it was a nice diverse crowd. Eleanor's costume is a flamingo with a big feathered flamingo hat. Very cute. But she stopped wanting to wear the hat about halfway through the evening, and so I was holding it. Unfortunately, we had taken out her last set of braids the previous evening, then washed her hair and combed it out into what was (I thought) a cute little Afro with a headband. I usually let her hair "rest" for a few days between braided styles, both to let her follicles relax and because after picking it all out, I just don't have the energy or time to tackle another complicated hairstyle immediately.

But I guess I should have taken the trouble this time. Her little Afro got smashed flat and funny looking under the hat, and in addition gathered tiny pink feather lint all over it. And then she insists on removing the hat. And this very kind, well-intentioned African-American woman walks over to me, and asks, "Are those your foster kids?" I say, "Well, they're adopted, but they're my kids, yes." She takes my hand, leans in, and gently asks, "Do you have any African-American friends who can help you with her hair? Do you know how to do it? I would be glad to help out if you need some help."

Sigh.

It was a kind offer, and I admit, Eleanor's hair did look unfortunately like "white mama hair." I politely tried to explain the situation and I hope I came across not too defensive. But now I know I need to plan better: if we're going to be in public, I guess her hair needs a bit more style (this coming from the woman whose only hairdo is a ponytail).

Or else we need to invest in hats.

Nora's first professional hairstyle

We had our first morning with "Miss Tamekia" today, and I am totally sold! This wonderful stylist/hair consultant came to our house, gave me a 45-minute lesson on improving my hairstyling techniques, then braided Eleanor's hair (about six times faster than I can), and THEN took me to the store to buy styling products so I can try to copy the process. Eleanor has "fancy" hair now, and I have a new arsenal of ideas and equipment (and now I know why my braids get fuzzy so quickly, how to get my twists to stay put, how to get my knots not to come undone, etc). Besides being good at what she does, this is a lovely and friendly woman who answered all my questions and made both of us feel totally comfortable. I am DEFINITELY bringing her back.

A couple photos (I added the beads myself):






In case you can't tell, she has a zigzag part in front with braids going perpendicular to each other, with two "star" clusters of braids in back coming together to make pigtails of braids, and then some vertical braids at the bottom.

Incidentally, doesn't my daughter have a lovely profile?