Half way into my morning commute to work I realized that I sent my kindergartner to school without proper snow boots. Normally not a big deal; but, we were expecting a huge snow storm in Chicago and nearly ninety-five percent of our student body walks home. Kids need boots. Sure enough by the time I parked my car, on the other side of the city, it started to snow quite hard. It snowed throughout the entire day and my afternoon commute home was horrible-terrible-no-good twice as long.
I arrived in our alleyway just two minutes before pick-up, a couple blocks away, and had several options.
1. Run into the house, unlock the door, pray I found matching boots and run to school.
2. Walk to school and carry Feenie on my back all the way home.
3. Walk to school and have Feenie walk back home ruining her shoes.
4. Pretend I forgot about school pick-up and catch up on Dance Moms.
5. Take the sled in my trunk (from last weekend), use a satin bow from a birthday gift and tow her home.
Obviously number five would make me The Coolest Mom Ever so as I jogged through six inches of snow in my boots the four blocks to school, I used my girl scout knot knowledge and successfully tied the satin bow to the sled. Feenie's eyes lit up when she saw me at the school pick-up line, only four minutes late, with a sled in hand. Her teachers giggled when they saw her excitement. She broke an Olympic long jump record and leapt in the sled, on our journey home.
"Really?"
"Really!"
"LET'S GO!!!"
Huffing and puffing one block later, her big brother found us on our commute home and took over.
Through intersections they went.
All the way home.
You guys? As I was snapping away for future photobooks documenting a fun winter commute home, I over-heard their personal conversation.
"See those two birds flying in the sky?"
"I see them!"
"They are just like you and me."
"How?"
"One leading the other."
"Just like you and me, right now."
"Yes. Just like you and me!"
And I easily let go of my heroic measures to become The Coolest Mom Ever because this officially was the best winter commute home! I could not ask for anything more. Nothing.
This weekend was full of birthday festivities for Feenie. She shared her wiener-dog-wedding cake (a fancy white "bridal shower" sheet cake where her beloved dog was drawn in the center) with her girlfriends at a "sleep under" party, baked donut holes drowned in sprinkles to bring to her classroom kindergarten party and capped the weekend off with a fabulous Sunday night dinner surrounded by our extended family. Even her Godfather from Milwaukee took the train down to join us singing "Sto Lat" all afternoon long. As busy and amazing as the weekend was, the most simple things were the most important.
It took Apolonia eighty-nine years but Feenie giggled when she willingly wore a birthday hat, to celebrate Six.
Oldest and youngest in our family surrounded by cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings, grandparents and parents to celebrate Six. Such an ordinary event for many but extraordinary for us - a huge difference from last year's celebration of Five. The highlight of Feenie's day was when she learned how to play Sardines (reverse hide and seek) from her Godfather's girlfriend. (Hi, Lauren!) That was worth six presents or more. The only reason she asked to leave her Sunday night dinner party after four hours was because she wanted to paint her nails with Uncle Mike's present that he purchased by walking into a Sally Beauty Supply store (this is shocking because my baby brother buys everything online - the last place I would imagine him shopping at IRL was at a beauty store). Awwww.... the things you do for those you love.
"I'm just so happy!"
"Me too, girlfriend. Me too."
Happy Six! Sweet Feenie. May you always be surrounded by love.
My youngest is turning six, in six days. How did this happen so fast? It seems like just yesterday that I started this blog when she was an infant. She was a teeny-tiny baby that completed our family and now is a head strong girl that walks all over us.
"Take a picture of me so you don't forget what five looks like."
I have five glorious days with the coolest five-year-old I know. I have a feeling that six is going to rock but I just want to pause the next couple of days and enjoy counting her years on one dimply little hand.
It's no secret that I adore shoes. As much as I love strappy sandals and sexy heels during the warmer months - it's the winter that I anxiously look forward to debuting my collection of boots. And by collection I mean that I've been "investing" in boots as early as my first paycheck when I was just sixteen and kept adding to the collection when resources allowed. I still have those steel-toed Doc Martens purchased at a quirky boutique in Evanston during the "My So-Called Life" years.
I'm actually a little embarrassed to admit how many boots I own. I never buy, just to buy - each pair was a careful purchase in the last (OH.MY.GAWD!) twenty years since I bought my first pair of awesome boots with my hard earned cash. I have over-priced rainboots from Scotland, beloved Frye boots from Massachusetts, hearty Sorel's for navigating through the snow, Australian sheepskin boots to keep my toes warm, super swanky date-night knee-high boots from Needless Markup and also a pair of black everyday boots I recently just "splurged" on from Nordstrom's Rack.
I really wish I could return my latest "everyday black boot" purchase because they just weren't very comfortable to get me through an entire day at work. Sure, they were quasi cute but I wanted to rip them off in the middle of my commute home. I hate wasting money. Maybe it's because I remember growing up when we had so little and feel guilty making such senseless mistakes. I really, usually, always, take the time to research my purchases before investing in anything. I don't know why I didn't research the Crocs Cobbler High Boot before my last purchase (the "Cobbler High Boot" didn't even come up in my google search for cute everyday boots) - perhaps it was because I just assumed that the Crocs brand had the typical Crocs-liked shoe and not cute boots for work.
But look. So. Cute.
Everyday black boots that I no longer want to rip off on my commute home. They remind me of my Dansko clogs at the bottom (see here) and are simple enough in design that they are easy to wear with just about any winter outfit. I typically throw on some leggings, sweater, find a cute necklace and am out the door in minutes. The boots are very warm, super comfortable, and classy. They are suede so a little care needs to go into them, in my opinion. I wish I found them at the beginning of the winter season but good news for you... they are on sale and it looks like most of the reviewers agree with me. Best winter boot ever.
You know that you've been "away from it all" when you come home on a Monday and have to double check the correct spelling of "Monday" just because the spelling looks so odd. It's been forever since you last looked at a calendar, you know? Monday.
This was Friday.
This was Saturday.
This was Sunday.
Monday < every other day.
Curious to see what we were up to in Miami? Check out this fashion blogger that highlighted it all. Remember my post "I'm just a Mom?" It was a very busy weekend, friends! So glad to be home with my three little hoodlums although it's going to be very difficult to get through Monday after a fabulous weekend in an awesome city with my handsome husband besides some remarkable new friends.
