First Day of School 2012

The kids just started their FOURTH week of school today?  Literally, Labor Day, was YESTERDAY.  Something isn't quite right here, but I'm sure I won't be complaining when we don't have to return after Christmas until January 8th and our last day is well before the end of May.  Still, something seems really wrong...

Most of my friends, in other states, are just posting their "first day of school" pictures to facebook today.  And, it's really their first day.  So, I'm trying not to feel too badly about my timing on my blog and that it's taken me 3 weeks to get around to it.

Here they were, back on August 13th!!

Grace is in 4th Grade this year.  She is LOVING her awesome home-room teacher and the rotation of classes.  Now she has 4 different teachers for the 4 main subject areas.  

Harriet is in 1st Grade.  She has a brand-new first-year teacher.  So far things seem to be going well.  Harriet is already bored with first grade work though, and is starting to remind me of Grace at that age, always wishing she had more challenging and meaningful school work.  

Today, really does, feel like the kids should be at school though.  I even tried wearing jeans today, myself, but frankly, it's still too hot in the 505 for jeans in the afternoon.  The passing of Labor Day says I can't wear white or open toed shoes anymore.  What's a stay-at-home-mom to do?  But really, when have I ever cared much about being in current style?  Secretly, I hope that this whole "throw-back to 80's wear" cycles back around to the '90's so I can be totally cool again in my Doc Marten boots and plaid shirts.  David and I just threw out the last of our 20+ year-old denim shirts.  Crap.  That was probably a bad move considering I just saw them again in the Gap window last week.

But, what's really important is how cute these two are.  I always get so many comments on how different my girls are.  It's true, they couldn't be more different in most ways, including the way they dress.  I continue to be disappointed in the choices of clothing available to both of them though.  There is nothing cool for Grace to wear, and very little that is cute for Harriet.  99% of the girls' clothes disgust me.  You either have to dress your daughter like a tramp or like a cupcake-loving, miniature-dog-toting, pink-frosting-exploding airhead.  Why can't our girls be cool, sporty, smart, and beautiful?

Harriet really does love pink though.  I love that she loves pink and doesn't let Grace's or my aversion to it affect her at all.  I forget to buy it for her sometimes, so I feel bad about that.  I want her to look cute and feminine and love all the girly things, but I have a hard time reconciling that with the extremes in the clothing.  Everything just reminds me of junk food.  Isn't there anything healthy anymore?

The one thing that Harriet has really gone for this year (that is truly cute to boot) is the Hello Kitty brand.  David was surprised when I told him that Hello Kitty has been around since we were little.  To prove it, I dug around in an old box of stuff and found my old Hello Kitty bank from like 1982.  Harriet was THRILLED, of course for me to give it to her.  She has never, in her whole little life, been into anything.  Even though she likes the princess stuff, she doesn't just go insane over it.  Grace, on the other hand, always has something she is into and would love to have.  So, it's been fun to kind of go all out for Harriet this year.

Hello Kitty seems to be EVERYWHERE.  There doesn't seem to be a single common item that doesn't come in a Hello Kitty version.  It does cause problems sometimes, when Harriet would buy bathroom cleaner if it had Hello Kitty on the front.  But mostly, it has been super fun.  She has 2 pairs of Hello Kitty shoes, a t-shirt, pajamas, hat, earrings (the white-gold piercing version... I might add...since her ears weren't ready for the cheap ones), a headband, lunch box, thermos, water bottle, school supplies, even a roll of duck tape, plus she's starting to gather the toys too.

 This is school day #2 - head-to-toe Hello Kitty

Hmm... I spent way too much time talking about clothes.  That is pretty unlike me.  I have a love/hate relationship with fashion.  I like to look good, but I don't like to spend a lot of time or money or effort to do it, and I hate how much judging we all do based on nothing but what people wear (or don't wear.)  But, it is something that keeps coming up for us and I'm sure as we head into the teen-age years, will become even more important.

Back to school we go!  Chuck Taylor All-Stars for Grace.  Sparkle sequin Hello Kitty shoes for Hattie.  Whatever works.