Some parents might be struggling with the expense of putting kids through college. Mine aren't old enough for that, but I do struggle with putting my kids through snowsuits.
I'm proud to say that all three of them are outside right now in the year's first snowstorm, and I have been able to provide them with warm clothing. They're outside getting exercise, breathing the frigid air and sledding while Mom is on the Internet listening to itunes, blogging and drinking a latte. I have been a mother long enough to be past any guilt this might have inspired when they were younger.
Cookie, pictured above, is wearing a snowsuit that is on its third kid. It was a gift from grandparents when Gameboy was about 4. Her boots are from a rummage sale, 50 cents comes to mind. Her hat was 25 cents from a rummage sale. Her mittens, which are brand new? 18 dollars. There are times when you just need to buy what you need, you know? Her new boot socks were $13. It's best if I think about this outfit rounding out the total cost.
Princess is still in another of Gameboy's old snowsuits, this one paid for with a cash gift from great-grandma. She specifically said it was money to buy clothes, and I didn't have a snowsuit for him that year so I actually went to the store and bought it brand new for 100 dollars. This one better last for all three kids, too. Her hat was bought new this year on a bit of a lark. I thought it was so funny that she liked it, I couldn't help myself. I think it was $15. I like the safety-yellow color. That might come in handy during whiteout conditions. She also got new gloves and socks today; ring up another $13 and $18. Her boots are another Gameboy hand-me-down.
She was a little sad after today's shopping that I didn't get her the 50-percent-off "fashion boots." All she saw was the cuteness on sale, but all I saw were boots that still cost $25 and aren't warm. Sorry, kid. All I can say is that she might hold out hope that Santa will get her the cute little boots, but I know
I'm not going to buy them.
We just bought Gameboy's new boots today, driving through the snowstorm with his big, long toes freezing in his tennis shoes. They're a men's size 9 and cost $70. I've already warned the girls that these will be their boots, too. His new mittens were $18. The face mask was new this year, about $15. He, too, got new socks, $13. But the triumph at the end of this whole tally is his snowsuit: $1 at a rummage sale! I went to a sale years ago and found three snowsuits marked one dollar each. I even asked the woman at the sale,
"Is this all you want for these?" and she enthusiastically responded YES. I could tell she was just happy to get them out of the house and into the hands of someone who needed them.
I don't have a group shot of the kids because they got ready one at a time. Gameboy can do eveything himself, so parents of little kids, wondering how long it will take for the kids to bundle up themselves? 11 years.
I told each one I was going to take a picture, but I didn't tell them how to pose. Gameboy and Princess independently came up with ninja poses. The two of them do that often, posing the same way in pictures. Have I mentioned they're both involved in theater?
I was going to tally this all up and make that my headline, but I've tried a few times now and come up with different totals. All I know for sure is, I'm spent.
P.S. I have typed this whole thing and Cookie hasn't come back inside complaining about her gloves, so that's $18 already well-spent.
Princess is a hairdo genius! She has taken an interest in her American Girl hairstyles book and really taken off. I'm not sure this will translate into her doing her own hair, though, because her hair is longer than her arms can reach.
There is a store in town that hosts a "Little Elves Shop," basically a rummage sale inside a closed-off area where parents may not go. Children are escorted in by adults who help the children buy gifts for the people on their list. Items are mostly under a dollar and are gift-wrapped before they leave.
Some parents might be struggling with the expense of putting kids through college. Mine aren't old enough for that, but I do struggle with putting my kids through snowsuits.
Princess is still in another of Gameboy's old snowsuits, this one paid for with a cash gift from great-grandma. She specifically said it was money to buy clothes, and I didn't have a snowsuit for him that year so I actually went to the store and bought it brand new for 100 dollars. This one better last for all three kids, too. Her hat was bought new this year on a bit of a lark. I thought it was so funny that she liked it, I couldn't help myself. I think it was $15. I like the safety-yellow color. That might come in handy during whiteout conditions. She also got new gloves and socks today; ring up another $13 and $18. Her boots are another Gameboy hand-me-down.
We just bought Gameboy's new boots today, driving through the snowstorm with his big, long toes freezing in his tennis shoes. They're a men's size 9 and cost $70. I've already warned the girls that these will be their boots, too. His new mittens were $18. The face mask was new this year, about $15. He, too, got new socks, $13. But the triumph at the end of this whole tally is his snowsuit: $1 at a rummage sale! I went to a sale years ago and found three snowsuits marked one dollar each. I even asked the woman at the sale, "Is this all you want for these?" and she enthusiastically responded YES. I could tell she was just happy to get them out of the house and into the hands of someone who needed them.
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