Pink toes

Pay no attention to the Skittles on my mouth!

As I buckled her into her car seat, she said, “I have white toes.”

Okaaaaay.

Then, “Elise has pink toes. I have white toes.”

Oh! I get it now. Her friend Elise has painted toenails.

“Would you like me to paint your toenails pink?” I asked.

“Yeah!”

And just like that, I made her day. Actually, based on the way she showed off her pink toes and “stingers” [fingers] over the next several days, I made her week.

I couldn’t help but think just how easy it is to make her happy now. Two year olds throw fits over the most ridiculous things, but they also delight in the simplest pleasures.

Like pink toes.
Or princess band-aids.
Or a new bouncy ball from the store.
Or blowing bubbles on the front porch.
Or rediscovering a bucket of stuffed animals that have been neglected for six months.

It’s so easy now. But it won’t always be that way.

I think of the times my parents just couldn’t – or wouldn’t – do what I wanted to make me happy. I think of dance lessons we couldn’t afford and extracurricular activities they didn’t approve. I think of church camp and parties missed and rules and budgets enforced.

But then I remember hugs and lessons and support and love. And I know that they gave me everything I ever needed – and so much more. Like piano lessons and Camp Fire uniforms. Like a second pair of basketball shoes, after my first pair got stolen. Like a dress for a dance that I never got asked to.

And I know that my little girl will be just fine, even if she doesn’t get everything she wants.

Still, I’m glad I can give her pink toes.

This post will be linked to What I Learned This Week at Inmates to Playdates and Tuesdays Unwrapped at Chatting at the Sky.

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Can we get a translator over here?

The other day my manager was talking about how her 4-year-old daughter only has a couple words that she mispronounces, and she's sad to see those cute, funny words disappear.

As she said it, I thought to myself, "Well, I won't ever know what that's like, because Annalyn's vocabulary skills are so advanced that she really doesn't mispronounce most things. That girl can enunciate!"

I even believed what I was thinking.

Then I started listening for mispronunciations. I'm sure you're not as surprised as I am that I noticed a few. Okay, a lot.

And they are Super Cute. Here are a few, used in sentences for your ease of understanding:

• Lie-vray - "Where do we get Elmo videos, Annalyn?" "The lie-vray! Pincess moovie! Pink pincess movie!" (We're temporarily over Elmo these days.)
  
• PQ - "Where did Annalyn go?" "PQ!!" "Oh, peekaboo! There you are!"
  
• broccoli - "Bockolee and panties! Mommy's tummy! Hahaha!"
  
• gunnel bar - "Do you want cheerios for breakfast?" "No! Want gunnel bahr!" (In other words, she wants Mommy's Fiber One granola bar. The kind with chocolate chips. The ones Mommy rations and considers the perfect snack. Those.)
  
• hamma - "Mommy want a hamma?" "A what?" "Hamma!" "Um, okay?" (It turns out she was saying "hamburger" and referring to the fake plastic steaks that came with her fake food set.)
  
• fah-pah- "Daddy watch fah-pah." Lots and lots of fah-pah. Good thing the Superbowl is almost here. You know, so we can move on to baseball. Or, um, base-bah?
  
• eemo - "Send eemo. Send eemo to Kyle." Annalyn calls my manager Kyle (which is not her name, but it's close). And one morning I had to send her an e-mail from home. Ever since, Annalyn likes to pretend that she's sending "Kyle" e-mails from her computer.
• pooter - I almost forgot. "Computer" is actually "pooter."
  
• CDO - "Watch CDO, Mommy! See baby! Watch CDO!" No, no, she's not referring to a strange and confusing Phil Collins song. She's confusing the many forms of media we have in our house - CD plus DVD plus video plus uploaded video of herself on Youtube (what she was actually referring to) equals "CDO."
• Slinky bankie - "No! Don't want slinky bankie in here!" Annalyn has a really soft pink blanket. And she has an unexplained love/hate relationship with it. Some nights, she can't go to sleep without it. Other nights, she can't go to sleep if it's anywhere in sight. Most nights it's folded up in the closet.
  

I have to admit, I'm glad she has all these cute little words. I've told her several times - although, clearly, not enough - to stop growing up and to Stay Little!

This post of ten words I realized (learned) Annalyn mispronounces in her super cute way will be linked to OhAmanda's Top Ten Tuesday and Musings of a Housewife's What I Learned This Week.

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Notes in the Margin: What I Learned This Week

Or, I should say: What I learned again.

Every now and then, I need to be reminded: nothing goes as planned. So plan for that.

See, I like to cut it close. From my monthly budget to the time I allow for getting ready in the morning, I like to plan each minute, each dollar.

It’s not a matter of getting a lot out of life. It’s more a matter of . . . laziness. And procrastination. If I can get ready, from shower to hair drying, in 30 minutes, then I can sleep in that much later. If I can account for every dollar of our paychecks, that gives me more money to allot for eating out and birthday gifts and clothes.

But what happens when things don’t go as planned? When Annalyn just needs her mommy to hold her for five minutes in the morning? When the car needs a repair unexpectedly?

I do this with my time in general, too. I cram my calendar so full of activity that it doesn’t leave room for spontaneous events. So, when a friend calls and says, “Hey, we’re headed to Wendy’s for dinner. Want to join us?” I have to decline. Because we’ve already got a birthday party and a concert to attend.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been reminded of how this madness keeps me from experiencing good stuff, as well as brings us too close to disaster for my comfort level.

So on Sunday, after we had chosen to take an afternoon nap when Annalyn did, and we were rushing around like crazy trying to get ready for having our small group over for dinner, I took a few minutes out of my carefully timed cleaning schedule. And I sat on the (dirty) kitchen floor with Annalyn and ate a chocolate snack.

It took maybe five minutes. And it meant that I didn’t end up fixing my makeup or – really, let’s be honest – even stop sweating before our friends arrived. But hearing my little girl say, “mmmm!” and watching her eyes light up at that treat – well, it was worth it.

And it reminded me that I need to leave some room in my schedule, my budget, my life. That’s what I learned this week.

What about you? Learn anything recently? For more stuff learned, head over to Musings of a Housewife. Also, for more sweet moments, visit Chatting at the Sky.

But first, please scroll down for a big announcement. You don’t want to miss this one!