I hate dress-up days! Spirit week, wacky hair day, school colors…they all drive me crazy. My goodness, do we have to celebrate every minor holiday with a costume? For Dr. Seuss Week my son was supposed to wear the following:
MONDAY: crazy socks
TUESDAY: wear green
WEDNESDAY: mixed up day
THURSDAY: pajama day
FRIDAY: school spirit
You guys, I can barely get my kids out the door with their hair combed and two shoes on their feet. Why you dogging me like this?
For Spirit Week we had five days in a row of costumes! The school lovingly chose a different theme for elementary, middle and high school. Six children, five days, fifteen different themes, thirty different costumes.
I freaking love Spirit Week.
My third grader recently took part in a little school play. He played a pig in Charlotte’s Web. Not THE pig, Wilbur. No, just an ordinary, no-name pig. One of Wilbur’s friends.
The night before his play, I found a pink marker and colored this costume for him.
Look at his crazy eyes. He is simply overwhelmed by the magnificence of his costume.
I drove him to school in his pig costume and then hustled in to find a seat for the show. Through the door walks one of his cast-mates. A fellow barnyard animal. This is the costume her mom somehow managed to throw together.
Why you tryna make me look bad, Goose Mom? Maybe you should dial it back a little.
Surprisingly, when it was time for the Spring Musical, I was not asked to join the costume committee. Goose Mom, however, not only joined the committee, she made all of the hats from scratch.
Do you SEE those hats? They are works of art. I mean, if you are into that kind of thing. Of course, Goose Mom has crazy eyes, too. I’m sure it’s from too much glue-gun action.
My kids asked me to take them to the amusement park. It was cold and I was tired, but I said yes. When we got there, I offered to hold everyone’s belongings while they rode the roller coasters. This is me having fun with my children.
Good times, good times.
I wore this shirt when I picked up my kids from school.
Did I mention my children attend a private Christian school? One of my children almost died from embarrassment. “Mom, that is like you are wearing a shirt that says ‘I SIN!’”
Oh, honey. Don’t we all?
Because I don’t waste my energy on silly things like costumes and roller coasters, I have somehow managed to find the time to write a book.
This book is about learning to be okay with being okay. It is the story of God’s grace shining through my own broken places. It is all of our stories, your story and mine, our very lives proof that God uses ordinary moms to do extraordinary things every single day.
If you struggle to use your inside voice when yelling talking to your children, this book might be for you.
If your children occasionally forget to wear underwear, this book might be for you.
If the dog licks up the spilled milk and you call it “cleaning the kitchen floor,” this book might be for you.
If you pee when you laugh (or run, sneeze, jump, or tie your shoes), this book might be for you.
If you have ever driven away and left a child behind, this book might be for you.
If you count yourself to be one of the world’s okayest moms, this book is definitely for you.
Please join me in proudly claiming your okayishness! Order OKAYEST MOM by clicking one of these images:
Blessings,
Oh my gosh! I am screaming laughing. I am so thankful I didn’t have to jump through these same hoops years ago when my boys were in school. But high school DID bring spirit week and I can only imagine how hard it would have been doing that through elementary and jr high. Ugh! This book is going to help moms to hang on a little bit longer and even laugh a bit along the way.
I just peed myself …
Pajama Day should have given you a rest… 😉
No, Mom is perfect. However we can do our best to create memories for our kids. I was raised in private school, and I remember how cool my Mom made my hair look for crazy hair day. Which made me try hard when it was my daughter’s turn. She is in private school and there was no dye allowed. Which required creativity. She went to school with Pippie Long Stocking braids, and loved it. A number of boys wake up did not comb their hair and a parent threw a little gel in it. They were all smiling. My point is instead of complaining about what the school is asking think of memories your kids will carry with them.
You are absolutely right, Danielle. Kids won’t remember the details, they will remember the fun they had. There are much more important things to complain about which is why I wasn’t complaining at all. This was a tongue-in-cheek post, poking fun at myself more than the school.