GIVE AWAY!

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Fabric Giveaway!

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If the shoe fits......

Basketball.  Just the name conjures the image of large shouldered men running with squeaky shoes.  Fade to black and cut to reality.....first and second graders (and Conner, yes I lied just a teensy bit to get him on the team) and uniforms too large and lots of traveling.
My boys are playing basketball for the first time since preschool.  They love it and I love to go to the games.  It is almost like a playdate for mommies.  I see most of my friends and it is great to catch up on people!  The kids play a slightly different version of the game.  It has some different rules that help them learn and let them develop skills, all in all, a whole lot of fun.
Then I looked closely at my boys.  William was doing fine, except for not wanting to be overly aggressive and hurt anyone, which is almost a shame considering his size!
Then there is James, and as I watched him run down the court, I thought, why do his feet remind me of clowns?  I hate clowns.  They are evil and only exist to eat your brains when you are asleep.
Slap, slap, slap.  That was the sound he made as he ran.  It dawned on me, his shoes are way to big.  He is funny that way, and apparently he had latched onto a pair of sneakers from his large footed cousin.
Then I looked over at Conner (as he had a blond moment and forgot where to watch).  He was wearing mock hiking boots.  With mismatched socks. 
Really?
Really.
So, the game ends in victory ( and at one point the boys were making shots and catching the rebounds and tossing and the ball got stuck between the hoop and the backboard.  Dad got it on video, I'll post it later! Classic!) and the boys coming running over the throw themselves at me with incredible effort.  I staggered under the weight of Conner.  Dang, what does that boy eat?
"We need to go and buy some shoes."
Or as my husband says, "Dear Lord, just take them and get them shoes!"
So, we head to Walmart.  To buy shoes.  With a six year old and eight year old.  Who hate to shop.
When we get in, and they make the obligatory check on the Coinstar machine, we head into a very crowded Walmart.  I guess, being right before Valentine's day, there were last minute shoppers.  Whatever, move over love birds, we are on a mission.
We go into the shoe aisle and start.  They both insist on no laces, Velcro only.  Damn, kids today have it rough.  We head to the clearance rack because I am cheap! Let's face it, by next week, these shoes won't fit, why on earth would I spend 30 to 40 on shoes when I can go clearance for 7 to 10? Hello?
So we start pulling out various sizes.  I honestly didn't know what size they were.  I mean really, I am a Mom of four.  I aim for clean underwear, homework complete and a correct headcount at bedtime.  I have a vague idea of sizes, but they have reached an age where they have to be with me!
Conner starts bugging James by handing him pink Barbie Fairy shoes.  James throws a pair of ballet flats at Conner.  I grab ears and haul them to wear I see some sporty non lace sneakers.  On sale, thank you very much.
Apparently I have been entirely neglectful in my mothering duties (come on, really, who hasn't been there!).  Conner is now convinced that if it isn't a size too small, it is too big.  I hunt him down some size 12.  All sizes are there, but 12.  As I start to paw through the racks, the smell hits me.
James is trying on shoes.  Fine.  But OH MY STARRY HEAVENS!!  The smell is pungent and redolent of sweat and that peculiar funk known only to boys.
The clerk that is stocking is swallowing convulsively.  My eyes are watering.
"James, you a size 4?"  "yes" "great, here are your new shoes, but the old ones BACK ON."
I have to admit that last one came out as a loud hiss.
Conner starts to sing the "you have stinky feet" song and James throws some sparkly mary janes at him. I pull James aside and send him on a mission to find one more pair of size four clearance shoes.
I turn aside to Conner and drag him from the light up shoes.  I am NOT paying an extra ten dollars so that my son can wear out an LED shoe light by jumping up in down in a closet!
Conner pulls off his shoes and I swear the world lurched to a halt, gagged and the continued.
The clerk stocking was suddenly incredibly helpful to find us shoes to fit Conner.  She searched several aisles in rapid succession and produced two pairs of discount shoes in a size 12.  I think we seared out her nasal passages.
I grabbed the boys, old shoes in place, new shoes in hand.
We went to the check out and I braved the self check line.  As it turns out, Conner had fallen in love with the only other pair of size 12 shoes.  They were light up.  While I won't pay an extra 10 for light ups, it turns out I will pay an extra 5.  So sue me.
I think the shoe lady was seriously happy to see the back of us. 
I am also certain she brought out an industrial strength air freshener.
Little does she know, I have Haz Mat gear to clean their closets.


And how was your day?

On this Day....

Oh, Lord, on this day:

Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,
but to be Fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain,
but for the Heart to conquer it.
Let me not look for allies in life's battlefields,
but to my own Strength.
Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved,
but hope for the Patience to win my freedom.
Grant that I am not be a coward in Your Mercy in my success alone,
but let me find the grasp of Your hand in my failure.
--Tagore