Make A Wishbone

When Rah-Rah and I were kids, our parents used to always save the wishbone from a chicken or turkey. They would let it dry out and a few days later Rah-Rah and I would each grab an end and pull to see who got the larger piece and therefore was the winner to make a secret wish.

Ever wonder why we do such a thing?

I looked it up (in all my non-existent spare time) actually. Per Luck Mojo, he wishbone is the third member of the great Euro-American lucky charm triumvirate -- the other two being the horseshoe and the four-leaf clover. Sometimes called the "merrythought" in the British Isles, the wishbone is a bone overlying the breastbone of fowl, but most especially the chicken and the turkey. It is the custom to save this bone intact when carving the bird at dinner and to dry it over the stove or by the fire (or, sometimes, to dry it for three days in the air, three being a fortuitous magical number) until it is brittle.

Once the merrythought is dry, it is given to two people (usually children), who pull it apart until it cracks and breaks, each one making a wish while doing so. The person who gets the "long half" of the wishbone will have his or her wish "come true." If the wishbone breaks evenly, both parties get their wishes. In some families it is said that the wish will only come true if it is not revelaed to anyone. (The belief that a wish must be kept secret to ensure its fulfillment also occurs in "first star" and birthday candle wishing rituals). 

Last weekend, Handy Man cooked an amazing chicken for dinner. I was cleaning off the carcass for some homemade chicken chili the next day and remembered the wishbone ritual we used to share as children.

I couldn't help myself but to clean off and save the wishbone for my two babes!

This morning after our pancake breakfast, I brought the kids into the kitchen and told them all about the wishbone. They were eager to give it a shot and see who would be the winner of the big wish for the day.

I made sure they each had a good, fair, grip and I counted to three...

My Brown Eyed Girl was the triumphant winner!

Mr Blue Eyes was not.
As disappointment crept up onto his face, my Brown Eyed Girl turned to him and said, "Don't be sad. You can have the wish." She handed him her longer piece.

I was full of surprise that she would be so gracious.

Mr Blue Eyes was shocked she was so gracious and he asked her if she was sure.

I think she may have had a moment of givers remorse. 

But when she finally said, "No you take it and make the wish," Mr Blue Eyes enveloped her in a great big brotherly hug.

Such a beautiful sight when your children are gracious and kind. Makes you feel proud to be a parent, proud to be their parent.

Mr Blue Eyes closed his eyes really tight and made his wish before skipping out of the room smiling. He was in search of Handy Man so that he could share the great news about the wishbone.

Still smiling, I looked at my Brown Eyed Girl and said, "Thanks for doing that honey. You made his whole day!"

She winked at me and said, "Don't tell him Mom, but I made my wish before I gave him the gross bone." And with that she hummed her way out of the kitchen leaving this old mom shaking her head. 

Kids...

Paging Ms Tooth Fairy!

Kindergarten, turning 6... all of the stars have been aligning for this next milestone in our Brown Eyed Girl's little life!

Sunday night my very beautiful little girl LOST HER FIRST TOOTH!

We were sitting on the couch watching Mary Poppins when she chomped down on her little wiggly tooth and heard a crunch as it bent back in a way that was not of the norm. With eyes like saucers, she turned to me with a hint of panic in her voice and screeched, "Mom! I think I need to pull my tooth out... like TONIGHT!!"

Sure enough that one chomp had done a number on the poor little fellow that was still hanging on to her gum with all its might.

In true "You are your mother's daughter" fashion, I ran for my phone in order to get just one last photo (okay maybe 5) of her smiling face doting all of her original baby teeth.

That precious little tooth was the very first to appear in her tiny infant mouth. I can still remember the very first day I noticed that tiny white nub peeking up through her smooth gums as she smiled good morning to me. The most adorable little focal point for many more smiles that followed.

Now, just barely hanging on...

Excitement swept though the house. The whole family fascinated by this super wiggly little tooth. We were grinning and laughing and contemplating the best process for removal. 

We decided a tissue and a good yank was the best plan of action.
We agreed that a little dab of Ambosal couldn't hurt.

Dr Mommy prepped the tooth, situated said tissue and... choked!!!

I could not pull the tooth out. I was shaking like a leaf. Smiling a ridiculous smile. But when I gripped the tooth I couldn't get a good hold and I... choked. I failed.

Handy Man rolled his eyes and made some husky jab of, "Let Daddy do it. Mom is a wimp."

Mr Blue Eyes completely lost his mind in the excitement and was jumping on the bed in a tooth frenzy. 

Handy Man situated his tissue and...

CHOKED!!!

gave some lame story about his fingers being to big... the tooth too small... blah-blah you are a wimp too was all I heard coming out of his mouth.

Our Brown Eyed Girl looked both of us over like we had failed her. What kind of parents are you? Geesh... She decided maybe to let it go one more day.

We went back out in the living room to finish watching our movie and I told her to just keep wiggling it and it will come out.

About five minutes later, she asked if I would try again. She said it was freaking her out the way it now moved.

Drum roll please....

SUCCESS!!!

One tiny little pearl left in the palm of her little hand.

And a new toothless grin!

It's really quite amusing the full circle of it all. As babies we watch with patience as each new tooth emerges and celebrate the new addition in their tiny little grins. A few years later we find ourselves eagerly watching with patience as each little celebrated tooth then falls out...

Teeth are very celebrated!

The best part of this new evolution... THE TOOTH FAIRY!!!


When both of the kids were babies, Handy Man's grandmother made the kids Tooth Fairy Pockets to hang on the door for the Tooth Fairy. I had stored her little handmade treasure for her since she was a baby and could not wait for the day I would get to pull it out and share it with her.

Handy Man's grandmother, Betty Lou, and I shared a love for cross stitching. We used to talk about patterns and the different things you could cross stitch. She used to make the most treasured pillows out of many of her pieces. She and I always meant to sit down so she could show me how she turned them into pillows. I really wish I would have had an opportunity for her to show me...

Betty Lou had three boys of her own. She said she loved getting to add all of the lace and frills to things she made for the girls. My Brown Eyed Girl's Tooth Fairy Pocket was no exception.

The ruffle even has glittery thread in it. 

Call it Grandmother's intuition, she picked the perfect color of ribbon and fabric for the back. Purple. She must have just "known" to pick purple! The perfect finishing touch for my Purple Princess THE Tangled. 

I was showing my Brown Eyed Girl her little Tooth Fairy Pocket and explaining to her who made it and how the whole Tooth Fairy thing was about to work. When I got to the part about sticking the tooth in the little pocket on the back... we found a little note Great Grandma had written to her. I forgot she had done so.

"Dear Hailey,
I am your Great Grandma & when I lost a tooth when I was 5 or 6 years old I stuck it under my pillow & got a penny or two for it. Your Granpa got a nickle or a dime.
See what you can get.
Love,
Great Grandma"

I am so very glad I saved the little note for my Brown Eyed Girl. I just kept thinking, how special!

We tucked the little tooth safely in the pocket and hung it on the door.

My Brown Eyed Girl was concerned that the Tooth Fairy might not make it to her house with all the snow we got that weekend. I assured her that the Tooth Fairy was magic - like Santa - and snow was never a problem for her!

Bright eyed, bushy tailed and one tooth less, she greeted the day at 5:00 am...

The Tooth Fairy did not disappoint. A very cool $2 bill and a special little note from the Tooth Fairy herself.

The rest of the day she spent making awkward smiles towards strangers (hoping they would notice she lost her tooth.) The teacher gave her a special sticker and added her name to the list of classmates that had lost a tooth that year in school. She giggled at the way some of her words sounded different and the fact that she could feel her tongue in the gape when her teeth were clenched tight.

Mr Blue Eyes spent the entire day trying to make one of his little toofers loose (without much success.)

Story Time

If you read any of the mommy blogs or research websites you will hear how important reading is to your child. Reading aloud helps children acquire early language skills. Reading aloud helps children develop positive association with books and reading. Reading aloud helps children build a stronger foundation for school success.

I agree with all of that.

But I think more than anything, reading to my kids every night has helped develop a stronger relationship between us. As they grow older with every passing day, they are on the move—playing, running, and constantly exploring their environment. I too am busy running here and there, taking late calls and messaging people throughout my day.

Snuggling up with a book lets the three of us slow down and recapture that sweet, cuddly time I enjoyed so much when they were babies. There are some nights when they pull out the mother of all long books and for a split second I have to remind myself that this time is not a chore or a task. Reading is that nurturing activity that brings us closer together. The close to our day. The final way to wrap my arms around them and fill their ears with the sound of my voice before they drift off to sleep.

It is the one routine I love the most in my crazy, windy life.

All Wrapped Up

Wowza...

What a week of birthday shenanigans!

I am talking about a whole week of birthday girl fun.

Three days later, now that the dust has settled, I am still tired from all of the planning, pieces and fun we had. But most importantly, I am pretty sure this was an awesome birthday week for my Brown Eyed Girl (not sure how we are going to top it for next year...)

Last Saturday we kicked off the week with a Girls Day! Just a Mommy and a Brown Eyed Girl and a Grandma Day. We spent the morning painting with a Princess. This part of the day was a surprise for my Birthday Girl. In my head, I thought that she would jump up and down and be super excited to "meet" Rapunzel in person and paint a picture of her and the floating lanterns.

Instead, she clammed up and would hardly even smile. I couldn't tell if she was even having fun for most of the class - although she kept pace with us on the painting and did an excellent job.

She must have just tapped into her inner artist in order to remain very, VERY, focused throughout the class.

Grandma even got into painting those lanterns.

When we were done, we had three beautiful paintings to take home. She still looked so serious.

Rapunzel finally got her to crack a smile when they took a photo together. 

After painting, we went to lunch and then headed to our next stop of the day - the highlight of our Girls Day - the piercing place! Our Brown Eyed Girl really wanted to get her ears pierced this year for her birthday.

This was the main reason her birthday was stretched out so long. I was afraid to let her pierce her ears the same day as her party in the off chance that it was a complete disaster.

We received a lot of very helpful and educational information before she climbed up in the chair and was ready for glittery ear lobes!

She was ball of nerves mixed with sheer excitement!

The piercing lady got everything set up and organized. She squeezed my hand and I tried to casually comfort her nerves. I told her to take deep breaths and to squeeze my hand if it hurt.

A little marker on her ears as guides and she was all ready!

And the first one...

was done!

You might be asking yourself right now, "Where is the bulky-gun-thingy they use?" Well, after a lot of research and talking to other parents and friends, I decided not to take her to the typical mall kiosk or boutique to get her ears pierced. I took my beautiful daughter to a tattoo/piercing parlor.

(gasp... she did WHAT???)

Here was my reasoning:
- Boutiques and malls are not regulated by anyone. They are not required to sterilize their equipment between piercings. The piercers aren't required to obtain any official training or certification. And, I honestly did not want some high school girl piercing my daughter's ears.

- Piercing and tattoo parlors are regulated by the Health Department. They have standard procedures, are required to work with sterilized equipment, and are required to be licensed and certified as a piercing professional. In fact, they required a copy of her birth certificate and my ID to prove I was her mother and legally allowed to make the decision to allow my daughter to alter her little lobes. I felt comfort in that level of professionalism and cleanliness.

Not to fret, as you can see the lady was not scary looking. Her parlor was not scary looking. There wasn't heavy metal music playing in the background and scary dragons and skulls all over the walls. In fact, I almost felt like I was at a nail salon or something like that.

Okay back to the day...

So the first one was a shocker. It hurt, of course. But the second one is always worse! The element of surprise is gone and you know what is coming.

After the count of three, I watched my Brown Eyed Girl's face turn red, eyebrows wrinkle and her little chin quiver as she held back the tears.

This brave little cowgirl never shed a tear. She is tough as nails my friends! One tough cookie!

I will admit, after both ears were done she had this deer-in-the-headlights, whose-stupid-idea-was-this-piercing-thing-anyways kind of look on her face.

Holding a mirror, the woman asked my Brown Eyed Girl if she was ready to see her new pierced ears. She quietly nodded yes. The woman then looked up at me and said, "I don't think she wants to see them. Do you want to see your new earrings?"

A little louder, my Brown Eyed Girl said, "Yes."

And in a split second her dazed look changed to that of sheer joy as she took the first look at her sparkling new look.

It was all worth it!

She checked her ears out the whole way home!

The next day, I had to bake two dozen cupcakes for school. Because in Kindergarten, EVERYONE's mom brings cupcakes for their kid's birthday.

So we made and frosted 24 chocolate cupcakes with purple (duhhh) frosting.

I had to call one of my super star domestic friends in order to borrow her cupcake carrier thingy so that the cupcakes made it to school in one piece.

Pretty sure this contraption will be on my Christmas list this year! I foresee that this was only the first of many cupcake expectations in my furture.

On the REAL Birthday day, my Brown Eyed Girl requested pancakes for breakfast. I surprised her with some flowers and she got to use the "You Are Special Today" plate.  

In our family, of course she had to get her picture taken in front of the door.

The cupcakes were a success. All the kids loved them and there were 4 left over that I got to recycle at dinner for another round of Happy Birthday and candle blowing out after dinner.

She floated through the rest of the week collecting cards and some cash she planned to use towards new earrings.

This last Saturday we wrapped up the birthday shenanigans with her friend and family party. This year, she did not want a huge party with all of her classmates at one of those jumping bounce places. (wahooo) She just wanted to share the day with her blond sidekick and do more girl stuff.

Last month before going to Mexico I got a mani-pedi, she thought that was pretty cool. She asked me if she could have a "pedal-core" for her birthday. You bet! So I made an appointment for her two blonde buddies to join her for mani-pedis.

They looked so little in those spa chairs!

Boy did they think they were pretty cool!

Toes...

Nails...

When did they get so big?

They loved every minute of their mani-pedi's. I think I might regret this when she thinks she needs a polish change...

They are becoming the cutest little ladies!

After all the polish was dry, we headed back to the house for pizza, ice cream Sundays and a party. Mr Blue Eyes was super excited to see the girls. He had been patiently waiting for the Girls Day to be over.

I made sure to load the kids up with as much sugar as possible.

Another round of Happy Birthday.

The everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Sundays were a hit!

I hope my beautiful Brown Eyed Girl enjoyed her birthday week of fun. Six years have gone by so darn fast. But each day that she grows a little bit taller, a little bit older, I am amazed at what an amazing little lady she is becoming. These are the very best days of my life!