momindcity, Author at Mom in DCity

Monet, Butts and Other Family Values

September 24, 2013 by momindcity 1 Comment

We’re almost a month into the school year now and time is definitely not flying. It doesn’t help that “I don’t waaaannnaaaagotaschoooool” replaces “good morning” most days.

There’s crying while I force Zana into her uniform, crying while we decide whether we’re walking or biking, and then extreme sobbing that can be heard across the school when I leave her in her classroom.

Sweet moments like this one are rare, but give me hope that one day those eyes will be dry.

Not interesting in going home after school

Despite what I’ve witnessed, Zana’s teacher says she’s having a fantastic year. She sends photos and stories throughout the day that paint an entirely different picture of our little Debbie Downer.

When they were coming up with their list class expectations, the teacher sent a list of each child’s suggestions to the parents:

“no spitting”
“no hitting”
“no biting”
“no kicking”
“no showing your butt to your friends”– Zana

Family values, ladies and gentlemen. That’s what we’re all about. No showing your butt to your friends. It’s something Dave and I remind each other of on a daily basis because, let’s be honest, you’ll probably want to at some point during the day.

Luckily, the other kids parents still smile at us in the morning… or maybe they’re smirking. Anyway, I’ll take it. I know they’re just jealous of how well our daughter can articulate all that’s important in life in one short sentence… about butts.

So when I got today’s email, with the subject line “what did you do when you weren’t at school?” I held my breath for the replies.

“played at home”
“ate ice cream”
“slept so much” (clearly not Zana)
“played hopscotch”
“went to a museum, saw the Monet paintings” – Zana

Ha!

Zana’s Parents 1
All You Other Moms and Dads 0

And so what if Zana didn’t really go to a museum this weekend. So what if she went to a mildly sketchy nail salon on H street for a blue manicure instead.

According to that email, Zana’s parents are some classy people. We don’t show our butts to anyone… not even our friends.

Good-bye Vacay, Hello Real World… Womp Womp

September 3, 2013 by momindcity 10 Comments

For all 3 of you who’ve been stalking momindcity.com anxiously waiting for my next post… stop biting your nails, the wait is over. The summer of 2013 has definitely been one to remember. We took our first overseas family vacation! Kosovo, Albania, Germany, and Austria in 4 weeks. Plus, we spent a week at the beach in Delaware before that. How does a working mom get this much time off? My job gives a 5 week sabbatical every 5 years. Crazy, right?!

Here’s a quick recap of why I’ve been off the grid for the past couple of months:

Bethany Beach Highlights included ice cream multiple times a day and the introduction of the “bra-kini,” which you may call a bikini at your house.

sisters at beach — Wearing their bra-kinis.

Kosovo, the youngest country in Europe This is where I spent every summer of my childhood; it’s home to my extended family, and now the place where Lira and Zana want to move (I felt the same way when I was a kid). The castle in Prizren had a breathtaking view of the city.

Yay Prizeren Castle! — People were taking pictures of me attempting to take this picture.

We also spent time in the mountains, and on the family farm:

Kid-friendly castle halfway up a mountain — Castle halfway up a mountain near Decan

Albania Add the Adriatic Sea to your list of beaches to visit. I won’t forget our wonderful time in Vlora, but I do hope to forget whatever stomach but took us all down; ~~Montazuma’s~~ Enver Hoxha’s Revenge is no joke.

The best of our 50+ attempts at a family photo — Don’t worry, I’m wearing my bra-kini.

Munich and Salzburg Our trip to Germany and Austria was quick– just 3 days. We explored castles, gardens (flower and beer), enjoyed hearty German food and exhausted ourselves properly for the 9 hour flight home.

Back to the Grind We got back to DC 2 weeks ago. The girls started school last week– 1st grade (gasp!) and pre-school, and Dave immediately went back to work. I decided to do a 10 day in a row Bikram Yoga challenge to cleanse the vacation damage out of my system and shock my body back into reality. Now it’s time to shock my mind. Heading back to work this morning… womp womp

Capitol Hill Moms are Not Dance Moms

June 27, 2013 by momindcity 4 Comments

We’re taking the summer off from dance. It’s the first time in four years that we won’t have a dance class every Saturday. We have a lot of plans this summer, and dance just doesn’t fit into the equation. I’m not sure what that means for her So You Think You Can Dance future, but we’re risking it.

Lira’s first dance recital was a couple of weeks ago. She’s been waiting for it since she started taking classes at Joy of Motion when she was 2 years old. The recital was everything she hoped and dreamed of—the lights, the costumes, the hair. It was just like an episode of Dance Moms except the kids aren’t wearing half shirts and bootie shorts, Miss Crystal is no Abby Miller, and Capitol Hill moms are definitely not dance moms. In fact, they’re pretty much the opposite. For example…

They don’t know a thing about hair. I may have had to watch a YouTube video (or 3) to learn how to do a proper ballerina bun, but I did it! Not everyone got the bun badge of honor, though. One mom who shall not be named actually took her kid to a barber shop to avoid dealing with the hair nets and donuts (not the Dunkin’ kind).

They don’t dress their kids like Jean Benet-Ramsey. There wasn’t a set of red lips, a trace of body glitter, nor a single half shirt in sight. And based on the snack choices, it didn’t look like anyone had put their kid on the proper dance diet either. (Don’t you people know how many calories are in those granola bars? Sheesh)

They Don’t Show the Proper Dedication. The recital was about 45 minutes from the Hill… and boy were there complaints… and forgotten ballet slippers… and tights… and hair bows. A few kids didn’t even show up to the “mandatory” dress rehearsal and at least 2 showed up in sundresses and sandals.

Abby Miller would be appalled… and so would a lot of people I know from high school who actually are proper dance moms (I’m from Texas, you know). And they’d really be appalled to know the #1 dilemma faced by Capitol Hill moms of girls: dance vs. soccer. They’re at the same time on Saturdays. What’s a Barber Shop Mom to do???

10 Reasons You Can’t Get Married in Kindergarten

June 7, 2013 by momindcity 2 Comments

Lira’s about to graduate from Kindergarten, which can only mean one thing… it’s time to get married! At least, that’s what some of the boys in her class seem to think. I mean, she did get her ears pierced so she’s all grown up and it only makes sense- right?

When I was her age, I used to chase boys around the playground singing Kenny & Dolly’s “Islands in the Stream,” but I didn’t actually want to marry them. I just wanted to profess my undying love. No one in between… how can we be wrong? Sail away with me…

One boy, who felt our connection, picked apart a daddy longleg and eat it one leg at a time to prove his manliness. That’s real love.

But kids these days just want to rush things. Lira comes home with “so-and-so wants to marry me,” or “so-and-so tried to kiss me,” every other day. Dave and I just look at each other, terrified.

Since Lira can’t fit into my wedding dress yet, we had to nip this thing in the bud. On a recent hike through Cabin John, we had a serious conversation about why she can’t marry the latest boy who wants to tie the knot with her.

We told her there were at least 10 reasons that was a bad idea. And Ms. Sassy Pants needed to hear all 10 of them. Here’s what we came up with.

He still lives at home with his parents.
He doesn’t have a job.
He hasn’t even graduated.
He wanted to marry your friend last week.
His friend also wants to marry you (and that’s just awkward).
He didn’t give you a ring. (come on Lira, haven’t I taught you anything?)
He hasn’t asked for our blessing.
She doesn’t have enough money in her piggy bank to pay for the wedding.
The divorce rate is extremely high for marriages between six year olds.
He tried to kiss you and hasn’t even asked you on a date—that’s just ungentlemanly.

Lira giggled harder at each one on the list, and I think we bought ourselves some time. No wedding bells until at least 2014. Whew…

Did I miss any reasons? Let me know in the comments section.

Ear Piercing and Being Brave… Twice

May 21, 2013 by momindcity 26 Comments

Lira has never been a daredevil. If I weren’t her mom I might call her a chicken—Bbrrk, brroock, broock, brk-ooock. So I was surprised on Saturday when she said to me, on the way back from a birthday party, “Mom, I want to get my ears pierced.”

Really??? Just the other day she told me (Taylor Swift-style) that she would “never ever ever—like ever” get her ears pierced.

“Are you feeling brave?” I asked. She nodded.

I decided to seize the moment. We were almost home when I turned the car around and drive to the mall. We tried calling and texting Dave on our way there. No answer. I made an executive decision: this was happening.

When we got to Pentagon City we headed straight to Icing, which is supposed to be a classier Claire’s. Lira picked out tiny green daisy studs and sat in the chair without an ounce of fear. “You scared?” I asked. She told me she wasn’t. “Just nervous,” she said.

"Not scared, just nervous." — “Not scared, just nervous.”

The piercer distracted her with talk of princesses and, before we knew what happened, one ear was pierced… and then the other. Not a tear in sight! Who is this kid???

We walked (actually, she skipped) back to the car and tried calling Dave again to share the news. He congratulated her, told her he was proud of her and then asked to talk to me. Uh oh. He was not happy. He said “6 is too young! She’s growing up too fast! Why not let her be a kid for as long as possible?” But to me this isn’t a kid vs. grownup thing. This is about bravery. I was so proud of her. But more importantly, she was so proud of herself.

Lira shared her ear-piercing experience at show-and-tell, and came rushing home to give me a hug and tell me about it. But there was just one problem… one of her earrings was missing!

We rushed back to the mall, this time with Dave and Zana in tow. The hole was closed! Apparently, in the first 6 weeks, the hole closes as soon as the earring comes out. The only thing to do was re-pierce that ear. Time to test just how brave Lira really was.

Don’t worry, she did fine. The real spectacle was Zana sitting on Dave’s shoulders sobbing and drooling into his hair, then rubbing it in for good measure– all because she wanted her ears pierced too. Between Dave’s nervous sweat and Zana’s tears, we gave that place a bath.

Bravery has never been Zana's issue — Bravery has never been Zana’s issue.

By the way, if you notice in pictures that she’s wearing two different earrings, it’s because the store was out of the green daisies. So there’s a white one to in one ear and a green one in the other. We know better than to try to switch out the other earring to match.

How old were you when you got your/your daughter’s ears pierced? Was it an ordeal or no-big-deal?