Red Day

I was so proud of my back-to-school shopping this year. I actually started early in the summer, and did it online. I sifted through websites with coupon codes, and combed through all the stores clearance sections. After all, the stuff they have on the rack at the beginning of the summer is already their winter selections, so I figured clearance is a great place to go. I saved a butt-load of money, and got the kids a pretty good amount of clothes to start school with. So, this week went great, clothes-wise, and my kids looked handsome or cute (depending on if your talking about the boy or the girl). Enter Friday. Do you remember the Kinder Kate blog where Kate told me she had to wear red, but didn't know the day she had to? Well, Thursday, I found out that she had to wear red on Friday. Yes, yes, in the back of my head I assumed it would be Friday that she had to wear red, afterall I have had one kid do this kindergarten thing before. On the otherside of my head, I thought, well.. if the teacher hadn't said anything yet, maybe they are doing the colors for two weeks.. or maybe I was just being lazy and didn't find her anything to wear. Choosing to worry about other things besides what my daughter was going to wear on red day. I should have worried a wee bit more. Thursday night, I was trying to figure out what she was going to wear. Hmm, she has a denim skirt with a red belt with white polk-a-dots. She could wear a white shirt, but at least the belt would be red. Then, I found an old 4th of July shirt that was red. Well, I thought, she could wear that.. but NAH, she would look PWT (poor-white-trash) and we don't want that. Plus, that shirt is getting a little small, and it says "happy 4th of July"--definitely out for the school she goes to. Lets just say, at this school, WE are the kids on the "other side" of the track... if ya getmydrift. So, I did what any other good mom would do. Hmmm.. I'll sit here and watch reruns of THE OFFICE and get my mind off the stress. And that it did. I went to bed forgetting all about Red Day. So, this morning the alarm goes off. Red Day quickly enters my head. oh, craaaaaaaaaap. well, i'll just get her denim skirt and make her wear her white shirt (that she wore the day before -- another PWT option) with the denim skirt and red belt. Only problem.. said denim skirt is in the dirty clothes. Now, I'm not one that has to have clothes crisp and clean. Heck, I'll admit it, I even take clothes out of the "dirty" pile once in a while (read.. "three times a week")and put them on my kids, or even.. myself (shameful, yes... I'm trying to keep up with the laundry.. really, I am!) but, alas, this time the skirt was WAY too dirty.. even for my standards. Well, dang, where does that leave me? I go in her closet and dig through her clothes. And then I found it, the only other red thing in her closet. A hawaiian "shirt". Yup, it was red and it was going on her body. (much to her protest--THIS LOOKS FUNNY.. I CAN'T WEAAAAAAAAAR THIIIIIIIIIIIIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!). I found some khaki capris to put on her and some white tennis shoes (they pretty much have to wear tennis shoes b/c I can't ever remember if its a freakin' PE day, or art day, or whatever day.. and heaven knows, the ONE day I put her in sandals she would have PE, and then have to sit out, and then she would be HORRIFIED). Innocent enough, right? Well, no. Lemme explain. The hawaiian "shirt" was apparently a freakin' DRESS. I thought it looked dress like, but when we have 5 minutes until we have to get out the door, I don't care what it is, it's going on her body. I didn't find out until after school when I texted the friend who "handed down" the shirt, that said shirt was a dress. Cute. When I went to pick her up, and I saw her at the little cone waiting on me, I was horrified. That can't be MY child.. let alone Donna Bennetts granddaughter! (My mom ALWAYS had me dressed perfectly for school, and my hair was always perfect, clothes ironed.. you know, what good moms do. She made sure I was dressed to the "T" --whatever that means.) The shirt/dress she was wearing was all wrinkled with the inner seams looking like they were on the outside because, yes, it was THAT wrinkly. The khahi capris were now pants. Guess them capris were a little long, dontchathink? (said in my best hick voice), and her shoes were more of a "dirty gray" than white. All the white "paint" (whatever it is that colors the shoe that color) was chipping off the shoes, and they are also about 2 sizes to small. Luckily, the shirt/dress covered her hiney from where her pants were falling down to her ankles.. but at least the pants at the ankles covered up the shoes that were too small. Oh well, at least her hair was cute.. oh wait IT WASN'T. I really need to wake up better in the morning. I did her hair in two clips. I THOUGHT the clips were red. They were pink. By the end of the day, they were falling out, and just hanging on by one strand of hair on both sides. As I'm staring at her waiting for me at the cone I'm thinking, DOES THAT POOR GIRL HAVE A MOTHER?????? OH WAIT, THAT POOR GIRL IS MY DAUGHTER!!! A part of me wanted to keep driving past her cone. I couldn't admit that I dressed my daughter that way! Plus, Noah would run after me. Kate would try, but her pants would probably fall all the way to the ground. (who knew SHE would be my "pants on the ground" kid!?). So, I pulled up and braced myself for the teacher to open the door and let my poor PWT child in---at least Noah looked decent-- When the teacher opened the door, I looked at Kate and said, "silly daddy put you in that today??" Luckily Kate said, "Hey, you dressed me" AFTER the door was closed!
I guess wearing dirty clothes to school isn't as bad as I thought....