Raising a daughter

It seems that Erin grows taller every night. At 10 (11 next week) she still hasn't mastered doing her own hair, so on school days and Sunday I do it for her. Last time we measured she was 5' 3" so the new setup in the bathroom is a small chair where she sits so I can reach the top of her head. It's a melancholy feeling to see her growing up. Many days I want to push a magic button and slow time down. I look at pictures of her from even last year and she has changed. For one thing her feet are HUGE - bigger than mine which has its advantages because she likes trendy shoes. Last year we bought her a pair of shoes in a size 8 for the Daddy Daughter Dance and now they are too small. Guess who gets them now? Yes, me! They're great shoes to slip on early in the morning on my way to seminary.

I remember exchanging clothes with my mom. Mostly sweaters - it brings back so many memories. You know how your mind wanders as you jump from memory to memory? Thinking about sharing clothes reminds me of my graduation from having my laundry done for me and doing my own. It happened sometime during my teenage years. I don't know how, but on SEVERAL occasions I would wash a red sock with my whites - instant pink clothes. A red sock you ask? Yes, in the 80's it was a big deal to wear socks that matched to color of your top. I really like red. I digress.

As I shopped for presents this year for Erin I realized that she is moving from toys to more practical things. She received a hairdryer, straightening iron, boots, and a jewelry box to name a few. Most of those she had asked for, so I wanted to find something that would be a surprise. I don't know if you know, but nails are HUGE for teenage girls right now (at least around here)....lots of fun colors (who wouldn't want to wear a color called "meet me at sunset" or "decadent dish"), vinyl that can adhere to your nail and techniques to make your nails a work of art. If you doubt me watch this video:



Once you watch the video I'm sure you'll ask yourself if we've tried out this technique. So in advance, yes we have. It's fun and very time consuming.

So I found on Amazon (yes, I did most of my shopping there this year. I love you Amazon Prime.) "stamps" for your nails. Again, here is a video if you're intrigued:



Secretly this 40+ mom wanted to try the stamps and what better way than to buy them for Erin as a gift.

There is a learning curve in using the stamps and despite what people say we did find that the "special Konad polish" worked better than the regular polish we had. It's not as time consuming as the nail marbling, but does take some time.

I waited a while before I tried them on myself because after all they were a present for Erin. One disappointing thing about stamping is you spend all of that time making your nails beautiful and in a couple of days they are chipped. For more than I year I have been painting my nails with GELISH a special polish that cures under a UV lamp (many people recognize the brand Shellac that is used in salons). This polish is seriously AMAZING. It lasts for a least two plus weeks without chips or signs of wear. So I combined the two polishes and here is my result. I think it looks pretty cool and I feel like a hip 40+ year old mom. Maybe soon Erin will start asking to wear some of my sweaters?

I had to really zoom in so you could see the design.
Please don't be distracted by the wrinkles and the unusual shininess of my hands.
I had just put lotion on them to try and hide the wrinkles. Result: Shiny Wrinkled Hands.