Ivy Teaches Story About Digestion

Often, Ivy feels the need to instruct Story on the ways of the world. While eating pizza in the back seat, Ivy decided to teach Story about a process called "indigeshun."

IVY: Story, did you know that this pizza will turn to poop in your body?

STORY: what??

IVY: it's called indigeshun. You chew the pizza and it is in your mouth.

STORY: I don't have poop in my mouth.

IVY: no! Listen! Then it goes in your throat.

STORY: I have poop in my throat?

IVY: No! Your throat goes to your tummy. And the food goes to your tummy. And then it goes into....mommy?

ME: yes?

IVY: what's that tube after your tummy called?

ME: the intestine?

IVY: yes, Story, the food goes to your small testine.

STORY: I have a test?

IVY: No! TESTINE! Then it goes to your big testine.

STORY: how big is my testine?

IVY: And then it goes to the toilet.

STORY: I don't put food in the toilet. That's where the poop goes.

IVY: No, Story, it's poop then!

STORY: but when is the food poop?

As much as I was enjoying this science lesson, Ivy started to tell her the whole process AGAIN and I changed the subject.

And only Ivy could continue eating her pizza at this point.

Fashionistas!

I know, I've been absent. It's been very busy...research papers due, band concerts, band trips, moving...

But moving to a new house has given my children a new freedom- going outside. It's not that they couldn't play outside before, but I always had to go with them (no fence and a million strange men driving by on golf carts)...and I'm a lazy and bad mom. I'd much rather do laundry than sit outside with my kids, a choice they could never fathom: Why do we need clean clothes??

In our new house, though, we have a totally fenced in yard with many windows overlooking it. They can go outside together without telling me. How exciting is that?? In the few months they've been doing this, I've noticed a rather alarming trend. Instead of wearing shorts and a t-shirt outside (comfortable clothes that they can get dirty), they dress up to play like they're going to the preschool prom!

What are the rules of dress for outside play according to Ivy and Story? Skirts. Always skirts. Or dresses. And it seems as though the less the articles of clothing match, the better.

If I didn't force them to wear tennis shoes or sandals, they'd be riding their bikes in cream colored patent leather heels or 3 inch wedge sandals. In this picture, Story has mixed a selection of Ivy's clothing together with her own flip flops (Mommy's suggestion). And Ivy is bedecked in her former clothes that are now Story's. I guess I should applaud them for sharing??

Bathing suits and printed tights also acceptable. Christmas dresses and snow boots equal outdoor fashion awesomeness.

Princess ball gowns over Spongebob pajamas...look for it in the fall on runways everywhere.

And the number one rule of play fashion?? ANY T-shirt Mommy forces you to wear can be instantly made acceptable by the addition of a too-short gauzy tutu.


I often beg for them to just wear some normal playclothes, and to limit their outfit changing to once a day, requests that are ignored and laughed at. Every day, especially in the summer, is a fight to express themselves through clothing!

For Mother's Day, my present from them was that they "would wear anything that Mommy wanted them to all day, without crying about it." It was a nice gesture.

If I don't post again for a couple of months, you'll know it's because I'm too busy laundering tights and bathing suits and tutus.