Fashion Models:
Chloe

I'd had a pretty busy day.

It was a hard day of cleaning house, sorting through paper-work, cleaning out the refrigerator - you know - a hard day.

I took a shower about 3:00 in the afternoon. If I hadn't had to go out, I wouldn't have done much with my hair, but I knew I was going to have to go pick Little Billy up at school at 4:00, so ... I blew dry my hair with a round brush and pulled some of it up on the top of my head with a barrette. Let's just say ... it was straight and clean and smooth looking, but ... it was not my usual style (curled up - poofed out - sprayed with tons of hairspray). Nor, was it necessarily attractive.

I didn't care.

It was clean.

So, the afternoon wore on. Into the evening, my twins arrive home from school after softball practice.

My husband and the twins have stopped by Sonic to pick up dinner for the family and Chloe brings my bag of food and my drink up to my room and sits it on my desk.

She looks at my hair.

She says -- "Your hair's different."

I laugh - from the look on her face. I say, "Yes it is."

She says, "I'm not sure I like it," squinting her eyes. "Sort of makes you look old," and she then has the nerve to sit on the edge of my bed.

I stop laughing.

"What do you mean - old?" I whimper.

"Like an old lady - you know - old."

I stand up and walk over to the mirror above my dresser to see my hair.

She stands up and turns to walk out of my room. She looks back and says, "That's okay ---- if that's the look you're going for," and she's gone.

Yep - I'm going for ... the old lady look!

On the upside ... I am left alone in my room, looking at my old-lady hair-do in the mirror. I reach up and take the barrette out, run my fingers through my smooth tresses - fluff it a bit - walk into the bathroom and spray it with a TON of hairspray. I look back into the mirror. "That's better," I say out loud. "Nothing a little hairspray can't fix," and ... it was totally better. It must have been that barrette. I threw that STUPID gold barrette back in the drawer and went back to my desk to enjoy my delicious chili-cheese fries and peach iced-tea. Okay ... I know - old ladies probably love peach tea - but ... there aren't many I know that order chili-cheese fries (I could be wrong about this.)

My twins are pretty smart girls.

They have always gotten really good grades in school and have taken challenging courses - always.

I was never that smart in school.

I'm still not all that smart.

Anyways ... recently, Chloe got a lower grade than she expected on an algebra II test.

She says that she was very upset when she got the test back and she began to cry. She says that a friend (a boy) that sits near her in the algebra class asked her why she was so upset and she explained, "I got a C," tears streaming down her face.

"You're upset, because you got a C?" the boy was confused.

"My mom will be mad," Chloe tried to explain, "She will probably take away my phone and then my IPOD and then ... she'll take away my books," more tears.

"She'll take away your books?" the boy asked, "How will you study?" he was even more confused.

"Not my school books, " she clarified, "The books I read just for ... fun."

She says the boy's eyes kind of glazed over and he said, "You do that ... read books for f-un?"

She and I could not stop laughing.

It's true.

Sometimes ... I threaten to take away their books.

On the upside ... You know that saying, "The apple does not fall far from the tree"? That saying does not always apply. When I was a kid ... my parents would have had to have threatened to ... MAKE ME READ A BOOK, as punishment! My girls ... I threaten to take them away (*throws head back and laughs loudly at the thought of how ridiculous this sounds - HAHAHAHAHAHA*)!

When my twins were tiny babies - I dressed them in ruffled socks, frilly dresses with bloomers and little shoes on their tiny feet - every single day - even if we were not leaving the house.

When my twins were tiny girls - I pulled their hair into piggy tails and adorned the sides of their heads with lovely hair bows to match their outfits.

When my twins were tiny girls - I dressed them in polka dots, plaids and all the most adorable girly outfits I could find.

When my twins grew up ...

They were NOT girly girls.

They were only EVER girly girls ...

When they were too young to argue with their mother about the dresses and hair bows and ruffles.

*sigh*

I do love a girly girl.

But ...

I love a tom-boy just as much.

I love to see a girl that can throw a softball or football or basketball as good as any boy.

I love to see a girl that enjoys the outdoors and is not afraid to work up a sweat.

I love to see a girl that gets along with a group of boys as well, if not better, than a group of girls.

I don't often see my twins do anything or wear anything that would be considered "girly" - NEVER!

So ... when Chloe came to me the other day and asked me if I could help her paint her nails - I nearly fell to the floor in shock.

It was black nail polish - not pink - but ... still!

So, I sat her in a chair across from me.

I had her place her hand on my knee.

I noticed that one thumb nail was painted - pretty darn perfectly.

I said, "Why, you did a good job painting that one nail - why didn't you paint all of them? Why do you need my help?" I looked into my sweet girl's face.

She smiled.

She lowered her head.

She glanced up through long, feathery eyelashes.

She said, "I ....... taped it off," in a tiny whisper.

I heard her and visions began to skip through my mind of ... duct tape or ... scotch tape ... blue painter's tape.

I laughed.

"You TAPED it off? To put polish on your finger - you TAPED IT OFF?" I could not stop laughing at the thought of how tedious this would make this normally not-so-difficult job.

"Yes," she giggled.

"What kind of tape did you use." I was just curious.

"Electrical tape," she confessed, still giggling.

"Chloe, Chloe, Chloe ..."

On the upside ... I have never heard of any GIRL taping off her fingers (like she was painting a dining room wall) to paint her nails, but ... I have to say --- it was the most PERFECTLY painted thumb nail I've ever seen. Hardly worth the 15 minutes it took her to do it - but ... an excellent job! I need to work with that girl. I don't want anyone to find out that this is how she has been doing this. I found it ironic that she approached this very GIRLY job - thinking very much like a boy.

-

I am sitting on my bed.

Chloe comes into my room and stands near me in her new outfit so I can see how she looks. I compliment her on her beautiful attire.

She turns to leave, walks out into the hallway and I say, "On your way downstairs, please take that pile of laundry to the laundry room and then will you bring me a couple pieces of bacon when you come back up?" I smile sweetly.

She turns back in my direction and says, "And then after that ... would you like me to paint the hallway?" and she smiles - not nearly as sweetly as me.

I say, "Yes - if you have time," and I smile right back at her.

On the upside ... Honestly - I couldn't get that child to paint her nails, let alone an entire hallway! She has never painted anything. She doesn't even KNOW how to paint. She doesn't KNOW how to do anything, aside from carrying things and retrieving things! I need to get to work on that. That girl is going to be 16 years old soon. She needs to KNOW how to paint before she leaves my house. There are lots and lots and lots of walls around our house that she could paint - to get in some practice. She should probably have just kept her little mouth shut. (*wheels a-turning now*).

When you were a tiny baby ... I would sing to you.

Sometimes ... you still would cry.

So ... I would choose a new song and then ...

I wish I had a song that I could sing to you today - my precious daughter.

I wish I had a song ... that would soothe your tears away.

I wish life was as simple as that ...

That a song would ease the pain ...

Would fill your heart with hope and joy ...

And ... make you realize that you are special.

I have no songs.

I have only my words.

Hear my words, Sweet Girl ...

Life is often filled with moments of tremendous sorrow and ...

I am with you in these days of sadness.

I am right by your side and I feel your pain.

I am doing my best to hold you up and yet ...

I know it is not enough.

But ...

Know this ...

You will survive this ...

I will survive this ...

We will survive this ...

And ...

We will be stronger because of the tears and ...

We will take this pain that weighs like a rock on our broken hearts and ...

We will lay it down ...

We will build a foundation ...

And ... you will stand tall upon it.

If I had a song ...

My precious daughter ...

I would pull you close to my heart ...

And ...

I would sing it to you.

-

Chloe and Courtney had to take a Speech summer course during the month of June.

One night, Chloe came to my room and explained, "I have to give a speech tomorrow. I have to talk about an invention. I have to come up with something - talk about why it is a good invention - why it should be made - you know?"

She stands next to my bed.

She waits.

She stays quiet.

She wants me ...

TO COME UP WITH THE INVENTION!

So ...

I begin to brain-storm.

My mind starts churning.

A bit of smoke begins to poof out of my ears.

I rattle off ...

"What about lamps with no cords."

She is not impressed.

"At least ... there needs to be cords in different colors - you know - designer lamp cords," I offer. "Cords to match the color of the floor - like wood color, " I giggle, "Or to match the carpet color."

She stays silent.

"How about colored kitty litter?" I am excited. "Like designer kitty litter - in different colors - to match your carpet," I smile real big.

She rolls her eyes.

"Like pink - to match pink carpet," I ramble, "Or blue - or purple - or gray - oh, no ... it already is gray - not gray - like red - like green ..." I can't stop smiling at my brilliant idea.

She sighs. "Who as pink carpet?" she is so negative.

"How about squeezable butter," I suggest.

"What do you mean?" she is curious.

"Like ... they have now for tomato paste." (*daughter gets a question mark above her head*) "They used to put tomato paste in cans - still do, I guess - but, they also have it in tubes now."

"What kind of tubes," she likes this idea.

"Like toothpaste tubes," I explain.

She scrunches up her face.

She walks away.

I say ...

"So what are you going to invent? Which one did you like?"

Not much response.

Then she says, "They all sound stupid - ridiculous," she is in a bad mood - hence the idea that we would let mom do the thinking for this project, but then ... we are absolutely not going to approve of any of the MAGNIFICENT ideas she might come up with.

On the upside ... I don't know what she decided on, but ... I was still yelling invention ideas out of my room and down the hallway, "Yes ... squeezable butter ... in different colors - YES - like pink and blue and purple ...... or Neapolitan - NEAPOLITAN BUTTER IN A TUBE ..." I yell ...... (*door slams shut to daughter's room*)

I am so unappreciated.