flea

I want a classic v-neck merino wool sweater that is not ridiculously tight or ridiculously loose, and most importantly is not incredibly cheaply made (generally in China). Few major stores make wool sweaters anymore; it's cotton or cashmere only. J Crew is sold out of their merino v-neck (besides being tight and pricey). Banana has one (for $60), but I got one just like this year's on clearance for $9 last year and that's about what it is worth - thin, pilled up after one wearing. I'd be willing to pay $60 for durable quality, but not for that. Maybe I need to go back to haunting ebay for vintage men's Pringle cashmere.

In other nonexistent things, I want 10 slim, adjustable waist, straight or bootcut pants (jeans, cords, whatever) NOT skinny, that are good quality and will last. Lands End has failed me entirely this year - skinny pants only for girls.

Basically, everything is so damn cheaply made these days. I hate it.

I took yesterday off work and was in bed, mostly actually sleeping, until 3pm. Yes, I am honestly sick. I am at work today, though sneezing and coughing my fool head off.

I am feeling very behind at work and in life. Luckily I am working this coming Sunday, so I have 8 hours of sitting at a desk with nothing to do to get caught up, right? Must plan: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Girl Scouts, and write 10,000 blog posts for work.

In bad news news, mr. flea is really not going to get a permanent job at his current workplace. His contract ends next august, and he did not get an interview for the job that has been posted, and the other job that may get posted is also not a good fit for his skills and background. So far he has applied for a permanent job in Dublin and is working on an application for another post-doc at Georgia Tech, which would mean evil commuting, but would let us keep the kids in their current school and so forth. Our goal is no more post-docs unless they mean we don't have to move; permanent jobs okay if they mean moving. But damn, moving with kids is so disruptive to them. Never mind the whole home ownership problem. Worst-case scenario is unemployment as of next September; next-to-worst case scenario would be mr. flea in a post-doc someplace far away and me living here with the kids. That would suck. Let's not have that, please, okay?

In good news I bought both kids flame Vans via Zappos and they came yesterday and Dillo is so in love with his it's darling. He outgrew his flame chucks, and Casper's skully vans-style sneakers were literally falling apart. And I paid for them out of ebay sales, so I win at frugality.

I bought Casper a Liberty of London sundress at Target just now. (Dillo got FLAME Converse, which I have coveted for a child of mine since before I had children.)

She told me in the dressing room that she thought she could get Ethan (her crush, not to be confused with Thomas, her boyfriend) to like her in this dress.

As we got into the car she asked mr. flea if she looked hot.
mr. flea: "You're a little too young for hot."
Casper: "How about sexy?"
me: "No, sexy is also for grownups."
Casper: "Darnit! Can I be cool?"
mr. flea: "Oh, you've got cool down."

I recently fell in love with some boots. Because I am the sort of person who always falls for the $$$ version of anything (seriously, when I was 13 my mother got me post-it notes that read "I have the simplest of tastes. I only want the best."), the boots I fell in love with are $332 Frye boots. These, to be specific. http://www.zappos.com/frye-veronica-slouch-cranberry?zlfid=111 Perhaps in saddle. (Side note: the people posting reviews mentioning that they've just bought their THIRD PAIR of $300 boots - I own a house and you don't, nyah nyah!)

On Sunday I had the bright idea that if I put $5 in an envelope every week, saved by the dint of not buying any vending machine candy or Jittery Joe's treats at work, I could buy myself the boots for Christmas 2010!

On Monday, I bought a $1 Three Musketeers. Just now I bought a $2.50 chocolate chip muffin. Sigh.

(ION, this week is TOO COMPLICATED. I want to call it off and come back next week.)

The clothing issue around camp has moved on to the shoes. (We haven't solved the clothing issue around clothes, per se - there are only three pairs of shorts/capris she will consent to wear right now, and she won't wear a skort or a dress to camp, but I do laundry on weekends and one load midweek anyway, and she doesn't mind wearing the same thing every other day, so we're coping.)

Here are the shoes my daughter owns:
1. New pink Stride Rite skimmer style sneakers. Bought a month ago by grandma. Make blisters if worn without socks. Are "embarrassing" to wear with socks. Worn today, with socks, in tears.
2. 3 year old Old Navy $1 flip flops that are too small. Naturally, these are her favorite shoes. These are the only shoes we have forbidden her to wear to camp; I want her to have more stability and foot protection, although in our daily argument about shoes she tells me that lots of other kids wear flip flops.
3. Black Keds sneakers bought in early spring that were her favorites and worn every day for the second half of the spring. Now are somehow horrible and "too small" (although the same size as her other shoes).
4. Navy crocs with no backs. She wore these without socks to camp yesterday and got blisters.
5. Multicolor crocs that have backs but are really too small (12-13 and she's a 1 now) and I should pull them and donate.
6. New Balance traditional athletic sneakers, bought new in January, rejected after a few wearings because she had trouble tying them. She wore them Wednesday to camp (without socks) and figured out how to tie them herself for the first time, but could not be persuaded to even think of them today.
7. Lands End Mary Jane trekkers which are purple and adorable and I kind of want a pair. Bought new this spring, with the intention of them being her default summer shoe. She wore them occasionally during the school year and now says she hates them.
8. Stride Rite black leather Mary Janes, bought for $5 on ebay, which is a good thing because she wore them once to school and will not consider them at all. I should resell these as there is no hope for them.

Eight pairs of shoes, all but two of them bought in the last six months, with her in on the choice. One pair that she will wear that doesn't cause blisters, and that's a pair of flip flops. Argh. Sigh.

So far, only one of her three bathing suits is "embarassing," and it's the rash guard one, and I am heartlessly making her wear it once a week when they have lengthy outdoor play in swimsuits at camp, to protect her skin.

I am listening to Pandora today. I am amused at the music I like but am a little ashamed to like (at this moment, Dave Matthews, Crash - which is perhaps improbably playing on my channel named Talking Heads).

We are invited to an informal reception for one of mr. flea's colleagues, who has married a woman named, get this, Charlotte Webb. !!! Mean parents!

I have been hankering to sew skirts and/or slips lately. I bought a simple skirt pattern on one of Sister's trips to Durham (possibly 2-3 years ago) and haven't opened it. I am also fascinated by the angry chicken 5-minute skirt pattern (http://angrychicken.typepad.com/angry_chicken/2008/07/5-minute-skirt.html). I have two too-big skirts that could be adapted and cut down to cute knee-length skirts - one is immense (maternity and a much-gathered elastic waist, so lots of volume of fabric to work with). I'd love to make another from new fabric (POLKA DOTS, anyone) and also make some lovely half-slips in jewel-tone silk or fake silk.

Of course, my sewing machine is currently serving as our computer desk. Also, I have no time. And if I made time, and dug out the sewing machine, Dillo would be a Giant Pain In The Ass getting into my sewing supplies and wanting to help and stuff. (I know this because I remember clearly how Casper was a Giant Pain In The Ass when I was working on Dillo's baby quilt - the last thing I sewed - when she was almost exactly the age Dillo is now.)

So, okay for wedding in May? (Yes, I am directing all my anxiety into what I will wear.) Even though the purple dress and purple shoes don't match? Since nobody wears hose any more, what do I do if it's cold? Is it ridiculous to consider buying a $72 Spanx slimming slip to wear under a $25 Target dress? Yes, I am bulgy about the middle.

Am I nuts for considering buying one of those swimsuits with a little skirt? Not because I am ashamed of my ass - I actually think I have a rather nice ass, although it is admittedly blinding white and somewhat cottage-cheesy - but because I hate shaving my bikini line, but can't bring myself to overcome societal prejudice and just go hairily forth.

So, are swimsuits with skirts always super-duper-dowdy, or could they be cute and charmingly retro or ironic?

I hate being female sometimes.

Friends, I am looking at a 4-hour desk shift this evening, with (likely) precious little to do during it (except worry that my husband is taking the children to the circus, again).

What is your favorite brand of oh-so-cute, possibly over-the-top, insanely-expensive children's clothes? I have been looking at Tea Collection and wishing the cute little dresses came in sizes larger than 5. I need to move on. Baby clothes are acceptable substitutes, but I'd prefer to browse ridiculous(ly cute) things my children (sizes 2t/3t and 6) might actually fit into.

Yes, it's July 9 and hotter'n heck, but yesterday the opening salvo of the fall shopping season arrived, in the form of the Lands End backpacks and fall preview kids catalog. It was followed two hours later by an email from Hanna Andersson letting me know their first fall pieces were up and some were even on sale! I expect LL Bean to weigh in any day now.

So, I'm imaginary shopping for the kids, what I always do when the catalog season turns. Casper actually needs stuff for the fall, having outgrown a lot. We were sort of scraping the barrel on some items towards the end of the winter. And happily her birthday is 8/28, so fall clothes make a nice timely present.

She needs:
-tights, badly, I think only 1 pair still fits. HA are on sale for $14 for the plain ones and $22.50 for the patterned; LE are 3 for $25 and they have some cute stripes and horsie ones at that price.
-jeans; has none that fit. Question is to but girl cut or boy cut so Dillo can wear them later. I'm thinking girl, because she has tended to wear stuff pretty hard lately so there's no guarantee they'd make it to Dillo. LE has some nice plain flares and boot cuts with adjustable waist for $25.50.
-fleece, ideally zip-front with a hood. I can't find anything right at LE (no hoods) but American Apparel has some polka dot a striped fleece hoodies on their web site that might be a possible. If I can bring myself to buy from them, as the company founder is a sexist asshat (with whom I went to high school). Or look at LL Bean.
-backpack that her nice new $10 Target lunchbox will fit in. Either LE or LL Bean may do; LE has "junior" sizes (age 4-7) which would be nice, and nice colors like garnet and blackberry that she would like but would also pass on to Dillo. Not cheap, but sort of an investment - should last.
-other pants of some kind - I think she only has 3 pairs of fall pants that fit. Nothing is thrilling me on the cuteness/price index right now; Target may be a solution.
-for a present, I think I am going to get her this brown horsie skirt:
http://www.landsend.com/pp/AppliqueSkort~173147_1187.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::RIB&CM_MERCH=IDX_00004__0000000418&origin=index
-they also have some cute mid-calf striped leggings, to wear under skirts, that I may not be able to resist.
-assess state of basic black Mary janes - may need new for size/wear issues.

Already purchased:
-pink sparkly Keds, for her birthday
-Grandma has bought a red and white striped Hanna dress in a 120


Dillo's needs are less clear to me - he got a lot of 2T clothes at the end of the winter and I suspect they will still fit for at least the start of the fall. And there's at least some 3T in waiting from Casper. Also, boy clothes are just not so fun to shop for, let's face it.