THE Brown Flip-Flops

Molly has had an obsession with flip-flops.  Now she will wear almost any kind of flip-flop, but BROWN flip-flops are what she has wanted.  She wears palm tree blue ones, hot pink beach ones, purple ones, clear ones with big jewels on them….not to mention the other types of shoes around here…..

BUT this morning at the park there was a little girl running around.  I spotted them first, then watched for Molly’s eyes to find them, too.  Sure enough, here she comes, “Mama, look at her shoes.  Brown flip-flops.”  I told her that if Ruby wanted to share her $5 that she got from the tooth fairy, then we would go to Old Navy and buy some flip-flops because I would love to have several more shoes lying all around the house for me to put away or for me to help the kids search for when they can only find one.  When Ruby was ready to go, we all walked home so she could get the money and we could pile in the car for the Old Navy!  I seemed to have forgotten that I had not one stitch of make-up on my face or that I had worked out to that silly Jillian’s 30-Day Shred that SAYS it is only 20 minutes long, yet it feels to be an hour long.  (Have I mentioned that I think I am just old?  Things hurt that used to not.  Jumping around the living room like a teenager doesn’t help this sad fact.)  

*****SIDE STORY:  In case you think we are crazy for giving our child $5 from the tooth fairy, think again.  We didn’t.  In line at Wal-Mart the other day, an older lady was so sweet and got to talking to us while we waited to check out.  She asked me if I minded if she gave Ruby $5 for her birthday….after the awkwardness, I said that she could and helped Ruby to say thank you and hug this perfectly nice stranger.  The next day Ruby was eating an ice cream cone and her tooth came out!  Yipee….Josh forgot to put money under her pillow because that is his job you know….so I grabbed the $5 bill and took it upstairs and told him to stick it under her pillow.  I didn’t have a $1 bill.  Ruby went and checked her pillow (she had forgotten, too), and said to me, “MOM!  This is that money the lady gave me at Wal-mart.”  I froze.  Josh saved the day by saying, “Yeah, this looks like the one the lady gave you because it has a 5 on it….What do you want for breakfast?”  It was very funny.  I am glad Ruby wanted to share her birthday money/tooth fairy money so everyone could get some flip-flops.*******

Back to the flip-flops.  I picked Molly’s brown flip-flops up, then helped Mack pick a boy pair of flip-flops out…he has been wearing the girl’s flip-flops around the house.  It’s just not right.  He now has BOY FLIP-FLOPS.  Ruby chose some silver ones.  Cute.  Then, Molly wanted pink ones.  She begged for pink ones as if they were the ones she has always wanted, not the brown ones.  After going back and forth with her, I looked at the sign  “2 for $5 OR $3.50 each”  Well, it just wouldn’t make sense to only get three.  We needed to get four anyway—we’d miss the complete deal of “2 for $5.”  So, somehow Molly got out of there with TWO pair of flip-flops, and one each for Ruby and Mack….with Ruby’s money…..oh my.  I told myself that she does get all the hand-me-downs while Ruby gets the new clothes; that brought peace to my troubled heart.

Then, the kids immediately put on their flip-flops.  Mack has MUCH trouble keeping his on his feet!  It is such fun for me to try and squeeze his chubby, sweaty, block foot into the flip-flop.  He just needs to relax his toes, but he doesn’t.  After I put them on his feet, I say, “Now, you keep these shoes ON.”  He say, ” ‘kay” every time.  “This time I really mean it, Mack.  Try to keep them on.”  ” ‘kay.”  And then he proceeds to walk right out of them.  It could be a very long summer.

(This doesn’t even show the ones that are randomly left in the back yard or the ones that are piling up in my car.  Nor does it show the cute ones that I really wanted to pick up at the store just today.  I held back because if I am going to be picking up everyone else’s flip-flops, I will not have time to find my own.)