A Messy, Fun Fourth

How was my 4th of July, you ask?  This photograph, ladies and gentlemen, will answer that question:  

Filled with messes, and therefore, filled with fun!

If you read my 4th of July post, you recognize this shirt, only then it was in a much cleaner state.  I took the picture above earlier today just before throwing my daughter's shirt in the washing machine.  

The picture doesn't quite do the real thing justice.  

It was completely covered in who-knows-what from top to bottom.  I tried to figure out what a couple of the stains were but gave up after retracing her steps from the day.

Some of the places she may have acquired her 4th of July stains included...

• A breakfast of drippy yogurt and juicy blueberries and raspberries
• Half-frozen Popsicles and endless sticky candy that she gathered at the parade
• Sunscreen we slathered on her as she watched her cousins play in a 3-on-3 tournament
• BBQ meatballs or chip dip she snacked on before jumping in her aunt and uncle's pool
• Baked beans she scarfed down or the ketchup and mustard she licked off her hot dog at dinner
• Any of the 4 brownies she ate for dessert
• The Capri Sun she sipped on doing sparklers and watching fireworks before she finally collapsed in bed around 11:00pm

A day filled with food, family and fun...and lots of reasons to be messy!  

When "Clean" Isn't All It's Cracked Up to Be

I remember a time when I was a relatively new mom and I tried to keep my son "clean."  His clothes.  His hands.  His car seat.  And then I realized that I could spend every waking minute of every day trying to keep him clean, and I would be doing just that: trying.  Getting him clean was one thing.  Keeping him clean for more than 7 minutes was an entirely different thing.  

It would never ever happen.  Ever.  

It was then I figured out that I could spend my time trying to achieve the impossible, and drive myself completely crazy and miss out on enjoying all the fun moments that come with the mess, all the while preventing my son from actually having any real kid fun or just simply being a kid.  Or I could not worry so much about the mess and instead focus on the fun that usually came during the creation of the mess.

This has become the mantra around our house:  "If you're messy, it means you're having fun."  

This is for me as much as it is for my kids.  It always makes them laugh when we say it, and when I hear their giggles, it helps put the mess in perspective for me.  So far, every mess we've encountered has been able to be cleaned up.  Sometimes it takes a little elbow grease or a few more cycles through the washing machine, but in the long run, the fun had making the mess was well worth it.

This shirt and our 4th of July fun yesterday were no exception.  

I know there will come a day when my daughter has a fun-filled 4th of July, and the only way I'll have any proof of it will be through the stories she tells me and the memories I have of the day.  There will be no messes left behind on her 4th of July shirt.  

I fear that day will come all too soon, so for now, I'll take a shirt covered with food, sunscreen and whatever else she got into, and treasure it for just a few extra minutes before I throw it in the washing machine.  For the second time.

Don't worry.  Messy kids are usually happy kids, and that means You Are a Good Mom.  

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A Very Independent 4th of July

Dear T-shirt Designer at Crazy 8,

I don't know exactly when or how, but obviously you have met my daughter.  Or observed my daughter.  Or heard my daughter telling me she can do basically everything "by myself!" across a crowded store somewhere.  That is the only way you would have known to design this T-shirt just for her.  

I am a sucker for holiday wear for my kids, no matter the holiday, and 4th of July is no exception.    I love checking out all the cute, fun 4th of July shirts, shorts and dresses that come out every year.  Nothing is off limits.  Department stores, kids clothing stores, and yes, even while grocery shopping, I have been known to take a detour to the seasonal section just to see what red, white and blue clothing they may have recently unveiled.  

But I have to say, when I came across this one, I knew there was no more window shopping to be done.  This was it.  This was the one.  This completely sums up my very independent daughter.  

So, T-shirt Designer at Crazy 8, thank you for designing a 4th of July shirt just for my kid.  If you've got a minute, I'd love to put in a word for a Christmas design for my son...

Greatly appreciated,
Me

Maybe She's Not the Only One...
When I found this shirt, there were only 2 left in the stack.  I actually had to have the clerk at the store I was at call another store and put a shirt on hold there in my daughter's size.  This got me to thinking there must be other Moms and Dads and Grandmas and Grandpas who thought the exact same thing I did when I saw this shirt:  "I know a very independent young lady who needs this shirt."

And for that, I am very thankful.  

I am very thankful to live in a country where both my son and my daughter can be very independent.  Where they can speak their minds.  Where they will be able to pursue whatever dreams they have.  Where they will have great opportunities.  

I am very thankful for the men and women who have served this country; the men and women who have defended this country; the men and women who have sacrificed for this country, so my children can enjoy the freedoms they do today, and have the chance to be very independent.

I am very thankful for all of those who have come before me and taken a risk to be very independent.  Those who have fought for what was right and what was fair and what was just, even though it may have meant putting themselves in extreme danger or simply going against the "norm" at that time.

I am very thankful to celebrate all that makes this country great with my family and friends today.  

Especially with my very independent little girl and her big brother.

Whether your day was filled with fireworks or parades or swimming or a cookout or baseball games or maybe just some well-deserved relaxation time, You Are a Good Mom.  

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If you haven't already, be sure to stop by and check out the "You're a Good Mom" page on Facebook.  "Like" it and any new blog posts will be delivered right to your news feed!  Thanks!