Friday, February 29, 2008

To Bundle Up...or Not

It's a chilly day here in LA (that's lower Alabama, for those of you who don't know the lingo). It's a bit overcast, which I love.

On days like this, and even on days unlike this...virtually every day that comes...I am faced with a decision that plagues me: What's the weather going to be like? Do the kids need long sleeves? A light jacket? Long sleeves and a heavy jacket? What?? The newspaper says that the high is 67 degrees. What does that mean? Will it be 67 degrees at 9am...or 6pm? Should we layer? These and other questions like them leave me little time to think through much else on an ordinary morning.

Also, if the paper says the high is going to be 69 degrees, well...that's in the 60's, which is cold. But if the paper says the high is going to be 71 degress...that is in the 70's, see - warm. Michael labors to help me see that they are 2 degrees apart, but I can't wrap my mind around that concept. I see the temperature like I see music - by decades. The 60's are utterly and completely different than the 70's. And don't get me started on the 80's!

What to do? And it never fails...if I dress my kid in long sleeves, coat and mittens, they will be sweating by the time I pull up to the carpool line. If they are in shorts and short-sleeves, every other kid in the school will have on a sweatshirt. I just can't get this right, folks. Can't.

Michael sighs and rolls his eyes at me when I ask questions, too. But I'm learning, right? Maybe when it's Ethan's turn to don the school uniform I will have a handle on things. Sooner or later I am bound to understand how this all works and jump on board...but maybe not. Maybe I should just recognize my limitations and go with my strengths. You know, focus on what I'm good at.

If nothing else, my husband gets a chuckle out of my being appropriately-dressed challenged. That's got to be redemptive somehow, doesn't it?

Bless ya!

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