Simply the Best

Words. They are powerful. Yet, sometimes we forget just how much… Until, that is, someone pays you a compliment or criticizes you to the point of tears.

We are in the car, on the way home from the store. Usually, by this time, my mommy tolerance level for whining, fighting, crying due to unnecessary boos-boos, etc., has reached its limit.

(Mental note: Keep band-aids in purse so that you will not have to buy another box while shopping... even though you already have 3 new boxes at home. Why so many at home you ask? Stupid Texas-sized mosquitoes.)

In the store, it always starts out the same.

They are the best of friends. They hold hands. They use their imaginations to play with things most people would overlook. Colors that we’re buying suddenly become a family. One of them plays the role of the father and the other plays the mother. They take turns playing the characters of the kids that are left in the package. See? Oblivious to everyone else in the store, caught up in their own imaginations. Love it.

Then play turns to jealousy. Whose turn is it to ride in the buggy? I know. My girls are old enough to walk, but I often tell them that I’m going shopping with 2 little old ladies, full of physical ailments that have them competing for a free ride. At some point, they have to get out because there’s no room for our groceries. It’s always miraculous how there are never any symptoms when we are in the toy aisle.

(I still remember the days of shopping when they were younger. They both fit in the buggy and I had my organized list with 2 bags of popcorn in hand. I knew I had until they finished their snack to finish my list. Nothing like a shopping marathon to get your heart pumping.)

“Enough! Unless you have something nice to say, be quiet!”

Suddenly, they turn on me. They start shouting, but in a good way.

“You’re beautiful! You’re the best mommy in the whole wide world! You’re pretty! You’re skinny! (Mommy had to laugh at that one!) You’re healthy! You have pretty eyes! You're the best teacher!” They repeated this over and over at a volume usually intolerated, but all I could do was laugh… Especially when A-Nator proceeded to say, “You’re sexy! You’re hot!” Err?? Maybe Daddy should tone his compliments down a bit in front of the girls.

Speaking of DK, we decide that Daddy shouldn’t be left out of the fun, so we call him and leave a very loud voice mail full of compliments letting him know that we love him and think he’s the best daddy in the whole wide world.

At times, our girls are like the Free Compliments guys within our own lil’ family.

Freecompliments.com says that I’m… “without doubt an unsurpassable paragon of coolness!” If they say it, it must be true.

Besides, I could use the pick-me-up. We dropped off DK at the airport before the sun came up. We must share him with St. Louis, MO all weekend.

Sigh.

Gracie says, “I didn’t know it looked like this when the sun came up.” We homeschool, remember? ;)  Not to worry though. DK made it there safely and we gals took a great morning nap. We woke up in time to eat breakfast at lunch. School starts after lunch...