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This HOA newsletter blurb makes me sad.

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This was in our HOA newsletter. It makes me very sad. I’m normally a rule-follower, but this is one that I won’t be paying attention to.

Technically I guess the HOA could fine us (there are signs at the playgrounds saying children under 12 must be supervised) but I looked up our county rules and there are only Child Supervision Guidelines. (See also: “Virginia state statutes do not set a specific age after which a child legally can stay alone.“)  So they’d likely have a fight on their hands if they tried to cause any issues. 

I’m all about being a helicopter parent when it’s warranted. But this is not that time.  I’m pretty sure I was cruising around my neighborhood by age 7 and biking to town by late elementary school. Blah blah blah things are different now blah blah blah but I refuse to be a helicopter parent over playing in the yard or going to the neighborhood park.

I’m sure nothing will come of it, and I’m sure those guidelines have always been there…I just overlooked them because we weren’t at that stage yet. 

Kidless afternoon!

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For one of my first kidless afternoons, I decided to run some errands. Do I look free and unencumbered?! Positively joyful?

How about now? (Still giddy, even though I’m on my way to pick up the kids.)

 

(I have technically had one or two kidless afternoons since Katie has started school, but either my parents were here or Tom came home early so even though I was kidless I technically wasn’t alone. If that makes sense.)

Continuing the dress saga…

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I had to return some shoes to Nordstrom Rack so I looked for the $90 dress. And look what I found?! The dress—just with yellow instead of pink! And only $30! Perfect! 🙂 Except…they only had sizes S and XS. Of course. 🙁 (I also found a Large of the other V-neck dress but even though lots of friends liked it, I just didn’t love it. Plus it was more expensive.)

 

So I asked and they were able to order it in my size from another store! Even with the $7.95 S/H it was a major bargain (a savings of 44%)!!! 

That’s fate, folks.

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So, as you know, our wedding rings no longer fit. The rings seen here are my mom and dad’s wedding rings from 1970. I’ve had them since (mom, do you remember?) college, maybe? She thought I’d like to have them and she was right…I love them.

Of course I tried hers on over the years but there was never a chance of it fitting. For years now, I’ve actually worn them both on a chain because they fit perfectly inside one another. 

But tonight I looked at them and thought “Maybe I should try it on. It’s been awhile.” And it fit perfectly. So I gave Tom my dad’s ring…and it, too, fit perfectly.

That’s fate, folks.❤️

I’m sure we’ll both get our rings resized eventually, but for now, this works. And makes me all smiley. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Adulting is hard. 

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So while we were out, we stopped by Marshall’s so I could look for a similar, less expensive dress than the one I was wearing. 

The top photos are the original $90 dress that I love…and the bottom dress is a similar $30 version of the same brand. Interestingly, the original was an XL and the less expensive version was a M—both fit, but I think a L would have been a *cough* happy medium. 🙂

I polled my Facebook friends to see what they thought, and it was pretty evenly split between the two. 

I really wanted to keep the original dress but $90 was just ridiculous. And I really wanted to love the new dress but it just wasn’t right, either (even at the cheaper price). So I decided to be an adult and return both, pledging to keep my eyes open for the perfect dress. 🙂

Ahhhh. A kidless lunch!!

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Tom and I had a lunch date today at a cute little place called The Secret Garden in Occoquan. (The kids were both at a play date.) The setting was, well, a secret garden (!) and we got seated right next to the waterfall. I could have sat and relaxed there all day!! The food was absolutely delicious…and we will be back!

 

I’m REALLY liking REALLY nice clothes. 

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I love this dress from my current Le Tote tote, but…

  1. It requires a strapless bra (I might get away with really skinny straps but I don’t have any right now). 
  2. It’s $90 (I’m sure I can find something similar for half that at Nordstrom Rack…I just have to cross my fingers).

I love that I’m able to wear these awesome clothes but I hate that I’m now learning what REALLY NICE clothes feel like. 🙂

Marlins…in the rain.

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It started off overcast and cool… We kept our fingers crossed but eventually it was raining. Not fun. But the kids were all doing great!

Katie had fun playing catch with daddy beforehand.

Montage of Owen’s at-bats and runs:

They did end up calling the game a little over an hour in because it was really coming down. So it was home for warm showers/baths and comfy clothes!