Softball, Bongos, and Girly Shoes

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . my kids rejecting the pizzas I cooked for dinner, both of which they LIKED when they sampled them at Trader Joe's. Apparently when you remove the mystique of the TJ's sample booth, the pizzas were just another weird thing mama had cooked. They devoured the strawberries, though, so I guess I should be grateful that my kids prefer healthy produce over unhealthy, processed food.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . watching Joy randomly decide to warm up with a little girl softball team at the park today. Her catching was spotty and her aim virtually nonexistent, but most of the actual team were in the same boat. They all seemed to have a good time, though. :)

. . . seeing a guy with dreadlocks playing bongos at the farmers' market. The cool thing was that he was singing hip arrangements of children’s songs, and on blankets spread in front of him were several small chairs and lots of instruments—little drums, tambourines, homemade shakers, and even an old xylophone. Any kids who wanted to could play along while he drummed and sang. Joy dove right in, playing virtually every instrument he had, and even beating his bongo a few times. It was fun to watch her get so into it.

And another thing . . .

. . . up until now I’ve always bought Joy play shoes from the boy section because they were more practical, and because the sparkly, pink, girly shoes bugged me. Today, though, as I watched her try on some masculine athletic shoes with her cute girl outfit, I grudgingly conceded that it was time to shop in the girl section.

I bypassed the cute-but-useless glittery ballet slippers and open sandals, attempting to find something both functional and palatable in the tennis shoe section. We tried on one pair that was so busy with hearts and butterflies that it made my head hurt; fortunately Joy said it didn’t feel very good on her foot. We eventually settled on a pair of white (for now) and pink shoes with sparkly metallic trim, whose requisite hearts at least had the decency to be subtle.

Phillip gaped at them in consternation when he came home tonight, but kept his opinions to himself. Joy, for her part, seems content with them, and I find I don't mind them so much because I saw so many outrageous alternatives at the store.