emergency preparedness

This summer I gave in. I am not a gadgets person. I'm not a label person. I prefer simple letter blocks to the new-fangled learning bells-and-whistle alphabet circus they sell these days. I do not let companies advertise on my children. But, well...

It was a family affair complete with baby and dad. Since baby was hungry and fussy I left Ben at the shoe store to go sit on the floor in the public bathroom and nurse. (Yes, yes, that was me you saw sitting there, back against the wall, cool as a cumcumber and cold too, actually, feeding my child, but possibly making you uncomfortable.) When I got back to the store the girls had made their choices. I handed the baby to Ben and began my amazing super-duper-mother powers of persuasion. But to no avail. All of the sandals I liked were quickly brushed aside for those with Dora or Disney Princesses smiling up at us. "Hey, there! Come on and join our parade to take over the world with a smile! We like you!" If that wasn't enough they discovered that these particular sandals have lights that go off when ever you walk! A portable disco, or an invitation to have a seizure!

But apparently these sandals were a good investment for emergency situations. We tripped a fuse the other night (a common occurrence in this old house) which always sends the kids into a full-scale panic (drama for drama's sake is the life I live) and the next morning while getting ready for church my two year-old insisted that we find her light-up sandals "because if the lights go off we can turn on my sandals!"