That's gorgeous, JZ. I love that she's so into dress-up right now. One of her b-day gifts was a dress up box full of shoes and dresses and hats and shawls (one of which I am stealing - it's perfect for my Saffron costume for Con this year) and she was so excited about it.

I'll stitch up her dress over the next week and it'll be awesome and then I'll put it away and let her daughter play with it one day. Just like Em plays in a flower girl dress that I once wore.

All those sweet little dresses are making my ovaries ache.

Yes, the Macy's dress looks supremely elegant, but the eBay dress has some precious details that add to the oh-so-cute-ness.

JZ is wise! It's a lovely dress and Em's stellar cuteness will make it shine even more. (I'm gobsmacked by the price of kid's clothing...really.)

And how nice to be with so many smart and capable procrastinators! I'm quite at home.

Though I have decided to change my perspective from being a lazy putter-off of things to someone who has a process that includes saving my creative energy for the minute before it is required. Not the last minute mind you, but the right minute.

I'm having a Bad Mommy moment, only it's not so much that I think I'm actually a Bad Mommy as that I sort of resent the unwritten requirements for Good Mommyness.

You see, I'm not crafty. Not in the least. And I'm satisfied with that. I mean, it might be nice to be able to embroider or sew, and I certainly wish I could draw beyond stick people. (I don't get scrapbooking, though. All my sisters-in-law are obsessed with it, and it just baffles me.) But I don't sit around beating myself up over it. We can't all be good at everything, and I like writing and singing a lot better anyway. Actually, that's far too weak a statement. I love writing. I need to write. Singing is an abiding joy. But I loathe sewing and crafty things. Back when I couldn't avoid doing them, they always made me feel tense and clumsy.

But Mommies are supposed to make costumes and help kids with craft projects and so on. I mean, I'm stressing out that Annabel is going to have the worst shepherd costume at the Christmas pageant, and I'm just annoyed by the whole thing, because I don't want Annabel to look shabby and neglected, but I can't sew, I can't make things, I don't want to learn because I hated every attempt that was forced on me as a kid, and I'm resentful that it seems to be a Mommy Requirement. I mean, I love Annabel. I take care of her. I tell her stories, read her books, sing her songs, tell her how the world works, talk to her about everything and nothing, and so on. Why is visual artistry also a requirement?

Why is visual artistry also a requirement?

If that's a requirement, my mom SO missed the memo! I'm suing!

And on a more productive note, is there a mom who is more crafty and enjoys it that you could ask to help you? I would think that if you provided the materials, you might find someone eager to help. Those crafty types like showing off their skills.

And on a more productive note, is there a mom who is more crafty and enjoys it that you could ask to help you? I would think that if you provided the materials, you might find someone eager to help. Those crafty types like showing off their skills.

That's a good idea, and another reason to do something I've determined to do anyway, which is actually get to know some of the other daycare parents, particularly the ones of Annabel's dearest friends. She wants to have a play date with her three best friends and invite them to our house, and I'm thinking, "OK, I've met Keawa's mother once, at that last dinner, but while I'm sure I've smiled and nodded at Eli's and Maya's parents coming in and out of the center, I have no idea which ones they are."

Susan, I think a lot of it's a holdover from the "good old days" when mothers stayed home and had time to hand-craft costumes. (Same goes for blithely sending kids home early on short notice.) You do the best you can.

You could do the old, "I know it's silly, but I'm worried about AB's costume - I want her to look great but I'm not very skilled in the sewing department" and see if you get a bite.

ETA: the "it's silly" part is to be self-deprecating, not that I actually think it's silly. I'd want my kid to look great, too!

Or you know, she wants to be a pirate shepherd. Maybe she could, um, commandeer a good costume.