Yesterday was a good solid bat mitzvah prep day.
In the morning, Big girl had a lesson: it was her first time reading directly from the Torah, and she hit it outta the park. And our cantor gave Bulldog a 10-minute “lesson,” really just listening to him stumble through the beginning of Ashrey, but the effect of her positive feedback was incredible. He lit up when she complimented him on really reading it (he is) and not just trying to memorize. Last night at bedtime was the first time he didn’t complain about practicing Ashrey, and he added two new lines.
After the lesson, we went on to our fitting at Princess Charming. Lovely ladies again, although busy because of the no-school holiday. I was hoping to find a solution to the strapless party dress problem, and we did. The seamstress had some dark purple (coulda been navy, I couldn’t tell) spaghetti straps which she’s attaching, and then some rhinestone trim is going over them. My Big Girl was unhappy, but I wasn’t budging. I even got a compliment from one of the owners because I stuck to my guns. She said she liked how I talked to my daughter sweetly but firmly and explained why I was making the descision. I was flattered, especially because she’s the one to see the whole spectrum: from the mom who runs the show without acknowledging her daughter’s feelings to the mom who gives in to her daughter’s any whim, no matter how short or low cut that whim may be.
I was actually choosing my words to Big Girl carefully, because while she was in her party dress (which indeed ends above the knees but is not a hoochie-mama-mini, I hope) the girl next to her was trying on full-on ball gowns, mostly strapless. So I didn’t want to insult the mom just seven feet away from me, but those straps were going on, no matter what.
Now on to the boys’ clothes: Skater needs shoes, and he wants one more dress shirt, and Bulldog is bent on getting a fancy shirt like Skater’s for the party, the kind with the complimentary pattern inside the collar and cuffs. He also wanted a red dress shirt and a red and black rep tie for the service, but I talked him down to a white shirt…
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Okay, here’s one more thing to remember. When you get dressed for the photos, which we did on the Thursday afternoon before our son’s bar mitzvah, remember to wear the SATURDAY MORNING clothes, as opposed to the FRIDAY NIGHT clothes. Don’t ask what I was thinking, I wasn’t. Figured it out before we all got dressed (I think I would have noticed it out when I got dressed, but you never know) and the bar mitzvah boy was mightily annoyed at having to tie another tie. And two shirts per boy per occasion is not excessive, as they can find a way to stain a shirt without moving, in my experience. Same for the husband vis-a-vis the tie.
Congrats on finding Switzerland
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Leslie – thanks for posting that! I never would have thought of that either!!
Good for you on insisting on the straps. Strapless can wait for the prom…or maybe her wedding. As far as Bulldog goes, there should never be a red dress shirt. If there is, leave the store immediately. You can let him have some fun, though. No need to make him do solid white. Try a red and white stripe, maybe, or a blue and white check.
Is it this weekend? Let us know how it all goes!