This morning, Dixie woke up with something funky in her hair, possibly sunscreen. Poor child looked like she was trying to start a new punk fashion trend in the kindergarten set. So she hopped in the tub.

I think the girl is part mermaid.

When she first got in, she said, "I'm going to get a little wet first," and proceeded to lay back and rotate her body four or five times on an invisible rotisserie. I must confess it looked immensely fun and I then wished my body were still small enough to flail about in the garden tub.

My back groaned as I washed her hair, but she cooperates much better after having gone to get a recent 'real haircut' and I tried to just make it quick. Given our recent shockingly cold weather, I knew I couldn't send her to school with wet hair. It might only get up to 95 today, after all, so I had her climb up on the counter so I could blow dry it.

Using the blow dryer and the round brush, I got her hair all cute and flipped under, shiny and looking more blonde than it usually is. I put in a little mousse, which she was in awe of, and named 'the kangaroo stuff' based on the picture on the bottle. When Melody came in, she bragged to her, "I have a kangaroo mouse in my hair."

Like any good beautician, I learned all her secrets during this time. She told me a secret that I must not tell anyone--that when she wants to remember something very badly, her brain TALKS to her and tells it back to her. I didn't want to disappoint her by letting her know that this happens to most of us.

Since the girls get home from school a scarce 90 minutes before I leave for work and I get home in time to maybe tuck them in bed, I miss those silly, girly moments. But not enough to homeschool.