Bella Vita

I complain a lot about my kids.  It is my right as their mother who knows that in a few short years they will be teenagers and they will all complain about me.  But don't think for one second that means I don't love them.  The 7-year old girl is me on steroids.  She is just like I was as a kid.  She is a drama queen.  She loves to be the center of attention.  She is super smart.  And she cannot spell to save her life.  However, since I have since grown up and become somewhat cynical and sarcastic, I love to torment her. 


Bella is too smart for her own good.  Well, that's not true.  But she IS too smart for my own good, and knowing what she's like now, when she's not even 8 yet, I am not looking forward to the teen years.  Do you remember being 7?  You wanted to be "cool" but you were still a kid.  So you'd try to do and say things that would make you appear more responsible, more grown-up, or more mature.  You idolized the kids on TV shows that were just 5-6 years older than you.  You wanted to be just like them.  So I laugh at my child as she tries to "pop and lock" not because she isn't (sort of) doing it right, but because she is not a hip-hop dancing queen.  She will isolate one or two moves and do them repeatedly.  She looks, well, like a kid who is trying too hard.  The other morning, she walked out dressed for school in a tank-top, a mini-skirt, and go-go boots with a hat on and a gauzy scarf.  She thought she was the height of fashion.  To me, she looked like she was wearing a hooker costume.  I looked at her, and pursed my lips in a way that would have made my mother proud and said "No.  Go change your clothes."  Then the wails of "Why not??!!!"  and   "This is COOL, Mom!"  and  "That's not fair!"  started.  I looked her in the eye and said "We will have this argument when you are 15.  Go change your clothes.  NOW."   This is what she opted for instead:

As much as she longs for that "coolness" factor, she is also obsessed with rules.  More specifically, rules of her own making.  Recently, when I came back from helping out my parents for a few days after my dad's heart surgery, I found THIS taped to the cabinet:

I particularly love #5 and #11.  I have no idea where she gets this stuff.  #5 isn't really a big shock though.  She loves her big brother.  She also loves to torment him.  This past Summer, while we were staying in Huntsville, she fell asleep with her notebook in her hand.  I gently removed it, and looked at what it said.  I had to run out of the room so that I would not burst into laughter and therefore wake her up.  I did, however, take a picture for posterity:

I love her ambition -- there were 10 empty spaces on that list.  I really wish that she had not fallen asleep before getting more things down on paper....

Bella loves to make rules, but she also loves to make "Notices" -- these are signs that she puts up all over the house.  There have been signs that warn of grouchy 3 year old brothers, signs to warn of sick little sisters, and lots and lots of signs for the various clubs that she makes up.  However, recently, when we were babysitting a friend's 2 kids, we found this gem taped to the front door (and FYI, she got my phone number completely wrong, so don't even try it):

I have no idea what she is talking about....

So see, as much as I complain about my kids, they are pretty awesome.  And if it weren't for all of them, I'd have nothing to say here!

Bella just saw me proofreading this, and she looked over my shoulder and said (and I quote):  "Mom, why do you make fun of us on the internet?  YOU ARE CYBER-BULLYING YOUR OWN KIDS!!"  What the WHAT??!  Oh the joys of having a Bella in my life!