I Love Hand-Me-Downs

I love hand-me-downs. Hand-me-downs are like an unexpected check in the mail. Or that box of 18 lbs of formula that my cousin mailed me when the twins were four months old. Anyway, on Thursday after extended day club Readers' Theatre, the five of us were walking through the parking lot of the school and arrived at our truck at the same time that one of Max's friend's mother (J) was chatting in the parking lot with another school mom. She saw us and hollered over that she had a bag of clothes in the car that she thought might fit the twins and did we want them.

Oh heck yeah! Chris and I both replied and started walking over to her car. The other Mom there saw Max and looked puzzled because Max is bigger than his friend, but then caught sight of the twins and realized who she was clothing. The look on her face changed and in a sort of cyborg-mama calculation you could see her mentally measuring the twinks arms and legs and circumference. "Size 7?" she piped up? "You're about ready for a size 7?"

I kind of just stood there for a moment, floored by her ability to do that. I mean, I gotta measure my own kids seven times to knit something for them that might possibly fit for a week, and she nails it in one calculating look.

I recovered and sputtered, "Yes, yes, size 7!" and she said, "Well I was just on my way to Goodwill! I got a whole bag of size 7!" "No way!" says "J" "You, too!" and before we knew it, we had two huge bags of twink clothing in the back of the blue truck. I haven't even been through the bags yet. I'm saving it for tomorrow afternoon. That's not work. That's like unwrapping presents :) Ooooh, I hope there are jammies in there! And maybe some church clothes!

It's very exciting, but I also think it was God's way of sending me a little pick-me-up because it hasn't been a good month (am I the only one who reads something in the news about how the economy isn't really that bad and I just want to shake the paper or the computer monitor and give a great big Cuba Gooding Junior, "SHOW ME THE MONEY!" because here in Central PA we are all just trying to afford kindergarten shoes and the economy--she looks pretty ill to us. We're about ready to go ahead and call it a recession here in Pennsylvania.) But when you get two bags of good, free clothing for your kids (none of whom have EVER turned up their noses at hand-me-downs) from other moms at your school you feel like it's all going to be okay somehow.

Of course now I'm realizing I never got the name of the other Mom. I want to write her a thank you note, but I'll have to hope that "J" knows her name.

Did you see Gaye's new kitties? If not, head over to Chris' blog. He CAT BLOGGED. LOL. They're adorable.