It's sort of a right of passage around here. When you're big enough to put your Rainbows away when
we get home from an outing, you take a special trip to the Rainbow Sandals shop and get your first pair.
Yesterday was Bea's turn as we took a spontaneous detour on our way to the beach.
(At first she was unsure and held on tight to Mommy.)
When I was a little girl, I remember going to Buster Brown's with my mom to get new shoes.
Now, here I am the mom ('cause I blinked) and my kids will remember getting their Rainbows.
After Bea realized what we were up to, she had lots of fun looking for just the right pair. We went with skinny straps
for her dainty feet and since she's still learning to walk in flip flops in general, straps for her heels were mandatory.
We like to keep life simple...even in the small things like shoes. We have one pair of nice Rainbows and we put them away in their slot. The kids learn responsibility this way and I don't have to go stir crazy with thousands of run amok shoes. As the good pair gets old and needs replacing (which takes a really long time with Rainbows) or they're outgrown, they pass down to the next younger sibling and become their play pair. It's really hard to destroy a pair of leather Rainbow Sandals!
(Found this on my phone recently...Aida??)
If we're over at someone's house, it's likely there will be a line up of Rainbows by the front door.
We want to be respectful about how many of us (and therefore shoes) there are when we're around,
so we try to be orderly and not overbearing with even the way we stack our shoes.
We store our water bottles the same way with our Rainbows in a closet by the front door.
Everyone is responsible to make sure their special things have made it in from the car when we arrive home.
It works.
It's an odd but necessary combination we keep of order, yet freedom.
Structure, yet whimsy. Organization, yet relaxed.
It's a balancing act, a dance, but always, always...simple.
I love the rhythm of a large family! I love learning how to make it work as we grow.
I loved our impromptu outing yesterday, making our little girl feel special...getting Bea's Rainbows.
"I have set my rainbow in the clouds,
and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."
Genesis 9:13
