For the first time ever while travelling as a family, we ended up with two separate hotel rooms last night. We split things up by gender, so Belle and I got the chance to hang out for a few hours before bed which was lovely.
Belle has been reading my blog posts while we’re on our trip, and has been itching to contribute a guest post (expect a few more in the coming weeks!).
It was her idea to start with a Top Five/Bottom Five topic and where better to begin than with dishing about her mother, right?
I have not edited ANYTHING she wrote, but I am going to defend myself in some parenthetical comments along the way 🙂
TOP FIVE
1. She’s an excellent planner. Whenever we leave the house, whether it’s to Europe or to go shopping she has a game plan. She’s efficient, thoughtful and meticulous with her planning. Yes, I complain some of the time but if I didn’t have her in Europe, I’m sure I wouldn’t find my way home fast. [This is true.]
2. She’s very thoughtful. Every year I can look forwards to my favourite holiday: Christmas!! She carefully plans and buys amazing gifts every year. She’ll find a deal somehow and still end up with loads of thoughtful gifts that all of our family really enjoys. [This warms my heart.]
3. Her blog. I’m not sure whether she’ll be too thrilled to find that this is one of my favourite qualities about her, I mean it’s not as much of a personality trait I admire, more like something she does I love. I’ve recently been reading all of the Europe travel posts and originally went in to it thinking how embarrassed I would be to have my face on the internet and stories about me. Now that I’ve read it the posts are all really fantastic to read. She captures us at our finest moments while including some parts of the trip that have not been so glamorous, but without making me look bad. I really admire every post and she puts so much time and energy into them. It really does make my day to be able to see a compilation of my recent events. Between the pictures and the description she really nails how our family rolls. I have loved meeting her blog friends; they’re all so amazing and I can’t wait to meet more in the future!! [It’s true; the kids have adored each and every blogger they’ve gotten to meet in real life. And the tally is growing! Kyria, Birchie, Suzanne, Kae, SHU, and Catrina. Who’s next???]
4. She’s very relatable. Being a teen girl is very, very difficult. Something I find especially hard is how to properly articulate my feelings. Sometimes I can’t find the words to describe my emotions, sometimes I don’t want to, sometimes I even don’t know what emotions I’m feeling. I thought I was totally alone in this but she told me it was totally normal. Sure our teen lives look very different but she can still find ways to be empathetic, engaged in my life, and to protect me. [Hmmm. From my reality as a parent, it seems as though she only finds me relatable a tiny fraction of the time. Is someone searching for brownie points? But this really warms my heart. Being a teen girl is HARD. Full and complete stop. And Belle is handling it with grace and poise and I’m so proud of her.]
5. She does NOT waste time on small talk. When Kyria visited in October of 2024 she let me join them in reading and answering the 36 questions. I really found it interesting and I definitely learned new things I didn’t know about Mom, even though I’ve known her my entire life!! She likes to have a deep meaningful conversation rather than a shallow and forgettable one. I really admire that because I know many people that are content to stay in the small talk zone. She’s outgoing but also reserved. What I mean by that is she never comes off as jarring or overwhelming, but she isn’t afraid to talk to people (at least if she knows them a little bit). [I’m an extroverted introvert, and definitely prefer deep conversations one-on-one or in small groups. Doing 36 Questions with blog friends has been so fun!!!!]
Here come the bottom 5…
[I’m bracing myself…]
BOTTOM FIVE
1. She’s always tired. I know she can’t help this but it is true. It seems like she could sleep for a week, get up the next day and still be exhausted. She’s always been that way, well at least since I’ve known her (hopefully my existence is not the cause, haha). [This is so true. I live exhausted. I do my best to live and enjoy life within that reality, but I rarely feel anything other than tired. I spent several decades anemic, have had an ablation, every blood and hormone check done… maybe my apnea diagnosis will help? Also, life is busy and tiring with kids and church and friends and a husband that travels regularly. So I think it makes sense I’m tired??]
2. She likes to plan and observe fun things rather than partaking in them. She brings us to tons of amazing experiences and for that I am extremely grateful but sometimes I wish she’d let loose and enjoy them. I understand she loves her alone time (as do I) but it’s fun to try new things and enjoy them. [Okay, in my defence, I think the thing that precipitated this comment was the fact I declined to try a British accent in the car yesterday. I am RUBBISH at accents. That said, I do often prefer to observe rather than participate. Like, I did the swings at Prater, but was very content to just watch the roller coasters/drop zone. Noted.]
3. Her fashion sense could use some work…I’ll just leave it at that. [Fair enough. Also, I also think I am 1000% less embarrassing than my own parents.]
4. She’s embarrassing. I swear it is a teen parents job to go out of their way to embarrass their child. I’m not sure if they do it on purpose, but I think sometimes they do. Mom and Dad are different and I would say equally embarrassing but this is not a top 5/bottom 5 about Dad. I can’t describe it to its full horror as it doesn’t communicate properly but getting picked up by a person when she looks like she walked off a cover to a fashion magazine from as old as you can go back is not, um, ideal. [I have a couple of dresses that she thinks look like something Laura Ingalls would wear and she has this idea in her head that I’m old-fashioned. Again, she has NO IDEA. My mom had long hair and wore long skirts the whole time I was growing up. Also, I’m taking it as a veiled compliment she thinks I look like I walked off the cover of a fashion magazine. Who cares about the era, right?]
5. She makes us all stop to read every plaque we pass. We’ll be walking along the street and she’ll find some sort of sign to read about the history of the town sewage or how the black brick was passed by some pirate or some other random tidbit we’ll never remember or look back on. [THIS IS NOT TRUE. THE KIDS LOVE TO REMEMBER THESE TIDBITS.] Once a reader, always a reader. [This Bottom Five makes me proud. Also, I need to quibble over one detail. I do NOT make my family read the plaques. I do the reading for them and they get to benefit from the human interest details. Also, for the record, I don’t recall ever stopping to read a plaque about sewage AND, again, my family loves learning all these quirky little details WHICH THEY ONLY KNOW BECAUSE I TAKE THE TIME TO STOP AND READ PLAQUES.]
Phew. I feel like I dodged some bullets??? Maybe since she knew this was going public she kept things a bit milder. I’m a flawed human doing my best to love and raise and train other flawed humans and life can sometimes be messy and complicated and but we really are in this together. I am humbled by Belle’s creative and expressive spirit and she is truly a joy and a blessing.
It reminds me of when we answered 36 Questions with Kyria; one of the questions is to name one thing you would change about your childhood and Belle answered: I’d have an older sister. Ha! The ship sailed on that one, and I felt like if the worst thing she could think of to mention about my failures as a parent was not providing an older sister, I was emerging relatively unscathed.
Okay. Your turn.
- Top Five/Bottom Five about yourself?
- Top Five/Bottom Five about your mother??? (I realize this could be emotionally triggering, so feel free to avoid this question.)
- Tell me truthfully: is my fashion sense really that bad???? (NOTE FROM BELLE BEFORE THIS GETS POSTED: Yes, yes it is really that bad Mom, the truth hurts…) [I gave her the chance to proofread before I clicked Publish and this is how she rewards me?????]
- What else do you want Belle to post about; she’s looking for suggestions!!
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YESSSSSSS!!!! There’s a new blogger in town!!!!!
One of the highlights of my visit was getting to play 36 questions with you! We only got through about half the list on our Peggy’s Cove drive, and we’ll have to pick up the rest of them next time.
Blogging ideas: day in the life, highlights of the week, travel diaries, food reviews, hotel and Airbnb reviews, recipes….
Now about the bottom five…with all due respect, you got 4 out of the 5. No one can be right all of the time!
36 Questions is GREAT. I love how it inspires deep conversations and really fun, engaging tidbits about life.
She is making note of all these great blog ideas.
This is my first time commenting, however it was so nice to see the photo of the Lindt & Sprüngli Chocolate Museum, as I live just a 10-minute walk away. I wanted to ask, how severe is the exhaustion you mentioned? Between juggling work and raising two kids, I feel like I am constantly running on empty. It can feel a bit isolating, because the other moms I talk to don’t seem to struggle with it nearly as much as I do.
Adelina! We are nearly neighbours! I’m in Zurich, about 5km from that Lindt & Sprüngli place (I’m on the photo with Elisabeth). We should meet up in the summer!
Thanks for commenting, Adelina!
Wow, I didn’t realize I had anyone reading from Zurich (aside from Catrina). It was a great museum and we ate so much chocolate!!!
I am so so sorry you can relate; being chronically exhausted is EXHAUSTING. I have a lot of brain fog and yawn a lot and could nap every single day. I wake up tired basically every single morning of the year. I haven’t always been like this. I think some of it has to do with the level of constant stimulation that comes from adulting (especially having kids). I have never considered myself someone with high energy, but I never struggled with daytime energy until I was in graduate school. I do think the general lack of alone time plays a big part, but some of it is personality, some of it is sleep issues, and some of it is my own fault (for example, I often stay up late to get alone time).
I have had just about everything tested. I know anemia really impacted things, but that issue has been permanently dealt with now. I have done a number of restricted diets to see if it was an allergy (cutting out dairy and gluten for fairly long stretches).
It is just part of who I am and it sucks but I have to live with it and keep going. I hope you get some answers, though don’t necessarily worry you’re missing anything. It can be easy to put on a mask and power through exhaustion, so there may be other moms around you struggling, too. Hugs <3
Okay, I truly could not love this post more!!!! So fun to read and these are actually so insightful and thoughtful. Love it!!
About the fashion, I think…. everyone has their own style preferences! 🙂 I don’t think longer floral dresses are for everyone (in general, I feel like floral is kind of a “either you love it or you hate it” pattern!). I think we know which camp Belle falls in. Haha. But I think if your style suits YOU, that is what matters! You always look confident and cute, in my opinion, because you look like you! You’re so pretty, Elisabeth, that I think you’d look great no matter WHAT you’re wearing. Maybe a fun mother/daughter activity would be to let Belle dress you from time to time and see what that looks like! Maybe one day per week can be “dress to not embarrass Belle day.” 😂😂
Future blog topics from Belle?? Hmm….well, how about her current favorite fashion trends?! Or style tips! Maybe all about her favorite Starbucks choices. 😉 Top 5 and Bottom 5 about being a teen. A post about where she sees herself 10 years from now. What would be her best parenting tips for all of us old moms, for parenting teens- from a teen perspective?? Top things she enjoys when traveling as a family (and, bottom…). Favorite destinations/ trips you’ve done! What are her dream destinations to still go to? Top 5 places she’d like to visit in the world?
Preferences is a good word. She would say her preferences are good and mine are bad, hahaha.
On her birthday she made me wear a specific outfit, so I know I have at least one she approves of. AND, she asked today to try on one pair of my pants, so I’m taking that as a compliment, right???
She is taking notes about all these requests 😉
I do love this! I would like to know what your perfect day would be like. You must do your dad now to even it up. I also would like to see some outfits you picked out for your Mom.
Ohhh. A perfect day is such a great idea!
We’ll have to start a new blog series: Belle Dresses Mom 🙂 Do you think Gucci and Louis Vuitton will sponsor us??
This is a great post. I loved every word of it. I have to agree with you Elisabeth – if my kid said it looked like I stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine, I would totally gloss over which era was being referenced. While shopping for a dress for Mini’s graduation, I sent her a photo of one that I was trying on at a store. She responded with: That’s Laura Ingalls, not my mother. Ha. I’m so curious about what my kids would say were my top/bottom 5 after reading this. Hmm.
My mom’s top 5/bottom 5: (for time I’ll do 3) . . . TOP 1. Caring – my mom cared and we always knew that, 2. Fun/available – she stayed home with us and she took us to the pool and was always engaged with us. 3. Defender – my mom would stick up for us, go to bat for us, (which can also be a bottom 3). BOTTOM 1. Favorites/double standard – Mom played favorites. She was very focused on my two younger brothers – they could do no wrong, and they had different privileges or less expectations than the three girls. I think it’s an Irish family thing. 2. cooking/eating – she’s a picky eater and she raised us to be the same, not exposing us to new foods, or encouraging us to try new foods. 3. fixer – she liked to fix things for us, and that was great, but at the same time I think there were times we should’ve been encouraged to handle our own issues/address things in order to grow.
Hmm – maybe Belle could write a post about her favorite meals that you make?
Laura Ingalls is iconic, right??
Reading about your mom’s Top 3/Bottom 3 was fascinating, Ernie.
Love the idea of her writing about her favourite meals!
This absolutely cracked me up! 😄 Belle really did not hold back, but it also comes through clearly that she adores you, which makes it even better.
The mix of genuine praise and very precise teenage “observations” is spot on. The fashion commentary especially is both brutal and hilarious at the same time. I am firmly on your side though, “walked off a fashion magazine” is a compliment in any era!
I am starting to think the embarrassment factor is just part of a daughter’s job description. I am 58 and still manage to find my 84-year-old mum embarrassing at times… 😄
More guest posts from Belle would be brilliant. A Top Five and Bottom Five of the Europe trip so far would be gold!
Also, I HAVE to add this: even in the short time I saw you with your kids, it was obvious you are an awesome mum, Elisabeth!
Oh, she loves to make observations 😉
I was shocked she included the fashion magazine bit and I am calling it a compliment.
Aww. What a sweet comment. We all have our moments (good and bad), but I do my best in terms of mothering <3
Hi Catrina! Yes, we are neighbors! Sure, I would be happy to meet.
Adelina, that would be really nice. You can reach me here: keeponrunning@sunrise.ch
Hi Elisabeth! I have been reading your blog regularly for a while now. I don’t remember anymore when I first started, maybe less than a year ago? I am enjoying all your posts, especially the more frequent ones since you started traveling in Europe.
I also had all sorts of medical tests, and nothing seems to be wrong. I think it is as you said: the constant stimulation from raising kids and working as an introvert. It is reassuring to hear that I am not the only one struggling with this, although I hope you will also find some way to improve the situation.
Woof, you are BRAVE to let your teen write a top/ bottom post!
In terms of the exhaustion, I was thinking of you recently. This past week has been BRUTAL in the perimenopause arena. At least I think that’s what it was, it did coincide with the usual days. So normally I get a day or two of disrupted sleep and fatigue, elevated resting heart rate. Elisabeth, this was five days of terrible sleep and pure exhaustion. Like, I fell asleep while sitting on the couch. I came home from walking Rex one morning, lay down, and slept for two hours. To say this is out of the ordinary would be an understatement. Everything felt like an uphill battle, even normal things like making breakfast for myself. I thought of you because I know you suffer fatigue and I had real empathy. It’s so hard! I was hoping after your ablation that would be that, you know. But hopefully you can get some answers re: sleep apnea. Maybe that will be the key.
Also, lol “this is not a top five/ bottom five about Dad.” KEEPING IT REAL!
I’m hopeful the sleep apnea is at least part of the issue!?
It is SO hard to live fatigued (though one does get used to it). I’m sorry things are so rough with perimenopause. Ugh. Hormone changes are not fun.
Well done Belle! I feel like I got to know your mom better reading this and I thought you were really thoughtful and handled listing bottom fives about your mom.
Elisabeth! Hello from foggy Halifax! We are here for an overnight to register the baby as a US citizen. Joys of dual citizenship…. Anyway I had been going to reach out to you and then remembered that you are not in NS! 🙁 But maybe I can be the next blogger you meet! I bet Belle would love this gang of small kids 😉
Typo correction: … listing bottom fives well and respectfully
Darn. Too bad on the timing of your trip to NS. YES! We live so close (relatively speaking). I hope a blogger meet up can happen soon <3
This was so much fun to read! Belle, you have a great sense of humor, and the part about having to stop to read about the history of the town’s sewage had me laughing all day. I even read it aloud to my husband and he laughed too. I would very much like to read about your perspective on your European adventure, as well as about fashion sense.
Elisabeth, you are such a great mom!
She is a hoot; glad your hubby got a laugh out of it as well 🙂
I loved reading this post from Belle!
She is bright and articulate, just like her amazing mother.
Why are teens so horrified by their parents? I kind of remember this with my Mom, but I don’t know that my daughters felt that way, as they are currently NOT horrified by me at all. I’ll have to ask!
I always think you dress very cute!
I do hate that you are so tired…that really hurts my heart for you. I am also hoping the sleep apnea thing helps. When will you be starting treatment for that?
Let Belle know that my Mom used to regularly forget to pick me up from places; I’m talking when I was SIX! Talk about being horrified. Luckily, I survived, and she and I ended up having a good relationship much later in life.
I was SO embarrassed by my parents. Hopefully Belle grows out of it. I so admire the relationship you have with your daughters, Suz.
I’ll do a trial with a CPAP when I get back to Canada. Fingers crossed.
So far I think I’ve avoided forgetting her, though I have been late and she was NOT impressed.
I am catching up on blogs and this was a delightful post to come back to read on your blog… I think it’s so fun to get to see/read how you’re perceived by others, especially your own daughter. I think Belle did a great job (and yes, some things are just to be expected from a teenager about their mom… but it was otherwise all so very flattering! You should be happy and proud of how your daugther sees you! <3
It was refreshing to get this validation and, honestly the bottom fives aren’t stressing me out too much. I wish I wasn’t so tired, but I’m okay with my fashion sense and I will NOT stop reading plaques any time soon, hahaha.
Great job, Belle!
Elisabeth, I really like that flowered dress with a ruffle at the bottom. But what’s wrong with wearing skirts and having long hair?? Long skirts are my “uniform”, and since I rarely get my hair cut, it gets long accidentally quite often.
Grateful Kae has excellent ideas about future posts by Belle.
Thanks! I like that dress, too (especially since it was free/a hand me down).
I think she just thinks I look old-fashioned. Oh well. There are worse things, right?
Elisabeth, I know that you found out you suffer from sleep apnea right before you left for your 4 month European adventure. Following on Stehpany’s apnea journey, I would bet that that is a big factor for you. Hopefully once you get some better quality sleep, you may not be as tired. In the meantime, enjoy naps when you can fit them in!
This was a fun post. Belle, you are a talented writer, and I loved your gentle ribbing of your mom. I remember being your age, and being HORRIFIED when people saw me with my mom out in the world. It was SO embarrassing, just having a mom. It never occurred to me that when I had a daughter of my own, she would feel the same way. She absolutely did. We have two movie theaters nearby, and they are equidistant, in opposite directions. One is in a part of town where it is popular for teens to hang out, the other is not. If we were going to a movie in the former, she would always stay home instead, so she didn’t have to be seen with us. Kind of sad, but I remembered how it was, and I understood. Just know, you will not always feel this way. I love how much your love for your mom shows through in your list, though. Both the top 5 and the bottom 5.
Top 5/Bottom 5 about my mom.
Top 5
* She raised us to be very independent, think for ourselves, and we learned to cook and clean early.
* She was fierce and loved us unconditionally.
* She was fair and loved us equally.
* She was always interested in what we were doing. She was a voracious reader and would often read whatever I was reading so we could talk about it together.
* She was fun. We didn’t have money to travel, we barely got by sometimes, but we would have picnics in our front yard when we were really little, and in the park when we were older. We went to the movies and I used to enjoy just running errands together (as long as I didn’t see anyone I knew, during those years when I was embarrassed for anyone to know I had a mom!)
Bottom 5
* She was very sensitive, and I sometimes felt like we had to tiptoe around her feelings to not make her cry.
* As a single mom, she didn’t have a lot of time or energy for extras. We could participate in after school activities if it didn’t cost her any money, and if we could get ourselves where we needed to be. I would have liked to do more, maybe be a Girl Scout or play an instrument, and maybe if I had asked she would have found a way. But it never seemed like it was even possible, so I never asked.
* She was sometimes quite obtuse, and things that should have been obvious to her were not. That led to some issues for us.
* We didn’t share the same sense of humor. She loved corny jokes and puns. Snore.
* She wouldn’t let me have a horse. LOL. But she did let me have a dog, and she was the best dog ever, so that’s something for sure.
I don’t have any great ideas beyond what has already been mentioned, but I look forward to reading more of your posts!
Okay, the movie theatre thing is HILARIOUS. And I love hearing about your relationship with Maya now <3
It truly sounds like your mom made the most of a very challenging situation. I'm sorry you never got your horse, but hooray for a sweet pup <3
This is great, and it is so Belle! I love it. I know you already know this, but I will tell Belle (and I am sure she already knows too) but…your Mom is a Gemini; that is what they do. They over plan, try to do everything, fill in all the gaps with stuff, say yes to everything and try to make everything perfect, and then they fizz out from exhaustion. I can tell you firsthand, as my good friend and my Dad are both exactly like that, and I love them to bits, but they are exhausting sometimes. However, if you ever suggest something to them, they almost always say yes (except maybe to British accents?), which is so refreshing, but don’t be surprised if they turn up a tad late, and also want to stop along the way a “few times” to see random extras (or read plaques). Lovely people though, and very loving!! I hope to see a lot more guests posts in the future. Also I am super excited to have made a spot in your first post!
Other top 5/bottom 5 ideas: Dad (it’s only fair), the Europe trip so far, foods, etc.
I would also love to learn more about the current life of Belle; what do you do for fun, what is your favorite music, where is your favorite place to hang out (So maybe a general top 5/bottom 5 of life). Also as you know, I love travel so I would love to hear your favorite so far in life, what bucket list places you have, or the most quirky thing you’ve seen so far.
You NAILED my personality!!!! “They over plan, try to do everything, fill in all the gaps with stuff, say yes to everything and try to make everything perfect, and then they fizz out from exhaustion.” THIS IS ME!!!!!!!
I have passed along these ideas. She has some writing to do!
Oh and PS, to take Belle’s side a little — those dresses are cute, but they do look like something MY Mom would wear! 😊 So I guess Belle and I are in the same boat (in that we both love our Moms!)
I bet your mom and I would get along famously 🙂
Haha, I love this! Teddy was once asked to describe me for a mother’s day craft and he wrote “sarcastic, spends a lot of time at the computer, makes me lovely dinners, good cuddler…” Which, true, TBF…
I can’t wait to meet YOU and the kids!
Hahaha! The things kids answer for those sorts of prompts.
Cannot WAIT for Scotland… still need to book tickets. This week???!!
Ha ha, I LOVE IT! In her defense, I think Belle was totally fair. I mean, I’m not commenting on your fashion sense- I always think you look good, but I’m the last person to judge things like that. But, parents are SO embarrassing to their teenagers!!! It’s like just the thought that you have parents at all is somehow embarrassing. I remember this clearly from my own teenage days.
I would never dare to let my daughter write a post like this. But I’m pretty sure the #1 “bottom” thing about me (according to her) is that I’m constantly mansplaining. Again, this is according to her. I feel like I’m just talking like a normal person but she’ll constantly interrupt me and say “You’re mansplaining again!” She even modified the term just for me- now it’s “mom-splaining.”
I like Kyria’s suggestion above- more about Belle’s general life! Things she likes to do with friends, music she likes, things she likes/doesn’t like about school, etc. This is fun!
Mom-splaining… like, what does that even mean? I bet you are just being normal and wonderful. Sigh. TEEN GIRLS.
This was so fun to read! Way to go, Belle! Maybe you should start a blog!
I think fashion is such a personal choice. I am not one to adopt any fads – I know what I like and I stick with it. So you will never find me in wide leg jeans, for example. But no one would say I am ‘fashionable’. My kids are so oblivious to what I wear, though. Although, Will is good about complimenting me if I wear a necklace or dress or something like that. And I can relate re: exhaustion. When Paul did one of those fill in the blank things about me for Mother’s Day he said something like My mom is good at “napping.” Sigh. But hey, it’s true, naps are a savior for me and I am more tired than the average person, I think. I wasn’t always this way, though, but parenting really wears me out it seems, at least in this stage of life.
I’ll do top 3 for myself and my mom to keep things positive: Me: 1) I’m very independent, 2) I am a good, loyal friends, and 3) I am very good at planning/finding fun things for our kids/our family to do. My mom: 1) she’s an excellent cook/baker – she doesn’t tend to make fancy/high brow dishes but everything she makes is so dang good. Cooking for her family is one of her love languages for sure! 2) She’s very independent – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. She has always managed my parents finances and is a person who will figure things out. We probably are a bit too independent at times and could use some work on asking for help. 3) She’s a very loving and engaged parent/grandparent. My boys have a very special relationship with her and I had a special relationship with her a child. I have lots of memories of being the first kid awake in the house and cuddling on my mom’s lap. I was like Will in being a stage 5 clinger/lover of cuddling and she reveled in it.
There are worse things than being good at napping, Lisa! It’s a skill. (I am writing this response while desperately craving a nap, but it’s mid-afternoon since we just changed time zones and I don’t want to mess up my night sleep.)
I loved hearing more about your mom. You definitely seem incredibly independent and hard-working and dependable both practically and emotionally which is something I really look for in a friend.
I love that your boys have such a sweet relationship with her (and your dad).
Don’t think I’ve seen your Little House garb, but you’re always wearing a sweater and maybe tights/jeans when I see you, so that’s nicely ordinary. But I’m no teenager….
I’ll take ordinary!