The Story of Sada

My mother tells me she originally was going to name me Sada. So I came up with the idea one day to tell my girls stories about a little girl named Sada, each night before they go to bed. Let me just say that this has become a HUGE PART OF THEIR DAY. My daughters have their own ideas and independant views about a little girl named Sada. I am tickled at how excited they are about her stories and adventures. Let me tell you how it all began....

It started 4 months ago. Each night before they go to bed, I tell them just a little bit about Sada. They have their own room, so I usually share the exact same story and they're only a few minutes long. Sometimes I don't even have anything planned before I walk in there and sit down beside them...the story just comes to me as I tell it....about a little girl....who was a lot like me as a kid...with a few exceptions.

Sada only wears dresses. She doesn't wear shorts or pants, only dresses.

She wears socks with sandles. Her sandles are white, with flowers on the toes.

Her socks come to her knees. She wears them pulled up to her knees on Mondays.

She wears her socks folded down to her ankles on Tuesdays.

She wears her socks rolled down to her ankles on Wednesdays.

Her skin changes colors, depending on her mood.
When she's happy...she's blue.
When she's angry....she's green.
When she's sad...she's yellow.
When she feels shy....she's red. Her skin is kind of like a mood ring.

Sada's favorite food is spaghetti. Her mother always makes it for her on Monday's. Sada eats it in a big bowl and with a slotted spoon. She likes for the noodles to slip through the holes. She also likes to slurp her noodles. Now Sada knows that it's not good manners to slurp...BUT...her mother and father allow her to slurp her noodles because Sada has extra good manners on everything but noodle slurping on spaghetti nights.

She helps set the table.
She puts her napkin in her lap.
She waits until everyone else at the table gets their food before begins to eat her own.

Before she leaves the table, she asks to be excused.

Enough about the fictional Sada. You want to know how this has affected me? Now my girls use good manners at dinner! But they also want to slurp noodles every chance they get. They talk about Sada all the time. "Mom...would Sada wear this?" My 4 year old asks me in the morning. It's my own fault I told her about knee socks with sandals. What was I thinking?! I must be more careful when designing a fashion-forward character...right?!

I told one story last night about Sada taking a bath with her swimsuit and goggles on, in a bathtub full of bubbles...and tonight, Ginny Grace came into the living room ready for bathtime in her pink swimsuit and green goggles! ** Note the cute picture to your right.

Motherhood is the most fun thing ever. There is nothing that can top it. There is nothing I would rather do or be. Adding Sada Stories to the journey are an unexpected addition for us Ledbetter girls. I'll let you know where we end up.