My Latest Snag: Mini’s Birthday Dress.
I mentioned this in a post a few weeks back, but I spent way too much time trying to track down this Proper Peony dress in mini’s size — and I found one! I had admired that dress for over a year, so it had to happen. A few other options I love for little girls:
BLUE GINGHAM DRESS ($31!)
RACHEL RILEY BUNTING DRESS (ON SALE)
ALL OF THE FLORAL SETS FROM QUESTION EVERYTHING
JANIE AND JACK WHITE LINEN DRESS
You’re Sooooo Popular: The White Tunic.
The most popular items on the blog this past week:
+This chic white eyelet tunic.
+The world’s most flattering overalls.
+My blue mini dress — Alice in Wonderland vibes.
#Turbothot: On Tardiness / Timeliness.
Does being on time matter to you?
Mr. Magpie and I are uber-punctual. So is everyone in both of our families. I can still recall the blanched and focused look my mother would get on the rare occasion we were running a few minutes late to art class or a playdate when I was a child — it was almost as if she could not bear to speak to anyone or think about anything else until she had arrived and apologized. And she will always — always and without fail — text or call to alert someone when she will be delayed, even if only by a few minutes. Even over the holidays, which I often envision as a chain of lazy days of continuous conversation, if my mother has indicated that dinner is at 6 p.m., come 6 p.m., the table is set, the candles are lit, the platters are full, and we sit down to eat. Best to not idle in the kitchen fetching a glass of sparkling water after everyone’s filed into the dining room, or you will enter while my father is mid-prayer, having started promptly upon being seated.
My parents will occasionally call family meetings on various matters and if they say we will be dialing in at 11 a.m., it’s far more common that every single sibling and sibling-in-law is on the line at 10:55 a.m. than it is that someone joins late. We are the modern Von Trapps.
And when Mr. Magpie and I hosted a dinner party a few weeks back, we estimated that if we told everyone to be there at 7:30, our guests would trickle in by 8, which was fine by us; we’ve adjusted our expectations when hosting because we understand that not everyone holds punctuality in such high esteem.
Nonetheless, my sister and brother in law showed up at 7:29 p.m.
Oh yes. We are a timely crew.
Why, I sometimes wonder? Are we uptight?
Well — my parents instilled in me the fact that being on time is an act of courtesy and respect for your companion. And so I would often have my mother’s voice in my ear when scurrying to get somewhere on time in my teens. In college, I relaxed the rules a bit — a small and pathetic form of rebellion once I was out on my own. I had noticed that many of my friends would lollygag around, “getting ready,” and then roll up to gatherings 30 or 45 minutes late. It felt something like a cultural norm, and showing up on-the-dot suddenly seemed square. Of course, I remained fastidiously punctual for class, work, and anything involving my parents, but it wasn’t until an incident a few years out of college that I became obsessive about being on time as a matter of politeness. I had made dinner plans with a girlfriend of mine with a demanding job, and I arrived a few minutes late for our reservation and then proceeded to wait twenty, then thirty, then forty-five minutes all on my own at that table. She kept texting that she was wrapping up and would be on her way soon but at the hour mark (and two glasses of wine later), I sourly texted her to forget it and slunk home, embarrassed. Even though she apologized profusely (and I have long since forgiven her and moved on — I love her!) and even though I understood her job was ultra-rigorous, it felt to me that my companionship meant nothing to her. That night, I promised myself I would never do that to anyone else — not even for a few minutes. I’d rather cancel the entire thing if my arrival was in question.
Of course there are lapses here and there, but timeliness is something of a core value in our home. It’s a small but noticeable gesture (especially when you are a parent with small children and THINGS HAPPEN when you are trying to get out the door) that you care enough about that person that you will rearrange your day to ensure you can make it on time.
Sometimes, though, I wonder why I exert so much energy over timeliness when I find myself literally sprinting down 71st street to make it to a girlfriend’s apartment, or paying the inordinate fare for a cab in order to get across town more quickly. I have friends who are habitually late but who often have very good explanations that reflect their priorities (“my son needed some extra snuggles tonight” or “my boss asked me to stick around to handle something for her as a personal favor”) and this occasionally leaves me wondering whether I prioritize punctuality over other things that matter more?
What do you think? Does punctuality matter to you? Why or why not?
Post-Scripts: Elephant Jammies.
+Love these supersoft joggers in the blue floral!
+I posted a snap of this on Instastory earlier this week but I am DYING over these elephant pajamas! They remind me of Babar, and they come in a three pack for $25!!!
+Another really cute pair of pajamas at a good price.
+I’ve had a brass plant mister that I’ve used primarily for decor on one of our bookshelves for many years now — who knew it would come in handy for our new house plants?! Ha. Also love this pretty purple one.
+In love with this pretty sweater.
+This is the kind of thing I live in during evenings at home.
+Fun statement sweater with light-wash denim.
+If you’re still loving the puff (I am), this striped tee is really good.
+Mr. Magpie used to have a garden on the roof of our home in Chicago, and he was always coming down with a shirt full of fresh-picked vegetables. This would have been handy for him. What a nice gift for a home gardener!
+This Veronica Beard dress is stunning and on sale. This $40 dress channels its grand millennial vibe.
+I know I’ve been featuring a lot of swimwear lately — but how good is this?!
+These monogrammed jewelry rounds are adorable!
I’m definitely punctual (to a fault, perhaps) and agree with what you and some of the other commenters said: to me, it’s about respect and about honoring the other person’s time just as much as my own. It’s simply a courtesy to me!
Love the “grandmillennial” vibe! I am not firmly in that camp, but appreciate it and incorporate it into my wardrobe here & there … ditsy florals & all!
xx
Co-sign — I dip my toe in that pool but it’s not quite my scene. Ha!
It’s funny, I feel like my large family was always late growing up, and I was always embarrassed by it (I remember on several occasions, walking into our church pew after service had started, mortified). So, as an adult, I like to be on time. I think it says something about respect, definitely, and (hear me out…) I think perhaps people who tend to ALWAYS be late might have some “limiting beliefs” around time. (Including my family in my childhood.) Our culture has a lot of perpetuated time-beliefs: so many people are always running out of time, there’s never enough time in a day, time flies, don’t waste time, etc. These beliefs create an environment of never-enough, an environment of stress. Suddenly, the same person who is late to meet you is also looking at the time, frazzled about leaving for the next thing. (Even more upsetting than tardiness, in my opinion.) But I like to cultivate the belief that “I always have enough time for what matters most to me.” And I hope to be peaceful and present when I am spending time with others, and, yes, being on time is an extension of this. 🙂
So interesting — hadn’t thought about the way ambient culture shapes our impression of time / tardiness. All of those expressions track, though. I like the way you think of this!!
Punctuality matters to me. I am always on time and expect others to extend the same respect to me. My husband and I are from different countries, and punctuality is not as important in his culture. It’s caused a lot of friction when his friends or family show up an hour late to a planned event. On the flip side, I stress his family out by being anxious about the time when I’m visiting. I’m learning to read the room (or culture) on this, and to relax a little more.
My mom is often running 15 minutes behind. My dad always pads their plans with “Mary time” and tells her an earlier departure time to compensate. Whatever works!
Such a good point. I knew this about some cultures (based admittedly on TV shows like “Shahs of Sunset,” where they make a point about “Persian time”). That makes me want to be a little more forgiving when others are running late; they could be coming from an entirely different cultural construct around time or even family approach to tardiness. xx
Oh my god I am the EXACT same way. One of my BFFs and I get on so well because we are both the kind of person who will show up for a 7pm reservation at 6:57pm on the dot. Punctuality is important because it’s about respect- stuff happens, yes, but when you are chronically late, you are communicating to someone “my time is more valuable/important than yours.”
I also think that some folks have grown to believe that just because you can notify someone of your lateness via technology (unlike in ye olden times), then excuses the lateness. Which I don’t think is true. I mean, it’s fine if you text me an hour ahead of time to say you’re going to be 15 mins late, but if you’re texting me 5 mins before we’re meeting, the fact that you notified me doesn’t make it ok. Like, you’re still late. Apologize, at least! Ok, off my soapbox WHEW.
I hear you!! It does make me think about the mental math when someone texts that she is running late like ten minutes after she is supposed to be there…
And so true on technology. I mean, before cell phones, if you said you were going to be somewhere, you kind of HAD to be there…