In Search of Lost Items

All the kids needed and purchased new shoes at the beginning of the school year. Paige and Allie wanted the sparkly, light-up canvas Skechers. Mike and I refused to buy them. I just can't see spending $40 on sneakers that will look trashy and have holes in them before the end of one month. Instead, the girls got athletic shoes which should last them until winter. Allie's shoes are hot pink and Paige's shoes are brown with pink stripes.

We told the younger girls that their new shoes were for school. They were to wear their old sneakers for play. Everything was going well, until last Tuesday. Paige couldn't find one of her school shoes. We spent an hour looking Tuesday morning, but couldn't find it. She asked if she could wear her church shoes to school. I made her wear her play shoes and told her that we would look for the school shoe when she returned home from school.

We have been searching for this stupid shoe all week with no success. Last night, Paige asked if we could get her new play shoes because they pinched her toes. Mike thought that maybe someone had teased her at school about her brown shoes and that she didn't like them any more. I talked to her about that Friday before sending her to bed. She claimed that she liked the shoes and wanted to wear them to school.

Saturday morning Paige, Madelyn, Allie, and I spent 6 hours looking. No brown shoe. We had emptied out all the closets, cupboards, and drawers. We searched under couches, beds, and chairs. The laundry baskets were dumped and the trash can was gone through. Still no shoe. In desperation, I asked Joe to make one final check of the girls' room. Five minutes later, the shoe was found.

I can in all honesty admit that the location of the missing shoe was one that never entered my mind. Where was this excellent hiding spot? Under her pillow on her bed! She has been sleeping on it since Tuesday!

Next time, Joe will be helping to search immediately. His mind is obviously the most creative for lost items.