Thursday, October 17, 2013

Potpourri

Why is it that blog posts in bullet form are becoming the norm for me?  Am I not able to produce a singe-focus post these days?  Apparently not, because here comes anotha one, in short-attention-span bullet points:


  • We bought a new car!  (read:  an '08, with 100,000 miles on it).  But we all love it!  It's a red suburban, with 9 seats and a DVD player!  The kids were beside themselves with joy and I had to put the kibosh on watching a movie every. single. time. we are in the car.  They got over their letdown and now are content in fighting over who sits in which seat.  I, on the other hand, am getting over my severe qualms about driving the huge thing.  It is wider than the (already big) Astro, and longer too, so it is an adjustment.  I think I have perfected the 16-point-parking-space-exit, with hopes to soon be able to enter a parking garage.  Baby steps.  
  • My eldest daughter and one of my sons were in our local production of Annie Get Your Gun over the weekend.  It was a great show, with lots of talent and spectacular sets and costumes.  My daughter was a socialite, complete with a dance number and line and mic!  She looked beautiful and did a fabulous job.  My son was adorable as a cowboy (I might be prejudiced about the good looks of my children - don't judge!) and tried his very hardest to do his best.  That being said, he was the most active cowboy on the stage.  He wandered around the group of cowboys, vying for a better view of Annie and Frank during the shootout scenes.  He spent several moments reaching out and touching Sitting Bull's elaborate headdress.  Dear reader, my heart was pounding every time he was on the stage!  I was so worried he would cause a scene, pull the headdress off the chief, get into a scuffle with another cowboy, you name it!  At one point when he was reaching out to touch the headdress, I actually said his name quietly (from the upstairs mezzanine).  It was involuntary!  I was desperate to redirect him and tell him to stand still.  Our family thought it was hilarious, but I must admit, I just found it terrifying!  Thankfully, the show ended without incident and both daughter and son had a wonderful time.  And my heart began beating normally again.  
  • My littlest K got a game of Old Maid (full disclosure: as a kids' meal toy from Chick-fil-A) the other day and she and I and various family members have enjoyed playing it with her.  For probably the first 10 games, though, every time she got stuck with the Old Maid at the end, she would say, "I got the Old Navy!".  I abdicate all responsibility in that.  
  • My husband will not be home for dinner tonight and the children are super excited.  Not because they don't love their father, but because if Daddy isn't home, they think they will get a "fake dinner".  As in, Mommy won't really cook (because apparently that is a horrible prospect!) and they can have macaroni or cereal or chicken nuggets.  And you know what?  Tonight they're right!
  • We have converted from the Budgetary Smackdown to what I am fondly calling the Freedom Budget.  The kids think my names for things are super cool by the way (do you believe that?).  We are entering a building project at church and are participating in the campaign, so we are actually operating with less, but I feel like we have more!  I remind the children we are free to choose what we spend our money on.  We are free to make smart decisions and the like.  The kids are not really buying it, because to them it boils down to:  fewer McDonald's trips (actually none so far) and not getting what they want whenever they want it (which they have never experienced anyway!).  However, we feel good about our new budget, and I hope the kids will someday see it was a good experience.

I must end this post now and begin preparing our fake dinner!

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