Ellie is an easy kid to have along - she's easygoing and good-natured... but Saturday night she was also a bit gassy... which I know because she was sitting on my lap through the whole show. At one point in the evening I called her a goofball and she laughed and laughed and kept repeating, "Goofball! You called me a goofball!" She's hilarious. And she and The Princess are so darn cute together. I try not to think about taking The Princess 1,500 miles away from Ellie because when I do, I have to fight back tears...
Anyway, the evening was certainly pleasant enough, but for a family that is fighting back against materialism, it was like being thrown into the lions' den. Conseco Fieldhouse was filled to the brim with colorful plastic THINGS and overpriced food. The show itself was based on Toy Story 3 and at one point there were 30 "Barbies" skating in formation. Definitely surreal. As you watched the skating Barbies, your kid could enjoy a scoop of multi-colored shaved ice in a Buzz Lightyear-shaped bowl for only $15.
They did manage to trick me into spending some of my money. A box of popcorn was fairly reasonable (by movie theater standards anyway) and so I got one at intermission to share. As soon as the vendor placed the thing in my hands, I realized my mistake. I knew I would have to endure a chorus of "I'm thirsty!" So I cringed and plopped down $6.75 for a refillable cup of soda ... and grabbed 7 straws! It was almost worth the price to watch the kids knock heads together sipping soda after a couple of handfuls of extra salty popcorn.
After the show ended, The Princess had a queen-sized meltdown over a bag of cotton candy. She could not understand why Daddy wouldn't shell out 12 dollars for 50 cents worth of sugar! She eventually gave up on the cotton candy and switched her attention to the toys. She got neither.
But we did walk down to the South Bend Chocolate Factory on the square and shared a collosal piece of chocolate cake - the seven of us had our fill for $10.
The best part of the evening was when The Princess (completely without prompting) looked up from her chocolate cake as we sat around the table together and said, "This is better than a toy."
THAT is what I want my kids to understand and THAT is what I want to live.
As far as the Gives go for Saturday and Sunday:
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| On Sunday, my younger brother Russ and his family-to-be came over for lunch. Melissa fixed a great meal and we had several hours to converse while our kids played with their cousins-to-be. Alecia mentioned at one point that Allison didn't have a pair of snow boots of her own (she had to wear her brother's) and Melissa found a pair of pink boots that The Drama Queen has outgrown. Russ had jokingly said at one point that he hoped to get out of our house without receiving a "Give of the Day" (since he is also trying to sell a house) but he didn't refuse a Give that was purely practical. |
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| This oil dispenser was a beautiful gift from my (brother and) sister-in-law. It has the little dishes with it and the idea is that you mix the oil with some spices in the tiny bowls to dip bread in. Well, we love that at restaurants but never think to do it at home, so this is going to Goodwill ... unless someone out there wants to claim it before it actually makes the trip! I would much rather give it to someone I know who might appreciate it - especially since it was a gift - so don't be shy! |
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