Small treasures

It's amazing what a reasonably clean house and a shower can do for the soul.

Thing 2: Uncensored

I went to El Pollo Loco to pick up lunch so that the kids and I can take it to my mom's work and have lunch with her. She still can't get around with the cast on her leg.

I ordered two large sodas. The lady asked what kind of drink do I want, and Thing 2 shouted "Mommy only drinks coffee and wine".

Oh boy!

Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer & Became a Robot

My mom broke her leg. Badly. She required surgery to put a plate in to protect her from future breaks. So, that meant no grandma for Thanksgiving, and for the kids to learn not to rough house with her for the next few months.

My son kept asking me questions over and over about how bad her leg was. I didn't want him to be completely distraught, as I know how sensitive he could be. So, I explained she needed surgery to fix her leg, and she'll be fine after some rest. I mentioned that she'll have a metal plate in her leg and she'll be as good as new in time for his birthday.

Metal parts in Grandma's leg?

A boy couldn't be happier! Grandma was part robot. After all, isn't that what happened to Luke Skywalker when Darth Vader cut his hand off? And, wasn't Darth Vader (his current hero) part robot?!

My son is now pleased to have a cyborg granny.

The Nutcracker

I've decided to try and implement some arts and culture into my kids' lives. First, it was the art museum, which resulted in me getting yelled at and the kids deciding that looking at pictures of birds and "weird people" wasn't their thing right now.

No biggie, that's fine. But, I'm not about to give up.

So, I saw that The Nutcracker was in town. My children were super excited to go. They were hopping up and down in anticipation. Finally, we get there, and they sit through the first few scenes. My son asks me "where's the Nutcracker?" I whisper, you have to wait for him. Finally, there's it is. A little girl dancing with her new Nutcracker gift. Some action on the screen (where the Nutcracker kills the Rat/Mouse King) and then more dancing.

My son whispers again "where's the Nutcracker?" Having never seen it, and not knowing what to anticipate, I reassure him "shh! We have to be patient". The snow falls, as a lovely couple dances on screen. He gets antsy "booooring! Mommy where's the Nutcracker?!"

The Nutcracker doesn't reappear. During intermission, I review the program only to see, that The Nutcracker doesn't reappear, that was the extent of it.

Sitting back during act two. Watching the local performers continue dancing to the beautiful melodies, I feel the same frustration as my kids.

I'll know better next time. Maybe I'll save "the arts" for when they're older and I've done my research.