and we packed up and went to the mall....

See, we were sitting there at the kitchen table, doing school work. The three younger ones had helped me make paleo pumpkin muffins, which were EXCELLENT! Even picky Camille liked them. Of course it helped that I made them some frosting for their muffins:) Anyway, we were doing work, and the kids were getting loud and silly. Camille had to write a Haiku, so that spurred me to write them about the kids, which led to more silliness. At 12:15, I said, "What do you guys want to do today?" The older girls said, "Mall!", so we went to the mall. They shrieked with laughter and happiness that I said yes, and to get ready right now, they could barely believe we were really actually going.

It was a chilly rainy day, and perfect for the mall, if there is such a thing. I don't really like malls, everything is too expensive. But we cruised the clearance racks, and I found the little girls a few tops for next summer for 80 cents each, and some nice capri shorts for $3.20. Kathryn and Suzanne found a few things in Charlotte Russe, then a few more things in Rue 21, They went into the comic book store while Cam and I hit Dunkin Donuts, a coffee for me and a red-frosted apple shaped donut for her...
She is still so sweet:)

Jonathan found a Star Wars game he has been looking for in the comic book store, so he came to ask me if he could buy it. I took him back in the store, and when he took out his wallet to pay for it, his library card fell out. Then when he saw the total and had to break his twenty dollar bill because of tax, he had a thing or two to say. I told him he is an official grown up now, paying tax and having a library card.


We went to the dreaded food court, but Taco Bell is reasonable enough, a ten pack of tacos for nine something.

Then...the grocery store. Jonathan still loves pushing carts, but when I heard him tell Char he would push her in a car-car cart, I vetoed it, telling him that we should save those for the really little kids and not hog one for an 8 year old. Char wanted to walk anyway, but Camille climbed into a regular cart, and Jon pushed her around the store. I felt a little Walmart-y, which means loud and brash and when the mom yells shamelessly at her kids:) I didn't yell at my kids, but a few times I was tempted. They get pretty silly.

The school supplies were 75% off, and for some reason there were pillows there, for $1.87. I bought four for the little girls, who said they want to make a couch in their room with milk crates and pillows. Cam was all snuggly in her cart with four pillows. We also bought a new cooler for $6.84, and a notebook, a nice water bottle, and a few other school supplies.

Bananas and eggs and chicken and yogurt, bread, carrots and milk, pretzels, gum, some frozen veggies, and we were done....ah, home.

It is quiet now, the kids are doing work, not crazy and silly like yesterday, although I have to keep warning Miss Char. She likes to yak, and she can get the other kids going quite easily. Camille is more of a worker, she actually likes writing stories and doing math problems.

We are having a church grill this weekend, so I have lots of stuff to go shop for. Drinks and candy and hot dogs and salad fixings...I don't really mind, but it takes so much time.

Here's an exciting thing though: I am going to the theater tomorrow night! I am torn about it though, it is hard to be glad about it because my mother-in-law was the one who was supposed to go. Paul's sister was going to take her, as a birthday gift, but couldn't make it, and now Eleanor is sick and cannot go. She asked me if I want to take the tickets and go, and of course I would love to. I think I will take my 15 year old, Evelyn. It is not super easy to choose one child to take, but I have tried to raise these guys to know that life isn't always fair, and they all don't get the same things at the same time. It would be ridiculously difficult to have something for everyone each and every time I picked up something for someone. Evelyn is my reader, she enjoys life immensely, and I think she will really appreciate the show, "Beauty And The Beast". It is a bit sad to enjoy something that was not meant for me, but...I will guiltily enjoy it anyway.

I have only gone to the theater twice, for plays. One thing that is just purely magical is how engrossing it truly is. The first play I saw, I could not believe when the curtain closed for intermission. I was so swept up in the story, I forgot where I was!

Ah well, life is interesting.