Archive for the ‘Jedi’ Tag
April 04 2011
We ventured to every parent’s worst nightmare this past weekend; Chuck E. Cheese. Where a kid can be a kid, and the mom is dragged around just to insert tokens. It’s like slot machines for tikes. Which I dutifully obliged, so long as I got in a game of skeeball before we left.
A garlic-enfused cardboard-crust pizza, a terrified encounter with a giant mouse, a couple interrupted games of skeeball, over 500 tickets and 3 hours later, the cup of Chuck E. gold was finally diminished. No sooner did my riches run dry, however, than Abby climbed into her favorite little kid car ride that’s meant to bop along at a snail’s pace and wouldn’t get out. When Jedi reaches into his pants pocket and emerges with a single shiny coin clenched in his fingers.
“Here, she can have this one”, he offers, selflessly handing over his last token to make his little sister happy. I even double-checked, to make sure I understood his true intentions. It’s not that he’s ever knowingly unkind, but he would normally need a nudge, or a full-throttled yank, for such charitable behavior. With all of the games he could have played, though, he said instead, “Yeah, I want her to have it”.
Now doesn’t that sound like a wonderful big brother? It’s enough to make a mama proud.
Until later that night when Jedi walks in on the verge of tears. “I shouldn’t have wasted my last token”, he sniffles. “The next time we go to Chuck E. Cheese, you need to find my coin and give it back to me.”
That’s more like it.
March 29 2011
Knock, knock, knock.
It was the afternoon, my daughter was just stirring from a nap and Buzz was watching a movie as quietly as he can be in the back room. I had my netbook in my lap, leisurely taking in the moments of relaxation until it was time to gather everyone together for our daily jaunt to meet Jedi at the bus stop. I still had about an hour to go until then, though. When there was a knock on the door.
I pried myself off the couch to peek out the peephole. I looked and looked again, but I didn’t see anyone there. Figuring it must be someone trying to sell something, or stupid neighbors, I began to walk away. But then it knocked again.
Knock, knock, knock.
Fine, I heaved a loud sigh as I reluctantly answered the door.
When I did, there he was, still too small to be seen by the viewfinder.
“What are you doing here? Are you OK?”, I asked, looking around for a car or some way he made it home.
“You FORGOT ME at the BUS STOP!”, as Jedi’s face curled into almost-cries. “I waited for you for 10 MINUTES!”
“I…. What?! But…. Oh! An hour early! You got off an hour early today!”, you could probably see the light switch on from my forehead.
“YOU FORGOT ME!”
I don’t think that was the best time to tell him that I almost didn’t answer the door for him, either.
March 14 2011
“Mommy?”, Jedi asked after arriving home from school.
“Yes”, I replied, expecting more video game nonsense that I’ve learned to tune out. When he’s not playing, he’s thinking about playing or talking about playing. I seem to have acquired one of those kids.
“I think I’m really sleeping right now and my entire life has been a dream”, he said.
“Well”, I paused, impressed at the sudden out-of-nowhere deep thought for a 7 year old, but also a touch frightened. Maybe this is a dream. Maybe I’m dreaming and he’s dreaming, and we’ve intertwined our consciouses. Then again, I don’t remember watching Inception with him, but maybe I did. “I suppose it could be”, I relented, “but I’m pretty sure we’re awake and this is actually happening.”
“But how do you know?”
Good question, one which I didn’t have an answer, aside from pinching him really hard. How do you know? If it is a dream, I could do without the past 7 months or so, but overall it hasn’t been that bad.
And that’s when the sky began to fall. Well, maybe not. I think it’s safe to steer clear of Leonardo Dicaprio movies for awhile, though.
February 15 2011
I sent my oldest son off with a pack of Superhero Squad Valentine cards for his classmates this morning.
Because nothing says love like the Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, and Captain America.
A pack of Valentine cards that I had to talk him into getting in the first place by assuring, “Look! These aren’t mushy at all!”.
He still wasn’t happy about it.
Since school was closed yesterday due to selective parent/teacher conferences, they were having their party today, along with a celebration for the 100th day of school. I tried, I really did, to get him to do something, anything, for the 100th day. “We could draw a picture! We could bring in 100 suckers! I’ve got a great idea, how about 100 stickers!”. He flat-out refused. Fine, I finally agreed, but “you should really bring in Valentine cards for your classmates”. “Not Carrie-Ann!”, he stated in resolution, “she’s mean to me”.
He didn’t want to do that either, though, until I took him to the store with me. There, we dug through the selection of mass-produced sentiments of care until we came across the Superheros. “It’s either this or Hello Kitty”, became an easy decision once that ultimatum was delivered. Upon return home, we sat at his desk and wrote each name in the scrawl of 1st grade.
“But I’m still not making one for Carrie-Ann”, he repeated adamantly. And we didn’t.
I snuck a few extra in his backpack, though. Just in case.
February 07 2011
It wasn’t long before bed when Jedi gets up from the computer and comes in to the kitchen where I’m standing. He had been looking through pictures posted on his school’s website, which didn’t explain why he would stomp in with such a stern expression.
“We have a serious problem”, he spoke solemnly.
Silly me, I was expecting him to remind me of an assignment past due or a possible upset tummy, maybe his computer crashed. An event that might deem his reaction necessary. Falling for it, I asked, “What’s the serious problem?”.
“I was just looking at my school website and do you remember when I was still in kindergarten and we had our pajama party? Well, it looks like 1st grade had an ice cream party on that day instead! We should have had an ice cream party like they had!”, Jedi voiced adamantly.
“That’s the serious problem?”, I wondered. Funny, I never thought of ice cream to be a problem before. Creamy and delicious, particularly with large chunks of chocolate and hot fudge, but never really a problem.
“Yes! It looks like they had more fun than we did!”
“I remember that you had fun, too, though”, I tried to reassure in vain.
“But they had MORE fun! With ice cream! THAT’S A SERIOUS PROBLEM!”
I'm Crystal. A 30-something mom to 3 young kids living in the Midwest USA. When I'm not chasing my children, I'm a freelance writer and web designer. I like to tell stories from our days and share what we enjoy...
