Time for Change

That statement always reminds me of the Brady Bunch episode when Peter's voice begins to change.

For today that change is reminding me of our Oklahoma weather. I spent the last two days outside enjoying the weather even getting a light spring sunburn. Fast forward 24 hours to snow, snow, snow and more snow. I honestly have had enough of winter this year.

Changes are definitely happening in the mommyfried house. The preteen years are smacking us in the face. I know that the school will soon be sending home a note to give permission for my oldest to go to "your body is changing" class. I will reluctantly allow my kids to attend but I feel it is my duty to introduce them to this stuff myself. So today since we were snowed in became the perfect opportunity to introduce shaving. Now I know boys and girls shave differently but I thought to my self what better way to get out some of the winter dull drums than to put both kids in the tub with a soapy substance and sharp objects. At first the concentration was intense then well you know it was bound to happen. I will let the following pictures tell the tale themselves.

To my Surprise!

After a long day of doing family stuff together we were all famished. We headed to one of the local chain pizza buffets for an easy quick dinner. Then the inevitable happened, again. "Do you have a quarter? Please! Just one, Paaaleeeaasssseeeee?" So I finally caved. Normally this is where I would inject that they should be using their own money. But we had been out for so long I figured fine. At least this will stop the whining and you know there would have been a lot more. So my darling daughter went strait to the candy crane machine. You know the one where you are guaranteed you will win. When there is candy available you can bet your sunshine my daughter will be one of the first in line. My son on the other hand. He is becoming quite the oportunist. He decided that he was going to go for one of those toy crane games that nobody ever wins. When he first went to the machine it wasn't posted how much it was. So he decided he was going to give it a shot anyway. Surprise, surprise, surprise! It wasn't a quarter and then to add salt to the wound. It wouldn't give him his quarter back. Normally I would have just said well lesson learned and been done with it. He kept saying "I know I can get one." Once again I caved and decided to let him learn his lesson giving him the second quarter he needed. Saying, "No one wins those things." Then much to my and my husbands amazement the claw actually grabbed the toy. Then it actually pulled it up. Then wonder of all wonders it actually fell into the retrieval box. Holly macanoli! He actually did it. I think you could have picked mine and my husbands jaws off the floor. That little turkey came back to the table with a smile as big as the ocean. "I told you I could do it!" Then he followed it by saying "Aren't you going to put it on the Internet where you tell stories about us?" Of course I am.

Something new?

Today we went with my FIL to a Chinese buffet type restaurant. My dear dear darling little girl was feeling a brave. She decided that she would try these two not so normal everyday dishes for our little corner of the world. In her right hand she is holding a crawdad and in her left an octopus. Just getting her to hold these was quite the entertainment value. She had poked at the crawdad a bit and had gotten past its wierdness but the octopus. She couldn't get past the fact that the head was still attached. She dropped it almost as fast as I placed it in her hand.



I think she began to think the crawdad just might be a friend. I showed her how to get the tail out after she had been poking at it for awhile. I was suprised she actually ate it. First it was a little nibble then she went for it. She didn't think it was bad but for some reason she didn't want another one. Hmmmmm



Next was the octopus. She wasn't about to eat the head. I ended up breaking off one of the legs for her to try. The expressions that went across her face were priceless. I wish I had videoed that. Then she suprised me again and ate a second leg. After that she was done and wanted dessert. I'm really impressed with her. While I have had crawdads a long long time ago I don't think I could eat octopus in that form. Maybe battered and fried and disguised but definately not that way.

Ghosts, Giggles and a 9th B-day

This last weekend we celebrated my little girls 9th Birthday by visiting Fort Reno. I was looking through one of the state tourism books and found out that they offered ghost tours occasionally and it just so happened that there was one on my daughters b-day. She got really excited. So the plans were made that we would go on the ghost tour from 8pm-11pm and spend the night in the RV at Lake El Reno. My daughter ended up with two friends attending as well as her 15 year old cousin (whom walks on water I will have you to know).

We registered at the visitors center it started to rain. First they took us through the visitors center and we heard our first ghost story. The rain subsided then we were waiting out side for the other groups. We were treated to one of the most beautiful sun sets I have seen in a while. The picture above does not do it enough justice. Then we were divided into groups of about 30 for the tour of the different buildings of the Fort. Wouldn't you know we were teamed up with a couple of teen boys. I suddenly was not so worried about the younger kids as I was about my niece. They teased and flirted with her the entire time. It was so cute when her and I were talking. It was really obvious that the dark haired boy liked her. So I took the opportunity to point out to her that his friend liked her as well. She told me that she thought so but wasn't sure. I explained that he was following the "man code" of not making it obvious because his friend was. I am so glad I'm not her parent they are going to have their hands full. She is so cute. Anyway, the kids had a great time listening to the different tales. At the end of touring the Fort all the groups met up together so that those who wanted to could go to the "CEMETERY!" (Insert creapy music.) What is a night of ghosts without a cemetery? So of course we followed. We listened to the guide tell a few more stories. At the very end she challenged the under 10 year old kids. They had to go into the POW part of the cemetery and touch the headstone of the man whose grave had been robbed and his head is missing. Isn't that a great way to end a ghost tour. After a lot of persuading the girls finally touched the stone. They all ran back over the stone wall as fast as their little legs would carry them. What a hoot.

We arrived at the RV about midnight and proceeded to do the traditional cake and presents thing. The girls had the front half of the RV while I tried to stay in my own little world in the back. They all watched Ghostbusters but then only two of them made it through The Princess Bride. By then it was about 5am. When I finally got up at about 9:30ish this is what I saw.



Notice anything here. There are only the three younger girls. Because this is where the 15 year old was.


That is MY bed! It is only a twin size and I would say almost to small for just myself much less both of us. So after she had fallen a sleep. I snuck into the cab over for a little rest. The morning sun came sooner than I was ready for but then when doesn't it for a sleep over. We headed back to the city and returned everyone home.

I think over all this was one of my better birthday party ideas yet!