Encouraging Your Kids to Try New Things

So this is a picture I took of me stalking my son. PLEASE allow me to explain!

So my kid is the one with the green backpack because his dad is out of town and could not make it home for the bike ride tonight like he really wanted to and if his dad had been home he could have gotten his crap together and made sure he had a water bottle holder mounted on his old gearless bike. I'm sure I could figure out how to ride a bike but don't have my own and also have other little ones to take care of so I did the drop-off thing and let the dads take over. You know this is hard for me because I'm one of those overbearing overprotective moms!

Today he also had his first Fencing class. Sometimes when new things come up he is reluctant to try them. I may have been guilty in the past of letting him stop doing things when he wanted to. I sucked at ballet/tap and I sucked at softball and so many other things. My parents made me at least TRY to do some different things but I never cared about them and didn't last long. I honestly believe some kids just are not cut out for uber-activity-world. Plus we live on the outskirts of Affluent Land where kids are always in activities. (sidenote: turns out I am EXCELLENT at carrying babies and giving birth with minimal painkillers ... my mom used to think I was such a wus, and now I feel like I can do anything physical ... I was perhaps a late bloomer!)

Anyway, lately I am trying to change my ways. I don't want to PUSH him to do things he HATES, but if he is merely reluctant, I am trying to jazz him up about things. Like fencing. Of course it would have been easier to stay home and play. But I got everyone around and we made it to Fencing. And he had a good time. He only has 5 more times and then can decide if he ever wants to do it again or if he wants to try something new. But all I ask is that he finish those other 5 sessions.

Tonight he didn't feel up to the 5-mile bike ride for Boy Scouts. I told him it would not take long and it would be so much fun to hang out with boys he is getting to know. Plus you get exercise. Plus you work on your Cycling badge. How great that will feel to accomplish that. That is not something I could probably even accomplish at my advanced age! (I have probably not worked out since ... well, hmmm ... let me thing ... oh, I know .... it was the 5K Aron and I walked when I was like 2 weeks PREGNANT with JOEL!). I'm sure we'll have the same discussion soon when the 10-mile ride comes up, and I will give him the pep talk of his life.

As we drove away, his little friend we have with us said, "They can't go on Antioch [busy street]; he won't survive!" I'm like, "Don't say that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" So I came right home and pulled up the email that had the route they would be taking and for a mom like me, that was like HEAVEN to have. I know where my baby is! I think when my kids are in their 40s I will be the same. My poor children.

So this picture is of me parked on the road waiting to see where the Troop was headed so I could get a shot of his bike ride. Thought he might like to see it someday, even if it is just from behind! It is also a good reminder for me that my kids are always riding away from me, every second of every day. It makes it that much more urgent for me to raise them well and to raise them to want to try new things.

Moshi Monster Monday: Draw Your Heart Out!

The last weekend Aron was home he had the kids quietly sitting at the dining room table drawing Moshi Monsters pictures (using their Moshi Monsters guides for help). He has some crazy Child Whisperer gift or something. What is it about dads that kids seem to listen to more than moms? Is it that kids are generally with their mom more? So do stay-at-home dads have the same problem as stay-at-home moms? Like does the mom come home from her full-time job and Get. Things. Handled? What if both parents work full-time? Does it just make a difference on who the biggest pushover is (me)? Questions to ponder later or in the comments section. Here is the artwork:

Rooby by Joel

Roxy by Michael

Oddie by Michael

Cleo by Joel for Callie

Pools and Drive-In Movies with a Bunch O' Kids

First of all, I want to apologize if you get my bloggy via email because some of you are getting it a day late. Yes, that can make you a dollar short, if you got the Friday Freebie email a day late, for instance. Sorry about that, and I will use all my technical expertise to check into the situation. Seeing as how that ain't much, the problem might be fixed in early 2015. So just come to the blog if you think about it. Which I know you do. Like every single minute of your day.

Second of all, my Sunday Weekly Wrap-Up show is slacking hard. Here's the wrap-up of last week: We had a ton of fun. Aron was out of town and we missed him tons like always.

Moving on.

Yesterday we went to the Lifetime Fitness outdoor pool for 4 hours with a friend who is a member. We got in for free and got FREE lunch for all dozen of us. We saved like $70. It's for sure freebie weekend for us! My friend is a good influence on me in that she encouraged me to go to Chik-fil-A. I am a good influence on her in that I encourage her to go to the pool! Michael lost a tooth in the pool, but the Tooth Fairy came anyway last night even without a tooth to take.

Later Joel was like, "Can we PLEASE go to the drive-in?????" And I was like, "There is no way I can do that with no Daddy to help." Aren't I negative? The thing about me, though, is that I might say there is no way, and then I go ahead and do it anyway, thinking the entire time, "It will be fine." Damn Geminis.

So here are a few pix from the drive-in. In Kansas City we go to the I-70 because they have 4 screens.

We like to grab Aldi food on the way ... like M&Ms and chips and juice pouches and other culinary nastiness. They were closed when we got there, though, so we hit Mickey D's (sockless in the car!) and got some frozen lemonades, Coke, food and cookies.

We had a great time! I felt all super-prepared with everything we needed and we even parked backwards like the cool kids do. Sam sat some, meandered around in front of the van some, sat on my lap, got sleepy but didn't go to sleep until we drove over to the 2nd movie for a few minutes.

The only decent photo I could grab since it was dark. This is from the previews.

I have fond memories of the drive-in from when I was a kid. We would go all the time and my dad had a rockin' 1970s van so I could fall asleep in the bed in back when I wanted to. So of course we take our kids as often as we can. Last year we didn't go at all so we were dying to go now. It was sad to go without Aron, but we had fun seeing Ice Age #27. Snow White and the Huntsman was not for us, so we drove over to the end of Spiderman then went home.

We got to talk to Aron on the way home. He had worked another long day. Turns out he will not be home Monday after all and will be gone longer. I cried on the phone because I miss him. Don't feel sorry for me, though, Readers, because crying just means I am still in love head over heels and that we like each other. He said he was proud that I took the kids to the drive-in and that he prayed for us!

All but Joel fell asleep on the way home, so basically getting all the sleepers in the house is my biggest challenge. I had the 3 oldest kids inside and in bed when Michael asked, "Did you put the Littles away yet?"

Total cost $8 for the drive-in movie for 6 of us because my kids are all under the age of 12.

Aftermath: Friday the 13th Freebie Crawl #ChikFilA #CowAppreciationDay

You will probably not believe this, but I took my crazy butt to every offer I posted yesterday. First we hit the Starbuck's for the refreshers. The kids did not like them, so more for me. These cost $2.99 after tax so we got $17.94 for free. The chick at the drive-through was like, "Um, you know these have caffeine in them, right?" Like I was giving them crack or something. I'm like, "Yeah, I know it's not juice. All my kids have ADHD so caffeine CALMS them ... just kidding." Truthfully, folks, I don't notice my kids acting any less or more nuts when they have caffeine or sugar so why change things now? My parenting style is 1960's Old School without the spankin's.

Click here to see what my friend Heather thinks of the Refreshers.

Then we hit the Krispy Kreme, where they had made a donut cake for their 75th birthday (thanks for the heads-up, Angela and Elizabeth)!

Joel wanted to go inside and since we had not been inside in forever, I surprised him with a YES. He likes to watch the PROCESS.

Michael gives his baby brother a boost.

The booty. Buy one dozen get the other for $0.75. Total saved = $6.24.

Sam digs in. This is why my mommyvan looks like crap most of the time!

Later my friend came over with her 5 kids and somehow convinced me that we could handle the Chik-fil-A promotion thing and dress like cows. I was apprehensive, but she and kids dove right in and I found myself a nice black outfit and taped white dots on it.

A quick nursing session is about to happen with my little calf. Here comes that udder ...

This is Karate Kow, Eva. We are udderly crazy.

Crap, why didn't this picture turn for me? This is surly Sam donning ballet shoes to go with the black shoe theme.

My friend with an employee of Chik-fil-A and a couple of the ELEVEN kids we took in there!

Don't freak out. Yes, we took up THREE tables. We had a ton of fun. The kids were well behaved. Just my crew saved $41.37.

Afterward I was feeling udderly brave, so we went to Burger King for their 50-cent ice cream cones and to play in the playroom and have some mommy conversation. Saved about another $7. See below for the totals ...

TOTAL SPENT (because my husband will want to know): $16.56 (because I sprung for the ice cream cones for all of us)

TOTAL SAVED for got for free: $72.55. Not bad for a day's work as a stay-at-home mom.

Friday the 13th: FREEBIES! #CowAppreciationDay #ChikFilA

So today is all about FREEBIES! Let's dive right in so you can get started planning your freebie stalking:

Starbuck's has their new Refreshers for FREE from 12-3 today ... each person who comes in gets a 12-ounce beverage. WARNING: this is like healthy Red Bull, so put your kids in a padded room after you give them their free sample. Or maybe just take them to the park or something.

Krispy Kreme today has buy a dozen, get a dozen for 75 whopping cents. Not free, but a dang good deal. Again, watch your kids' sugar intake here and let them run wild after the donuts.

Again, not totally free, but my mom told me Burger King has 50-cent ice cream cones during the month of July!

Chik-fil-A does Cow Appreciation Day every year and it seems as though it would rock. ALL DAY LONG, if you go in fully dressed as a cow, you get an entire combo meal. If you wear an accessory like a cow tie or hat (still trying to figure out if my udders count), you get a free entre (like a sandwich or chicken nuggies). I'm working my way up to this one and am not quite brave enough to do it yet with 5 or 6 kids in tow. Besides, we only have ONE cow costume and it fits only little Sam. If Aron was in town and off work, we would TOTALLY do this. I'm thinking next year for sure!

Got any more freebies for today? Let me know in the comments section and HAVE FUN!