Hobby Lobby

Did I mention I'm having a BAD summer?

We are staying in more this year since gas prices are so freaking exorbiant. Which makes us a little stir crazy. But I've been making an effort to get us out every now and then so we don't just fall out killing each other go nuts.

Like the boys spent a week at my dad's house. Life was so quiet and nice then. And last week we went and got a snowball one day, we played in a fountain another day, and spent a lot of time out in the yard with the sprinklers. Thank goodness for sprinklers.

Today we attempted the free movie in town. We got there about 10 minutes early, which was perfect, since the first theater filled up with daycare groups, we were the second people in the new theater they opened up. But after 5 minutes, I was so ready to abandon a certain child leave and go straight home.

But we didn't. I gritted my teeth, bought some popcorn so they'd have something to stuff in their mouths (thereby rendering them mostly unable to bug me) and dealt with it.

In the interest of saving gas, we had to make a stop my Hobby Lobby on the way home. Since it is right next to the theater practically. I begged them to "Pul-Ease be so very very good" in that store! And I'm not kidding, I could have hauled off and smacked someone left my shopping cart right in the middle of the store.

Sydney was awesome, being the awesome little baby that she is. She hasn't learned how to be bad yet. But I know she is watching and learning, so it's just inevitable. She's got great examples.

Ashley was even pretty good. Christopher was mediocre good. Jacob...well, let's just say that we are home and he is in the bed. For the afternoon. Alone.

For example, we went down the aisle that has all the glass canisters. So I turned around to them (HIM) and said, "Now you see all this glass. Do NOT touch it, it WILL break. " I turned around to look at one thing for literally two seconds, and I caught his hand, with the finger pointed out, quickly inching it's way straight for the glass.

And when we were looking at some really cute piggy banks, once again breakable, I told him to stand two feet away from the shelf. So the boy grabs Christopher and starts trying to wrestle him to the ground. We are standing between a shelf of breakables and some tall flimsy furniture thingys that will tip over in a heartbeat.

And let's not even talk about the fabric department! He figured out real quick he couldn't really break anything in there, so he literally picked up, or tried to pick up every other freaking bolt of fabric and roll of ribbon we passed.

And then it came time to go to the counter to have the fabric cut. We walk up, the lady is standing right there, and there is a bell. With a sign, "Please ring for service." Jacob belts out, "Mom, that says Please Ring! For Service" And it's like the stupid little metal bell had a kid magnet in it. Because his hand beelined for that bell. I gabbed him just in time, and told him, NO. DO NOT RING THE BELL. Well, I didn't yell it, but I sure did emphasize it.

Then Christopher tried to ring the bell. So I said again, DO NOT RING THE BELL. At which point I have to pull Jacob's hand back again. And again. And yet again.

And throughout all of this, I didn't one time ever yell at my kids. The little heathens so deserved it. But that's the beauty of being in public. You just can't.

And now I'm home. I am going to have a peaceful afternoon if it kills me. Or at the very least, I am going to sit here and enjoy my leftover sonic blast. No matter what.