This morning as the temperature was -12 degrees F or more, with windchill even further in the double digits below zero, we bundled up the chitlins and drove to get haircuts. I used this time to continue our current read aloud, The Silver Chair, which if you don't know is the 4th book in C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. We arrived back home in time for lunch, and the temperature was still in the negatives, but at least now in the single digits.
Wednesday afternoons are spent at piano lessons for Hannah and Ellie while I take the three youngest grocery shopping; then it is time to visit the library, finish any other errands before arriving back home in time to unload everything and have supper ready by 6:30 when David is finished with Catechesis classes. But today I didn't need to grocery shop, I had gotten my fresh fruits and veggies the other night while they were at swim club practice. So what was I going to do for an hour while waiting on piano lessons?
I didn't want to wander around Wal-Mart or any other store, the little ones would just get antsy and bored and I would lose my temper. I didn't want to go to the library since we would be doing that after piano lessons. I couldn't go to a park or sit outside in the van, it was way too cold for such options.
Then I remembered Burger King. It is all of a mile away from the piano teacher's home and it has an indoor play-place. I drove there, bought a cup of coffee for me, a glass of water for the youngest and while I sat and kept warm, they ran in their stocking feet up, down, and around the tunnels and slide. Oh boy did they have fun being loud, running (without mom hollering at them to stop running in the house), stopping to quench their thirst, chasing each other up, playing train on the slide down. Oh boy did I have fun, sipping coffee, watching them expend energy, refilling their water glass numerous times, and enjoying the hour wait. We even had the place to ourselves, quite convenient.
Upon leaving all three of them asked if we could do that again. It seems that they would prefer running and playing during that hour to mom hurrying them through the grocery store. Who could have guessed? Well, I suppose it would be nice of me, I could do my shopping a different day like I did this week. That would make it nice for the little ones who so often get dragged along to all the older kids activities. I'll just have to remember to bring a book next week.
4 comments:
This, to me, is one of the great challenges of motherhood - entertaining little ones while you wait on somebody else. I've spent endless hours wandering cemeteries during brownies, at the playground during boy scouts, etc. etc.
Yesterday during piano, it was too cold to stay outside, so Erin played Legos while I napped on the piano teachers couch, lol. The teacher turned to say something to me and there I am with my mouth hanging open.
Just curious. . . Will I see my wedding pictures sometime soon? I keep getting asked about them. Can you send them via e-mail maybe??? Thanks!
I too am reading the silver chair. It is actually the 6th book.
1 the magicians nephew
2 the lion the witch and the wardrobe
3 the horse and his boy
4 prince caspian
5 the voyage of the dawn treader
6 the silver chair
7 the last battle
They are such great books.
Emmom,
Yes that is how they are being numbered now, but I don't agree that is the proper order to read them. I believe they should be read in the order they were originally published. Therefore the order would be:
1. The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe
2. Prince Caspian
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
4. The Silver Chair
5. The Horse and His Boy
6. The Magician's Nephew
7. The Last Battle
The whole chronicles make so much more sense on many different levels when read this way.
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