Do you get it NOW?!!

Ahhh. Wednesday. The work week is half over, not that it applies to me other than the fact R works. hee. But it's been one week since T cut his finger, and this morning I took a close look at it to see if I thought we could chance taking out the stitches. Nope, not yet. While his finger looks so much better, as soon as we get the stitches removed he's going to want to go swimming and I'm not sure his finger can handle that kind of abuse yet.


So off to Day Camp they go. :Theme from Rawhide plays in my mind:

Have I mentioned yet how very much I love day camp? Oh, I so, so, so do. I wish we could afford to put them in different camps every week, but S is too young for any camp other than the kinder camp. And the hours are all the same, so they have to go to camps at the same Y or one kid would be perpetually early and one would be perpetually late. That's just unnecessary stress. And if we did the before or after care or all the camps that seemed interesting and that they'd like, we'd have to dip into the kids' bank accounts to pay for it. Not happening. I can just imagine having the college fund conversation in a few years....


"Mom, what do you mean I have to pay my own way through college?"
"Well, see kids, it went like this. Your dad and I decided early on that we'd save X amount of money for you each month and that when you got out of high school, you could use that money for college, or therapy, or to start life on your own."
"So what happened? Why isn't there enough money?"
"Well, T. Here's the thing. Remember all those times when you broke something - whether accidentally or on purpose?"
"No. No I don't"
"Like our glass kitchen door in Germany? Or the DVD player because you were determined to use the laser light for other purposes? Or the Pixos you had to have only to get really angry a few weeks later and throw them all away in a snit?"
"I remember some of that, yeah"
"Well, we told you that you were going to have to pay to repair all that stuff. And you did. We took the money out of your account and paid for it."
"But that can't be ALL the money you saved, that's not even $800!"
"Yeah. Well, remember all those great summer camps you wanted to attend with your friends? You paid for that too. Consider that early childhood college."
"Argh!! You suck!"
"You'll thank me one day for making you so resourceful. And by the way? There's plenty of money left for therapy."



Okay, I'm mostly kidding. But the summer camp is expensive. But so far it's been worth it. The kids love it, they are tired when they come home, and it's given T something to do that makes him happy and keeps him from dwelling on the fact that he can't go swimming this week.


Which leads me to the actual point of this post. Finally.


It's been SOOOO hot and humid and gross here that for the last three days when I've picked the kids up, we've gone for ice cream. I'm sure I've mentioned before that a small ice cream cone from McD's only has 150 calories. So a couple times a week, I get one too - but only on days when I do an intense double workout. Today we went to a different McD's. This threw the kids for a loop, but I wanted to see something, and since I was driving, I got to decide.


The kids, of course, notice immediately. Where are we going? How long will it take? Why are we going to a different McDonalds? Can we go inside this one? Why is this one better than the other one? And so on...


And T is just chattering behind me. I'm not listening closely for a variety of reasons, so I'm commenting and giving him the occasional uh huh. All of a sudden there's a pause and T says, all exasperated "MOM! Are you listening to me?"


Me: Sort of.
T: What did I just say?
Me: (oooh. He got me on that one!) Umm...you said something about stopping somewhere.
T: Yes. For the chocolate. Can we stop?
Me: (ah ha! There is always salvation in vagueness) I'm not sure I understand exactly where you are taking about. Can you describe it a little better?
T: :huge sigh: It's the place with the roof and the ice cream cone.
Me: You mean McDonalds? We are going there.
T: No! :huge sigh: It's the place with the room and the ice cream cone and we pass it. They have chocolate.
Me: We are going to pass it or we've already passed it?
T: We are GOING to pass it. It's that place I always ask you if we can stop.
Me: Hmmm. (I have NO idea what he's talking about. If the kids see anything that even looks like it might possible be or have ice cream, they ask to stop.) Can you describe it a little better?
T: It's a building, and it's green and red, and it has the big ice cream cone on it. You always tell me it's closed, but I don't think it is and I want to stop there and see if they have chocolate. :pause: Do you get it NOW?!!?
Me: :laughing: Tell you what. You see it? You point it out to me and we'll stop there, okay? I've got to see this place.
T: Why are you laughing?
Me: Because you are funny and you make me laugh.
T: Oh. That's the only reason?
Me: Yes. What other reason would there be?
T: In case you were just going to pretend to stop and then not see it when I point it out.
Me: :laughing: Well, sometimes I do miss things you point out, but I'll try really hard not to miss this one, okay?
T: Okay.

He never saw it, I still have no idea what he's talking about. But I do think that I get it NOW. Whenever Mr T (snicker Mr. T "I pity the fool who doesn't get me chocolate ice cream!) sees somewhere that he thinks serves chocolate ice cream, I'm going to have to pull over. That's actually not too bad of a deal when I think about it.