Our Little House on the Prairie Night

Oh don't get your knickers in a bunch. I'm ScaryMom - so it's not gonna be all "Night Maw, Night Paw", but it was as close as I'm ever gonna get and here's why: the TV was off the whole evening, I was NOT on the Mac (until now) and we spent about 3 hours outside...talking to each other!

I know, I know. Crazy right?

A few weeks ago I bought a fire bowl thing for our back patio and tonight was the first fire!

L and M getting ready to burn things

Things that made me feel like Laura Ingalls Wilder:
1. We burned things.
2. We "cooked" s'mores over the fire (if you count chocolate in one hand, graham cracker in the other and a burnt 'shmallow in your mouth a s'more).
3. We told scary stories.
4. I saw 2 shooting stars.

M & L with S'mores fixins

Things that kept me from donning a bonnet and a hoopskirt:

1. The stories quickly turned silly and disgusting with lots of potty-mouth words that I'm sure Maw and Paw would not have put up with.

2. For the first time I heard the racket that the crickets, frogs, and whatever else that lives in my backyard make and I can't fathom how anyone gets to sleep when camping.

3. The glow from Mr. Scary's laptop was somewhat distracting, but hey - at least he was out there and managed to be part of the conversation!

4. The booming voice of the announcer and the faint cheer of the crowd at the local high school football game brought me back to reality quickly.

All in all it was quality time together and the fact that we all smell like roasted pork is a small price to pay when your kids go to bed saying "that was the best night ever".

Charred but smiling,
ScaryMom

Send in the Clowns!

It is a fact, that no matter what your age, the circus will bring out cheers of amazement, and sighs of wonder.

This year we could no longer ignore the whining, the begging, and the pleading...of my mother.
She hadn't been since I was young and didn't want to miss out when the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus came to our town.

And so we treated her to near front-row seats, and she treated us to cotton candy (that came with a hat)! The clowns made the Twofer giggle. The acrobats gave us chills. And the husband and wife team getting shot out of the cannon left our eyes wide and our jaws slack! (Now that's a marriage.)

For those lucky enough to live in the following cities, you can now save 20% on Ringling Bros. tickets by using the code MCC from our friends at Mom Central. Simply plug in your zip code and when you go to purchase the tickets be sure to reference the code: MCC.

Valid cities:
Indianapolis, IN - Sept. 4-7, 2008
Kansas City, MO - Sept. 10-14, 2008
Grand Rapids, MI - Sept. 18-21, 2008
Denver, CO - Oct. 2-13, 2008
Boston, MA – Oct 8-13, 2008
Cleveland, OH - Oct. 24 - Nov. 2
Chicago, IL - Nov. 6 - 30, 2008
St. Louis, MO - Nov. 6-9, 2008
Auburn Hills, MI - Nov. 12 - 16, 2008
Highland Heights, KY - Feb 27 - Mar. 1, 2009
Cincinnati, OH - Mar. 4 - 8, 2008

Plus, the Baby’s First Circus program allows babies to receive a free ticket voucher that can be exchanged for a free ticket to any Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey performance, anytime, anywhere. No expiration date.

For me, the circus was an opportunity to make new memories for me, my children, and even my mom. Three generations enjoying something together. Throw in the fact that Mr. Scary was enjoying himself and we have quite a success story!

Now if I could just get him to commit to a Hannah Montana concert...

ScaryMom

This post sponsored by:

Football Sunday and our Wall of TVs

kickin' back, watching the games

Football Sundays: these are Sundays between September and mid-January when Mr. Scary spends the entire day watching football. It is his ONE THING. He doesn't golf, ride road bikes, or even go out much with the guys. He loves football and I have learned to compromise.

That compromise comes in the form of a Wall of TVs. One large TV surrounded by 6 smaller ones, plus satellite boxes for each and a mound of wiring that could sink a small ship. All this neatly packaged in a custom-made "cabinet" on caster wheels so you can get behind the Beast if necessary. Oh, and there's a TV in the corner by the pool table too.

If I added up what all the TVs, satellite, cable, and electricity bills cost I'm sure it would be disturbing. However, I cannot put a price on what the Wall of TVs has given me in terms of family time, peace of mind, and general happiness on football Sundays.

You see, Mr. Scary isn't out at a bar all day. He's in the basement basking in the glow of the TVs, often with the Twofer playing down there too. He's got his laptop and his cell phone to manage his fantasy teams and suicide leagues. I get to read the entire Sunday paper (a luxury in most households) AND he's available if I should have to run out for errands, or even if I want to sneak upstairs and watch a movie! So really in some ways, this compromise is more like a win-win situation... and a win-win-win if the Ravens do their job!

NOTE: we had this set up before any MTV Cribs episode.

And so without further ado...let me present
The Wall of TVs.

If I was smart I'd find some way to get Best Buy or Tweeter to sponsor this post.

Happy start of football!
ScaryMom

First we learn to ride a horse, then a bike.

We all knew it was in their blood. What with Mr. Scary's love of thoroughbreds and his occupation which often takes him and the Twofer to the track to visit, feed, and in general talk horses.

ScaryMom and M walking Dallas to the riding ring
(notice the fear in my gritted teeth?)

But was it asking too much to think my kids would learn to ride a 2-wheel bike before learning to ride a beast that weighs as much as a small car???

Apparently so.M riding Dallas like a pro

For years L & M knew that the horse center near us offered riding lessons starting at age 5. And for the past year and a half they have been counting down the days until they turned 5 and could take riding lessons. I successfully held them off through the summer, but come fall, there was no stopping them.

L holding Mozart
(and showing him who's boss)

What I didn't know is that there is a fair amount of parent participation in riding. Oh yes, see I am responsible for tacking up the horse (I don't even know if I used that term correctly). I have to secure the bridal, reigns, stirrups, and girth belt thingy that holds the saddle on. The girls are simply too short to do it right now, but they are supposed to learn by watching me every week. (So really, I'm paying over $300 per kid to learn how to be a ranch hand.)

However you can see that within the first 30 minute lesson, they learned to climb onto, as well as start, stop, turn, and otherwise "drive" their new friends named Dallas and Mozart. And I have to say they walked away with huge smiles, and feeling like they could rule the world...not that we need much more of that in our house but I guess it's good starting at a new school and all.

Giddyup Mozart. Ride 'em L!

Am I crazy to let them do this? Let me know by answering my poll in the column to the right.

I'll check results after I'm done mucking out the stalls.

ScaryMom

Mine Happy at the Bay

sing to the tune of "My Favorite Things"
Blue crabs and boat rides
And tubing and high tides

Good friends and games
With kids running insane

Cruising the seas and lunch at the beach.
These are a few of my favorite things!

OK, enough singing. But seriously, our neighbors had us down to their bay house and treated us to an amazing weekend filled with too much food, too much sun, and too little sleep. But ya gotta live on the edge sometimes.

So here are some pics and a big shout out to T, K, A, and little M who snapped up my affections with his way of saying "mine" when he refers to himself.

M, ScaryMom & L on the dock

Nothing like a loud motor to get you to nap!

Don't rock the boat!