Three Shiny Coins

Saturday morning started off as almost all our Saturday mornings, me laying in bed telling the kids that they really can sleep a little longer. "No we aren't doing anything fun unless you count laundry and cleaning up a little." "The cereal is in the cupboard, that is whats for breakfast." I tell them as I toss and turn and try to get comfortable and warm. Really there is no use I tell myself.



Surrounded by three kids in my bed, (Gman had a sleep over and helped with his friends paper route and ended up at his house) , I encourage them to put in one of DVDs we checked out at the Library. Gotta love that more than the RedBOX! So they do, and it buys me a few more minutes in my bed. But the jumping and the fighting over spots on the king size bed, bring me to a little boiling point and out of my room they are all banished. And I follow suit.



We shower, clean up and head over to the church for the super Saturday. Yeah I get to make some crafts that I paid for with a check that did bounce and am now paying overdraft fees for, but still now I have some cute crafts and I got some free babysitting and three hours of adult alone fun time. Ok so I guess it wasn't free but it felt free. And I got lunch fixed for me and it was yummy. And I made some friends. So it was fun.



After the Super Saturday we picked up G-Man from his friends and headed home. Looking around my gut told me I should clean up but my body told me I needed a nap. And with listening to my body, I grabbed T-Rex and Two and we cuddled up for a nice fall nap. That was brought to an end by G-Man.



"Mom Aunt Melissa is here. Mom Aunt Melissa is Here. Aunt Melissa from Texas is here. At the front door. She is here."



I guess I should of cleaned up but I needed a nap and I had a wonderful time visiting with her and it was such a wonderful surprise to see her and my little niece all walking and cute.

Anyway after she left, the kids were begging to do something fun. And with our limited, actually to be honest we actually have none, resources there was nothing we could do other than to find some fun at home, reading, playing games. But that wasn't going to do for my kids on Saturday afternoon.

I promised them we could go to the grocery store, they could pick out anything (with parental discretion) for dinner. See one of the biggest blessings in our lives right now is some government assistant. I often am embarrassed that somehow we went from making over 80,000 a year, quite a bit in savings, to no savings, no income and a negative bank account. But I am grateful that our hard earn taxes are helping me out right now and hope soon to be returning the favor. And if you would like a say in where, who and what is recieving your money, I am not too proud to say send a check my way, donate to the Save the Simonsen kid fund... Anyway so often our fun includes buying a lunchable and heading over to a park or like Saturday just picking out something that the kids enjoy.

I went downstairs and with Two emptied the washer into the dryer. And as I pulled out the last straggling socks, the over head light hit three silver coins that shined brighter than the noon day sun. Two got all giddy.."Money, Mom, Money." I too felt like a 49er hitting a spot of major gold. We hit a jack pot, three shiny, clean, silver quarters. Seventy FIVE whole cents. Oh I could scrounge up a few more cents and buy some conditioner.

But Emily spent it in words. "Mom can we ride the horses at Smiths??" before I could think and respond appropriately, the words came flying out of my mouth, "no some kid once was riding one of those at the grocery store and was electricuted." I wasn't sure where that really came from, other than auto parent pilot comments. I think that is what my mom used to tell us when we were little, and why we never got to ride one.

Before I could finish explaining to Two about not being able to ride the horses, she ran up stairs to the older two showing them the found treasure and how they could ride the horses or get a gumball.

We all piled into the car, the kids all excited to get at least a gumball or ride on the horses. We pulled up and the kids were talking about riding the horses. When Two shouts out..."we can't a boy died from electricity."

G-man in a panic...."When? Here? How??? We won't will we???"

"No, not at this store."

"Well which one? when? how long ago? how do you know?" I had to stop to think about this one. Did I really read it in a paper, or hear it on the news? Did my mom just want to hurry and get her shopping done like me??

"You know what guys, that happened a long time ago. Lets go ride the horses."

"Really!!!?? Really we can??"

"Yes"

"Wooo hooo, yay" they all screamed as they ran across the parking lot. Glad at least someone, was paying attention and waited for my little ones to file across the road.

They all picked their pony. I inserted two silver pieces and the music began as well as the motion. Joy filled me, as well as tears welded, as my kids giggled and smiled and mentioned that this was the coolest thing ever. Who would of thought fifty cents would have brought as much joy and excitement as a hundred dollar ticket to Disney Land. You would of thought looking at them for those two minutes that I had flown them to never never land.

They all hopped off in high spirits, though T-Rex did chant "mo mo" and we headed into the store where they picked out corn on the cob and pineapple, grapes and potatoes. And stuff to make hamburgers and a small thing of ice cream.

And then the best was yet to come. They had one more quarter left. So off to the bubble gum machine they went. Out came one piece. G-Man too it and bit it in half and then halves again. They all got a small piece of that hard almost flavorless gum, and they were happy. Really happy.

Who would of though that three little coins could make such a happy fun memory.

The night ended with a walk, a visit with some friends and then the tucking in and curling up to a free library movie. Can't beat that.