Going to the mailbox? Who wants to go on an adventure?
Shoprite? I feel another adventure coming on!
Today we went to the library, to Barnes and Noble and to TD bank. Stick with me, there's a theme here.
We started at the library, where we happily handed in our library logs so we could have the opportunity to fill out bunches of raffle tickets to maybe (!) win an iPad mini in the summer reading contest. I'm not totally sure my kids understand that they are not the only ones entering the contest.
Also, because it's an awesome library, we played a few board games and took a bunch of free bookmarks to add to our collection of bookmarks that we don't use.
From there, we headed to Barnes and Noble, and not only because we know that Barnes and Noble stores consistently have clean bathrooms. We also wanted to redeem our Barnes and Noble reading logs and get our free books. Each kid was allowed to choose a free book from a predetermined list, based on their grade.
I don't remember what books the boys chose (who cares, I'm not gonna read it anyway, said a certain 9-year-old), but Tobi quickly and happily chose a Curious George 'en Espanol, so Uncle Josh, we're looking at you.
Tani, on the other hand, found this whole book-choosing from a limited selection to be so very stressful. Looking at her options, I gently steered her (she called it being forced but you know, tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to) towards Otherwise Known As Sheila the Great. An awesome book.
All Judy Blume books are so good, but I have such good memories of that one in particular, so much so that when she balked at getting it - the only thing I like about it is that the cover is pink and I don't even like pink! - that I offered to read it to her. That only helped a little, but it was that or nothing. She actually chose nothing, but I really wanted to read it again, so Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, it was. The only thing better than a Judy Blume book would have been if the Babysitter's Club books were on the list. Oh, how I miss you, Kristy and Maryanne and Claudia, Stacy and Dawn. Where are you today, my old friends?
Totally off-topic, but did you know that the Babysitter's Club books have been re-released as graphic novels? It's like the apocalypse came early. Are children so without attention spans now that they need to have what might be the most relatable series ever written for young girls turned into an illustrated set of books for them because they can't focus long enough to immerse themselves in the best story ever told? Or at least the best story ever told until Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield waltzed into our lives?
I just can't. I asked the lady in Barnes and Noble about the new and strange Babysitter's Club series and she confirmed my suspicions - I am not the only 30-something mom to ask the same question.
It seems my peers have been flocking to bookstores, dragging their 8-year-old daughters behind them, demanding answers to these pressing questions. But alas, there are no real answers. It seems the Babysitter's Club books have been out of print for the last bunch of years and the only copies left are extra-worn ones on ebay, if you're lucky. Honestly, someone might want to rethink that. Whoever prints that series again could make a fortune.
Don't think for a second that I didn't consider doing a quick ebay search right there in Barnes and Noble. I did, but I held myself together. First, a trip to my parents' attic is in order. Perhaps there really is something up there worth chancing a meeting with a squirrel. One can only pray. And if not, then I'll check ebay.
It wasn't easy, but I recovered from the Babysitter's Club fiasco by standing in line with my children, waiting to pay (or not pay) for our free books. And while we were on line, wouldn't you know it, we were treated to a front row view of all the inappropriate magazines stores just love to display at the counter. At a seven-year-old's eye level, no less. Don't worry, the taller ones had no trouble looking down.
I'm not sure I even processed which magazine it was, but my kids took great joy in pointing out a very naked, sideways facing woman, holding a beach ball in front of her chest. You'd think my kids wouldn't find this as hilarious as they did considering they are forever running around the house clothes-less but no, you'd be wrong.
Sigh.
Books in hand, they laughed all the way to the car, saying bottom over and over, as if they were a bunch of minions. Once at the car, they felt parched because it had been an hour since we last had a drink. We looked for the cooler, only to find that it was missing. So weird, because we really never leave the house without our trusty Whole Foods cooler.
The mystery of the cooler unsolved, we headed down the road (don't you love it so much when all your errands are in the same area) to the TD bank, to turn in our reading logs there and have ten dollars deposited by the good people of TD bank into our accounts. That brought the total of each kid's account to a whopping $20, because we read books last summer too and also because these are non-interest bearing accounts. And also, because we never put any money in for them.
Also, I learned that we might be watching a little too much HGTV because as soon as we walked into the bank, my oldest child started commenting on what a nice "open-concept" design they have going on there. Hmm.
We headed home and pulled into the driveway, to find our beloved cooler sitting on the front steps, waiting for us. We must have left it there when one of us went back to get more pillows for Tani to lean on in the car.
The upside here is that it's nice to know our neighborhood is a safe enough place to be able to leave stuff outside the front door.
Yup. Always looking on the bright side. That's me :)
Jen