Build A Bear Date

Good Thursday morning!

I hope everyone is doing well on my favorite day of the week! It's terribly cold here in Alabama, but I know it's nothing compared to our northern neighbors. I cannot even imagine the high being something below zero. Unbelievable!

Only 6 more days until Camping Week begins. I hope it will inspire you to try it if you haven't, and not scare you away. To get us in the mood for Camping Week, I am going to post a camping story a little earlier than planned. Tomorrow I will have one of six camping stories for your reading pleasure. When I started jotting down things that have happened in the past 12 years camping-wise, I think I have enough material for several weeks of non-stop camping stories. However, this one does have a woodland animal, and since I've been posting about animals the last couple of weeks, this is one of my famous "twofers." Animals AND a camping story all in one.

I'm going to share a story with you today from when my guys were little, and I took them to a mall by myself (all three). Those of you with more than three probably think I was a big wuss, but it was a big deal at that particular time in my life. Two boys, wanting more than anything in this world to go in two different directions, and a sweet baby girl who was not yet mobile, but who dictated what and when our family did anything according to nap schedules, feeding schedules, and time-to-pick-me-up-and-adore-me schedules. I'm telling you, on this particular day, they sucked the joy right out of shopping... and shopping had always been a very joyful experience to me prior to this outing!

I took my three children (ages six, three and six months) on an outing to Brookwood Village. (I know, I know... it's not called that anymore. I don't wear a size 10 anymore either. Things change! Let's just get on with the story!) On the way, I lectured my children about proper mall behavior (for the 1,000,000th time) and told them we would eat at Chick-Fil-A if everyone acted appropriately.

My children were wonderful!!! My six year-old pushed my six month-old in her stroller (without popping wheelies), and my three year-old skipped happily beside his brother and sister. Their cheeks were flushed, their eyes were bright, their smiles were contagious, and people actually stopped in the mall and stared at my precious babies and smiled and nudged each other. (And, lest you think it was all in my worn-out mother mind, people came up to us and verbally complimented them!)

After making our purchases, we went straight to Chick-Fil-A. The children sat in the back of the restaurant and waited patiently while I ordered food. They waited patiently while I fixed everyone's drink, fries, etc. They waited patiently with hands folded until I was ready and then Joshua sang the blessing. People were standing in line to tell me how great my kids were. When they asked me if they were always this good, instead of telling the truth, I shrugged and modestly said, "Well... ," and just let my voice trail off. It wasn't really a lie, but it was definitely not the whole truth and nothing but the truth. In real life, this had never happened to me before!

All of this has been documented for the sole purpose of once again discussing the "virtuous woman" mentioned in Proverbs 31. You know the verse that says, "Her children shall rise up and call her blessed." I want that. I unabashedly admit it. I pray for IT. I wonder how to obtain IT. I strive to be worthy of IT. And "IT" eludes me day after day, or so I thought until March 24, 1997, at approximately 12:13 p.m. "IT" was here. Six years of hard work, sweat and tears had finally paid off. My children were rising up and by their very behavior they were showing the world (or at least the people of Brookwood Village) their wonderful "blessed" mother.

Now here is where the reality check comes in. I doubt seriously if the "virtuous woman" would have allowed her children's excellent behavior to go to her head, but there I was with a head as big as a house. In fact, it was a wonder the other customers weren't crushed by my massive ego and pride. This is the part where Jesus would have called the disciples around and told them the parable of the proud, boastful mother. In the Bible, I would have been listed with such worthy notables as Jezebel, the woman at the well, and a few others who weren't known for their "better" qualities.

My sons gathered the garbage from our table and took one small load apiece to the trash cans at the front of the store. Austin held the swing lid while Joshua dumped his trash, and they both headed back to our table for the second and last load. Here is where everything fell apart.

Joshua didn't wait for Austin and tried to push the heavy lid with my large drink cup. The lid hit the cup into Joshua's face and it bounced on the floor. No harm done. Nothing spilled. Joshua came back to the table.

Austin then pushed the lid open only to have it fall pack on his upper arm and pin him inside the garbage can. Austin, never having been a quiet child, started shrieking at the top of his lungs, "My arm is broke! My arm is broke! Sweet Mother of Pearl! Someone take me to the hospital!" (Just so you know... I'm not kidding about the "Sweet Mother of Pearl" comment. I don't know where he heard it, but he said it for about a year of his life.)

I calmly walked/ran to the front of the restaurant and pried his arm out of the garbage. For some unknown reason, Joshua decided to have a complete "come-apart" because he couldn't remember the names of his two new Beanie Babies. He screamed, "What are their names? What are their names?" 33 times consecutively without breathing. Thus, when I turned to answer him across the now crowded restaurant he couldn't hear me. I had to scream a decibel or two louder than him, "Marcel and Leo! Marcel and Leo!" It wasn't until much later I realized everyone within hearing distance must have thought I had named my two boys "Marcel" and "Leo." (There's nothing wrong with those two names if you have named your two boys Marcel and Leo. I mean no disrespect.)

I literally felt the blood rush out of my head, and I feebly prayed I would faint and someone would take control of my children until I came to. (You can never faint when you want to!) I then gathered my screaming children (Roxie never made a peep), and we went into the mall area where innocent people had no idea what destruction was about to befall them.

I honestly think everything would have been all right if we had not rounded the corner where the Easter Bunny was sitting. He innocently waved at my little group, and Joshua took that to mean the evil giant rabbit was about to descend upon him. He half climbed/half pole-vaulted up the side of Mt. Mommy. Anyway, it wasn't a pretty picture.

We were sitting in our van and I was collecting my wits before driving out onto the open road when Austin piped up from the back seat and said, "Thank you for taking us today, Mommy. We had a great time!" His brother agreed. I smiled weakly and quietly drove home.

My resolve to become the "virtuous woman" remains, but I realize it is something I must strive for without actually grasping. It's the same with my Christian walk. My resolve is to be Christ-like, and while I fail miserably day after day, there will be moments when my motives will be pure, my prayers will be heard, and people will be able to see Christ living through me. If I can't be the "virtuous woman" all the time, and sometimes I appear to be less than Christ-like, I pray that my children will remember the "moments," and the striving in my life rather than my many failures.

After all, it's really 90 percent their fault I haven't been able to obtain my "virtuous woman" status anyway... and all the Moms said, "Amen!"

Build A Bear Date

In most malls across America, there is a wonderful store called Build A Bear. For anyone who hasn't tried it yet, you walk in, pick out an unstuffed animal, add a satin heart, stuff him/her, have him/her sewn up, bathe him/her, give him/her a name and buy him/her an outfit. It's a fun thing to do one-on-one with your child. Even little boys have a good time building a bear.

They have all kinds of stuffed animals... penguins, horses, etc. There are many things you can add, but you can minimally get out of Build a Bear for $18 to $20. (They have three bears for $10 each and then different animals that go upwards from $12 to $25. You can buy clothes individually, but they have outfits starting at $8 and going up to $20. Many of the complete outfits are in the $12 range.)

They also have a great little cardboard box house for you to carry your bear home. The child can color the house at home. Then it's on to the food court for a snack or a meal. Even if your child has been to Build a Bear for a birthday party, or owns one or two stuffed animals from there, they always enjoy going back.

This would be an especially good date for a dad and child. The date totally moves along on it's own and requires nothing from the parent but a patient attitude while the outfit shopping is going on. Always go in with a monetary limit. ("We will buy a stuffed animal $15 or under. We will buy one outfit $10 or under." Be sure that the money limit is set before you go inside to make sure your date doesn't end with disappointment or an argument.) You want the child to remember your wonderful date every time they look at their new stuffed toy... and not remember the fact you wouldn't let them buy the $20 bear and the $25 accessories. Money preparation is key!

To find a Build a Bear near you, go to their website at http://www.buildabear.com/ and click on "Find a Store."

I always have a few parents who tell me they do not like leaving their other child or children home when they take one of the kids on the date. I assure you, after the first date with each child, not only will they understand, but they will look forward to their own one-on-one time. If it is a problem starting off, have the parent who stays with the other children at home plan a movie night or a game night to occupy the siblings. Again, once everyone has had their first date, they'll never fuss about being left home again... they'll just wait until it is their turn.

Tomorrow I'll have a wonderful book to read aloud to your guys before bedtime. It's one of my top 1,000 books to read to your kids. Also, Camping Story #1 - Coyote Attack! (It sounds a little more exciting than it really was, but you know me and "blog teasers.")

Have a great Thursday, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.