Myth Busters Was Right

Today is our first snow day.

The boys had just finished their second breakfast (first was a normal breakfast (cereal, etc), second was pancakes) and they were already asking about lunch as they put on their snow gear to go outside and play in the .... wait for it .... MINUS TEN degree windchill (but sunny) day.

I started on lunch - the famous tuna noodle casserole they we make anytime they have a snow day - and I reminded them that as soon as they get cold, they were to immediately come back into the house where they could have as much hot chocolate as they desired.  I even have mini marshmallows. 

But I was surprised when S3 arrived back in the house so soon after going out to play.

"What's up?" I asked.

His answer is the reason I am blogging this instead of finishing making lunch.

"Oh, we just wanted to see if Myth Busters was right."

"Really, what about?"

"Well, we found out they were right."

He was totally stalling.

"Right about what?" I asked.

"Oh, only if you stick your tongue to a flag pole it will stick there."

I. Did. Not. Panic.

"Really?" I asked, "Did you do that?"

"Yup, and it stuck good but I pulled it off real quick.  Now my mouth tastes funny so I thought I would come in for a little while."

I cannot make this up.

Happy Snow Day to all of you!!!1

(Had to post this movie scene - even if the boys have never watched it.)

PS

After publishing this post, S4 decided to give it a try.

Seriously.

He thought S3 might have been teasing and so he took a nice lick of the pole.

AND, Tom and Jerry showed that your tongue would stick and Tom and Jerry is NOT real.

His tongue stuck.

He is questioning wether Tom and Jerry may, in fact, be real.

Both boys tongues are okay - though missing some skin.

This has not affected their appetite in any way.

I know say, as they head out to play, "Don't lick anything!"

The Gift of a Stranger

Someone - who I don't know - has become the Christmas angel to our family today and will be the heroine of our family history stories.

Today I loaded up the three youngest boys and headed into town to get groceries.  I went into our nearby town of Wayland hoping to find some great fruit.

For Christmas every year I try to make something extra special for dinner and this year I was determined to have a big fruit salad.  It being Christmas time, fruit is through the roof in price and I had made out very specific list of only the items we NEEDED for the next three days of festivities.

There were some basics we needed but mostly it was all fun food we don't normally buy (soda, water chestnuts for a family appetizer, bacon for breakfast...).  The boys were being great helping me find things and not asking for all the other things that looked good (to boys, nearly all food looks good) and so I had let them each get a donut. They were thrilled, donuts are a big deal.

Making sure I had everything on my list and being thankful I found it all and kept to the list, I went to check out.  Amazingly, there was no one even to wait behind and we unloaded the full cart.

I watched the total add and add.  This was going to be expensive.

A lady came up behind me and got a divider out to begin putting up her few groceries.  I made little small talk with the cashier (Yes, these are all my boys.  No, one more isn't with us (he was on a special Christmas run with his Daddy).  Yes, all boys.).  I told her this was our last stop and we were headed home to enjoy Christmas.

The woman next to me in line seemed to be standing exceptionally close to me.  There was no one behind her but she seemed to be really close to us, just the same.  Not annoyingly, just enough to notice.

The bill was over 200 dollars.

I dug out the cash I had set aside for the groceries, wondering what I had to add to the 2 one hundred dollar bills I had in my hand when the woman next to me suddenly grabbed me in a hug.

Think about that.

A stranger just hugged me.

And then she began to whisper in my ear.

Because I was in shock at first of what she was doing, I can only paraphrase what she said.  But it was basically this...

"Please don't make a scene but please put your cash away 

and let me pay for your groceries.

I went to pay a layaway off and it was already taken care of so I want to do this for you.

You just take the groceries home and have a wonderful Christmas with your boys

and Pay It Forward yourself."

I began to cry.

She scooted in front of me and swiped her card.

I think the cashier's jaw dropped.

I hugged her again and thanked her.

I hugged her another time as I cried.

"Please," she whispered, "don't make a scene."

So I nodded and said, "Thank you."

The cashier handed me the receipt.  Her voice was halted as she brokenly said, "Have a Merry Christmas."

I hugged the lady again, thanked her and she told me "Merry Christmas."

S2 wanted to know why I was crying and hugging a stranger.

I got in the suburban and posted it on facebook from my phone.  Late tonight I seen the 50 some comments.

Later today, as I was still tearing up over the incident, I found the receipt.  It was for $210 and some change.  At first I had posted it was $225, guessing what the total had been because, honestly, that moment was a bit of a blur.

At various times today, as the boys and I made and frosted Christmas cookies, they would say, "That was sooooo nice of that lady.  You really didn't know her, Moma?"

I really did not.  I really do not think I could pick her out of a line up.

As we bowed our heads to pray for dinner of hotdogs and fried potatoes...bought for us by a stranger...Jake asked a special blessing upon this woman.

We talked again what a gift she had given us.

I don't even begin to know how to Pay if Forward.

We did nothing.  I went to the store for groceries.  I stood in line.  And someone just bestowed upon us a gift.

Not much unlike the reason we celebrate Christmas.

Christ came to earth to save us.  He gives us a gift, offered it to us to take - that gift of Eternal Life, the gift of a Savior - all we have to do is accept.

And be forever changed and blown away by the gift of it.

John 3:16

New International Version (NIV)

 ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

Please, find a way to Pay It Forward.

Not just at Christmas but any day.

I can tell you, the gift of it is amazing.

BB Gun Fun

All S3 wanted for his birthday was a BB gun. He was so excitedly wanted one that he was afraid to even say he wanted it. I'd ask him what he wanted and he would start to giggle. "If I tell you, you'll say 'no'," he'd say.

But the week of his birthday I called my local TSC, told them I was coming in with my four boys and needed them to have a BB gun at the front so that I could easily purchase and walk out with it before the boys knew what I was doing. I asked them if I could leave the boys looking unattended at the rabbit cages while I purchased the gun. My local TSC rocks and helped me pull this off so that there was a BB gun safely hidden under a blanket in the suburban so one little guy got to have the happiest birthday ever. (Thank you!)

He could hardly wait to go out and shoot something.
He had to wait until the next morning when S1 set him up a mini shooting range and strictly went over ever rule to follow for proper BB gun safety.

One day S1 will be teaching a gun safety class for kids, I am certain.

Anyhow....S3 spent the day with his big brothers learning to shoot his BB gun. S4 tagged along with a nerf cross bow.

My house looks well protected when you pull up, I guarantee you.

They headed off to "put meat on the table" and I was worried they might actually shoot something and I would actually have to cook something icky. I've cooked squirrel before...it doesn't look pretty no matter what plate you put it on.

Since he didn't get anything, S3 thought he should maybe practice with a moving target.

Enter his birthday balloons.

S4 thought this grand plan with him and together they headed out with a BB gun and a balloon. I was on the phone about a car with the insurance company...ironically...and watched them walk excitedly out the door and thought "this could be bad."

So, here i am in the house craning my neck out the windows to keep a sharp eye on them as they take the balloon down to the "shooting range" and....

Let the balloon go.

On a very unusually windy day.

I watched the balloon quickly drift off toward the house and since S3 knew he can't shoot toward the house, he just took off full force with S4 trying to grab the string on the balloon. It was a lost cause. S3 held his gun protectively as they jumped and leapt and finally realized it was gone.

Until it got stuck in the walnut tree right next to the house.

I thought we were gonna just be glad it has stopped. But apparently S3 realized this was his moment to shine.

He must shoot the balloon out of the tree.

He brought his bb gun up to his shoulder, aimed, and then aimed again.

Straight up.

"NO!" I hollered! "Don't shoot that gun straight up! You'll shoot your eye out!"

I had become that mother.

And that is when the insurance girl came back on. To her credit, she kept her cool...and when she asked me what my email was and I answered "life with four boys" she sorta snickered and said "Well, that explains the never a dull moment at your house!"

Why, yes, yes it does.

It's why I love my boys so.