Monday, December 24, 2012

DON'T TELL



When Sweet Neighbor Girl and Trouble #1 were over at Casa de la Flaming Bore this morning to exchange Christmas presents, she followed me into the kitchen, grabbed one of my arms, tugged me into the bedroom, and quietly said, "I've got something important I have to tell you." 

I braced for the worst and quickly thought of all the terrible possibilities: an illness, family problems, a move out of town, another dead pet.  What earth shattering news was I about to hear?

"Do you know that there's not really a Santa Claus?" she said. "My Mom told me there actually isn't one and we just pretend like there is."

"Well, Santa Claus is still kind of like a spirit who represents happiness and how it's good to give to others," I said.  "His spirit is real."

"We're not supposed to tell Kalim (her brother)," she added.

"Oh, I won't. It's a secret with me."

And with that relief out of the way, we went back to putting up some magnet art on the freezer...a snowman and a Santa Claus. Don't tell anyone, but they are just decorations and aren't the real deal.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

LET THERE BE SILENCE

After Sweet Neighbor Girl and Trouble had their early morning Meet and Greet breakfast with Santa Claus today, they came over to Casa de la Flaming Bore to see what was on my December 1st agenda. I was planning to walk up to the bank and on to the library, so, oh boy, let's get permission to go, too!  Fine with me...just remember that it's 10 blocks one way.

The first time Trouble ever made the trek with me, he was moaning, "It feels like I've walked 100 miles!" before we ever hit Main Street.  By the time we got to the library..."It feels like I've walked 1,000 miles."  But he did fine today and was eager to hit up the "fun stuff" in the kids' department...not the books but the Legos and puzzles and other cool gizmos that he doesn't have at home. Library Lady really knows how to entertain 'em.

SNG helped me shelf the audio tapes, magazines, newspapers, and returned books until we got to the Teen Lounge, at which point she asked permission to crash out on one of the bean bags with the Seventeen magazines, even though she's still 10 days away from reaching double-digits. 

An hour later we headed back home, while getting in two rounds of Mother May I, playing Balance Beam on some curbing, playing Step on a Crack, Break Your Mother's Back, playing Jump the Railroad Ties, and reciting (I don't know how many times) "Stop, look, and listen before you cross the street.  Use you eyes.  Use your ears. And then use your feet." Nevertheless, it took a while to get back to the 'hood.

Until their friends came over for the afternoon to play, SNG got on my computer to find Christmas jokes that she's compiling for a little booklet she's making.  She found lots of good ones:  Q:  What's a snowman's favorite cereal?  A:  Frosted Flakes  Q:  Which of Santa's reindeer has the worst manners?  A:  Rud-olph  Q:  Which Christmas carol is the favorite of parents?  A:  "Silent Night."

I decided that's my favorite Christmas carol, as well...and silence is what I'm planning to experience tonight.  Big Bore is gone for the weekend, so it's just me and the cats...the Wildcats, that is.  K-State plays football on TV pretty soon, so I'm going to dig up some purple to wear, and then quietly crash on the sofa to watch the game, with a box of Peanut Butter Captain Crunch nearby.  I'm hoping the 'Cats will silence Texas and we'll all be sleeping in heavenly peace later tonight. 

Over and out.