Carmella's Hang Out

I have not been having a very good few days here. Since Thursday I have been stressed and crying allot, and just having a real hard time.

Last week, I had wanted to take the kids to the mall, but knowing that spring break would mean the mall was full everyday, I decided to put it on hold. This week is spring break here in our house. So that worked out well. I needed to get out of the house, and find a reason to smile, laugh and just be happy, and the van was home today so it was a good time to take them out. Being without a job has meant I am home more, and I also wanted that to mean I was spending more time with the kids. {yes, I only worked two days a week before, but for the last two months I had also been going to PT three times a week…which meant I wanted to spend my home time watching movies, on the computer, reading,etc. Not with the kids. However, I wanted to change that. I have always been worried about being remembered as “the big sister who didn’t spend enough time with us”, or “the sister who didn’t want to be around us” or even worse “The big sister we never knew”. Though those were all more likely to have happened had I stayed with my SC and Trainer job at Meijer…..but I digress!}

Anyway, this morning, I told the kids I wanted to take them to the mall for awhile, and asked if they thought that would be a good idea. They all seemed to like it, and so plans were made to head out after we finished lunch.

Man was it windy today! Nearly knocked all of us over! Because the wind was so great, I didn’t feel like driving the van on the high way to get to the mall. I took a way the kids are not use to going, but that use to be my way of getting to work. As we passed a swamp area, Caeley looked at the bulrushes and commented on the wind rushing through them. “Hey, when the wind blows those tall grass things, doesn’t it look like they are bowing?” she asked me. “Like God’s creation is bowing to Him. Just like the Bible says, if people will not praise Him the rocks and rest of creation will!” It was cute!

When we got to the mall, and I asked them what they wanted to do first, Sammy replied with “Let’s play a game!” I really was not sure what he meant, and was even more confused when Caeley said “Sammy! Don’t ask! Ok, lets play…um, TAG!” I let them know that tag was not a good mall game, and asked Sam what he meant. I had forgotten that we had just walked past the arcade games at the mall entrance! {Caeley had been worried about Sam asking, since she knew it cost money and she didn’t want me to have to pay!} I had them each play a round of a paint ball game, which they each enjoyed very much, before we continued our outing. After a quick stop at a candy shoppe, where each of the kids picked out their own candy gift, we went to surprise a friend. The kids had not known she was there, but I had seen her as we walked past, and I wish she could have seen the look on their faces when I told them she was there!! They were all very excited to be able to say hello and give her the candy. {Sammy asked right away to go find rock candy, and the girls were able to find things at that same candy store. Caeley picked out four chocolate coins, and Katren chose a long pixie stick.}

Once our short visit there was over, we spent a great deal of time over in the Rain Forrest Café store, which is out front of the restaurant.

We then started over to what the kids call “The Monkey Place” so they could play on the play structure they have at the inside amusement park.

However, we did not get there before I was able to embarrass myself tremendously!! I fell! Yup. Right onto my backside. Guess I am not use to walking in high heel boots anymore. heh. And of all the places for me to fall, I was in the food court! Thank you Lord it was not a busy day! I bet there were only about half a dozen people that saw my less than graceful behavior. To make matters worse, I was in a skirt! The blessing in that, is that it was ankle length, {yay for me not liking too many skirts that are shorter!} and I also had shorts on under! heh. I landed on my hip and back , and it really hurt, though not right away. I think my pride was hurt too much at first for me to realize the pain that was shooting from my middle to my toes and up to the tip of my head. Poor kids, it really freaked them out! They are all very protective of me given my back condition, and they worry so about me hurting it again. Sam said he thought that one of the girls had fallen, and was really scared to find me on the floor when he turned around. {Sam likes to walk faster than the rest of us, hee} Caeley screamed my name pretty loud, and Katren shrieked as well, both unsure as to what to do! A man who had been walking by helped me up, and asked if I was hurt. I replied that I was only embarrassed, which was true since I had not yet tried to take a step! It was only once I did that I found out the pain the fall had caused! The rest of the time that we were out, Caeley and Katren kept making sure I was alright, and not in too much pain. Though I did not take her up on it, Caeley ordered me to sit and put my IFC machine on. heh. I did sit, but only to make sure I had not landed on the unit when I fell! Katren stayed by my side for the next little bit, and both girls tried to be a help when I walked! lol. At times I felt like an old lady, and at others, I just felt like a very much loved big sister.

Inside the “Monkey Place” {the name of the store is a word the kids have been told not to say. Since the mascot of the place is a Monkey, it was thusly dubbed.} I sat at a table set up in front of the giant play place, so that I could watch the kids. It was a good place too, I could see them as they got out of the large slide. Sam had told me he was afraid of the tallest slide, since, to get there, you had to walk across a wobbly bridge {one that is fully netted in.} and a tube with netting that moves back and forth. He said he didn’t like that everything moved so much, he was afraid he was going to fall. I asked him Who was with him all the time, and he replied “God”, so I asked “So then why should you be afraid of that?”. He got a funny look on his face, like “oh yeah!” and went off to, as he put it, “conquered his fear”. And a good job he did of it too! The kid must have gone down that slide ten times in the forty five minutes we were there!

He came up to me at one point and said “You know what I like best about this slide? When I come down, the first thing I see is you! Don’t ever move from this seat, I like to see you when I come out of the slide!” {ROFL!}

The girls, as usual, found younger children in need of guides and helpers. They were in their element! The mothers of the other kids told me how great it was that the girls were so willing to help. “That little girl there” one mother said of her friends daughter “She was scared and your girls helped her, now she does not want to leave their side!”

We said goodbye to our friend {the one we had seen earlier and to whom we had given candy} and then took off to the van, again fighting the wind as we went, to head over to Meijer for ice cream!

Walking through the parking lot of the store, Caeley put her arm around my waist and asked if I had been thinking all day about what has been making me sad the last few days, or if I was able to have fun and not think about it for a bit. I reassured her I had been having a wonderful time and had been able to be at ease all afternoon.

At Meijer, we got three different kinds of Eddy’s ice cream!! Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Peanut Butter cup for everyone, and Cappuccino Chip for us adult girls!! {and OH was it good!! The first two were ice cream, but the last one was a yogurt whip thing. heh.}

We had a really fun day! They helped me get my mind off my worries, and I got best biggest sister award!