Thursday, May 23, 2013

50¢ corn dogs

The minute I saw the banner displayed at Sonic I saved the date in my phone.

"50¢ corn dogs May 23!"

Apparently the shindig is for national get out of school day --which is a little depressing since everyone I know is still in school and will be for at least a week.

Whatever, we'll take it.  I'll use anything as an excuse to not make dinner have a party  --I'm just that fun.  (The more often I say it, the more I believe it.)

BTW we ARE going to have fun this summer.  I have been on pinterest looking for fun activities, we have Mike all to ourselves for the first half and we have the blazing heat PLUS 90% humidity to keep us company all through July.  It's going to be awesome.

"BEST SUMMER EVER!"  I'm expecting to hear those words from my children at least 10 times in the next 60 days.  I digress...

Corn dogs.

I've been talking about it all week.  And no, it's not sad that this was our mid-week highlight.  Deep fried corn dogs are one of God's gifts to mankind.

It was to be a fun family outing.

Then my friend left town which left her husband (who happens to be Mike's bff) available for man time.  We quickly put that on our schedule which took him out of corn dog night.  So me and the kids.  No problem.  We're good at this game.

Brady needed a snack about 45 minutes before we left.  I gave him carrots.  He likes carrots.  This wasn't a punishment or anything.  For ten minutes he gnawed on carrots.  I don't think he digested a single one --I'll let you know tomorrow.  There were carrot chips all over the floor, down his shirt and in his high chair.  I decided that since he intentionally dropped several on the floor I should have him pick up one or two for the sake of forming good habbits.  (All my newbie parent friends make their kids do this so it seemed like something I should probably enforce.)

"Brady," I say, pointing to the carrot, "put the carrot in my hand."

He pretends he doesn't know what I'm asking him.

I do it again.

I demonstrate.

I guide his hand toward the carrot.  He pulls back.

I ask him again.  I point. I demonstrate.  I gently take his hand and put the carot in it.  He throws it down.  I pick it up and bring it toward him.  He knocks it out of my hand.

I swat his leg.

I ask again (yes, I tried asking nicely).

Nothing.

Austin demonstrates.

We ask again.

He refuses.

He gets another swat.

We try and try to help him obey.

Jack comes over, bends down and talks sweetly to him, making the carrot picking up look fun.

With all that Brady still refuses to obey.

He gets madder and madder and at this point is crying pretty hard.

I have him sit there in front of the carrot. 

"I'll let him think about it for a while"  I decide.

He sits in front of the carrot for at least 5 minutes.

We try again to help him obey.

It's a no go.

"Great.  I can't quit now.  Then he'll win.  That's worse then ignoring the problem."  I think through my situation.

I decide to put him in bed, while we go get our dinner.

Mike says he will stay with him.

All the kids get ready to go and put shoes on.  This is noteworthy because this morning we took a trip to Home Depot. When we got there I realized none of the kids had shoes.  We went in anyway.  Hey...  We live in Arkansas.

On the way to the van the oldest two start bickering.  I ask them to stop.  I got excuses.   "I didn't start it."  "It wasn't my fault." You know how it goes.  I tell them to drop it.  We drive off.   Not 50 yards down the road they begin again.  I stop the car, turn around and drop off the oldest two at home.

Woo hoo!  50¢ corn dog night!!!  Par-TAY!

"Looks like it's just you and me tonight."  I tell Austin.

He doesn't respond other than a glassy-eyed stare.  He didn't have a nap today.  It's about the time of day he gets really drowsy.

We arrive at Sonic.

I order four corn dogs and a large cherry limeade.  (Don't judge me.)

Austin joins me in the front.  Just me and my third-born on a little date.  He's playing with the window controls, I'm trying to decide if I should kill the car or not.  I do.

It was quiet for a few moments.  I'm really not sure what Austin and I talk about when everyone else is absent.  I asked him how he liked being three.  He nodded.

I asked him if he liked playing in the water today.  "Yes."  Was his one word answer.

crickets...

Good talk Austin.

Pretty soon the order arrives.  The moment we've all been waiting for!

I give the cute boy a sip of cherry limeade, hand Austin his corn dog and set him up with an awesome ketchup dipping plan. 

It was then he tells me in his sweet, high-pitched innocent voice:

"I no like corn dogs."


  


    

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hahahah!!! Sorry your hotdog day didnt work out. I took 5 kids to the park and we had 11 hot dogs, cherry limeaide,cherry coke, lime slush, and a coconut slush! Maybe next year!
-kiki

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