finding things to do

we're finding things to do while my dad is sick and my mom works her short term job at home. The past few days we've been on trips to wal-mart, the library, the play place at the mall (where I was painfully aware of several other moms with friends and knew that many of mine might be at McDonald's for lunch or together earlier in the week like we regularly were), and the bank. The kids have LOVED all the errands (sarcasm?!). We have done some fun projects for the holidays and tried to do some wrapping paper today but were short on some necessary supplies. It is funny as we were running all the errands, a week or so ago I gave the kids each a piece of change to put in the salvation army jar at wal mart. The guy ringing the bell gave them each a turn and as we left I explained what the money was for. Now the kids feel that it is an obligation to put money in the jar and Charlie stands an extra few seconds waiting for the bell ringer to give him the bell (i think he may think he is buying a turn!!). Coming out of our third store today I was out of change but Heather dug into her pocket and happily handed Charlie a quarter and each offered a merry christmas to the bell ringer as they clinked their change into the can. It was a pretty sweet "christmas season" feeling moment. And then moments later there was the fight for who got in the car first...Tonight the kids had some holiday cheer as they made buckeyes with my mom and we watched frosty the snowman and frosty returns.

I had a philosophic moment (which is rare for me!!) in the car on teh way home when Charlie asked me to stop going over bumps because he was coloring outside the lines. It made me reflect for a moment (b/c that's all I get before someone is in need of something else) as we are making so many changes for us and the kids on the "bumps" that change the direction/plan in my life so far and how each one may not be in my perfect design or plan hopefully in the end I'll look back on a colorful picture and those spots outside the lines will look beautiful and not so out of place as they might have seemed at the time. Charlie however asked me again a few minutes later not to go over more bumps...