Success

Thad opted for a new BC Builder dinosaur from Toys R Us. Victoria got a doll that came with a purse. . .and since we arrived at Toys R Us at 4:00, the place was practically ours. We spent an hour just wandering. . . climbing in and out of all of the huge riding car toys that the kids will never own. We had an agreement before-hand that this after school jaunt was to be F-U-N fun. Each kid would get ONE toy, and Mommy had a dollar limit that would not be exceeded. If they found other things they liked, we would make a list. They now each have a list, which they will probably forget about soon--I'm so sneaky.

Wendy's was also empty at 5:07. The kids got to take their new toys inside with them. . .I pulled out all the stops and tried to say "no" as little as possible. Thad proposed a game of hide and seek since there were (his words) no "regular customers" there. (I don't know if he meant that we are strange. . .or that we're not regulars to that particular Wendy's. . .or that there was no one else there. Actually all of those options are right on the mark.) I nixed the hide and seek, but he got to take a lap around the empty dining room and was satisfied.

They both have a new pair of tennis shoes, and Thad has a pair of Velcro sandals with bull-dozers on them that made him leap for joy. The sparkly, pink sandals of Victoria's dreams were not available in her size. The blessing and curse of living in a town with several Targets is that there is always another one to check out later for the sparkly, pink sandals.

The children are now in their jammies watching a video while I veg in front of the computer.

No one has cried. No one has whined. No one has pouted. No one got spanked. I didn't have to raise my voice OR cook supper OR do dishes. I declare this evening a RAVING SUCCESS.