And it's only Day 2...

Ah, Summer: freedom from piles of homework, time-sensitive schedules, jam-packed agendas, and heavy responsibilities. Time to breathe and unwind, yes? So yesterday, to properly mark and celebrate the boys' first full day of liberty in Summer 2012...we ran errands. In our defense, the pressing item on our To-Do List was "buy the kids new shoes" which is critical if you're going to spend your long daylight hours romping around outside, chasing soccer balls and whatnot. As an active person myself, I can attest that proper cushioning and fit help you to achieve your fitness goals blah blah blah...oh, who am I kidding? What we really needed to acquire was some footwear in which the soles are not separating from the mesh uppers (Riley)...or your toes are not banging against the front (Derek Boat Feet). Besides, a trip to Sports Authority is like...visiting Disney World, to a couple of tween boys. (Ooh, lacrosse sticks! Look, awesome jerseys! Mom, can we have...NO! Okay, more like the Magic Kingdom...with a spending limit!)

Not that purchasing shoes is ever a straightforward, simple task with these two. Rather, it's a minefield to be navigated, by a mother who completely agrees that they should find "cool looking sneakers" (the girl in me absolutely gets this) but also 100% refuses to pay for an expensive pair that they're either going to destroy or outgrow in approximately 3 months time. You can imagine in a popular sporting goods store stuffed with Under Armour and Adidas and New Balance and their equally famous and high-priced kin...that narrows down the field of potential choices quite a bit. (I'm striving to impress upon Derek that being "frugal" is an admirable and desirable trait...but I sense it's only a matter of time before he moves from lightly sighing at my cost-restrictions...to outright calling me "cheap". Eh, it's not his money, right?) Anyway, Riley found an appealing-to-all-parties pair of Nikes fairly quickly, but Derek proved to be more challenging. It turned out, Derek's overgrown appendages couldn't be accommodated any more by the children's section. That's right, we had to venture into strange and frightening new territory: Men's Shoes. Yikes! And just to make things a bit more difficult, once we found an acceptably-priced pair that satisfied his wish for "brightly colored" (don't ask me why, I've got no idea)...they didn't have his size in stock. Sigh. (Guess who did, though? Amazon, of all places! Click, they're on their way...)

After that borderline-traumatic retail experience, we sought to restore our spirits and energy...by eating lunch "out" somewhere. (It's our cure-all, have you noticed?) Naturally, the boys voted for California Tortilla. (Don't they know I eat there often? Oh, that's right, I hide that fact from them...) This time when I approached the counter, my favorite perky employee chirped, "Hi, Johna, veggie nachos for you today?" (Oh. Good. Grief. Now she remembers my name AND my most-recent order--so much for concealing my little habit from the kids!) While we ate, Derek wanted to know, "What are we doing tomorrow?" "Staying home with Dad," I replied, "but that brings up an interesting topic I need to discuss with you two. There are a couple of days this Summer that both Dad and I have to go to work, and you'll be on your own for a few hours." Derek's response was instantaneous and unsettling: a huge, mischievous grin and a gleeful, "The house will be in ruins!" (I'm almost certain he was joking...I'll just keep repeating that to myself...) Riley reacted a little differently: "I don't want to be left alone! I might do something wrong!" I rushed to reassure him, "Really, the hardest thing you guys will have to do is feed yourselves!" Again, Derek quickly jumped in, "Yessss, CalTort!" To which I retorted, "Ha! You don't have any cash!" (Because that's the major deterring factor, not that it's a mile-and-a-half from our house, along a busy thoroughfare...) Undaunted, Derek came back with, "I can take money from your bank account!" I had this one, too, though, as I smugly pointed out: "You don't even know how." But, never one to concede the last word, he finished with, "Right. Could you leave instructions?"

All-in-all, it was an eventful start to our Summer. Now all I have to do is impress upon them the importance of using their new footgear to frolic in our own yard...NOT venture forth into the Big Wide World in search of meals (Or an ATM machine. Oy.) You think the threat of "being grounded for the entire rest of your vacation" should do the trick? Or perhaps "remaining inside until you finish every last assignment in your Summer Math and Reading packets?" Let's keep our fingers crossed it doesn't come to that...