Black Friday

This year, only Erin wanted to go shopping on Black Friday. We didn't really want anything in particular, we just like the excitement of getting up early and braving the crowds. Mario, who hates anything to do with shopping and Black Friday was the only one in the family that found things in the ads he wanted...a chainsaw and a new food storage shelf. So he reluctantly went with us so that Erin and I didn't have to carry the big boxes. Mario later said that it was kind of fun going out early and getting everything we needed and getting back in time for breakfast. I don't know about the rest of the county, but our town seems to be in a recession. The only place with a long line was Target and it wasn't nearly as long as last year. Walmart had tvs left a couple hours after the sale began. So I said to the cashier that they must have stocked more this year and she said, "That or no one is shopping." The line didn't stop last year and this year there was no line around 7 am. The media is saying big crowds, so it must have just been my town.

Mario has been very generous with the kids this year. He has been giving out lots of money to the kids for little things they do like making 10 football catches in a row or helping with yard work. I thought he was giving out way too much money, until I saw them spending all of it on each other. It is really neat to see their own wants being laid aside while they buy birthday and Christmas presents for one another. Nathan asked me to make him a chore chart like Erin and Eric so he can earn some more money to buy Zach a nicer gift for Christmas (apparently he doesn't realize that dad pays way more than I do, so he should be asking Mario for chores to do.) Zach is always asking for a chore chart so I finally made each of them one last night.

The kids got an early Christmas present only because Mario didn't know where to hide it and Erin was with us when we bought it. With some left over deployment cash, Mario bought them a 3-in-1 game table. It includes pool, table tennis, and air hockey. The kids love it except I am a grinch and I suggested that to make it exciting for Christmas, we should wait until Christmas to play air hockey and pool. So for one month, they get to have fun playing table tennis. Mario joined the "grinch fun" and to the kids' dismay, he suggested we wrap the balls for the pool table and put them under the tree. So no chance of them sneaking a game of pool while Mario and I are out for date night.