On the way there, she was so excited about getting glasses she could hardly stand it. I gently told her that maybe she wouldn’t need glasses, but if she really wanted them, we could get her a pair of fashion glasses. Explaining the difference between prescription and fashion glasses to a five year old is not for the weak of heart, FYI.

On the way into the office, I reminded MaM to cooperate and answer honestly to the doctor’s questions (did she even know how or why she would need glasses? I have no idea). She did the diagnostic tests with the tech, even the puff of air (which makes me cringe) with no problem.

MaM warmed up to the doc quickly, and soon she was reading the eye chart.

E!

A C D R F P

Q W T X Y U

“What’s the next line?”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I can’t see it.”

*I BIT MY TONGUE*

How could she not see it? The letters were still huge at this point!

As the exam proceeded, there were other points where MaM simply answered, “I can’t see it.”  And I began to wonder — did she really need glasses or did she really want glasses? Could she know at five how to be so convincing that she would end up with a pair of glasses at the end of the day??

As the exam concluded, the doctor said that she needed glasses. My response? “You know, um, she really wanted glasses coming in today.” *wink*wink* (read: Is my kid faking this?)

Her answer? “Based on the diagnostics and what we’ve done, I’ve cross checked several things –she is near-sighted and should wear her glasses all the time at school.” *wink*wink* (read: Lady, your kid didn’t fake this)

So MaM picked out the most perfect pair of pink glasses, and has been wearing them ever since. A kindergartener with glasses! Who would have thought??

I remember getting glasses in second grade. How about you???

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Think your family would like to check it out? Then this week’s Savvy Savings and Scholarships deal is for you! Conner Prairie is offering a 4-pack of tickets, normally valued at $44, for a 50% discount. That’s FOUR TICKETS for $22. What a steal! Follow this link to purchase this offer Monday thru Thursday this week.

Not near Central Indiana? Deals are now live in SIXTEEN CITIES! Find one that works for you on SavvySource.com! All deals run from Monday through Thursday night.

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1. Announcing: Family Fun in the City.com!

photo credit: B. Simpson, from wikipedia

Yesterday, though, MaM came home with an Eid ul-Fitr treat bag from school. You see, her school mates had sent in treat bags as part of the celebration that is the end of Ramadan, the most holy month in Islam. Much like Christian children first focus on Easter (complete with candy) before understanding Lent, MaM came home with a very basic introduction to this Muslim feast (she was, of course, delighted by the candy).

photo by Utne Olve, from wikipedia. An askenasisk made from a ram's horn

Thursday, friends of mine headed out to a retreat in honor of Rosh Hashanah. Between Thursday and Yom Kippur, are the Days of Awe in the Jewish faith. A simple analogy my friend uses is this, “these are my Christmas and Easter– you can’t tell your mother you’re skipping Christmas or Easter, can you?” People were wishing each other “Happy year 5771″ as they celebrated the Jewish New Year online, and kindly explaining the sentiment to those not in the know.

photo by Patnac, from wikipedia

Sunday, MaM’s Catholic Sunday school resumes. She’s sat through Mass nicely this summer, and is jncredibly interested in reading along in the missal and the hymnal. Next spring, probably in May, a bevy of cousins and friends all in 2nd grade will make their First Holy Communions. I can only imagine MaM’s fascination with the beautiful white dresses once she sees them.

These are all things that make me happy.  They are all signs that despite on what happened on this day in 2001, the people of our country are still open-minded, compassionate people of faith. People of many different faiths, but yet of similar minds. Blow-hard ministers from Florida aside, nine years later, we have not let the terrorists win.

It's been nine years. The skyline still looks to me like it's been robbed.

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We went into MaM’s classroom at the little school to celebrate her birthday. 7 of the 12 students in the room? Were my former students. MaM introduced us as, “Mrs. McNally & L___”. We went through her timeline, we watched her walk around the sun five times, we ate yummy fairy cupcakes. I got the question, “Are you still a teacher here?”

When we got home, I was met in the driveway by FedEx with my prize fromi the 1-800 Flowers drawing at BlogHer. I was thrilled to sort through the yummies included in the Arbor Afternoon basket.

As I was looking at the treats, I joined a conference call with Marcie and an event planner–go to Grown In My Heart to see what we are cooking up ( there’s a question, a giveaway and an announcement!).

Then, finally, Date Night. Also known as Indy’s Social Media Happy Hour. We dropped the kids off at our friends’ house and jetted off……in a 2010 Camaro, compliments of Hare Chevy.

I am not a fast-car kind of girl, but DAMN. The car was hot & so much fun to drive. Everyone who drives a minivan every day should go take a test drive. SUCH a rush!

Hare was sponsoring a kickoff party for Blog Indiana, which just happened to be held at Sun King Brewery, and featuring West Coast Tacos (the taco truck was parked in their warehouse, the taco truck taking Indy by storm). The night was filled with catching up with online friends in person (Angie, Robby, & Stephanie to name a few) and meeting new ones. (I count myself as coming out ahead if my night doesn’t include cutting someone else’s meat, pouring milk or negotiating how many bites are left to take)

Not bad for a Thursday.

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Oh Mam, do I have series to introduce to you in about 12 yrs!!

We opened the CD together and popped it into my laptop. MaM went off to play, and I stayed to listen. And I LOVED most of the soundtrack from first listen. There are songs to sing along with, showtunes, tunes that make me want to belly dance, and a few classics.

My first favorite:  The opening track, “Rapture”, by Alicia Keys. You have to love a song that talks about the characters with whom you’re obsessed. The line “because I’m so Carrie and my man’s so Big” caught my attention, and I just love it.They also managed to have the underlying theme music intertwined in the song, which just made it that much better.

Other favs include a rendition of “Single Ladies” by Liza Minelli. I cannnot wait to see how this plays into the movie. The other renditions that have me curious are the numbers sung by the “Sex and the City Men’s Chorus”. What is that? Why are they singing?? So curious! I’m also really loving Alicia Keys’ version of  “Empire State of Mind (part II) Broken Down”.

The song I turn up the loudest though? That has to be “Can’t Touch It” by Ricki Lee. I love, love, love it, and I’ve been playing it non-stop since I got this CD in the mail from the One2One Network.

To learn more and hear some sound bites, see http://bit.ly/O2Osatc2sdtk. Ready to buy it yourself? Use this link to Amazon: http://bit.ly/O2Osatc2Amazon

The movie was already on my “to see” list, but this soundtrack sealed the deal. The Mr. and I have a Friday afternoon matinee date.

Disclosure: The One2One Network sent me the Sex and the City 2 soundtrack to review, the soundtrack is mine to keep in exchange for this post.

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Here’s the thing–MaM believes with all her heart that Santa will come to visit and chat on Christmas Eve. That he will come to our house, while she is awake, he will give her a Barbie Mermaid, and she will give him the card she has made.

She does not want to mail the card, “because he is coming to our house on Christmas.”

She does not believe he will come while she is sleeping, “because he wants to visit with me on Christmas.”

She isn’t expecting any other presents, “because I asked Santa for a Barbie girl, so that’s what I’m getting.”

Soooooo here’s my dilemma–do we arrange for Santa to stop by on Christmas Eve while she’s awake? I’m sure we could get a friend to do it. Or do we just stage it like we usually do, and hope that the sight of the Christmas tree with the gifts under it with will distract her from remembering that she wanted Santa to actually visit with her?

We aren’t over the top with Santa, but her blind faith is astounding. We saw Santa in the gas station parking lot Thanksgiving weekend, and he was kind enough to talk to her for a minute, and took her request for a Barbie mermaid. Ever since, she has no desire to go see him, because, “I told him what I wanted in the parking lot”.

I don’t want her to be crushed/sad on Christmas day, but I also don’t want to come up with this elaborate scheme this year–and then have to repeat it for years to come, only to have her find out from a neighbor kid /schoolmate that it was just that–an elaborate scheme.

Thus the Santa Dilemma. Any suggestions on how to keep it magical and fun without going over the top? Anyone? Anyone?

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Freddy Fever

If you live in central Indiana, you know how Indianapolis loves its sports, and its sporting arenas. Conseco Fieldhouse is easy to navigate, and the facility is world-class. our four-yr old had no trouble (i.e. I’m tired! Carry me!) walking from the parking lot (we parked south of the train tracks–$3–can you beat that?)  all the way to our seats. Actually, our first stop was a caricature artist, who kindly drew our family of four. That alone made trip worth it!

As I mentioned, we were hooked up with floorside seats. Floorside. Which was fabulous, and provided a great view of the action, which BgK and I appreciated. The kids, to our amazement, preferred to watch via  the Jumbo-tron. The Fever’s mascont, Freddy Fever, made frequent walk-throughs all around the stand. This THRILLED Jr. MAM chose to sit under her seat when he came by.

Staring at the Jumbo-tron instead of the floor action...

The action was fun to watch, and as it turns out, the game went into a five-minute overtime, which were the most exciting minutes of play. Here’s the thing-the Fever is good–as in best-record-in-the-league good, at an impressive 14 wins, 4 losses (as of 7/31). Which means that chances are, when you see a game this August or September, you will see the home team win.

First ever bites of cotton candy...yum!

I think a WBNA game is a good first-basketball game venue because it’s a laid-back, friendly atmosphere. There’s entertainment during game breaks, promotional items given out left and right, and good seats (if you kids aren’t into the Jumbo-tron) are reasonably priced. And actually, they just got more reasonable with a discount code!! The One2One Network and the WNBA are offering the code: WNBABLOG for special discounts depending on your area. For the FEVER, it’s buy one ticket, get one of equal value for FREE.

The Kahuna family definitely enjoyed our night at the Fieldhouse, watching the Fever win in OT over the Sun. If you are looking for a fun night out, role models for your children, or a basketball fix in the middle of summer, the WNBA can do any or all of the above!!

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