7 Quick Takes about Our New Pizza Trailer, Establishments That Are Serious About Following the Rules, and Failed Bowling Expeditions

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?

—1—

We got new couches!

Our old ones were ugly, stained, and disgusting after 10 years of constant abuse from rowdy children. Not only that, but our family has grown since we purchased them (both in number and the size of the individual children) and we didn't all fit on them anymore.

Also, the springs on the sofa were completely broken in the middle and the kids had started calling it "the pit of doom."

I love the way they look in our living room, and we ended up getting a slightly bigger couch and loveseat, plus an oversize chair that fits two adults and a big ottoman that can be used for more seating. I LOVE OUR NEW LIVING ROOM.

The kids have obviously made themselves right at home, too.

—2—

Besides just random mayhem, the kids have developed several new games with our new living room furniture.

Sometimes, they arrange the cushions on the floor and pretend it's a boat.

They also like to stack the pillows on the ottoman and pretend it's a trailer full of pizzas. Then the 3-year-old sits backward on the chair and pretends to drive it while making tractor noises. I really admire his commitment to this game. (I watched him once and he stops to shift gears.)

The pillows, which I fully expected to spend more time on the floor than on the couches until I went crazy and threw them away, make perfect stepping stones.

The kids wake up so excited to play with our furniture their brand-news toys, every morning is like Christmas morning.

—3—

This week, the kids are on school vacation and their grandparents are visiting. While they're here, the 3- and 5-year-olds are entertaining them with their own original knock-knock jokes.

Their repertoire includes:

Knock, knock.

Who's there?

An eyeball!

An eyeball who?

In your eyehole!

Knock, knock.

Who's there?

A pickle with jello on it on your face.

A pickle with jello on it on your face who?

On your eyebrow!

Knock, knock.

Who's there?

Invented hamburger.

Invented hamburger who?

Splatted on your face!

Knock, knock.

Who's there?

Garbage flying in the sky.

Garbage flying in the sky who?

Crash!

Like I said, it's real hilarious over here.

—4—

We took the kids to the trampoline park, and as expected, it was totally nuts. In the northeast, we have a random week of school vacation in February, meaning that everyone who doesn't ski and can't afford a tropical vacation is just milling around New England looking for something indoors to do.

So. Much. Fun.

I normally avoid indoor attractions of any kind during February week, ever since a disastrous aquarium visit years ago. It was so full of people the kids couldn't see a single thing, and most of the time was spent getting separated from each other and/or accidentally crowd surfing.

Anyway, I decided to make some exceptions for this week. The trampoline park was madness, but still fun for the kids. And I enjoyed this "no running" sign that really kicks it up a notch.

EVER. Under penalty of death.

—5—

We visited the art museum and sculpture garden, which wasn't crowded at all because (1) most of it was in the wide-open outdoors, and (2) it was freezing.

Everyone was bundled up like an Eskimo; even my teenager said she wished she'd brought a coat, and that's really saying something.

I enjoyed walking around and looking at stuff, but I'm just not sure I get modern art:

"Um, guys? Is anyone else seeing this?"

I actually thought this huge doorway was cool. It was lined with the remnants of reclaimed cello bows, which looked really pretty waving in the breeze. Or as my 8-year-old put it, "I really like that hairy thing!"

My 5-year-old sat down on a step to admire this sculpture for a while, so I stopped to read the placard in front of it. "Do you know what this one is called?" I asked him.

"What?"

I grinned and read from the placard: "It's called 'Three Lines.'"

My 5-year-old cocked his head at the sculpture and asked, "Why?"

My, what a mystery.

—6—

Inside the museum, there was a kids' display. The kids were asked to create poetry and/or works of origami and tie it to a large wooden frame to form what they called a "3D sculpture."

The effect was impressive from a distance, but if you looked close up you could tell it was created by children:

Like a Haiku, but with only one word.

Poetry is nice and all, but it can't hold a candle to bathroom humor when you're 7 years old.

—7—

We tried to go bowling with the grandparents, but we happened to show up on league night (whoops!) and they were all booked up.

In the absence of any other good ideas, we went home to watch a movie. The 3-year-old had fallen into a deep sleep on the drive home so real sneaky-like, I tried to transfer him into bed.

I almost thought I'd gotten away with it when I turned to leave and heard a small, panicked voice say, "Why didn't I watch the movie?"

"I thought you were asleep," I said.

"I wasn't sleeping. I was just thinking about stuff."

At that moment, he reminded me of an old man insisting he wasn't asleep, he was just resting his eyes for a few minutes.

For the record, I did let him come out and join us for a movie and "banilla wif cookies" (cookies 'n cream ice cream.)

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