Proof that I don't suck as a parent

We were out late visiting Mike's family. It was an exception since we have barely seen his sister or the younger girls over the last year, but we stayed late and then still had to get some things on the way home. Thank goodness for 24 hour stores, am I right?
I was shopping quietly with the younger two, Mike had the oldest with him, when a man walks up to me and says he's glad that he's not the only one that brings his kids to the store late. I must have looked confused, because he elaborated with his experiences, being looked at funny or chided for having children out so late. I made some polite comment about it being a good time to shop since the kids are tired and calm and there aren't a ton of people to dodge. He looked surprised for a minute then told me that he seriously doubted that we needed to come so late for that reason since my children had been so well behaved.
Feeling the glow of a complement from a complete stranger, I walked on to meet up with Mike and our oldest and get the rest of our list. My oldest jumped up onto something that was not meant to be stood on and my middle son quickly followed suit. Both Mike and I said at the same time, Get down, that's not for playing on. From further down an aisle an employee stopped what she was doing, walked over to us and told us that it was a real pleasure to have customers like us, who made our children behave.
Some days I feel like I must have failed somewhere along the line, I must not have taught them something essential, and then a day like that comes along and proves we haven't done half bad. I hoard those moments in my memory and bring them out to replay when I feel like a failure.

Fun in the last of the sun

Around here the cold starts around August 25th, give or take a couple of days. That means more than frosty nights and hats are coming back to our lives - it means the end of garage sale season. So sad, don't you think? Labor Day weekend is a great time for garage sales and we all go as a family to see what deals may come. Today was a day to mark down in the diary... well, it was for me anyway.
We found a sale that we'd been to the summer before last, nice people. Just a garage and a power box most of the year but for part of the summer it homed an RV or two and a bunch of table piled with the most interesting stuff and the best prices. I picked up a handful of books for 25c each, 2 Zane Grey, 1 James Patterson, and 1 Sandra Brown. Mike found a pair of shrub trimmers for 50c, and the best deal of the day - a GREENHOUSE! It isn't huge, but then I plan to start small. $35 for a 7x5 greenhouse is an awesome deal to start with, but I've wanted one SO badly for the last 3 years and we never could afford it. It was delivered tonight at 7:10pm and the very nice gentleman stayed around to chat because he remembered us from 2 years back.
The second place we went didn't have much to speak of, so we quit it without buying anything, but the third was also a place and seller that we knew, this time from last summer and this spring. We got a big shelf, a toy box and some videos for the kids from her. This time I found 2 pair capris (found $5 in a pocket when I got home, score!) 2 sweaters, a tee shirt that says Bom Chica Wah Wah (Mike loves that one, lol), and a gorgeous chocolate velvet jacket all in my size. Not an easy feat, lemme tell ya. One of the sweaters was found in a free box, but the rest were $1 each, $2 for the jacket. I also found a pretty, very new looking maroon leather purse and a black Buxton wallet for $1.25 together, a $3 espresso machine to replace the one that broke on me this spring, a free box of small glasses that I plan to use for desserts, a pair of new slacks in Mike's size, 2 play-tents for the boys room at $2 each and for Mick a book on What to Know about Star Wars and a t-shirt that says Playing Video Games... Be Back Soon.
He has recently discovered Lego Star Wars on Wii thanks to the Hollywood Video in Bend selling it's merchandise and closing it's doors. When they guys all play, they lose touch with the world around them and I h.a.t.e. it, so I only allow them to play it on the weekend - starting after dinner on Friday and ending before dinner on Sunday. That shirt and book are really fitting, lol.
Mase was thrilled, too, since he got a carousel toy for 10c at the first sale and a toy car free at the last. All of us had a fun day!