Saturday, June 28, 2008

Vacation Bible School

At our house, you are more likely to see ten thousand video game pieces and parts rather than one Fisher Price toy, even though the youngest in our family is still only two. Now for the first three kids, it was a little different. All we knew and loved was our Fisher Price flashlights and baby dolls. However, when you are more near the end of the line in a family, parents seem to be much more relaxed. The last two children in my family knew how to play a game boy advance at 13 months and the last one knew how to turn on a computer before that. So one would definitely say that the little kids in our family are hooked on electronics and would always be playing them if they had the option. However, my mom isn't so happy about that.

So in an attempt to get the kids out of the house and doing something actually worth while for at least one week of the summer, my mom signed the three little boys up for Vacation Bible School (VBS). Thinking that I could also obtain service hours for my high school diploma, she told multiple people that I would be able to volunteer, which I don't mind. The theme this year was "Power Lab", so I thought that the kids would do a few different experiments, learn a bible story or two, and then be done--boy, was I wrong.

As a little kid, I never went to VBS, so I didn't know what to expect when I got there. Well, to my surprise, the first day I walked in I saw all these kids and ladies singing and dancing to bible songs. It was quite interesting if I do say so myself. I was a group helper, so I was helping the littler kids dance to the music and I had to sing along. They make those bible songs very catchy these days.

Throughout the week we learned little bible stories such as Jesus healing the 10 lepers, Him dying on the cross, Peter walking on water, et cetera. So it was a pretty good program for the little kids and they all had fun. They time flew by really quickly and before I knew it, the week was over and I had gained my service hours.

However, I did take one thing away from this past week--I now find myself singing the bible songs we learned in my own house and I can't stop. It can get highly annoying. For instance, the other night I was in my room and my sister and I were going to sleep. I started humming one of the songs that is really annoying because it is the same phrase over and over again three hundred times. It goes like this: Jesus' power is bubbling over. Jesus' power bubbles in my soul. It is sung to a very catchy rhythm, and when you start, you just can't stop. So eventually I sang myself to sleep. Right before I drifted off my sister looked at me and said, "Megan... Megan... Yes! It's finally over!"

Friday, June 27, 2008

Chick-Fil-A Catastrophe

In my family, usually we are all pretty well behaved because my dad believes in actually getting kids to behave and discipline them (yeah, I know--a novel concept in the world today...). However, there are a few days when the little kids can get out of control. And on Monday, it was one of those days.

Like the idiot I am, I turn to my mom and say, "Hey let's go out to lunch today." I said this because the three little guys in my family were gone, my older brother is at a camp for the week, and my sister was with her friends. That left three people at home with my mom, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to eat some yummy food in peace and quiet. But nope, I was wrong. My mom said that there wasn't enough time to go and eat before she went and picked up the little guys, so we could pick them up and then go eat. Again, I was an idiot and said sure.

For some reason, I was really in the mood for some Chinese food and wanted to go to Panda Express. The little kids didn't really want that, and since Chick-Fil-A was the next store over, we went there to eat and I just brought my Chinese food over there. I walk inside Chick-Fil-A and the little kids are all playing in that ridiculous jungle gym that they have, and so I sat down at our two tables (yep... when we go out to eat, we need at least two tables, sometimes three depending on how many of us there are at the time and how big the tables are). Mom brings the food over that she had just ordered and gets the little kids. They came running to the table like a herd of wild animals and shove into their seats--strike number one.

Then, mom gives them their food. Apparently, she didn't do a very good job because the kids were all whining and saying that they needed this and they needed that. All three little boys were up and down getting straws, forks, etc... When I told them to sit down and just ask, nobody listened. Thus, a drink spilled. It was all over the floor and all over one of the boys--strike number two.

Everything cooled off for a minute and everyone began eating their lunch. Then, as soon as my fork went in my mouth I looked over and saw Ryan (2) on top of the table. I was fuming. I walked over there and then made him sit back down. However, in the process he decided to pick up a chick-fil-a sauce and proceed to put it in his hair. I picked him up and put him in between my sister and me the next table over and he started screaming-- it was so embarrassing. I looked over and saw a humongous pile of napkins and decided that those might shut him up. So, grabbing three or four napkins, I lightly put them in his mouth and told him to be quiet. It didn't work, and in fact made things even worse (imagine that). He was mad and I was furious--strike number three was well passed and we were out.

I took Ryan and myself out of the restaurant and we ate our lunches in the car. It was probably the worst lunch in the history of lunches. And no, I'm not being dramatic. This is the truth and everything happened just like this. So now everyone knows why when I get the opportunity to either go with my mom to the store or lunch with the family, I would rather stay at home and babysit everyone.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

You're an Idiot!

In my family, the little kids come to acquire a rather extensive vocabulary. Once somebody says something, it is bound to be repeated (which is one of the main reasons why secrets don't get shared often). This theory applies for everyone... even the two year old (Ryan). With the oldest, Gray, and his teenage vocabulary, family time can become quite hilarious, such as tonight.

All ten of us were in my mom and dad's room waiting to say prayers. Now, something you need to know about Ryan is that he is a major parrot. He usually annoys my brothers and sisters because he mimics them constantly. Gray tends to tease and play around with Ryan and say stuff like "Ryan's weird" and then Ryan will say back to him "Ryan's weird". So technically, Ryan hasn't grasped the concept of changing the name yet. He always calls himself stupid, weird, funny, dumb... you name it. However, tonight was most different.

While waiting to say prayers, Gray and Ryan got into one of their usual verbal contests. Tonight, Gray says "Ryan's and idiot." Ryan, finally, points his finger back at Gray (something my dad said came from mom's half of the gene pool) and says, "No, you're an idiot!". And of course, the whole family was rolling in laughter. I guess all it took was a two year old to finally humble by brother for a minute or two...

Summer Vacation.... A Break? I Think NOT

While yes, I am ecstatic that school is finally over and that I don't have to get up at five in the morning anymore or do homework late at night, summer is never what one would call a break. Being in the family I am in, we are all expected to achieve as much as possible, and therefore I am in 5 AP/Honors classes... lucky me. Granted, it is my choice to take these classes and I am glad I do. However, summer assignments are a PAIN. They are light the fifty pound weights hanging over me all summer, or at least until I decide to complete them.

So, number one, summer assignments mean more work for me during the summer. Two, my dad is insisting on all of his children exercising this summer. Our neighborhood pool has a swim team which all of us used to be on. However, as I got older I realized how horrible I was at swimming and how much I hated it. Therefore, the swim team was out the window. The deal was that I needed to do some form of exercising four times a week, at minimum. So now I have to do that.

Third, I am supposed to be getting a job. I have found one and my mom is calling the lady today. My dad does not want me working at all. He thinks I should be a kid and "develop my talents". Yeah right. If I got the option I would simply sleep my summer away and stay in my bed 24/7. However, my dad is completely against that suggestion, and so if I can't sleep, the next best thing is earning money and saving it, right?

Fourth, I babysit ALL THE TIME. Technically, I am not forced to babysit. Take today for example: My mom says to me "Would you like to come to Costco and to get Gray's haircut today?" Now, what teenager in their right mind would want to be dragged around the grocery store and then go and watch their brother scream and whine because his parents are finally making him cut his luscious locks of hair? Not me... so then my mom asks me to stay home with the kids. I figure that babysitting is somehow a better option than taking all eight of us kids to a store, so I gladly say yep, sure, It'll be my pleasure to babysit these lovely children.

Fifth, I am gone most of July for various reasons. Most of them are church related, but they should be fun. So July, mostly occupied and there will be no time for myself =P.

So, there are 73 days of summer vacation (yes, I actually counted because I am that much of a nerd). If you do the simple mathematics, you figure that 73 days is merely 1/5 of the year (For those of you whose brains are bursting because you simply can't figure this math problem out, here is what you do. Hopefully you know that there are 365 days in one year. To figure out what fraction of a year 73 days is you divide 365 by 73, and you get 5.) So my point is that our school system makes school be in session for 4/5 of the year and gives us a mere 1/5 for summer vacation. If you get the point of this post, you will realize that my summer vacation is even less than that. I figure, and this is coming from a teenager so it is probably dramatic, that my summer vacation is merely 1/12 of the year. School is a major blow....