#76

GO ON A SLIP 'N' SLIDE

So it turns out that sometimes homemade is better than store bought. That's true for pies, cookies and ... slip 'n' slides.

My neighbors' daughter , we'll call her Elle, came over to ask me about being a teacher (she's in middle school and already making her plans for her college major!). The kids and I were getting ready to pick up a tent from a friend (for camping out tonight) when she came over. My little girl and I both had the same thought. Ask her to come over to slip 'n' slide with us.

When we got back from getting the tent, the kids went over to get Elle. She came prepared with a 20 - 25 foot piece of material that turns out to be billboard material given by friends of theirs. Our first ride was on the 16 foot triple wave race slip 'n' slide I bought from the store equipped with inflatable body boards and inflatable 'cones' for finishing up the races. It took no more than two slides for all of us to realize the billboard was going to be much more fun.

It made me think of Alton Brown from 'Good Eats' on Food Network. He doesn't have every possible kitchen gadget known to man kind. He just uses what he already has for multiple purposes. Alton Brown is...resourceful.

On another note, watching my children do Slip 'n' Slide really made me want to be a ... hmmm.... more relaxed mom. Not as far as discpline. With fun. Sometimes I am so worried about things getting out of hand that I cut things off before they get a chance to get too crazy. Sometimes kids need crazy. Sometimes MOMS need crazy. We get so caught up in the mess that we will have to clean up afterward that we never really ENJOY it.

Maybe I need to make that an addition to the list. To have unadulterated fun with my kids without worrying about the mess afterward. Just have fun with my kids. Just BE with them. Enjoy all that God has given me in these two beautiful children who love to laugh. have fun and LOVE others. Maybe I have a little bit to learn from them.

TASK #76 ... COMPLETED 6/24