Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Next 4th of July…

Before I forget, here are a few notes to jot down to keep in mind for next year’s 4th of July festivities.

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Note #1 ~While I understand it’s the 4th of July and a form of showing a festive spirit is to wear red, white or blue {as above}, I will dress all of my children in a non-festive color.

Like bright orange.

Why, you ask?

It will be much easier to explain to the police officer ~ “Our missing son was wearing a fluorescent orange t-shirt, unlike ANY OTHER child here at the parade” rather than something like “He was wearing a blue t-shirt with a flag on it ~ you know, like the other 1,000 children in this two-block radius.”

Yeah. We lost Zachary for 20 minutes. While we searched high and low for him, he was busy making crafts at our children’s museum and then hanging out in the library bus reading. Nothing like a little drama to get the blood pumping.

Note # 2 ~ Make sure all children are wearing matching shoes before you leave the house. Otherwise, it tends to add to the “I can not only keep track of all my children, I also neglect to check what they are wearing.

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Note # 3 ~ Napkins are good, but wet wipes are better. Pack lots. A mother’s spit can only go so far.

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Note #4 ~ Cotton candy is good, but watching the sugar kick in 30 minutes later is hilarious! Sugar and this boy…

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Note #5 ~ See the fireworks through the eyes of your children. They may not be the most spectacular ones that you have ever seen, but watching them is pure joy.

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11 comments:

  1. LOL, but only because all was OK and you found your son unharmed. What a scare!

    Good tip about the wipes. I used to carry them around everywhere, but have been lazy lately. As is, the past five years. :-D

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  2. hehe sounds like everything went off w/o a hitch ;-)!! I was totally cracking about the shoes! I would have been FREAKING out when Zachary was missing!

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  3. So I gotta know, when you found him was your first response to cry with relief or threaten to kill him for freaking you out? :)

    Glad he's ok! My gosh,he could have taken over the city in that amount of time!

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  4. The outfit tip is an EXCELLENT idea! I need to pass that on. I'm so happy that he's OK...what a relief. I carry wipes at all times...they are wonderful for everything! Rondell made the mistake of giving Caleb a sip of Mountain Dew and he was revved up for the rest of the night...never again.

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  5. Yikes! Glad you found Zachary okay. How scary...the whole thing made for a rather comical blog post, though, so it's all good. ;-)

    Love the last two photos.

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  6. Jolanthe,

    I think you have captured some truly priceless pictures along with your tips!

    Please stop by my blog today and make sure you sign up for the giveaway that ends today. The book is a masterpiece in itself.

    http://reviewsfromtheheart.blogspot.com

    Love and Hugs ~ Kat

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  7. Our 5-year-old got lost for about that length of time when we were in Holland--it was scary beyond words. Glad you found Zachary okay! We just got to celebrate the 4th at a US Air Force base with military friends in England, so my kids had cotton candy for the first time ever, and they got to see fireworks for the first July 4 in 3 years. So much fun! Anyway, I love your pictures. You do such a good job capturing memorable moments!

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  8. Try this (it worked amazing well at Cub Scout Day Camp where ALL of the little boys were wearing the EXACT same light blue t-shirt): Buy a bright-colored duct tape (florescent orange comes to mind). Tear off a piece about 10 inches long and wrap it around one of the kids' sleeves (you know, one sleeve for each kid - not one sleeve for all 4 kids). Then you can say, "My kid is the one with the orange duct tape arm band on his left shirt sleeve." Glad you found Zachary and all was well for the rest of the day.

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  9. The shoes are too funny. Wipes will be a must have item until some of my children reach adulthood. Dirt just sticks to them.

    So thankful you Zachary was found and ok! I can't imagine how that must have felt!

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  10. Oh my! I am so glad you found Zachary! That must have been the longest 20 minutes of your life! Good idea about the orange top!

    LOL about the shoes!

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  11. Our 5-year-old got lost for about that length of time when we were in Holland--it was scary beyond words. Glad you found Zachary okay! We just got to celebrate the 4th at a US Air Force base with military friends in England, so my kids had cotton candy for the first time ever, and they got to see fireworks for the first July 4 in 3 years. So much fun! Anyway, I love your pictures. You do such a good job capturing memorable moments!

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