Alison Hodgson

Expert on the etiquette of perilous times.

fun

by 23 Comments

I don’t know when it was I realized I am not an instinctively fun person.

This is a problem as I am the mother of three children and although two of them are nerdy little readers, they don’t want to only sit around reading and drinking coffee. They want to have fun. I don’t want to be their best friend or anything, I just want to stop being the curmudgeon I am so easily. “Stop splashing!” (poolside) “Stop yelling!” (outside) “Go read!” (anywhere)

I have actually asked God to help me be more fun. A few days ago I had an idea for something the kids would love. We were already planning to take them to opening night of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I decided to leave an anonymous letter inviting them on a hunt. A series of clues led them to the movie tickets.

I asked my sister for help with the clues. She said I didn’t need any. She was right. I sat down this morning, plotted out the hiding places and made up some rhyming clues that required a bit of thought. They happily raced around the yards finding clue after clue. Finally they lifted the turtle sandbox (“This reptile moves very slow…” I know, should have been “slowly” but needed to rhyme with “go”) to find the tickets. Oh joy and excitement! They didn’t realize the tickets were for tonight. When this dawned there happiness knew no bounds.

After the movie we wondered if either of them would make it through the factory tour like Charlie. Both were confident they would. Privately their father and I saw the boy falling into the chocolate river in the first round. Both of us were fairly confident the girl would make it as she is a rule follower/pencil pusher and generally a sweetie. Then we saw her attacking the chocolate fountain in the theater lobby after the show. Our confidence was shaken. She might have a future as a chocolate river rat too.

A large man just came into the room singing that he is going to bed to the tune of “Surfer Girl” and knocked the shade off the window. I was already feeling tired. I am now rattled. Need to close.

Remind me to tell you about:

themes
needy gardening
healing
hunger
theater instincts

Good night.

Comments

  1. So nice to hear your voice again.

    Good job with the tickets hunt. How was the movie? I’ve heard mixed reviews. We’ve read the book to the kids twice now, and they’re not very familiar with the older movie, so I imagine they will be expecting Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka. Does Depp pull it off? Normally, I love him in most anything, but he seems a little dark for this character. T or F?

    Loved your adverb dilemma.

    Reply

  7. Oh Scott, honestly, LOL. Silly.

    Regarding fun- I have a lot of friends who are really good at the kid fun stuff. Paul and I need to make more of an effort.

    We have been scavenging it up all weekend. Birdie made up a hunt yesterday and Paul did today. The kids did better at some of his clues than I did.

    Regarding Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I think it is worth seeing just to see the beginning when the winners are found. The kids are excellent in a creepy way but the parents are even better (worse) this time around. I didn’t really like Johnny Depp in the role or rather his characterization. Charlie was perfect as were his parents and grandparents. Definitely worth watching if only as rental. My kids loved it and were so grateful we took them. Paul and I enjoyed ourselves.

    Reply

  9. I hope the large man with the “surfer girl” tune was someone you know well! better, maybe even the guy you are married to. 🙂

    I love your posts…

    Reply

  10. I often feel like the only think I say to my kids is “no” or that I am not making their lives exciting enough. But, life cannot be constant stimulation. I share your feelings, though, about wishing I were more fun for my kids. (For me it is a lack of energy due to my having Fibromyalgia.)

    Reply

  11. Hi Alison.

    You sure seem like a fun one to me. And I like what you write, too. Yeah.

    I knew someone in an earlier life, er, blog who was a good writer like you. I think she was a chick, too. Thanna something. Yeah. Funny. But she was younger than Jesus, I think.

    Anyways, you’re sure what’s good and right about blogging. Real American. Yeah.

    Ooh, I gotta go. I think I hear someone coming. Keep up the good work, though.

    Your secret pal,
    Gus
    Yeah.

    Reply

  13. Jaymarie,

    Fortunately, it was my husband. Thanks for the “love” that is such fulsome praise and means a lot.

    Julia,

    It is really challenging to mother when you struggle with pain and a lack of energy.

    Thanks for posting.

    Gus,

    Welcome. I too love and miss Thanna. Though still learning English I think she was doing so well and perhaps better than some native speakers…Yeah.

    She brought so much joy.

    But I am certainly looking forward to hearing your story. Thanks for posting.

    Sherry-

    Paul and I were dying by the time we got to your post. Fun.

    You’re onto him this time, but have you cracked the code of his name yet? I haven’t. Put that great brain of yours to work, but don’t out him publicly, I want to get to know him better.

    Reply

  16. Hey Rich,

    We go way back, huh? I didn’t know you were from Southwest LA. Cool. Yeah.

    But there weren’t many of the Polish people where I lived. Hmm…

    Do you miss the old neighborhood?

    Not me.

    Way too many toughies and slicksters who were too ready to give beat downs to smarties (yeah, that’s what they called me). I bet you were a smarty, too.

    Anyways, how about that Thanna chick…sure do like her neat way of writing. Something about them feregners that’s, well, feregn and, uh, exotic. Yeah.

    But you sure seem like a bright one, too…with a clever, er, tricky way uh writing. Yeah, tricky. Yeah.

    I have one questiun for you, though, do you think that’s an actual photo of sherry c? If so, she sure is a tiny thing. I think her eyes are pretty. Yeah.

    Bye now, Rich.

    Gus Dolphano,
    Int’l Behavioral Specialist

    PS Tell me some more about yourself, Rich. I want to remember you.

    Reply

  17. Hiya Gus,

    Thanks for writing to me hear. I hope Allison does’nt mind us using her space. Its just that I dont know any other way of contacting you after all these years.

    Of course I remember the old neighborhood. Yeah. How could I forget? We lived in that old brick tenament at the corner of 14th and McGillavry. As many rats as kids in that one, I reccollect. You were around the corner at 15th and O’Leary, right? I’m not surprised that you dont remember me much, thogh. Momma was afraid the toughies and slicksters would get me into one of there little gangs, so she kept me pretty close to home most times.

    I just stayed home and ate her cooking. I tell you, my momma could make a hundred different things with just sausage and potatos. I was a little on the round side back then, if you know what I mean. About the only time I got out was to run down to old man Walinsky’s market for Momma. But I always saw you and the fellas out their playing stickball in the alley. Couple of times I stopped and asked if I could play, but your brother always said take off fatso, so I did. No hard feelings tho, eh? Momma would of skinned my hide if I’da come home late anyhow. Yeah.

    Well, I guess thats about all for now. I’d love to here what youv’e been up to over the years. When did you leave the nieghborhood and all that. I dont remember seeing you around much after bout the 9th grade. Seems like I remember something happened with your sister, but I dont remember much about it.

    So long. I don’t know about that picture of sherry c. You know, it almost looks like one of them computer generalated things. But your right about the eyes. Real pretty.

    Rich

    Reply

  18. Sherry,

    Sadly, Paul had to tell me Gus’ identity before I embarrassed myself. I wondered at the quality of his writing compared to Thanna’s.

    I got Rich only because Paul helped me with Gus.

    Goodness those two really admire you.

    You knuckleheads.

    Oh Thanna where art thou!

    Reply

  19. Wow Rich,

    You’ve got quite a story to tell. Sure sounds interesting, though. And tasty. Yeah.

    Anyways, I don’t know nothin about the neighborhood you mentioned; not the streetnames, the stickball, the market, a fatso, not any of it rings a bell.

    Actually, I’m pretty sure you found yourself the wrong Gus. Uh huh, yeah.

    Good luck, though, on finding your Gus online. Cyberspace is, well, spacious. Yeah.

    Ciao. (Yeah.)

    Gus Dolphano
    Int’l Behavioral Specialist

    PS I’m pretty sure Alison won’t mind our tapping these messages into her blog. Like I said earlier, I’m her secret pal. Shhh, someone’s coming.

    Reply

  21. Well, that didn’t last very long. And to think of the work it took to get that many consonants into something pronouncable! Fun, nonetheless.

    Reply

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