This really happened this morning.
I got up at 8:00 this morning. The sleep was heavenly. Josh was gone an hour earlier. I could hear the kids playing nicely down the hall. Mack made one visit to tell me he was “hungry as a bear.” Then, he went to play when I told him I’d be making pancakes soon.
I got up, made breakfast, the kids were very pleasant…though there was a lot of whispering at the table and making sure I didn’t hear them. I told them that I would be reading my Bible and having some coffee and didn’t want to be interrupted. They complied and went on their merry way upstairs. About thirty minutes later, Ruby appeared looking a little suspicious, though not horribly so. I asked her what she was doing, and she innocently said, “Oh, we’re just gonna go out in the backyard.” Then, Molly and Mack came down looking even more suspicious. I asked Ruby, again, what they were going to do with all the stuff they were taking outside. (Molly had a backpack, a big coat, and a peppermint stick. Mack had a pair of pajamas in hand and an umbrella and a blanket.) Ruby said, “Well, we were just going to go on a journey and didn’t want you to know that we were leaving the house.”
You see, these munchkins were planning to go on a long walk in the neighborhood. They told me that they were leaving by going out the gates in the backyard. #1)They couldn’t get the front door unlocked because of the dead bolt and #2) They knew I wouldn’t see them leave out the side gates.
These kids are sneaky, people. They wanted to leave the house and go on a walk in the neighborhood without me.
???!!!!!!!
Molly got irate with Ruby. “YOU HAVE TOLD HER AND NOW WE CAN’T GO ON OUR JOURNEY. WHY DID YOU GIVE IT AWAY????????? YOU SAID YOU WOULDN’T TELL HER. YOU SAID YOU WOULDN’T SAY ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!”
I explained to Molly that it is always necessary to tell me where you are and that you can NEVER leave the house without me. Not without my permission…without ME!! I really don’t know what would possess them to think this was ok. I continued to let them know that a weird, mean man in a van might be waiting close by and when he saw how cute they were, he’s snatch them up and never bring them back home. (I can thank my mom for how quickly I went there.)
Mack sobered up some. I asked him if he was planning to really leave the yard. He said, “No. I wasnt’ going to do it.”
Molly got so upset with him and in a loud tone she said, “Oh, yes you were. You said you were going to go. You said you would be BRAVE and go with us! You said that!!!!!!!”
Oh my goodness.
So I told them that if they ever leave the yard without me that they would get 17,000 whippins’. I have no idea where that number came from, but that is what I said.
About 20 minutes later (during which time I had the blinds open and could see the kids while I read), I went outside and asked how the journey went. Ruby said, “It didn’t happen. It wasn’t a real journey.”
So I guess unless you are deceitful, sneaky and dangerous,it’s not a real journey.
Crazy kids!
OMGOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!