It Was A Sad Day When...

I saw in the news that our town had finally succumbed. We would be getting our 1st Chuck E. Cheese. Now all you 'cool' moms are thinking that I'm crazy...I mean, what an awesome addition to the neighborhood, right? Ha! Not for me honey, the last time I was in a Chuck E. Cheese was about 10 years ago, before I even had kids (I was dragged in there by another couple who had a little boy and they evidently thought it was just the coolest place on the planet), and I would have really been happy to avoid a return visit.
We have become desperate for a reason not to go...Greg actually looked at me one day and said, "I really think it would be a sin for us to go to Chuck E. Cheese. Look at the place...it looks like a casino for kids! Doesn't the Bible say something about "avoiding the appearance of evil?" Ok...so we were really desperate!
My kids have been great about it though, and if I'm not mistaken, the place has been open about a year, and we have not yet patronized it. I told the kids right up front that a Chuck E. Cheese visit would not be like our McDonald's drive thru stops (like every five minutes, already!), but would be for something special like a good grade card or something similar to that.
Last week, I had an idea straight from Heaven. Trick or Treat was to happen this week, and it also happens that we are in revival. There's nothing more frustrating than to try to dress everybody up, fly around town begging for candy, and then quit 30 minutes early, quickly change clothes, and take 4 completely sugared up kids to sit through an hour and a half service. So not worthwhile! Since trick or treating is something that the kids enjoy, I decided to make them a deal...would they be willing to trade Trick or Treat for Chuck E. Cheese? It was a unanimous and enthusiastic "yes" vote, and I'm happy to report that I finally found a decent use for the place.
Tomorrow is the big day, so by the evening my mental state may be completely altered, and my mind forever fried, but the kids will be happy and hopefully poorer in calories and cavities. So...I'm signing off for the time being...it may take me until Monday to fully recuperate. So long for now!
p.s. I'm also happy to report that Chuck E. Cheese also gives tokens to kids who bring in a good report card! Since our kids just got theirs yesterday (and they were swell students this quarter), we may make off better than we thought! Just don't tell my kids about this...they'll try to drag me back in January...