I have been responsible and well-behaved long enough!

• I have not spent my money frivolously.
• I have been trying really hard to eat healthier.
• I’ve focused my time on a public speaking program
  • topic analysis
  • speech writing
  • market research
  • job search
• I’ve even been decluttering my house

If I don’t get into some trouble soon I think I will explode.

The Rules

The question is, what kind of trouble do I want to get into? There are rules about getting into trouble if it is going to be done right.

1. Take a friend. It’s not as much fun if you can’t share it and sometimes you need a witness.
2. It HAS to be fun and not something you would normally do.
3. If you are going to do something stupid, do it with style.
4. Don’t be afraid to look silly.

Shopping

I needed some new after baby clothes and for once had a decent amount of money to spend. I took my oldest daughter (19) with me to go shopping at the mall. We weren’t finding anything that either of us liked enough to spend the money.

As it was clearance season we decided to go the most expensive store in the mall. We started looking through the dresses on the clearance rack and were amazed at how hideous some of these items were. We started picking out outfits for each other. They got more and more hideous as we went along.

We had so much fun that we decided to do it in another store. We didn’t buy anything that day, but we had the best time going from store to store and putting together the worst looking outfits for each other.

At one store that was very slow the sales girl joined us. We got some of the strangest looks from people, but that only made us laugh even harder.

A Good Way to End the Day

It had been an extremely difficult day. My young children were vibrating with unused energy.  I was tired and cross.

After an early dinner, I declared it a movie night.

While they were getting ready for bed I popped a huge bowl of popcorn and pulled out the sofa bed. They each came back out carrying a pillow and blanket.

My youngest son came running down the stairs all excited and jumped onto the bed.  He landed right on the edge of an 18-quart bowl of popcorn.  The bowl flipped up into the air and popcorn went flying everywhere.

We all just looked at the popcorn flying through the air and the look of shock and fear on my son’s face and began to chuckle.  The chuckle quickly turned into raucous laughter.

It was a great evening.

Run Away!  Run Away!

My sister and I (both grown women) sneaked out of the house one evening after dark. We went to the park to swing on the swings.

I decided that I was going to swing high and jump of like we did when we were kids. After leaving the swing I was carving a beautiful arc through the air when I realized that I was much higher than I had anticipated.

After a very ungraceful landing that involved tumbling in the bark, skinned elbows, and a few slivers I decided that maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea in the first place.

Sometimes trouble finds us.

It is at these dangerous times that we need to be ready.  We should be prepared to enjoy every delicious moment of it.  Go out and play.  Laugh until it hurts.  Most importantly, don’t feel guilty.

Playing Hooky

I was having a stressful morning in my home office. My boss was being a bit of a pain, deadlines were looming, and I was starting to feel overwhelmed and frustrated.

My grandmother poked her head around the corner and asked if I wanted to take the afternoon off and go to lunch and a movie. I did not hesitate. I sent my boss and e-mail letting him know that I was taking the rest of the day off, closed my computer and left.

I enjoyed a fun afternoon with my mother and grandmother. That delightfully wicked feeling of playing hooky made it even better.

The Sneak Attack

I was bending over the tub giving my young sons a bath one evening when Husband surprised me. He sneaked into the bathroom and squirt me from behind with a water balloon.

Quickly getting the boys out of the tub and wrapping them each in a towel I took after Husband. He was standing in the kitchen laughing at me feeling every bit the victor.

I calmly walked over to the kitchen sink. Turned on the water and proceeded to squirt him with the hand nozzle. In response he grabbed the squirt bottle of water I had used for our daughters’ hair and proceeding to squirt me back.

I ran into the kid’s bathroom and grabbed their plastic bucket. I filled it with water and promptly dumped it over Husband’s head when he came in to squirt me again.

This impromptu water fight did not last more than a few minutes, but it was deliciously wicked breaking house rules.

DISCLAIMER:  No furniture or carpets were harmed during the exchange of water.

NOTE:  Children were strictly prohibited from participation due to not meeting the age or height requirements.  They were however, allowed to watch and cheer for their favorite participant.

This Weekend?

I’m going shopping with my daughters.  We are going to hit some outlet stores Saturday afternoon.  Will be buy anything?  I don’t know.  Will we play the clearance rack game?  Possibly.

Remember, if you can’t be good, be good at it. Cause some trouble this weekend!