Small things still make kids happy

I recently had the pleasure of spending a weekend with 3 neices, aged 10, almost 12, and 15. The plan was to take a road trip to one of the communities I work in regularly, stay at the lovely Bed and Breakfast there, and take in a barbershop concert that a friend of mine was singing in.

The guidelines included:

• No whining at the concert. I promised to leave at intermission if anyone was dying of boredom.
• All meals, except for our decadent breakfast, were going to be picnics.
• All towns with great big greeting mascots were to be stopping points, so we could take pictures and chronicle our journey. We posed with a happy rock, a giant elk, a beaver, a ski bunny, and probably a few more I've forgotten about.

Off we went, a car full of happy females, pillows, special blankies, and lots of other "stuff." The first picnic happened in the car on our way out. We stopped at a grocery store and picked up, among other things, pickled eggs, pickled cucumbers, great bread, cheese curds, and yogurt drinks.

The second picnic was in a park - it was a coolish May day, and we shivered while we munched. The novelty of eating outdoors was starting to wear off.

The concert was great fun, the Bed and Breakfast wonderful, and the girls better company than I could have imagined.

Enter picnic number 3 - Sunday lunch. Someone offered the suggestion that it would be great to eat in a restaurant. I agreed it would be a nice idea, and that each of us could buy our own lunch. Suddenly everyone was game for another picnic (imagine that!) We enjoyed it atop a lookout tower perched at the edge of a ravine, soaking up the warm sunny rays. The girls decided it was the best lunch spot ever.

At the grocery store, Jane had purchased a pack of spicy cinnamon gum with her own money. It was one of those new jumbo packs, that opens up like a wallet to show each piece of gum neatly slotted in. She shared freely with all of us, and delightedly counted (by 10's) how much "money" was left in her gum wallet every time she dispensed a new peice.

When she got home, she realized the gum wallet was still in my car (a 45 minute drive away.) She was devestated. I, in the meantime, had been chewing her gum, thinking nothing of it. I bought her a new pack, took a few pieces out, and gave it to her the next time we got together.

The look of delight on her face was priceless.

Small things still make kids happy.