Carnival

Welcome to the second week of our Summer Bucket List! We started our 12 weeks of summer with a trip to the Botanical Garden last week. Next up is the carnival!

This is the one item on our list which isn't necessarily educational. I am okay with that. I came to the conclusion while making our list, that we don't spend much time doing fun things. Truly, we don't. Everything we do has to be educational. We forget how to just have fun. With a shock I realized that my kids haven't been to a carnival since they were in a stroller. 

That was A VERY LONG TIME AGO!

It's a crime. Really it is.

So this week, we happened to have a carnival come to our town. We decided to take advantage of it and even though our budget is tight we squeezed out a few dollars for frivolous entertainment.

Can you see my son on this ride? He is grinning from ear to ear. Can you tell he is the ONLY customer? Apparently the rest of the world is on a tight budge too. He was the only one on this ride, in fact we were the only customers on all the rides we went on. 

This was on a Saturday night! Hard to believe! I remember when these carnivals were full of people.

I really wanted to go on the Merry-go-round. James thought that was boring.

We ended up on the Scrambler. Notice how I did not take our picture on this ride. I was reaching for my camera when we suddenly were being smashed around from side to side. I was gritting my teeth, and gripping the metal safety bar with a white knuckled death grip the entire time. I decided it was better to be picture-less. 

I remember the days when my little boys love the simple rides, like going up and down in a balloon. Now our oldest son is graduating from high school. Where has the time gone? I miss the stroller days. Well, kind of.

I love the Ferris Wheel. However, this one tips you upside down. Kind of like the old fashioned Egg Beater ride. Not for me. Not for James either.

We were really tempted by the foot long corn dogs they had for sale.

I was captivated by the palm trees that light up. I wondered how silly they would look on my deck?

I loved the yellow one.

We ended up with the big bag of cotton candy for our treat. I love cotton candy. Anyone know how to make this stuff at home? I would love to know!

The games were fun to look at, but didn't tempt us as much as the rides and cotton candy did. There were a few people at the games, but not many.

In my day, I would have spent a fortune trying to win a gold fish. My son is smarter than I was. He knows you can buy a gold fish at the pet store for only a dollar. Much less than the game costs. It's still not the same as winning one though.

We learned some interesting lessons at the Carnival.

We learned about how the economy affects the way we live. How easy it is to cut all the frills out of a budget and just forget the joyful side of life. We are a nation of workaholics, and as home schoolers we are schoolaholics.  I read that in other countries, people spend a lot more time playing, a concept that we have lost as Americans. 

We learned how hard it must be for privately owned businesses to survive today. We were thinking of the people who run the Carnival. How can they make a living when there is almost no one there?

We learned about giving and decided our ticket fees were like a "donation" to someone else who needs it more than we do.

We learned that getting out of the house on a Saturday night is definitely more fun than sitting at home watching TV.

We learned that there is a time and a season for all things. A time to worship, a time to learn, a time to play. 

I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven.

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

A time to learn and a time to play. Time slips away and one day you will wonder where it went.

Play with your kids today!

Your kids will thank you, mine did on our way home.

Designer Mom