My Favorite Things Date

Good Thursday morning!

Let's get to today's post, shall we?

CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST! - This is my 984th post for A Simple Life. The countdown continues!

The Contest will be simple. The rules are as follows:

Beginning today, leave your NAME followed by the word "CONTEST" in the Comment Section of A Simple Life, e-mail me (mfaulkner1306@charter.net) or go to my Facebook page.

You can enter the Contest ONCE A DAY (each and every day including Saturdays AND Sundays) until Thursday, August 30 at midnight. (Your name could be put into the drawing bowl a total of 22 times between now and Thursday, August 30!)

I will write my 1,000th post Friday morning, August 31.

I will draw from a HUGE BOWL of names, and a winner will be announced the morning of Friday, August 31.

The winner will receive a $15 Gift Certificate to one of the following restaurants:

1. Another Broken Egg
2. Original Pancake House
3. Olexa's
4. Lucia's Italian Restaurant in Helena

It will be Winner's Choice!

If you win and you live somewhere other than Alabama, you will win a $15 VISA Gift Card!

"May the odds be ever in your favor!"

(I'm going to be saying that for the next 15 POSTS!)

RANDOMNESS #1 - I had a yuck-poo kind of day yesterday. Nothing major. Nothing catastrophic. Just your basic yuck-poo kind of Wednesday. I'm assuming we all have them at one time or another.

I wanted some one-on-one time with Mikie. Really, really bad. (I know. Bad grammar alert!) And he must have read my mind, because he asked me if I wanted to have a late dinner... and I said, "Yes. I don't mind if we do!"

So we ate at Costa's around 8:15 last night and the restaurant was nearly empty... and the food was delicious... and I felt my yuck-poo mood sort of melt away.

Ah. The wonders of Lemony Chicken and Rice Soup and Chicken Marsala. Very soothing.

I know Mikie and I just had a breakfast date this past Saturday morning, but sometimes the need to date more than once a week or twice a month needs to be taken seriously... and you simply MUST go to Costa's.

(If you ever have a yuck-poo kind of day and can't arrange a date for one reason or another, call me. I'm pretty sure I would be happy to to accompany you just about anywhere!)

RANDOMNESS #2 - This is my list of "Summer of 2012" activities... so far!

We've gone tubing.

We had a Basketball Team Cookout.

Josh has had two out of three of his Senior Mini-Trips (Nashville and Atlanta)... and is looking forward to Senior Mini-Trip #3 in a few days!

We've played basketball.

We celebrated the 4th of July with family at Faulkner Farms (circa 1842)... and saw The Avengers! (Great movie!)

Austin went to the beach with Melia's family. (They didn't have a drop of rain!)

We played volleyball.

We tubed/surfed some more.

And we had a stormy, seafood-filled mini-vacation at the beach.

And the Summer of 2012 isn't over yet! I don't know if we'll reach EPIC proportions, but we're trying!

Blog Linkage - Take some time to enjoy these blogs today...

1. Go to www.kellehampton.com. She is having a Question/Answer segment on her blog, and it is very interesting. (Plus, pictures. She always has pictures!)

2. Go to The Dating Divas under My Blog List and read today's post entitled "Kid's 'Date Night' Envelope." This is a great idea if you and your husband have trouble getting out the door for a grown-up Date Night. Read and copy. That's what I always do!

My Favorite Things Date

I went back to the trusty, old Archives... again. I didn't remember this date, so I'm assuming you won't remember it either!

Think, think, think. As a person, what are your favorite things to do? Where do you enjoy going for fun? What's your favorite restaurant? Where do you go to unwind or relax? When you've answered all of these questions, plan a special, one-of-kind date between you and one of your kids. This is what I would do.

1. Tell the child to be ready to leave the house at 9:30 a.m.

2. We would have brunch at Klingler's European Bakery in Vestavia. (Brunch is my favorite meal of the day. It just seems a little more special and celebratory.)

3. I would have the child a gift bag in the van, and ask him/her to remove an envelope marked number 1. Inside the envelope would be the name of my favorite book of the Bible. I would explain why it was my favorite book, and ask them about their favorite book.

4. After brunch, we would get in The Big Gold Van, and I would ask the child to remove an envelope marked with a big number 2. Inside this envelope would be the name of my favorite book and movie. I would explain why those were my favorites, and ask them what their favorites were.

5. We would arrive at our next destination... The Botanical Gardens. This is my favorite place in Birmingham to just "be." We would walk around the gardens talking, talking, talking. I would ask them about their favorite place or places.

6. As we walked and talked (depending on the child), I would take pictures because that is my MOST favorite thing in the whole world to do. (If the child hates having pictures taken, I would take only one or two.) Again, I would ask them what was their MOST favorite thing to do in the whole world.

7. Back in The Big Gold Van, there would be a gift wrapped in the bottom of the bag marked with a number 3. Inside the gift box would be my colored nail polish (for a girl) or my favorite candy bar (for a boy). What is their favorite?

8. One more envelope in the bag marked with a number 4 should be opened. Written on a piece of paper in the envelope would be my favorite Bible verse. I would then tell them why it was my favorite... and ask the now familiar question, "What is your favorite?"

The date itself is not very expensive, takes only a little planning and gives you an opportunity to share the things you enjoy with your child. It lets them know you a little more as a "person," and not just a "mom" or a "dad."

It goes without saying, make this date your own. Have some fun one Saturday morning coming up... just you and one of your kiddos. Mark it in pen on your calendar because it is IMPORTANT.

Have a wonderful Thursday. I'll be back in the morning with Weekend Happenings, Randomness and more, more, more.

Take care, and I'll talk to you in the morning.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda