Recognize the bike? It's a replica of the bike Almira Gulch rode in The Wizard of Oz. It's been that kind of day around here. Sweet children seem to have fallen off the wagon....er, bike, and turned into Almira Gulch and her male counterpart. And who turns into that big ol' green gal who throws a fireball at a scarecrow, all because she sent them to bed early?
Mom here.
Whew Nelly, there must be a full moon, or something in the water, or maybe their cuteness was just a clever ruse, but I swear I was ready for pea soup to come spewing out of their mouths and at least one 360 degree spin of the head to happen. My husband said they're just tired from being up early and that they're just being kids. Psssh. What does he know?
Some friends of my husband have been dropping off pennies for the kids to collect for the fundraiser.
Like the clever segue there?
...erm.. As I was saying, my husband knows some very thoughtful people who thought a "penny drive" might be a fun way of raising funds for the Relay. Genius. My kids love money. Not in the the-more-we-have-the-more-we-can-buy way, but they love finding money in stores and stashing it in their piggy banks. They each have their own bank account. I wouldn't call them mini-Scrooges, but they are very frugal, and it seems to come naturally. This is a good thing.
"Penny drive" has blossomed into "coin drive," as we have begun to receive more than just pennies. We took the kids to our bank today, which has its own coin counter, and they had a blast dumping in handful after handful. At the end, they had $35.17. Nathanael said we can call them "hope pennies," and thus, another fundraiser was born.
Change For Hope, Hope For Change will start tomorrow. We're going to go around to some of our local businesses, restaurants and stores where we're "regulars," and ask if we can keep a canister near the registers to collect any spare pennies any patrons may feel compelled to give, with a slip of paper on each canister explaining our story and where the money will be going.
Mom, ducking in case the pea soup comes flying: So where do you think we should go tomorrow to ask if we can leave containers for pennies?
Savannah: Um, the mall.
Mom, already knowing the answer: Why the mall?
Savannah: So we can stay for a few whiles (her trademark phrase) and so I can buy something.
Mom: Well, maybe we can go to the mall another time for a few whiles and see what we see. Let's see if we can think of something closer to home.
Nathanael: Starbucks! They sure know us there!
Mom, having just been thrown under the bus by her kid: Uh...yep. They sure do. We can see if they'll do something like that. Anywhere else?
Nathanael: Salsaritas! We go there almost every day!
We don't.
Mom: We do not! But they know us there, that would be a good place.
Savannah: THE. MALLLLLL.
Mom, ignoring Savannah: That's a good start. Maybe we can ask Laportas, too.
Savannah: Mom.
Mom: Savannah.
Savannah: MOM!
I swear, this is when I thought her head was going to spin.
Mom, in a sickeningly sweet voice: Yes, Savvy?
Savannah: We can ask the bank for all the money back that we just dumped in the machine.
Mom, feeling bad for likening her innocent 3 year old to Reagan: Can't do that, kiddo. We traded those coins for dollars, and now the dollars are going to be donated to our team.
Savannah: Ohhhhh.
I'd just like to say that, when we found out Savannah was a girl, we briefly considered the name Raegan.
Nathanael: Listen. If this is going to work, we're going to need at least a thousand buckets and a thousand places to bring them. I don't want to wait in the car.
Annnnnd.....cue creepy crab walk down the stairs?
I'm curious to see how this one turns out. I frequently see plastic containers on market counters around the area, and while they're never chock-full, it does seem that people pay attention and plop in a few coins. While a few pennies, nickels, dimes, or quarters won't cure cancer, together they're combined and put toward research and resources that will, hopefully some day, help to put an end to all cancers.
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