Cars Smars

I just spent an hour sitting at the Windshield replacement shop for an hour with three kids! Can I just tell you that it was a new location, not too dirty at first glance but all it had was a wall of chairs, a TV about 50 feet in the air and across the room so that it couldn't be heard, missing a kid channel (all it had on it was History, news, and 20 Spanish channels) and a quarter machine dispensing candy and bouncy balls. So as things naturally would go, I only had two quarters and three little girls that wanted balls to bounce. So Abby put in the first coin only to have a green ball come out- didn't want it and handed it to Liv, who also said "I don't like green" and handed it to Eva who was more than happy to have it. Insert next quarter (and final one mind you) out comes swirled blue and red. Abby "I really wanted it to be sparkly" Liv says " But I don't like red" and Abby takes the ball while Liv now starts to wine that she still wants a ball. So you can see how this is going. Luckily she discovers my purse and gets distracted for a while filtering through it looking for treats, which just don't exist in there. Now Abby and Eva are bouncing their balls as high in the air as they can to get them to touch the 50 foot high ceilings, they don't reach but proceed to bounce down the hall and into the bathroom, where they roll around on the floor! Gross! Now said balls are being washed in the sink which leaves the small one on her own to rummage under the wall of chairs and find little candies that have fallen and starts to put them in her mouth- gross! Lucky for me the lobby is vacant during our lovely hour of stay so I wasn't too embarrassed about the running, spinning and squealing girls that had taken over the most masculine of places that is the car shop!! After enduring about 20 more minutes of Liv begging for a ball of her own and me replying over and over that I didn't have any more quarters one of the workers came in and went behind the desk. So in hopes of freeing myself from this bondage I had put myself in, I went up and asked if he had a quarter I could exchange for two dimes and a nickel. He looked in the money drawer only to discover that they were also out of quarters(curse those previous patrons that had endured the same fate as myself!)- enter my dramatic child Liv, flashing up her big sad brown puppy dog eyes laced with tears she says-"oooooohhhhh nooooooo, but I so very wanted a bouncy ball all my owwwwwnnnn"- drop crocodile tear!!!! Yes, that man didn't have a chance, he hasn't had three years to become numb to the routine as this hardened and seasoned mother has. Just as I am about to roll my eyes at her that sweet man said "Oh honey, wait just a minute, lets see what I have in my pocket"- and what do you know, he had TWO quarters in there! Oh the joy, the trumpets, the instant smile that flooded her face as she held out one hand to receive the loot and wiped her eyes with the other, all the while inside thinking to herself, sucker!! They decide to use one quarter to buy some sweets to share, very nice. Of course the story is not over, no no no. Insert last quarter and what comes out- a sparkle ball!- Now Abby is crying that it was the one she had "wanted always" as another nice man comes in and tells me that in fact my prayers have been answered and the car is done! Pay the bill, gather the children and usher them out the door amid Abby's cry's of "It's not fair", Liv now crying "But I don't want to leave, I haven't played with my ball yet" and Eva, well lets just say she is black from the top of her head to the bottom of her crocs from crawling around on the seemingly clean floor.
Cars Smars- The things we go through!!!!!