Beth,Jaime and Jer Plus 9

For those of you who watch TLC's Jon and Kate plus 8, you will get an extra special kick out of this post.

Today convinced me for the 609th time that Beth and I need a reality TV show. If anyone knows any producers, please pass on our blogs as proof. And just think, what we blog about is only 1/10th of what really happens in our lives.

Today was "Project Bundle Up" day--the Lighthouse is the Gibsonia Salvation Army unit-meaning we act on behalf of the Salvation Army in this area. We focus many of our efforts on Thomas Village, the only section 8/low income housing units in the Pine Richland school district. The kids who live there are really lovable, but hyper! Today we took 9 kids to Wal-Mart to get new winter coats, gloves, hats, boots and scarves. Each kid could spend $50 or less. Sounds simple enough, right?

NOTE TO SELF- why would I ever think shopping with 9 under 12 year olds for winter gear in Wal-Mart would be simple?!

We arrive there, and wait in the lobby for some volunteers who said they'd help. 15 minutes passes and no one shows up. In that 15 minutes, what was left of my Cruella voice waned to a mere whisper. Here is a simple dialouge from that time(all names changed):

Me: Jessica, please hold your sisters hand.

Jessica: I don't want to, I'm a big girl.

Beth: (voice raised slightly): Brian, please get up off the floor. You shouldn't lay down in the entrance of Wal-Mart!!!!

Brian: *continues to play on the floor, like a snake/partially doing brake dance moves, acting as if he does not hear Beth, when everyone passing buy looks at him oddly*

Leon: Can I buy sunglasses?

Beth: No, winter coats!

Tiffany: I have to go to the bathroom!!

*at this point all children with us profess that they must go to the bathroom, some of them specifically yelling out what they NEED to do in the potty.*

Beth and I look at eachother, with panic/smirks plastered on our faces.

We finally gave up on our volunteers and headed back to the kids clothing sections. Then came the dilemma of how to split up 9 kids among 3 adults. We send 3 of the boys with Jer, and Beth and I take on the rest. Helping the girls pick their coats went surprisingly well, so we finished that and ventured back to the boots section. I look down the aisle to see Jer, surrounded by boots, with the boys all bouncing off the walls literally. I thought they would grow Spidey stickey hands and start jumping on the ceiling. The next 15minutes is a blur. Somehow all the kids got everything, no one going over their $50 limit.

Check out. How do I describe this? Well, we got to go up to the service desk, and use one register there. The really did well, all things considered. But they did also start applying for jobs at the computer in the front, they filled out money order requests from THAT machine, and several of them did figure out how to ride in the electronic wheel chairs parked up front. Bribing them with Mc Donalds did work for a few minutes, and then even that got old.

I guess you'd really just have to be there to appreciate the hillarity of this night. I don't know how Jon and Kate do it. I really don't.