< --------So I took the girls here last night. It was my nephew's birthday yesterday so we celebrated with pizza and the big mouse. The kids love that place.....what kid doesn't right? Well, my girls and Chandler got a huge honesty check last night as I had to ix-nay (is that how to spell that? LOL) the white-trash behavior in all it's glory. So we are just having some pizza (which for me apparently ended up a colon-cleanser last night....sorry...TMI...I know) and all of a sudden the skeeball (is that how you spell that? LOL) machine goes off like someone just won a million dollar jackpot in Vegas. Seriously.....lights and everything. So I walk over there and my kids and Chandler are shrieking with joy because THEY are the ones who hit the BIGGEST prize. Tickets are spewing out of that machine like Old Faithful. I got so excited for them for a few seconds. There must have been at LEAST 400-500 tickets by the time it was done dispensing. Anyway....when I asked them how they did it....I was embarrassed to hear that they had been literally walking up the machine and physically putting each ball into the 100 pt hole. No freaking wonder they hit the JACKPOT. 
So.....their cute little faces filled with sheer excitement quickly turned to disappointment as I snatched the tickets up and took them up to the front and explained to the girl how my kids just "won" them and they can't have them because they were cheating. I fully expected the kiddos to cry about it or freak out but it was pretty obvious they knew exactly how wrong it was and they didn't even argue with me. I think they were even a little ashamed. I didn't yell at them or anything and they didn't get in "trouble" with me....in that situation.....losing those tickets and embarrassing mom with the white trash behavior (hee hee!) was punishment enough. We talked about it a little on the way home but it was a good lesson learned.
You want to hear the sad thing? After this went down and I was sitting there kind of giggling about it with Ryan & Elly......the restaurant manager comes over to me and tells me that my kids can keep the tickets and that sort of thing happens all the time. I was like are you kidding? "Thanks but they can't have them if they didn't get them honestly." He wasn't like a 21yr old or anything either. I think that's what shocked me. He looked like he could be my age....you know....like 23 at least (ha ha ha!). Anyway...it was a fun night. The girls had a great time. I won't be eating anything from there again but hopefully my kids took something home with them last night besides a few plastic bugs and these crazy funny glasses I am wearing. 
May 2nd, 2007
May 2nd, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Lesli Says:
What a great teaching moment!!! I’m glad you had a great time with your kids - (sorry it didn’t sit to well internally) LOL. Love the photo.
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:27 pm
Maddy Says:
You’re such a good mom!
May 2nd, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Meghan Says:
Excellent parenting.
You need to move to Jersey & help me when Ethan get’s bigger!!
May 2nd, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Teri Says:
I am so glad you were honest. That’s cool. But what’s with the manager?
Okay so I have a gripe about that place. Ours down in Sandy, reeks(sp?) horribly!!! They have that basketball type of carpet and I promise you, the whole thing has been peed on. It’s hideous. I will take my kids just about anywhere EXCEPT there. LOL
May 2nd, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Teri Says:
LOVE the glasses! LOL
May 3rd, 2007 at 10:56 am
Ashley Says:
Classic parenting moment. Love the glasses too!
May 3rd, 2007 at 11:15 am
Michelle Says:
Chucks has the WORST pizza. and no beer.
It’s not my kinda of place.
Peter Piper is where it’s at!
May 3rd, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Elly Says:
You left out the strip tease!
May 3rd, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Deanna Says:
Shanna, Those glasses are creepy! Good job teaching the kids to be honest. And what is Elly talking about?
May 3rd, 2007 at 3:04 pm
Amie Says:
Interesting! Good job Momma! You know, it’s good for them to see you enforcing the right. I blogged a couple of weeks ago about my 5 yr old stealing some candy from a store, and how we made him take it back. Obviously only worth pennies, but it was still a lesson learned for all of my kids. Part of our job, right?
May 3rd, 2007 at 4:44 pm
kim in Camas Says:
Shanna, I featured you for my Todays Creative Blog.
Thanks for the inspiring layouts!
Please mention your feature on your blog. You totally deserve it.
http://todayscreativeblog.blogspot.com
May 3rd, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Anjanette Sanchez Says:
oh my gosh. that was the funniest post I have read in a LONG time. I can’t imagine your sheer horror when you realized they totally cheated!
KUDOS to you for showing them it was wrong.
I’m sure you spent enough on tokens to have bought many of the top prizes many times over there at Chucky Cheese’s.
Wanna hear something even funnier? When my DSD was 4, my hubby gave her a b-day party there and she used to call it ‘Kuckee Cheese’. We now always refer to the place as “Kuckee’s”.
May 4th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Brooke Says:
Yuck! The thought of Chuckee Cheese food makes me sick to my stomach. When I worked at a school we would take the kids there at least once a week in the summer. Really gross.
May 6th, 2007 at 12:46 am
Susan Says:
We went to CEC yesterday too for our twin’s third birthday. They had a blast!I think it’s funny the character show is still the same old school show we saw when we were kids. You’d think after *cough* many years they’d have updated it a bit. It actually brings back a lot of memories.
Susan