Entertainment at the mall.

Beginners. Having four children is wonderful, but it can be a lot of hard work. Sometimes, I find myself in the car driving all over town taking the kids to different activities. Two have swimming, so the younger two have to come along. Sometimes, my daughter, the youngest, will fall asleep in the car on the way to the swimming pool. That is actually a good thing. But then, what do I do with my third boy who is wide awake and wanting to do something interesting? Well, if we drop the boys off at the pool and then go to the mall, my girl willingly wakes up, and she and her brother get to play. They play on the stationary vehicles and have a gum-ball each. Their favorite vehicle is the icecream truck that is very cute, plays music, and has flashing lights. There is also a helicopter, a four-wheeler, and a horse. It is a real treat for them. The trouble is, they never want to leave. Grammar notes. Verbs: having = to have; to find oneself; to come/ go along; to fall asleep; to be wide awake: to drop someone off somewhere. *What do I (you, we, they) do?/ What does he (she/ it) do?/ What did (all persons) do?/ What will (all persons) do?/ What had (all persons) done? Useful vocabulary: willingly, never, actually, cute, flashing, stationary. Advanced. Being a parent can sometimes be a bit of a balancing act, especially if you have more than one child. We all know that it is good for children to be involved in sports and other hobbies, but the more kids you have, the more running around you have to do. It is simple multiplication. Talking to mothers in this area has shown me that, often, the car becomes the mother's best friend. By sheer necessity the vehicles that tend to be a man's domain, become transformed by a woman's touch. It is inevitable if a woman finds herself in a car very often, then she will exert an influence upon it. Suddenly, it will be cleaner than usual. It will probably smell like lemon, lavendar, or pine. There will also be an organized stash of tissues, hand sanitizer, cream, mascara, cds, and small healthy snacks. Perhaps even a magazine or two will be slipped into a seat pocket for a quick read while the lady is waiting for a game to finish. In between dropping off and picking up children, a quick escape to the mall with the youngest can be made. It's only fair, after all, that they have some fun while the older siblings play their sports. Grammar notes. Related vocabulary: balancing, involved, sheer, inevitable, exert, stash. Verbs: To be involved in; to run around; to tend to; to find oneself; to drop off/ to pick up. *A magazine will be slipped into a seat pocket/ will be read/ will be bought/ will be torn.   Use will be + past participle.