Aquarium

So often we find ourselves so caught up in our everyday lives that we don't stop and take the time to go do something fun. I know my husband and I are both really bad about putting so many other things (especially working on the house) over anything else.

Last Saturday we decided to take the kids to the Aquarium. It was the first time in a while where the weather was really nice and it was just a great day to get out and go do something.

While I do love doing these things you must know I don't like crowded places and with little kids I stress even more with crowds. However even with the crowds, I think we all had a great time.

Here is a little bit of our fun:
They even have a big play area for the kids but it was extra crowded so we didn't stay and play. The boys did enjoy climbing on the large frogs.

Here were some living things they could touch. We were looking down at a star fish. It was pretty cool but we didn't touch it, just looked.

I love how up close and personal you can get with everything. I had smiles until the shark came and then they didn't care about the camera anymore.
Way cool to have it get this close. We were also up close with a big python snake but I didn't take any pictures of that. I must have been distracted by this really large snake right up at the glass checking out my kids.
I loved the Jelly Fish area. It is this nice dark room and the Jelly fish just glow. I couldn't use my flash and when I don't use my flash I don't get the best pictures but you can see how colorful they are.

Interestingly enough Luke remembers being stung by a Jelly fish on our vacation to Destin Florida (2 years ago). The water was full of Jelly fish on that trip and he was playing on the beach, running up and down away from the waves and still managed to get stung. They were really bad that summer.

He did still enjoy checking them out from behind the glass.

(My favorite photo from this trip, just wish I had more of Luke)

My favorite part of the aquarium are the really large tanks where you get to walk through these tunnels and you have fish above you and on both sides of you. These tanks are huge and some pretty big sea life inside.

For example you can have this big guy swimming over head.
See, see, see.... we had lots of this.
Look at the size of this turtle. Amazing!

Like I said by far my favorite part because the kids are just surrounded with lots to see.
Finally at the end they have tanks where you can touch things like small sharks. Neither boy actually touched anything but they tried.
Finally wouldn't you know it the exit is right through the gift shop. This is the face of a very upset boy because he could not have something from the gift shop.

Don't feel bad for him, he already has a couple of things from this very aquarium as it is not the first time he has gone.

They always come first.

My kids, this is who I am talking about. I put them and their needs and wants before anything else.

I decided to blog about this today because I recently noticed I have many things that are worn out, falling apart and in dyer need of replacing. But because I always put my kids first I never spend money on myself. Never! OK, not never but very rare and it usually isn’t something for my joy but something out of necessity. For example, my broken steam mop, I was lost with out it so I broke down and bought myself a new one. A mop doesn’t exactly bring the feeling of glamour to a gal.

I don’t buy new things like shoes or purses too often.

Tennis shoes…. New October 2007 thanks to my best friend Vicki who replaced the same tennis shoes that were really worn out. Funny thing, I would probably still be wearing those tennis shoes had she not bought the new ones for my birthday in 07.

My purse…. Christmas 2006 or 2007 (not sure)… bottom line is it is old and worn out. The strap is on its last leg and inside pretty worn out and yucky looking. Case in point just the other day I had a chicken nugget in it. Isn’t being a mother wonderful? Current condition of my purse is boarder-line bag lady. Seriously!

My leather gloves…. Old, at least 5 years old, maybe older… these were a Christmas gift and the fingers have holes in them. It is actually very embarrassing but they serve their purpose. Plus winter is almost over and I will make myself put them in the trash so next winter I have to buy a new pair.

My sun glasses are missing a screw but still holding on so I keep wearing them.

I don’t want you all to think I am this ratty person but I think you are getting the idea. I just don’t do for myself. I make money and spend it on the kids. They have new things out of necessity as they have out grown or wear things out. If it wasn’t for holiday’s I probably would never have new clothes, case in point all the things I listed above were all gifts.

Any time I do plan to splurge on myself something unexpected will occur and take my “mad” money away. Then when I really do have the extra money I can’t decide how I should spend it and then I struggle with spending it or I splurge it on the kids. I guess because I have so many things I would like to have I don’t know what I want/need more.

Right now I guess I am feeling worn out, literally. It seems everything I own is worn out and I could use new. I just can’t decide what is priority, necessity and/or where to even begin. It is so rare I give to myself that it isn’t easy for me to do.

My question for all of you, do you buy what you want when you want it? Do you treat yourself on occasion? Do you budget for things you want? Do you spend more on the kids than yourself?