September 21, 2017
Everett informed me that he wanted a Scooby Doo party with a mystery hunt. He wanted just his family in attendance. I had weeks I could have planned this, but I was suddenly wondering the day before his birthday how I was going to pull this off. I felt unmotivated and lacking in creativity. I really needed some motivation. Thankfully, he finally dropped a couple of hints, "Mom, if there is an alien monster then make it leave slime behind as a clue." That's brilliant! I wish I would have thought of that! I had no idea what monster I was going to use, but now I had a starting point. It's an alien monster! We have several alien costumes. We are super into decorating and dressing up for Halloween.
The other request he made was that I be the monster that gets revealed at the end. He wanted ME to be the monster in disguise. I'm glad he told me because I was fully planning on making one of his older brothers do it. I was not getting out of this that easily though. I now had to write, direct, and star in this production. Ok. Deep breath. Keeeeep thinking..
That evening Layla asked me what my plan was. Um, I still didn't have one. As Shaggy would say, "ZOINKS!"
That evening Layla asked me what my plan was. Um, I still didn't have one. As Shaggy would say, "ZOINKS!"
I also needed Scooby Snacks. (Another request of his!) I had forgot to get them, but Layla and Penelope reminded me. (They are brilliant and organized helpers!) So, off to Target I went at 9pm.
Once back home I still basically had NO plan for this mystery hunt. Sheesh! I was feeling like I was in big trouble! What the heck am I going to do!? I'm usually so creative! I sat on the couch tired and uninspired for a while, but then I remembered that I thrive under pressure. I can do this. I decided I would just write this thing out freehand and off the cuff. If it rhymes great, of not then who cares. This isn't a Broadway play. This is a children's hunt for a monster and this can be simplified, do not over think it. I seriously gave myself this pep talk at 11:30pm!!!
I had the whole simple thing written in well under 10 minutes. This was going to work!
The Hunt!
Early in the morning I sneakily slipped out the front door. Ricky took Everett to the bedroom to "wake" me up only to find this:
Everett was encouraged to run from it with Ricky's help. Ricky rushed him to the kitchen to get his shoes on and for the clues to begin. The first clue was taped to the back door. Layla meanwhile gathered up the monster dummy in my bed and threw it out the bedroom window. I was waiting outside for it. I grabbed it and ran across the street in the cemetery to my hiding place!
I don't have a picture of the back door clue, but it was something really simple to lead him to open up the back door. Then Clue 2 was on the porch gate:
The second clue read: "You think you are sneaky but you ain't, you are seven not number
eight. You won't find me, I disappear -unless you look for a deer here! "
This makes him go to the garden because that's where we have had deer
problems this year.
So basically he had a great hunt. I startled him, he laughed, it was cute. He got to pull my mask off just how he told me he wanted to unveil me. The whole thing is on video somewhere. He told me it WAS EXACTLY what he wanted. (PHEW!!)
What Actually Happened
But, OH NO it didn't all go quite as planned at first. OH NO it didn't. The part where Layla throws the costume out the bedroom window...well the window got left open. Unbeknownst to me, as the hunt just barely got started, our dog Gunnar jumped OUT THE DAMN bedroom window. I was crouched down in the dewy grass and dirt of a graveyard watching ants scurry about, starting to sweat in my too-warm bathrobe for an entire twenty minutes before I realized something was very wrong. Obviously, the clues were all small and easy! This was taking WAY too long. When I finally called the house phone Charlotte answered. She told me Gunnar was loose, Everett was crying but she was distracting him. Everett actually said to her, "My birthday is ruined." Why no one came and got me is beyond me! I was just left alone to die of old age in the cemetery. (lol)
Gunnar is doing much better now, but this was not long after the acted very aggressive towards a neighbor and her dogs. (Like, basically acted like he was attacking them and even me when I tried to get him. Did not bite or hurt anyone though.) We thought we'd have to put him down he was so horribly aggressive. It was only after talking to a rescue group for his breed and a vet that we felt we should give him another chance based on several factors including that he didn't actually harm anyone. We were scared to death about him getting out again though. So, this in our eyes was an emergency and needed our immediate attention. (Presently he's doing so well that we wouldn't have even worried about it until Everett's brief hunt was over, but this was back in September.)
Leaving my costume behind I emerged from the cemetery, I could see Ricky and some of the kids 50 feet feet away or so pointing and talking and then running. They spotted him. I ran like I've never ran before. I caught up with them and ran right past my family like a bat out of hell. I ran after that damn dog all the way into the woods behind our neighbors house. There is a narrow brush lined path and I just kept running down it. I kept thinking over and over no frigging way Everett's birthday monster hunt is getting ruined!! I was a mother bear chasing after him. I finally spotted a blur of white in the thick brush and I kept running. I said under my breath some expletives. He lead me close to an abandoned barn that I knew about. He stopped and looked at me and I called him, I quickly changed my demeanor and told him he was a good boy. He still wouldn't come to me. I pretended to trip and fall down and cry. I thought maybe he would try to help me. He's come to Bea before in the house when she was hurt or even just throwing a fit. Nope. He looked at me, looked at the barn, then took off running for it. I jumped up after him and yelled, "You're NO LASSIE!!" Finally I caught up with him again. He was a bit tired and I was able to lunge at him as he slowed to a trot. I literally thought to myself THIS ENDS NOW! I grabbed him by his leash just as he slowed to catch his breath. I barely got him. Once I had him he was fine. He never tries to get away if you have hold of him. We actually kept a leash on him a lot just in case he got out, so that was already on him. It worked like we thought it might need to -something for us to grab onto. I ran him back to the house triumphantly, but also with that total mad as a wet hen mom look on my face. I mean, I don't even think I smiled once until I saw Everett finally unmask me. I was in survival mode. I ran back to the cemetery on shaky legs. I still didn't even know it was the window that he got out from. I didn't ask questions until later. I was so sweaty and my legs felt like jello. Now I had a ton of adrenaline. The monster hunt resumed. This was ALL on a Thursday before Ricky got ready for work! Exhausting and stressful! Needless to say none of that was supposed to take that long! Thank goodness Ricky could be late.
The Hunt!
Early in the morning I sneakily slipped out the front door. Ricky took Everett to the bedroom to "wake" me up only to find this:
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| Dummy monster alien in my bed |
 | ||
| Me in the kitchen the night before trying on my costume. Told ya we have aliens. LOL. |
I don't have a picture of the back door clue, but it was something really simple to lead him to open up the back door. Then Clue 2 was on the porch gate:
 |
| Second Clue... and Slime! |
 |
| Third clue found at the garden: "Watch out by the road, or you will be squished like a toad!" He is then lead to the mail box, and all over the mail box I placed slime, prompting him to open the mailbox. Inside was a box of Scooby Snacks and the next clue. |
 | |
| You might need a Scooby Snack before you go on...for I am where the dead belongs... |
 | |
Across the street in the cemetery was this on a tree. This was just clue to let him know he's on the trail. |
Easy but fun.
 |
| This is me in my bathrobe at 7:15am hiding behind the trash can, in the cemetery, in dewy grass, waiting. You wouldn't believe how much adrenaline you have when waiting behind a trash can and tree hoping you see your newly seven year old when he gets close! |
So basically he had a great hunt. I startled him, he laughed, it was cute. He got to pull my mask off just how he told me he wanted to unveil me. The whole thing is on video somewhere. He told me it WAS EXACTLY what he wanted. (PHEW!!)
What Actually Happened
But, OH NO it didn't all go quite as planned at first. OH NO it didn't. The part where Layla throws the costume out the bedroom window...well the window got left open. Unbeknownst to me, as the hunt just barely got started, our dog Gunnar jumped OUT THE DAMN bedroom window. I was crouched down in the dewy grass and dirt of a graveyard watching ants scurry about, starting to sweat in my too-warm bathrobe for an entire twenty minutes before I realized something was very wrong. Obviously, the clues were all small and easy! This was taking WAY too long. When I finally called the house phone Charlotte answered. She told me Gunnar was loose, Everett was crying but she was distracting him. Everett actually said to her, "My birthday is ruined." Why no one came and got me is beyond me! I was just left alone to die of old age in the cemetery. (lol)
Gunnar is doing much better now, but this was not long after the acted very aggressive towards a neighbor and her dogs. (Like, basically acted like he was attacking them and even me when I tried to get him. Did not bite or hurt anyone though.) We thought we'd have to put him down he was so horribly aggressive. It was only after talking to a rescue group for his breed and a vet that we felt we should give him another chance based on several factors including that he didn't actually harm anyone. We were scared to death about him getting out again though. So, this in our eyes was an emergency and needed our immediate attention. (Presently he's doing so well that we wouldn't have even worried about it until Everett's brief hunt was over, but this was back in September.)
Leaving my costume behind I emerged from the cemetery, I could see Ricky and some of the kids 50 feet feet away or so pointing and talking and then running. They spotted him. I ran like I've never ran before. I caught up with them and ran right past my family like a bat out of hell. I ran after that damn dog all the way into the woods behind our neighbors house. There is a narrow brush lined path and I just kept running down it. I kept thinking over and over no frigging way Everett's birthday monster hunt is getting ruined!! I was a mother bear chasing after him. I finally spotted a blur of white in the thick brush and I kept running. I said under my breath some expletives. He lead me close to an abandoned barn that I knew about. He stopped and looked at me and I called him, I quickly changed my demeanor and told him he was a good boy. He still wouldn't come to me. I pretended to trip and fall down and cry. I thought maybe he would try to help me. He's come to Bea before in the house when she was hurt or even just throwing a fit. Nope. He looked at me, looked at the barn, then took off running for it. I jumped up after him and yelled, "You're NO LASSIE!!" Finally I caught up with him again. He was a bit tired and I was able to lunge at him as he slowed to a trot. I literally thought to myself THIS ENDS NOW! I grabbed him by his leash just as he slowed to catch his breath. I barely got him. Once I had him he was fine. He never tries to get away if you have hold of him. We actually kept a leash on him a lot just in case he got out, so that was already on him. It worked like we thought it might need to -something for us to grab onto. I ran him back to the house triumphantly, but also with that total mad as a wet hen mom look on my face. I mean, I don't even think I smiled once until I saw Everett finally unmask me. I was in survival mode. I ran back to the cemetery on shaky legs. I still didn't even know it was the window that he got out from. I didn't ask questions until later. I was so sweaty and my legs felt like jello. Now I had a ton of adrenaline. The monster hunt resumed. This was ALL on a Thursday before Ricky got ready for work! Exhausting and stressful! Needless to say none of that was supposed to take that long! Thank goodness Ricky could be late.
Whew! The stuff you do for your kids. (And meddling dog!)
Zoinks!
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| Everett picked Chinese take out for dinner! |
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| Everett age 7 the BIRTHDAY BOY! I took him to Mc Donald's for lunch and got him a haircut. He loves Mc Donald's but we don't go very much, so it was a great treat for him. He also had his favorite orange soda and said this was the best birthday ever. The face says it all! Great Birthday. |
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