A pretty perfect date with my biggest boy

Although I'm a little nervous about making my dates with Jack (age 5.5) too candy-centric, how could I not take him to Big Top Candy Shop when I knew he would love it so? He was really cute, he didn't attempt to over consume like the quintessential kid in a candy shop, but instead carefully inspected the vast array of enticing treats, including so many very very nostalgic items(for me) (Big League Chew anyone? Or candy cigarettes (in a real cigarette machine, no less)? Oh how much more nicotine-positive the seventies/early eighties were...) and in the end picked out some Bubble tape. Even that was nostalgic for me, that was the kind of thing my brothers would get and I'd think, what are they, crazy? Bubble Tape? When you could get Pop Rocks or a licorice rope? Or better yet, a licorice pipe (more nicotine)? Anyway, we went for a little stroll down S. Congress while he nibbled on his delicious tape and checked out this hot rod show that was going on... all these gleaming, lovingly refurbished, outrageously decked-out, beauties of cars and jalopies and roadsters. Amazingly enough, after all that excitement, we were still full of vim and vigor so we went over to Bookpeople to browse. In this way also he was totally angelic and in no way cajoled or needled me to buy anything, we were just there to read books and explore. Though if I were Daddy Warbucks I would've bought these two books pictured here, I lusted after them earnestly but the last thing we need in this packed-to-the-gills house is more books. Books are one of the things we do not have in short supply.

Of course then I broke my own rule and decided to buy something... we got this Mad Libs Junior... and it was really $3.99 well spent for all the hilarity it has brought. A line like, "My parents let me sit by the window so I could fart during the flight" is worth $3.99 all by itself. It's comedy gold. It's like one of those 'priceless' credit card commercials.