CTBC

When I was in 3rd grade, living in Indiana, the standardized testing was called CTBS. I have no idea what that stood for, but all the kids on the bus called it Child Torture Before Spring. Well, today I put Jay and Rose through CTBC—Child Torture Before Christmas. In other words, we went to Joann Fabrics.

The fleece was all 50% off! You know how I love fleece.

I’m not sure Rose feels the same about it.

I do my best not to take my patient kids to the fabric store with me. It’s not usually fun for any of us when we all go together. Predictably, when I told Jay we were headed there today, he was not excited. Then I told him that they have Star Wars fabric there, and we were going to get some to make PJ pants for him. He perked right up and suddenly Joann’s wasn’t such a bad store after all.

We spent over an hour there, and I have to say that Jay and Rose were actually very GOOD! I was pleasantly surprised. Jay stayed relatively close to me the whole time and didn’t break anything. Rose let me bury her in fleece without a problem. I’m not going to claim that their behavior was all because of my amazing parenting or anything (I tend to think that nature and nurture are equally divided 50/50), but it was gratifying to have a long, potentially lethal outing end so well.

I got 1/4 a yard of at least 10 different colors of fleece for future craftiness, plus enough fleece to make Rose 4 jumpers (since she has already managed to grow out of most of the winter clothes I got her back in October). The lady at the cutting counter was very friendly and didn’t even tease me for my mountainous heap, although I think she was surprised to see Rose’s little face emerge from the depths when I started unloading the cart. FLEECE! AHHHH!

I’m dying to know what she was thinking (she was probably dying to know what I was thinking, too).