Annual Backwards Day

Each year before sending the kids back to school, I've wanted to do something really fun for them to remember. Yet, by this point in the summer it's not feasible to go somewhere and we've got to keep to the budget. One similar year I was in the same predicament and decided something bizarre could accomplish my goals, and now it is an annual tradition that the kids ask for: Backwards Day.

So, I found out that today is National Dream Day. I didn't know what it meant, but that didn't matter, it sounded like a good holiday to have our annual event on, as Backwards Day could be interpreted as a bizarre dream the next day when you woke up.

And bizarre it has been. Even Mike got into the spirit of the day and came downstairs with his clothes on backwards, causing me to start the day laughing. The kids recalled that our names are the same even spelled backwards, but that we were to call them: Aniratak, Ellebana, and Leumas. They insisted we even call the dog, Ragus, which sounds very amusing, but gains strange looks when the neighbors dropped by unexpectedly and the kids were trying frantically to get the dogs attention by the name that still gave them giggles.
"Ragus! Ragus! Here, Ragus!"

Schedule went as follows:

8 a.m. Bedtime snack a.k.a yogurt/fruit smoothie

10 a.m. Dessert (Popcorn & mms) along with a movie. This year we picked Monsters Inc. I thought it was a good choice on Backwards Day and Dream Day when I thought about the plot, until I found out that Dream Day actually refers to the day that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I have a dream speech" years ago and is one of three emancipation holidays to honor his work. In fact, to truly celebrate the day you are supposed to wear white and black in honor of the speech. I looked at the kids dressed in their typical summer garb, backwards. Yep, I had to stop telling them we were celebrating Dream Day too.

Noon. Dinner Time! (Chicken Tacos)

2 p.m. A trip to Chuck E. Cheese --- no food or drink orders, just playing games. Instead of the kids actually screaming and running away from Chuck E. yelling, "It's a big fat rat running a crooked casino for children!!!!" (thanks, Tim Hawkins.) they had the chance to win tickets from Chuck E. if they danced with them. I convinced Sam that would definitely follow Backwards Day philosophies so he joined in -- dancing when Chuck said to dance and when Chuck said to clap... well, I was glad I didn't see that he actually put his hand under his armpit, and well... made noises. Mike told me later. At the time, I had wondered why Mike was laughing so much....
Anyway, Chuck E. threw out loads of tickets pinata style and Sam didn't even try to collect them. Instead, he sat down... on a pile that landed in front of him, and waited until the kids left, then collected them. He explained this works like a charm so kids aren't trying to grab your tickets or, in the case of pinatas, candy from you.


4 p.m. Lunch Time (Light snack of fresh guacamole and some veggies/dip/chicken salad.)

7 p.m. Breakfast (Eggs, bacon, fruit, and a pop-tart for those that were still hungry.)

8 p.m. Watch Shaun the Sheep episode backwards

8:30 Get in bed in time to 'wake up'

9 p.m. It's dawn and everyone is asleep. And, in my opinion, ready to start school after an awesome summer.