Figures...

You know those silly-worthless-don't-bother-to-play-because-you-never-win claw machines that are right by the door at Wal-Mart...the ones that have the huge claw that you're supposed to maneuver down to grab a prize (cheap stuffed animal)?  You know how no matter how many times you try, the claw will not grab onto anything...even close?

A couple years ago, we were somewhere and the kids were begging me to play one of those silly-worthless-don't-bother-to-play-because-you-never-win -claw machine games.  I said no, I explained to them how they were a racket, you never win, it's a money-making gimmick, they put those where kids will see them and beg their parents to play, etc.

Well, Madolyn, who always seems to have her own stash of money, had brought along her wallet that day.  I told her that if she wanted to waste her own money on the silly-worthless-don't-bother-to-play-because-you-never-win claw machine, that was okay with me.  You know, how this goes...perfect opportunity for a little life lesson, yeah me.

Except this life lesson had a fatal flaw...the stupid claw.  Madolyn won something.  It was something ridiculous and cheap and you would've thought that she had won a major award (like a leg lamp or something;) and Lane thought she was the bomb, you know, the cool sister who can navigate the evil claw.  It totally blew my whole theory on why we avoid playing those stupid games.

Last weekend, we went out to eat for Jay's 37th birthday at a restaurant that has become our most favorite place in Terre Haute to eat because a) we never, ever have to wait long to be seated, b) the food is good; and c) the salad bar is absolutely the best ever.  (But I can't tell you the name of it because then there will be a long line and it will no longer be a secret, sorry.)  It took me a while to get inside because I let Jay and the kids out and went to park the car.  By the time I got inside, Mad, Lane and my other 'daughter' Grace had already found it. 

The girls had brought their Christmas money and we had been to the mall shopping, but they still had all this change that they said they absolutely had to get rid of because it was just too heavy and they were sick of hauling it around.  (Poor thang)  And lo and behold, right there was the answer to all their worries, the silly-worthless-don't-bother-to-play-because-you-never win claw machine...and now they could easily rid their overloaded purses of all the heavy change.

By the time I got inside, they had won twice.  I didn't quite grasp the enormity of the situation until they were laughing hysterically and lining all these cheap, little stuffed animals alongside of me on the bench.  They won every time they put 50 cents into the machine, and you know they had all this heavy change...they ended up winning ten times.  Ten.  It was getting a little embarrassing.  I think there were only three or four rounds they didn't win.  Thankfully, they gave one away to a little boy that was waiting nearby so we only had to bring nine of them home.  Hallelujah.  All I could see were the ten million little pieces that each one would become after Hank the Tank II was done with it...on my living room floor.

It was so crazy, the kids had a blast and were giddy, it was almost like seeing someone winning at a slot machine or something...but once again, it completely thumped my theory of those silly-worthless-don't-bother-to-play-because-you-never-win claw machines.