Kids Bowl Free

This is the third year I have participated in the Kids Bowl Free program offered by AMF Lanes.  Check it out at www.kidsbowlfree.com All you have to do is register your kids and they send you one coupon link a week.  Each kid can bowl two games free every single day the entire summer.  Now when I say it's the third year I've participated, you should know to interpret the word "participated" very loosely.  This is the third year I have signed up to get the coupons.  Yesterday was the first time in three years I actually printed out the coupons and went to the bowling alley and well, you know, BOWLED with my kids.

Conclusions:

• This program rocks!!  The kids had a blast and want to go again today!
• It really was free except for shoe rental.  Now that I know I can handle three kids in a bowling alley, I'll just go buy "bowling shoes" and save the rental fee for them and me.  Apparently I don't have to get fancy shoes for them, they just need a dedicated clean pair so there is not dirt on the bottoms to scratch up the lane.  Simple enough, any pair will do.
• Two full games might be a little too long since they had to enterain themselves by running up and down the carpeted area in the corner to keep from fighting with each other for the last seven frames.
• Maddie has to use the bathroom before we leave. (She went there, insisted she had to lock the door so I couldn't come in, missed and peed on her pants, screamed for me to come in and help her, I refused to get on the ground and wiggle under the door, told her to get off the toilet and open the door, twenty minutes later we come out of the bathroom, wet pants and tears on her face, now permanent grumpy scowl on mine.)
• Jakey can dance!  He loves the music.  He loves the fan blowing out air on the ball return.  He super LOVES to push the red call button so the attendant has to walk down and check on us.  The sweet guy brought down a beverage lid and taped it over the red button to try to save his sanity and make it so the kids would notice the button anymore.
• A great time to go bowling is when everyone else is still in school.  Most the time there was only one other mom with two kids in the neighboring lane.  When I was taking my turn Jacob snuck to their snack table and climbed up to see what they had.  There was a single soda cup.  Jakey leaned and leaned closer and closer until I nabbed him from the table.  No harm done, or so I thought.  Five minutes later the little seven year old boy came over to me holding the soda and started yelling at me, "THIS IS SODA!!!  OKAY?!?! IT'S OUR SODA!!"  Dude.  Take a chill pill.  What the heck do I care? My kid didn't even touch you or it.  Chill out.
• Don't go bowling on the same day as a camp meeting.  I physically juggled Jacob for over two hours in the morning wearing my patience thin.  Then two and a half hours in the afternoon at the bowling alley?   My back is really, really sore this morning.
• This time I skipped the camera not knowing how hard this bowling thing was going to be with three kids.  Next time I think I have enough hands to bring a camera.
• NEVER and I really mean NEVER EVER go without Lucinda, Anthony and Becca. I couldn't have done it without Lucinda holding Jacob so I could bowl and help the little girls with their turns.  She bowls in a league, so she is master of those dang ancient machines and putting names in a computer from the ice age.  The kids loved having their best friends with us to play together.