Happy July 4th! I hope you are having a wonderful and safe day with your family!
I collect Starbucks mugs. I don’t even drink coffee, but I love the city mugs. They remind me of the Hard Rock Cafe stuff that people used to collect back in the 90’s. I don’t collect many things at all, except kids, of course! 🙂 But I have fallen in love with these mugs!
Every city that I visit I find a Starbucks, order a tall white chocolate hot chocolate and buy a mug. These are the mugs I have gotten this past month, minus the Las Vegas and Arizona mugs I forgot to unpack. Crazy group of cities I have been to!
When I bought my California mug I asked the cashier for a box to put it in as I had with all my other ones. He said they didn’t have a box. I explained I had a long way home and that I had gotten boxes before. Then he admitted they had boxes but they toss them because they don’t want to store them. But don’t worry, he can wrap them like I had never seen and it would make it home just fine. I was really worried and he kept saying he does this all day and nothing to worry about.
“Oh yeah?”
I managed to get 3 mugs home from China and Niagara Falls, but my California mug broke. 🙁 I am tempted to mail it back to him. I am going to try superglue first, if that doesn’t work, “Mr. I can pack it just fine” will get a broken mug in the mail at work in the farmers market in Hollywood, CA. 🙂
My husband just informed me I was admitting to you that I pay too much for coffee mugs, and that I don’t even drink coffee. Yes, it is a splurge…. but they are so pretty!
While we were in Las Vegas, the only place that my kids wanted to see and visit was this place…
Anyone know what this place is??
Yep, the location of the History Channels TV show Pawn Stars. Sadly, Chumlee had just gone to lunch and the kids didn’t get to meet him. We waited in line to get in and spent about an hour looking around. It was not very big inside, but we did see a bunch of items that had been featured on the show. At home we only use Net Flix to watch TV, where you can get all the seasons of Pawn Stars all day long. We all are addicted and watch them all the time. Honestly I have learned more American history from this show then from any other source.
In the pawn shop my 4 year old was tired and hungry. He is NOT a fan of Pawn Stars on TV. Watching it means he was probably kicked off watching The Backyardagains or some other cartoon, so he gets mad anytime it is on. He was whining like crazy and in an effort to make him stop I started pointing things out and explaining where we were. You could slowly see it click in his head and without warning he starts yelling at the top of his lungs….
“I hate PORN STARS!!!!!!!”
See, he has a little speech problem and doesn’t say all his words very clearly and correctly. But clear as day he was screaming about “Porn Stars” in the store packed with people.
People were staring at me, holding a flailing child, and trying to cover his mouth at the same time. I finally had enough and just let him drop to the floor with his next tantrum flail. He picked himself up, took two steps towards the door, turned around and yelled…
“I twold you, I hwate Porn Stars!!” with his little lisp and walked to the exit door.
My husband yelled back at him, “Good, keep it that way son!”
The crowd around quietly watching us erupted in laughter. I felt the need to start explaining why my 4 year old was saying that, but my husband just grabbed my arm and walked me to the door after the kid.
“Baby, we are in Vegas, no one cares!”
This is the picture of a 2 year old who has discovered the buffet in a hotel in Las Vegas. I realized we had never taken the kids to a buffet (other then something like Chuck E. Cheese) and we had BOGO coupons for the one in the hotel we were staying at.
We walked them in and quickly showed them around telling them we were not eating again until dinner, so fill up! I grabbed a plate for me and the little ones and started getting food. Every time I turned around I bumped into one of my kids.
“Go! Get some food, you don’t have to follow me around!” I told them.
They continued to just do what I was doing and were very conservative in putting anything on their plates. We all met back at the table and they only had a few pieces of bacon and some scrambled eggs.
“Seriously, we are not feeding you again until dinner time, so you had better get some food and eat!” I explained again.
“What can we have?” The 6 year old asked.
“Anything. Just go get what you want.” I say.
“Anything? Like there is breakfast and dinner stuff at the same time? What do we eat?” The 8 year old asks.
“You can have both, whatever you want.”
“At the same time?” The 6 year old is confused.
“Yes! EAT ANYTHING YOU WANT!” As I realize this is completely blowing their minds! “Just go get whatever you want to eat, and drink, anything at all!”
Their eyes start getting bigger and bigger, I can slowly seeing it clicking in their little minds. They are FREAKING out at the idea that they can have whatever they want to eat, as much as they want, and it didn’t have to be breakfast!
The 14 year old comes back with lasagna and bacon. The 12 year old has carrot cake and sausage links with grapefruit juice. The 8 year old has a omelet, oatmeal, donut, and biscuits with gravy. I lost track of the 6 year old and how many bowls of cereal she had. It was a smorgasbord like you have never seen!
The baby capped the entire thing off with running down the long booth seat, just sampling everything that everyone else had not eaten. It was a blast, then I realized we were there to sightsee and not sit in a buffet all day. Taking kids to a huge buffet for the first time is almost just like sighseeing!
Wrapping up, this was just about the longest post in post history! Pat yourself on the back if you made it this far! You got 3 stories in one. I just want to know, if you collect anything like I collect Starbucks mugs and what was your experience taking your kids to Vegas if you have?
Any yes, I had a better title for my post, but you never know who is just skimming and not reading… mugs, big buffets and porn stars in one title the way that I had it just wasn’t working for a PG site.
Part comedian, part Dad, part athlete. He will boss around your children while they play ball.
Just as angelic as she looks, this girl could easily raise a Village by herself, and all the children would grow up to be President.
Self proclaimed, she would be a webkinz dog. Because, "they're cute, and puppies are too. And they're sweet and they always get along with other puppies."
This mini-Martha Stewart can handle ANY craft you send her way. She isn't all bows and rainbows, she's got karate kid moves!
Not "Pick-Me-Up" like caffeine, she wants you to pick her up! AND NOW!
Anything that can be destroyed WILL be destroyed!
Practically Perfect in Every Way for now! Nicknamed "The Panda" she is rolly polly and lives by the motto, "the little one, is KING!"
The resident Labradoodle, Miller got his name because Mom won and got to name the baby! Need something chewed up? He'll take care of it. Especially if it's expensive..
Awe I’m sorry about your Ca. mug breaking! I’m in Ca. and can send you another one if you’d like! 🙂 I love Pawn Stars and Chumlee. 🙂
You and your adventures make me smile. It so is familiar to our life. When I have more time I will explain more. “9 states, 9 days, 3 kids, 1 minivan, 4 days worth of clothes, NO RESERVATIONS!”. I think you can see similarities already. I have to tell you my kids talk about this trip still and they just graduated University. Never regret the crazy things that happen along the way it is part of the memories you are going to laugh about later. The buffet experience was also similar..my kids eyes got real big and then they dove in..it was at the Excalibur in Vegas. For now good night and have a safe 4th. Hugs and I will look for a mug when my hubby enjoys getting that starbucks coffee. Marion
Thanks for sharing. lol lol lol so funny.
Starbucks is such an enigma to me. They tout the ‘we are so green, fair trade, politically correct..’ blah blah blah and throw away their boxes. There’s always a big stack behind my local Starbucks waiting for trash pickup so almost everything I sell on eBay is in a Starbucks box. Hypocrites!
Love the story about pawn stars! We watch it all the time and I’m always after my youngest to really enunciate the ‘pawn’ when relaying to the world that we love ‘pawn’ and watch it as a family! I find myself looking at blank stares saying ‘pawn!’ he said ‘PAWN!’
Hey, your story was so funny to me! We only have Netflix as well and we watch Pawn Stars all the time! I hope you and your family are having an awesome time on vacation!
I would most DEFINITELY call that Starbucks and tell them what happened. Maybe they’ll mail you a new one (in a box)?
I love, love, love coffee cups, but I drink the coffee too!
Happy 4th of July to you too! LOL! Your 2 yr old is adorable in that pic! I’d be smiling like that too, if I got to eat whatever I wanted!
The Starbucks mugs are cute. I read that today that you get free coffee at Starbucks.
The picture of the baby is adorable!! Rush cracks me up with his wittle lisp… He’s such a sweetie 🙂 Glad you guys made it home safe!
We drove to Vegas to see my husband’s family this summer. We did the buffets, the lake and some of the strip casinos but one of our highlights was visiting the pawn shop. Our BIL has an “in” so we got to tour the back of the shop and meet Corey. He was on the way out the door for the day so we didn’t get pics 🙁 Still cool to meet him though! Sadly, no Chumlee for us either. The definite low point of the trip was taking the kids to Fremont Street – our 12 yr old son wanted to do the zipline until he got down there. All I will say is taking the kids to Fremont St. was one of our biggest mistakes EVER. Thankfully, the next morning our son made a point of telling us he doesn’t want to go back down there.
That picture makes me smile! She is darling! Glad you had a great time.
I can’t believe the baby is that big already! Such a cutie! We have taken our boys to Vegas twice. Both times we stayed at Excalibur and spent an entire day at the Circus Circus Adventuredome, they loved Vegas and ask to go back all the time. We have also visited the Pawn Stars shop, but it was a trip without the kids, and I guess we were lucky, there was no line, but also none of the guys from the show were there. Time to plan another trip to Vegas!
You Know God gave you all those kids for a reason. To keep us readers laughing! It’s ok you collect mugs. I collect James Avery jewerly and Longaberger baskets
I feel I can pass them on to my children. My husband say if I die he is going to sell them all at a garage sale!
Even though he is proud when I come home and tell him all I got free on consumable items.
Oh! LOVE James Avery! Also, I have ONE Longaberger basket. It is my spoon holder for all my big wooden spoons. They are beautiful!
HILARIOUS!!! We had some similar experiences last summer in Vegas … EXTREME heat, visited Pawn Stars (not exciting to me as I’d never watched it), the kids LOVING the hotel buffet. The only “iffy” time was getting back to the hotel from the light show at night … lots of folks out handing out cards with naked women on them, etc. Not good with 3 kids along!
Your mugs are so pretty! I’m sorry CA broke!
Oooh … forgot to ask, did you see any of the Sister Wives in Vegas?? 🙂
LOL! I didn’t even know they had moved there until my 14 year old said something. I was like, “how do you know anything about that show?” I have never seen it, but we laugh about it all the time!
Tiffany, I got you a California mug. Happy 4th. Just need to know where to send it. Also my husband enjoyed his Starbucks today. email me where to send it. You both do so much for us all it is the least I could do for you. Hugs, Marion
I love love love your stories about the kids, Paul, and you!
Very very funny! Thanks for making me laugh today 🙂
I have 4 kids-14, 10, 5, and 18 months. I have been through some funny things but your post was about the funniest thing I have ever heard. I could just picture all of the stuff happening as I read it aloud to my husband. Keep up the great work. Hilarious! Kids gotta love them!
I had a moment like yours at the pawn store. My 3 yr old son loves this tv show called Oobie. So every time we go any where and a person gets close to say Hi! his reply is Hi Boobie!
The stories your kids will have to tell. When we drove to San Deigo and back. We did not have room for lots of collections so I decide every state we drove through I would stop and buy a postcard or two or more. I was inexpensive and small and to this day I still bring home postcards from wherever I go.
My daughters do the same thing. We started putting them in plastic sleeves and they keep them in a binder. I love to go back and look at them. You can’t beat the price and it is fun to pick out the pictures you like the best. They are such good memories!
Hi, Tiffany!
If you love learning history about “stuff” you need to give History Channel’s American Restoration and American Pickers a try! You get to see neat stuff on those shows, meet ordinary people (especially on Pickers) and learn a lot about “back in the day” items. Also, History channel offers Save Our History every Friday morning. It is definitely worth introducing your children to.
Regards~
Karen in Ohio
We have caught both of those a few times, they are so great! We were going to go to the American Pickers location when we were in Iowa for spring break, but it was just too far away.
They have some good shows on finally!