we packed up and traveled to Little River, KS. for scott's basketball tournament this past saturday.
Little River has a population of about 500.
that is really s m a l l.
they lost their first game.
bummer.
we hit their main street to find some lunch.
there were two options….a bar called Fat Boys or the grocery store.
with our time frame between games we had to choose the grocery store.
this picture made me smile.
it was just funny.
right next to where to talby is sitting….
whaaa???
and this? hmmmm…..
my kids' favortie part of this little store was this:
so we had sandwiches made from the deli at Heavenly Meats & Groceries.
and they made pizza too.
annie was full of loud and silly questions for the man running the meat counter.
he let her come and see where they make the pizza.
then she was full of even more questions!
you won't see this very often….me drinking pop. (do you call it pop or soda or coke?)
i used to drink pop all day everyday.
but realized about 8 years ago that it made my stomach a mess so i quit.
i have MAYBE two a year.
and i usually have a 1/4 of the can and i have had enough…i start to feel sick.
i don't miss it at all.
we headed to another gym in Windom, Kansas.
population in windom is 130.
isn't that crazy?
130 people?
they won this game. (it's a tournament of other kansas teams….not a windom team)
we played at the school playground in between game 2 and 3.
it was hot and windy.
but i love that sunshine for march!
talby shared her iPod with annie and her friend Nash.
they were watching UP.
scott's team won their final game.
they got second in the tournament.
a successful day i think….and pretty fun for the rest of us too.
craig was teasing scott a little that he couldn't touch the rim yet….maybe someday….
so scott HAD to prove he could grab it after the game.
the strength shoes and hours and HOURS of practice are paying off.
he is getting there….he'll grow a few more inches and he'll be dunking….he hopes.
i love his dedication.
i am so proud of that kid.
i never thought i would like spending a day at a basketball tournement for 13 year old boys with 3 other kids along…..but it turns out they are some of my favorite saturdays.
i like being all together and watching scott in his element.
ok….gotta get moving on my first day of spring break.
keep giving ideas on the post under this one.
i like the garden planning idea!
that is exciting!
have a great day today!
mandi@herbanhomestead - I know this is an older post, but I had to comment! That “slap yo mama” rub. My dad is from Louisiana so I’m very familiar with this phrase. In sentence form (ahem): “This cornbread is so good makes you wanna slap yo mama!”. So there you go!
Karen Huber - This cracked me up… my mom grew up (and my granny still lives) in s.m.a.l.l. town Kansas, as in 100 or so people, as in one stop sign. I admire your ability to craft an eventful (with beautiful pics) blog post out of such towns! 🙂
Heidi Jo the Artist - I love exploring new towns, looks like you guys had fun! We call it soda because my husband grew up on the east coast. Everyone around us here in Iowa calls it pop, ha ha!
Maranda - I am from that tiny little town called Little River!! Yay! I loved growing up there. And yes, do try Fat Boyz next time you are in town!! 🙂
Natalie - Any tips on giving up the soda habit? I have tried several times and haven’t been truly successful yet.
Randi-Dukes and Duchesses - I just love reading your posts. I have a basketball player who reminds me so much of your son (they’re almost the same age) … he lives and breathes the game and is constantly training to be better.
But I just had to comment to tell you what a great mom you are. You spend so much time doing art with your kids, baking with them, and just giving of yourself. It’s inspiring.
Katie H - Love this post. I grew up watching my older brother play in gyms all over Kansas. Like your son, he eat-breathed-sleeped the game. He eventually was a walk-on for KU, then director of operations for the team, and he now coaches at Baker University and couldn’t be happier….but your post made me smile thinking of all those hot, sweaty gyms and car rides we made as a family. Good stuff!!
Beth - In Alabama we call it Coke. No matter if it’s Coke, Sprite, Diet Dr. Pepper. Wonder why we do that? Funny. But everyone knows when you say, “I need a Coke” it means a canned drink.
Sarah Wolfe - No diet coke for 8 years. Impressive 🙂 That grocery store is hilarious. I like it when the town is so small that the gas station is a hang out and restaurant (that actually has good food) and a grocery store.
Marianne - I’m in Canada- it’s definitely pop. Soda just sounds weird. 🙂
Faith Buss - OK, that Slap Yo’ Mama stuff is soooo good! I got some at a Piggly Wiggly in Louisiana (I’m in OK) because I thought it was funny. We put it on oven fries and everyone goes CRAZY! 🙂 Fun post!
Wendy C - I heart small towns and basketball! Sounds like a fun weekend!
Megan - It’s too bad you didn’t have time for Fat Boys! We’ve actually made the hour trip to eat there — really good steaks!
Maria - I’ve seen the “slap yo mama” around here…never tried it though. It is supposed to be good though. They have crazy things here in the South.
I grew up calling it ‘pop’, until college, and my northern friend/roommate influenced me into calling it soda. Still do.
Our spring break isn’t until the first week of April…two weeks to go! The boys usually spend it gaming or playing outside (they never play on the computer/Wii unless its the weekend). I’m sure it will be pretty low key around here…although I am thinking we may need a little road trip somewhere during that time…
Enjoy your break!
Celia - We live in North FL and totally have that Butt Rub around here! Trust me….. try it on chicken, beef…. even sprinkle it in your scrambled eggs….. awesome! HA
Debby - Al’s sister lives in Little River! We’ve eaten at Fat Boys too. It’s a great town. Al grew up in Pretty Prairie, population 500.
Prairie Jenn - I love small town life! Yes, there are things about it that make me laugh, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Loved your photos! And we call everything a coke here:)
Sara Torbett - So sadly I’ve totally seen the “Butt Rub” for barbecue at our local meat market and recognized it right away-lol :). Fun weekend! I can’t believe you only have two sodas a year! Whaaat?! I wish I could say the same. I love Diet coke, and sonic vanilla diet cokes. So what do you drink at Sonic? (when not ordering water)
mollie's mom - I live in Atlanta – small towns like that seem amazing to me!!! Awesome , just hard to imagine 🙂
We call it “Coke” because, obviously, we live in Atlanta – haha!!
And I have to comment on the butt rub t-shirt because I am from Charleston, SC and when we go to Carolina beach towns we shop at my favorite – The Piggly Wiggly- and my daughter has multiple “I’m Big on the Pig” t-shirts. Everyone just calls it “goin’ to the Pig”, not grocery shopping and it is fine for 5′ tall size 2 college girls to wear “I’m Big on the Pig” t’s but I’m not sure I need that blazened across my back. But I do love to shop at the Pig!!!
the whyte house - first off, good job, scott!
second, i lived in canton, ks..the high school is a combination of towns(canton-galva hs), where my sister graduated w 30 people. lol. my parents are still in canton, i lasted 7 mos before i had to move back to wichita. it was just too ridiculous. downtown canton had a restaurant that was only open on sunday, a grocery store and a bar. we’d go to the casey’s to get a pizza. that was the big thing to do in canton. ugh. if i had to live in a small town, i’d go to hesston. it’s not canton and it’s not wichita. just right. 🙂
Michelle From Australia - We call pop ‘soft drink’. Who knows why?
Teresa - Perhaps you have a future Jayhawk on your hands!!
I live in the South, but grew up in the Midwest. I get called out EVERY SINGLE TIME I say pop.
Krissy - I have ALWAYS called pop, pop. I think it’s a Kansas thing. Being in the Navy, there’s so many people from so many places, and I havent found too many that call it “pop” My spring breaks were always spent outside (if it wasnt too cold)
charity palmer - absolutely love your blog! thought you might love these leggings my lil girl wore the other day:
http://jandcpalmer.blogspot.com/2012/03/little-croissant.html
I share your same love for color! 🙂
kaylee@life chasers - This just really made me smile. We live in one of those smaaaaalllll towns and I’m pretty sure they all carry that same, hilarious charm. The school gyms even look identical. A perfect way to spend a Saturday 🙂
Katie - I let the kids make a list of the things they wanted to do – kind of what you do for summer. It was great trying to read what they wrote (1st/kinder).
Tea Party
Math
Visit our cousins
Sleep over 1 night at grandparents
Ride our bikes (pretty unusual for March in MN)
Parks
Maybe your kids are too old. Hope it sparks at least one idea.
the.mrs - LOVE basketball! Hoping one of my girls will decide to take it up. 🙂
Love the pop! You’re lucky it makes you sick.. it can’t tempt you that way! 😉 I’m from MN and we call it pop, but I was really confused when I visited TX b/c they kept asking me what kind of Coke I wanted… I wanted Dr. Pepper Coke? hahaha
Roganne - The necklace is to die for! Kudos to you for not drinking any pop…I totally wish I could kick the habit!
Jen Brandt - Most of us in Ohio call is pop, and good for you for not drinking it very often!!! Think of how much skinnier you are and how much healthier you are for not drinking it. You go girl! 🙂
Lori H - Yes, do tell about the necklace! I love it. I do not love soda, however. Once in a long while I will have part of a Coke Zero. Or use a Sierra Mist to make an adult bev. 🙂
Rochelle - OK, I wasn’t going to comment but now I have to! Those “Hot Mamas” are made by an awesome company in my neck of the woods: Beaverton, Oregon. The company, Reser’s, makes THE best salsa, burritos, taquitos, potato salad, etc. I’ve never had the Hot Mamas, but I bet they’re pretty tasty. It’s a great local company that supports the community’s kids sports and agricultural endeavors. I bet if you approached them for Craft Weekend “swag” snacks, they’d come through.
Love your blog! And your necklace!!
Katie Skiff - Fun weekend… looked like ours. Basketball in small town MT, but the town had a few more residents. LOL… Love the t-shirt, my husband bought some of that rub, I wrote his name on it, so now it says Greg’s Butt Rub. 😛 I also don’t drink POP anymore, it tastes nasty to me.
megan@contentedsparrow - 1. that “meat-like” product in a jar: SICKKKKKKKK!
2. butt rub: {snicker}
3. pop, definitely
Alisa - we call ’em soft drinks:)
Gale Wall - I’m laughing because I don’t live far from those places. And butt rub is good stuff, people 🙂
Mandi Humphrey - Oh my…did you get any Butt Rub? It is so good! Can’t make it through summer grilling without it!
Seriously Sassy Mama - I selfishly would like seeing pictures of your new home!
Jolene (Homespun Heritage) - In the Midwest its called Pop…then I moved to the East Coast and they laughed at me ’cause they’re all hip and call it Soda. I moved back to the Midwest and still call it Soda…but I don’t drink it…unless its a frozen coke; I must admit they are my cryptonite!
Amber - Spent the weekend in Pigeon Forge, TN watching my dd (13) play some basketball. I love the time with my family and friends. The ball team is like our second family.
Joy - Coke. It’s all Coke.
🙂 We’re planning glow-in-the-dark bowling for our Spring Break.
Leah - It’s called soda here in So Cal. I only like Diet Coke though. The regular stuff is just too sugary. Any new crafts you’ll be doing? I need ideas for our spring break.
Rebecca - The Slap yo Mama seasoning is very popular in the south! You should try it!
Jackie Kepner Barnum - Looks like a lot of fun. Here in TN it’s just called coke. It doesn’t matter what kind. Just coke. So sometimes you have to ask for it by name like Dr. Pepper, cause you just may get a 7up. ;P
Kimberlee Jost - That meat counter in Little River reminds me of the one at Dales.
Sausage anyone?
Ha.
Heather S. - I have soda (pop) about once or twice a month when I am just craving it. I, too, though usually only manage to get about 1/3-1/2 of it down and I’m done. And yes, it does make me feel crummy.
Liz Schmidt - You have to go back to Little River and try FatBoyz. They have the best steak ever!
happygirl - I don’t drink pop, yeah, pop, either. I enjoy watching your family through your blog. Your family gives me hope for the future of this country. We need more families like yours. 🙂
Kathryn Goertzen - Just a small town girl livin in a small town world . . . or something like that.
In Nebraska we call it POP.
And at noon we eat DINNER. . . and in the evening we eat SUPPER.
Jimi - So, I’m just curious what you get at Sonic if you’re not getting soda/pop?
Dana @ Bungalow'56 - Megan, I always comment to the girls when I see someone with a kind face. We all try to figure out what it is, but we can’t, but we all know one when we see one. It struck me in your post today. Sean has a wonderfully kind face.
Dana
Shar - Oh what a joy of a family that you have. Treasure it girl, time will go by all too fast. My grown up son asked me what kind of an APP (for phones, etc.) I would like. I said an app to have more time with my family!
Jacci - it cracks me up how everyone idealizes small towns. BUTT RUB, people!!! 🙂 There’s good and bad, just like everywhere else.
I grew up in a not so small “small” town in Ohio. But, all around us, there were really small towns, just like this. I dated a guy once from a *small* town nearby and when we went to get a movie to watch at his house, we rented it from – literally – a shack with videos propped against the walls on shelves. Totally cracked me up.
Kelly - Oh… I’ve spent many a weekend with a little-black-sharpie- marker- X on my hand, too! 🙂
Gotta love the small towns! We have one stop-light in ours. And a gas station/deli that you can get a bite to eat at, too. Everybody knows everybody…. which can be good, and bad!
Rachel Spin - Please, oh please, can you give some info about that cute necklace in the soda pop picture??? I have a jewelry problem. And turquoise and red are my most favorite colors. And Mother’s Day is coming up, no? My dad grew up in a small town like that. My first teaching job was in a small town too, if 3000 is small. Happy Spring Break!!!
Tiffany - I don’t think I’ve ever been to towns that small, ever. Oh the simplicity and town knowledge that must be there. And you said it perfect, so much joy in watching your child in their element. What a joy to live to see and be a part of as a family.