Girls night = cha-ching.

A little while ago - out of my desire to do something out of the ordinary, something that didn't include staring at each other, watching hours of mindless television or watching the grass grow - I decided to have a little "girls night" with Brielle and Claire. I talked that night up SO much, we were going to get treats, have pedicures, watch a movie...you know, girl stuff. Because boys hate treats and movies, right?

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So, we ventured off to the store to gear up for our evening of fun...as I mentioned, we were wanting something out of the ordinary. They would have never expected in a million years to do something fun! But those little happy faces as I let them choose a treat was all the thanks I needed. I just about bagged the rest of the evening as to not over load them with happiness in one night. You know, save a little happy ammo for another night.

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But apparently little 4 year old people have good memories and so I wasn't getting out of the rest of the plans we had. (By the way, I'm not mean, just funny...try to remember that as you read on).

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At the store Brielle decided she REALLY wanted these Fruit Stickerz (I've been calling them stackers all this time...I feel so foolish). Basically they're little pieces of a fruit roll up in little shapes that you peel from a piece of wax paper. Sticky, processed, sugar filled and NASTY...I don't hold back anything when it comes to making my kids happy.

I completely ignored the "Win CASH" thing at the top because really, am I going to win anything? I don't think an answer to that question really is necessary, however just in case, the answer is a big fat no. Who has ever won anything from a packaged item they bought at the store? You never hear people who made their fortune off their Snickers bar on those "Where are they now, jackpot winners" shows. They're always drunk people who stumbled in to a gas station and bought some lottery ticket and then blow all their money on buying circus monkeys and pretzel bites.

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I have been burned one too many times before thinking maybe there was a way that THIS would be the time I was going to be the 1 in 9,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999 to win something amazing and I wasn't sure I wanted the heartbreak of that loss again.

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So imagine my surprise as Brielle was getting her last Stickerz out - a few days later, because what kind of mother would I be if I had let her eat ALL of them in one night? - and said, "Look, mommy, a card for my wallet!"

(I know it's hard to believe by the extremely high quality, but this is an ACTUAL picture of the card on my lap...it's not one I found on google or anything!)

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Holy moly, I was SO excited that after my 25 years of never, ever, ever - no matter how bad I wanted it; and believe me I've wanted it - ever, never, ever winning anything...I won!

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I couldn't believe it, I was FLOORED to think I was going to have won this great jackpot or something! I couldn't believe there was actually a card inside the box! I read the rules on the side of the box again thinking that maybe there were cards in ALL the boxes and only a few said "winner". But nope...there in the rules it says that if there's a card you're a winner, if you're not a winner, well then obviously you're a loser. There's no gray area here.
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I tore that card out, ready to figure out how I was to redeem my prize. I could imagine it now, living in Hawaii in a luxury beach front house with a full service staff waiting on my every need.
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Then I looked more closely at the card. Do you know how much I won?! $5. That is not a typo, nope...apparently the odds of winning THIS particular prize is 1 in 56. I guess I should still feel lucky that I won anything at all, because I could have gotten one of those other 55 boxes and lost. But what am I going to get with a $5 pre-paid Discover card? A couple packs of gum? A new toothbrush? A picture of Hawaii...unframed of course, it is just $5.
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Oh well, Brielle and Claire are SO excited about it! They probably are still dreaming of Hawaii as well. I guess my little (large) happy dance screaming "I won, I won, I won! I'm rich!!!" might have gotten their hopes up.

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Poor little dears are going to be very disappointed when all they get out of this great win is the opportunity to sit in the shopping cart while I decide what on earth I'm going to get for $5. Lucky girls!

I just can't break it to them yet though.