Top Ten Souvenir Finds In and Around Bangkok

Well, hullo longtimenosee. That was a totally unexpected blogging hiatus. Usually if there is nothing new posted here, it simply means I have nothing interesting to share. This time I was a little caught up in returning to work, running races, and zipping around to different things with the kids. Just ordinary life. Today, however, I return to tell you about my

Ten Favorite Places to Buy Thai Souvenirs

10. Honorable mention goes to the Doi Tung Lifestyle shop located at the Mae Fah Luang Foundation offices. This shop features handcrafts woven and crafted by people from villages in the Chiang Rai province, as well as pottery, coffee and macadamia nut products, housewares, and made-to-order apparel. I love this shop because it is part of a wonderful effort initiated by H.R.H. Princess Srinagarindra to create work opportunities for people where they previously did not exist. I dislike this shop, however, because I think it could use a lot more merchandise in varying prices. The nursery, however, is worth the trip. The flowering plants and orchids are absolutely beautiful and better quality than you will find most anywhere else.

Mae Fah Luang Foundation Head Office 1875/1 Rama IV Rd, Lumphini, Bangkok. Lifestyle shop open mon-fri. Nursery open 7 days a week. Located right as you exit the MRT at Lumphini Park.

 

9. Sara's Wand on the third floor of Terminal 21 is my go-to place for cute little soaps. Tiny and wrapped in cute paper, they smell wonderful and add a sweet scent to my care packages. I pick up thai-crafted soaps here and there, and these are my favorite so far.

 

8. Don't leave Terminal 21 yet, because across the way on the same floor is the delightful Thaniya shop, my favorite place to go for candles because they are made in Thailand from organic materials, and sold in keepsake blue and white pottery. Better yet, I noticed they started stocking candles that are poured into red clay containers made by hand on Koh Kret. But we shall get to that later..

Thaniya , Terminal 21, No. 3066, Suhkumvit, Bangkok



Not Koreena's shop, but if you see this from the escalator you are in the right spot!

7. Koreena silk and scarf shop is a frequent stop for me. Located in the Amarin shopping mall right next to the Erawan Shrine on Sukhumvit, it is so easy to get to when I need to pick up something quick. If you head to the third floor you will find a thai arts level, with shops specializing in the kitschy elephant-themed knickknacks and souvenirs that I do not purchase. But if you wander through here and locate Koreena I highly recommend their goods. Handbags and wraps made of shimmery silk at a great price and beautiful scarfs and pashminas abound. I spend a bit of time picking through her hand- and machine-embroidered scarves. The hand-embroidered ones are spectacular, but if you don't want to spend too much the machine-embroidered scarves are just as beautiful. I bought a hand-embroidered scarf as a gift, and then a machine-embroidered one to hang in our house. And the salesperson always throws a little freebie in the bag, either a cute shirt or a little coin purse. Nice.

6. Narai Phand is the "Royal Thai Government Handicrafts Center" and its  just a stone's throw from the Amarin. I can guarantee you will find something there, because it has absolutely everything. I would NOT buy a few things there, because they are marked up more than others, but the prices on the Bencharong pottery sets and bronze decor aren't too bad. Besides, it would take twice as long roaming through steamy Chatuchak Market to find such a big selection of items. You will also find the same wall hangings at Chatuchak, but here they are open for you to examine for quality and to ensure the pieces aren't flawed or stained.

Narai Phand is located on the ground floor of the President Tower, 973 Ploenchit Rd., Lumphini, Bangkok. Five minutes on the skywalk from BTS Chitlom.

5. Silk prints at the weekend market- the hawkers claim they are printed on thai silk, but I'm not so sure. But with those pretty designs do I really care? Most of the times I attack Chatuchak weekend market, this is one of my stops. I buy a bundle-they come to about a dollar a piece-and carry these lightweight goodies home to dole out bit by bit in future care packages. Matted and framed, they will be stunning.  I had a few set aside for myself, but ended up sending them all out to friends and family. So if you're heading that way anytime soon, let me know! If you enter at Gate 2 its on your right hand side before you get to Bangkok Bank.

4. Sampeng Lane in Chinatown is messy, confusing and crowded. Yet, I find myself there almost every other week searching for party supplies, fabric, or clothing. Its hit or miss, but most times a big hit. And on my way out I usually stop at this costume jewelry shop that sells souvenir pins-please forgive me because I can't remember the name or location, but if you are heading towards the China Mall end and you find a shop that is playing "Gangnum Style" over and over again, you've found it. They're bright, blingy and cheap but I love their pins. They come in the shape of the Royal Barge, or Hanuman's face for example, so I think they make a cute trinket for kids or grownups and I keep a box of them in my office to give away at any time.

 

 

3. The Amulet Market makes me feel like I'm in an Indiana Jones movie. Its comical at times, yet there's an element of danger. Its fun to pick up a few amulets from the sidewalk, where sellers just throw down a blanket and let you pick through their collections. The last time we brought home half a dozen (they're 20-40baht each, usually) and I looked up what they represented online. But before we left, we wandered towards the riverfront and down an alley and found ourselves walking on planks along the river, tiptoeing or squeezing through amulet shops and by dusty stores full of things that we probably shouldn't buy, such as ivory pieces and bronzes that looked like they were scavenged. We didn't dare buy anything, but it was an adventure on top of a shopping excursion.

 

 

 

2. Koh Kret. Its an island. Its an artist community. Its a tourist trap. But if you find a sign directing you off the walkway to a pottery village, follow it. By "pottery village" they mean a cluster of houses with one shop that molds and decorates the adorable clay containers you see up above at Thaniya. And they are so inexpensive you will want to buy more than you can carry. Which is a problem because you will have to lug it back to the ferry and then to your car. But its worth the sweat and effort to do so. We went a few weeks ago and I wish I bought more. The kids enjoyed watching the craftsmen at work at the pottery wheel, and one shop gave little P a lump of clay to take home and try for himself. (Oh boy.) I plan on going back very soon.

Koh Kret is reachable by driving or taking a taxi to Pak Kret, just 15 minutes from Bangkok. At the pier behind Wat Sanam Neua board the ferry. It costs just 2 baht to get to the island!

 

 

 

1. Mai Eak wood-carving stall is one of the few shops that will draw me back to Chatuchak Market. Reason number one: Khun Busaba and Khun Somsak are farang-friendly and won't overcharge you. Reason number two: stacks of wood carvings. Stacks. Want a dancer on a dragon? Want a dancer, no dragon? Want a dragon playing poker with an elephant? Well, maybe not, but they have a HUGE variety to choose from. I honestly bought most of our Christmas gifts here, and still go back from time to time to buy Buddha carvings.-there's one on my desk to be mailed right now.

 

Mai Eak is open at 8 am at Chatuchak Weekend Market, Section 11 Soi 12/7.

My Life Lately Via Instagram

My efforts as a kindergarten mum (or year one here) tend to be hit or miss. Sometimes I am supermom, the one all his classmates know by name, and exclaim with glee "Here comes Miss Heather!" when I'm around. Other times I miss the mark, like on Sports Day when we arrived to find our son was the only one not wearing the requisite t-shirt. I did NOT get that memo. Or Christmas, where the classmate gifts just kept rolling in.

Well, if all the tots exchanged valentines and candy on Valentine's Day in day care back in the US, I assumed they would celebrate it here in Y1. Uh, nope. Bought these cool wands that light up, printed a catchy valentine message, tied with a sweet ribbon.  Philip was the ONLY kid in his class who handed out valentines. I should have known better. But with my luck, Easter will be HUGE. Go figure..

 

Nate got a special bike. It doesn't have pedals and it doesn't go too fast, but he loves it.

 

He also loves face-painting. Which is done here at nearly every party and celebration. This is him patiently waiting to be a puppy. Which he carefully selected.

 

 Philip is trying out Tae Kwon Do. Its nothing too serious. Just some good old fashioned throwing punches and tumbling. We'll have to balance it out with some music lessons or something...

 

Maori performers from the New Zealand Gala. There was a life-size cardboard sheep in the backdrop, but I think he was on the dance floor by this time.

 

We accompanied Daddy on a working weekend to Pattaya. The beach was not to my liking, but the hotel was fantastic. Nate and I had smoothies at the pool bar, which the boys both thought was wicked cool.

 

I got some rest, relaxation, and knitting. Daddy got food-poisoning.

Of Belief, Danger, and Throwing Caution to the Wind

 

I have written this post several times in my head, yet wasn't sure if I was going to share after all. But after considering how much I love what we have done, and how much it means to me, I think I should. Some fifteen years ago I decided to rebel against who knows what, and strode into a dirty tattoo shop somewhere in Pittsburgh and asked for a grinning cat from Through the Looking Glass, C.S. Lewis. And somehow I ended up, twenty minutes later, with a horrible little salamander.

 

Chock that up to immaturity. So when my husband brought up the subject of getting his first ink, which he does every few months or so, I would quickly try to deter him from it. And before you tell me what an awful wife I am, if you had heard what he wanted you would have done the same. But one day I started showing him photos of gorgeous Sak Yant work, which I had spotted on the backs and necks of people everywhere here, and we began to look into the subject.

 

Briefly, Sak Yant are spiritual tattoos, usually applied by a Buddhist monk and then chanted over to give them special powers. Powers of love, beauty, power or protection-you name it. But essentially, you can tell the Sak Yant master what you do for work, or what you feel you need, and they will find the right design to enhance your life, or protect you. And all the designs are absolutely beautiful. HOWEVER. However, you have to follow certain rules or they will lose their power. These rules differ from place to place, but in general they all outline that the recipient shouldn't lie, steal, cheat, disrespect their Ajarn and his other students, and not consume alcohol.

 

That's the good part. Basically, you are promising to be a good person from that moment forward. The "throwing caution to the wind" part is more problematic. To receive a real Sak Yant, with all its powers, you have to find a monk or former monk who has trained under a true master, then sit in line with perhaps 20 people to get inked with the same barbed piece of bamboo and ink pot. For me, I would have to find an Ajarn that would even be able to touch women, because monks of course cannot. Oh, and lets add that some of these places have become a circus ever since Ms. Jolie received her Ha Taew from Ajarn Noo when visiting Thailand.

 

But I digress.

 

Its a true Heather-trait to get my heart set on something, regardless of the risk, and given the dangerous and risky nature of my husband's occupation I wanted these. BAD. So, after several months of frustrating and fruitless research, I shyly mentioned my wish to our nanny. Instead of shaking her head, she was absolutely thrilled and flattered that we would want to participate in this. A phone call later to her husband, and she informed me that Ajarn Kob of Ayuttaya was lesser known to the tourist set, but was well-reknown among local Thais for his work and the strength of his Sal Yants. Better yet, he was the grandson and student of the great monk Ajarn Phu Nie who was so revered that his image was worn frequently on amulets all around Thailand.

 

And even better yet, he tattooed women. And better yet! He used a sharpened steel rod instead of the bamboo, so if we came in the first of the day we would have that added bit of security. I was so delighted, and apparently her husband was too because he wanted to go as soon as possible, and wished to be our translator.

 

So early one sunday morning we found ourselves, along with several members of our nanny's family, wandering around trying to find Ajarn Kob's studio on the backroads of Ayuttaya. Nervously, we paid our respects to him and asked for his permission, and his smiling face was so calming and kind that the rest of the ordeal was quite amazing.

I went first, and received the Gao Yord sak yant, which is usually the first one anyone receives because it signifies you are a student of a particular ajarn and covers a lot of the basis for personal protection. I assume after the Gao Yord students return for more specific designs and needs. But for me, this was perfect-beautiful and purposeful. The nine spires reaching upward are symbolic of the pinnacles of Mt. Meru, each topped with three circles which, in sak yant, signify the seated Buddha. Arrows straight upward and the beautiful whorls rising up indicate the path to enlightenment, which is why this tattoo is usually given at the nape close to the head, the most sacred part of our bodies.

 

 

Being particular to Ajarn Kob, with his own flourishes, this is supposed to be one of the strongest sak yant, so both my husband and I had it done. Its also called the Yant Kroo, or master yant, because it identifies our Ajarn thereafter. In addition, the marks made in Sanskrit are supposed to provide the bearer with protection from violence, outside magic, and other things because, you see, most Thais are very superstitious and believe in bad magic and the strength of bad words.

 

My husband received the additional "Singh" or lions, on each side that are very important for people in positions of power and danger. In light of all he has been through, every little bit helps.

 

Interestingly, our nanny's husband jumped right in and received his first as well, and then sat back down a second time to have the name of Master Phu Nie, a great teacher, inscribed on each shoulder, his name alone able to provide additional protection and guidance! (Just an FYI, we offered to cover the cost in appreciation for his help, but this only made him uncomfortable because as it turns out the "thai price" is in effect here as it is all over the country, and his sak yant cost significantly less than ours. Awkward.)

 

The finished tattoos were perfect in their symmetry even though they were done freehand. And the lines, due to his frequent sharpening of the rod, were so tiny and intricate that I was blown away by the artfulness of my husband's finished back.

 

But what we have discussed most in this house in the days preceding our rites and in the weeks afterwards is the power of belief, and how these marks are given their strength because the bearer is devoted to the idea that they have power. To receive them just as a fashion statement is worthless.

Until I have a better photo, here is the fuzzy result. Note the awful salamander in the lower corner...

Operation Dharma Drop

So it appears that life has taken an unexpected, pleasant turn for me. After a little wait period where my history and misdeeds get carefully examined, I will be going back to work. Just part time, mind you, but that is quite alright by me. Being able to spend the last three years nurturing and educating our two boys has been a great gift. But now its time. I've always been a worker bee.

Which means its time to pay it forward again. Being selected for  position over so many other qualified people is also a great gift. I'm glad the powers that be have faith in me. And for the past few weeks I've been coasting along on that great feeling that comes with accomplishing something you thought you could never do. So here I go back to sending some love and appreciation to the folks who have helped us along. Like the wonderful gem of a preschool that never complained that I was one of the first to drop off and one of the last to pick up. The people that understood I was going it alone a lot of the time. The people whose time I felt was precious, for the care they supplied my boys, and the foundation they provided them before we whisked them away.

Once upon a time we searched carefully for the right day care for our first child. Some were too cold and sterile, others too wishy-washy, one was downright dangerous. But we set foot in Tiny Town and knew we had found the place. Its one of the things we knew we would miss, and we certainly do. Last week I packed up and shipped off a Dharma Drop to them, including some cultural items and a long looong letter describing what it has been like here for the boys.  Just to let them know they were too good, too kind to be forgotten.

Krabi Thailand According to Nate (Part 2)

So, I left off when we got to Phranang Beach, right? Well, Frosty was there. I was mystified.

But then we walked a bit more, past slews of people hanging from the rocks on ropes.

Along the beach people were cooking food and making sandwiches.

In boats. I don't know if my pad thai would taste any better or worse from a boat, but I guess that's one way to sell food on a beach!

 

They also sold fruit and chips. Pretty nummy.

 

I still couldn't figure why we were here. Until I spotted them.

 

Monkey Alley. It was crazy! Dozens of monkeys playing along a wall. Babies too.

They were pretty silly, but Daddy wouldn't let me touch them. No fair.

 

For Dilp's bithday and some special occasion that made mommy and daddy kiss a lot we bought paper lanterns. If you lit them in the middle and waited a while they would float up HIGH in the air.

 

Mommy figured out the waiting part after she almost lit some people on the beach on fire with her low-flying lantern.

 

 

Krabi, Thailand According to Nate (Part 1)

For this post, I'm going to hand it over to Nate. The boy wonder. Little explorer. And all-around serious little dude.

 

My parents like to surprise me. They do it a LOT. So I wasn't surprised too much when they woke me up Thursday morning and packed me onto a plane. This has all happened before. We go up. And in about an hour we come down. Just enough time for me to talk my mom into giving me a lollipop and a bunch of Pringles.

 

But then we drove off in a taxi to this strange beach with a pier and a dozen of these crazy longtail boats. They didn't have normal sized lifejackets, so Dad unpacked my favorite swimmies for me. Next thing I know we have gone from plane. to taxi. to boat. What could be next?

 

Nevermind. I don't care what you call this place, though Mom says its West Railay Beach, but it had THE SOFTEST sand you have ever felt. And you could wade into the water waaaaaay out and it didn't get above my neck! Dilp (this is what he calls his brother) was all about that beach.

Dilp would have to wait, because we walked across the 'island' to East Railay to find some good food to eat.

 

It was pretty windy.

But you could find anything you wanted to eat over there. And they had all these strange shops with wierd pipes and reggae music. I bobbed my head a few times, but it really wasn't my beat.

 

Back at West Railay was more my scene. No walkways, lots of sand, and plenty of space to run.

 

My shark liked it a lot too. You don't see him here, but Spiderman came along. He liked watching all the climbers going up those cliffs. So we sang his theme song a lot. Loudly.

 

Now back to that sand.

 

We found out where Frosty goes on his weekends off in the winter. Although it puzzled us for quite some time how he might have gotten here. Maybe the monkeys helped. But I'll tell you more about that tomorrow.

Little Artists Birthday Party

A Boy, A Candy Buffet, you know what happens next...

My little man is turning six. I know that's still little, but I cant figure out where the time has gone. It seems like Little P has always been five. But then again, we have accomplished in just one year what some people manage in a whole lifetime; picking up, moving twice, adjusting to living in a new land. In the middle of all this, my two little boys got shortchanged in the typical-american-lifestyle department. We threw something together quick for holidays and such, but the birthdays were relatively quiet.

We soooooo made up for that yesterday. A while ago I started cruising for cool birthday ideas that would be more than just your pre-fab, pre-printed, cartoon-themed fest. When I saw people were doing 'little picasso' and 'little artist rainbow' fetes, I might have danced in my seat just a little. We have a great open space. Great January weather (for a change!). Great age to have good messy creative fun. And a great city to source for raw supplies.

So the first plan of attack was decorations, and LOTS of them to cover our neighborhood and make it delightfully bright. I picked up some basics like streamers at Pinata Party Place off Sukhumvit 39, and ordered canisters for party favors from Oriental Trading, then set off to Chinatown's messy crowded fabulous Sampeng Lane for the details.

There I found colored pencil sets to put in the favors, brightly colored bolts of felt to make into bunting, and sequins and jewels for our craft stations. I bought packs of cheap face- and hand-towels and sewed them together with ribbon to make smocks! Oh, I was on a roll!  (FYI: finding pretzel rods for the 'paint brush pretzels' and lemonade mix for the 'Creative Juice' nearly stressed me out. Nearly.)

So now we get to the artist projects. And I am realllly proud of myself for these-starting with the spot where I armed people's children with squirt guns filled with PAINT. Oh yes I did. And told them to go crazy on a white cloth curtain. And then added fingerpaints to smear on it like a Jackson Pollock adventure!

I have been excited for weeks about this because its something you can NEVER everevereverever do at home. Don't worry, the paint was diluted washable crayola fingerpaints. It was a bit tricky to fill the little squirtguns, but I thought arming sugar-laden five year olds with supersoakers would be a bad idea.



 Turns out, graffiti is a lot of fun. And I really like the smiles all over the place.











Station two was tricky, but it made a really good party favor to display if they had the patience to finish it. My wonderful husband acquired these blocks of wood for me, and I painted them in the party colors and hammered little nails in them. For days.

But a little bit of cheap thin yarn, and we had a string art station. Some kids really showed their mathematical chops, I was stunned! Others filled their block with colors and dimensions. All of them were really creative. I must also admit we recruited a few of the neighborhood older kids to help out the little ones, which was KEY. They
were fantastic, and I am so grateful we have such a close community.

Speaking of, there's one of them keeping the kids in order at the spin art station. I picked up two machines from Amazon for cheap, bought extra paints and cut many extra cards because I knew this would be popular.







Then we had the kids hang up their designs to dry. Haha, art project meets party favor meets party decor! I am brilliant! maniacal laugh!

Then we get to my FAVORITE project, decorating your own party hat. Alright, I know they are usually cones with pompoms and such, but I'm just not crazy about putting a cone on my kid's head with an elastic. And I must have some traumatic memory I have pushed way down involving the pain of that elastic when it snaps, because I HATE them.  So we had soft, comfy, colorful crowns made from felt, of which I made about thirty. It took a while, but the kids had so much fun decorating them to match their outfits, personalities, age.



They dried fast, and looked so cute, like we had
a neighborhood full of little royalty. Which, lets face it, we all feel that way about our little bugs. And I have to say, Little P's friends are all EXTREMELY precious. I just we had another excuse to throw them a party.

I'm not exactly sure how Little P feels about that, but I know he loved getting crazy with the paint!

 





Consider Me Humbled

CUTE MOMENT. Right there.

 

I really must apologize for my last "look at the awesomeness that is my life" post. Sometimes when you find yourself in an extraordinary place you forget that its not about you at all; you are, in fact, just a tourist passing through something that is already extraordinary. Did I feel amazing when the Sox won the World Series in 2004? Yes, yes I did. But I didn't win the game that took the title, only watched it on television.

 

I mean, our life is something pretty crazy but its not the most remarkable. However, we did meet a very remarkable couple thursday night, and I'm still so moved by their deed that it must be shared. I won't tell you their names because I didn't get their permission, but I wish I had.

 

We were sitting down to dinner and drinks at this place called Iron Fairies over on Thong Lor and recognized the familiar accent of American peeps seated next to us. We assumed they were a young couple on their honeymoon or something, but in fact they had an amazing story. The young man had read a book in which the writer was to be the subject of a movie. His life leading up to the point of the movie was so commonplace that the filmmakers decided to embellish his history just a bit. The young man we met was struck by the fact that most of the life-changing events that we focus on, such as changing jobs, buying a car, or taking a vacation, are so common and make little impact on the world we live in. He was afraid of looking back on his life one day and seeing nothing that enriched himself or others. So at the age of 25 or 26, he sagely set out to change that. He looked at a map of the world and randomly selected the country of Thailand, and then chose an orphanage to sponsor.

 

Over the next sixteen months, he and his friend raised over one million Baht to donate to this orphanage. Just because. And the purpose of their trip was to finally set foot in the orphanage, and present that gift to the children. And then continue with his life, probably to punctuate it again from time to time with more selfless acts.

 

As we sat and listened, I noticed he didn't ask for more contributions. His task was complete. And he didn't boast about his deed. He was already fulfilled. And I felt a little embarrassed that I had been so engaged with my own 'extraordinary life' that I forgot exactly what role I played within it.

 

And I will always have faith in humankind, because we happened, on just another ordinary date night, to sit next to two of the most selfless people I have ever met.

A Day Trip to Ayutthaya

 Have you ever been caught in a moment? Or stood on the foreground of a picture postcard?

Have you ever stood in a place knowing that someday you would be looking at it from the pages of some coffee table book, thinking with amazement that you have been there?

I've been lucky. There have been quite a few of those moments. One of the first was looking over the rooftops and ruins of Rome. I knew it was a "moment" when I touched my face, and was shocked to find tears. But now I guess you could say I'm a travel junkie. Always looking to catch that moment again. I could list for you all the amazing places I've been, the wonders I've seen (so far) but I won't. Those remain in my own mental catalogue, that I think over often and smile. Its my drug. What can I say?

Well, I got my fix last weekend. And it felt won-der-fulllll. My hun even remarked that of all four of us, I visibly enjoyed our trip the most. I couldn't help it. Because Sunday we walked, climbed, and crawled all over the ruins of Ayutthaya. We started out on Sunday after lunch, and arrived in about an hour on a gorgeous day. Driving into the centre, we realized we hadn't brought a single guidebook.

Thank god for smartphones.

Or you could just follow the elephants.

 

Oh, man, with the elephants again. Seriously.

 

We leisurely visited three sites. Starting with Wat Mahathat, where you can view the famous head of Buddha embedded in the base of a growing tree. We tried to keep the kids entertained as we strolled through the grounds, and then on to Wat Ratchaburana, where you can almost imagine how the temples used to look before they were destroyed by the Burmese army.

 

And as the sun was going down, we drove in to Wat Sri San Phet. (Beware of the guys claiming you must pay them 20baht for parking. It doesn't take more than a look to realize they are not legit.) The standing temple outside the ancient grounds was bustling with people coming to pay respect on the New Year and music was being played on the loudspeaker.

 

Here, if you wish you can purchase a small cage of birds, or a fish or turtle depending on what you need. The people selling them are glad to explain which to choose, for example, if you are hoping a sick relative gets better, or send off bad feelings, etc. Then you release them, so you may hopefully acquire good merit from the deed. Each purchase comes with some kind of prayer card to read as you do so, but stinks to be me, it was in Thai.

 

We spied on these people releasing their fish. Just for you.

You're welcome.

 



 

And then came that "moment." When I realized we were walking around and climbing to the tops of these historical spires. The moment when I could keep this image forever in my memory, not from a book, but here. In this moment. In person.

 



 

Unforgettable.

 

 

 

 

And as the sun finally set, we drove away, stopped off at a fish restaurant for dinner, and were driven INSANE by our two sweaty, exhausted children as punishment. It happens. And it was totally worth it for that "moment."