Where In The World Is Papa Smurf?

A couple of weeks ago we took the kids to El Centro Mall to have their picture taken...El Centro Mall is like...the Ghetto Mall. It consists mainly of dollar stores and the Say Cheez! photography studio where we took the kids to get pics done for under $20. and that should explain all on its own what I was doing with my children in a place such as El Centro Mall. The kids, however, were fascinated. In fact...all I heard about while we were waiting in Say Cheez! was....'can we go to Gold Mine?' 'if we're good can we go?' 'after we're done, can we go?' 'I want to go to Gold Mine.' 'we can go if we're good?' 'we can go if we behave?' 'after we're done here we can go over there?' until I wanted to pull my hair out and throw a hand grenade across the hall into the damn Gold Mine. and then the best part...the part where I got my revenge...was that only the first two feet of the Gold Mine contained candy. The rest of the shop was pool tables and gangsta wear. big rings and watches and keychains in the shape of marijuana plants. and as Cris eyed up the candy...Iliana made her way back to the pool tables where two large men with no sleeves on their shirts were shooting pool. and my God did she stare...until I hissed at her to come back to the candy. so while we were waiting for our proofs, we strolled down the mall towards the insanely huge Joy Dollar store and eventually wound up in the Kay-Bee Clearance store. an entire toy store full of CLEARANCE toys?! I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. 'Pick out a toy! We'll get you a toy!' I generously offered. and while the kids were browsing...so too was I. and there in the front was a GLORIOUS box full of SMURFS! lotsandlotsandlots of SMURFS! hurray for SMURFS! Smurfs that stood about 2 inches high for ONLY....what the...THREE DOLLARS PER SMURF! what madness was this!? I had already grabbed three smurfs that I wanted...but $3?! I chunked two back into the box (some clearance) and kept one Papa Smurf. I had originally intended to give this Papa Smurf to my sister...but then a strange thing happened. first of all, I never actually delivered it to her. I stood Papa Smurf on top of the cabinet over our stove (which is probably the only cabinet in the world with what looks like a little smurf balcony) and there he sat for days...watching our kitchen activities. and then I waited. and waited. for Cristian to find Papa Smurf. almost 3 weeks later he finally noticed Papa Smurf and now we have a new game. its called Where In The World Is Papa Smurf. I hide....I mean....Papa Smurf hides in a new spot until he is found. kind of like that traveling gnome that sends pictures of himself from all over the world. this is fun! and I think Cristian really wants to believe that Papa Smurf is getting up on his two little red feet and hiding himself! and of course I encourage that belief. yesterday I put a note in his lunch box that said....'You will never find Papa Smurf! -Mom' and he informed me that he tore that note to pieces. he is DETERMINED to find Papa Smurf. dont tell Cris but right now Papa Smurf is lounging on an end table behind some candles. and I'm not even giving hints this time!