Qualifications :
- You must be friendly (you can occasionally talk about people behind their back, but only if you've lived her a minimum of 7 years)
- You have to wave at every car that drives down the road. Whether you know them or not.
- AND you must be willing to risk your life and run out into the road at any given moment to wave down a car that might be going a little too fast.
- You must be able to prepare cookies and dinners for a neighbor in need.
- You will be required to stand out on the sidewalk and talk with a gathering of adult neighbors while little neighbors play from yard to yard and down the street.
- You have to attend block parties and cookie decorating parties and easter egg hunts and emergency preparedness events.
- You need to support all of the children who come knocking at your door to sell cookie dough and muffin mixes. (because one day it's pay backs and you'll have kids in school programs that will sell this stuff too. 5 in fact. at the same time probably)
- Your door must be unlocked for kids to come over and let themselves in, looking for another kid to play with.
- Your lawn has to be kept up, or the ones who have lived here a minimum of 7 years WILL gossip about you. and sometimes even the ones who have only been here 2 years. oh just mow your lawn people.
This is my neighborhood. Most of the moms with young kids stay at home. Which means that there is usually someone to call last minute to join you at a park for lunch.
Everyone is nice. Seriously. We named it Pleasantville when we moved here because when we would come home 5 people would wave at us before we pulled into our driveway.
J's sister visited us once and came in with her chin on the floor....she said, "a cop just drove by and waved at me. I've never had a cop wave at me in my entire life !!" granted, he lives next door to us...but still, she was thrilled.
Location location location.
Just down the street is the elementary school. Syd crosses 2 neighborhood streets to get there.
A couple of blocks the other way is our pre school. It's in our neighbors house. She does great, she taught Syd how to read like a champ.
Just across the street to the west of the pre school is where Syd takes piano. Again. another neighbor who teaches out of her home. Syd rides her scooter there after school once a week.
I can walk to the bank, grocery store, McDonalds and IFA. If I wanted to cross a busy street I could even walk to the library and a payless shoe store :)
I have 8 girls that have and do babysit for me that just walk to my house.
I know. nice right.
kickbacks
You are also treated to dinners and treats when a kid ends up in the hospitals PICU after a simple surgical procedure.
I have neighbors who will call and say, "I'm headed to (insert name of store) can I pick anything up for you while I'm there ?"
Always something around the holidays. We have a lady who every year plans an Easter egg hunt for the kids. After the hunt she has homemade scones and orange juice....all served up by her husband who is dressed like the Easter bunny.
We have a neighbor who has a cookie decorating night for Halloween (last week) and has witches brew (root beer in dry ice) and someone does another one at Christmas time.
You can walk to borrow eggs, milk or sugar and sometimes they have kids that want to bring it right to your doorstep.
I won't go on. I mean. how great is this.
We've talked about moving. We've talked about how we have 2 bedrooms and an office that are housing all 7 of us and how nice it would be to add a bedroom or 2 to that, all on the same level.
There is just no way we would move away from all of this.
Kids playing outside on the street until after dark while the moms sit and visit on someone's porch. The sense of security and friendship that we've been able to build.
Pretty great people.
We had a halloween party in our yard Saturday night. A few of us put it together and decided it would be fun for all of the little little kids (9'ish and under)
We ate dinner, played fun games, had a treasure hunt through the neighborhood with flash lights, told scary stories around a fire pit and then watched The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown movie on the wall to our garage. it was SO much fun.
(now you can puke in your mouth a little bit...I know you want to)
It seems I got a lot of pictures of everyone eating. After dinner I was busy with the games and stuff. oh well....here you go. Lots of pictures of eating.
Even the games were about eating.
The Mummy Game. not about eating.
Our witch's story around the campfire. (yes, one of our neighbors dressed up like a witch just for us....her daughter is one of our babysitters)
I love Spencer's face in this.....I think he's buying it.
The witch gave away the last clue for the treasure hunt so everyone took off running. The reason I like this picture is because the woman in the middle (also the PTA president) is trying to tell all of the kids to be careful and watch for cars as they take off for another house to find the treasure) bwaaa haaa haaa haa
Such a great night. It might just have to become an annual thing.oh and also. I miss Mr. Rogers.
It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
It's a neighborly day in this beautywood,
A neighborly day for a beauty,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you,
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.
So let's make the most of this beautiful day,
Since we're together, we might as well say,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?
Won't you please,
Won't you please,
Please won't you be my neighbor?
