Miscellaneous Science Museum thoughts Thursday

I took the kids to the Science Museum yesterday. Here were a few of my observations/thoughts:

There never seems to be a shortage of energetic greeters at the door who are driving segways and have consumed entirely too much a caffeine.

I think they're just trying to compete with the zoo next door. I would pay so much money to see a caffeinated, skinny-jeans- wearing bear driving a segway and giving kids high fives as they entered the zoo.

When did science geeks start dressing fashionably, spiking their hair, and wearing skinny jeans? I'm telling you ladies, if you're single and available, the museum's the place...... 

Mom jeans and tucked in t-shirts. The museum's also the place for these.

I detest the smell of maple syrup anytime after the breakfast hour. The mirror maze reeks of maple syrup. Next time I'm taking a pass.

The science museum is the only place in the world that a kid can climb onto a cavity. And it's the only time you will ever hear a child gleefully yell, "LOOK! A CAVITY!"

According to Raegan, the sediment canister demonstrating erosion is chocolate milk. I will never be able to convince her otherwise.

Note to the museum: If it requires a joystick, take it to the dumpster. Did you not learn anything from the slow and painful demise of Enterprise Square?

I have never been more relieved to see a sanitation cart and a jumpsuit-clad janitor spraying down exhibit surfaces. So many kids. So many kids touching things. So many sticky, maple syrup coated fingers. Ah yes....I remember why I quit teaching middle school now.

I mistakenly called a floatation device on the wing of an aircraft a torpedo. A man wearing a fanny pack, short shorts, and several wristwatches glanced at me sympathetically, and then proceeded to explain in detail exactly what we were looking at. I wanted to glance down sympathetically at his short shorts, and refer him to the skinny-jeans-wearing segway driver down the hall. Next time.

I take it back about the bear and the segway. I would settle for these characters.....

Rainy morning siblings

Deal of the century

www.restaurant.com

Why have I never heard about this before yesterday?  My friends Kenny and Lisa let me know about some amazing discounts on restaurants you can find here.  It seems too good to be true, but you can buy $25 gift certificates to participating restaurants in your zip code for $10.  The crazy thing is, today and tomorrow, you can buy them for $2.00.  All you have to do is enter the discount code NAPKIN at checkout.  

For real, it worked.  I just bought gift certificates for ten GOOD restaurants.  I spent twenty dollars!

The certificates expire in one year, don't include alcohol, and usually require a minimum purchase (like $35).  You're still only spending like $10 for that entire meal.

I'm so excited.  

Sentence fragments thoughts Thursday

I think the title might be different each week.  I'm crazy like that.

These thoughts are short today.  Like a couple of sentences each.  Here goes:

Spent $120 dollars on co-pays and steroid inhalers for Raegan yesterday.  Inflamed bronchial tubes in July.  Lovely.  

Greyson has a fever.

All I want to do is go on a fun family outing.  Like to a petting zoo, campground, or water park.

Yesterday I took them to the cemetery.  Because tombstones don't mind a little coughing and low grade fever. (Don't worry violin students, the house was disinfected).

They love the 'cemertery.'

The cemetery made me cry yesterday, and I don't want to go again for a while.  Somebody's mother had "I love you a bushel and a peck, a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck" on her headstone.  I say that to my kids.  Waterworks.

Fever and all, Greyson wants to wear his crocs and is informing me it's time to ride his scooter.  Right this second.  

I want a coffeemaker that brews coffee in 5 minutes and not thirty.  Right this second.

Let's face it, I want a Starbucks barista in my kitchen all day.  Keri?

Favorite breakfast of the month:  vanilla yogurt with fresh blueberries.  If I'm feeling adventurous, a little granola mixed in.

Greyson eats lots of blueberries.  Too many.

Raegan eats lots of.........nothing.  Except bread and honey.  And feta cheese.  And various foods dipped in ranch.

I never want to smell or taste ranch again.  Feta cheese, maybe.

Time to scooter.

Happy low grade fever day.

Funniest thing I have ever heard

On the children's CD my husband has been asked to make for our church:

Me:  "How's the CD coming along?

Erick:  (Matter of factly)  Well, just trying to come up with a creative way to make something musical without using music."

Oh my.  I almost lost control of the car for laughing so hard.  You keep it up, babe.  The church will no doubt appreciate your laborious efforts of beating on your chest with your fists, stomping your feet on the carpet, and turning finger snaps into a thousand drum sets.  That's all I have to say about that.  ;)

Bocaditos de Jengibre

Imagine my delight shopping alone at Wal-Mart Supercenter for a solid hour without the dearies.  Imagine my delight at sipping coffee BY MYSELF, eating dark chocolate plumsweets BY MYSELF, and stumbling across these beauties on the cookie aisle.  

My ginger snaps! Complete with new packaging and spanish subtitles.  Be still my heart.

Alas, something has been lost in translation.  Literally.  Maybe it's the new claim of 'no artificial flavors' or the promise on the side of the box of being 'snappy, jazzy, and guaranteed.'  They're just a little too snappy, a little too jazzy.  I want no guarantees.  I want artificial flavors.  Give me your second best.  Give me your generic brown packaging.  Wrap me in your empty calories, my friend.

Ahem.  

This is probably a great thing for the health of my stomach, but not so much for my need for a favorite nighttime comfort food.

If anyone has a great CRUNCHY ginger snap recipe, I'm in the market.  

Sunday night rooskaters

Eat dinner with BK group.

Ride scooters and bikes in the street.

Hop on other bicycles and trailer and take kids to see Daddy's office.

Daddy left office keys at home and is locked out.

Have to settle for Jimmy John's chips and drinks next door as a consolation.

Mom spills entire bag of chips.

Hop back on bikes.

Listen to sobs from Greyson about going to rocketship park.  Dude, it's 9:00.  30 minutes past your regular bedtime.  AND, we cut your nap in half today.  Fun day for all.

Quick stop to gawk at bulldozers down the street.  Sobbing subsides.

Leave bulldozer.  Sobbing resumes.

Find year old push up pops in freezer.  Attempt to feed Raegan purple and Greyson orange.  Consensus was they tasted like 'old slimy frogs.'  Settled for the last bit of ice cream in the carton.

Daddy pulls out rooskater (skateboard) from garage.  Rocketship park is forgotten, and two sticky tired kids learn a few tips from an aging skateboarder.  I mean, a lean, mean, muscled skateboarding machine.  Just look at that arm.

Quick bath.

Warm milk.

One last Barney pleas are ignored.

One last Bible story pleas are not ignored.

Kisses and hugs.

Bedtime.

At 9:40.

Surely little boy will sleep past 5:30 a.m.

Surely....... 

Monday morning update:  5:40 a.m.  Hey, it's 10 minutes.......

I need another word besides (Random) Thoughts Thursday

I am so tired of the word random, but don't know what else to use.  I'm thinking it's days are numbered, though.  Suggestions welcome...

I saw a billboard coming back from the hospital last night that said "Why pay an NYC price for insurance when you live in the heartland?"  So is it 'a NYC price' or 'an NYC price' ?  Does the abbreviation change the rule?

Someone flipped the switch from 'pink-scootering, potty training breeze, not a care in the world, laughing, smiling, angel boy' to 'pink-scootering, potty training sometimes I have accidents, not a whine that I don't know in the world, pouting, pretend frowning, two year old boy.' 

I'm not happy about the switch.  I want my baby back.

I'm also not happy that Wal-Mart has stopped making/carrying/producing their Great Value Ginger Snaps.  Those babies were a major source of nighttime comfort food and perfect for blogging and checking facebook statuses.  Where did they go?  Now I'm stuck with Sam's Choice cajun trail mix.  Loaded with garlic and cayenne pepper.  I'm sure my students love me more than they usually do.  Which is a lot, no doubt. ;)

Yesterday I had to take away my daughter's instrument and bow as a consequence for something.  Although slightly upset that she had disobeyed me about something, I was secretly thrilled that a legitimate punishment for her right now is taking that little squeaky piece of wood away for five minutes.  I think violin camp has paid off, Mom.

Raegan only noticed that Pinky the betta fish was gone when she saw the empty aquarium in the garage two days ago.  She shed exactly half a tear that quickly subsided when she couldn't find her bicycle and thought it had been stolen.

I'm thinking of hiding the hamsters for a few days and see if she notices.  Anyone want two adorable, quiet, odorless furballs?  I will warn you, Raegan claims one is a boy named Running-wheel, and the other is a girl named Furry and she is blind.

All I have to say is those things better not be true to their names.  Big, burly Running-wheel meets petite, blind Furry darling.  That's a recipe for a colony-sized nightmare.

I seem to be full of prayer requests these days.  Sometimes when it rains, it pours.

Michael and Mandy (McDonald) Flaming's little girl was diagnosed with leukemia on Sunday.  Her name is Tatum.  Although Mandy said the treatment is highly effective, they need all the support and prayers they can get.  We're praying, Mandy!

Erick's mom had to take Katie (Erick's sister's little girl) to Childrens hospital at 1:30 this morning.  She has been battling pneumonia-like symptoms for a while now, and does in fact have pneumonia.  She will probably be in the hospital a few days.  Her baby brother is on the NICU in the floor directly underneath.  He's still weighs three pounds, but is slowly getting bigger.  He will have heart surgery to repair his heart abnormalities when he is strong enough.  Needless to say, Erick's mom is exhausted.

Thanks for your prayers.

Things learned while waiting in the Doctor's waiting room for an eternity

I'm not bitter about having to wait in the Doctor's waiting room for forty-five minutes.  Really, I'm not.  I love being cram packed in a 8 by 8 space watching people pretend to read, text, and watch the flat screen for assorted trivia regarding anything female related when all they're really doing is analyzing and people watching.

I learned several things from my annual visit (courtesy of the informational flat screen, people watching, and conversing with my Doctor.) 

1.  A serving of cheese is the size of two dice.

2.  A serving of meat is the size of a tennis ball.

3.  Women need to be screened for bone density at age 65, men at 70.

4.  Men pretend to be supportive walking into an estrogen filled waiting room, but really just want to pull their hair out and run right back out the door.

5.  Gum digests at a normal rate and does not take 7 years to digest.  The only danger is from choking.

6. Conversation with Doctors at certain exams is never natural or comfortable.  I only want to talk about my career when fully dressed, looking into your eyes, and sitting anywhere else than on crinkly white paper.

7.  Some Doctors (namely, mine) are under the impression that musicians in symphonies are simply volunteering their time and are not compensated.  Uhhh....

8.  I wanted to ask him if he was compensated for his time delivering babies, talking to women sitting on crinkly white paper, and listening to fetal heartbeats.  

9.  But then I remembered he lives in a million dollar house on the west side of town.

10. I guess if I were compensated for my 'musician services' I might own a million dollar home, too.

I feel like I've been hit by a semi, run over by a four wheeler, and dragged through the streets. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but I'm counting my day with these little dearies as my service project for Mission Sunday. Whew. Thank goodness for a depressing episode of Little House on the Prairie to slow things down for a few minutes.

Random Thoughts Thursday

They say happiness is when the kids move out of the house, and the fish, hamsters, and dog die.

One down, three to go.

I killed the fish.

Something traumatic always happens the week of south-side VBS.  Last year I severed Artemis' head.  This year, the only thing that is severed is my heart.  I loved that little fish.  Raegan's first pet, the easiest animal to care for, and the first to go.

Well, Raegan is extremely upset.  She has asked about her pet a total of ZERO times.  I'm tempted to wait and see how long it takes, but I don't want to be on the same continent when she realizes her beloved's fate.  It will be ugly, folks.

In the hopes of not having to endure sob-fest 2009, I'm heading to Pet's Mart first thing this morning.  Praying Pinky had a twin........

Much in part to my gloomy outlook, I decided to take the kids to the local cemetery yesterday morning.  Actually, Raegan has been begging me to go to the 'aquarium' (she really gets confused and means cemetery) since I told her there are tons of feathers all over the ground.

My Dad used to take me and my brother when we were little.  Same cemetery, same fountains, same feathers.  Major deja vu.

There is something lovely and peaceful (dare I say fun) about the cemetery.  Morbid....okay, maybe a little.  I would say it's more of a gentle reminder about living each day we are given, and realizing that we are only here for a second.  If it weren't weird, I would say more people should purchase plots and headstones when they are young, and just have them laying there waiting.  

Lucy 1943-

Tom 1942-

We saw two of those lying side by side.  After thinking it was really strange and depressing, I started to see the practicality of it.  Well, practical or not, I don't want anyone buying my headstone just yet.  I would settle for a new coffee maker, though.

For real, my coffee maker takes one hour to brew six cups of coffee.  That's why I always end of at Starbucks......I can't stand the wait.

Maybe for Christmas.

This is getting more random, and I haven't had my coffee yet (obviously).

Have a great Thursday!

Thank you

4:45 wake up call again.  Yes, I know I signed on for this when I decided to become a mother.  No, it doesn't mean I will ever delight in waking with Panera and Starbucks employees.  Oh, but I thank you dear friends for leaving the comfort of your warm beds and trudging yourself to work at horrific hours.  I thank you for accepting my 5:55 coffee drive-through order even though I'm 5 minutes early.  From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

To the Walgreens cashier:  I know you have been working the graveyard shift all night.  I realize the temperatures in your store rival those of the arctic tundra.  I'm sure the winter coat you wear provides minimal protection against these elements.  That said, I'm certain the last thing you want to hear is a bed headed mother grumbling about her little blonde headed alarm clock and a shortage of milk in the house.  But I thank you for your understanding.

To the country roads I find myself blindly navigating: You do not receive the necessary attention you deserve.  Potholes, ridges, and gravel covered intersections are not proper treatment for a twilight miracle worker as yourself.  You do for mothers what no bed, blanket, or teddy bear can offer.  You provide a welcome silence from a grouchy, sleep-deprived backseat.  For that, I thank you.

To the birds roosting in the bradford pear by my garage at 6:00 in the morning:  I do not thank you.  You can single-wingedly undo the spell of the asphalt miracle worker in a matter of thirty seconds.

To Barney and Stuart Little 2:  Although we have a love/hate relationship, I'm grateful for the solace you provide following the nanosecond nap in the backseat.

To the makers of the Special K 90 calorie 'breakfast bar':  You are entirely too crumbly and sticky and are no friend to a 6:15 couch and a sleep deprived mother.  I want to throw you to the roosting birds.  

To Greyson:  I don't thank you.  

Nothin' says love like a hermit crab

Composing the perfect card.

I guess giving a little boy an odd creature with red, white and blue paint covering it's shell entitles you to sit on the present-opening bench.

Setting sun, friends are swimming, and  birthday boy is bonding with crabby.  Love this picture.

If I had known Rob shared his son's love of creatures, I might have come out of the orchestra room to catch a few of his basketball games in high school.

Because what girl doesn't love a long horned beetle?

Some of you have probably seen this, but I wanted to post this video on my blog.  This little girl's struggle with an aggressive brain tumor is heartbreaking.  As I have been lifting up Kate in my prayers today, I have been reminded once again about putting things in perspective and being grateful for the blessings of my own family.  I believe in the power of prayer and a God that can do miraculous things.  Please pray for a miracle for this family.

Read her updates here

Daddy singing

Super sticky family portrait minus Greyson's face

The girls

End of the bike parade

Already embarrassed to be seen with Ama and her annual headpiece.....I feel ya, kid.

Me and Candita

The best griller in the State.

The only 'fireworks' my little boy is going to see.  Thanks Uncle Jeff.

So glad Grandma Nona is here

7th grader driving a Gator.  Not sure that's legal...

What?  No fireworks?

My little swimming prune.

Happy 4th of July!

Quotes

Quotes from Raegan's violin lesson this afternoon:

(Spoken to teacher)

1. "Well, you're not going to believe it, but one of my hamsters pee-peed on my dress. See?"

(and preceded to point to the affected yellow area and insist that her teacher bend down to investigate.)  

"I usually just get a dry rag to wipe it off. Wet rags are gross and get me soaking wet."

Note to Raegan: Wet rags are way less offensive than hamster urine.

Note to self: Remember to inspect all clothing before heading to lesson next week. 

2. "Well, whenever I look at a cozy place, I start to need to go pee-pee. But we can't pee-pee in our pants."

Right, honey. Just tell that to your brother and hamsters.

Next week, maybe we can focus more on the music and less on the bodily functions.......

Never thought I would type that.

Greyson's prayer last night:

Dear God, thank you for dogs, balls, water-guns, and roo-skaters. (roller skates and skateboards)  Amen.

Please stay two forever.

Favorites

I hate to be a blogger that feels compelled to post something every single day.  I know what I cooked for dinner and said to Erick and goodness knows what other boring information I shouldn't share but do anyways just has to be unbelievably exciting.  So forgive me for the days that I put something up out of a pure need to escape to my computer for five minutes while my children handle rodents, argue, search to see where I have disappeared to, argue some more, and ask for the thousandth time what we are going to do that day.

And it's only 8 in the morning.  Ahhhh, summer.

With that said, I do have my staple four or five that I do have to check more than once a day because I love them so much.  They don't have to say anything meaningful at all.......I'm okay with that.  I want to know that they ate Sour Patch kids and a Diet Coke for dinner.  Great.  I had a boiled egg and a Hershey's bar.  Let's be friends.   

Four of these favorites are Big Mama, Rocks in my Dryer, Boo Mama, and Pioneer Woman.  Strange names, yes.  Great blogs, yes.  

Imagine the pangs of jealousy that ripped through my heart when I realized these four women were congregating on the Pioneer Woman's homestead without me.  

I DIDN'T even know you all KNEW each other!!!!  (Well, at least you three didn't know the Pioneer Woman.  No one knows the Pioneer Woman.  She's an internet mirage....)

For three days, oogling over Ree's (can I call you that?) fabulous dishes and eating homemade cinnamon rolls.  Sleeping in the lodge and gathering enough blog material for their own sites for a decade.  My worlds were definitely colliding.

I felt as if I should have been consulted in some way about the decision to spend the weekend together.  At least I would have liked to have been included.  

After all, you all are on my favorites list.

Besides, I know the names of your children, your unborn grandchildren, and what all of them ate and/or will eat for dinner.

I am going nowhere with this post.  I just feel some strange need to verbalize my emotions surrounding the blogging community.  It's bizarre seeing the one-sided attachments that can be formed.....attachments in which complete strangers can seem like best friends.

I think it's time I found some new bff's.  

Like, ones that talk back.  There's a thought.