Everett Candy Experiments

The Everett librarian and I thought that the rainstorm outside would keep the kids home. I thought we'd be lucky if we had 5. Instead, our 24-max Hands On Candy Presentation ended up with 30 kids! With well-behaved kids, and helpful parents, we were still able to get through all the activities.

Our program today had 15 adults (thank goodness!) and 30 kids (yay! …The kids had fun and we were very happy to have so many parents helping out with the experiments…Loralee was very organized and efficient and was able to keep chaos from breaking out even with a very crowded room. Some of the science we learned was about acids, colors, endothermic reactions, air pressure, and how much sugar is hidden in everyday foods besides candy. Some of the kids were very impressed and grossed out which is always fun… Thank you for another fun program.

The phone call

After dragging my feet for something like four years in the fear that I'd be cold calling strangers to no avail, I got up the courage to search the white pages to try to find my high school chemistry teacher to tell him about my books and what an influence he'd had. First number in the phone book was the right one, and he was right by the phone. We had such a great conversation, and he was very pleased to hear from me.

I'm so glad I got up the courage and made the call!

That moment

after coming home from martial arts with Genevieve (who stopped climbing out of the playpen after I fetched Color Wonder markers from the car, thereby earning me at least one more day of exercise before she breaks free forever) who wanted to play outside, and found her bike helmet, so I rolled her little bike over to the hollow in the grass where she can pedal in safe immobility while eating a slice of bread, and then she wanted to go on the swing even though I said it was raining, so I pushed her, and then she said "Mommy, you go on the swing!" and I said "No, I don't want to get wet" and she ordered "Mommy, sit down!" and I said "no" and she yelled "Sit down so I can push you!" and so I sat on the wet yellow cracking plastic to feel her gentle hands nudge me into a slight sway, and she climbed on the swing-ladder next to me so we could swing together in the rain.

Totally worth a wet butt.

School

7 year old R today designed a school schedule for 2 year old G:
1. Art
2. Resses
3. Naptime
4. Story time
5. Go home
My kind of school!

Magic on the Beach: a 6 year old's story

Once upon a time there was a beach. The beach was magic. It was filled with gold and music. The sun shined every day. It only rained one time a week. The rain always went in order, first Monday then Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and last of all Sanday during church. There was a big village there. I wanted to move there. There was a garden where all the food was. Next to the garden was a store where food could not grow in the garden. The schools were big and children loved school! There wasn’t cereal for breakfast there was healthy things like eggs, fish, fruit, vegetables, yogurt, and other things. Everybody lived in a hotel. The hotel had everything people need.

It's almost as bad as Palestine

A wrestling match over a box of mini spooners has turned into camp-david style negotiations on dispute resolution. Rejected cereal-sharing proposals include
"I get first dibs"
"I get first dibs and then he gets it"
"She gets two mini spooners, then I get a full bowl, then she gets a full bowl"
"Let's do Eeny Meeny Mini Moe" (he turns it down because it takes to long, she does it anyway resolving it in his favor, he protests and turns it down again)
rock paper scissors
rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock
Ancient Cowboy ("No, I'll do regular cowboy but not ancient cowboy")
chopsticks
phone, storekeeper, robber
crayon, paper, scissors
"crayon, paper, lizard, 1, 2, 3, creative!"

They end up standing back to back, one doing Rock Paper Scissors and one doing Crayon Paper Lizard, with older sister mediator yelling for a redo. Then the victor refuses to serve himself his cereal until little sister is back at the table, leaving the field free for her to claim the spoils anyway.

Furniture

This is how you install a new couch.

1. Notice one couch is broken and one couch is ugly and stained. Decide to buy new couch.
2. Spot perfect couch at Costco. Sit on it, walk around it, lean back on it. Compare it with the specs of your desired furniture. (Leather, check! Recliner seat, check!) Decide to buy.
3. Learn product is out of stock.
4. Call other stores to see if they have it. (No.)
5. Return to Costco to see if they have it. (No.)
6. Call Costco Friday night to see if they have it in yet. Yes! Rush to Costco to buy couch and stuff it in the back of a Rav4 for transport home.
7. Call Dad to come help move the couch. Shift all furniture to middle of room where it creates an island of flotsam.
8. Couch is way too heavy for three to lift up the stairs, so shift it into the garage.
9. Make room for new couch by taking stained couch (plus overstuffed chair plus ottoman) to dump.
10. Text other friends to try to recruit more helpers. No response.
11. Wait three days.
12. Answer an evening knock at the door to find the missionaries wanting to borrow a bicycle pump. Loan them a pump. Ask them to help with the couch.
13. Carry the couch up the walkway and up to the porch one difficult stair at at time.
14. Hit the back of the porch. Stop moving couch.
15. Tip couch up on end to get the rest of it on the porch. Hit the roof.
16. Lower couch. Compare couch with porch, roof, and door. Run spatial analysis brain algorithms.
17. Realize it will NOT fit.
18. Carry couch back down walkway.
19. Clean out minivan. Stuff couch inside. Stuff missionaries inside.
20. Drive couch and missionaries to Costco. 
21. Return couch. (Not missionaries.)
22. Push broken couch back against the wall. Admire shiny floor where stained couch used to be. Wonder where guests are going to sit now!

Cheat sheet

I wish you got a cheat sheet for well-baby checkups: you mean that instead of singing we were supposed to be naming body parts?

Genius play or office sabotage?

My 18-month's favorite activity: pulling the paper clip box out of my desk drawer and scattering them all over the carpet