Our car hit a huge milestone this week. Lance nearly drove us off the road in an effort to take this picture. He’d been watching the odometer for soooo long, no conversation for us this morning. Ah, the price we pay to disseminate information to our five readers!

Again I am using this blog not as a way to disseminate information, but as a sort of memory journal. A way to box up a moment, and keep it for myself for later. You all are welcome to enjoy it as well, if you like.

Tonight was just a regular Tuesday night, at the end of a busy day of homeschooling, laundry and dishes. Lance got home around six, and I kissed him, apologizing for not having the house cleaner when he got in. I had planned to make Mimi’s brunch potatoes and scrambled eggs for dinner. I worked on the potatoes, which wouldn’t stop sticking to the pan, as Lance cracked the eggs. We chatted about our days, as we cooked. Ellie brought things to show us, while we stood at the stove. She tugged on our pants over and over to get our attention, before she would toddle off to find something else. At the last moment, Lance and I threw sausage into the eggs, leftover from Sunday pizza night. Nothing special, but Sam went on and on about how wonderful dinner was. He couldn’t have been cuter about it, making an effort to thank both Lance and I for the marvelous meal.

After dinner, we had a bit of homeschool show and tell. We are studying the Middle Ages, learning about knights and castles. Today’s history lesson talked about what folks from the Middle Ages wore. Did you know that none of those fancy clothes had pockets? Me neither. Lords, Ladies and commoners put important things in pouches and carried those around, usually tied around their waists. So as an impromptu craft, we made pouches. And then filled them with our important things– tiny puppies, baseball cards, a wiener whistle. So we told Dad all about the Middle Ages, and we showed him our pouches. Then Dad started telling the boys about currency during that same time. He told them that spices, like salt and pepper, were often used in place of coins. He said that salt was particularly valuable because it was the only way to preserve meat before refrigerators. He said, “So if you went to the store to buy a puppy, the shopkeeper might tell you that the puppy cost either three gold coins or three bags of salt.” At this, Josh’s eyes grew huge, “Daddy, why would you want to put so much salt on a puppy?” So sweet. I kissed him. Lance tried to explain again, but Josh couldn’t move past the salted dog. So my perfectly good social studies lesson went elsewhere in a handbasket, and we all had a good laugh.

Then it was on to baths. Ellie usually gets a bath by herself in the kids’ bathroom, while the boys have serious debate about location and arrangement. Sometimes they shower, sometimes they wait for Ellie to finish, sometimes they jump in with her and then complain that it’s crowded. Tonight Sam talked Josh into a bath together in my big garden tub (why is it called that?) I brought in a couple boats and a couple Diegos. And then later some tiny rubber sharks and crabs. They played perfectly. For over an hour. Together. Laughing and only getting the walls a little wet. The floor, of course, was toast.

I folded laundry, and checked on Lance and Ellie. Getting to bathe Ellie is like Disneyland to my husband. So much fun, silly games, unlimited laughter. I walk in on him tickling her so hard I thought she might bust. And then later I caught him putting the rubber duck into his mouth, just to make her laugh. They passed toys back and forth, chewed on foam airplanes, and splashed until the water grew cold, and I finally cut them off.

Then it was off to snuggles and a quick nurse with Mom. She smiled and coo-ed, and then laid her head on my shoulder as we rocked over her crib. She sucked her fingers and sighed contentedly. We must have swayed there for five full minutes. Heaven. She was warm and soft in her fresh jammies. Her hair, still short and curly, smelled like the yellow baby shampoo. Her little left hand wrapped around my shoulder and rubbed my shirt back and forth. She grew heavy in my arms. Finally, she pulled away and kissed her Boo, and it was probably a good thing– I had committed to not moving for as long as she stayed on my shoulder, and my arms were about to fall off. I kissed her, and wrapped her blankie around her.

While I was putting her down, Lance and the boys shared some ice cream, and read a few pages of their chapter book. Then we wiped sticky faces, and sent everyone to potty one more time. I went back upstairs and into Sam’s room. I thanked him for a wonderful day, especially for his kindness during dinner. When I asked for a hug, he climbed up into my lap. I don’t get very many lap snuggles from my big kid these days. We told stories for a moment, mostly about Boo, and then we read the words on his new pillow case together. Josh came running in, teeth freshly brushed and wet hair all over the place.

“Good night, Sam,” he said. And then Dad walked in. Next thing I knew, we were all in a tickling, kissing, laughing pile on the floor. We giggled until our sides hurt, and Sam started coughing. We said it was time for bed, and Sam gave Josh the nicest hug. They looked so big in their matching jammies.

I walked Josh down to his room and tucked him in. We sang his song, and prayed. I kissed his damp hair, and snuggled his new quilt around him. We said goodnight. Helped him find Tag. One last hug.

And then I came downstairs, to my computer. I moved a guitar, a bookbag, an army costume, and a baby shoe off the couch, making room to sit down. Hurrying. Typing it all so I wouldn’t forget.

So I am not a big proponent of what I refer to as “pity bowls”. It goes something like this, “Hooray, your team won more games than you lost, so now you get to travel to a bowl game no one has heard of in a town your fans don’t want to visit.” And the trip will cost $2500 per Alumnus. Really, do we want to set the bar that low in our college sports? Last night my confused DVR recorded something called the Beef O’Brady Bowl Game. Truly? Beef O’Brady? Yes, says the esteemed athletic director, I would love to have a trophy from the Beef O’Brady Bowl. I will hang it here. In my office. Right between my plaques from the Sugar Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl.

During my college years I worked in the football office at my dear alma mater, the University of Illinois. I remember sitting in the totally luxurious suite with several coaches’ wives. We had won the final game of the season several hours before, and now we sat in the comfortable chairs, in the heated lounge with the big screen, watching other games finish. Our placement in a bowl game depended on several key teams losing their final games. So we all watched, with eager anticipation. The coaches’ wives discussed which bowl location they would prefer. Would we want a bowl game in the south, where it was warm and there were beaches? Or would we want something in the north, so we could wear our fur coats? I had never in my life considered weighing geographical options in this manner. What would be best to celebrate our very mediocre season? We ended up at the Micron PC . com Bowl that year. How ’bout we hang that trophy next to the Beff O’Brady trophy, eh?

So tonight Lance and I will watch the Texas Bowl, the Illini verses Baylor. The Illini won exactly half of their games this year, and, as a prize, we receive a bowl bid. Hooray. Oskee wow wow!

At least Ellie looks far better than .500 in her cheerleading outfit.

I’m a little blurry in this one, but Mom says it’s the best one to see my whole outfit. I look so proud to be a little Illini! Do you see my orange ‘I’?

Josh, please let me have some of the Cheerios? Mama won’t give me any until she finds the real camera and takes some more pictures. She’s thinks I’ll get my dress sticky.

Okay, if you’re going to keep chasing me around with the camera phone, then I am going to need a little break with my Boo.

What do you mean it’s not a BCS game? I have wasted my sweet little outfit on the Texas Bowl?

We all feel that way, dear.

As a side note, a man saw me in my bright orange shirt with only the word “Illinois” across the chest. We were both waiting in line at Little Caesars for BOGO night. He pointed at my shirt and said, “Illinois? Are you from Wisconsin?” I literally stared at him. Was he making a joke? Some obscure Big Ten country reference that I could not decipher? Before I could come up with a witty clarification he says, “I mean not Wisconsin, Indiana? Are you from Indiana?” He looked embarrassed at his blunder. He meant to say “Indiana” all along, because that clearly makes so much more sense.  My mouth was actually hanging open at this point. Thankfully, I was saved from imparting a geography lesson by my five-dollar pizza. I honestly don’t know what they teach in school around here.

On our way to Christmas Eve service at Betsy’s parents church. God bless the south!

Remember that post from a couple days ago about Sam speaking Chinese in Spanish? Well, here we are today, sitting at Sam’s Club eating lunch in the cafe. And the family behind us is (loudly) speaking Spanish, which led to lots of (loud) questions from my boys. Then it’s quiet for a minute while we all munch on our pizza.
And then Josh asks, “Mom, how do you laugh in Chinese?”
Again, I am speechless.

I love looking at stars. I can only spot and name a handful of constellations, but what I lack in basic knowledge, I make up for in ignorant enthusiasm. And I have passed this enjoyment on to Sam, who loves stars, airplanes, clouds and anything else in the sky. Josh came with an intense passion for the moon. Truly, “moo” was one of his first words, and not in the bovine sense.

So it is with great joy that I have anticipated tonight’s full lunar eclipse. Lance and I are seriously considering setting an alarm for the middle of the night. But before we do, I thought I would check on the weather (clear and perfect) and the timing. I know the whole event takes several hours. And, although the thought of freezing to death on my front porch when I should be under my flannel sheets, does hold its appeal, we aren’t planning on witnessing the whole spectacle. So I wanted to just view the highlights.

Figures that NASA’s website would be down the one time I need it. . .

So I did a regular Google search. And I found this amazingly useful tidbit from a cached site: The first lunar eclipse of 2010 occurs at the Moon’s ascending node in western Sagittarius about 3° east of the Lagoon Nebula (M8).  Thank you, thank you, NASA, for being so helpful to us commoners. . .

If you would like to check out the timing where you live, visit Nasa’s official eclipse site.

My mom’s birthday was last week. I am a little late getting this post up. I love you, Mom! Happy Birthday!

Check out these amazing pictures. My sister found them during her escapades through my parents’ attic. Aren’t we cute? We liked each other even way back then! Makes me want to take more pictures with my little ones! Of course, hopefully I won’t bust out the 80s shirt and the rockin mall bangs. . .and is that powder-blue eye shadow? Oh, and if you look closely, you can make out the words “I’m the big sister” on my t-shirt.

As official residents of the Charleston metropolitan area, we saw it only fitting to join the aquarium. Back when we lived in Cincinnati, we were members of both the aquarium and the zoo. Some of my very favorite memories are from those places. Our long-time readers certainly remember the story about “the bench”. We look forward to learning more about the South Carolina coastal regions and creating new lasting memories at this new South Carolina landmark!

Only ten years old, the aquarium has already made a difference in the coastal waters and marshes through its sea turtle rehabilitation program and its oyster restoration plan. I have visited many aquariums, and I don’t remember ever seeing one so dedicated to its specific global location. Many of the tanks feature sea life from the waters surrounding Charleston, and other exhibits, like the river otters, showcase different regions of South Carolina.

The touch-a-tank was a family favorite! The boys (and mom and dad) got to touch sea urchins, anemones, star fish and sting rays. The instructor flipped over the horseshoe crab, and I nearly fainted! So incredible! I had no idea! It’s. . .well, I won’t spoil the surprise! Sam loved the starfish, and Josh was brave enough to touch the sting rays. We even got to feed each of them!

Later, we all shared a picnic lunch on the veranda, overlooking the harbor. About a third of the aquarium extends out over the water, so the view is unbeatable. Such a fun day! I can’t wait to go back!

Okay, I was going to stop here, leaving all of you envious of our aquarium and eager to see it for yourselves. But I haven’t been completely honest. Yes, everything I said here is true, and the aquarium didn’t even pay me for the endorsement.  But I omitted the least-pleasing part of our visit. The aquarium is slightly a little phenomenally snake-heavy. Yes, even I, a staunch snake-hater, agree that a snake or two is acceptable in the aquarium. In fact, I believe snakes in captivity are far better than the alternative. The more snakes behind the glass, the fewer that can maul me in the street and then eat my children alive while I lay paralyzed with fear. But thirty? Seriously? Come on, people. That is simply ridiculous. 30? And they were everywhere. It wasn’t as if I could avoid the reptile house and be okay. No, they were in the mountain area, the coastal plain, the salt marsh. They even had snakes hiding in the children’s area. And there the snakes were in tanks under the floorboards. Oh, yes, you could lie on your belly and peer down at the snakes below. Hooray. Oh joy.

Poor Ellie and I were stuck eating goldfish (to be clear, we were eating the crackers, not the sealife) in the hallway for 20 minutes while our boys sat in front of the rattle snake tank. Yes, they sat there, still, that long, enjoy the serpents. Counting the rattlers, watching them unwind. Just disgusting.

So, yes, purveyors of this lovely SC institution, you have created a visitors’ masterpiece. But, really, you got a little carried away with the snakes. However, since I doubt I have the clout needed to change the exhibits, I will simply vow to tread more carefully next time.

As a side note, our aquarium pass entitles us to bring guests for free. Perhaps an extra incentive for those who may be contemplating a visit to the south!

Click on the picture to see them all!

Charleston Aquarium Oct 2010