Children's Museums

Here are some little known facts about children's museums.

• In 2007 more than 30 million children and families visited children's museums.
• Seventy percent provide school outreach.
• In 1985 there were 38 children's museums in the U.S.  By now there are almost 250 children's museums with 70 more being planned.
• Indianapolis, IN has the largest children's museum with 433,000 square feet.
• The oldest children's museum is in Brooklyn which opened in 1899
• At any given moment about 93% of parents are bored out of their minds at a children's museum.

OK...I'll admit that last one has some questionable research associated with it.  It came from the research firm known as "Michael's Bored Brain."

See, today I spent the day at the science museum.  And was I bored?  Yes.  Here is what I did.

• We saw a Thomas the Train 4D movie that was fun for about three minutes until my kids got scared because the train lost control and sped into a dark tunnel.  They didn't like that.  And then the 17 droplets of water that were sprayed at us when the train splashed into a puddle was not appreciated by four year olds who, I might add, love splashing in the bathtub.
• We saw a 20-something employee (who I'm guessing was someone who recently spent eighty grand on a theater degree at a Boston college) read a book about a bunny and teach us six words in Spanish.  After about seven minutes the audience of kids got restless and bored and half of them left before the actual bunny was taken out.  Most people were gone by the time the "Puppet Time" part of the presentation came which consisted of the unemployed actor allowing the children to pet or high five a rabbit puppet on his hand.
• Derek and I watched the boys touch almost every button that they could find.  It didn't matter that they had no idea what the exhibit was for.  It was just a button so it MUST. BE. PUSHED.
• I spend a lot of mental energy wondering what child has sneezed, licked or coughed on every button and figuring out how to make my schedule for the week work out if my kids get sick from the museum.
• We saw frogs.  That was actually interesting.  I didn't realize quite how varied frogs can be.  However I spent the entire time at the exhibit holding a 35 lb. child.
• The kids complained they were hungry.  Every hour.
• We bought lunch at the museum.  It was surprisingly not "break-the-bank" expensive. 
• We went to the Discovery Center which was basically the play area for young kids.  It reminded me of every other play center we have been to.  The boys liked the area with air sucking balls into tubes.  My plan to leave by noon-ish didn't work.  Somehow we didn't leave until 2:30 which led Aaron to fall asleep on the train ride home so I had to carry him the three quarters of a mile from the train station to home.

Luckily we got free tickets to the museum but for most families this fun filled day would be theirs for the low, low cost of only $100!!!

I know museums are educational.  I get that they expose kids to concepts and fields of interest.  I hope that one day I'll be more excited by them.  But for now it's comforting to know that when I Google "why I hate children's museums" I see I'm in great company.

Let The Overscheduling Begin!

It has been almost two months since my last post.  I am constantly saying to myself, "I should write a blog about that!" and ten seconds later I have forgotten what was so important because the next fight over a train is happening or I have to sweep the floor for the 10th time today or there is a tushie that needs wiping.  Life with two four year olds is definitely busy...especially when you couple that with the 20ish hours of work I've been doing and the show I was in that just closed.  The last few months have been good, though.  I'm back to interpreting.  I did a great show.  I am lucky Derek has been so supportive of my crazy schedule.  I have some summer plans to look forward to.  All is well even if I feel like I never have a minute of rest.

Tonight (it's after 10 p.m.) I decided it was time to blog again because today was the first day of gymnastics class.  I guess technically this isn't the first class the boys have taken.  We used to do music class when they were babies.  This class, however, is their first after school activity.  And it's not one of those "mommy and me" classes where the parent participates.  The boys are off on their own jumping, hanging, swinging and tumbling with me watching from the sidelines.  I am thrilled to watch them tackle new challenges and develop new skills.  It's exciting.  I was a gymnast for about six years when I was younger so there is definitely a little kvelling going on as I watch them.

Let's be honest, though, about why they are in gymnastics.  I searched and searched for a class they could take.  As summer approaches I worried about having no structured activity at all so I wanted to get them into something.  The art school down the street doesn't take kids until they are five.  Ditto with the drama program.  Piano lessons for two kids was going to be expensive and I'm not quite sure they would have the focus for piano just yet.  Sports camps in the summer are often one week long and I was looking for a weekly class.  I don't feel like I could handle two kids in the pool for daddy/child swim lessons.  The other gym I wanted to go to had classes that conflicted with school or ended at 5 p.m. and I didn't want to deal with rush hour traffic.  So off to the suburbs for gymnastics it would have to be!

I do like the class and the teachers are good too.  I am extremely satisfied with the program and the boys are having fun.  It gives Aaron a way to burn off some energy and it gives Jeff some practice balancing so maybe he won't trip over his own feet as much. 

Nowadays we read that martial arts are good for learning discipline.  A foreign language should be taught young.  Sports teams teach teamwork.  Music lessons help with brain development.  And if your kid hasn't started young he or she will never be a prima ballerina or a major league baseball player.  It's tough to raise a kid these days when there is pressure to give them all the advantages you can (or can't really) afford.

A lot of people I know already have their kids in swimming lessons, horseback riding classes, t-ball leagues, ballet class and more.  I know over the next few years I will become a full time chauffer  when the school bell rings at the end of the day.  However, after school activities will have to be picked based on school schedules, work schedules, traffic patterns and locations, interests, costs and more.  Life will become one big game of Tetris.

I just hope I remember to not give in to the pressure of scheduling something for every minute of the day.  I have big dreams for my kids.  I want them to play piano (I need someone to help me practice my audition songs), become fluent in Spanish (like I never did), be able to dance (it was hard to take my first dance class at 18), and be great scientists (who will discover a way to give energy to parents of twins).  But I also want them to be kids.  Sometimes playing with trains and making chocolate chip cookies is enough.

Absence Makes The Heart Want To Binge Watch Netflix

Derek and the boys have been gone for a week. 

Wait...read that again to make sure you understood it because I almost don't believe it myself.

It's true.  Derek had a conference right by his parents' house.  He asked me a while ago, "Do you mind if I take the kids with me for a week and my parents could watch them?" 

"Hmmmm..." I thought.  "The other option is that I'm alone with the kids for a week.  I think your idea is better."

So last week I said goodbye to my kids for 8 days.  This is the longest I have been away from them.  I think it might be the longest I have been away from Derek too.  And here are some things I have learned.

- Binge watching Netflix is NOT overrated.
- I really do like to exercise.  When I'm not exhausted and stressed out it's fun.
- Trains tracks are not a permanent fixture on my floors.
- There is a world of social opportunities out there and I will get back to it one day.
- Having fun myself doesn't mean I love my kids less.
- I still have no time to do all the things I need to do but I stress about it less when it's just me.
- I run my dishwasher so much less when I'm not feeding kids five times a day.
- My floors can be free of Cheerios and raisins for more than a day.

I also have been working three days a week for the last two months and have noticed that simply having time to go to work makes time with the kids better.  I didn't understand how Derek wouldn't want to get out on his own during the weekends like I was dying to do.  Now I understand it a little more.  When you don't stay home with your kids five days a week the weekends are family time.  When you see your kids for only ninety minutes a day before they go to bed you want to help get them dressed in the morning.  It's good to have a break and get away from the family from time to time.  Absence really does make the heart grow fonder -- and you can eat an ice cream sundae in peace.

Jeff Is Reading

Back around Thanksgiving we were all driving back to Boston after visiting my family for the holiday.  We stopped for dinner at a Chipotle and in the middle of eating Jeff randomly yells the word "out!"  Derek and I had no idea why he blurted out that word.  When we asked him what he meant he pointed to sign hanging in the restaurant that included the word "out."

"Did you read that???" I asked.

"Yep!" he said proudly.

A few weeks later we were driving to a strip mall and I hear from the back seat, "Old!  I see old!"  right as we drove by an Old Navy.

Maybe four to six weeks ago I brought the kids to school one morning.  The teacher always puts a white board outside the classroom with information about what is going on that day.  It always starts with "Happy (insert day of the week)" and then says things like "we have gym today" or "today we will be learning about snow."  Jeff has recognized "Happy (day of the week)" for a while now but he has started to read more words.  One day Jeff was reading all of the two, three and four letter words and making a good attempt at the longer words with some help from me.  One of the moms saw Jeff reading and asked if I had been practicing sight words with him. 

"No," I said trying to play it cool but really bursting with pride.  "He has started reading."

A few weeks later I caught him on video reading a book.  His reading is getting better and better every day and it is amazing me. 

He already recognizes a lot of fingerspelled words and signs so signing secrets is working less and less.  Spelling out c-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e is one of my last ways to talk over his head.  Pretty soon Derek and I won't be able to have d-e-s-s-e-r-t without s-h-a-r-i-n-g.

Quotes

I thought this was my 100th posting but then I realized my list of posts includes the drafts of a few posts I haven't published yet.  So much for a fun 100th posting.  I guess you'll have to enjoy this not-so-momentous 97th or 98th posting. 

I have survived despite a lack of sleep for 11 months, a "poo-nami" of epic proportions, cats crossing over the Rainbow Bridge, moving across the country, potty training, playground moms, the snowiest Boston winter ever, the first day of school, and more. There have been a lot of tears but I'll try to remember the laughs.  Here are some of the best quotes over the last few years.


March 16th, 2014

Daddy Michael: Aaron, when Daddy Derek does something nice like that you should say "thank you" to him.

Aaron: Thank you to him.

June 27th, 2014
Jeff: You drinking coffee?
Grandma Judy: No.  This is Pepsi.
Jeff: Pupsi?
Grandma Judy: No.  Pepsi.  PEPsi.
Jeff: PUPsi.
Grandma Judy: Pepsi.  Diet Pepsi.
Aaron: You drink pupsi?
Grandma Judy: This is Pepsi.  Not pupsi.
Aaron: You drink dogs!

October 9th, 2014

Grandma Judy: What does J-E-F-F spell?

Jeff: Me!!!

November 29th, 2014

Daddy Michael: Did you know Daddy Derek and I are getting married next year?  Do you know what happens at a wedding?

Aaron: Marriage gives you a big, big ouchie.

February 9th, 2015
Aaron: I have to do a big jump.  On your market, get set, go!

March 22nd, 2015
Daddy Derek: (going down the stairs) I'm going slowly.
Aaron: I'm going fastly.

February 27th, 2015

Daddy Michael (reading): Little Quack found a quick place to hide -- right behind Mama.

Aaron: And she didn't poop on him.

April 2nd, 2015

Aaron: Aaron, Jeff and grandma Judy will die.

Daddy Derek: Dye Easter eggs.

May 1st, 2015

Jeff: My feet are pointing to the front so that means I'm growing.

May 13th, 2015
Aaron: One, two, three, four...twenty eight, twenty nine, twenty thirty.

June 8th, 2015

Daddy Michael: I think we are going to be a little bit late.

Jeff: I think we are going to be a little bit on time.

June 11th, 2015

Daddy Michael: Where does a chicken come from?

Jeff: An egg!

Daddy Michael: Where does a penguin come from?

Jeff: An egg!

Daddy Michael: Where does an ostrich come from?

Jeff: An egg!

Daddy Michael: Where did you come from?

Jeff: I don't know.

Daddy Michael: Did you come from Shannon's tummy?

Jeff: Yes.

Aaron: No.  We come from Chicago.

Jeff: Yes.  And the doctor pulled Aaron out and then Aaron pulled me out.

July 15th, 2015

Aaron: I took the wrapper off and took a taste.

Daddy Michael: What did your lollipop taste like?

Aaron: Pink!

July 24th, 2015

Daddy Michael: We could go apple picking and make apple pie.

Aaron: Yum.  Or blueberry pie.  Or peach pie.  Or cake pie.

Daddy Michael: Cake pie?  What is that?

Aaron: You get a cake.  You bake it.  You put a pie in it and eat it.  Yum!

August 10th, 2015
Daddy Michael: Do you like my wedding ring?
Aaron: Yes.  Do you have a wedding ring for me?
Daddy Michael: Oh.  Are you getting married?
Aaron: Yes.
Daddy Michael: Who are you going to marry?
Aaron: You.
Jeff: And I'm going to marry Daddy Derek.

August 10th, 2015

Daddy Michael: Hmmmm...I wonder how you got that corn on your toe.

Jeff: Maybe from eating corn on the cob.

August 15th, 2015
Jeff: That was a toot.  It's a good idea to toot in your underwear, but it's not a good idea to pee and poop in your underwear.

September 9th, 2015
Aaron: When I grow up I'll be the boss.
Daddy Michael: The boss of what?
Aaron: The boss daddy.
Jeff: And when you grow up, Daddy Michael, you can be the grandpa. 
Daddy Michael: Oh.  OK.
Jeff: And when Daddy Derek grows up he can be the grandma.

October 10th, 2015
Grandma Judy: Hurry up and pee.  I have to go to the bathroom too.
Jeff: Maybe we can go to the bathroom together.
Grandma Judy: I can't, sweetie.  I have to sit down to pee.
Jeff: Do you pee from your butt?

October 24th, 2015
Jeff: (looking at an adult book) This isn't very exciting.  It's just words and pages.

October 30th, 2015
Grandma Phyllis: Trick or treat.  Smell my feet.  Give me something good to eat.
Aaron: Trick or treat.  Give me something good to smell.

November 27th, 2015

Aaron: (knock, knock)

Uncle Mark: Who's there?

Aaron: Aaron.

Uncle Mark: Aaron who?

Aaron: Aaron boy!

September 11th, 2015

Daddy Michael: Do you like chocolate pudding?

Jeff: Yes.  But next time we should make rainbow pudding.

December 10th, 2015

(The boy put on toy watches.)

Daddy Michael: What time is it?

Jeff: It's fifty.

Aaron: My watch says sixty ten.  No...wait.  Mine says four, five six.  No.  It says four five-ty six.

December 13th, 2015
Aaron: I want to wear my Mickey Mouse hat so no bugs get on my head.

January 3rd, 2016

Daddy Michael: What was Panda doing in the car while you were playing.

Jeff: Chilling.

Daddy Michael: What is chilling?

Jeff: It's when you have the chills.

I Want It All And I Can't Have It

It's happening.  It's really, really happening and I'm freaking out.  It had to happen at some point and that point is now.  I'm about to spend a few days a week with adults.  It means adult conversations, using my brain for work and no dried Play-doh or Itsy Bitsy Spiders for several hours.  And it all kind of happened without me knowing it was happening.  Let me explain...

I went to an interpreting job and, long story short, the student liked me.  I went back the next week. She asked if I would be her interpreter for the spring semester.  I was excited to be offered this opportunity, but I didn't know if I could make it work.  The three sitters I had previously used were not available for the hours I needed.

Out of the blue a woman who I had worked with in Chicago told me her daughter was moving to Boston and looking for childcare work.

Hmmmm....this just might work!

As I was talking with the daughter about potentially being my new sitter I got offered a bunch of interpreting hours by another student.

All of a sudden I had offers for several days of work and a sitter.  I also had a role in a show this spring that was booked long ago, a job interpreting a show in May and another job to interpret a show that just popped up a couple weeks ago.

I grabbed work.  I booked the sitter.  I was so excited for all of this to happen.

And now it's happening.  Change -- even change you want -- can be scary.

I have been the primary caregiver to my boys since birth.  We have had sitters over the last few years, but I have always felt like I was there more often than not.  Now things are drastically changing: they are at school a few hours a day, a sitter will pick them up from school three days a week, I won't be making them lunch every day, and some nights I won't get to tuck them into bed.  I know it's good for me.  It's a big step to getting back a part of me that was lost for a long time.  I know it's good for them.  Their world is expanding beyond their parents.  The sitter is great and Jeff is in love with her even though he's known her for about 4 hours.  But it's still hard.  Someone told me, "You'll love the change.  After a few weeks of being out of the house you'll adjust and enjoy work and home more."  I believe it...but it doesn't make this transition easy.

Lord help me the day they leave for college.  Just a warning, folks, clear your schedule for the fall of 2030.  I'm going to needs lots of support -- and chocolate.

School Choices

It’s that time again.  It’s school lottery time. 

We live in a town that has something called controlled choice.  Basically that means I should go around to the dozen or so elementary schools and rank my top three choices.  Hopefully my boys will get into one of the top choices.  It’s all based on proximity, gender, socio-economic levels, siblings already at the school, etc.  I’m not sure I’m loving this process, although I guess I do like that there is some flexibility and some parental involvement as to where my kids will go.  As a renter it’s not the worst thing but I could see how people buying in this town might be upset that their children get placed at a school that is on the other side of town or ranked low according to some websites.

I’m getting off track. 

I went to my second school tour today.  While the tour guide was showing me the gym and the cafeteria and how the kindergarten kids have bathrooms inside their classrooms (yes, that is a big selling point) I started to tear up a little.  It wasn’t because of the excitement of knowing that my boys won’t have to poop with 5^th graders (although that is exciting).  It was the world of possibilities that awaits my kids.

During the two tours I have seen school gardens where the kids learn about growing vegetables.  I watched kids sing a song in a round.  I saw projects about families and animals hanging on classroom walls.  I visited libraries and saw where children learn to research projects and understand technology.  I went to an auditorium where students will watch performances and even produce their own musical.  The world is opening up for my boys and I am so excited to watch it happen.  I wonder if they will be interested in music and drama like me.  I wonder who their friends will be.  I wonder if they will excel at math or reading or science. 

I know as they grow I will have to deal with things that will hurt my heart: a boy who is upset he didn’t win first place in a science fair, a crying kid who was bullied on the playground, a sad child who didn’t get the role of the dolphin in the school play and has to be a whale.  As the years go on I’ll be dealing with peer pressure, staying out late, dating, driving and more.  For now, though, I’m going to try to enjoy the excitement of possibilities.  This is the joy part of All Joy And No Fun.