Alyssa Goodnight's Blog, page 23
March 16, 2011
From the Trenches...
We're in the thick of Spring Break now, and things are going pretty well. My biggest pet peeve is all the jinxing. It started several weeks ago (I lay the blame squarely at the feet of PFB's fellow third graders...GFB is just along for the fun). Any semi-simultaneous uttering of the same word--they were certainly not sticklers--would result in the chant, "Pinch, poke, you owe me a Coke." Then, just when that was getting particularly irritating, they shook things up a bit, switching out the poke for any old thing to rhyme with something they wanted: "Pinch, thwickers, you owe me a Snickers." This went on for DAYS! Maybe I should have been applauding their creativity--I wasn't.
I had to pull the plug, and I did. So we were without jinxing for a week or so. Now it's back, without the chant. Now it's just 'JINX!' But if they both say jinx at the same time, they have to keep going until one of them calls Uncle. Last night I heard them upstairs and nearly spit out the orange slice I was eating. Two happy-go-lucky voices chirping, "Jinx! Jinx! Jinx!..." It must have been fifteen times. I could picture them skipping down the road, holding hands, continuing the chant far, far away from me.... No such luck.
So far, today is a virgin day. No jinxes yet. And I desperately hope we keep it that way.
I had to pull the plug, and I did. So we were without jinxing for a week or so. Now it's back, without the chant. Now it's just 'JINX!' But if they both say jinx at the same time, they have to keep going until one of them calls Uncle. Last night I heard them upstairs and nearly spit out the orange slice I was eating. Two happy-go-lucky voices chirping, "Jinx! Jinx! Jinx!..." It must have been fifteen times. I could picture them skipping down the road, holding hands, continuing the chant far, far away from me.... No such luck.
So far, today is a virgin day. No jinxes yet. And I desperately hope we keep it that way.
March 12, 2011
Strawberry Pickin'
The boys had a half-day Friday, so as soon as the bell rang, I whisked them away for an hour in the strawberry patch. It was a beautiful day, and rows and rows of deep red, juicy strawberries were just waiting for us. We overdid...overpicked, but the eating is good! PFB wanted to buy a little strawberry plant of his own, and it's currently sitting by the window in his room. He has a sleepover tonight and wanted to make sure that, in his absence, I would take care of the watering. I told him I had it covered.
I love that tree!
We picked 2 1/2 buckets!
I love that tree!
We picked 2 1/2 buckets!
March 10, 2011
Tunneling
Today was an adventure day.
Today I explored the tunnels beneath Downtown Houston, and I must say, it was fun! (Last time I'd been in the tunnels was about fifteen years ago...I was working downtown as a summer intern.)
Armed with only a map and a friend, I dipped below the surface at approximately 11:00 a.m. and didn't resurface until almost 2:00 p.m. In the interim we zigzagged through the green, looped around the red, got a little lost in the yellow, and jazz-handed through the purple (the Theater District). Okay that last part isn't true.
And not once did we ask directions. Well okay, we did once, to be polite. A women literally pinned us down, wanting to know where we were going. Despite her desire to help, she didn't, so we made our way on our own. In the beginning we were uncertain how we'd find an entrance to the tunnels, and while I didn't want to ask, my companion hinted that such a objection might be me getting in touch with my masculine side. But we did it--we found the way in on our own...and we found the way out. We ate lunch down there too. Great day. Although it would've been nice if there'd been a bathroom that didn't require a keycard or a coded entry. Just sayin'.
Today I explored the tunnels beneath Downtown Houston, and I must say, it was fun! (Last time I'd been in the tunnels was about fifteen years ago...I was working downtown as a summer intern.)
Armed with only a map and a friend, I dipped below the surface at approximately 11:00 a.m. and didn't resurface until almost 2:00 p.m. In the interim we zigzagged through the green, looped around the red, got a little lost in the yellow, and jazz-handed through the purple (the Theater District). Okay that last part isn't true.
And not once did we ask directions. Well okay, we did once, to be polite. A women literally pinned us down, wanting to know where we were going. Despite her desire to help, she didn't, so we made our way on our own. In the beginning we were uncertain how we'd find an entrance to the tunnels, and while I didn't want to ask, my companion hinted that such a objection might be me getting in touch with my masculine side. But we did it--we found the way in on our own...and we found the way out. We ate lunch down there too. Great day. Although it would've been nice if there'd been a bathroom that didn't require a keycard or a coded entry. Just sayin'.
