Secunda is nine, and more and more frequently, I am noticing that she seems downcast and quiet; withdrawn, even. And I hate to admit this, but I'm a bit at a loss in how to help her deal with it.
See, when I was nine, I was in my third school in as many years, thrust into an academic pilot program designed to separate out the top 24 students in the school district, place them all in one classroom and watch as the magic ostensibly happened. I was also two years out from being physically and mentally abused by my Grade 2 teacher, and fresh out of a year of bullying at the hands of my classroom peers. So I really don't have the personal frame of reference for this.
When Hubby was nine, he and his family were moving cross-country while
his parents changed career paths. Big changes there. Likewise, he was
going to his third school in as many years. Adding to that the fact that he is not in possession of a uterus, and it gets difficult to relate.
What I do have is a deep and abiding love for my child, and a strong desire to help her successfully navigate her way through adolescence.
Now, our daughter has a lot going for her. She is loving, caring and considerate, she has many friends (and one best friend), she is highly intelligent (designated gifted at school, but remains in her regular classroom, as they found the pilot project didn't work out so well). She is attractive and well-spoken. She has a lot of potential to have a good and relatively easy life, surrounded by friends and loved ones. The world really is her oyster.
And still, she is unsure of herself, shy, anxious at times, and sometimes seems to be on the verge of tears for no discernible reason. And I'm fumbling, and feel like I'm failing her.
This was not in the manual.
What I'm trying to do is to cultivate an environment of total acceptance and safety, a place where she feels comfortable telling us what's on her mind. I want so much for us to have the close relationship that I enjoyed with my own mother at that age, and I think I'm doing okay with that part of it. But I don't know how to deal with mood swings/fluctuations that aren't due to some external stressor at that age.
Tonight, we had her up after the others had gone to bed, and I had the chance to just sit on the couch and have a snuggle with her, to ask her how she's feeling, and to share with her my observation that I could tell that something was going on for her emotionally, even if she didn't quite know what it was, or how to talk about it. I guessed that since she couldn't pinpoint an initial event that might have sparked feeling low, it might be due to hormonal fluctuations. And we have prepared her. We have talked, and we were lent a wonderful book that covers the basics of what to expect in the next few years, and this book sparked a number of really great talks. And we felt it was important that Secunda have the information she is asking for, and in an age-appropriate way. After all, I was 10 when I had my first cycle; my mother was 8. So, we knew this might be coming, and really, any day. Well, *that* hasn't begun yet, but it makes sense to me that the hormones precede the body function by a number of months before we have to worry about the logistics of getting into the bathroom with what you need before you're old enough to carry a purse at school. I don't even remember how I did that...
I suppose all of this rambling is just me thinking out loud, so to speak. Maybe I was hoping that by typing it all out, I could better determine if I was meeting her needs, or if there was a gap somewhere.
God, I hope I'm doing this right.
Wednesday 28 May 2014
Monday 26 May 2014
What It Means To Me When You Support Teachers
Today,
I experienced two things with respect to the current teachers' job
action and resulting lockout by the employers' organization, and I want to share them here.
First, I got to sit at my children's parent-participation preschool, quietly embroidering and listening to several mothers voicing their support for teachers, and frustration with the government for their refusal to "step up and do right by our kids". Now, I did wonder if I should speak up and add my voice to the conversation, but I held back, because I didn't want to influence what they said in light of the knowledge that I'm a teacher's wife. So I just sat there, watching my kids play and keeping an ear open to hear what the climate is among parents. It was so heartening to hear positive comments, not just about their kids' teachers, but also the union's position, and how they understand that what teachers are trying to bargain for is reasonable work conditions and fair compensation for the years of education and professional training teachers undergo, and continue to undergo in order to best serve the children entrusted to their care.
The second was a gesture of such unwavering support and generosity as to make me weep. We had purchased an item from a friend, and were in the process of repaying the debt when that debt was wiped clear along with a simple, beautiful statement of encouragement. I cried when I tried to tell Hubby about it; I could hear him crying over the phone, too. In fact, I'm having trouble seeing the keyboard through the tears flowing freely down my face again as I type this. Our benefactor understands what teachers do, and this gift means as much to us in terms of the support it shows as it does in the financial relief it provides.
As the wife of a BC public school teacher, I hear a lot of comments, both positive and negative about this issue. Let me be clear - I'm not saying that I don't want to hear dissenting opinions; I am happy to converse with people in a civil manner on any number of topics, so long as we keep it polite. I try to receive the negative without returning fire or responding with anger, because I feel that this is not worth damaging personal relationships. In the case of online/social media comments, I conduct myself with temperance. In the face of willful ignorance or just plain hatred, I have simply not responded, or, if the individual in question simply cannot be respectful or civil, I have blocked them from my newsfeed until this is resolved, because the stress and anxiety it creates for me is more than I really need to have on my plate right now. I have not yet had to resort to blocking a person entirely.
The last time teachers went out, there was far more enmity directed at teachers than I have seen thus far. That alone is an encouragement to me. So what does it mean to me when you say or do something that shows you support teachers?
Let me tell you...
It means that you validate the 11 years my husband spent in university learning what he did in order to impart that to his students; it means that the professional certification he worked to attain means something to you, that you feel his hard work to get, keep and improve upon this certification is worth what he gets paid. It means that you might feel a touch of the pride I do in him; it means that you think that he and his colleagues are worthy of the trust you place in them when you entrust your children to their care. It means that your children's future matters to you, and that you want them to get the most out of their high school years as is possible. It means that this crazy-haired, medieval clothes-wearing, Old English-speaking dude is worth investing your tax dollars in, because he's the guy that your kids are going to be talking about 20 years from now as the teacher that inspired them to go into teaching themselves, or to let their geek flag fly, or to be themselves and to hell with what other people think of them.
I am grateful for every single positive comment and expression of support, mostly because this whole process wears down the best and most positive of people, and those little things are what keep us going some days.
To those of you who support the teachers in their support of the children of BC, I cannot thank you enough for that. It means more than you know.
First, I got to sit at my children's parent-participation preschool, quietly embroidering and listening to several mothers voicing their support for teachers, and frustration with the government for their refusal to "step up and do right by our kids". Now, I did wonder if I should speak up and add my voice to the conversation, but I held back, because I didn't want to influence what they said in light of the knowledge that I'm a teacher's wife. So I just sat there, watching my kids play and keeping an ear open to hear what the climate is among parents. It was so heartening to hear positive comments, not just about their kids' teachers, but also the union's position, and how they understand that what teachers are trying to bargain for is reasonable work conditions and fair compensation for the years of education and professional training teachers undergo, and continue to undergo in order to best serve the children entrusted to their care.
The second was a gesture of such unwavering support and generosity as to make me weep. We had purchased an item from a friend, and were in the process of repaying the debt when that debt was wiped clear along with a simple, beautiful statement of encouragement. I cried when I tried to tell Hubby about it; I could hear him crying over the phone, too. In fact, I'm having trouble seeing the keyboard through the tears flowing freely down my face again as I type this. Our benefactor understands what teachers do, and this gift means as much to us in terms of the support it shows as it does in the financial relief it provides.
As the wife of a BC public school teacher, I hear a lot of comments, both positive and negative about this issue. Let me be clear - I'm not saying that I don't want to hear dissenting opinions; I am happy to converse with people in a civil manner on any number of topics, so long as we keep it polite. I try to receive the negative without returning fire or responding with anger, because I feel that this is not worth damaging personal relationships. In the case of online/social media comments, I conduct myself with temperance. In the face of willful ignorance or just plain hatred, I have simply not responded, or, if the individual in question simply cannot be respectful or civil, I have blocked them from my newsfeed until this is resolved, because the stress and anxiety it creates for me is more than I really need to have on my plate right now. I have not yet had to resort to blocking a person entirely.
The last time teachers went out, there was far more enmity directed at teachers than I have seen thus far. That alone is an encouragement to me. So what does it mean to me when you say or do something that shows you support teachers?
Let me tell you...
It means that you validate the 11 years my husband spent in university learning what he did in order to impart that to his students; it means that the professional certification he worked to attain means something to you, that you feel his hard work to get, keep and improve upon this certification is worth what he gets paid. It means that you might feel a touch of the pride I do in him; it means that you think that he and his colleagues are worthy of the trust you place in them when you entrust your children to their care. It means that your children's future matters to you, and that you want them to get the most out of their high school years as is possible. It means that this crazy-haired, medieval clothes-wearing, Old English-speaking dude is worth investing your tax dollars in, because he's the guy that your kids are going to be talking about 20 years from now as the teacher that inspired them to go into teaching themselves, or to let their geek flag fly, or to be themselves and to hell with what other people think of them.
I am grateful for every single positive comment and expression of support, mostly because this whole process wears down the best and most positive of people, and those little things are what keep us going some days.
To those of you who support the teachers in their support of the children of BC, I cannot thank you enough for that. It means more than you know.
Thursday 22 May 2014
Why My Husband Is My Hero, Part One
Disclaimer: I am the wife of a public school teacher. As such, I have very strong views on teachers in general, and the teachers I know, love and greatly respect. The views here are my own, and any resemblance to the views espoused by others is purely coincidence (or similarity of political leaning).
Why My Husband Is My Hero
Wednesday 14 May 2014
Busy Little Bee's Poetry Corner - The Sound of Salsa
Today in Busy Little Bee's Poetry Corner, we revisit one of my favourite filks. But first, an explanation of the word "filk":
To my reckoning, a filk is a song where one takes an existing melody and makes up new lyrics for it. This was in practice even in medieval times, but really gained popularity (and it's name) in the 20th century in Sci-Fi culture. Wikipedia has this to say on the topic. When trying to explain it to others, I generally end up saying, "You know, like what 'Weird Al' does." Clear as mud? Great.
And now, without delay, is the filk that Hubby and I wrote in about 5-10 minutes in March 2008. I give you...
To my reckoning, a filk is a song where one takes an existing melody and makes up new lyrics for it. This was in practice even in medieval times, but really gained popularity (and it's name) in the 20th century in Sci-Fi culture. Wikipedia has this to say on the topic. When trying to explain it to others, I generally end up saying, "You know, like what 'Weird Al' does." Clear as mud? Great.
And now, without delay, is the filk that Hubby and I wrote in about 5-10 minutes in March 2008. I give you...
Tuesday 13 May 2014
Trying To Reign In The Chaos
Life can get pretty chaotic around here.
We've got four kids, ranging in age from 3½ to 12, and while they're not currently enrolled in any extra-curriculars, it was pretty busy up until about a month ago. That's around the same time that my father gave me the coolest thing.
We've got four kids, ranging in age from 3½ to 12, and while they're not currently enrolled in any extra-curriculars, it was pretty busy up until about a month ago. That's around the same time that my father gave me the coolest thing.
Monday 12 May 2014
Overheard in the Van...
While waiting at a stop sign, we saw a Papa John's delivery car drive by. Then I heard this:
"Look, Daddy - a pizza taxi!"
Pizza Taxi. I love it. This needs to be a thing. Tertius comes up with some pretty good stuff
"Look, Daddy - a pizza taxi!"
Pizza Taxi. I love it. This needs to be a thing. Tertius comes up with some pretty good stuff
Mother's Day, or Can I Go Back To Bed Now?
So, yesterday was Mother's Day here in Canada. By the end of the day, I was asking for a do-over.
Why?
Well, let's start with my expectations:
- I expect that I can go to the bathroom without an audience
- I expect that my children will wish me Happy Mother's Day without my dragging it out of them
- I expect that the children will do something thoughtful/nice for me
- I expect that there will be minimal squabbling amongst my children
- I expect that I will not have to do the usual housework that I do every other day
That's pretty much it. This year, Mother's Day falls right *before* payday, so we knew in advance that we would be doing any gift-giving the following weekend. I'm okay with that, and I really don't need much in the way of gifts or cards. I really like handmade things, and gifts of time. In fact, this year, I specifically asked to not get cards, but rather, that we start a new tradition. This would involve getting a hardcover journal and having Hubby and the hobbitses write, draw, scrapbook or what have you on the pages of it. To me, this is better, because it gives me something to keep for years that won't get lost or relegated to the recycling bin after a few days. And that costs money, so I know that waits for a bit.
There's also the birthday thing.
Why?
Well, let's start with my expectations:
- I expect that I can go to the bathroom without an audience
- I expect that my children will wish me Happy Mother's Day without my dragging it out of them
- I expect that the children will do something thoughtful/nice for me
- I expect that there will be minimal squabbling amongst my children
- I expect that I will not have to do the usual housework that I do every other day
That's pretty much it. This year, Mother's Day falls right *before* payday, so we knew in advance that we would be doing any gift-giving the following weekend. I'm okay with that, and I really don't need much in the way of gifts or cards. I really like handmade things, and gifts of time. In fact, this year, I specifically asked to not get cards, but rather, that we start a new tradition. This would involve getting a hardcover journal and having Hubby and the hobbitses write, draw, scrapbook or what have you on the pages of it. To me, this is better, because it gives me something to keep for years that won't get lost or relegated to the recycling bin after a few days. And that costs money, so I know that waits for a bit.
There's also the birthday thing.
Friday 9 May 2014
Tertius and the Coupon Book of Awesome!
It is Tertius' 5th birthday today! It hardly seems like this much time has passed, but here we are, with a little boy who attended his kindergarten orientation today (which he *loved* by the way).
When family members asked what he wanted in the way of gifts, we ended up giving them all of our ideas, so Hubby and I were pondering a cool, fun, meaningful gift for our young man. Trust Hubby to come to the rescue with this brainchild:
He suggested that what Tertius really wants is for us to spend quality time with him. And he's right; as a middle child, he really does crave that one-on-one time between parent and child. I mean, do you know any 5 year old that *doesn't* enjoy being the center of attention?
So the two of us sat down and brainstormed ideas. We came up with 10 things that we felt he would really appreciate, and with that list in hand, we figured out a colour scheme and dove into my scrapbooking materials.
Three hours later, we had a product we were really happy with. We made a booklet of coupons that measures 4" x 6". Our pages were held together by punching a hole in the top left of each page and threading ribbon through to create a half-hitch knot.
Here is a list of the tools and materials we used:
- Card stock in various colours and patterns (I did a large portion of this by raiding my scrap paper folder)
- Paper cutter (mine is a $10 Cricut paper slicer from Wal-Mart)
- Glue stick (I had run out of my tape runner, so I kicked it old school, yo)
- Round paper punch
- various corner punches
- small, sharp scissors
- Xyron sticker maker
- stickers
- alphabet stickers
- ribbon
- computer and printer
Cost for this project:
- absolutely nothing.
I had everything we needed in my scrapbooking stash. So this was a great project on three counts: it gave our son an amazing gift that he can cash in on throughout the year, it used up items we already had lying around (or tucked into my craft supplies, as the case may be), and it provided me with the focus for 10 really great and personal scrapbook spreads to put into Tertius' book in the future. And now, without further delay, here is what we made!
When family members asked what he wanted in the way of gifts, we ended up giving them all of our ideas, so Hubby and I were pondering a cool, fun, meaningful gift for our young man. Trust Hubby to come to the rescue with this brainchild:
So the two of us sat down and brainstormed ideas. We came up with 10 things that we felt he would really appreciate, and with that list in hand, we figured out a colour scheme and dove into my scrapbooking materials.
Three hours later, we had a product we were really happy with. We made a booklet of coupons that measures 4" x 6". Our pages were held together by punching a hole in the top left of each page and threading ribbon through to create a half-hitch knot.
Here is a list of the tools and materials we used:
- Card stock in various colours and patterns (I did a large portion of this by raiding my scrap paper folder)
- Paper cutter (mine is a $10 Cricut paper slicer from Wal-Mart)
- Glue stick (I had run out of my tape runner, so I kicked it old school, yo)
- Round paper punch
- various corner punches
- small, sharp scissors
- Xyron sticker maker
- stickers
- alphabet stickers
- ribbon
- computer and printer
Cost for this project:
- absolutely nothing.
I had everything we needed in my scrapbooking stash. So this was a great project on three counts: it gave our son an amazing gift that he can cash in on throughout the year, it used up items we already had lying around (or tucked into my craft supplies, as the case may be), and it provided me with the focus for 10 really great and personal scrapbook spreads to put into Tertius' book in the future. And now, without further delay, here is what we made!
Tuesday 6 May 2014
The Power of One - New Month, New Habits
Greetings, friends!
It is now May, and as such, it is time to explore what new good habits I will engage in, as well as what bad ones I will drop.
So far, I've been doing pretty well with eating five times a day, drinking more water, and removing white bread from my diet (I've had one "white bread" sandwich in the last month, and one that was whole grain white). I'm finding that I really don't miss white bread, even for my PB&J. So now, it's time to add a new habit.
May's good habit is brushing my teeth first thing in the morning. Let's be clear - I brush my teeth, at least twice a day. But I will often wait until I've eaten breakfast to do it in the morning. It's all part and parcel of my mild (self-diagnosed) OCD; why brush your teeth if you're just going t get them dirty right away? So while this one isn't necessarily a health habit, it is a wellness one. By brushing my teeth when I first get up, I am making sure that Hubby's first kiss of the morning is as nice as it can be. I mean, who enjoys morning breath, amiright?
The habit I'm dropping is cutting out snacking after 10 PM. Hubby and I are in a terrible habit of late-night snacking, mostly carb-based (crackers and Boursin cheese, anyone?), and definitely not good for me. So, from today, I will stop eating by 10 PM each night.
I'll be checking in with updates throughout the month :)
It is now May, and as such, it is time to explore what new good habits I will engage in, as well as what bad ones I will drop.
So far, I've been doing pretty well with eating five times a day, drinking more water, and removing white bread from my diet (I've had one "white bread" sandwich in the last month, and one that was whole grain white). I'm finding that I really don't miss white bread, even for my PB&J. So now, it's time to add a new habit.
May's good habit is brushing my teeth first thing in the morning. Let's be clear - I brush my teeth, at least twice a day. But I will often wait until I've eaten breakfast to do it in the morning. It's all part and parcel of my mild (self-diagnosed) OCD; why brush your teeth if you're just going t get them dirty right away? So while this one isn't necessarily a health habit, it is a wellness one. By brushing my teeth when I first get up, I am making sure that Hubby's first kiss of the morning is as nice as it can be. I mean, who enjoys morning breath, amiright?
The habit I'm dropping is cutting out snacking after 10 PM. Hubby and I are in a terrible habit of late-night snacking, mostly carb-based (crackers and Boursin cheese, anyone?), and definitely not good for me. So, from today, I will stop eating by 10 PM each night.
I'll be checking in with updates throughout the month :)
Monday 5 May 2014
Journeys to the Emerald City, Part Three
Part the Third: (Cowardly) Lions and Daleks and Scares, Oh My!
Even with a solid 8 hours of sleep, we still had trouble dragging our butts out of bed. We managed to get ready and mostly packed in time to get down to breakfast by 8:30, and once again filled up on the fabulous offerings. I ensured that each child had some form of protein, so we could delay lunch if we had to. A quick trip back up to the room, and Hubby, Primus and Secunda started taking our things down to the vehicle while I contained Tertius and Quarta in the room, and did a final sweep of it to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything (this included another thorough search for Primus' joy buzzer, as mentioned in Part Two). It was already heating up for the day, but I had told the kids to put their jackets on, because it would make carrying their things down so much easier. We were *sweltering* by the time Hubby and the two bigguns got back upstairs! It was shaping up to be a gorgeous day, and we had planned an entirely indoor activity. Ah, Washington weather, I see what you did there...
We all went downstairs to check out, and to use up the rest of our $20 in convenience store credit. Armed with drinks, chocolate bars and Twizzlers, we were ready for our last day of adventure in the Emerald City.
We set out on the half-hour journey into Seattle proper once again (next time, I'll look into non-toll routes), and once again, our GPS totally failed us. The road construction really threw a wrench in our otherwise seamless commute, and we ended up taking a very circuitous route to find the parkade for the Experience Music Project/Sci-Fi Museum. Can I just say, thank goodness we put money on our credit card before leaving home! I knew what parking would cost ( I do my homework, OCD planner that I am), but didn't know that the kiosk only took coins or credit cards. Not being in possession of $10.25 in coins, I had to whip out the plastic. That done, we had a very short walk to the entrance. I would totally park there again, but I'll remember about the credit card thing :)
When we got up to the counter, the person helping us told us that an annual family membership was literally $1 LESS than a day's admission. Hubby and I figured that this was a GREAT bargain, so we said, "SIGN US UP!". Once the paperwork was filled out, she told us the cost - $95. Whoa. Hold up there - how is $95 one dollar more than the $68 one day's admission is supposed to be?! Turns out, she didn't hear me when I said, "One 11 year old, one 9 year old, one 4 year old and one 3 year old." They shouldn't have charged us for children under 5, and I'm assuming that the young lady does not have children of her own, or else she would have noticed that there was absolutely NO way that Tertius and Quarta are school-age. Honestly, my children aren't that tall. After the initial sticker shock (remember, we were doing this on a tight budget), Hubby and I agreed that since we were returning to Seattle the following month, and planning to pop down at least once during the summer, and the paperwork was already filled out, it was worth the investment. Again, SO glad we'd put money on the credit card. I think it cried a little when I pulled it out of my wallet.
Money paid and stickers acquired, we began our jaunt through the museum, bypassing all of the music stuff, because we were, after all, on a geek pilgrimage.
Oh, did we geek out.
Primus is a hard-core Whovian - who are we kidding, most of us in this house are - and he was SO stoked to see the Dalek. We were pleasantly surprised to see that they also had an original Cyberman, too!
We got to play with a green screen exhibit, turning Tertius into a nameless Red Shirt, fending off the attack of the giant plastic lizard figurine :) Secunda picked the most glittery costume (of course), and Primus refused to try it until the very last second, when another group had already descended on it. Maybe on our next visit *sigh*
We spent a good chunk of time poring over the notes accompanying the items on display, remembering dialogue from our favourite Sci-Fi films, and learning that up close, a lot of the stuff looks pretty crappy, but it looks great on screen. Makes me wonder why I spent so much time trying to get my stitches perfect on the capes I embroidered for Red Riding Hood. In that case, it looked great up close, but mediocre to unnoticeable on-screen. Oh well. It was still really cool to see some of the props, costumes and miniatures used in movies such as Superman, Alien, The Matrix, and other favourite movies and TV series.
Our next stop was another travelling exhibit:
I was very much looking forward to this one, as they had the Wicked Witch of the West's hat - The Wizard of Oz is one of my all-time favourite films! What a treat this exhibit was; not only did they have cool stuff to look at, but they had spent so much time and energy creating an environment in which to view the displays that truly immersed the visitor in another realm.
Even the lighting was cool! The area was filled with little nooks, crannies and wee rooms, offering a taste of different flavours of fantasy.
Each display had a nifty little card-shaped sign with it, explaining how it fit within the framework of the archetypes of the fantasy genre. So not only were they entertaining us, but they were educating us, too. Very cool.
Here are a few of what I felt were the highlights of the exhibit:
Upon leaving this exhibit, we hit the nerd store, aka the gift shop at EMP, and promptly lightened our wallets considerably. Looking at our watches, we realized that it was time for a late lunch, so we headed outside to enjoy the sunshine.
We stayed just outside the building, at Seattle Center, and found this lovely spot to stop and eat our brown bag lunch:
PB&J consumed, Cherry Coke downed, and innumerable Cool Ranch chips later, and it was time to head back in.
We discovered upon leaving that there was another entrance we could utilize, and being members now, we could totally bypass the lines! We got back in, looked longingly at all the geek shirts we couldn't afford this time, and headed over to the last travelling exhibit we were looking forward to - Block by Block: Inventing Amazing Architecture.
They had recreations of many iconic buildings the world over, and each had a description of where the building was, when it was built, how many stories high, and how many Lego™ bricks it took to re-create it. Our resident Lego fiends were mightily impressed.
I think the best part of this exhibit was the play area. They had buckets of bricks, trees, doors and windows, and you could spend as long as you liked building something to install in their Lego™ cityscape. They also had an area for non-buildings, and a small kids' Mega Bloks™ area, too! I think we spent about 40 minutes just in the building area.
By the time we were finished in this exhibit, it was time for us to head north of the border again. Hubby's parents had invited us for dinner, so we hoofed it back over to the vehicle, and started the drive home. We really appreciated having a dinner that we didn't have to cook that night, and the time spent with family is always treasured. The hobbitses regaled their grandparents with stories from our trip, and they had to endure our impromptu "slide show" on the cell phones. We left with full bellies, hugs, and rolled into the driveway with enough time to get a decent night's sleep to prepare us for the return to school.
What an excellent family vacation!
Coming soon - Once More, With Feeling
Even with a solid 8 hours of sleep, we still had trouble dragging our butts out of bed. We managed to get ready and mostly packed in time to get down to breakfast by 8:30, and once again filled up on the fabulous offerings. I ensured that each child had some form of protein, so we could delay lunch if we had to. A quick trip back up to the room, and Hubby, Primus and Secunda started taking our things down to the vehicle while I contained Tertius and Quarta in the room, and did a final sweep of it to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything (this included another thorough search for Primus' joy buzzer, as mentioned in Part Two). It was already heating up for the day, but I had told the kids to put their jackets on, because it would make carrying their things down so much easier. We were *sweltering* by the time Hubby and the two bigguns got back upstairs! It was shaping up to be a gorgeous day, and we had planned an entirely indoor activity. Ah, Washington weather, I see what you did there...
We all went downstairs to check out, and to use up the rest of our $20 in convenience store credit. Armed with drinks, chocolate bars and Twizzlers, we were ready for our last day of adventure in the Emerald City.
We set out on the half-hour journey into Seattle proper once again (next time, I'll look into non-toll routes), and once again, our GPS totally failed us. The road construction really threw a wrench in our otherwise seamless commute, and we ended up taking a very circuitous route to find the parkade for the Experience Music Project/Sci-Fi Museum. Can I just say, thank goodness we put money on our credit card before leaving home! I knew what parking would cost ( I do my homework, OCD planner that I am), but didn't know that the kiosk only took coins or credit cards. Not being in possession of $10.25 in coins, I had to whip out the plastic. That done, we had a very short walk to the entrance. I would totally park there again, but I'll remember about the credit card thing :)
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| The spring sunshine brightens up the exterior of the EMP/Sci-Fi Museum |
When we got up to the counter, the person helping us told us that an annual family membership was literally $1 LESS than a day's admission. Hubby and I figured that this was a GREAT bargain, so we said, "SIGN US UP!". Once the paperwork was filled out, she told us the cost - $95. Whoa. Hold up there - how is $95 one dollar more than the $68 one day's admission is supposed to be?! Turns out, she didn't hear me when I said, "One 11 year old, one 9 year old, one 4 year old and one 3 year old." They shouldn't have charged us for children under 5, and I'm assuming that the young lady does not have children of her own, or else she would have noticed that there was absolutely NO way that Tertius and Quarta are school-age. Honestly, my children aren't that tall. After the initial sticker shock (remember, we were doing this on a tight budget), Hubby and I agreed that since we were returning to Seattle the following month, and planning to pop down at least once during the summer, and the paperwork was already filled out, it was worth the investment. Again, SO glad we'd put money on the credit card. I think it cried a little when I pulled it out of my wallet.
Money paid and stickers acquired, we began our jaunt through the museum, bypassing all of the music stuff, because we were, after all, on a geek pilgrimage.
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| Hubby and the hobbitses at the entrance to the purpose for our visit: Icons of Science Fiction |
Primus is a hard-core Whovian - who are we kidding, most of us in this house are - and he was SO stoked to see the Dalek. We were pleasantly surprised to see that they also had an original Cyberman, too!
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| Primus, expressing his opinion on Daleks |
We got to play with a green screen exhibit, turning Tertius into a nameless Red Shirt, fending off the attack of the giant plastic lizard figurine :) Secunda picked the most glittery costume (of course), and Primus refused to try it until the very last second, when another group had already descended on it. Maybe on our next visit *sigh*
We spent a good chunk of time poring over the notes accompanying the items on display, remembering dialogue from our favourite Sci-Fi films, and learning that up close, a lot of the stuff looks pretty crappy, but it looks great on screen. Makes me wonder why I spent so much time trying to get my stitches perfect on the capes I embroidered for Red Riding Hood. In that case, it looked great up close, but mediocre to unnoticeable on-screen. Oh well. It was still really cool to see some of the props, costumes and miniatures used in movies such as Superman, Alien, The Matrix, and other favourite movies and TV series.
Our next stop was another travelling exhibit:
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| Right this way... |
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| Fantasy: Legends of Myth and Magic |
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| This great huge tree was smack-dab in the middle of the exhibit! |
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| Neat signpost detailing the different archetypes found in Fantasy |
Each display had a nifty little card-shaped sign with it, explaining how it fit within the framework of the archetypes of the fantasy genre. So not only were they entertaining us, but they were educating us, too. Very cool.
Here are a few of what I felt were the highlights of the exhibit:
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| Quarta checks out costumes from another family favourite - The Princess Bride |
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| A page from George R.R. Martin's manuscript for Game of Thrones |
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| Second printing of C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardobe |
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| Best. Display. Ever. How else would one display an Invisibility Cloak? |
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| "I'll get you my pretty; you and your little dog, too!" |
We stayed just outside the building, at Seattle Center, and found this lovely spot to stop and eat our brown bag lunch:
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| Beautiful view, and perfect shield for the direct sunlight! |
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| Heading back to EMP with full bellies |
They had recreations of many iconic buildings the world over, and each had a description of where the building was, when it was built, how many stories high, and how many Lego™ bricks it took to re-create it. Our resident Lego fiends were mightily impressed.
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| So many cool buildings! |
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| Nice rendition of a Tardis! |
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| Primus built a yellow robot, which sits in the center of the display |
By the time we were finished in this exhibit, it was time for us to head north of the border again. Hubby's parents had invited us for dinner, so we hoofed it back over to the vehicle, and started the drive home. We really appreciated having a dinner that we didn't have to cook that night, and the time spent with family is always treasured. The hobbitses regaled their grandparents with stories from our trip, and they had to endure our impromptu "slide show" on the cell phones. We left with full bellies, hugs, and rolled into the driveway with enough time to get a decent night's sleep to prepare us for the return to school.
What an excellent family vacation!
Coming soon - Once More, With Feeling
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