Moooove Over Zoo

I've got some preschool experience under my belt now that my third is finishing up her last couple months. (It's gone way to fast, but that's a topic for another post.) There is big money in entertaining the five and under set. Moms are a finicky bunch though. You live by word of mouth or you die by word of mouth.. I've done many outings with my kids once and never gone back for a variety of reasons, but mostly entertainment bang for my buck. Two clear winners in my experience have been Peter Piper Pizza and the "Dinosaur Museum"  in Mesa. It helps that they offer year round climate controlled entertainment, and in the case of "PPP" as it has become known, everyone gets fed and entertained including me thanks to some good friends who show up on a regular basis. In a bad economy these places have to be on their game to stay open. I know. We just happen to own a preschool related franchise. It is a constant battle to keep it fresh, economical, and appealing to parents and kids alike.

Sophie and Lani's preschool arranged a trip to Superstition Dairy Farm today. Since it is Spring Break, I took Jake, DB, and Ellyse for good measure - in case the little ones decided to revolt on me. I have to say that despite an unseasonably warm day, they all had a great time. My only gripe is that they stopped short of actually showing the cows being milked. I'm sure they had their reasons. But alas, we live in QC, so our chances to view that are plentiful.

 I like that the animals were up close and accessible to the kids, unlike most of the animals at a certain zoo in town.

 I didn't take long for the boys to find a  place to run and jump- a big plus in my book.

 These guys are creepy. Seriously stop looking at me. Sorry, I like hamburgers.

 Sophie's arms did not grow on backwards despite how it appears in the photo.

 Jake and DB feeding the goats and sheep.

 Lani was slower to warm up, but eventually agreed to feed the goats.

 Sophie is a natural. No pet chickens for us though. I could never go strangle a pet for dinner. I'm a wimp like that. I prefer to believe that meats comes from the store shrink wrapped in plastic. This also why I get an "F" in the preparedness department.

 This is the dog I hoped Coco would be. She fetches which is hours of entertainment for the kids and the highlight of the field trip.

The kids were treated to a milk bar with their choice of 10 flavors, then freshly made ice cream to top it off. Good thing since the temp inched past 90 today. (It's a little depressing to think it is still technically winter.) All in all I give this a favorable mom rating in the do it once category, with the caveat that you don't go anytime past April or before November. 

Things.

It seems like everyone has their "thing". And people often can't understand why everyone else doesn't share their obsession of their "thing." For example, I can't stand to sleep in sheets that haven't been washed recently. My misery increases exponentially each day that passes that I know my sheets have already been slept on. I can picture my mind's eye all the microscopic organisms, skin cells and who know what else that are sharing my bed with me as I sleep. When the bed bug infestations became front page news recently it almost sent me into therapy. Maybe it's my imagination but my sheets start to feel "slimy". Please don't ever bring up the topic of hotel bedspreads with me.

I also cannot go to bed with dishes in the sink. I've been in the throes of a wicked stomach flu falling down sick and dizzy and willed myself to the sink to get them in the dishwasher so I could go to bed.

I hate a dirty car. Having a spot on the windshield, or worse yet the residual double rainbow left from the windshield wipers is like cryptonite to me. Put me on a road trip with a car in that condition and I will be certifiabley insane by the time we get there. I once pulled into a do it yourself car wash during a blizzard in Utah at night because of how dirty the car was. It didn't end well. I don't recommend that.

Interestingly enough, these "things" don't translate into a super clean or organized house.

I'm also fascinated by other people's things. (You know what I mean...context here people..it's a G-rated blog.) Facebook is an excellent window of observation for this phenomenon. Some people only post about weather or politics or religion.  I have friends who love their dogs more than life itself. You know the type. It's all they talk about. There's the friend that spends 12 hours a day cooking three from scratch gourmet meals. There's the fitness freaks who live at the gym. I'm married to a guy who likes sports... a lot. I won't argue that our family may ere on the side of being lopsided in this department. I suppose the key to our "things" is not letting them take over to point that it disrupts life's delicate balance. Plus putting it bluntly, people with one or very limited "things" tend to be predictable and dare I say boring. Even when their thing is good and noble.

But that's not to say the I'm not entertained by other's permanent declaration of their thing in the form of a personalized plate or tattoo.  Wes has always said the real reason he never got a tattoo was because he was pretty sure he wouldn't still love Metallica when he was 80. Well he's nearly 40 and still digs Lars, so perhaps he should have just gone ahead with it. (Just kidding Wes. Don't do it.)

We all have them in varying degrees and I'm fairly confident that my ADD will never allow me to become too obsessed with one "thing", but if it does, you be sure to let me know. For now I've got to go put new sheets on my bed.