Mat and a museum too!
Yesterday was just great!
I was dreading ti in a way, because I just really needed a day off, where I didn't have to drive anyone anywhere, etc.
But we had a social trip to the Birmingham Art Museum planned with the AYANA group, and Mat was going to meet us there, and Rhiannon was going to catch a ride back home with us.
We all met in a parking lot to arrange vehicles, and Shelby wanted to ride in a van with a couple of the other young people who'll talk cartoons and sing with him. In fact, if there's any other option, Shelby wants to ride with anybody else but me. Different's always better, as far as company (audience) goes, Shelby's world.
That meant that Rhiannon and I got to talk and catch up while Thomas worked on Physics homework for the 90 minute drive. That was nice.
Everyone met up at a B'ham Shoney's (all you can eat breakfast buffet until 2pm on the weekends!) and eating and more talking ensued. It was really good to get to talk to the other moms, especially since our monthly meeting was one of the things I missed last Thursday.
Meet again at the almost completely empty museum and tour around for hours and hours. There was something going on at the colosseum and it was the first beautiful day we've had in forever, so there were only a hand full of people there besides us. That was great in that we got to see wat we wanted when we wanted, no one in front of us, etc. It was bad in that the museum guards had nothing to do but follow us around and remind us that even just pointing at something in a picture was forbidden, if our finger got to within 12 inches, and since they were so present, that meant about 2 feet, and I just kept getting warnings. Mind you I never actually got within 12 inches, let alone actually touched anything! But it was fun and enlightening anyway. i love to go to museums with Rhiannon, because she's very knowledgeable about art and history, and religion, and she doesn't mind answering questions, and doesn't treat you like an idiot when she answers them. Also, she and I like to really study the stuff, not just trot through a room glancing at the shiny stuff. Most of our group left about 3:30, after some group photos, but our family of five closed the place down at 5pm.
Over to Mat & Rhi's for Physics homework! Thomas's teacher uses an online system, which makes it possible to give weird deadlines like 11pm Saturday. Thomas was having trouble with one, and needed Mat's help anyway, so they got that one almost done when the rest of us mutinied and insisted on food.
Since I was paying, we went to an amazing Chinese restaurant. Not buffet. We got way too much food, so lunch today will also be fabulous. And we had live music! A young lady playing something stringed, that was as long as a piano (and lay out on a table in front of her), strummed like a harp, had maybe 8 strings? And makes traditional sounding Chinese music. Gu Qin? Very nice.
Eventually we all waddled back to the kids', where Thomas finished up the Physics, and Mat begged for someone to play games until Shelby agreed to play chess. Even with Mat helping Shelby, that was over in five moves. Then Parcheesi, which took longer, but still Mat won. By that time Thomas was through, so they all three played some card game called munchkins, which is all new, and apparently aimed satirically at both Magic and D&D. It was hysterical just to listen to. And of course, even though Thomas gave him a good run for his money, Mat won. Then they played three rounds of some smash brothers video game, and the big news was that Thomas won a round. Of course, Mat won the other two. Now you can guess why Mat has to beg people to play games with him. He wins. Irritatingly consistently. No matter what the game, and often even if you've been playing for years and this is his second game! But since the games were raucous and fast moving, and Shelby's a good sport, and Thomas knows he's just playing Mat to see how long he can hold out, everyone had a good time.
Of course, by the time I got some coffee in me and called a halt to the games it was nearly 1am, which meant I wasn't in bed until almost 3am. But I got 6 hours of that really good kind of sleep that you get when you're really tired from an excellent and happy day. So I got up at a decent hour and feel just fine. The teenagers, of course, both slept until noon and are dragging around here like bears disturbed from hibernation. wimps.
I was dreading ti in a way, because I just really needed a day off, where I didn't have to drive anyone anywhere, etc.
But we had a social trip to the Birmingham Art Museum planned with the AYANA group, and Mat was going to meet us there, and Rhiannon was going to catch a ride back home with us.
We all met in a parking lot to arrange vehicles, and Shelby wanted to ride in a van with a couple of the other young people who'll talk cartoons and sing with him. In fact, if there's any other option, Shelby wants to ride with anybody else but me. Different's always better, as far as company (audience) goes, Shelby's world.
That meant that Rhiannon and I got to talk and catch up while Thomas worked on Physics homework for the 90 minute drive. That was nice.
Everyone met up at a B'ham Shoney's (all you can eat breakfast buffet until 2pm on the weekends!) and eating and more talking ensued. It was really good to get to talk to the other moms, especially since our monthly meeting was one of the things I missed last Thursday.
Meet again at the almost completely empty museum and tour around for hours and hours. There was something going on at the colosseum and it was the first beautiful day we've had in forever, so there were only a hand full of people there besides us. That was great in that we got to see wat we wanted when we wanted, no one in front of us, etc. It was bad in that the museum guards had nothing to do but follow us around and remind us that even just pointing at something in a picture was forbidden, if our finger got to within 12 inches, and since they were so present, that meant about 2 feet, and I just kept getting warnings. Mind you I never actually got within 12 inches, let alone actually touched anything! But it was fun and enlightening anyway. i love to go to museums with Rhiannon, because she's very knowledgeable about art and history, and religion, and she doesn't mind answering questions, and doesn't treat you like an idiot when she answers them. Also, she and I like to really study the stuff, not just trot through a room glancing at the shiny stuff. Most of our group left about 3:30, after some group photos, but our family of five closed the place down at 5pm.
Over to Mat & Rhi's for Physics homework! Thomas's teacher uses an online system, which makes it possible to give weird deadlines like 11pm Saturday. Thomas was having trouble with one, and needed Mat's help anyway, so they got that one almost done when the rest of us mutinied and insisted on food.
Since I was paying, we went to an amazing Chinese restaurant. Not buffet. We got way too much food, so lunch today will also be fabulous. And we had live music! A young lady playing something stringed, that was as long as a piano (and lay out on a table in front of her), strummed like a harp, had maybe 8 strings? And makes traditional sounding Chinese music. Gu Qin? Very nice.
Eventually we all waddled back to the kids', where Thomas finished up the Physics, and Mat begged for someone to play games until Shelby agreed to play chess. Even with Mat helping Shelby, that was over in five moves. Then Parcheesi, which took longer, but still Mat won. By that time Thomas was through, so they all three played some card game called munchkins, which is all new, and apparently aimed satirically at both Magic and D&D. It was hysterical just to listen to. And of course, even though Thomas gave him a good run for his money, Mat won. Then they played three rounds of some smash brothers video game, and the big news was that Thomas won a round. Of course, Mat won the other two. Now you can guess why Mat has to beg people to play games with him. He wins. Irritatingly consistently. No matter what the game, and often even if you've been playing for years and this is his second game! But since the games were raucous and fast moving, and Shelby's a good sport, and Thomas knows he's just playing Mat to see how long he can hold out, everyone had a good time.
Of course, by the time I got some coffee in me and called a halt to the games it was nearly 1am, which meant I wasn't in bed until almost 3am. But I got 6 hours of that really good kind of sleep that you get when you're really tired from an excellent and happy day. So I got up at a decent hour and feel just fine. The teenagers, of course, both slept until noon and are dragging around here like bears disturbed from hibernation. wimps.