Museum-O-Fun

Today did not start well. (And it was all my fault. I stayed up late yesterday helping Odie with his homework...and then stayed up later cruising craigslist, pinterest, landscaping websites whose services I cannot afford, and whatever else until 2 in the morning. Bad, bad, bad.)

I postponed getting out of bed until I felt I absolutely had to (sadly, right after my big kids left for school - although I was awake enough to yell things like, "DID YOU FINISH YOUR HOMEWORK? DON'T FORGET YOUR LUNCH!" from the dark, comfortable room I was unwilling to leave.), drank a diet coke or two for breakfast (please, self, wake up!), and threw the little kids in the car. Off to the science museum in Baltimore. Free admission before 11am. I had already told the kids and felt committed.

I left in such a dang, sleep-deprived hurry that I forgot Cozy's shoes. (Yes, she ran around bare-footed the entire time. I'm a good mom. I know. You don't need to tell me.) ...and then we got there 1/2 hour before they opened. Good planning. I had factored bad Baltimore "race days" traffic into my drive time. Traffic-free.

We took a short walk, to kill time until the museum opened. Cute brownstones everywhere, cobbled alleys...no shoe stores. ...but we found something for Odie/Anthony.



For those of you who haven't ever been to Baltimore, it's deep in the Chesapeake Bay (the largest estuary in the United States).


For someone who has lived on a peninsula for the last three years, it was nice to see the water and the boats.

So wonderful and relaxing to take children somewhere they're supposed to touch things.


Cozy adored the pendulums.

Jonny demonstrated why one pulley...


...is not as good as two.


We learned what happens to air when it heats up...it basically makes James break out in a fit of giggles.


In an act of extreme bravery, Jonny laid on a bed of nails. (Annika totally chickened out.)


Our favorite part - shooting foam noodle out into the 3-story foyer...and then racing down to fetch them again.



It was a wonderful day. We learned a lot of interesting new things and enjoyed our time together. I guess you can always end a day well, even if you can't manage to begin it well...sometimes it's worth it to drag your tired, lazy rear out of bed. :)