For me? It means rushing around getting her dressed and fed in the morning (she is SO not a morning person; it's like looking in a mirror). Then we get in the Jeep and drive an hour to go MAYBE fifteen miles to the museum. It takes a half hour to forty-five minutes to go six miles on the expressway. Every. Damn. Morning. Whoever thought having five lanes suddenly go down to two, right before a tunnel, needs beaten down with a tire iron. (I will have to get a picture of this highway system on Google Earth. It really has to be seen to be believed. Hell, I drive it every day and I don't believe it.)
Anyway. Monday, when I went to pick up the Goob, she was in full-blown hysterics over an art project. It hadn't turned out the way she wanted, and she went bonkers. I do believe pain from a growth spurt, hunger, over stimulation, and just being goddamn four played a role. It took me an hour to calm her down. Then I started showing her things I've made that didn't turn out quite like I planned. (Which is, what, every knitting and spinning project I've ever done?) Then I showed her stuff I've gotten frustrated by and put aside. She realized that frustration is normal but you don't have to go berserk over it. Hopefully she will remember it next time. I'm not holding my breath.
Yesterday? She cried again.
This time because she didn't want to leave. Pardon me while I thunk my head on a wall for a while. (Pretty sure I'm going to have that photo professionally printed and frame it.)
For me, the time has been spent hanging out. With the drive, it's ridiculous to go home and then come back to pick the kid up later; it's only a three hour camp. Monday the museum was closed and I spent the day hanging out in the sculpture garden/outdoor cafeteria:
I knit and watched Leverage* on my net book. The museum has free wifi, so I've been quite content slouching around. In fact, I'm back in the same place right now, blogging. The museum will open in an hour, though, and school tour groups will muster here. It will turn into a madhouse, so then I go inside to hang out in the cafe. This is the view from there:
Yesterday I had iced tea and a dinosaur cookie. Got to eavesdrop on the planning committee and the children's education committee meetings and was quite amazed and pleased. There doesn't seem to be any backstabbing or snide behavior among the staff - well, of course there is, but it's minimal because I wasn't seeing any, watching these meetings. I got a chance to tell the head of the kid's ed department that I'm very impressed at how organized the summer camp program is, so that was nice, too.
Three more days. For one of them, I'm going to actually pay admission and cruise the art museum. But mostly I plan to mellow out and knit a lot. If it weren't for the damn drive and the crying kid, life would be damn good.
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*Leverage is a show on TNT that I've discovered. Timothy Hutton (I've always been a fan) leads a band of criminals in a lot of Robin Hood behavior. Very fun. The writing and acting are all top notch. No idea why I hadn't heard of it before; the third season starts this Sunday, so I'm catching up beforehand. While knitting in the sculpture garden.
Aaaah. If only I didn't have to drive here.
16 comments:
The crying kind of goes with the territory, totally normal. And holy cow, I am so sick of mornings--I can't wait for school to be over (STILL NOT OVER!!). This is why I signed them up for a week of camp that's ten minutes down the road. If we hadn't done school all year, I'd go farther, but... I need a break, too.
I did the same thing when my kid had art classes in Providence--hung around. You have much nicer weather though! Those 7-degree mornings kinda sucked.
Sounds like she's having a good time. It's crying on the way there that's a bad sign!
I believe you about the traffic - I read somewhere that the average speed of vehicles in London has slowed down in comparison to the 1890s, and I'm sure that statistic isn't just relevant to London.
I found Leverage last winter. Delightful, isn't it? Watched every episode on Netflix, which is worth every penny of the paltry nine bucks a month. I can't wait for Sophie to come back.
Are you surprised that the Goob throws a hissy fit when she has to stop doing something fun? Really?!? Has she ever been a sedate child? Were you? Yeah, I was but I got over it at around age 22 (sorry, late bloomer) and now I do a lot of pouting and foot stomping just to make up time.
Yeah, welcome to the Northeast. The traffic is ludicrous. I can only suggest audiobooks, language lessons and singalongs.
Oh, how funny. I was up at the dinosaurs with *my* four year old while you were happily knitting and blogging. I had knitting in my bag!
I was in Pittsburgh Memorial Day weekend. We wanted to go to the park at the confluence, missed the turn and wound up parking by the stadium on the river. Okay. Then we wanted to go south and wound up seeing the stadium from every side, missing the tunnel entrance, even though we saw it and knew that is where we wanted to go......Nice city but......wow. And it was Sunday and there was no traffic. Have you been to the zoo yet? Polar bears!
On the corner with Craig there's a coffee house called Kiva Han that also has free WiFi, and their chai is to die for.
A little farther up, there's a comic store, a gaming store, a bead store and a record store, plus a couple of used book stores. And Lulu's Noodles should be experienced at least once, if you're into Asian food.
Oh! Oh! Oh! That picture of the Goob is priceless! I have one like that of my four-year-old granddaughter, stretched out, rigid with rage, her mouth a perfect rectangle, in a party dress. (Not funny at the time, but somebody had the wit to snap that.)
Today: she dressed up in her Aurora costume, complete with crown & scepter, to go to the supermarket. The cashiers were curtseying. I have not heard about any princess stuff going on with the Goob: lucky you.
Timothy Hutton has always been a favorite of mine, too.
What a nice place to hang out. The view of the water there is nice and peaceful and free wifi? Throw in a cup of coffee and I could sit for hours.
Thanks for the head's up about Leverage. I love that show and somehow missed the start date for this summer.Love the hysterical T. Rex!
that looks like a most pleasant way to pass a few hours while waiting for the camping goob. I'd be crying when it was time to leave too!
Dude! The season finale was SUCH a cliffhanger... I can't WAIT for the premiere! (Okay-- while you're catching up with great cable tv-- In Plain Sight, USA channel.. you will love it!)
And four is such a... a... HORMONAL age for the bright little people. Seriously-- like you said, overstimulation, tiredness, and suddenly, you don't have your sweet little four year old, you've got a nuclear meltdown on popsicle stick legs!!!
My son is doing Zoo Camp at the Cleveland Zoo. I love these camps. He is nine. This is his fourth year. It does get easier. Next year, he wants to do an overnight camp for a week. Good for him. My heart is already doing palpatations. Fortunately, for me, my hubby takes him to the zoo. I just get to take the 16 year old to swimming, leaving the house at 5:30 a.m. And she, by the way, isn't the best person to spend early morning time with. I guess it does get worse.
Leverage is a great show and I also watch it on the computer. A woman from my knitting group hooked me on it. After each episode, I'm like the Goober . . . no, it can't be over . . .
As a Pgh native, sympathies on the Expressway - sucketh, it does.
When I was in jr high/high school I went from the South Hills to the Wilkinsburg area for gymnastics 5 days a week... if we could see tailights on the expressway, we took the super secret back roads. The kind you only find after getting lost repeatedly. Heh.
My mom was so happy when I was old enough to take the buses instead.
Hope you guys continue to enjoy the museum! I'm looking forward to visiting the old haunts this summer. Can't wait to see what the wee one makes of the zoo.
/returning to the regularly scheduled lurking ;-)
Leverage is filmed here in Portland OR and I've gotten hooked. It is fun.
Aren't these tempermental bright kids great? Little rules-lawyers. Geesh.
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