We have been surprised by the R.A.'s seeming about face regarding "skwool" because traditionally we have found that on weekday mornings when we announce that it's time to get ready for school he vehemently opposes it as evidenced by his shrieking, "No, Please! No, Please!" and his endeavors to run away from his father. There are also his attempts to undress himself, no doubt believing that not only could he not be sent to school in only a Pull-Up but that we only know how to dress him one time per morning and are incapable of figuring out how to do it again.
I think the R.A. regards school as the lesser of two evils, or more accurately, the lesser of two idiotic institutions. Obviously my husband and I are bigger dopes than any of the school staff. Fair play. I have recently re-read a few past postings and would have to agree.
But because "technically" it is a vacation week, my husband and I felt compelled to do some "vacation-y" things. Today we had planned on our old standby, the beach. The weather, to our tremendous disappointment, did not cooperate. We'd actually been watching the weather the past couple of days, praying for a sunny day but the Kitchen God stiffed us and an unsettled day was predicted. When the meteorologist said "an unsettled day" I snorted out loud. She had no idea.
My husband and I spent most of Monday racking our brains to think of indoor activities that would not cost more than the monthly mortgage payment and more importantly, not offend the R.A. By the time I arrived home from work Monday afternoon I had a raging headache from thinking so hard but still no ideas. My daughter greeted me at the door with, "What are we doing tomorrow?" When I responded that I was still looking into it, she shot me a pre-teen look and snarked that it had better not be something boring. At that point I didn't care what it was as long as it meant we were not stuck in the house together. I also wondered if there were a local kiddie kennel where we could send the kids for the rest of vacation.
After trolling the Internet and searching the bowels of my frazzled brain, I finally hit upon an ice cream/entertainment center about 30 minutes from our house. Now, we have a similar place right in our town but travel time meant more time we were out of the house.
Once she heard "ice cream" my daughter was in. We could have been going for matching motorcycle gang tats and as long as ice cream was involved she would have been fine with it. To review - ice cream does not equal boring.
So early Tuesday afternoon off we went. There was one dicey moment on the drive when the R.A., apparently having accepted a no school day, had a mini melt down as we came upon the school exit off the highway. We all did that high pitched, sing song-y, panicky, "No school! No school! Bye-bye school!" Once wepassed the exit he calmed down and resumed his backseat hand flapping. Whew! One crisis averted.
Upon reaching our destination the R.A. was a bit uncertain. When my husband pulled him out of the car he announced, "No, please!" and attempted to climb back into the car. His dad managed to coax/half carry him through the parking lot. Let the fun begin!
Since it was lunch time we first hit the order window. Well, my husband, daughter, and I attempted to. The R.A. found it offensive and sat on a decorative lobster trap and refused to move. My husband said he would place our order and instructed me to take the children to a table.
This place also has a section with animals on display - some goats, chickens, roosters, your garden variety farm animals. And oddly enough a peacock and pea hen. Customers were not allowed to feed the animals. Apparently how it worked was people watched the animals watching the people eat. To my daughter's delight, we snagged a table right next to the animals. While she pointed out the animals, the R.A. spent time acclimating to a new place. He did this by scowling, refusing to make eye contact and yowling.
Unfortunately we arrived just as an apparent domestic dispute between the rooster and the hens was unfolding and their cackling and crowing was quite loud. This upset the R.A. whose own caterwauling graduated. At one point he shouted, "Quiet!" at them and then covered his ears. Finally the R.A. became so disturbed he jumped into my lap. At this point my husband and I decided perhaps it was best to move tables.
We moved inside a tented area. The R.A. was delighted with our new accommodations which were next to the trash. Surveying the trash bin he flashed a happy smile. The R.A. is quite a tidy little terror and when he eats, the minute he is finished with an item, into the trash it goes, regardless of whether or not it is disposable. Proximity to the trash is the R.A.'s equivalent of seating with a view.
The rest of our visit progressed pretty smoothly except for one brief incident in the gift barn. Said gift barn has two floors. The R.A. is a huge fan of stories and tiers. This place was right up his alley as the second floor overlooked the first. When we reached the second floor the R.A. raced to the railing and proceeded to toe jump and flick his fingers through the railing. So far, so good. But what the R.A. also likes to do when on the second floor is toss things down to the first floor. At home he has tossed down crackers, Thomas trains, television remote controls, and on one occasion (unbeknownst to my husband), eye glasses. Fortunately, this afternoon my husband brought his A game and intercepted the R.A.'s attempt to toss a Christmas ornament over the railing. At this point, over the R.A.'s indignant protestations, my husband suggested it might be a good idea if he and the R.A. waited for us outside. I did not disagree and I'm sure none of the customers in the bake shop below us did either.
Five more vacation days to go. I'm not sure if we will be able to survive all this rest and relaxation. Let's face it. We won't really get any rest until the vaporization comes. Vaporization Now! Vaporization Forever!
*School
