It's a Will-o-saurus

It is safe to say that today was infinitely better than yesterday. I believe the Cosmos had some balancing to do (or maybe I racked up a ton of positive Karma by maintaining civility towards GIL yesterday). Whatever the reason I'm incredibly grateful.

The father-in-law (we'll call him Pops) spent the day with us on our journey to the Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art. Pops' rule is that the hubby and I pay for NOTHING while he's in town. Done and done. Trust me, I will not argue. Honestly, I think Pops sincerely enjoys having us here. He's really hit it off with my young William (then again, my son is too adorable not to love). He's even treating us to the zoo/aquarium tomorrow.

The recap for today's adventure with ole Carnegie is pretty brief because a museum is a museum. We walked around the dinosaur exhibit in the morning and then walked the few blocks to Primanti Brothers for lunch. Yum-o. If you've never had a Primanti Brothers sandwich, you are an unfortunate soul. You pick a type of sandwich (I'm a pastrami and cheese girl), and that is placed on the bottom piece of bread. Then they proceed to stack french fries and coleslaw on top of that! Heaven on Earth? Why yes it is. I have yet to be able to lift one though. I use a fork:

I know you can't tell, but there is meat and cheese at the bottom. It's a multi-course meal in between two pieces of bread! Genius!

After lunch we strolled through the Art museum, and I was actually impressed with the contemporary section (except for the piece titled "Drain"-it truly is too stupid to even explain-it was just a drain mounted in the wall). The way the museum was set-up made it easy to snake through time periods. I loved it. Pops even bought be a book of Andrey Avinoff's work because I was so mesmerized by it in the exhibit. Avinoff worked mostly with water color and charcoal, and I love it when my sister uses these mediums. I guess that is why I was drawn to him (as always-pun intended):

Iridescence courtesy of the Carnegie Museum of Art

We headed back and after a bit of relaxing (hubby was in desperate need of a nap) joined Pops for dinner. Now, mother-in-law (we'll call her Patience because he has had to put up with GIL for a significant amount of time longer than I) made a simple request that we bring her some Butler BlueSox gear back. The BlueSox are the prospect baseball team for her hometown. Naturally we couldn't just walk into JC Penney and find BlueSox paraphernalia, but hubby found out that the BlueSox would be playing the Slippery Rock Sliders (a few streets over from where we're staying) this evening. Figuring it would be worth a try, we packed up the Bugster and Pops and headed to the game. The bad news is that they were only selling Slider gear, but never fear dear Patience because hubby got the direct number to the BlueSox owner and will be calling him tomorrow. Apparently all the BlueSox stuff is locked in his law office for safe keeping. Hubby fully intends to swing buy and purchase some.

A quick shout-out to my kick ass hubby because he's been so encouraging when dealing with GIL and so accommodating in managing the Bugster AND a model son to a dad he sees every few years or so.

One more day down, and one more day closer to returning home. 

 Left: Hubby loves the triceratops Right: the biggest turtle EVER

Brushing up on fossil finding skills

I know this is incredibly morbid, but this is EXACTLY how they had all the birds set up in the aviary section. Depressing isn't it? They couldn't be flying through the air or at least up right? My husband suggested I find a way to photoshop this poor fellow onto his tummy and put him in ridiculous backgrounds as if he were "planking." The humor helped lift the tone a bit. Also, according to their chart, I would be a Kiwi, hubby would be an Ibis, and Willster would be a Puffin based on our personalities.

This sign is in the parking lot of the ball field. I suppose prospect baseball can be dangerous.

Is It Saturday Yet?

Well it happened. Today my visit to Slippery Rock delivered all the frustration and anger I had been dreading, and thought I might avoid, earlier in the week. See I have never been comfortable around the grandmother-in-law (GIL) because I...well I...I don't like her. Something about her just isn't right (plus she canceled all the hotel reservations for the hubby's dad and aunt and herself for our wedding citing the danger in Hurricane Rita who was suppose to hit the weekend of our wedding meaning she missed her grandson's wedding-BTW I live in Dallas which is no where near the coast-also GIL managed to fly to California to see her daughter but has never been able to make it to Dallas). The last time we visited years ago we stopped in a McDonald's to grab a bite to eat and she thought that would be the prime opportunity to trim her toenails that were bothering her in her socks right there in the middle of the restaurant! Then she had the audacity to complain about a restaurant who didn't have the proper white tea cups. Really?

Why did I expect any less this go around? Honestly I didn't which is why I was so nasty about the trip up here. As mentioned before, part of this trip was to also help ship a set of dishes that the GIL insisted we have. Actually, she was quite put out that we refused to drive up here with a two-year-old in order to take the dishes back with us. In her lunatic state, she wanted to wait till we got here to bother taking them to Staples and shipping them (another issue: she expected us to set aside an entire day for a 30 minute errand). It turns out ole GIL isn't as loony toony as I assumed. We got everything to Staples and once it was all packed up and labeled MY HUSBAND AND I WERE EXPECTED TO PAY FOR THE SHIPPING!!! What the hell?! Are you effing kidding me? I DON'T NEED THE DAMN DISHES AND WAS ONLY BEING POLITE IN AGREEING TO GO ALONG FOR THE SHIPPING EXPEDITION. $100 was spent on a set of dishes we'll never use and don't have room for. I was livid! The manipulative crone got us to pay to take those stupid things off her hands! Even if I had liked the dishes and contemplated keeping/using them, I sure as hell don't want them now!

Naturally that put me in a wretched mood. I figured whatever GIL had planned for the rest of the afternoon might take my mind off of it. NOPE. She expected us to kill 3 1/2 hours between Staples and dinner (my son missed his nap today because of her stupid plan) just sitting in the "mall" and letting Will play in the indoor playground. Ah! We could have let Will nap and then met up with them to go to Staples, and I wouldn't have been bored out of my mind. Obviously that did not improve my temper. I hoped it wouldn't get worse, oh but it did.

We got to the restaurant for dinner (I actually enjoy Eat'nPark) and Will started to whine a bit. Of course he did because he was exhausted. She started sort of whining back, "Oh are you thirsty. Do you want water?" I let her know that he would be fine as soon as the server came around and got him milk. She passively chastised me and said to Will, "You want water don't you. Yes Grammy will get you water." Then she looked at me condescendingly and with a dismissive tone demanded, "We'll have some water." Uh okay psycho. Do I look like I work here or that I'm indentured to you in any way? She actually expected me to go and hunt down a server somewhere in the restaurant and get water for my son. (I must have misheard you because you said Grammy would get the water so get your old ass up and find a server yourself!) When it was clear I was going no where because my son was just fine waiting for the server she began to holler at her husband (a total gem by the way-I like him the same amount as I dislike her) who was slowly making his way to the table, "Get the waitress. Go over there and get her!" No joke. She sat there and did everything but snap her fingers at her husband. Good grief!

I know a lot of this is probably lost in translation since you really have to experience the GIL to know what I mean. I am just grateful that we won't have another all day GIL experience while we're here.

More pics of my cutie-patootie:

 Daddy bought him a Pirates baseball bat and ball. He insisted on holding it in the car.

 Yea for indoor playgrounds at the "mall."

He was so stinkin' pooped that he actually fell asleep while eating dinner. My fellow mom's out there know how frustrating that is to watch your child battle both sleep and hunger.

A Staples Expedition

Day two of our family vacay has ended successfully. As a matter of fact, this might be a shorter entry because I'm exhausted and want to share a bunch of pictures. We spent the morning in Pittsburgh at the Children's Museum and IT WAS AWESOME! It is the coolest museum I've ever been too. I wanted to quit my job and move to Pittsburgh just so I could work there! Actually, it is so beautiful up here and the people are so nice, I gave some consideration to moving here. Then I remembered that it snows A LOT up here in the winter. I don't like snow. No...I HATE SNOW AND COLD. The thought of being snowed in or having to shovel my way out of places makes me cringe. That alone is enough to keep me in Texas (sinus issues and all).

Anyway, the museum was the perfect place for my son to run around and be all hands on with the exhibits. They have an area where kids just make various forms of art. Will painted three pictures, screen printed a picture, made paper, played with magnet art, and messed with playdoh. We killed nearly an hour in that section alone. Then we walked through the rest of the exhibits. The Mr. Roger's neighborhood was pretty cool, but a lot was lost on my son since Mr. Roger's is really my time and not his. However, everything else was beyond exciting and I had to take a few videos because still shots would not do the place justice. My plan is to make a short movie about our trip, so I'll share that when it is ready.

We did our family duties by visiting the grandparents this afternoon. They were disappointed to hear yet again (because he's said it numerous times before) that my hubby has no intentions of becoming a Freemason. They also tried to pawn more "stuff" on us but I stood my ground and might have even offended them. Then the grandmother insisted on Chris going through a small album and identifying all the relatives in it. (At one point she covertly accused me of not paying attention, but only she and Chris could see the album because it was small! What did she expect me to do?) The whole time this was happening I kept visualizing in my head this scene from Golden Girls (just the first 3 minutes-I think you'll get my point).

Finally it was time to go because our Bugster-Mugster was getting hungry and out of sorts, but not before we planned our excursion to Staples for tomorrow. I have no idea why the grandmother is insisting on this being an ordeal. We're shipping a box full of dishes not transporting Oscars. Ugh!

To maintain balance with the Force, I'll end with happy pictures from the museum today:

 

We're waiting to hear from the DMA to see when this will go on display.

Making paper from colored pulp. Pretty cool.

Anyone up for joining me on a trip to the Land of Make Believe?

One step closer to a Pirate's Life!

A giant Light Brite Board! How rockin' is that?

I'll be checking back in tomorrow, and I've also been tweeting periodically (WordNerd80) if you'd like to follow.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

It's Croupe Family Vacation Week 2011! I promised a few friends I would blog my adventure in the Keystone State so they could experience the frustration and misery I was bound to feel while here. Misery and frustration? On vacation? Yes.

I've been sort of a bad wife lately (okay I've really been a "witch with a 'b'") when it has come to planning this trip. Chris wanted to visit his grandparents perhaps because he knows this could very well be the last time he will see them alive. Plus he wanted Will to meet his great-grandparents and paternal grandfather (that's correct-Will's NEVER met his paternal grandfather and my son is 2). Therefore, my hubby booked a FIVE DAY stay in Slippery Rock, PA where his grandparents live with the expectation that his father will arrive on Wednesday of this week. Not so bad? MY HUSBAND PLANNED NOTHING ELSE FOR THE FIVE DAYS WE WOULD BE HERE.

So I'm expected to find a way to entertain a two-year-old for hours on end in a small, college town? Uh, no thank you! There are plenty of fabulous museums in Pittsburgh, so that's where I suggested we stay (mostly so we would be in my natural habit-a city) and just drive up to Slippery Rock the one or two afternoon/evenings his grandparents wanted to see us. I even looked into the various museums and noted information of two and on the zoo. I told my husband that planning three things during a five day stay was more than sufficient, and I'm confident we would be able to do all three. He disagreed. However, he did concede to the Children's Museum and EITHER the zoo or Museum of Natural History. (I have a feeling I'll win though because who wants to sit around and stare at his/her family for hours on end-why do you think mi familia brings their own alcohol to family parties?)

At 3 A.M. my husband's alarm clock rattled me out of my two and a half hour nap (I was up late celebrating my sister's engagement). Since I had showered before hittin' the hay, I just threw on my sweat pants, a t-shirt, and a ball cap. I got the Bugster dressed and we were all out the door by 3:48. Did I mention this was in the morning? Yeah, my hubby thought a 6 A.M. flight to Milwaukee then catching a connecting flight into Pittsburgh was the best way to go. I vehemently disagree. NO ONE should be forced out of bed before 6 A.M. But I digress...

It was our Willster's first plane ride, and I've spent weeks praying for a pleasant flight. He slept the first leg of the journey, and I thought I was in the clear! Boy was I wrong! (Thanks goes out to a buddy o' mine who suggested giving Will something to nibble on as the plane took off to distract from and help with the ear popping-it worked like a champ.) The last 45 minutes of the first flight were a sobbing, screaming nightmare. My son had decided, "all done airplane" and tried to remove his Cares Harness (a HUGE waste of time and money-no one checked to see that he was secure with it and it didn't really fit-not to mention the flight attendant almost made us remove when she did notice it because she didn't believe it was government approved). It took everything in me not to bawl too. I was THAT mom with THAT kid. My hubby volunteered to sit next to our son on the connecting flight; I was convinced we wouldn't be able to get my son on to the next airplane without a fight. The second flight turned out to be significantly better than the first, and we landed at 11:00 A.M. PA time (even though it was technically fourish hours-getting up so early and my son's tantrum definitely made it feel like five+ hours on a plane). We were all starving so we grabbed McDonald's because we knew Will would eat a cheeseburger and some apples. It also didn't hurt our moods to get some food in our bellies as well.

My super hubby let me doze for an hour or so when we got to the Applebutter Inn (that's correct-we are staying at a bed and breakfast not at a hotel-I had to purchase a $12 hairdryer at the Family Dollar because I never pack one BECAUSE HOTELS HAVE HAIRDRYERS). Then it was time for our first family visit which went relatively well (pun intended). Unfortunately we were handed "stuff" to pack and bring back.* Great. Now I get to figure out how some of this "stuff" won't be getting home with me or where it will go if it does finagle its way to  my house. We had dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant where Will ate all of his great-grandfather's olives and croutons from the salad. I suppose I must admit that day one was pretty successful. I did apologize for being so out of sorts about all of this to my husband. In return, he is taking us into Pittsburgh tomorrow to the Children's Museum where they apparently have a replica of Mr. Roger's set-up! That adventure should definitely produce some rockin' memories.

For now, enjoy the pics I took today:
 

This one made Facebook: 4 A.M. start time, two flights, and one cheeseburger later...

Killing some time watching "What I Am" by will.i.am while mom wakes from her nap

The Applebutter Inn-we're three of 8 people staying here-too quiet and it kind of freaks me out but it is beautiful outside

I figured this is the perfect time and place to try my very first Clark bar

Tune back in tomorrow to see how we survived the museum.

*One of the reasons for this trip is so his grandmother can ship us some flatware that she wants us to have-another thing we DON'T need that will sit in a box taking up space somewhere in our house. I know, we didn't have to come here for her to ship it, but I am trying to play nice and it is simple and lovely flatware. It could have been far worse I suppose.

The Way to THIS Girl's Heart...

If I asked a few of my dearest girl friends to pick their favorite actor from 2009's Star Trek*, they would probably fall into either Camp Chris or Camp Zachary with regret that they could only choose one. And who could blame them? I mean look:

 

Whew! Is it a little warm in here to anyone else? That's a whole lot o' hotness in one photo.  Yet my vote belongs to the British Dish who played Scotty:

Go ahead and judge me. I don't care. See, my weakness has always been and will always be the off beat funny intellectuals/brains/nerds. If a man can make me laugh while holding an intelligent conversation, he will forever have a diligent devotee in me (just ask my husband). I thrive off geek vibes, and don't even get me started on what happens to me when I find out a fella can write code. Perhaps it is because I am finally finding my way around the nerding world. 

My own geeky tendencies have always existed, but alas, I lived in a time and place where being popular was life or death and those kids (the ones who got to wear Reebok double-tongued shoes instead of the no label versions my mom tried to convince me were the exact same thing) found my habit of pretending to be Wonder Woman absurd. They certainly didn't share my elation at the discovery of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi when I was twelve (imagine my mother holding out on me this quite vital information-she knew that New Hope VHS was wearing thin I watched it so much), and naturally the popular kids steered clear of SF and fantasy (How do you not find dragons cool?). What was a four-eyed, brace-face to do? 

I shoved all these interests way down deep inside in hopes that I could better blend in with the crowd. However, what I discovered was that the intricate worlds of comic book heroes peaked my interest then and definitely now more than before, and I bemoan the fact that I didn't immerse myself into that culture when I was younger. Eagerly I await the release of the final installment of Harry Potter and Jackson's The Hobbit (don't think I'm not also keeping tabs on the Star Trek sequel). Since my passion for Jim Henson has been a constant in life, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal rate at the top of my fave fantasy films. My two-year-old son can quote Yoda for goodness sake! Of course this also means that the pull toward the clever comic relief (most often a nerd in his own right) in films, television, and real life is too great to ignore.

With that said, I heard Simon Pegg on one of the various talk radio stations my husband insists on listening to in the car. Now, I was well aware of Mr. Pegg before Star Trek (if you haven't seen any of his other films, I'm not sure we can be friends anymore), and his interview promoting his biography only whetted my appetite for more. As of 9:30 this morning I am the proud owner of:

I can't start reading it quite yet because I have to finish a book for my book club. However, I am nearly busting at the seams in anticipation of the amount of aforementioned "geek vibes" that will pour forth from these pages and into my soul.  Mr. Pegg if your book delivers like I hope it will, very shortly you will have one new loyal fan admiring you from Dallas, Texas! 

*The problem with this statements is that only one of my dearest girl friends will have seen Star Trek because we are the duo of nerds in our group, and I have a feeling she too would pick Simon Pegg.

Wanted: A Square Peg

It occurred to me the other day that I need to round up some new friends. I have no intention of replacing my current ones! They are a hoot and I'd be lost without them, but if I ever plan to leave my house and have grown up contact ever again I MUST make some additional friends. See, I am married and have an oh-so-adorable two-year-old. This apparently disqualifies me from happy hours and get-togethers with my single counterparts. Okay, it makes sense, so it would seem logical for me to find other moms of wee ones to hang with while killing time this summer. But this is where it gets tricky because most moms (from what I've discovered) that tend to have play dates and do things with their little ones during the day are stay-at-home moms. I teach which means 9-10 months out of the year my son attends daycare. I most certainly don't live the lifestyle of the stay-at-home mom. I don't think it's wrong or anything. It's just not for me, so what do I have in common with these moms? Not to mention that my biggest fear is that I will lose myself to being a mom (because I'm an overachiever and will put 110% into any job I undertake) and then what happens when my son is 18 and out of the house? Who will I be?

I'm almost ready to put out a personal add, but I think that wouldn't be a great success. There is no denying my squarepeggedness (new word-look out Webster). Therefore, the person whom I seek would have to be equally odd (relatively speaking). I have plenty of gal pals that match one or two qualifiers, but I clearly don't see them enough because cabin fever is slowly starting to creep up on me. If anyone out there fits, please know I'd love to meet you:

1. Female
2. Late 20's to mid/late 30's
3. Lives within 20 minutes of me
4. Has children between 18 mo to 3 or 4 years
5. Either sews or would be interested in taking up sewing
6. Has a husband/partner obsessed with sports (most particularly the NFL and Longhorn anything-this will come in handy when either of us needs somewhere to go when fall rolls around)
7. Enjoys Star Wars, Muppets, Harry Potter, 80s anything (mostly John Hughes), superhero films, Linkin Park, Blue October, Muse, Phoenix, Lenka, British folk/pop/punk, shopping, shoes, reading, movies
8. Either has a full time job (preferably in education) OR is a stay-at-home mom who won't judge me because: I think organic is a scam, I hate putting my kid in a full body floaty to swim in a pool, I allow my child to watch television, I insist on teaching my son words like "cumbersome," and believe in appropriate discipline including spanking

See? I don't ask for a lot...okay, so it is a lot. But I truly believe way deep down that there has to be someone out there like me. If it's you, we should meet!

Preventing Paranoia

The way a lot of people treat turning 30, you would think our entire lives are on the decline. According to my calculations (and I know that's dangerous since I teach English-BUT I consulted the CDC with this one),  in 2007 the life expectancy for an average American was 77.9 years with decreases in death rates over the next couple of years. So somehow we're all living longer (I blame ForeverWare) which means at 30 I'm not even half way done with my life. And seeing as I know myself to be an above average American:), I'll probably live even longer than 80. Therefore, there is no need to start panicking about the multitude of feebility that will plague me when I'm senile some day.

Yet a relative of mine decided a subscription to Prevention magazine would be a thoughtful gift? Really? How about Entertainment Weekly or People? Since I'm an educator, National Geographic or something literary would have even been more appropriate. Okay, stop scolding me for being ungrateful especially since the reason so many people are living longer might just be because they are reading their Prevention magazines. Hear me out on this one: Prevention magazine does NOT cater to my age group nor does receiving a "gift" subscription do anything to dispel the absurd myth that 30 is old. How do I know this? Because Marie Osmond is on the cover of the current issue being fabulous in her 50s, and I cannot even recall who was on the last one but I know that she too was quickly approaching 50 (so I looked it up and it was Teri Hatcher-no I don't watch Desperate Housewives because I feel that target audience is one and the same to that of Prevention). Why on Earth would I be interested in this magazine? The fear of osteoporosis? I drink milk and watch Forrest Gump's mom talk to me about keeping my bones strong with Boneva (yes, I do know her name is actually Sally Field-she was in Laverne and Shirley...oh wait...that was Cindy Williams-oops I guess I AM rounding the bend).

Even setting aside the fact that all the advice in this thing seems to target women so confidently right past middle age (which I also do not fear approaching because I know so many gorgeous and intelligent women at this age), Prevention has not made me feel any better about preventing anything! It's more like a harbinger on all the ways my body could go horribly wrong. One of the cover stories proclaimed something to the effect that having surgery in July could kill me! Oh great! I'm a teacher and if I need any type of operation I always have it done in the summer...wait for it...IN JULY! How am I still living?! Another cover story had in quotations, "My doctor told me I was fat!" and then proceeded to instruct me on how to get a more caring physician. First of all, I didn't read the article so I don't really know the context BECAUSE I see my doctor maybe twice a year and don't need a more caring relationship. I just need whatever meds I have to see him about before he'll prescribe them. Secondly, maybe I am fat. Maybe he's doing me a kindness for health reasons? Should he actually call me fat? Well probably not if he intends to stay in business, but he might mention I could lose a little weight here or there, and that is probably not a surprise to me which would be the real reason I'm upset.* Moving on. Basically perusing Prevention only shows me all the ways I'm already sick or could be sick or on my way to Death's door. I don't need a magazine for that. I have WebMD when I think something's wrong and I'm in the mood for a bit of hypochondria. Is 30 older than 20? Of course. But it's a helluva lot younger that 100, so for now I'll prevent myself (ha-get it-prevent) from freaking out about the 1001 ways I could die and allow that subscription to simply find its way to the recycle bin after glancing through it for courtesy's sake.

That Family Circle gift subscription, however, has some pretty darn good recipes.

*It should be noted that since I first posted this, I did go back and glance through the article. However, the amusing part was that on the cover right about this story was how to lose 7 pounds in 7 days (or something just as ludicrous). I think Prevention is sending mixed messages. The doctor can't call you fat, but this magazine can assume you are trying to lose weight?