Homework Nazi

Today I put on my uniform and became the homework nazi, kinda similar to the cleaning nazi but without the nerf gun and the big stick. I run around to the three different locations that my children have been plopped and check each little amount of progress that they scribbled onto their paper. When I am done with looking at one child's work I hurry across the room to see any progress that has been made. My oldest absolutely refused to do any homework other than practice his drum which I know gave him extreme pleasure that the pounding banging clamoring noise was actually his homework, he even had an assignment on a paper from the music teacher. The spelling book once again has miraculously disappeared and getting him to read a book is almost as hard as pulling teeth from a crocodile. My middle child did not have much homework so he volunteered to take out both trash cans and feed the dog. My sweet child avoided the homework nazi's wrath that was caused by his older siblings mislaid home work. My youngest simply shocked me, she laid down where she was plopped and did all three assignments. For a split second, before she started rambling on and on and on about a new binder, I thought that maybe I brought home a different child. So until tomorrow, the homework nazi has hung her uniform and sighs a giant sigh of relief.

A Day at the Zoo

       A day at the zoo can go two ways pure misery or pure enjoyment.  It can be cold, rainy or snowy (which by the way I do not recommend). You  may end up having to ride the emergency vet van down to the parking lot only to find out that you left the sun roof of your car open. Or you may be half way through the zoo...all the way up at the top and it begins to snow.  Yes, the weather in Colorado is fickle...close your eyes and it may change. Or it can be hot and sweaty where you run out of breathe easily because our zoo's ascent is the equivilent of a 10 story building. Then you factor in your children. If they are irritable, you end up listening to an hour or so of annoying sniveling whining. They may be extremely excitable, which is often the case of my children....bouncing off walls, running ahead of you and calling from afar "Look mommy look". Excitement is not a bad thing, but it is inevitable that my three are all beckoning me to look in different directions. Another mishap at the zoo could be losing of an item....a shoe from the sky ride, a hat thrown into the lake, a child that disappeared to sit on the train ride and wait for us without informing a soul. Hobbling through the zoo is another thing that should be avoided, especially at our zoo. My best friend, Jay, twisted his foot and then proceeded to walk around on it for a whole hour before even putting ice on it. That would be a good time to take advantage of the zoo tram. I also recommend bringing a hat to wear when visiting the Budgie Buddies...yes I did get a nice present from a bird on one visit to the zoo.
      My children are as unpredictable as the weather here in Colorado, but we have had many enjoyable times at the zoo too. When the zoo keeper lets my daughter, who is in a dress and fancy shoes, hold the snake, when same daughter wants to know what does a carousel eat (We had just fed the meerkats), or when my sons get to feed the tortoises,  the mother in me smiles. Feeding the giraffes and having a wet blue tongue lick you is not exactly enjoyable for me, but to my son it is delightful. The Bornean Orangatan kissing us through the glass clearly makes up for the cold wet shoes due to children walking through every snow drift.
Today was such a day...it was cold, wet and could have been miserable. My sons fought over a jacket and one son threw his hat on the ground (not the lake at least) but overall the day was quite fun and best of all due to membership it was free.