Medieval Times

Katie's birthday was New Year's Eve. And I told you a little about our celebration in this post. But...I got a number of questions about what we were doing. So, I thought I'd tell you about the whole evening.

Last year, Katie had a slumber party with 6 of her friends. And I vowed to not do that again. I made lots of suggestions for her for this year. A pool party. A cooking party. I was pretty much open to anything that did not involve a sleep over.

Then a few weeks ago, we saw sale ads for Medieval Times. Normal prices are about $50 a person. I was so not going to do normal. Nor was I going to do the New Year's Eve "special" of $75 a person. So, we made reservations for the 30th. Katie invited two of her friends. And then somehow it all morphed into a spend the night party. I don't know how it happened.

The girls were really excited to go. But we really didn't know what to expect. Except that there would be some sort of show. With knights. And horses. And dinner without silverware. I think that the lack of utensils and manners was what the girls were most excited about.

We entered the hall and found that we would be cheering for the Red Knight. We got banners to wave. And crowns to wear.

We found our seats. (Notice the red glow. Each section had appropriatly colored lights. And we were bathed in red.)

And then the show started. Apparently the king had won a great battle. But his brother was killed by a traitor. So a year after the battle, there was a victory celebration with the valiant knights. And a mystery to solve. Who is the bad seed?

When they first started to come into the arena. Madalyn turned to me and said "they are hot!" Yes. It was Madalyn who started it all. Not the hormonal birthday girl. My 7 year old. I was so not prepared for the girls to spend the entire evening on their feet. Cheering for their Red Knight. Proclaiming their everlasting love. And screaming marriage proposals. I am just impressed that there were no bras thrown onto the arena floor.

We got to see them joust each other. Get ribboned rings. Get flowers from the Princess - which were thrown into the audience. And one was actually caught by Madalyn. Katie was quite sure that it was really meant for her.

There were exhibitions by the Master of Horse.

And a fly over by a hawk.

And then one last battle. When the enemy knight was revealed.

And after it was all over. All the knights came into the great hall with their sharpies. To sign autographs.

Madalyn was all about the autographs. Because they could sign her cast. She had all of them sign her cast. Including the evil knight. Who didn't have many autograph seekers. I think he had fun jeering for his photo.Madalyn wasn't picky. Unlike the older girls. Who only wanted photos with their one man. That they are still working out arrangements to share. Except Diana. Who wisely chose a different knight to love.

So...what about you? Have you ever been to Medieval Times? Or another kind of dinner theatre? Ever thrown your bra on stage? Or engaged in groupie-like behavior?

Theme Song - ELP - Lucky Man. I think it must be the Red Knight's theme song. I wonder if he has any idea what he is doing to these 11 year old girls. I wonder if his friends tease him.

When your birthday is New Year's Eve...everyone wants to celebrate with you

It seems like just yesterday that you were this small.

And now. Look at how you have grown.

You are becoming a remarkable young woman. Sweet and kind. Unless we are talking about your sister.

Smart. Inquisitive. Loquacious. Go look it up.

You are a wonderful daughter. Good sister. Mostly. And a great friend.

And tonight. During your birthday celebration...I saw the future.

As you and your friends. Instead of watching the show. Stood and stared. And screamed. And declared your undying love for the hot knights.

Theme song: Pink - So What. Because that is what Katie says is her theme song. And can you just imagine three giggly girlies singing this at the top of their lungs last night on our way home from Medieval times? While they were jacked up on caffeine and Red Knight pheromones?

The Shot heard 'round the internet

It was a Saturday. September 27th to be exact. Late afternoon. I remember the moment precisely. The moment I got the email asking me for a favor. I had no idea who it was from. But I read it. And I swear that I heard a collective "awwwww" across the universe.

It was a email from the husband of one of my bloggy buddies. Asking me to participate in a virtual surprise party. I just couldn't respond right away. I just couldn't immediately hit reply and say "YES! sign me up." I just couldn't. I had to spend some time contemplating. And maybe having my own version of a pity party. Because there is NO WAY my husband would ever think to pull off something like this.

I had to spend some time with envy. Thinking about such a thoughtful husband. But then I remembered that she is buried with children. But then I went back to envy because she is one of the most prolific bloggers I know. She can do more than one post in one day!! But then I go back to that buried in children. And then I go back to envy because she's only turning 29 today!

Jen...I'm so glad I am a part of your special day. I hope that you have LOVED being surprised by all your blog friends. And I hope that this is a day to truly remember. Have a very happy 29th birthday!(And I'd like to do the internet version of sticking out my tongue and blowing you a raspberry - but I'm not sure how to spell it!)

So...what about you? Has anyone ever thrown you a surprise party? Have you ever organized one for someone else? What is the most unique gift you have ever received? Have you wished Jen a Happy Birthday yet? How about Shannon? It's her birthday too!

Theme song: Third Eye Blind - Semi Charmed Life

Thursday thirteen: Happy Birthday Michael!

After I did a Thursday Thirteen for Madalyn's birthday...I thought it would be fun to do one for my hubby. But...since they take so long...wouldn't it just be better if he did it himself? And I could give myself a small vacation from blogging. So...I gave him an assignment...to write a list of 13 things about himself...and he had over a month to complete it. And then, he actually did it! He turned his assignment into me on Tuesday. He wrote it as if I wrote it. Referring to himself in the third person. And I thought I might tweak it. You know, add editorial comments, insert my strange sense of humor and observation into it. But, nahhh. I'll let you all enjoy his list in all of its logical, rational, geeky glory:

1. He’s a Geek Well, he’s not a total geek (some of other numbers on this list contradict a “total geek”), but a lot of the elements are there. Being an engineer, he’s well versed in math and science. He’s good with computers and most electronics. He likes a lot of the ‘geek movies’ (Monty Python, Brazil, Mel Brooks movies, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Pi, Blade Runner, and other Sci-Fi movies) and ‘geek TV shows’ (The Simpsons, South Park, Mythbusters, Doctor Who…), ‘geek music’ (see #2), and will periodically quote any of the aforementioned media. The start-up sound for his PC at work is the sound of the Tardis taking off (you may be a geek if you recognize this sound).

2. Music No, Michael does not play any instruments… but he does love to listen to music. He owns over 1000 CD’s and has a paid subscription to Napster, which allows him to listen to his choice of over 6 million songs on the PC… in the car… on his MP3 player… while at work… He listens to a wide variety of music, including modern rock, classic rock, classical, new age, (classic) jazz, new age, alt.-country, and some forms of music many people would characterize as simply “noise”. A portion of what he listens to substantiate #1 on the list (Decemberists, Arcade Fire, They Might be Giants, Rush…). Michael, not surprisingly, is also full of useless music trivia knowledge.

3. Beer: July 1st, 2004. This was a happy day in Michael’s life, as this is the date Georgia changed it’s archaic beer laws to permit the sale of “high gravity” beer. Michael loves beer – GOOD beer. He is an admitted ‘beer-geek’. He doesn’t drink for the alcohol, he just loves a great tasting beer. We go to a local bar (smoke-free as per Georgia law) for Trivia contest every week, which Michael really enjoys since they also happen to have one of the largest beer selections in the Southeast (over 140 draft beer varieties and at least as many bottled varieties). At this bar—and at a another bar—he is a member of each bar’s Passport Club, whereupon the bar keeps track of each different variety of beer the patron drinks. At our local bar, Michael has already surpassed the number needed to receive his “personalized 20 oz. dimpled mug” and is on his way to a “personalized goblet” for Tier II.

At Christmas, we each make out a Christmas List to make the gift buying easier. 90% of Michael’s list every year consists of CD titles and specific beer varieties. None of the mass-produced domestic beers for Michael (who will often choose soft drinks over Budweiser, Miller, or anything ‘light’), only microbrews and imports are good enough for this beer geek. Coffee oatmeal stout, India pale ale, imperial pilsner, cask-conditioned unfiltered ale, Belgian tripel ale, and barley wine (yes, this is a beer), are just a handful of the beer varieties that Michael enjoys. Here is a picture of one of his favorite shirts – it is the “Beeriodic Table”. It has the structure of the Periodic Table of the Elements with symbols for each beer style, and is organized by the characteristics of each style. Something a beer lover and a geek (see #1) would love:

4. Going to Concerts: This is separate from #2, because Michael insists that live music is a totally different experience from listening to a CD. We live near Atlanta, which has a large number of music venues from the small bars with stages that hold just a few hundred patrons, to various sized amphitheaters, to the medium and large sized arenas. With all the music varieties that Michael listens to (see #2), it’s easy to find artists playing live in Atlanta. He enjoys the small shows with $10 ticket prices (for bands most people have never heard of) as much as many of the major acts who charge $60+ for the cheap seats. And he enjoys going to concerts as much now as he ever has. With some of the shows he’s gone to, he may be one of the oldest people in the audience – but this doesn’t faze him in the least.

5. Food: Michael loves to eat. Since puberty, he has had the metabolism of a 300 lb+ football player, but the physique of an average person. Dieters hate to see the amount of food he eats at some meals for his size. He seeks quality as much as he does quantity when eating. While he is not a picky eater, he does really prefer the “really good stuff”. For instance, Michael likes potato chips. He doesn’t get excited over plain Lays chips or ‘normal’ flavors like barbecue or sour cream & onion. But he loves his gourmet kettle-cooked chips in flavors like “Spicy Thai,” “Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper,” “Tuscan Three Cheese,” “Island Jerk,” and “Death Valley Chipotle”. And Michael likes hot sauce, but he’s not satisfied with just plain Tabasco sauce. He insists on having at least 5 or 6 hot sauce varieties at home, since apparently some foods are paired well with a cayenne and vinegar based sauce, while others might require a Vidalia Onion-Peach hot sauce. Any kind of chocolate is good right? He’ll eat M&M’s or Hershey’s milk chocolate like most people but not get very excited over it. But if dark chocolate by Scharffenberger or Belgian dark chocolate truffles are nearby, you can’t keep him away.

Ask him the question “Where do you want to go out to eat?” and you’d better be prepared to choose among a list of restaurants in the area with eclectic cuisine selections, most of which he hasn’t even tried yet. His favorite is Five Seasons in Atlanta, which, as a brew-pub, not only serves excellent food, but also brews some of the best beer in the state. Still, he’s not a picky eater… just don’t ever suggest eating at McDonald’s to him.

6. Smart shopper: Michael considers himself a very smart shopper and doesn’t like to pay more than he has to for anything. This reluctance to spend money helps to keep #3 - #5 in check rather nicely. He insists on doing the bulk of the grocery shopping to ensure he gets the most out of the coupons he clips weekly — and most grocery shops entail stops at two grocery stores (practically across the street from each other) to ensure he gets the good sale prices from each store. And some items he will only buy in bulk in Sam’s.

And this shopping acumen isn’t limited to groceries. He feels the need to research any purchase where he thinks he can get a better product for a better price. When we needed a new cordless phone with multiple handsets, for example, I couldn’t just go down to the store and buy one… he had to research reviews on Amazon.com, epinions.com and others to find the best phone in our price range. We rarely end up with the cheapest product; but between coupons, discounts, or just shopping around he makes sure we usually get the best price for what we buy.

7. Thrill seeker: Michael loves things that are fast, high, scary, etc. He loved going skydiving while in college (though is not allowed to do so now). He loves roller coasters and other thrill rides (the bigger, higher, faster, and more intense the better). Some people insist his brain is “wired backwards”, as skydiving, thrill rides, and fast things in general have always had a calming effect on him. Michael relishes the opportunity to get his daughters involved in his thrill seeking. When Katie was tall enough to ride the biggest coasters at Six Flags, he talked her into riding many of them with him (until she discovered that she doesn’t like “loops”). On our trips to Disney, he was able to convince the girls to ride the “intense version” of Mission Space at EPCOT with him (this is the spacecraft motion-simulator ride that is built as part of a giant centrifuge). And while in Belize on our cruise, he and the girls went zip-lining across the jungle while over 200 feet above the jungle floor.

8. Environmentally conscious: Spending a lot of time outdoors growing up, including many years as a Boy Scout (where he attained the rank of Eagle Scout), has given Michael an appreciation of nature in general. He will recycle or re-use just about anything that can be recycled… even to the point of stopping coworkers before they throw an aluminum can in the trash to remind them there is a recycling bin for that. (and yes, he does recycle all those beer bottles from #3) He usually doesn’t miss the opportunity for conservation of energy, water, or other resources.

9. Offbeat humor: In addition some of the examples in #1, Michael enjoys TV shows where the humor isn’t exactly mainstream. Some of his favorite shows are critically acclaimed, but lack(ed) viewers (Arrested Development, Reaper), while others are (were) just “different” (Newhart, My Name is Earl, The Office). The same goes for movies, where a small sample of his most liked include Harold & Maude, Adaptation (& most other Charlie Kaufman movies), any Christopher Guest mockumentary, Fargo (& most Coen brothers comedies), Thank You for Smoking, and Grosse Pointe Blank. Website favorites include The Onion and Stuff White People Like. His favorite comedian of all time is Bill Hicks. And this offbeat humor extends beyond just watching TV’s and movies. For period of time, one of his hobbies was baiting Nigerian scammers (see this link if you’re unfamiliar with this pastime). Where he works, this humor has confused his coworkers at times. For example: if an employee attends a meeting talking like a pirate when no one else in the meeting has ever heard of Talk Like a Pirate Day it comes across as quite strange. Ditto for Talk like a Physicist Day this past March 14th (that’s 3.14). Yes, Michael actually suggested in an informal meeting on 3/14 that mysterious production problems in his plant were caused by “tiny, vibrating one-dimensional strings."

10. Sports fan: This may seem to contradict #1 on this list, but Michael is a sports fan. Every year, he follows NCAA basketball (especially “March Madness”), NCAA football (especially his alma mater Georgia Tech), Major League baseball – where the Atlanta Braves are his team (win or lose), and various other sports. He also follows World Cup Soccer every 4 years. With few exceptions, he attends at least one Braves game every season. The exception came in 1994 - 95. He and several friends had a baseball road-trip planned in 1994 to see 7 MLB games in 6 days in Chicago (the first game against the Braves), St. Louis, and Cincinnati. Ten days before leaving, baseball went on strike. Over the years, he has attended college and/or pro sporting events for baseball, football, basketball, soccer (indoor & outdoor), hockey (major and minor league), and volleyball.
11. Active: Michael has always found a way to stay physically active over the years. He has had a membership at Bally’s gym since 1994 and still works out a couple of days each week. He plays softball for our church team and his work team… and even tried to play for the local bar team (the one mentioned in #3) He has plans to start playing soccer soon too.

12. Health conscious: Recently, Michael found out that he has inherited his father’s cholesterol problem. Though the level is not terribly high, he does have to watch what he eats more closely. He was already physically active (#11) and ate healthy food most of the time, but now has to bring the healthy diet up a notch. Luckily for him, moderate alcohol consumption and moderate consumption of dark chocolate are GOOD for the heart and health in general. And his favorite brand of potato chips (see #5) is trans-fat free and made with oils that are high in mono-unsaturated fat, so he can eat potato chips that are actually heart-healthy. With no need for weight loss, he can concentrate on foods that are good for the heart. Sometimes this gets difficult when his wife if fond of making desserts like this.

13. Just a big kid: With the sports mentioned in #11, it may seem like Michael is a competitive athlete. This is not at all the case. He just likes to go outside and play. Many times Katie and Madalyn say they’re happy to have a Dad who is “like a 12-year old kid”. Although he is a fast runner for his age—and a kid a heart— Michael sometimes needs reminders that at his age he can get hurt much more easily than he used to… and that healing from injuries also takes much longer now. It's always funny until someone gets hurt. Then it's just hilarious.

Week in Review

Another week of ordinary. And I am quite happy with ordinary. Boring. Mundane. All those are good words here at casa Sunshine and Lemonade. Because they don’t involve drama. Now, we did start our week off with a little excitement.

Last Friday, Madalyn finally got to celebrate her birthday (because, you know, celebrating on a cruise ship is just not enough.) with her friends. With a slumber party. How is it possible for four little girls to be so loud? Or so messy? Is there a genetic advantage for the decibel level that girls can attain? They played. They ate pizza. They opened presents. They had cupcakes. There was a smidge of angst regarding missing mommies…and headaches about said decibel levels…but they were over it rather quickly. Somehow, they managed to tuck themselves into bed and fall asleep around midnight. And then on Saturday morning, we were ordered to wake up and fix them donuts. Ahhh…round two of sugar. And then we sent them home. And took a nap. Aren’t they cuties?

And here they are showing off their ability to make armpit farts. And the same noise with their legs. Let me now destroy the myth that only boys are fascinated with bodily functions. A mother's pride and joy.

This week was Teacher Appreciation week at Madalyn’s school. The room mom’s arranged for some pretty nice things. They did a fruit basket on Monday – every student was to bring in a piece of fruit for the basket. I wonder if they needed more than one. Then on Tuesday, Madalyn and I each wrote a note of thanks to her teacher. I got the cards at Target. They cost $500. I almost couldn’t fit the kids in the car after that trip. Yeah, don't ask. But, Mrs. Murphy, you are worth it! She also got a pen bouquet, lunch from her favorite restaurant…and then tonight a bunch of us moms made her dinner. I was in charge of dessert. And for some reason, I forgot to take pictures of making the éclair cake. I had to make two, you know. I would not win mother of the year if I didn’t have one for us as well. Not that I’ll even be considered for mother of the year. I might be my children’s favorite mother though if I make it again for my blog. For my readers. All three of you. Oh, the sacrifices.

Oh, yeah…the point of this? Our homeschool week in review:

Math: It was all review this week. Kind of a math holiday for mom. I didn’t have to remind myself on how to do math. And constantly remind myself that I am not smarter than a 5^th grader.

History: Katie finished Chapter 36 from last week. She read the Kids Discover Magazine on the Civil Rights movement and she read Cobblestone’s “Get on the Bus” issue. Then we did part of chapter 37 (yep, we skipped a section) on the Vietnam War. And then moved onto chapter 38 covering the Soviet invasions of Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan.

Grammar: Katie is still in chapter 7, covering prepositional phrases, conjunctions, and interjections. She is still not a fan of grammar…but she obviously tries to have fun with it as evidenced by some of the sentences she creates. For example, one of her assignments gives her a base sentence and she is to add a prepositional phrase to give it more detail. For example: The boy raked leaves. When you add the phrase, it could read: The boy with brown hair raked leaves or The boy raked leaves into a pile. So…what did Katie create?

Base: Kerry and I sat. Katie’s addition: Kerry and I sat near your yak.

Base: Children play. Katie’s addition: Children play in a volcano.

Base: The street was filled. Katie’s addition: The street was filled with many ostriches.

Base: Birds fly. Katie’s addition: Birds fly to their death.

The mind of a ten year old.

Report writing workbook/Research project: Katie chose her first lady: Jacqueline Kennedy and has begun her research. We got a little waylaid as the books haven’t arrived at the library yet…so some things have been postponed until next week. (Ahhh…the disappointment) Katie learned how to make a bibliography, how to take notes using note cards…and did the first part of her research using the internet. In her search, she found this fun site (no help with the project…but fun) where you can dress paper dolls from history including Jackie O, Hillary Clinton, Mr. Darcy and even Alexander the Great (did you know he wore underwear?).

Piano—Again, I have no idea. I don’t play. I don’t sing. I don’t read music. So…I have to ask Katie what she did. And here is what she said: She is learning how to stop boinging. Is that the technical term? It means that she needs to stop playing staccato when she is supposed to play legato. Uh-huh. And to make it more difficult, she has a piece this week where she is supposed to boing. Okey dokey.

There you have it. I hope you all had a great week. Full of mundane and boring. Sans drama.