We are going to be gone on a trip in a next few weeks and have asked our neighbor's son (he's the same age as Lulu) to take care of our ladies while we're gone. Even though I went over details with he and his dad this morning, Bean wanted to make up instructions for him to follow. She takes her job as being responsible for the chickens, very seriously, even though, I am basically top chicken. Bean is definitely a good second in command, but day in and day out, it's mom who not only rules the roost (both) but is consistent in their care and feeding.

Anyways, here is what Bean did up for me to give to our neighbor. She pretty much got the most important stuff! :)

I thought I'd posted about this, but evidently, I didn't. We went to Eddie's work party, their annual "holiday" celebration, back in February. The theme was "Let's Glow Crazy" and to be honest, I wasn't sure it was 80's themed or neon. (Or, neon 80's???)

I have to say, it was strange going as the SO to a party like this, when I'd spent 8 years in a former job organizing and pulling off events like this, with Eddie being my plus one.

Well, the party was at the Armory as they have a large lobby and upper mezzanine with a big staircase. The venue had most of the lobby screened off as there was a play that night, but (hopefully) it was way down in one of the smaller auditoriums in the basement. There was a DJ, people wearing wigs and in 1970's garb as well as knee high socks and roller skates. I think the theme covered what ever you wanted it to be, but it was mainly a 1970's-80's theme.

Eddie wore his Liar's concert t-shirt and I wore my superhero(ine) dress with my bright violet blue Mongolian lamb coat I've had for over 21 years. I never took my coat off while we were there and we made a point of staying for about an hour or so. I had a little bit to eat, and we each had two cocktails, each. We made a point to get our photo taken at the photo booth (Eddie's boss, Rebecca is holding the cardboard cellphone against her ear in the bottom left) so that we could pass for making an effort.

Then, we made sure we'd been seen by the CEO of the company, and after I met a few people Eddie works with, we did an Irish/French/Mexican good-bye and left right when one of the VP's wanted everyone to follow his lead and go to the small dance floor. We hopped in a Lyft and headed home, where we cooked up a mess of steamed mussels and clams in garlic and butter, open a bottle of wine, and watch several of our favorite TV shows, instead.

Lulu had Science Fair again this spring. She opted to work alone and unfortunately, was overly confident in her proposed science subject, resulting in a meltdown the night before a key part was due for review and grading.

(Lulu, in 7th grade confidence and optimism, thought she'd discover a way to remove crude oil from large bodies of water that wasn't going to further pollute the water in the process...)

So, the night before her project outline was due (Sunday) she came to me and asked if I would be disappointed if she didn't turn anything in and basically, failed Science.

"Um, what do YOU think the answer is??" I calmly answered. I then told her to go and ask her father the same question.

Eddie, unknowing of what Lulu had originally picked for her subject matter and why (Can you imagine the accolades of discovering a solution to a huge environmental problem while being a middle schooler? I'll give her credit, she thinks big...). Knowing full well what Eddie's reply would be, he asked Lulu what her subject was and when she couldn't really answer and explain to him why she'd picked what she had (even though I knew, it was being famous for [hopefully] coming up with a solution] she retreated to her bed tent in a frustration and embarrassment.

Which was my cue, to come in and "talk her off the ledge"...

I went in and asked her to come into the kitchen. (Eddie had gone to bed.) I had her break open a box of Girl Scout cookies she'd bought earlier and I calmed her down and rationally walked her through the process of taking her HUGE subject matter and actually making it much smaller and manageable. By the time I was done, Lulu was feeling much more confident and I put her on the computer before she went to bed to start researching her next steps.

Her new subject matter, was taking motor oil, and seeing if there were common kitchen ingredients that could remove it from the water it had contaminated, without further compromising the water itself.

She bought a PH test kit at the aquarium shop and I got a container of motor oil and she set to work on her testing the following weekend.

Her testing involved how yeast, sugar, and milk, each reacted and changed the tap water & motor oil PH. She had a separate tap water control and tap water and motor oil control to work against, too.

Here is her board she did up for the science fair itself:

Here is Lulu, the night of the science fair last week, explaining to a parent her science experiment. The kids were expected to be at school for a minimum of 45 minutes and get a minimum of 3 adult signatures on their science experiment. Lulu got four signatures and lots of positive feedback!

Here are the notes Lulu took after conducting her initial experiment:

I mentioned to Lulu earlier in the evening that she should take a shower tonight.

We all ate dinner.

I had just finished cleaning up the kitchen when I passed Lulu in the hall, coming up from the basement, where she now has her "own" bathroom.

Me: "Did you take a shower?"

Lulu: "No."

Me: "Take a shower."

Lulu: "I don't wanna."

Me: "You have to."

Lulu: "Why?"

Me: "Because you smell."

Lulu: "Fine."

I've read about this phenomenon, but I never thought I'd actually live it, especially with daughters: never in a million years would have guessed I would be having so many conflicts with them over basic hygiene!

Bean announced to me this morning that she needs a new toothbrush and very matter-of-fact, as to why.

"My teeth are really powerful, so they separate the bristles [quickly]. I have powerful, powerful jaws."

Oh my!

We went to the ballet on Saturday night, as a family, to see "Cinderella" at the Keller Auditorium. I had been given the tickets from a friend of mine, she is a physical therapist who works with the ballet.

With no school on Monday for the President's Day holiday, I set the girls on task to write thank you notes to my friend for the tickets. I wrote out my friends name and address on a 3 x 5 card so they could address their envelopes properly.

For whatever reason, even though I've had her writing thank you notes for YEARS, Lulu has still not retained in her memory the proper placement of the return address label and the where the stamp goes on the outer envelope. I'm serious.

(Sigh.)

But on Monday, she found me as I was sewing and clarified the outer envelope address I'd written on the 3 x 5 card. My friend lives in an apartment with her boyfriend, which I'd written as #317.

Lulu: "So, it's [...recites street address] hashtag 317?"

Me "Errr, yes, you can call it that. But it's apartment number 317. While you know it as a hashtag, it actually was a number sign!"

Teens and technology can make you feel so old, so quickly...

My chops were busted when I bought crunchy peanut butter several months ago. So when we needed more, I switched to creamy-style. Now, each time I get the peanut butter out (months later, because peanut butter seems to last forever) Bean asks when we we will have crunchy.

I can't win...