Shamrocks

For a couple of years, Alex has gone to classes at the Children’s Museum. The classes are themed, and run the gamut from bees to safety. There is always a craft, often a “field trip” to an exhibit, and sometimes even a snack. When choosing classes, Alex always looks for the description that mentions a special snack. The classes last an hour and a half, which was the perfect amount of time for me to take Meredith to the section of the museum Alex now believes is beneath him.

Today marked the first class they were able to take together. The age range is 3-5 years. Meredith squeaks in and Alex is in the acceptable range for two more months. I was glad Alex would be there for Meredith’s first class, but I also worried he might boss her around, which would result in a hands-on-the-hips tantrum out of Meredith.

They did great! The class was all about Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day. I knew Alex would love it, because he still talks about our trip and thinks we should go back for St. Patty’s day. Meredith has no clue she’s ever been to Ireland; she just likes any holiday that requires you to wear something specific. She laid out her green dress, black tights, and “shiny, clappy shoes that make me look like a lady,” first thing this morning.

I spent the time doing some shopping for the Easter bunny and sitting on a bench outside in the March sun. I picked up a new book at the library yesterday, so I couldn’t have been more content.

When the class was over, I picked up the kids and let them run around the museum for a bit. I start to panic when it gets close to 3:00 p. m., because I have an irrational fear of rush hour. I act like our van is inoperable between the hours of 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. In order to get our show on the road, I used my most effective parenting technique…bribery. I promised ice cream if we could get to the van without any meltdowns.

It worked and we wheeled into my favorite cultural experience, the McDonald’s at 30th and Illinois. For those of you whom do not live here, the area is not one I would include in a “highlights of Indy tour.” Never fail, there is an issue at this McDonald’s. I know the chain prides itself on consistency, but this branch must not be included in their scope of training.

The kids immediately spotted Shamrock shakes on the menu and made their decision. I ordered a SMALL ice cream cone. I had a coupon. We crept to the window...this is the world slowest drive-thru. A large framed gal, yells out to me, “Oh man, girlie! My shamrocks not shakin’ What other flavor you want?!” After I figured out the Shamrock flavor machine wasn’t working; I forced an alternative selection out of the kids. They weren’t thrilled because they really wanted GREEN shakes, but they were fine. The same lady asked if the cone was for me. I told her it was, and she said she would ‘fix me up good,’ for making us wait for the new shakes.

I told her that wasn’t necessary, we weren’t mad about the shakes, blah, blah, blah. I should have kept my mouth closed. The entire time I talked, she made my ice cream cone. She pushed it out the window and piled on top of a five inch cone, was at least nine inches of ice cream. It defied physics for seven seconds before it started to lean. Fortunately, I had an empty cup and I scraped the five extra inches of ice cream into it quickly. It made for an interesting drive home. I’m surprised I wasn’t pulled over for suspicion of DUI.

Speaking of suspicion of DUI, when we got home, Meredith was passed out from shear exhaustion in the backseat. Between the excitement of the class and no nap, she was completely wiped out. She fell asleep with her gold coin she took from the Leprechauns’ magic pot. Once I woke up Meredith, we were able to play outside for an hour before dinner. Fresh air is the best sleep aid ever, so we’re all winners.