January 28, 2003 - 4:02 p.m.

Earaches and Headaches

I really meant to go to the gym today, I swear. I had even psyched myself up for running on the treadmill (which is more challenging than my usual choice, the elliptical machine). But M, had a bad earache overnight, so she was home from school AND had to go to the doctor. We've had a pretty quiet day, and I am trying to keep it that way. H has skiing lessons on Tuesdays with a bunch of kids from her school, so her friend's mom takes them to the ski area, and I pick up the friend's younger sister at school (she goes to the same school as M and B) and she stays at our house for the afternoon. Ordinarily, we wouldn't have a playdate if one of the kids is sick, but there really isn't any choice, since somebody has to take the older girls for skiing. Most Tuesdays the three younger kids have a blast playing house together, which is pretty surprising since in general I find that kids have trouble getting along in groups of three. With M sick (she doesn't seem to be suffering as long as she has a dose of Motrin in her system) I want to keep things a bit more low key - playing house for them often involves chasing one another around and jumping on beds and such.

So, I brought out the sure to please substance known as "goop", "muck", or "ooblek". It's a simple mixture of cornstarch and water, but it has really odd qualities. If you scoop it up in your hands and squeeze it, it feels dry and solid, but as soon as you open your hands it turns liquidy and oozes out between your fingers. When you stir it quickly it gets really thick and bunches and ripples around the spoon, and if you stir it slowly it provides no resistance at all and the surface remains smooth and even. Weird. It is one of those things I whip out when I am at a loss for a rainy day activity or something that will keep them independently occupied for a good chunk of time. They have been scooping it, funneling it, stirring it, squishing it, and dribbling it for 40 minutes with no end in sight. :) I love the stuff. It is messy, but it washes up easily. Right now, as they play the girls are pretending to be witches mixing their potions, and B is their wizard father.

I finally have the cruise details nailed down. Hooray! Due to the last-minute nature of the trip - we are leaving Feb 15 - finding the best rates was a bit of a challenge for both the cruise itself and the flights to Miami, our port of departure. Since my mom lives in Tennessee and I live in Massachusetts, I had two different air itineraries to research. I am an incurable bargain hunter, so I had to check fares on Orbitz, Expedia, and Cheaptickets, as well as figuring out whether it would be cheaper to arrive in Miami a day early and/or stay over a day. Mom and I will both be getting to Miami the Friday night before our ship departs on Saturday evening. It was less expensive that way, even though we'll have to spend the night in a hotel, and it takes a lot of the anxiety out of the trip, since we won't have to worry that flight delays might make us miss the ship. Mom will be flying home the same day we get back to Miami from the cruise, but I will be staying that night in Miami as well.

My other worry about the cruise has been eliminated as well. You don't need a passport to take a Caribbean cruise, but you do need proof of citizenship. Apparently "proof of citizenship" is just a fancy way of referring to an official copy of your birth certificate with an embossed seal. I found this out right before I was going to book the cruise and called my mom to ensure she has the appropriate document. Mom wasn't home, but I explained the situation and he was able to find the file where Mom keeps the family's birth certificates and such. There was a copy of Mom's but it didn't have the necessary seal. I know you can request a new official copy of a birth certificate, but we had less than three weeks before the cruise, and I was worried it might take longer than that. Dad said he was pretty sure we should be able to get it in a few days, so I went ahead with the reservations, though with some serious misgivings. What would I do if Mom couldn't get it and wasn't able to go on the cruise? I'd be out the money, and the cruise wouldn't be much fun all by myself! Luckily, Mom called this morning to tell me she does in fact have an official copy of her birth certificate, so my fears were relieved. Phew! Now I can just look forward to our trip and maybe go shopping for a new bikini. :) Hopefully I will be able to get back in the gym soon, or I won't be able to fit into a bikini! Maybe I'll do some pushups and situps while watching American Idol tonight. :)

today's project: the magic of water and cornstarch

musing about: how awful tonight's American Idol hopefuls will be...

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flutter back - fly ahead