Shoot Me: 21 of 52 - Rainy Day MAC Edition

I've been absent from Shoot Me as I've been swamped at home, but getting back into my routine means getting back to Shoot Me, so I'm jumping in today, albeit at the end of the day. 

We broke with our regular routine and joined some friends at the MAC today.  Some of our former home-schooling friends started traditional public school this year and school is finally out for summer, so Buttercup didn't want to wait to see them.  So, despite the rain, we headed into town to visit for a few hours.  On the way out, I handed the camera to my friend and said, "Hey, take a picture of me with my kids for my blog!"  She laughed and complied.

So, here you have it, me with Buttercup and Valiant for my 21st entry in Shoot Me!  I don't know if I'll ever be "caught up", but I'll definitely do all 52 pictures...I made the commitment and I'll stick to it.

The first thing I noticed when I saw this picture?  Valiant is taller than me!  I don't know if he's really taller than I am, but he's sure looking that way here, isn't it?    How weird is that?  The second thing I noticed?  I really need to do something with my hair.  I just wish I knew what.  Sigh. 

Shoot Me is the brainchild of Carin at Forever In Blue Jeans...a year long project in which you include yourself in at least one photo you snap each week.   I'm still a week behind, but I'm catching up.  Carin Says:
It's time to stop hiding behind that camera of yours. Your family is missing you in the picture. So it's time to post a picture of YOU (yes, you) every Thursday with your child, your spouse, your friend, your dog, or even by yourself. Just get in the picture, you'll be glad you did! And just jump in now with 1 of 52, you can do it!

Yesterday was Museum Day...but it was also...

..."a picnic with Daddy in the park" day!
Monday night, I checked with Superman to see how his schedule looked for the 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. period on Wednesday and asked if he'd like to take his lunch break with us, at the park. He was available, so we packed up a picnic lunch (luncheon meats, homemade wheat bread, apples, and chips), stopped for sodas on the way (because I didn't think about drinks when I was planning - I'll know for next time) and we met Daddy at the park before we headed off to join the homeschoolers at the MAC.

I remember how much I used to like it when Superman would bring first toddler Charming, then big man Charming and baby Valiant to meet me during the day when I worked full time. Turns out Superman felt the same way about me bringing the kids to him. It really brightens your work day. He said the anticipation made his morning fly (he called us twice to make certain we were still coming) and that it kept him in an upbeat mood all afternoon, too.

We'll be trying to schedule a picnic every time we head downtown for Museum Day until the fall. Good family fun, squeezed into the middle of the work day.

Northwest Museum of Art & Culture

Well, we finally made it to the MAC, after 6 months of trying to fit it into our schedule! Despite the fact that the day dawned grey and rainy (that's okay, at least it wasn't snow!), despite the fact that we had two meltdowns (tears and angst, sigh!), a lipstick managed to go through the dryer (darn it!), and more RSS Feed problems with Outlook (grrrrr!), we made it!

We bought a family membership for the year ($50 - what a deal) and met a few of the homeschoolers. In addition to the static exhibits including Native American history and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest, there is currently a quilt exhibit featured at the museum (Kate, you'd so love it!) and the kids spent some time on the interactive displays.

Valiant played at the computer a bit more than Buttercup (isn't his design awesome?), then they both moved over to the blocks and created some quilts. I got to have some adult conversation and it was awesome! We capped it off by picking up Superman from work and bringing him home with us. All in all, it worked out well and I'm glad we've finally gotten on our schedule. (See, all that discipline pays off!)

Despite a few bumps along the way, it was a good day and I'm really glad we didn't let the weather deter us. I love homeschooling and the ability it gives us to schedule field trips like this into our schedule. Rain or shine, we'll head back two weeks from today.