Four Hundred

Today is Family Day. I wish I could say we spent it as a family but Craig's retarded job made him work today. For his regular wage. He had Family Day yesterday. Let's not go there.

I took the opportunity of a rare day off and brought the kids to the Children's Museum for some running and a bubble show. Before I go into details about the afternoon, I have a bone to pick with the Board at the Children's Museum. See, it was always called the Children's Museum. They got millions in funding about 7 or 8 years ago and did a major renovation. Granted, the new space is nice, relatively child friendly, and for whatever reason is now called The Museum. As if there aren't any other Museums. This is The One. As part of our Membership benefits we got free admission to the Royal Ontario Museum a couple of weekends ago (maybe it was last weekend??...) and I showed my membership card to the folks working at the admissions desk.

"One adult and one child?"

"Yes, but I have a membership to an honoured museum for this weekend so I have free admission. Let me just dig out my card."

"What museum is it?" She starts looking through the system for a list.

"Umm, The Waterloo Regional Children's Museum."

"No, sorry I don't see that on the list. Can I see your card?"

I hand the card over. "Ohhhh, it's THE Museum. Yes, you have free admission today."


Frankly, I was a little embarrassed that a puny museum like this one has the gall to call itself The Museum. I'm sure she laughed her head off with her co-worker once I was out of earshot.

Okay, one to today. The bubble show was cool but there were so many rowdy children trying to climb onto the stage and standing up in front of other children who were sitting quietly on the floor that it became hard for the well-behaved children to get anything out of the show. They weren't being picked to be volunteers because there were more pushy kids getting picked. It upsets me because I was always one of the good kids who never got picked, either. I almost want to tell my boys to stand up like the rest of 'em and climb on the stage like the rest of 'em and get picked to stand inside a gigantic bubble like the rest of 'em. Where were these children's parents?! Oh yes, standing in front of me while I rocked a fussy baby and stood on my tippie-toes so I could keep an eye on the Bigs. Overall, it was disappointing but I think the turnout may have been beyond what The Museum had anticipated. There were people sitting on the staircases and overlooking the atrium from 4 floors up. I should just be glad my kids had floor seats.

Dinner's cooking and I have only one more thing: This is my four hundredth post. Blogging since late 2004 has brought me through 400 posts. Yay me!