Four Dates, One wipeout, No Blood, No Problem.

I've learned that unless I schedule "alone time" with only one of our kids at a time, it just doesn't happen very often. So... in an attempt to make the kids school stay-cation over their spring break a little less lame... I let each kid choose their own "something fun." 

Four kid dates in four days...

Henry wanted to go on a "bike ride by the river." I don't exactly own a bike so I borrowed Mary's and took both bikes and a boy to Friendship Park. Henry had a great time but was very condencending of my biking skills and mostly insisted on riding behind me so that he could make sure I didn't fall. For this reason I was in front of little H-Bomb when I heard the skid clatter of 6 year old meets the concrete behind me. 

"I'm ok..." he said checking out his knees and elbows from underneath his bike. "No blood, no problem." I didn't know that he had developed this as a personal maxim... he tends to get scrapes and bruises a lot so this saying will serve him well.

 

 Henry overseeing his Ohio River.

In the space between the tracks and the river...

Mary loves to organize and was happy to spend some quality time with mom being blissed out in the Container Store a sort of haven for tupperware boxes and cheap shelving. 

While it's definitely not most folks idea of a fabulous afternoon, Mary was able to spend a considerable amount of time wandering the aisles and imagining all of the organizational possibilities.

Lucite, Rubbermaid and more!

 

I agreed not to post photos of Mary's Container Store good times if she looked dorky... I think she is by far the cutest thing in the store. 
Lovely plunger pose.

 

For Lily, it's all birds all of the time...

She chose to go to the Newport Aquarium, not so much for the fish, but for the cool birds.

We were able to schedule some extra penguin love in a small group. Lily and I and 10 other penguin fans were escorted to a smaller behind the scenes room for a short penguin lesson and the chance to get up close and personal. 

Miss Lil is a dedicated feeder of the lorikeets... no matter that this obnoxious fellow just grabbed the little plastic syrup cup away from her and spilled it down her armpit... gross, but you can't argue with bird love.

Lily and friend sporting similar expressions... it was a really interesting penguin talk.

Jamie loves art and chose to go to a paint a pot studio and let those creative juices flow. He wanted to paint a teapot... he often has Sleepytime tea in the evening and thought that his own personal teapot would be cool. He also found some other cool stuff to paint... a skullhead, and a little box in the shape of a great white shark... very awesome.

 

As a bonus, the studio had a little pond complete with cute turtles and a fountain inside the studio... could not be a more fabulous artistic environment. 

Unlike her big sibs, Rosie and I spend tons and tons of alone time... in fact she is usually doing whatever it takes to avoid any more one on one time with just me. She had the very best week imaginable... almost all of her brothers and sisters hanging out with her every day of the week.
Good times, good times...

Here is Miss Rosie, loving life at her favorite place with some of her favorite people.