Off to the Zoo!

My parents were in town the first week of September and it was time to take the plunge out into public for an extended period of time. We decided to try to head out to the Palm Beach Zoo. Jerry and I had been there back in January and it is actually a pretty nice little zoo. Even though we saw the storm looming in the distance, we decided that we would "be safe" since the sun was shining and the weather (according to Weatherman Jerry) was traveling away from the zoo.

Even though little Will was only three months old, we decided that sunscreen was better for his skin than a sunburn. We found an all natural sunscreen and slapped it on him. Against my begging, Jerry applied it on him everywhere... even his hands that are constantly in his mouth. Gross.

Then we were off into the zoo. This is in the reptile hut with snakes and turtles and frogs. I love the glass enclosures, very safe.

I have this little safari outfit. He looks soooooooo adorable in it. Unfortunately we had to squish him into it and we retired the outfit after this trip. I'm sure William is thankful he doesn't have to wear the hat again.

We didn't take many pictures of the actual animals in the zoo, but these two qualify. =)

At the bald eagle exhibit. Most of the animals they have at the zoo are injured or sick and cannot be rehabilitated to go back into the wild. These bald eagles don't actually fly any more, hence the lack of fence. I was reading to William about how Benjamin Franklin actually wanted the turkey to be the symbol for the United States because he thought the bald eagle was cowardly. (You can never start them too young!)

William paying absolutely no attention to my explanation of why flamingos are pink.
Family photo opportunity!

We, luckily, stopped to take a seat at the little cafe food hut to get a snack and sit for a minute. because...

... it started to thunderstorm. Like, a monsoon of a thunderstorm. Will was just thrilled about it, but he only cried for a few minutes. Gotta love babies. They get over things so quickly. I, on the other hand, will remember to never listen to Weatherman Jerry again.

You can see part of the monsoon behind Jerry. We were lucky. The rain started as we were under a large over hang with the snack bar, tables, chairs and restrooms. You couldn't ask for a better "first time stuck in the rain" experience.

Since the rain lasted for an hour and a half, we didn't get to see the second half of the zoo. We'll have to go back another day!

Been hangin' around...

We've been real busy the past few weekends just hangin' around and getting daddy prepared for his Sunday football routine. Which is, sadly, an all day event that involves him starring between his computer screen to see how his fantasy football team is doing and the seemingly endless football games on television. I have to remind him a few times that the people he is cursing at in the fantasy football league are my family members, besides that our Sundays are BORING.

William and I make the most of this by getting up early and going for our Saturday and Sunday morning "stroll" down to the intracoastal to sit and watch for boats and whatever else may come by our way. I really enjoy this time because (1) I am out of the house (2) you can't beat the temperature and coastal breeze in the morning and (3) William usually sings at some point during our stroll which entertains innocent bystanders along the way. After a few weekends of doing this, I noticed that the same people are always down at the boat ramp. I also noticed that some of these are the same people that are always begging for money on the street corners by the highway. You'd think that would make me nervous, but it strangely does not. We've made friends and William entertains with his wonderful singing from his stroller. The town of Lake Worth has ripped apart the super cool playground to fix the sea wall and our park keeps shrinking every time we go down there. I can't wait for February when they are done with construction and we can enjoy the park again. Until then, we'll continue to entertain the homeless at the boat ramp.

Yesterday I wanted to go one step beyond and go down to the beach for breakfast. There are two restaurants on the beach that are about a mile away and both have an awesome ocean view and an equally awesome breakfast. I invited Jerry to come because I didn't want to be rude and it was a good thing I did... take a look at this face... is this the face of a child who would make a mess of a perfectly good beach breakfast???

It sure is. This little mess maker decided to POOP all over our calm, peaceful, tasty, Saturday breakfast. I can handle a poopy diaper. Jerry can handle a poopy diaper. We can even handle it in public. However, William decided to put our parenting to the test. Mommy, in her infinite wisdom, dressed him up in a cute little surfer dude outfit which did not help to contain the poo problem. When I picked him up to take him to the bathroom, the poo was everywhere. Everywhere. It had somehow come out the top of his shorts, into the car seat, through the car seat, onto the restaurant chair then through the restaurant chair and onto the floor. To top it off, the bathroom was a typical beach bathroom with no changing station and there were people using the beach showers (and I really didn't want to gross anyone out). So I went on a quick search for a logical, unsandy place to clean up. Ug. The funniest part was when the waitress said "Oh, you had a little orange juice spill..." and brought us some napkins. We weren't laughing at the time, but it's pretty funny now. Next time I'll just dunk William into the ocean instead of searching for a patch of grass to change him on.

I have a three-day weekend this weekend due to Yom Kippur, maybe we'll try the beach again tomorrow...

Homework for Parents

Sometimes, I really hate being a teacher. I've considered other jobs, but I hate them even more. My ideal job would be to work for a company that would start at 10am and send me home at 2pm. With a lunch break, benefits and a decent salary. I'm fully aware that this occupation does not exist.

This morning, while watching Good Morning America, I hated being a teacher. Dr. Marie Savard was on the show giving her "Homework for Parents: 5 Things Your Kids Should Know"... let me share with you her list.

1. Have a plan for the flu.

2. Have an emergency health card.

3. Get immunized.

4. Get enough sleep.

5. Remember chronic conditions.

Oh, was I mad. The teaser and tag line was "Homework for Parents: 5 Things Your Kids Should Know", not "5 Ways to Protect Your Family from the Flu". These are not the things your kids should know. These are 5 things PARENTS should know and enforce at home. I could EASILY teach flu prevention in my classroom. I get aggravated because there are so many things parents do not teach that are essential for success in life that I am forced to add to my already jam packed schedule. Let me share with you my list of things your child should know before coming in to public school (parents, I'm begging you)...

1. Manners

2. Personal space

3. The difference between right and wrong

4. Problem solving skills

5. Common sense

I can argue that common sense is something that cannot be taught, the rest of the five can. I try the best I can to teach my students these things, most of the time to no avail. I'll see my students the next year making the same bad choices I tried so hard to break them of while they were with me. After six years of teaching and finally being a parent myself, I proudly state at any conference where a parent tries to play "my child is perfect" that parents are responsible for their child's behavior. I think people forget about that. You have to teach your child how to act and be a good role model... you can't wait until they are in public school to have some lady do it for you in ten months, only to have it ruined over the summer for the next lady who comes along.

Can anyone tell I had a great weekend with my family and baby and that I don't want to go back to school tomorrow? I hope I have a good day tomorrow anyway... pictures and stories about the grandparents visit coming soon.