Thursday, January 9: indoor play area with Gilad and Eve over for a play date

He came out of his room at 7:30. I ran up and he still looked half-asleep. I asked if he wanted to go back to sleep, and we climbed on the couch bed. I got in with him and studied and read while he fell back to sleep. And slept and slept. I kept trying to wake him up but he’d clutch the blanket tighter or curl into me and keep sleeping. I finally got him to wake up about 8:40 and we went downstairs.

Carly had put cleaner in the toilet before she left, so August scrubbed it. He asked, “How do freezers work?” He went on to explain old water heaters and freezers he had made, that used blocks of ice. We played Minecraft, and he was able to stop early as we needed to get going to go play with Gilad. He did a little piano first and called me down when he had made a song for the day.

We got driving at 9:40. We were shooting for 10, when the mall opened, but were both a little late. They got there right before us around 10:15. We listened to the playlist of his favorite bands today, and he added more songs by Andy Bell and also the Shamen to his playlist today. He also told me about his “Kilomputer”, which is a kilometer-long super computer.

Gilad and Lauren had sat down just before we got there. We paid and went in. It was a pretty good place, on par with the play areas in Korea. It really made me want a caramel macchiato, which was my usual drink at the kid cafes in Seoul. The kids played well, although not together very much. I remembered how well they had hit it off with the imaginative play the first couple times we were at Ra’anana Park together. They haven’t been doing that nearly as much, for some reason. But we made our way up through the structure. The main activity ended up being the soccer area. August didn’t want to be competitive, but Gilad and I would kick the balls back and forth, and August would either be a goalie, and just sit on the ground with his arms and legs stretched out (and also switch sides every few minutes) or he would be a referee perched on top of the goal.

When Gilad was worn out, we made our way back down and they played on the first floor level. August was a squirrel on the rocking thing again (he had been twice already, once upstairs when he was having fun tipping over backwards) and made a squirrel nest. The two of them played together in the ball pit for a while, and then also together on the squirrel nest. August got a total of 19 balls out, as his nuts, and hid them.

After going back upstairs again for more soccer, August wanted a snack. It was close to noon. So we all packed up and headed out. August and I ate a banana while they got going. It was a riper banana than our last one, but only slightly better. August did well eating what he did. After they left, we decided to go to McDonald’s for lunch. August got a fish sandwich with fries, one of the fruit squeeze things, and an iced tea. I got a chicken wrap thing with wedges.

While we waited I had mentioned how McDonald’s is pricier in Israel (it was like 24 dollars for the two of us, and we both got small meals, no upgrades). August came up with a story where Brother and Sister were traveling and Brother went to McDonald’s in Israel to get French fries for Tigey. But it turns out he doesn’t have enough money, so Tigey goes and rips up the store. They give Tigey the fries, but the family gets a bill for 2000 dollars.

We ate, then I read a funny book we have on the iPad called Leave Me Alone which involves an old woman getting away from distractions to do her knitting, and she eventually ends up going through a wormhole into a void.

We got going. Lauren sent me a message saying that her son’s school had sent kids home because of coming rain. So good that we were going, but then it turned out that rain didn’t really hit until the late evening. We got to the car but then remembered we were going to go to the bathroom. He was rubbing his feet on the ground and I said he could shock me if he was on a carpet doing that. He added, “Theoretically.” There was another word he had used earlier that had impressed me, like “assumption” or the like. We went and did that (August was impressed with the cleanliness) then got going. At 1:05.

In the car he told me a series of pretty funny stories about how he had been flying a fighter plane and had to stop for a flock of seagulls. He had been carrying a nuclear bomb but it wasn’t fastened properly and it fell out and blew up a city. He hadn’t realized it until he got to the war and his bomb was gone and he had to go back to find out what happened. Another time he had dropped nuclear waste somewhere when he hadn’t tightened a bolt or something. I said, “mainteance is important.” He asked what maintenance meant, so a word of the day, then was repeating the phrase.

At home we played Minecraft. I had purchased the Greek Mythology pack for him. He was very excited by that and chose to be Cerberus. In the game he ended up seeing a labyrinth and the Colossus of Rhodes. After our 45 minutes were up we watched a YouTube video about Cerberus, then I let him watch the Kurzgesagt video about the EU. He didn’t find that one too exciting, and got grumpy when I wouldn’t let him watch another instead. I think I actually ‘won’ the argument though when I pointed out that Eve was released from school at 3 and I couldn’t just call her teacher and tell her to keep teaching for a bit longer.

We drove to school. He asked, “Did you know I’m famous for “making 7000 sounds with my mouth?” And he listed, but didn’t perform, a bunch of them. As we walked into the school he said, “I’m bored.” A phrase he’s started to use more often, I think when he isn’t doing something exciting and isn’t thinking about some creation/idea.

We got Eve and headed to find Heather. But she was still supervising a test somewhere so Eve dropped off her stuff by Heather’s desk and I sent her a message and we headed home. First, we saw the feather that Eve had decorated as part of a big peacock piece the kids are making.

At home August first wanted to show her coin spinning, then they played with the microscope. Eve had brought a small scrap of material from the art room to look at. The two of them kind of had their own ideas and didn’t really play together much to start with. They both did potions though for quite a while, then August suggested getting out the magnet blocks. That was a great idea. They built individually, but admired each other’s work, and kept calling me over to see. They then used all of the pieces to build something together.

They were done with that, but Eve suggested they go outside. August agreed, if he could take the piano. So the piano went out. It was pretty cold and wet out there, so I was surprised when they did it, but they were out there for a good hour playing together. I put batteries in the two flashlight sort of things we have in the Zinnie house and they liked that. They put up sticks and taped them together and took turns on the piano. Carly got home about 5:20.

We were inside, when a minute later August came running in, repeating, “There’s a dog in my yard! There’s a dog in my yard!” Eve was picked up sometime after 5:30. August told Heather about light being made of photons.

August and I finished the fort (we had covered it with a sheet and small blanket) and as it started raining I cleaned things up out there. Carly got broccoli and then oatmeal for August for dinner and read more of The Talented Clementine to him. Empathy was another word of the day.

For alone time he cuddled under a blanket between us, then went to his for and spied on me with the binoculars from there. We played the Greek mythology Minecraft, then watched Ted-Ed videos about the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, the science of the Minotaur (earthquakes), and the legend of Prometheus.

He had asked for one of his Christmas treats and got the box of Nerds without discussing how many he could have. We was half-way in when we got into a debate over how many he could have. He was grumpy at first, but then had fun “arguing” with his logic and reason with Carly. For one of his arguments he had her look up how much sugar was in a box, then how many Nerds are in a box, then he used his scientific calculator to calculate how much sugar was in each Nerd (something like .058 grams).They then negotiated to eating 13 more Nerds. I went to get them, but then asked if he wanted 6 red and 7 blue or vice versa. Carly suggested 6 of each. To which August said why not make it 14. Carly blamed me for leading him to that, and I said it was her fault for saying 12—I had given him two choices. August was really amused by us debating it.

But then he want and stole an extra one. I then ate 2 (he had already told me I should eat both colors) but he got grumpy about it. Carly made it up to him by putting a chocolate chip in the box for tomorrow.

He got out Rush Hour and played another level of it, then was trying to make puzzles for me to solve. Which we quickly learned was a a rather difficult task. They often came out either very easy, or impossible. He kept at it though and learned a lot, I think.

We headed upstairs upstairs with a bowl of Cheerios after 8:50. Carly gave him a bath and brushed his teeth. I then put him to sleep. We listened to the story “Maya’s Feathers” on Circle Round, then did two meditation tracks in Ninja Focus. It did seem to help, as as soon as I put on more Benge he fell asleep, by 10:15.

Song of the day: