LifeTrain

Banana Seeds

It has been a rather long day. I woke up at roughly 7:00 (sleeping late- Woo Hoo!) and panicked a tad over how much I had to do and how many people I had to get out the door in less than two hours. Breakfast for all! Clothes for all! Three cheers for teeth brushing for all! Present wrapped. Diaper bag stocked. Water bottles filled. We squeaked out about 5 minutes late, but made it to the ball field around 9:30 for Grant's warm-up and then baseball game at 10:00. He did so much better this game. Still had to use the tee to hit, but really ran (and dropped the bat!) and got on base nicely each time. I noticed he was taught the phrase "baseball ready!" and spent less time fiddling with the dirt and grass and more time watching the action. Lael was a mostly happy baby and sat in the stroller and clapped and drank occasionally from the water bottle straw. Dean was awesome! I think he really enjoys the ball park and is very good about playing independantly while remaining close. He collected rocks, ran circles around the bleachers, talked to the big kids playing with their GameBoy (nice outside activity, don't you think?), and cheered on the team. He appears to be a good encourager; we plan on encouraging this trait. The Game Ball was given to our very own neighbor and friend, Luke. Yay Luke! After the game, we left to grab lunch in a very Soccer Mom fashion and make our way to the birthday party for one of Grant's classmates. The party was held at Let It Shine which is a great facility. I took gymnastics for a period at Brengle Terrace as a kid and it brought back memories. Although, Let It Shine is a top notch place in comparison.

We came home and watched some TV to wind down (Batman meets Scooby Doo on DVD). We were all a bit exhausted, but it was too late for naps- 3:30. Played. Ate dinner. Baths. Prayers and Tucking In. I have cleaned up the dishes and done the lesson planning for the week ahead.

Grant is such a sponge right now and he is asking a ton of questions. I try to write down some of the queries and get back to him with more information. He stumped me last week with questions about how banana plants grow if bananas don't have seeds ("or are those black things in the middle seeds?"). So after I planned out the basics, I did a bit of research on bananas and came up with this site. The website became extremely interesting after I finished reading the banana piece and continued on to the next segment on Garcinia Family (Guttiferae): Mangosteen.

I admit that I don't know everything, and that there are zillions of plants I've never heard of. But I have never heard of a mangosteen. Suddenly, I felt a bit outraged that I had never heard of it because it is apparently "one of the most delicious fruits on earth". Aaaaccck! I have to have one! (there you have it- my very own Veruca moment) Being in the dark regarding this "queen of tropical fruits" (are they rubbing it in?!) is especially insulting considering my recent designation as Fruit and Veggie Expert.

Someone get me a mangosteen!