Moon Day 2021

We go to a lot of different parks. I realized that on this blog, I often say, "the park," or "a local park," but maybe I should say specifically which parks we go to as someone might like to know that information. I'll try to remember. Here goes.

July 20 was Moon Day. The kids and I went to Nielsen's Grove Park. 

While we were there I was thinking back to a long time ago when we went to the same park for Moon Day. It was 2011 (wow, that was 10 years ago) and the kids played astronaut tag. I tried to convince the kids this year to play astronaut tag for nostalgia purposes but Jr. explained how actually on the moon we wouldn't move like that but refused to let me take a picture of him demonstrating. Sigh.

Then I tried to get the kids to show me what it would be like if they were feeding the ducks like it would be on the moon. No takers there, either.

Eventually I turned to Nichole.

Me: What would you do if you were on the moon?

Nichole: Suffocate.

Well, that ended me trying to get them to do "astronaut stuff" for pictures.

We did have fun at the park, though some of them forgot to bring water bottles and apparently being overly dramatic about that is fun. I was able to get them some water when we got back to the van. And dad surprised them with woo-woo (milkshakes) when we got home.

We ate astronaut sandwiches later. Apparently I used to call them space sandwiches then started calling them astronaut sandwiches so either name works.

A Nutella Weekend

It was a Nutella kind of weekend. Friday the 5th of February was World Nutella Day so we had Nutella sandwiches. 

It was also National Wear Red Day. I kept reminding the kids all morning and even the night before, "Wear red. Wear red," then I went and put on a grey shirt without thinking and never changed to a red shirt even when I did think about it. Sigh.

I did however read aloud to Jet for World Read Aloud Day on that same day. You should have seen me getting into Hand Hand Fingers Thumb and drumming on a big can. "Dum Ditty Dum Ditty Dum Dum Dum."

For after school snack that same day, we celebrated Bubble Gum Day with gumballs that came through Nichole's candy dispenser THAT SHE MADE! 

She made it in one of her classes last year. How cool is that?

Saturday the 6th of February was the anniversary of when Alan Shepard hit golf balls on the moon. We ate "astronaut sandwiches" made with tortillas and... you guessed it- Nutella.

I also tried out a new recipe for macaroni and cheese to celebrate National Cheddar Day on that day.

Sunday the 7th of February some family members ate more Nutella. I told you it was a Nutella weekend. Nichole took some time to play Swan Lake music on her recorder to celebrate Ballet Day.

National Creativity Day 2020

May 30 was National Creativity Day. It was also the day SpaceX launched astronauts into space for the first time. We watched the launch. It was reminiscent of watching the Apollo Mission footage last year of the launch of astronauts going to walk on the moon 50 years after it happened. Of course then we knew for sure the outcome and knew everything was going to be okay. The SpaceX launch was live during our generation, my children's generation. None of us watching from our living room were alive 51 years ago when the astronauts walked on the moon. I kept thinking during the SpaceX launch, I hope nothing goes wrong. And nothing did.

Now onto creativity.
Jr. made a face with his quesadillas and later placed his chips in the shape of a skeleton to copy what was happening in a show we were watching.

Nichole was knitting socks which she later gave me as a belated birthday present. Aww, thanks, Nichole.

The day after National Creativity Day, Nichole asked to make cheeseball. I told her it was National Creativity Day yesterday. She replied, "I'm doing it observed." So she made a cheeseball and everyone guessed what shape it was. Nichole finally told us what it was. "It's a lizard thing with a rock."

Creativity.
P.S. Lucky has already put in a request that the next time Nichole makes cheeseball she does it in the shape of a penguin.

Influences From the Past

I mentioned before how some ways we've been celebrating in 2020 are similar to how we celebrated in 2014. I noticed that by looking back at my blog from 2014. Lately I've been looking back at 2014, not just to see the similarities, but to get ideas for 2020.
I had the idea to make astronaut sandwiches for the anniversary of when Alan Shepard hit golf balls on the moon on February 6.

Then looking at the blog from 2014, I saw that one of the ways we celebrated was by watching a NASA YouTube video of Alan Shepard hitting those golf balls. So guess what we did this year. Jr. Jr., Lucky, and I watched that video after I read about us doing it in 2014.

Observed

February 6 is the anniversary of when Alan Shepard hit the first golf ball on the moon.  We celebrated it (observed) yesterday along with February 5th's holiday, World Nutella Day.  For dinner last night we had astronaut sandwiches made with Nutella.  We also drank Tang.

Space Sandwiches

So... astronauts on the space station don't use bread because of too many crumbs that don't just fall on the floor like on Earth but float around, so when they want to make a peanut butter and honey sandwich, they use a tortilla.
So for Sandwich Day on November 3, we ate "space sandwiches."  Peanut butter on tortillas folded over.  We didn't have honey on them this time.

That night I went to Girls' Night, but I forgot to take a camera.  Sigh.  We had chocolate.  Lots of chocolate.  And lots of socializing.  And we watched a movie.  And it was great.
O.K.  Since I didn't take a camera, you'll just have to visualize it.  Brownies, cookies, chocolate cream pie, a spicy chocolate bar which our friend taught us how to smell and feel and really taste (she's been to chocolate tastings before), sugar cookies, crackers and cheese (thank goodness for something not sweet and chocolate to temper the sweets), and water to drink.  That's all I can think of.  I'm sorry if I forgot anything.  It was great and again well needed.  I love Girls' Night.  But I stayed up way too late and I'm exhausted today.  Ugh.
On another note about yesterday, Jr. Jr. and I took Nichole to dance class.  I let them each take a reasonable amount of Halloween candy in the van.  Jr. Jr. couldn't figure out what a reasonable amount was, but we were in a hurry to get out the door, so he took too much.  Sigh.  At one point after we got there, I saw him with a sucker in one hand and a package of Whoppers in the other.  Yeah, they were both open and he was eating them both. 

Sigh. 
Oh well, I ate a lot of chocolate last night at Girls' Night so I can't complain.

Moon Day 2012

July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.  Here are some suggestions of ways to celebrate the anniversary:

Read a book about the moon or about the astronauts who traveled to the moon.

Watch Wallace & Gromit- A Grand Day Out where Wallace and Gromit travel to the moon for cheese, then have your own cheese tasting and guess what the moon would taste like if it was made of cheese.

Watch the episodes from Doctor Who from the sixth series, where the Doctor and his companions travel to 1969 to try to stop the "impossible astronaut."

Write your own story or draw a picture of a trip to the moon.

Play the game, "I'm going on a trip to the moon..." where everyone takes turns saying what they would take, each object starting with the next letter of the alphabet.

Check out my blog post from last year about Moon Day.

Armed Forces Day 2011

A few months ago, we donated to the Boy Scouts who would then put an American flag in front of our place for certain holidays. Today is Armed Forces Day. As we were headed out the door this morning, Jeremy exclaimed, "Hey, they did put an American flag up," to which Nichole replied, "Did the astronauts do that?"
For as we all know, that's what American astronauts do when they go places. "Or take it on planets or the moon," Nichole says.