I started my new job this week.

I got a really nice welcome from my new lab mates.

I even got a new robot to play with.

I am feeling a little lost as the group I joined is a bit short staffed at present but everyone is very helpful so hopefully by this time next year I will be a professional.

I wouldn't normally bore you with the minutia of my trash and recycling affairs but this week was the pick up after Christmas and all the many many boxes that entails.

I forgot it was recycling day until I woke up Wednesday morning and realized I had only a half an hour to get everything up that hill.

It was 12 degrees and dark and beautiful.

David and I ran up and down the hill in our robes and skippers and coats and hats and made it in time.

On this morning my car heater started to make a noise like there was a leaf stuck in the blower and then completely died...burrr

At work I was given charge of Dr. Watson the geriatric beta fish.

Long may he live.

Oh man please don't die on my watch Dr. Watson!

To fulfill one of his Cub Scout requirements Kiernan was to attend a sporting event and to ask an athlete about why being physically active is so important.

I don't know any athletes and his t ball season is long gone by so I asked one of the other moms and she sent me a list of local High School Varsity and Jr. Varsity events. I read them to Kiernan. There were volleyball, basketball, cheer leading, indoor track and field, wrestling, and swimming events all winter long. He chose wrestling

In an attempt to get this one done before our Thursday Den meeting on Wednesday evening Kiernan and I drove up to Thurmont to watch a High School Wrestling match.

Neither of us had ever seen a wrestling match and we were both excited and clueless. I like very much the opportunity that I am getting to see more things with this whole Cub Scout deal.

At first he was very excited. He kept saying what if I was that guy? What If I did that thing. Then after about 2 matches he started to become increasingly bothered by the noise. The wrestlers have protection over their ears and the gym echos like a gym dose. We were close to both the referee and the buzzer. The buzzer is the one used for basketball games. Lots of parents and fans were shouting. Kiernan started freaking out. He wanted to know how much longer. I honestly had no idea but google said about an hour so I relaid that. I gave him my phone and asked him to get me to a higher level on TD5 (a game is is quite good at whereas I am only mediocre). I told him after half and hour we would go get snacks and that I would keep my eye on the clock and warn him about the buzzer so that he could cover his ears. 

That all worked fairly well. He concentrated on the game and started acclimating to the noise. Once we got back from the snacks and bathroom break he was fine again.

The most unexpected thing happened after the match was over. 

I asked him if he wanted to talk to a coach or a wrestler. He said a wrestler (I would have gone with a coach that role is teacher like). So we went down and looked for an approachable wrestler.

We found a young man sitting on the floor blowing like a race horse. His face was blotchy with heat and exertion and his knees and arms were skinned. I asked him if he felt up to answering a question for a Cub Scout assignment and he said, "Sure". 

Kiernan walked right up to him, bold as you please with no hiding behind me at all, and asked slowly and loudly and with eye contact and hand gestures why it was important to be active.

The wrestler (Ian) gave a moment of consideration and answered very seriously back. They talked for a short while and then he looked at me and apologized if his answer wasn't good enough because his head was still pretty muzzy.

I thought it was perfect. He was kind and took Kiernan's question seriously. I was so grateful to him that I wrote his coach the next morning to thank him.

Apparently he had just lost a hard match but he is "an athlete with a lot of heart".

We went out for pizza and talked about the history of greco-roman wrestling and about what Kiernan liked and didn't like about the match. He said that wrestling had a lot of pain in it, which is true. He said he is not sure but he might like to do it. He wants to go see it again.

On Thursday It started to get cold again. Kiernan had a field trip in the morning and a den meeting in the evening. The field trip was to the Frederick Earth Space and Science Lab. He had a good time. He held a hedgehog. He got to spend time with his BFF's (Alex) dad who is, apparently, very cool.

By 2 minutes into the Den meeting he said his stomach hurt. I was worried that he might be car sick from being on the school bus but it had been so long and he had been eating well that I hoped all would be fine.

No!

He went into the bathroom and threw up all over the place. 

Everywhere.

I cleaned and warned all the other parents and made Kiernan clean his hands and face and everything else. We stayed for the rest of the meeting. I am still not sure if it was the right thing to do. The Tigers have the flag ceremony at the next meeting and I wanted him to prep for it and he seemed OK if clingy. I am just not sure.

Alex's dad who was there teaching the boys how to post the colors said that Kiernan had been quiet on the bus and hadn't eaten during the trip. It was good to have the information even if I couldn't do much with it. All Kiernan said was that he felt fine and then his stomach had sharp pains.

By that evening everyone was sassy and ready for the weekend.

On Friday I finally got some time alone with Megan. Two Kiernan only activities this week made her feel very left out so we made it a special day. She wore her Rapunzel dress and I made her hair pink and purple and blue and took her out for the day.

We went to the nature center and for a little hike and to the greenhouse at Brookside gardens.

She tried to do some ice fishing with a reed.

She smelled all the flowers and looked for bananas on the trees.

We watched some birds and even went out for lunch at Pannera.

Then we went home for a nice long nap. Well she napped I played with Pax and her new squeaky toy. 

Over the weekend we took it pretty easy. We cleaned the house and went for walks and jogs.

Kiernan and David worked on the Pinewood Derby car.

Yes that is a block of wood in the oven (250 for 2 hours)

I tried to find a good match for Steve's diamond armor color using primary color paints.

It will of course be a Minecraft car.

Next up will the the dremeling and sanding but imagine this general shape of car that is painted like this guy...possibly with a sword.

I took down lights and deconstructed the Christmas tree and mantle-place. David got the wreathes down and the kids helped throw the tree off the deck.

Megan found this to be her favorite clean up job of the weekend. She now wants to throw all the things off the deck.

It was pretty cool.

On Sunday the kids asked to go to Ikea to jump in  the ball-pit. I was pretty tired ans stressed from my week (probably the new job plus the wrestling) but felt like it would be good to give David some grown up time so I said yes.

We left at 930 in the morning and didn't get home till 6 pm.

Ikea till nap time then Scearce's for a few hours to take Grandma to get her hair cut and let the kids play with Aunt Licia.

They said that they want to do that trip more now that it is cold outside. 

Free ball pit and cheap good lunch means I agree. expect more Ikea updates over the winter.