Well, my friends, 31 days has come and gone. I did not manage to write all 31 days. BUT, I did post more for the month of October than ever before. Gotta start somewhere.
The kids and I took off Saturday and headed to Mount Vernon to visit George Washington's home. The weather was perfect, the fall leaves were at peak color, and the kids were all happy. Those three things may never happen again simultaneously, so I took lots of pictures to document it.
It was homeschool day at Mt. Vernon (which is why we were there), so we were surrounded by families with children who were reciting facts about Washington's life and quoting his writings. My boys just kept wondering when we would see his dentures like the brochure promised. Ellie kept asking whose house we were at and why was it so old.
However, our shining moment took place in the museum. Lucas had gotten too hot inside and had taken off his hoodie. My suggestion of tying it around his waste was met with a sigh, a stare, and a "I'll just carry it." Obviously, I have no idea what is cool and should just put my shawl back on, grab my cane, and keep on walking.
Anyway, since it was not anchored to his body, my ADHD son started swinging his hoodie around while we were walking. I reminded him several times that this was not a smart decision. Eventually, I got tired of repeating myself and, since I refused to carry the hoodie for him, I began to ignore all the extraneous movement.
We stopped to look at a display of George Washington - as a wax figure. The kids were admiring how life-like it was when suddenly an extremely loud alarm sounded and lights began flashing. My kids looked at me panic-stricken, and I immediately began looking for the nearest exit. That's when I noticed that everyone seemed to be looking at us. And, out of the corner of my eye, I saw people walking in our direction.
Then it hit me. We had been standing very close to the low railing of this exhibit. Lucas had been swinging his hoodie around in front of him. He must have crossed the barrier and set off the alarm!
I managed to stay calm and not raise my voice. This was an especially winning moment for me because what I really wanted to do was snatch Lucas by the ear (if I could reach it) and say "Do you see what you've done? You didn't listen to me and now you've set off this alarm. We'll be lucky if they ever let us come back or enter any national monument or museum again. I'm sure the President already knows what is happening and every major news network will be covering this by evening."
Clearly, I do not ever overreact.
Chaos only reigned for a moment. The alarm stopped and everyone went back to their business. Lucas was only slightly scarred. Evidently not enough to stop swinging his hoodie around for the rest of our time there, but for a moment I could tell he was a little amused embarrassed.
We made it back without being arrested or fined for setting off alarms. The kids really did enjoy the day. The scenery itself was worth the ticket price - the history was just a bonus. I highly recommend it to anyone traveling in the DC area.
Just be sure when you're at the wax statue of young George, do not cross that barrier. He's obviously securely guarded.