We knew when we headed out that we were probably going to see some storms this week, so I had a few indoor activities planned. The kids had trouble with the fact that the house has three televisions, yet we said we would not turn any of them on all week. Thankfully, we did bring along the Leapsters, and they were thrilled to get a little bit of screen time while Allen and I enjoyed coffee and books taking our time getting going since the MidAmerica Science Museum didn't open until 10:00. We stayed long enough to see the 12:30 Tesla demonstration. It turns out that we got to see the world's most powerful Tesla coil (Guinness Book of World Records 2009) -- it can produce 1.5 MILLION volts of electricity! They also turned on the Van de Graaff generator. You know... that thing that makes your hair stand up! (We are two nerds trying to train up a few more.) At first they were afraid to try it out, but then Will got in line to try it. Not to be out-dared by Big Brother. Ben skipped ahead of a few nice ladies to try it... then Maddie wanted to try it, too. Before Ben got up there, Will may have been the youngest to try it. The few adults near Ben were on edge; we were a little nervous he might let go too soon (and get zapped!), but he did fine. Ben was probably the most entertaining to the crowd, not because his hair was standing on end, but because the electricity flowing through him was lighting up his sneakers. When everyone started chuckling about the shoes, one lady asked him if he knew he had them on backwards. He answered as I knew he would, as he does everyday -- with huge grin and "Of course; I like them that way!"
We went to McClard's Bar-B-Q for lunch. It was a small hole-in-the-wall we never would have found had we not seen it listed in 1000 Places to See Before You Die (United States & Canada.) After a tasty meal, we headed back to the cottage for nap time. The rainy, stormy day made it easy for us to get good naps. We spent the rest of the day snoozing, reading, and playing games.
Somehow Ben still had dirt under his fingernails and it was time to fix that just before bedtime. Ben HATES for his nails to be cut. He understands it doesn't hurt, but he still has an aversion to the process. I jokingly explained, "Ben, your nails are so grubby you probably have creatures living in them." As I started to clip them, he pushed my hand away and very seriously pleaded, "Mama, don't cut them! You'll break up their homes." That sweet comment made the kids' bedtime games a bit more bearable :) ... or maybe its that Allen and I had our lights out by 8:30, too.
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