A Successful Adventure And A Crazy Day

I wrote a while back about the rut we're in as a family (in my opinion, anyway) and my desire to give the kids some different experiences.  We tried one yesterday and it went well.  Amazingly so, actually, considering that the day was insane before we even left for our adventure: the kids had two basketball practices, a basketball game, a soccer practice, and a birthday party between them before 1:30!  With that kind of schedule, parents have to divide and conquer...I took the basketball practices and birthday party and Himself the basketball game and soccer practice.      

Himself's undergrad alma mater is about an hour from our house, maybe an hour and a half.  I've been there with him before, as has Thing One, but not the younger two.  Where we live is very rural, but this school is smack in the middle of a major city...serious culture shock for our young country mice!  Took the kids on a campus-exploring stroll first, including the obligatory apparel stop at the bookstore.  Two shirts and a hat later, we went to dinner, and then to a college basketball game that featured the absolute worst refereeing I've seen in years.  Luckily for me, "What the HELL was that???" was the worst thing the kids heard me say, and the good guys won in a nail-biting finish.  

The munchkins had a great time at the game.  And they loved watching the band and cheerleaders, too.  Way back in the dark ages of my youth, I played the trumpet in my university's marching band.  We played for both football and basketball games, so seeing those guys last night was a major trip down memory lane for me.  Although we didn't have cowbells in our percussion section, unlike these guys...a major oversight.  Gotta have more cowbell.  

Three kids slept all the way home.  Fun day, busy day, new experiences, no meltdowns.  Already planning the next change from the routine!