The Great Egg Drop

Good Wednesday morning!

The Gallery Pics are the remaining Six Flags' photos. Oh, and the picture I took of the Goliath sign at night. It turned out well, so I thought I would share. Once again, I didn't ride it, but Roxie did (twice) so I feel I can post it as long as I'm honest about why I added it to The Gallery.

By the way... If you have known me two minutes you know I love to try NEW things. I forgot to tell you what new experiences I had this past weekend. I ate at the Marietta Diner (which has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives). I rode the Scorcher and Batman for the first time. Oh, and I saw Wonder Woman and her Invisible Airplane. This may sound a little sad to you, but I LOVE experiencing firsts... big or little. (I also love going to restaurants and hotels which have been featured on The Travel Channel. Marietta Diner is the fourth Diners, Drive-ins and Dives eatery I've visited, and I've been to two of the hotels featured on Great Hotels. I'm not bragging... just informing. Well, maybe bragging a little.)

RANDOMNESS #1 - Guess what? It IS a federal offense to go around and take pictures of random mailboxes. Who knew?

Not really. I just couldn't get a shot of the mailbox with all the kids running around after school... too many witnesses. I'll try again today. (And I said "Not really" like I had checked in the Federal Book of Laws or something. I'm still not sure if taking this picture will land me in the local jail or not. That would be something new for me. I've never been "booked" before. I'm sure it isn't a pleasant experience, but the stories I would be able to tell... It would open up a whole new chapter for me. Hmmm. Still not worth it. I'm going to make some calls before I photograph today.)

RANDOMNESS #2 - I haven't been able to speak of this before today because I had to compose myself. Have you heard FOX cancelled 24 after this season? Are they insane? They say it is going to be fine because there is going to be a 24 Movie. One movie! That's not enough Jack Bauer to sustain me! What am I supposed to do now? Watch rerun after rerun after rerun of America's Funniest Home Videos? (I do that anyway!) I'm very sad... and I am legally changing Austin's name to Jack. It's the least I can do as a die-hard fan of the show.

NOTE - Don't mention this to Austin. I'll tell him myself when the time is right.

RANDOMNESS #3 - Tomorrow is "Permanent Crown Day." I hope, I hope, I hope I will be able to share the END of this story Friday.

Special Guest Hints

8. She was an avid water skier back in the day. She LOVED it!

9. She married one of her best friends from high school, but they didn't start dating until college.

10. She is a BIG scrapbooker (one of the things I like most about her).

11. She laughs easily and often. (She's one of those people you want to be around.)

Okay. That's it. I will tell you I did receive a correct guess on my e-mail yesterday. However, the Comment Section needs to give it another try. If nothing else, the Big Reveal is tomorrow, and we'll get to know EVERY intimate detail of her life. (Not really. She wouldn't answer those questions!)

Easter "Oldie"

My Easter "oldie" has to do with Easter morning. Everyone knows I love Scavenger Hunts. This one is for the little ones in your family.

When your child wakes up Easter morning, have an egg on their pillow beside their head. The outside of the egg should say, "OPEN ME." Inside the egg, leave a clue to the next egg. (For example, "Look under your bed.") When the child finds the egg under his/her bed, it will contain another clue. ("Look beside the refrigerator.")

Hide each child's eggs in different places with different clues all over the house. The last egg, of course, will tell them exactly where their Easter Basket has been hidden. ("Look on the front porch.")

You can hide as many or few as you like. I think between five to ten would make it fun for the preschool crowd. (Maybe more for the elementary-age child.)

It will only take a few minutes, but it will start the day off in a fun and exciting way. (And it's easy and inexpensive.)

Wednesday Wisdom - Today's wisdom doesn't come in "quote" form, but it is wisdom nonetheless.

Rules of Chocolate Easter Eggs

1. If you get melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.

2. Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

3. If you can't eat all your Easter chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your Easter chocolate, what is wrong with you?

4. If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves. (I have never heard this before. It makes me happy.)

5. Money talks. Chocolate sings.

6. Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger. (Again, another scientific fact I did not know. Why don't reporters talk about this on The Today Show EVERY DAY? It should be the number one story.)

7. The problem... How to get two pounds of chocolate eggs home from the store in a hot car. The solution... Eat the eggs in the parking lot.

8. Why is there no such organization as Chocoholics Anonymous? Because no one wants to quit.

The Great Egg Drop

This came from my Family Fun Magazine (received yesterday) from a mom named Jodie Fitzgerald. However, we did this every year while Austin was in elementary school. The local fire department would bring the "bucket" truck and a fireman would drop the eggs from great heights. The child (or children) whose egg(s) didn't break received prizes.

However, this idea makes it doable at home since most of us do not have access to fire department "bucket" trucks.

Preparing the Drop Zone

We usually set up in the driveway or garage (depending on the weather). We spread out a disposable splat mat, such as a painter's tarp or a plastic tablecloth. Then we use spray paint or colored duct tape to create a target in the middle. The target is about five feet in diameter, marked with various points to be won: 100 for the bull's eye, then 75, 50 and 25 for the outer rings. At the edge, we prop a six-foot ladder.

Cushioning the Eggs

At the start of the party, we empty a bag of items onto a table... cotton balls, craft foam, paper towel tubes, pre-cut plastic bottles, pipe cleaners, scrap paper, and so on. We add scissors, glue and tape. At "GO," the kids have 30 seconds to grab an egg and supplies, and three minutes to make a cushion using the materials they've chosen. We've seen eggs swaddled in layers of paper, taped into plastic cups, wrapped with pip cleaners, and covered in cotton balls.

Playing the Game

Since we often play two or three rounds, we start the kids on the bottom rung of the ladder and have them climb a step or two after each egg drop. If an egg lands on the target unbroken, you get the designated number of points. If it cracks, you don't get any points. The kids use a new egg each time, but the cushioning supplies dwindle as the game goes on. This makes each round more challenging.

This sounds fun to me. I think I might add it as a challenge in Survivor - Easter Island!

So much to do, and so little time. Heavy sigh. Have a lovely Wednesday. It's going to be a beautiful day here in the South. Tomorrow I'll share a fun date, Blog Linkage, another Easter "oldie," Gallery Pics AND our April Special Guest will be revealed. It's going to be a great day on A Simple Life (if I do say so myself).

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda