The Eleventh hour Science Fair Project...

A few weeks ago I seem to remember reading something about a Science Fair coming up at school in the future but for some reason I didn't write down the date. It seemed so far away that I was sure we would have more notices and I would take it seriously as it got closer. In the meantime it totally left my mind.. needed to make room for more current happenings.. can't keep too much in there.

Fast forward to Wednesday (2 days ago). I'm tucking Connor into bed and we are chatting. Sometimes we have our best chats the first thing in the morning or the last thing at night. Anyway we were talking as I'm trying to focus fully on what he is saying and trying desperately not to notice out of my periphial vision the dirty clothes scattered about on the floor, the open closet door with shirts half on or totally off there hangers.. it's not important right now. Focus on the now, your son is actually having a conversation with you. Enjoy the now!!

So I'm suddenly brought back to full attention when he says. "Mom, the science fair is on Friday (in 2 days) and could you go tomorrow (Thursday) and buy some fish, you know just some cheap ones so I can do an experiment with them and loud Rock N Roll music to see how they react?" Of course I'm sure I had that blank "Are you kidding me" look on my face. I said umm.. no I won't be able to buy you some fish tommorow and are you serious that the Science Fair is Friday?? I tell him he waited too late (apparently it was an optional project, thank goodness). I told myself he would need to learn a lesson about waiting until the last minute (which although I love him dearly and he has a lot of wonderful traits) He is a procrastinator!

So Thursday he calls me from school and says "Mom, I would really like to to a Science Fair Project and could you just get me some Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Mentos and a tri fold cardboard thing?" I'm sure you all know about this experiment. anyway I relented and said I would see what I could do but he was on his own doing the project because we only had one evening and other things going on..etc.. he agreed and I was off to Wal-mart. (they didn't have regular Mentos so made a second stop to King Soopers.)

Con comes home from school with a friend and is playing outside. I tell him if he wants to do his project he should get started. He continues to play. Meanwhile Mark is telling me how I need to take all the stuff back!! etc. We have dinner and Connor suddenly at 6:10 says "Oh, I told some friends I would come see their band concert tonight at 6:30" (again, that Are you kidding me look) Please Mom.......etc. Okay I can run you over to the school but you are REALLY on your own now with your project and you are not staying up past nine!

I pick Connor up around 7:45 thinking for sure I will be taking the items back to Wal-Mart and we can go to bed and move on with our life. But no.. he really wants to do this, so I again reiterate.. you are on your own. He does pretty well. At nine he goes to bed and asks us to wake him up at 6am so he can finish. I'm really surprised he's sticking with this. I wake him up early, he sleeps a little longer then gets up and starts working again... I cave a little when I see he's trying so hard and start to help him.. I had told him the night before that if he didn't do a good job he couldn't take it. Well it turned out decent so he took it to school along with a video on his flip camera of the experiment in which we did help him with this morning.

Apparently it went over fine.. after school he told me "there were some a lot worse than mine". I'm so proud.

A few pictures of us NOT helping ...................

By the way Terra, you were right. The Diet Pepsi went higher.