Documenting

I was out to dinner with my best friend who asked me how the blogging was going.  If you don't already know Tina, go to her blog bestoftimesblog.com.  She is truly the greatest example of a blogger.  She's funny, honest, sometimes makes me cry, and knows how to spin a story.  Not to mention, she's a disciplined writer.  You can always count on her to give you insight to something you've never considered before.

She asked me if I was blogging because I love to write and tell stories, or to document.  I believe I answered both, but I'm not sure.  But as of late, my time and energy I would usually give to writing seem to be a bit depleted.  Must be the sunny weather.  Call it a dehydration of ideas.  And given that I've immersed myself in writing and literature the past 15 years, give or take one or two years off, I would really like to be the kind of blogger who always has a story to tell, or a point to share.

In the past few weeks, our little family has filled the days.  Not BIG stuff, but little things. Water slides, baseball games, kittens and diving from the diving board - but these things aren't always the stuff of stories. But they are things I don't want to forget.  So here's to a post of documenting.  More for me, then for you dear reader.  But I figure if it has impacted us, be it ever so small, then I need to write it down.

The Water Slide

 Our friends were generous enough to give us their big water slide after they installed their new pool. We were more than happy to take it off their hands.  Of course now we have a huge water slide and haven't yet found a place to store it. I think it may be akin to a boat owner who says the best two days of their lives is first, when they bought their boat, and the second, when they sold it.  I might be acting a bit dramatic because I'm predicting the storage issue come winter.  But for now, we'll relish in the opportunity to fill in every square inch of our backyard with kid toys and let them have a blast.
Inventive storage maneuvering can wait.

Every inch of space - taken.

 GO ASTROS!

I tell people this all the time, but for as big of an Astros fan that I used to be (and really still would be if we could get games on TV - darn that UVERSE), I hadn't been to a game in a lo-on-g time.  Whenever we'd get free tickets here and there, it was always just easier to send Kenny and Elijah.  Even though we'd agree that it's Lydia's and my turn, we would just keep voting for the boys to go.  But a couple of weekends ago, it was Faith and Family night so we decided it was time for the whole family to go with other families from our church, so we packed up a backpack full of food, saving gobs of money, and went up to the cheap seats.  It was a semi-close game for a while, but we ended up losing.  I don't think anyone cared though.  With the Astros, it's all about the experience.

By the end of the game, all the kids wanted to climb to the tippy top to touch the screen. 

Kittens

We can't seem to quit talking about the new felines in our life.  They are playful, sweet, and will try sleeping on the kid's bed, for a bit, until they are overcome with a desire to r-u-n-o-u-t-o-f-t-h-i-s-r-o-o-m-r-i-g-h-t-n-o-w.  (Thank you Mike for always making me laugh about this odd cat behavior.) They haven't become bold enough to venture downstairs, but they have decided it's okay to meet Radley, our very cranky old cat who wants nothing to do with them and meets them with a hiss and a growl every time and then runs away to the garage where (in my creative opinion) he pouts.  I keep reassuring him that he's still my #1, that he hasn't been replaced.  Who knew cats could be so sensitive (again in my creative opinion).

That's it for documenting.  If you held on (even with random cat talk), thanks.  Maybe I can come back with something wild and crazy next time.  For now - it's daily life.  Not the stuff of dreams, I suppose.  But it's stuff.  Good stuff.

Surprising GIFTS

 My children are always surprising me, with what they can do, or things that they say or what they already know.  It's not always a good surprise.  But there are times,  my favorite - when they surprise themselves.

I signed the kids up for GIFTS Camp (Growing Interests, Fellowship, Talents and Skills), which is held yearly at a local church.  It’s actually a pretty creative camp where they sign up for different areas of interest (Fishing, Sewing, Scrapbooking, Photography, Bow-making, Super Heroes, Legos, Group Games, Painting, Music, Gymnastics) and so many more.  Each kid chooses a Focus group where they spend most of their time and then each day visit other choices. 

Since Lanie is too young to participate, I volunteered so she could join in the preschool mini-camp which she thought was just the best thing of the whole summer.  She told me on Day 2, “I want to do this every day, ever day.”

This Spring, when Summer camps were far away, I had both Elijah and Lydia fill out the paperwork and ranked 1-10 their favorite classes.  Elijah zoomed through the list without a second thought.  Lydia wanted to check with other friends to see what they were signing up for. I turned everything in and hoped for the best, that they would get the classes they wanted and more importantly, would know someone in their focus group. 

As the camp got closer, and we got their camp schedules, I started asking around with other parents, who had what focus group.  Lydia didn’t know anyone in her American Girl class, and neither did Elijah in his Woodworking class.  Lydia seemed fine with this, but Elijah was so hesitant that before the camp started, he didn’t want to go at all.

I found myself texting friends who have been sending their kids to GIFTS camp for years, for advice.  One friend told me to tell Elijah – POWER TOOLS.  He would get to use real power tools.  Another friend was more long winded and thoughtful and told me it was a chance for him to learn a skill he may need in college to put things together or a chance to see why his grandpa may enjoy building things.  But the very best advice was, “Just tell him it’s for 4 hours and get over it.”

And she was right.  I’ve coddled them for so long, worrying who would be in their class, their VBS group, their dance class, their baseball team and would they make friends.  And yes there are some situations where having a friend in a new situation does make a difference, but for my two, walking in blind, uncertain as to who would be sitting across from them was the best experience they could have had.

Lydia stepped right up and got girly with her new friends.  She created doll bows, sleeping bags, barettes and went on an American Girl scavenger hunt.  I’m blessed that she seems to be easy going.  Elijah was more timid, but recognized boys from past baseball teams in his room.  At the end of the Day One he said to me, “It’s so fun.  We’re doing such cool stuff.”  And what was even better, he came home with a stepstool he made himself, a bird feeder and a bird house, not to mention a painting from art class and a mosquito catcher from Dangerous Boys class. 

Overall, last week was one of the best of the summer.  It was video-free, TV-free, and all 3 kids were expanding themselves in ways both fun, and Surprising.

Ban. Lifted.

A couple of people have asked how our video-free week went.  I've got to tell ya, personally, I loved it.  The first day was tough, but after we sank into the expectations, it went quite smoothly.  Lanie never really got the gist of what we were doing, confused why I wouldn't let her play my phone when she asked.   Lydia easily jumped aboard and Elijah, admittedly without enthusiasm, joined us.

Here's what I learned when you take away (the usual) videos and games:

Your kids want more attention.
You have to be ready to play board games.
There is no arguing about keeping or breaking time limits on games.
There is a lot more playing together.
More chores get done.
Every night, some one asks, what are we going to do tonight (and they expect you to have an answer).
You play outside more.
A lot more reading takes place.
Chasing down the ice cream truck becomes acceptable.

To be fair, when the kids (Elijah) knew that the ban would be lifted on a specific day and watching the new Disney Teen Beach movie premiere that evening was promised, waiting out the week became a lot easier.  That's true for all of us, or for me. I can make it to the end of a tough deadline, as long as I know that deadline is coming.  Elijah was no different.

But I really, really do believe that because of our efforts and extra time, which really seem so simple, things are just a little bit happier in our home.

And I love me a happy home.

Trouble

"I knew you were trouble when you walked in . . . "

Heard this tune?  How could you not?  And how could I keep Taylor Swift away from my two dancing queens?

Here is the conversation I just heard in my kitchen.

Lanie: (While discussing Lanie's 5th birthday CD, and what songs she wants on it) 22!  I want 22!
(for those who don't have the album RED on your phone ready at a moment's notice, this is also a Swift song.)

Lydia:  That's my song! 22 is MY song! I had it first.

Kenny: (overhearing story) Geesh Lydia, I didn't know you were Taylor Swift?
Where's all your money, Taylor? You wanna share it?

Lydia:  Yes, I'm Taylor Swift.

Lanie: Are you Taylor Swift's little baby girl?

Lydia:  No, I'm just Taylor Swift.

Lanie:  Then, I'm Cinderella.

Geesh. Does this gal know her influence has gone beyond teeny-boppers to preschoolers?  Let's hope she steers clear from any Lindsay Lohan-type public activity and maybe we'll get through this phase just fine.

Sneaking a Post, and some other things

Video Fever
Elijah and his friends at his sleepover.
(Ignore the hand-drawn mustaches & beards.  Boys at bedtime are very silly.)

The Ward family has put a self-imposed ban on electronics this week, mostly video games and television.  We're going on day 3 and I just had to sneak in a quick post about it to explain my absence.  If you're wondering why we would do this when it's the middle of the summer and we desperately need activities to do from sun-up to sun-down and a lot of time to kill, the answer is simply:  we needed it.

Sometimes things are just off.  We had a case of bad attitudes and very little love going around the house.  Suddenly playing video games, begging for my phone, or watching a show became a right instead of a privilege and anything without a wii control or an app was boring.

Something had to change.  I announced on Sunday night that this was the plan.  No TV. No phones. No videos.  Of course Elijah had to challenge me and told me then I wasn't allowed to blog.  Secretly Kenny and I think that when it's after hours, we're in the clear for some Dice with friends or an old Friends episode because really, it's not our bad attitudes that we're worried about changing.  But I would like to stick to the plan, at least mostly, and stay away from my computer - except this one post. I suppose I could justify it by saying that blogging is like writing a letter, including a picture, and mailing it to the small handful of friends who may be interested.

I will have much to share when the ban is lifted and already, I'm so pleased with what has changed, be it ever so slight. More on that later.

For now, I'll leave with this one bit of good news.

We picked up our kittens today, and spent a fortune on new cat things - and oh - my - goodness, Lanie can not leave them alone even after reprimand after reprimand that they are scared, they just had surgery, that they are in a new place, be still, let me them come out of hiding, just be still, Lanie be still you're scaring them.  They are so tiny, and so skinny, and we have so much to look forward to. The pictures are terrible quality, but the first is of Lucy who is quite brave and readily came out to see us.  Lioness, on the other hand, took her time and immediately found a nook to hide herself from all the stomping and crazy that is 3 excited kids.

Enjoy your week and I'll see you next Monday!




         Lucy                                                                                                                        Lioness

Unplanned, but Totally Predicatable

A family walks into a Petsmart with full knowledge that the local humane society is showing animals for adoption.  This same family has a young daughter named Lanie who is soon turning five whose only birthday wish is to open a box with holes in it and have an animal hiding inside.  First she wanted a kitten, then a puppy, and then back to the kitten.  This young girl's mom, okay me, had the bright idea that on our very empty Saturday afternoon that we head over and just "check" out the animals and see what might be a good fit for our family.

Two hours later and many kittens held, many animal advocates spoken to, and many, many pleas - the very same mom, of the young girl soon turning five, was filling out paperwork, for not one but two kittens named Lucy and Lioness, sisters who we just couldn't separate. Their mother was killed by a car, and have been bottle-fed every since by their foster mom.

This is Claudette, who Lanie really wanted.

Luckily, a much more realistic father, Kenny stepped in before this cat-loving mom could sign up for adopting three kittens, because besides the sisters, their was feisty Claudette that Lanie really had her heart set on. I did adore her.  While the rest of the cats tried to sleep, she was up and climbing and batting their tails.  I bet those kittens were begging for someone to adopt Claudette just to get her out of that cage.

And when you have three children, you might as well own three kittens.  At least that was my philosophy.  But, we decided against Claudette and stopped at two because that's a lot of cat food and vet bills and kitty litter, and now on Wednesday we will be the proud owners of some very tiny tabby kittens.

I do see trouble coming our way though.  Three kids, two kittens, and everyone wants their own lap cat. Since this was Lanie's idea, I do believe she deserves first dibs.  But I overheard Elijah tell his Grammie that he got one and his sister's were sharing the other.  I'm not so sure he got the memo about Lanie's birthday present.  I do know for sure that with kittens in the house, and over-anxious kids, there will be a lot of, "Don't hold her like that.  Put her down.  Let her sleep. You hold her first, then you.  Take turns."  It may be enough for us to throw up our hands and adopt Claudette as well, just for the sanity.

Or maybe not. Two sister kittens who the foster mom said, "love each other greatly," may be just the right mix with our old, faithful 16-year-old cat.  I guess we'll find out on later in the week.

I'll keep you posted.
Oh and about that birthday box with the holes in it, we'll just have to pretend that happens.

This is Lioness.

This is Lucy. 

A Guest Blogger, I mean, Reviewer

When we picked up Elijah from camp, I asked if he wouldn't mind sharing his reaction to camp on my blog.  It might be more interesting that way instead of a few quips from me reading between the lines of his words.

At first Elijah said, "no thanks, that's ok." He said that he doesn't write well on the computer.  So I changed my approach.  I know that Elijah has a fondness for writing reviews.  I know this because after giving him my Kindle to read some of his books, I got an email message that read:"Your latest review has just gone live on Amazon." Then another review came through.  I clicked ahead and read them and got a kick out of his sheer excitement for the books, but mostly for seeing his own words online, no matter how awkward a review it might be to me and you.  So if you're interested in the book, The Dragon of Lonely Island, then OKIEJEN(aka Elijah) says this:

 how awesome this book is!!!!, June 23, 2013

This review is from: The Dragon of Lonely Island (Kindle Edition)

those stories were so good who could do it better than that? see its just a great author writes an awesome story!!!!

And if you want to know about the sequel, then read this: 

 great book, June 23, 2013

This review is from: The Return of the Dragon (Dragon of Lonely Island) (Kindle Edition)

AWESOME, JUST PURE AWESOMENESS!!! the most amazing book ever!! hope theirs another awesome book!! make another where the kids have their own children and the children find it!!! that would be interesting!!!


So, now back to the point of this post.  I asked Elijah to review his camp experience this week and jot down some top 5 moments. I'll pass the computer off to him.  Thanks for Reading. 


This is ELIJAH, at camp it was fun!!!! we got to go swimming!!!! i would give it a 10 for a rating.  i'll tell you my top 5 moments!!!! 1. Swimming or [the ocean]!!! 2. ziplining!!! 3. [The Jungle] its a huge playground and you can climb high on nets!!! 4. [The Beastro] and The shop!!! The beastro is where you get the food and the shop, well its just a shop!!!  5. [The Pillow] The pillow is a huge bouncy trampoline arena!!!! Well thats my top five for today!!!! Also at chapel we did a rock, paper, scissors theme but it was gorilla beats a man. man beats a gun. gun beats gorilla if you tie you die 3 2 1!!!!! it was fun!!!!             



Well thats it!!!  

ELIJAH!!!!

**Okay, so I had to jump right back in.  Since E left out anything remotely related to learning about Jesus but certainly didn't forget his exclamation points :-), I thought I'd share the proudest moment.  Each camper gets an award on the last day in their cabin group and E got the "I'm 3rd" award which goes to a camper who puts Jesus first, then Others, then Themselves and was really interested in learning more about the Bible.  I loved all the activities they did, but this was my favorite. (For grandparents, see video.)

Droppin' off my Camper

Super excited Counselors singing to E

      Well, we did it.  We dropped Elijah off at his first church camp.  Real teen counselors (who were incredibly excited), a real camp schedule, and no parents.  It's a short camp - only 4 days and compared to a friend of ours whose 9-year-old daughter goes to a 6-week camp in New York every summer, this is nothing. But for us, for Elijah who rarely goes to bed without a song and a quick back rub from his dear ol' mom, it is a big deal.


      This camp though, is not really a camp in the sense that they're roughing it.  I feel like the kids are more in a kid resort with a big water park and mini golf and cabins cut in the shape of

The too-good-to-be-true water park

animals that have fireman poles and slides as an exit. Crazy stuff.  Even Lydia was a bit taken in and wishes now she'd signed up to go.

      It's not my idea of camp, but with the discount we got through our school and the number of friends who were also going, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for Elijah to try on camp and see how he likes it.  And I shouldn't be so harsh.  While the amenities are too comfortable for my taste, the message of the Gospel will still be shared and friendships (I hope) will still be made.  

   

   

The girls writing sweet letters to their brothers for mail time

                                                                                                I think the next 3 nights will be more difficult  
for me than for Elijah. I am going to wonder  
how long it's taking him to fall asleep. How
early did he wake up?  Did he take a shower? Is
he meeting new boys in his cabin?  Is he reading during the HOUR-long quiet time (which he  was not happy about)? Does he like the food? Is he playing all the games?  Is he complaining  about the heat? Is he too hyper? Did he get our letters? Is he wearing sunscreen? Is he being kind? Is he out in God's creation?  Is he singing? Is he learning about Jesus? Does he love his independence? Is his faith getting stronger? 

Elijah is in the Tiger cabin.  Doesn't this scream, Disney. 

     I can't wait to pick him up and ask him all of these questions - not bombard him, but to slowly throughout the days, find out just what camp means to him.  And then to share it with you. 

    In the words of Lydia, tonight, as we were getting ready for bed, 

"I miss Elijah."  

     

    That's good.  That's what we want. 

4th of July Folly

I love the days preceding the 4th of July.  They are always filled with anticipation of what's to come.  Not like Christmas or Easter, not that good, but I find myself getting excited over picking out red/white/blue-colored clothing, flag plates, watermelon and of course, a few minor fireworks.  I like listening to country music (because everyone knows with Toby Keith, you'll get patriotic music and definitely some Lee Greenwood's Proud to be An American) and watching ESPN specials with military parents surprising their children at sporting events.  (I cried like a baby.)

There is just something special about the occasion which is why when we can't be with our Nebraska Ward family celebrating in Seward's 4th of July city, or with the Buehring family celebrating in Oklahoma country with hundreds of dollars worth of our own legal fireworks, then we do the next best thing -- we call up some friends and have a party.

2 old guys and 8 kids watching the firework intently. 

This year we had 4 families with kids ranging from ages 2 to 9-years-old which means a whole lot of excited screaming as we took a risk and shot off our own very small fireworks.  We have always gone out to the firework stand and bought sparklers, firecrackers, snakes, smoke bombs, parachutes, and other small zippy things that barely fly in the air, but are still a lot of fun for kids.  I never worried about the fire ban or the city limits and the whole No Fireworks thing.  I mean, have you seen a sparkler?  I can give my kid a lighter and the same amount of fire is given off.  To be clear, I wouldn't just give my kid a lighter and say go crazy; I would parent and supervise, just like the sparklers.  Certainly the city law doesn't ban America's #1 firework.

Well folks, I'm here to tell you that, yes, yes it does. Luckily though, our crew got our small bag of fireworks out of the way before another, much more risky family across the street at the park, with really big, "Look at Me, Up in the Sky" fireworks that put our itty bitty show to shame got started.  When the police car drove up and confiscated the Big Fireworks of that risky family, we were quick to push broom our mass of blown paper and lit wicks away.  Most of us stayed outside to watch all the action and were a bit surprised when that same policemen came to our little crew of kids and asked if we were the group who had the sparklers.  When we told them, yes we were but are finished now, we were given a sharp reminder that they are also ILLEGAL.  So very sad.  And equally difficult to explain to your children that you were breaking the law.

We were lucky, I guess, for not being fined or something more severe, but on a holiday that celebrates our freedom from so many things, I felt a bit let down.  Yes, I know, it's about safety and regulations and blah, blah, blah. I"m not going to start arguing the safety of seat belts or helmets, but I would like to give my kid a sparkler on Independence Day without feeling guilty about it.

It did give us a story to tell, even though it made us look a bit foolish.  I'll re-tell any good story.  And since we did get to set off our fireworks and we did have a crew of kids who had the time of their life and we did have an awesome table of food to eat and we did have some great conversations, I think we did alright.

Just remind me next year when I'm off to the mom and pop firework stand, that I have to get far, far away because I want to celebrate with a Black Cat or a Cherry Bomb or an M80 (Kenny gave me all of those names, I didn't actually know them.  I just know they are more powerful than a roman candle.)

Or if I"m really devious and feeling illegal, I'll just hide my kids in the backyard and set those sparklers ablaze.

"D'ya think Aunt Jen will write about this on her blog?"

The short answer.
"Yes, absolutely I will."

I spent several entries writing about my nephew Clayton.  Now it's time to devote some time to my niece, Cayleigh - age 12 & best barrel-racer I've ever met.

      The whole week that Clayton was with us venturing all over Houston fun spots, his sister, Cayleigh and her mom were at a horse camp in a little town called Karnack.  She went from event to event, with her horse, to learn more about how to be a great barrel-racer.  And she was in jeans.  Then in the evenings, there was no cooling off at the campground swimming pool or popsicles at the camp sing-along.  Instead the two of them set up home in the trailer and slept alongside one another ready to do it all again the next day.  This may not seem severe to anyone else, but after the complaining I got from my kids after a half-hour in the heat, I don't think they could have been as tough as her.  And yet, I remember sweltering summers at camp, hot tents, and scratching mosquito bites that covered my ankles.  Maybe it was a bit uncomfortable, but that was part of the experience.   I realize after watching my niece and how well she roughed it all for the love of her sport, that my three kids are wimps.  They definitely need a little bit of summer heat in their blood.  Unfortunately though, I'm probably not the greatest example.  I love to be out doors, but I also love to have me some AC now that we're

hitting
over 100 degrees with humidity.


But this post isn't about my summer memories, or my soft kids.  Instead it's to celebrate Cayleigh and all her dedication and love of horses and her barrel-racing skills. We got to watch her in a final competition and she's so great.  We got a kick out of watching this sport that we only get to see once a year at the rodeo.  And unlike a ball game, you wait for her name to be called, watch intently for the 17 seconds it takes to race around 3 barrels and then cheer wildly.  A bit like a dance recital, I guess, and very exciting.

After her race, Cayleigh let all 3 kids ride her horse, Sienna.  Lanie was most thrilled and now wants a horse for her birthday.  She has somehow gotten it into her head that my sister is buying her one. (Deanna, did you read that?) When I told her we didn't have room for one she thought we could just buy a barn for it.  I love how simple things are for children.  The answers come so easy.  I almost hate having to tell them otherwise, that sometimes things are hard.   Maybe what I could do, is leave Lanie with Cayleigh for a week to walk in her shoes.  To get up in the morning and feed the horses, to brush them, clean the stalls, carry hay, carry tack - all in the heat.  Then she'll see how hard it can be.

Cayleigh's family

Knowing Lanie though and her wild spirit, all she'd remember is wearing her pink boots and riding the horse.   The rest would be forgotten.

Aunt Jen, Uncle Kenny & all your cousins. 

I guess that's how Cayleigh does it.  The hard work is merely a step because the reward is so great.

Thanks Cayleigh for letting us get a glimpse at what you love and what you do.
We love you for it.

We are your biggest fans.

Blu-berry - Check!

 At the beginning of the summer, I always have the kids make a list of what they hope to do.  Sometimes they are outlandish ideas, but mostly they are doable in the 80 something days we have of summer vacation.  This year, Lanie wrote her own list instead of me note-taking for her.  She has 3 things on her list compared to 5 for Elijah and 11 for Lydia.  Here are her "wishes"

If you can't read it among the black blotches of ink, she wrote:
Piano
Blu-berry
Beach

Lydia got a guitar for her birthday so our household has been in deep talks about guitar and piano lessons, so that explains #1.  Her #3 is easy - of course we'll go to the beach.  Her #2 - blueberry picking was completely her idea.  The girl loves blueberries, be they room temp or frozen or even squished.

So, when we stopped in Nacogdoches, TX for the night before driving further to drop off my nephew in Karnack, TX, we surprised her by stopping at The Blueberry Place.  The drive through the Piney Woods was idyllic, the people were country kind, and the place was adorable.  But, I admit it, it was incredibly hot.

We learned quickly that our children will most likely never be summer laborers, at least not in Texas.  Twenty minutes walking the aisles of bushes, picking through vine after vine for ripe blueberries and they were done. If only blueberries grew in the Spring.  But we got our five pounds for a little more than 6 bucks which is a great bargain.  Of course Elijah had to remind me that when you buy them in the store you don't have to walk around in the heat.  Nice, right?  To their defense, we did choose straight up noon to make our trek which wasn't the smartest decision.  We then had to put 6 sweaty bodies in our already sandy van (from earlier beach trip) and drive 4 more hours. We were in a time crunch and had more places to go.

What's most important though is now Lanie can grab a black sharpie (because using a regular kid-proof washable Crayola marker is out of the question) and put a big 'ol check next to Blu-berry.  Yea, us.
I'm teaching her young, the wonderful feeling of checking off Summer To-Do lists.

Now, is there a kind soul who would like to teach her to play the piano? Anyone?  She really doesn't want to learn from me.  Anyone?  Is teaching her middle C enough?  I can do that much.
Must  check   off     list.

Mascara is made out of . . .

... Bat Poop.  For the past 3 years, our friends' kids (Anna & Stefan) have been telling us, actually singing it to us in a little ditty,  that mascara is made of bat guano. For the past three years, I haven't cared enough to find out if it were true or not.  I've just sat idly by watching our kids pass on the possibly false information. 

Well, as completely gross and probably uninteresting as the topic is, I finally got some answers.  While my nephew was here, we met some friends out at Waugh bridge near downtown Houston at sunset to watch 300,000 thousand Mexican free-tail bats emerge from their colony and fly off for their nightly tour of Houston as they help the city with their insect problems.  Apparently they like to eat moths, and hopefully mosquitos. Then they'll return before sunrise, sleep all day, and do it all again at sunset. 

It was a pretty amazing sight.  A smelly one because 300,000 bats make lots of guano, but still, to watch that many bats continuously fly from underneath a bridge, around a tree and around a high rise, was a sight to behold.  And it lasted forever.  I expected a minute or two of anxiety as bats flew over my head, but instead I got 15 minutes of a steady stream of black wings moving so quickly all of my pictures were blurs.  

My favorite moment of the night though was when we got in our van to go home, with a few extra kids we took with us.  We drove up next to a man and woman in an open-top convertible and Stefan, the boy who originally told us the fun fact about mascara, yelled out, "better watch out or you'll get hit with some guano." For some reason, dirty boy jokes really tickled me, especially when I felt he was right.  Didn't the driver see the black mass he was openly driving under?

Since we made the trip, I have been curious about mascara fun fact so I finally googled it.  For those who were about to throw out your mascara I do have some answers for you.  Mascara is made from guanine, which looks similar to guano and comes from the same root word, but luckily, it's not excrement from a bat, instead guanine is made from fish scales (which is also kind of gross).  So ladies, there you have it - your mascara comes from our underwater pals and not our furry nocturnal friends. 

Thank you Snopes for helping me out.  

And thank you for reading through this sordid topic, and if you come and visit us in Houston, we'd gladly take you on this free and fun-fact finding trip.