We got through the ring-toss game, the fizzy lemonade/CO2 demonstration, cupcakes (apparently I shouldn’t have bothered with icing them), and watching an old Scooby-Doo TV show. There were also two exciting rounds of balloon football in the living room (no breakables in the living room = WIN) and at least one round of “dancing on the kitchen table” when I was seeing one of the party guests/parents out. W00t.

School Girl got craft items for presents this year, which she loved and I really appreciate. The spirograph was a huge hit, and we’re saving the scrapbook for spring break when she’ll have some time to plan what she wants to do and include in there. She also got a Martian Matter set from Evil Dad and I – also a huge, huge hit; we’re anxiously looking around for refill goop to make more aliens.

We discovered that dry ice-carbonated drinks make you so cold that your face freezes, your feet won’t move, and you become an actual statue. I had no idea. But it’s true! We found out Friday afternoon! 1st graders make some impressive scientists, let me tell you (seriously, they do. I was impressed by some of the other things they said and asked about dry ice and drinks).

So, School Girl and her friends had a great time. Nobody lost any appendages. Nobody left in tears. And School Girl and I each had a hot bath after it was all over. A successful afternoon, all in all.

And she wants to do it again next year. Maybe I could talk her into something easier, like a trip to Mexico…

If you follow my Twitter feed, you might remember that we were having…issues with our sump pump. So, then, here’s the rest of the story…

The sump pump is there to combat the groundwater problem we all have in this neighborhood, and usually it works pretty well. At least without us having to think too much about it.
One month ago, the original pump stopped working. I think it had been there for 4 or 5 years, and we’ve been in the house for 3 1/2, so I suppose it was time. So we bought a nice, new, expensive sump pump, complete with installation by a plumber. Fast forward 43 days, and…

Last week sometime (probably when School Girl was struggling with the stomach icks and Evil Dad was “working” in Memphis) it stopped. Again. Yes, the brand new one.

So an elderly gentleman spent the better part of yesterday morning repairing the pump, reinstalling it – we sacrificed the perforated pizza tray in the process – and marveling at just how much water we had below our basement floor.

The crawlspace where the pump lives, by the way, is completely saturated. I think the only thing that saved my fleeces is that they’re in plastic, airtight bins. So if anybody has a good way that we can dry out a windowless space – short of just breaking down, buying a giant box fan, and running it 24/7 for the next week – I’d love to hear it. Don’t be shy…