Zucchini, Games, and Goats

Work has been extremely interesting today.

First, I unloaded 6 large and heavy boxes of t-shirts for camp next week (they were in my car, and I drive a two-door cavalier!).

Then, I rode with my boss to a community center, where she is teaching a youth cooking and nutrition class. Cooking with kids is a trial within itself. However, before we even got started cooking, we went outside to play a game and get the kids' heart rates going.

The game is Giants, Elves, and Wizards. It's like rock, paper, scissors -- except that you use your whole body to make either a giant (by putting your arms waaay up in the air), an elf (squatting down and giving yourself pointy ears), or a wizard (putting your arms in front of you and wiggling your fingers).

The game also involves a lot of running. Since we had an odd number of kids, I was volunteered to play as well. Now, dress at work is business casual. This basically just means that I'm running from a bunch of kids on wet grass in a pair of dress slacks and heels. It's a good thing I love children, because I twisted my ankle and it's all swollen at the moment.

We finally went back indoors and began to cook (vegetable medley and baked chicken nuggets).

Then, the distraction arrives. A couple from a local farm are setting up a small petting zoo right outside the building we're in for a different school group. The kids in our group went ballistic, and we eventually capitulated and I took them out to see the animals which included:

1. A pygmy goat and her baby (who was black and adorable!)
2. Two sheep, (the owner put his little daughter on one, and it bucked like a bronco)
3. A miniature horse (she was totally unconcerned with the kids and ate all the grass in her enclosure)
4. Rabbits (one of the little girls was holding one and squeezed it so tight that the poor thing's eyes were bulging)
5. Geese (mean little buggers, never mess with one, it'll chase you around for hours)
6. Ducks (they were much nicer, the kids got to hold them)

Eventually, I managed to coerce the kids (with promises of food) to come back to the kitchen, where we finally finished cooking everything.

As a special treat, the nutrition person I was working with had made them a chocolate cake. What she didn't tell them (until they had all gotten seconds) was that it had two cups of zucchini in it. Their reactions were great! One girl refused to eat her second piece once she knew it was in there. Silly kids . . .

But, it's been quite the day, and it's only half over!