But it’s not lunchtime in the atrium or the parking lot on a free day. 60 creepy, slithery, and totally fascinating creatures have been collected into one fun-filled new exhibit called Lizards and Snakes. Recently, our family spent an evening getting to know the critters we often cringe about. We all left with a deeper appreciation for the complexity and beauty of lizards and snakes.

Lizards and Snakes opens with some fast, pertinent facts: There are 8,000 species of reptiles and snakes, which means we are vastly outnumbered. Rather than panic about this alarming news, the exhibit guides visitors through a series of glass displays with live animals and educational, hands-on stations. The goal is to dispel myths, raise awareness, and foster appreciation through interactive play and a bit of romping.

Native habitats are recreated in detail so the lizards and snakes feel at home. We watched a chameleon dangle from a branch and a milk snake burrow in loose gravel. There is plenty of room for strollers and small children to get close to these displays sprinkled throughout the exhibit. Our 3-year-old was a bit skittish around the animals until he understood they were safely housed behind glass and didn’t hiss or roar at him. He loved the hands-on elements of the exhibit and found plenty of buttons to push, knobs to turn, and joysticks to move.

Our tweens and teens had a blast using the Gecko-Cam, which can zoom in on several different types of unsuspecting geckos. Joysticks control cameras mounted in a case. The video is transmitted to a screen. Gecko eyes, skin, feet, tails can be studied up close without disturbing their laid-back existence of lounging on branches or clinging to smooth glass. Our 5-year-old daughter thought the gecko underbellies were terribly funny, especially since she may or may not have see a gecko bottom.

I can’t stop thinking about the enormous Burmese python. It’s housed in the biggest habitat in the exhibit because it’s huge, jumbo, ginormous, gargantuan, mighty. Really, it is a majestic animal that even the biggest snake-o-phobe must admit is pretty darn cool. (Even though you can’t see its bottom.) Our kids crowded around the glass and marveled at it for a very long time. It’s hard to comprehend how people poach these snakes for clothing and accessories. The exhibit shares several items confiscated by the government for being crafted from illegal snake and lizard skins, including python.

Other can’t-miss highlights of Lizards and Snakes include the chance to hoist a life-sized, 100-pound plastic anaconda. It helps kids get a sense of the power and size of animals they’ll most likely never encounter in the wild. Kids can shake a real rattlesnake tail, feel snake and lizard skins, and learn how the shape of a tongue tells us what the tongue does and how it’s used. There are puzzles, a children’s theater area where they can learn to move like snakes, and on your way out, a chance to have your photo taken with Bo the Boa Constrictor, who will eat you if you aren’t careful.

It’s not often the DMNS houses live animals under its storied roof. Lizards and Snakes runs now until July 8, 2012 at The Denver Museum of Nature and Science. It’s free with museum admission and located on the 3rd level. For more information about the DMNS, the exhibit, for hours, or to buy tickets online, visit their website.

It was a little strange when the three women with clipboards and a video camera watched me do a load of laundry. Usually, people scatter when I announce I’m doing a chore. On that day, however, I had an audience who would use the information they were gathering to improve the laundry experience. They were especially interested in the detergent they provided. My machine did not explode and my clothes emerged spankin’ clean. I can’t say what detergent it was because my lips are forever sealed.

For my efforts, they paid me with a tidy check. How did I find myself separating whites in front of marketers? I joined a market research study.

What Is a Market Research Study?

In this competitive economy, businesses and manufacturers are keenly interested in how people react to their goods or services. Nobody wants to wait until the laundry detergent is launched to discover consumers think the name is cringeworthy or it reminds them of the wistful scent of wet dog on an April morn’.

Professional marketing firms are commissioned by businesses to find out if their fragrance is foul or the logo is laughable. To do this, they gather focus groups and design useability studies. Often, they search for a broad range of demographic backgrounds when seeking opinions. Sometimes, however, the product they wish to put on the market caters to a subset of society. For example, they may want young urban moms for a diaper study or middle-aged men for a lawnmower study. Sometimes they want people living in a certain zip code. Other times, they are interested in certain ethnicities, income levels, or education. I’ve seen incredibly specific listings: 45-year-old tax preparers who own golden retrievers named Bailey! Okay, maybe not that specific, but close.

I’ve been a member of several focus groups and useability studies over the past 5 years. Some of the groups were large. I listened to music in a hotel ballroom for a radio station. There were hundreds of women in attendance, rating songs with hand-held dials. Most groups tend to be in the 8-12 person range, though. I have done 2 one-on-one interviews as well, not including the laundry fest. I’m not allowed to talk about the specific businesses or products because when chosen for a focus group or study, participants sign a non-disclosure agreement. This means you cannot reveal what you saw, heard, tasted, smelled, or talked about. To anyone. You are allowed to be extremely general. For example, I am allowed to say I did laundry and used a detergent. I talked about pets. I looked at food serving thing-a-ma-bobs and gave my thumbs up or down.

Many marketing firms have guidelines about how often you can be in focus groups or studies. Sometimes, the clients who commissioned the studies dictate their wishes. If you are a participant, be aware it could be six months to a year before you can be in another group, but I found it never hurts to try. Once in a firm’s database, potential participants receive emails and calls when a study seems to be a good fit with provided demographic information.

What Kinds of Goods and Services Do Focus Groups Cover?

Everything. From consumer products to taste tests to political interests to mock trials, groups are gathered to study just about everything sold, heard, or able to be influenced. Some of the subject matter is a lot of fun. Some of it is very dry. For example, my husband spent nearly 3 hours talking about paint one evening. That’s all I know, because he couldn’t tell me any further, but he did say he doesn’t want to think about paint or talk about paint until 2014. Sorry, two youngest sons. Your room will be staying pink for a long, long time.

What Do Focus Groups Pay?

The clients dictate what they are willing to pay to individual participants. Factors include the length of the study, the intensity, and where the study takes place. They always make it worth your time because they know people won’t block out a few hours from a day to make money that won’t cover gas or babysitting expenses. I can’t get terribly specific, but the money I’ve received has always been generous.

Payment is usually in cash, although in recent months I’ve noticed many firms are paying participants with pre-loaded Visa or Amex gift cards. Sometimes, they will pay with a check. Payment is rendered immediately, unless otherwise stated and agreed upon. They will always tell you what it will pay before you agree to participate.

What Are The Responsibilities of a Focus Group Participant?

First, everything discussed about a product is strictly confidential. The firms stress punctuality and nearly always start on time. Latecomers are told they can’t participate. Many firms encourage punctuality by having an early-bird bonus drawing. Participants who arrive at least 15 minutes early have the chance for a bonus $50 (usually). Another responsibility might be homework. In one study, I had to make a poster depicting what a certain word meant to me. The best poster received a bonus.

Focus group participants tend to be outgoing and extroverted. It seems a little unfair that shy people aren’t getting their say about the warm cookies in a taste test. But companies spend a lot of money on these studies and tests. They want people who will freely share and actively participate in discussions. Focus groups demand a lot of give and take with fellow members. It isn’t just answering questions. Group members bounce opinions off each other and brainstorm, too.

Participants must be honest, not only with their opinion but with their demographic information and their backgrounds. It’s highly unethical for a cookie shop owner to be in a focus group for a competitor’s cookie shop. If a spouse works for a cell phone provider, they don’t want the other spouse to be in a focus group regarding cell phones. This is to preserve the integrity and accuracy of the results.

Where Do Focus Groups Take Place?

I mentioned how one group of researchers came to our home. Most take place in a boardroom setting. And yes, there is usually a mirrored wall where you know people are watching and videotaping. They freely disclose this. There are no gotcha moments. Some studies follow people to stores. They are called shop-alongs. I’ve never done this, which is probably a good thing. If someone followed me around a store, they would feel like they are following a pinball. I shop like one of Billy’s Family Circus maps.

Increasingly, focus groups are being conducted online, either through Skype, chat rooms, or surveys.

Marketing firms that specialize in focus groups are located in every major city.

Find A Focus Group!

The best way to start is to visit the websites of marketing firms with good reputations. Often, they provide a way to register with them by filing out a survey noting your demographic information. Most large firms have Facebook pages as well. For example, Fieldwork, a nationally-respected firm, has a page for their Denver office. They post current studies on those pages. You can pick and chose what you may qualify for. You can see what a study will pay and when it will be held.

If your answers match what they are seeking, they call and ask for more detailed information before extending an invitation to join. They might ask for clarification. When invited, you are sent an email to confirm your participation, along with the date, time, and a map.

If you need to cancel, call them promptly. Sometimes, they have a list of alternates who would love to take your spot. Remember, if you aren’t chosen for one study, there will be another right around the corner.

Get Started Today:

Fieldwork

Ingather Research

20/20 

Plaza Research

iOpinion

Parents Insight Network 

If you have been in a focus group, share your experience!

Nobody will know
I fill my baskets with things
Probably won’t buy.

“Free Shipping!” stores claim.
But I must spend hundred bucks?
No thank you. Really.

Nothing makes me scream
like the “Out of Stock!” message
when clicking checkout.

No, I will not wait
until February for
anything, dumb store.

Children not happy
with empty box: IOU!
(for some strange reason)

Shopping now complete!
Feeling smug in my jammies
Now it’s time to wait.

Look at me! No malls!
Self-congratulatory,
insufferable.

Online shoppers are
much more relaxed until “out
for delivery.”

Fair UPS truck,
with your deep luscious rumbling.
Stop here! Stop here! Brake!

UPS driver
I see you at neighbor’s door.
Have nothing for me?

Staring at tracking:
Morning, midday, night obsessed
“In Transit” but crushed.

Truck rumbles away
taking high expectations,
leaves befuddlement.

I shall fantasize
about chasing big brown trucks
all over the town.

“Pull over!’ I shout
like a lady who lost it,
‘My parcels on board!”

Online shopping has
headaches and heartaches as well.
Still? Better than mall.

The only downside—
no long lines, no sick shoppers,
Oh, wait. No downside!

~~~~~

What percentage of Christmas shopping do you do online? 

For more Christmas shopping haikus, pop over to my previous ode to mall shopping, haiku style.

No job is more humbling than motherhood. It’s the role where you find yourself wiping people and things on an hourly basis. When I think about how many cloths I’ve palmed then poised over faces, bottoms, countertops, carpets, hands, feet, toilet seats, windows, sinks, crockpot inserts, lampshades, tummies, armpits, chins and chins and chins, I gasp.

Wiping takes style and skill. It’s circular scrubbing, sacrificing manicures, it’s flipping and folding, rinsing, squeezing, unfurling, balling. Wiping becomes second-nature for the person who is faced with deluges of grime and goo.

The tools of the trade are many. A wise mama knows when to break out wet cloths, dry cloths, scented cloths, disposable, washable, and those destined for a dumpster because the stuff on the other side will be a little too microbial, even for the hot cycle.

It seems mean and more than insulting to distill motherhood down into one humbling act, but I think wiping speaks volumes for who she is and who she must be as a woman and a loving caretaker. 

Mom material means putting others first, even when the others happen to wear diapers they fill like loose slot machines. I swear, I’ve heard clang clang clang clang clang before being presented with an intestinal jackpot. Wipe.

Mom material means sensing when hearts are broken. It’s cradling the frightened preschooler, wrapping arms around the bullied 4th grader, rocking the baby with an ear infection. Tears flow like splashing streams. Wipe.

Mom material requires a sense of humor. A shirt is pulled off, revealing a colored bellybutton. A young daughter tries applying eyeshadow to every body party but her eyes. A toddler has dog food crumbs in the corner of his smiling mouth. Wipe.

Mom material displays an uncanny ability to anticipate the future. The mop is retrieved from it’s home in the corner. Mugs are filled with hot cocoa. There’s a clean towel on standby. The kids are outside, playing in the snow. Soon, the floor will be covered in leaves and dirty wet snow. And someone will slosh her cocoa because she is breathless and pink-cheeked and can’t wait to tell you about the fort she built. Wipe, wipe, wipe.

Mom material is a realist. She knows that life is beautiful and messy and that her little ones are imperfect humans, just like she is an imperfect human. She spills her cereal sometimes. She tracks in mud after a sudden storm. She dabs her own eyes when her heart overflows. She swipes her own nose when she catches the virus the kids brought home from school.

Mom material has a memory. There was a time when she was a child and someone looked upon her tenderly when she clang-clanged into her diaper or sloshed in any manner. But then there are the moms who didn’t have that tenderness and my heart goes out to them. Our small daily sacrifices mean much, much more than we can comprehend. I’ve been guilty of announcing how very much I hate that I have to wipe up this or that or oh my word, what is that!?

And then I put myself in their shoes. They need me on so many levels, but it all comes down to one small physical action in the end. I’m proud to be a Wiper.

Quickly:

1. It is not the devil’s birthday.
2. It is not the devil’s birthday.
3. It is not the devil’s birthday.

We strongly assured him our family wouldn’t celebrate such a thing, and Halloween was not an evil day. I was furious that an adult would tell a lie like that to a little boy, especially at church. I really don’t care if she doesn’t observe Halloween, but she had no right to stomp all over one of our wholesome family traditions.

It is true that in recent years, Halloween has been highjacked by adults as an excuse to dress like prostitutes and party like it’s A.D. 59 in Rome. Images of death and horror are replacing good clean apple-bobbing fun. Why?

Because we are letting it happen. 

I think when families give up on Halloween, we shouldn’t be surprised to see something ugly fill the void. When most of us were kids, we still roamed our neighborhoods on October 31st. Huge packs of flashlight-waving kids went door-to-door together. Neighbors actually saw each other, thanked each other, and marveled at all the Bionic Women and Six Million Dollar Men there were that year. We returned home exhausted. After dumping our sugary loot on the dining room table, we got to pick one piece to eat before bed. What a night!

Now? Not.

It’s malls, church basements, school gyms. It’s still community, but the adventure, the darkness, the walking in the snap of October night, the thrill, the approach to the house, the ringing of the bell, the anticipation, the opening, the neighbor smiling, the bowl, the unison of Trick-or-Treat, the little ones following with small shouts a second or two behind, the laughter, the thank you, the walking back down the steps, the admiration of the jack-o-lanterns, the comparisons, the decisions regarding left or right, north or south, the tired walk back home, the inspection, the trades, the falling into bed, the costumes in a heap on the floor, the talk of next year, I’m gonna be a cowboy.

All that? Gone, in the name of being safe from a threat which really isn’t there. Unless you let it move in.

Not on our street. We are taking Halloween back.

According to the 2011 Zillow 20 Best Trick-or-Treating Cities, Denver is #16. Do you Trick-or-Treat in your neighborhood? 

Why did I avoid red balloons? Because when I was around 4 years old, I was blowing up a red balloon and it popped in my face. It startled me. The latex snapped back. It stung, but I wasn’t permanently scarred. I went on to blow up other balloons successfully and without incident. I learned from my mistake. Party balloons have a certain capacity. When exceeded, they pop. The horrors!

According to an article in Britain’s The Telegraph, new rules implemented by the EU mandate that children under the age of eight are no longer allowed to blow up balloons without supervision, “…In case they accidentally swallow them and choke.”  This worst-case scenario thinking has also led to an even more ridiculous ban. Paper whistle noisemakers that unroll when blown can’t be used by kids under the age of 14!

In some EU countries, a child may drink wine with dinner, but she can’t toot a paper party horn.

I find these new rules to be a slap in the face. Like an evil red balloon, good-intentioned laws meant to protect fly back in the face of common sense. Has society truly reached a point where a 13-year-old can’t be trusted to unfurl a paper horn without risking his life? Isn’t life dangerous? Ban the party horn. Next, the birthday cake. After all, don’t more people choke to death on food than party favors?

While the EU is busy protecting children from childhood, they should ban birthday candles. I’ve always been nervous around them, especially with my little ones. That’s why when we light birthday candles, we don’t let our toddlers pounce on them or try to grab them. It’s called parenting and I don’t need a government entity to help me connect the dots that fire + 2-year-old = be on our guard.

Balloons and paper horns aren’t the only things on the EU no-no list. They’ve also mandated that stuffed toys intended for children under age three be fully washable. This will protect Europe’s youngest citizens from catching horrific diseases via stained, well-loved teddy bears. I’m all for tossing lovies in the wash when warranted, but I appreciate that a little dirt and grime isn’t something to fear. Stuff gets dirty. We don’t live in a bleached, sanitized-for-your-protection world.

In case the EU’s toy safety patrol is reading this, I’d like to offer a few more suggestions of things they can ban to protect children:

~ Coloring books and paper, to prevent paper cuts which can become infected.

~ Tops because they can spin on a sharp point.

~ Any toy that can be thrown.

~ LEGO, because they hurt like a #*@&#* when stepped upon.

~ Toy foods that do not depict wise, healthy, nutritious choices.

I care deeply for the safety and health of my kids and kids all over the world. But, I’m convinced kids must be afforded opportunities to learn through play—and mistakes made while playing. I learned not to over-inflate balloons because I made a mistake. Could I have inhaled the balloon out of shock and fear? Yeah.

And I could have poked my eyes with pick-up-sticks, put a Monopoly boot up my nose, knocked my brother upside the head with a Tonka truck, tumbled down a hill on a Big Wheel, plummeted to the ground after a tire swing rope snapped, got my shoelaces tangled in bike gears, cut my foot on glass in a sandbox, developed allergies because I played with many, many rabbits, and colored my belly button blue with a permanent marker.

One of the EU officials defending the changes to toy safety rules stated, “You might say that small children have been blowing up balloons for generations, but not anymore and they will be safer for it.”

I suppose it’s all in how you define safe.

POP.

One of the downsides of having a family fantasy football league is when the 13-month-old’s team dominates. As he’s busy splashing in the doggie’s water or clearing bookshelves, his team remains undefeated. His QB is throwing, his K is kicking, his RB is running, back. Our baby spent as much time on the research and development of his team as he’s spent on learning calculus.

Thanks to technology and the ability to autodraft players, kids of all ages can be oblivious to the fact they are in a league. The littlest members of our family, our two toddler boys, will be gratified someday to know they weren’t left out of the festivities. Our older kids are active participants in their teams, taking an interest in critically important details like team names and helmet colors. Some of them are even working on the ever-important team logo. I have some suggestions for them:

“Eating Yards Like Mac N’ Cheese”

“34, 28, 6, Hut Hut Pizza Hut Can We Eat Pizza Hut?”

“Like, My Team is so Random, Right?”

“Groin Injuries Sound Funny, But They Aren’t”

“Temporarily Relaxing on That No-Kicking Rule”

“Where Excessive Celebration is Allowed and Encouraged”

“Where Holding is Allowed and Encouraged”

“Personal Foul: Filling the Diaper, 10 Yard Penalty, Mommy Down”

Of course, real-life players get injured or face other game-changing calamities each week, so my husband and I step in to help the kids make substitutes or find new players. Our aim is to find the best player possible, even if that means they will end up with better players that we have on our miserable, depressing, bothersome, under-achieving, loathesome, tiresome, boring, perturbing, oppressive, disheartening, weak, dum-dum rosters.

Can you believe I started Kyle Orton week 3? It’s because my other QB, Michael Vick, was questionable. See what I have to work with, people? That’s why I named my team The Mama Dramas.

With the exception of our toddler boys, all the kids named their teams. Their personalities are reflected in these monikers. One of our kids named his team Dave. Just Dave. Dave is not the best team in the league. Dave has a running back named Beanie, so that amuses the owner of Dave tremendously. Every child finds value and fun in our league, even if they can’t throw a spiral. Like me.

Creating a fantasy football league for our family has been tremendously fun, even though we aren’t rabid football fans or terribly knowledgable about the players. It has forced us to step out of our comfort zones. Watching our teenaged daughter log on to check out her roster before the Sunday games was refreshing. She had no idea who to move where or why, but I predict with her competitive nature she’ll learn quickly. My husband and I hope 25 years from now, The Daddy-Os will be taking on The Football Freaks. The Hello Kitty Robots will continue to impress and The Tramping Turtles might take it all.

It’s a seasonal hobby that can grow with us, year after year, snap after snap.

Our family came face-to-face with the ferocious fangs of RoboSUE at T.Rex Encounter, a new temporary exhibit at The Denver Museum of Nature and Science. We entered the exhibit expecting to see the usual creaky animatronic dinosaurs. They are about as scary and lifelike as the penny horse at a grocery store. Our pre-conceived notions were quickly gobbled up when we encountered our first animatronic raptor. The robotics of the dinosaurs in T.Rex Encounter are so advanced they seem to anticipate your next move. The eyes follow you. Their gaping mouths screech at you. Claws itch to grab you. Their heads bob and lunge and twist with fury. The movements of the dinosaurs are so seamlessly smooth that you may, like me, forget for a brief flash they aren’t real.

Because of the startling cutting-edge technology, small or sensitive kids may find elements of the exhibit too intense. Older kids who got to preview the exhibit, like Tevan, 7, thought nothing was scary. He especially loved the furry raptors. The robotic dinosaurs were the hit of the night for most of the visitors. Lauren, 10, loved the t-rex and added that the exhibit is best for older kids. Dino-loving younger kids may find it cool, though, especially when they can appreciate that real dinos didn’t drive trains. Miles and Elijah, ages 6 and 4, loved everything about the exhibit. Claire, 5, decided the museum’s Gems and Minerals exhibit was more her style. And Chloe, a sweet little 3-year-old, liked the gift shop best. One of the great things about the T.Rex Encounter exhibit is that it’s free with regular museum admission. Parents can relax knowing they can easily exit without feeling like they just wasted money. Some kids don’t care for the thought of their nosies or toesies being munched upon. Nobody wants to be a nugget.

T.Rex Encounter isn’t just about scarily-real dinosaurs. There are many hands-on elements in the 13,000 square foot exhibit. If your little ones are worried about the dinosaurs, steer them to the other activities. There’s something to engage everyone. Peer through the eyes of a carnivorous t-rex or a plant-eating triceratops. Sniff what the world smelled like 67 million years ago. Hint: There were no apple-pie scented candles. Stand in front of a green screen to pose with a t-rex for a commemorative photo. Introduce them to Sherlock Bones. Manipulate t-rex jaws or gape at Sue. Who is Sue?

She is a cast of a t-rex skeleton found in 1990 in South Dakota. Sue is massive, stretching 42 feet from nose to the tip of her tail. We saw where she had broken ribs, infections in her leg and jaw, and arthritis in her tail. We also learned the story of how she was found and about the ensuing court battle over her bones. It seems that while the robotic version of Sue, RoboSUE, wants a piece of our bones, just as many people wanted a piece of her.

T.Rex Encounter is where cutting-edge technology mashes with prehistoric biology. It’s at The Denver Museum of Nature and Science between now and January 8, 2012. It’s free with regular museum admission and it’s open daily from 9 to 5, except December 25th. There is also an IMAX Dinosaur Double Feature, with two 3D movies: “Dinosaurs Alive!” and “Waking the T. Rex: The Story of SUE.”

Also, for fun, check out the T.Rex Encounter Flickr stream and start practicing your about-to-be-dinner pose.

1. Extreme Talkativeness: Your kindy kiddo might come home bursting with the news of the day. From the moment he enters the classroom to when he exits the building for the day, amazing things are happening. Letting him talk it out is the best way to help them process everything new. And it will lead to…

2. Serious Fatigue: Beatrix hasn’t been this tired since she was a toddler. Kindergarten 2011 is busy and more demanding than our kindergarten experiences. I went to half-day, she goes all day. I spent my days playing in an indoor sandbox or with the classroom dollhouse. She tackles subjects I didn’t until 1st grade. The good news is that within a few weeks, fatigue starts to fade.

3. Extra Clinginess: Most kindergartners are fine with leaving their parents to go to school. I’ve noticed that when we are at home, my kindergartners like to be my little shadow. Beatrix climbs into my lap again and loves to help with chores and dinner. We miss each other.

4. Announcing a New “Best Friend” Almost Daily: This is a natural way for kids to determine what qualities good friends possess. It takes a while to get to know everyone in a classroom. The danger is hurt feelings and frequent misunderstandings. These new best friends can exert a huge influence on each other, too. Peer pressure doesn’t start at age 13. It starts with 5-year-olds comparing sandwich breads and chips.

5. Adoration of the Teacher: Kindergarten teachers do it all. They teach math and reading, but they also read fun stories, teach songs, and give hugs. They are amazing human beings and kids notice. I was suggesting to Beatrix that she could write a lower case letter a certain way. “No, mom. Mrs. M says that I should do it this way so it will look better.” I had to admit, her way worked, too. Go, Mrs. M!

6. Super-Sensitive: All the learning, the variety of sandwich breads, having to stand in lines, and not getting the library book that was spotted through the window just yesterday can lead to a kid who is a little on edge sometimes. Tears flow more easily when disappointments crop up. It’s part of learning to navigate a new world. My kindergartners also seem to reserve their best behavior for school. Their mischievous personalities spill out at home with little provoking.

7. Hungry, Hungry Kiddo: Even though we pack a bounteous lunch and a snack, Beatrix still comes home ravenous. She could rival our preteen boys in wolfing down crackers and milk.

8. Peacock Proud: This is one of the best kindergarten developments. I love watching and listening when they are demonstrating a new skill or bit of knowledge. It’s really a big deal to learn how to read, when you think about it. Their brains have to arrange tiny symbols into recognizable patterns, solve the clues, and discern context and meaning. It’s a privilege to witness their pride, again and again. Soak up the excitement. Let them feel charged by your pride, too.

All week, I kept the visit a secret. Thursday night was the best time for the Wienermobile’s ambassadors, Yoli Bologna and Tailgatin’ Traci, to “meat up” with us at our home. As the time approached, the kids noticed I couldn’t stop grinning. They kept asking where we were going, who was coming over, when, why. I let their imaginations run wild. One kid was sure NASA was coming over to give us the news we’d be the first family to live on the moon. Others agreed the Muppets were coming. None of them came close to guessing the reality. I got slightly worried all the build-up would leave them disappointed.

Those worries were laid to rest when the Wienermobile, with the license plate RELSHME, pulled up playing The Oscar Meyer Theme Song. The kids spilled out of the house, totally shocked. Yoli Bologna and Tailgatin’ Traci were so friendly and fun as they answered breathless questions. When the kids found out they actually got to ride in the Wienermobile, our sidewalk rivaled Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Because there is only room for 4 passengers, we had to split the bun-fun into 3 shifts. I went first, along with the 3 kids. My husband went next with 4 kids as Yoli Bologna stayed behind to chat with me, and then I went again with just our baby, Teddy. I figured someday he’d be jealous if he heard the Wienermobile story and found out he didn’t get to ride.

The inside of a Wienermobile features mustard blobs on the carpet, comfy captain’s chairs, a “bun roof,” and large windows for people-watching. It’s 60 hot dogs long, 24 hot dogs tall, and 18 hot dogs wide. Someone should do the math to determine how many cubic feet of hot dogs that adds up to. Okay, I will. That’s 25,920 hot dogs, cubed. The average American eats 60 hot dogs per year, the same length as the Wienermobile.

Clearly, Traci and Yoli love their jobs because they genuinely enjoy the happy reactions and all the great communities they visit. We stuck to the streets in our large subdivision. Kids riding bikes, moms talking in driveways, people mowing lawns, washing cars, going for a jog—none of them expected the Wienermobile to come around the corner that night. It proved that people are kids at heart.

Me, included. It was elating having my goofy dream come true. I was so frankful our family got to help make people happy that evening. We relished the experience. Dijon know they could be coming to a town near you?

Six Wienermobiles are currently touring different regions of the United States in celebration of the Wienermobile’s 75th anniversary. They are visiting communities from coast to coast, including 75 smaller towns chosen in a vote-based contest at Facebook. The Wienermobiles are piloted by recent-college grads called Hotdoggers. Twelve are chosen from an application pool of thousands to be ambassadors for Oscar Meyer. They team up and hit the road for a year. You can follow their adventures at the Hotdogger Blog. See where they are heading next! And if you have a child or a friend who will be graduating from college soon, encourage them to apply to be a Hotdogger.