Why Do We Need a Space Program???

As usual, I am talking out of my butt here, so bear with me. I just think things up like a normal society member and said things come out of my mouth. Then you tell me I'm wrong and point me to some great sites with great information to prove me wrong and there we go. On this space program thing, I feel both ways, though and am flip-floppy about it so help me out here!

Okay, so we spend bazillions of dollars on this Going to Space thing. We have hungry people and uninsured people in our country. We are a nation in debt, have been for a long time and yet WE KEEP SPENDING MONEY. So, like, what I'm saying is that if the United States of America was my HOUSEHOLD, the good ole USA would have been foreclosed on and we all would have been kicked out a long time ago. And had our car repossessed. We would all (not just some of us) be living in a homeless shelter and on the streets.

My kidlets in front of some massively cool rocketship.

And yet ... space. Wow. The going there and the space station building there and the whole NASA complex ... It's like when I know we don't have any money but I whip out the CREDIT CARD and get something like a $107 trip to the Johnson Space Center ANYWAY. I know I shouldn't do it but it's just so COOL.

Eva McLoughlin goes to the moon

Mr. Kerrie and I were discussing this. I said I hate that we spend all that money, yes, and he also hates it and doesn't see the point. But when you see this junk up close it's like ... are you kidding me? A bunch of HUMANS did this? They made something with all the wires and situations so people can live in space? Pee in space? Eat in space? They had to think of EVERYTHING. The second we get home I am making my kids watch The Right Stuff, that's for sure.

Anyway, you know how when you work with someone at a job and they eff up everything and you are surprised they can even live a normal life because they can barely work their job without blowing up the place accidentally? Okay, so now think of all the engineers, etc. it takes to NOT MESS IT UP with the going to space. The MAGIC that happens to make it all come together. Yes, we have blown up some humans in space, but statistically speaking we have done an amazing job of getting them there and keeping them alive.

International Space Station mock-up and practice facility. I do love that we are working together with other countries on this project but how much does it cost?

And I also think about the future. My friend Christine Shuck is working on a book and I'm going to mess it all up here but basically it's like we have gotten a virus or something on Earth and we have to get the heck off of here. Where can we go? Another planet? Space in general? Living in space in a space vehicle like in Star Wars?

So back to those people we know who eff up everything, kinda like Spongebob Squarepants. Do you think it's possible that someday we might need off of here? Is it worth it to spend zillions of bucks to explore Mars on this Orion mission? Should we just stay here on Earth and take better care of it and spend our bucks on that instead?

Opinions welcome!

#Houston Day 7: Chillin' Out in the Rain and the Spongebob Movie

Saturday was for sure just a hanging out day, which everyone needs from time to time!

Joel and Callie doing some morning hot tub chillin' followed by the kids swimming in the rain with hotel friends

I supervised from my perch under a poolside patio.

Checking out my potential office in my current outdoor office in Houston ;-) This is a house in Paola we fell in love with but it's too expensive, sadly. But otherwise PERFECT for us! We shall see if it is still available when we get back and if the price has come down any!

Rain rain rain. Chillin' kids. Lots of TV.

Laying in bed with Sam watching Spongebob while Daddy napped. This was after Joel and I ran to the HEB for groceries for dinner (burritos) in the pouring rain and got soaked.

We tried to head down to Galveston because we were bored but it was rain rain rain so I hopped on the handy iPhone and got us Spongebob 3D movie tickets, which the kids were dying to see. I have to admit I am a huge Spongebob fan myself. I think you have to be kinda juvenile to appreciate that show, and I certainly am that.

All of these photos were taken with the iPhone using its filters or Instagram's filters. If I look young or skinny, it is only to the credit of the iPhone 6. I should get a kickback for this.

Click here for Day 8.

#TheKerrieShow in #Houston Day 6: Johnson Space Center, Annie & Rude People

We started the day by ... doing a lot of hanging out. Some homeschooling and then I did the final proofing of my ebook to turn it into a print book and off it went.

We hit the Taco Cabana on the way for some lunch!

Then it was time for .... DUN DUN DUN ... drumroll, please .... The Johnson Space Center
(see post there by clicking on the words). I balked at spending $107 for the 6 of us to go but my mom said we had to go because it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing and it's RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD! They have long hours and it turns out it was the BEST THING EVER. We were there about 3-7 p.m.

There was a big play area for kids with a slide. We watched a cool short movie montage thing about our space program from the beginning and I freaking teared up when the Challenger blew up. I geeked out over a 3D magnet and a keychain with little charms of Texas, Houston, a rocketship an astronaut and the NASA sign and we got a T-shirt for Aron/Daddy/Mr. Kerrie. And what is it with kids always wanting to buy ROCKS at gift shops? Yeah, I was the same when I was a kid!

I'm going to have you go over HERE for all the pictures because there are a lot.

Also, please see yourself HERE for my piece asking if we even need a space program. Opinions needed and welcome.

The rest of the evening was spent with me trying to track down the movie Annie at a Redbox that DID NOT EXIST (it was a field!), getting dinner at Subway and then tracking down another Redbox down the road, driving through traffic slow as molasses anytime of day or night. Post on traffic to come. Found a Redbox at a CVS, thanks to the iPhone, and turned too soon, so I went in the WRONG WAY to a bagel place (closed, thank you) and parked in the outgoing drive-thru spot to run over and get my danged Redbox.

So check this out.

I get back to the hotel to feed my peeps after hunting dinner. On the way to the pool I see the movie room is occupado and I ask if they want to watch Annie with us, could we come in in a bit and do so? And I knew they could say no because it's first come first served. Got it. But they said OKAY.

So we got back later to watch Annie and it's like 8:45 and we are going to watch the movie and go to bed at our normal, traveling-with-Daddy EARLYish time.

That little family sat there watching something on ABCFamily that they could have watched snuggled up in their bed all comfy. They sat there until 10 p.m., knowing we had Annie and saying they wanted to finish MATILDA.

Rude. Don't tell me YES then do what you want anyway. I'd rather hear NO honestly and then watch Annie another time.

We tried to watch the movie in our room but the living rooms here are too small and we could not all even fit. So at 10 p.m., when we normally are going to bed, we went down to the movie room as the Rudes were leaving and so we got to bed at like midnight.

See ya back here for Day 7 ... Saturday ... Daddy will be off work so we'll see what we are up to!

Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas Field Trip

The Johnson Space Center was, in one word, AMAZEBALLS.

Here are some pics! We saw a little educational movie, toured all sorts of neat artifacts, mock-ups and more and went on a 1.5-hour tour of the facility. There were 2 other, different tours, and someday I want to go back with Mr. Kerrie and do them all because the kids totally were just putting up with me geeking out over this place. I mean, they had fun (Ripley's Believe it or Not area was a hit) but I should have shown them the movie The Right Stuff BEFORE going to the space center. Dangit. I have been lacking in my homeschool teaching of space, that's for sure. (also, head here to read Why Do We Need a Space Program? and I look forward to your arguments)

We made it at 3 p.m. but they did not close until 7 so we were a go for launch.

After a cool little movie, the doors opened to a dark room like a museum and it was super cool. Sorry, but my special writer words fail me about a place like this. I was astounded by the whole place.

This is made of toast. No joke.

This is made of computer keyboard keys. Again, no joke.

International Space Station mock-up and practice area. This we got to see on the tram tour where we got out and walked around this building.

I'm in this one partially because my dad was asking for pics of me since all I send him is pics of the kids! Why does it look like the flag is over my left shoulder when it was over my right? I don't get how photos work at all.

My boys spacing out.

Another old rocket.

I was in awe when we entered this building. This photo doesn't even show the entire rocket. On the walls there was info about all the astronauts and space programs.

DISH Network Hates Children and Loves Men

Yeah, you like that title? It's true.

Not one appropriate thing was on last night in the movie room at the hotel, where they subscribe to DISH Network, something I will personally never purchase for my own home, even if it is the only option and I live out in the sticks, which I plan to do soon.

The only "family-friendly" show that was on at 8:30 was Full House, which gets so old when it is all that is on in your hotel room at night too. At 9 we got The Fresh Prince of Bel-air, and the first thing we hear is Will Smith talking about getting a girl into his bed. What happened to cartoons? Disney, Cartoon Network, Sprout?

There were a lot of things you could ORDER for $5.99, like current kid movies, but we can't do that at the hotel and I would rather go to the RedBox up the road for one-third of that price anyway. They must cater to country folk with no RedBox and no Netflix streaming or something.

Appropriate cartoons (yeah, not like Archer) 24 hours a day is not a lot to ask when kids go to bed at all different times and wake up at all different times and wake in the middle of the night.

However, there were about NINE THOUSAND hockey and other sports channels.

Therefore, I come to the well-thought-out conclusion here in my dissertation that DISH Network must hate children or is run by someone who is totally clueless about family.

Prove me wrong. Tell me there is a better kid package and that I need to be taking my gripe up with the hotel where I'm staying.