Hayley and I went out for our Festibond date this past Saturday. Several days earlier I told her about Silly’s, a restaurant in the East End in Portland. It’s a fun little place with very unique decor and an even more unique menu. When I showed her the website and online menu, she was excited to try it for our lunch date.

Silly’s is well known for its crazy and interesting shake flavors, so of course we each ordered one. You can order one of their concoctions, or pick random ingredients and build your own shake. Some of the more unusual add-ins include bacon, jalapeños, avocado pulp, grape jelly, and Tang. Neither Hayley nor I were feeling especially adventurous, however. I had the cocoa mint with graham crackers which was very good. Hayley tried the Black Forest shake. She found it quite delicious and enjoyed finding the big cake pieces and sucking them to the end of her straw. I ordered the “Sly Guy” wrap which contained hummus, spinach, tomato, feta, red pepper, greek olives, and falafel. I wasn’t disappointed. Hayley enjoyed her chicken with red beans and rice, although she couldn’t eat much after being filled up from her shake.

Hayley loves going to the Children’s Museum and Theater of Maine. They occasionally have children’s plays being performed there, and happened to be showing “A Seussified Christmas Carol” on Saturday afternoon. It was basically Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” in Dr. Seuss’s extravagant, unique, and silly style. It was entertaining, and the child actors performed quite well.

Hayley was looking forward to exploring and playing in the various exhibits. She especially enjoys “Our Town,” and the market appears to have gone completely organic since we were last at the museum. She also really likes the “Have a Ball” exhibit in wich kids can explore the science of motion. Hayley constructed a series of ramps to guide balls down a wall and ultimately land in a bucket at the bottom. Because the bucket wasn’t tall enough to catch the balls, they skipped over it and landed on the floor. She then cleverly placed balls underneath the bucket to prop it up higher. This strategy proved successful, and the balls fell directly into the bucket.

The children’s museum has regular programs and activities throughout the day. Hayley decided she’d like to attend the live animal activity with “Willard the Worm.” The museum educator explained the life cycle of worms and explained their usefulness in breaking down leaves. Hayley said that if it weren’t for worms, we’d have “leaf days” in addition to snow days because the leaves would block our doors and we wouldn’t be able to get out of our houses.

I loved hanging out with Hayley, pretending with her, and seeing her laugh and get so excited about things. She’s so animated and enthusiastic. I always enjoy talking to her, and she comes up with such interesting topics and insights. She’s fun to be with, and such a great kid!