What Kind of Knowlege Do You Have?

We were watching Good Eats today, and as I sat there listening to the nutritional anthropologist rattle things off about blueberries, I thought...

"Golly, she's smart."

OK. So maybe she had cue cards in front of her. Or memorized some lines. But I really don't think so...she seems like this is her life. And it got me thinking: How does a person retain ALL that information? I know bits and pieces of different subjects. (Like, for instance, that the B&O Railroad property on the Monopoly board game is actually named after the Baltimore & Ohio Railroads...which was one of the first railroads in the nation.)

Sure, I know that stuff...but I'm not an expert in anything, right?

And then, before I started discounting what I knew, I realized that my area of expertise is different than hers. In fact, my area of expertise is different than it was 3 years ago when I worked full-time. Now, I can tell you:

• When LBB says "sti-ti" he wants a sticker.


• That when LBB wakes up in the morning, he will be cranky until you've gotten him a sippy of milk and turned on Mighty Machines.


• If his temperature is over 102 degrees, it's time to be worried.


• That if I'm out of buttermilk, which I usually never have on hand, I just need to stir in 1 TBSP of lemon juice into a cup of regular milk and wait a few minutes to get a good substitute.


• That Thomas the Tank Engine is blue and number 1. Percy is green and number 6. Gordon is number 4 and pulls the express. Hiro was one of the first Steam Engines on the island of Sodor and is based on a Japanese version of the steam engine made by Kawasaki. That "diesels can be evil." And that Toby is a very sad sort of tram.


• That a 24 ounce bottle of Pepsi has 76 mg of caffeine.


• All 27 names of the Cars cars that LBB has...which comes in handy when we're missing one. We know just who to look for. (Case in point...I knew we were missing 3...Lightening McQueen with Racing Wheels, Francesco Bernouli, and Rod Torque Redline. We found them deep in the couch cushion tonight.)

Now, I'm sure there's more (I know most of it is just everyday stuff). Life isn't about just facts and figures. And deep down, I know as we go along our homeschooling journey, that I will learn as LBB learns. That, in itself, is exciting! I don't need to know everything, I just have to want to learn. :)