Here’s the honest truth: I am terrified before every adventure.

It doesn’t matter that I have four years of experience running around to ridiculous places on my own with my kids. I get the jitters every time, and I nearly convince myself that this particular plan is, in fact, my worst idea ever. But then I remember my alternatives (dishes, the Monday blues, and stir-craziness), make some coffee, force myself and my two human appendages into the car, and hope my adrenaline kicks in at the right time, which it usually does. In the end, it’s my own pride that kicks me out the door–I like proving to myself that I’m actually still a tiny bit brave. That, and the dreaded idea of cooking lunch. The motivating factor for this particular Monday morning adventure, though, was a magical land of rainbows and confetti that I had heard lore of through Instagram. So, with Sam and Annie attached to me, I braved the smelly parking garages of SoMa (still terrifying) to go find Color Factory, a pop-up immersive color museum in San Francisco. It was worth it, of course, for the giant pit of 207,000 yellow balls, the macaron conveyor belt, the room full of ribbons, and the 100 disco balls.