Today Madison got a history lesson, as we set up the record player that Daddy got for his birthday. Look at that thing - isn't it amazing? I love the look of these record players. Of course, they also play MP3s, CDs, the radio, and even tapes. But the big thing is the record player. For the official record of it and all (pun intended), that picture shows the first record we played. Daddy thought it would be fun to play some ballet music, and so we set the needle down carefully and stepped away. There's just something about the crackle of a record starting to play, isn't there? Madison and Daddy started dancing right away.
We listened for a good part of the morning, while Madison was coloring in some of her Princess Merida sheets she got yesterday. We also ate, of course. Mommy cooked us up a good breakfast, as usual.
We also tried out Madison's new Kinect Game, "Pixar Rush." This is a bigger game than I thought, one in which we only got to visit three of the worlds, "Toy Story," "Up," and "Ratatouille." It's a split-screen, two-player game, one that involves a lot of movement. Yes, you'll get your exercise on this one. But that's the reason why we bought the thing for Madison's birthday - we like the thought that you have to move to play it. And it's pretty fun, too! One early thing you do is set up your character. It scans your face and body type, and then creates a character for you. THEN, it shows what you would look like in the world of "Cars," "The Incredibles," "Ratatouille," "Toy Story," and "Up." So yes, we looked like rats at one point. But it was a lot of fun - and it does have the potential to wear you out. Which again is a good thing.
We did have a chiropractor appointment today, which was hilarious as always. Madison laughs so hard there, as if she's in this ginormous tickle fight. Which, in a way, she is. She loves the stickers and treasure chest afterwards too - ironically, she picked herself up a rubber ducky from the chest.
After that, we went by Goodwill in hopes of finding old records. Yes, this record player has opened up a whole new world of audio for Daddy. We didn't find much there, but we did find some other things to do with Madison. First of all, can you believe they had a pair of pink ice skates that fit her perfectly? They're training skates too! Also, a do-it-yourself periscope kit, where you make your own periscope. These items were really cheap, and hard to resist for doing something fun with Madison. We got a bunch more, so that will be fun later on.
It rained again. It's supposed to rain tomorrow too - the lake is very, very full. The weather has been nice and cool, and then the storms pass overhead and keep everything cooler. Seriously, we're talking about low eighties in the middle of a Georgia summer. It's been wonderfully comfortable.
After the visit to Goodwill, the three of us went out to eat at the Golden Corral. We were concerned about Mommy's diet - we're trying to discover something that doesn't affect her negatively. Unfortunately, last week was not a good one for her, as she simply has a difficult time sometimes after eating. The working theory this week is that it is wheat-related stuff. That said, she was able to pick and choose from the buffet, just like Madison and Daddy. Unfortunately, you can't eat there all the time. The cost has apparently gone up, and you nearly feel like you have to eat a ton to justify being there. Which is not something Daddy and Mommy want to really do. Madison, however, can eat on and on - especially from the dessert bar. She ate a healthy meal up front, of course. But then the ice cream was calling her name, followed by some cotton candy! Yummy!
We got home a little later. Madison has been spending time with piano for practice, just to stay familiar with certain songs. For example, she has been playing today "Twinkle Little Star" with two hands. After that practice, comes her other daily habit: Raz Kids. It's a program on the computer that she's been sticking with each day. Every day for about a half-hour, she hooks up on the internet and learns to read better from stories. The program actually reads her words that she doesn't know quite yet, and afterwards there are assessment questions. Her progress is tracked, and reported to the local school - so she actually keeps busy during the summer too. Mommy has been really good about keeping her on this. And Daddy is keeping her on the library summer reading program as well. She's got close to fifty books to go. That will go by really quickly though. In fact, today she got another book or two from Goodwill. She'll have read those soon, and we'll mark those down on the list in no time.
Speaking of standard updates, our ant farm is prospering. More tunnels are forming, criss-crossing across the vast green landscape. The ants are busy inside, moving to and fro, carrying bits and pieces around and doing their thing. This has been a really successful project, one that fascinates not only Madison, but the whole family.
The other project, of course, are our sea monkeys. Presently, we have a population of about two. We had three, but I'm not entirely sure what happened to the other one. The two we have are getting pretty big, and we suspect that one of them might be "expecting." The other one, who we call Nicolas, is looking really healthy. He's a big guy, moving about the tank with authority! We keep the tank aerated each day, feeding our pets about once every five days. This seems to be working out well for our new pets. Madison and Daddy check in with them from time to time, watching them flutter about around the castle. We're not entirely sure why there aren't any more in the tank, but at least the two we have seem to be flourishing, so we'll chock this project up as a success too.
So, a lot of words written today, aren't there? We didn't do much that you'd call "epic," but it was still a fun day overall. Everyone got some rest, and had a good time also. Although... Daddy's a little sore right now from the Kinect game. Those things really get you moving!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment