Foot Fist Fiesta

So we have this foot massage thing at the house, and it has been somewhat interesting to set up.  Daddy got it for Mommy last Christmas, and the concept is simple, right?   Just put your feet in some hot water and allow the gets of water to massage your feet, while the device keeps the water nice and warm.

Well, it isn't THAT simple.  For one, it takes gallons of water.  Another challenge:  plugging it in nearby a chair that you can set up.  Obviously, you want to have something to do while soaking your feet, so you need to put it in front of a television, or a computer.  Or maybe find a place to read a book. 

So you have to run this cord under the living room furniture, possibly using an extension cord to make the distance.  Then, you need a beach towel to put beneath the device to catch any splashes, and have a place to rest your feet when you take them out of the device.  And you need another towel to dry your feet off.  And you need a few gallons of water too.  And the device is big, and in a box you have to store somewhere out of the way.

Add all this together, and we've discovered that the Brookstone foot therapy device is terribly comfortable, but also terribly inconvenient to set up in the first place.  Enter Madison's toenail problem though, and suddenly this device is feeling not-so left out.  It feels like it has purpose again.  And Madison feels slightly like a queen, seated on the couch with her feet in this deluxe model foot massager.

This morning, we started our newest storyline for Kung Pow!  It features the return of Daddy's character, Professor Wisenheimer.  It also features some crazy folks doing kung fu moves that don't exist.  Madison enjoyed the service - we did some videos this week, filming them at a dojo in Oakwood with a very nice couple that runs the place. We also had a funny St. Patrick's Day video, and an old Chinese kung fu movie that we dubbed over our voices for.  The message of the day was courage, and Madison really got it by day's end.  She knew the story about Joshua and Caleb, and their courage when moving forward into the Promised Land.  It was a great day in church!

But as with most days at church, you get home and are just wiped out.  It can be a very tiring adventure.  The great part is that you really feel like you've accomplished a lot.  After all, we've made a big impact in these children's lives.

The weather was actually hot today.  Yes, that's right.  The sun came out as a teaser for what this summer might be like.  And we were suddenly reminded of the value of air conditioning.  In our defense, we've only had cold weather until now - there hasn't been a proper adjustment yet.  We haven't gradually turned the heat up.  Today was a sudden burst of heat, a visit from Spring who pops in to say, "Whazzup!?"

So you can imagine that Dairy Queen was crowded.  We had the same brilliant idea a squillion other people did!  But we stuck with it.  We used ice cream as a motivation for Madison to complete her piano.  She rose to the challenge, and soon we were out on the road again to get some ice cream.  Madison wanted to try something new this time around, she asked Daddy earlier before we left if she could try a Blizzard.  Daddy showed her the flavors on Dairy Queen's website, and Madison went from there, picking her first Blizzard flavor:  Choco Cherry.

She really liked it.  Mommy loved her caramel sundae.  Daddy tried a grasshopper silk pie or something like that.  A word about the Choco Cherry, Dairy Queen:  You used to make it better.  Somewhere along the line, your craftsmen have lost the gift of creating this masterpiece.  It is still good, but it isn't the perfection that it used to be.  Still, it was a perfectly pleasant afternoon trip for ice cream. 

We went home afterwards, and did a few things that we built up the energy for.  Daddy has the canopy up in the back deck again, this after taking it down for the various snow and ice storms.  And there was a nap or two.  Like a cat, Mommy curled up on the couch after finding that one shaft of light that cascaded down into the great room.  She and Daddy fell asleep on the couch to the sound of Madison's piano practice, which is getting better. 

Tonight we watched "The Emperor's New Groove."  Because Daddy wanted to.  It's been a while, but everyone really likes this movie.  It still cracks Mommy and Daddy up, and for Madison, there was plenty that she had forgotten about.

At bedtime, it was back to Pixie Hollow to visit with the Nevergirls and Peter Pan.  There's something near magical about Neverland, isn't there?  I'm not knocking the Weird School books, but a trip to Neverland is one sweet journey.