We dropped Madison off at at school this morning - and then went to move a piano. This took up a lot of Daddy's morning (and early afternoon), getting a piano with Jonathan, Ye-Ye and Nana, going west from here, but first renting a truck. The thing was awkward, heavy, and difficult, but in the end, the piano is now at the grandparents house. So now we have moved two pianos over the course of this year, I guess in training to start our future piano moving service for people.
Seriously, Nana has started to learn the piano, about a year and a half ago. They now have an actual piano in their living room at this moment. Some day perhaps Madison and Mommy can play something together, sharing the piano as they entertain guests. Who knows!
Today was a school day for Madison, obviously, and upon getting home, she told us of an exciting game they played in PE this afternoon: "Capture the Chickens." It involved rubber chickens and hula-hoops, and apparently was something rather fun. Quite suddenly, PE is the favorite class for Madison, and we're not exaggerating. Whereas before it was math or science or reading, now she is quite literally saying, "PE is my favorite class." And we're like... ????
Not to say she isn't enjoying the other classes, of course. She took a pre-test for science, one that sort of previews what they'll be learning this year. Madison got an 84 on it, and again, this is a pre-test covering material they haven't even learned yet. We help out at home with science, as you probably know if you read this blog - we do the tinker crate things and science projects elsewhere, not to mention the great teaching she got last year.
We have a vocabulary test coming up tomorrow, the first of the year. This one includes words like "atoned," "agitated," and "erupted." Madison had a homework assignment with these words, a chance to write a paragraph that includes all the words from her vocabulary list. The paragraph sounded like a scene from High School Musical, with kids anxious to get out of school, and a teacher equally excited about the approach of summer break. She did really well on writing it out, with an organized thought that she executed well on her own. We came in afterwards to help her a little with grammar. I wasn't going to be picky about new paragraphs, or even handwriting at this time - but we'll have to deal with those as we go along.
Tonight she had martial arts once more, the second of the week. She's learning self-defense, and what to do when strangers are not listening to any verbal warnings to stay away. This is one good reason why she's there, of course. There have been some recent attempted abductions at school bus stops in Jackson County, not far away. And a story from New Mexico has us all disturbed, one involving kids. It seems like something out of a movie, which is to say it doesn't seem real at all, at least for something like that to happen "around here." We know things happen everywhere, but for someone to pull up in a van, run out, and quickly grab a kid? That makes zero sense to us, and on top of that it is probably in the top ten of most evil things a person can do (we work in a children's ministry). Yet nevertheless, we're in a world where it is happening, and it's happening closer than ever. A lot is happening, actually, and there are things you could get overly scared about if you think about them too hard. This is why it's great to prepare our children, not just with martial arts, but with intelligence and conviction and education. Madison is doing well at the moment, but we will continue to be diligent.
It rained heavy again. This has been a difficult week for rain - it's been flooding areas that aren't normally flooded, just based on the quantity of water falling from the sky. It's been quite a season this summer, and of course as with all things, there are places not far from here that are desperate for any rain at all. Wildfires burn, and droughts persist. We in the South have been deluged though. More to come tomorrow, in fact.
So tonight we said our prayers and read from "The Carnivorous Carnival," which is taking the Baudelaire orphans on a more decidedly darker turn. But, Lemony Snicket did in fact warn us, so he's not to blame - he did all he could to warn us about reading his books!
Seriously, Nana has started to learn the piano, about a year and a half ago. They now have an actual piano in their living room at this moment. Some day perhaps Madison and Mommy can play something together, sharing the piano as they entertain guests. Who knows!
Today was a school day for Madison, obviously, and upon getting home, she told us of an exciting game they played in PE this afternoon: "Capture the Chickens." It involved rubber chickens and hula-hoops, and apparently was something rather fun. Quite suddenly, PE is the favorite class for Madison, and we're not exaggerating. Whereas before it was math or science or reading, now she is quite literally saying, "PE is my favorite class." And we're like... ????
Not to say she isn't enjoying the other classes, of course. She took a pre-test for science, one that sort of previews what they'll be learning this year. Madison got an 84 on it, and again, this is a pre-test covering material they haven't even learned yet. We help out at home with science, as you probably know if you read this blog - we do the tinker crate things and science projects elsewhere, not to mention the great teaching she got last year.
We have a vocabulary test coming up tomorrow, the first of the year. This one includes words like "atoned," "agitated," and "erupted." Madison had a homework assignment with these words, a chance to write a paragraph that includes all the words from her vocabulary list. The paragraph sounded like a scene from High School Musical, with kids anxious to get out of school, and a teacher equally excited about the approach of summer break. She did really well on writing it out, with an organized thought that she executed well on her own. We came in afterwards to help her a little with grammar. I wasn't going to be picky about new paragraphs, or even handwriting at this time - but we'll have to deal with those as we go along.
Tonight she had martial arts once more, the second of the week. She's learning self-defense, and what to do when strangers are not listening to any verbal warnings to stay away. This is one good reason why she's there, of course. There have been some recent attempted abductions at school bus stops in Jackson County, not far away. And a story from New Mexico has us all disturbed, one involving kids. It seems like something out of a movie, which is to say it doesn't seem real at all, at least for something like that to happen "around here." We know things happen everywhere, but for someone to pull up in a van, run out, and quickly grab a kid? That makes zero sense to us, and on top of that it is probably in the top ten of most evil things a person can do (we work in a children's ministry). Yet nevertheless, we're in a world where it is happening, and it's happening closer than ever. A lot is happening, actually, and there are things you could get overly scared about if you think about them too hard. This is why it's great to prepare our children, not just with martial arts, but with intelligence and conviction and education. Madison is doing well at the moment, but we will continue to be diligent.
It rained heavy again. This has been a difficult week for rain - it's been flooding areas that aren't normally flooded, just based on the quantity of water falling from the sky. It's been quite a season this summer, and of course as with all things, there are places not far from here that are desperate for any rain at all. Wildfires burn, and droughts persist. We in the South have been deluged though. More to come tomorrow, in fact.
So tonight we said our prayers and read from "The Carnivorous Carnival," which is taking the Baudelaire orphans on a more decidedly darker turn. But, Lemony Snicket did in fact warn us, so he's not to blame - he did all he could to warn us about reading his books!
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