Claire says I’m such a “basic” dad. She says I’m basic because I drink iced coffee and take artsy photos.
I dispute this! Although, this Instagram post may prove her point. 🤷🏻♂️
Down the clown! ⚾️ 🤡 #arcade #game #pinballz #kids #clowns #austin #texas #atx #shotoniphone #mcgkids via Instagram http://bit.ly/2D65HHa
1000 Tickets!
Molly totally earned 1000 tickets on the game Pirate’s Hook at Pinballz Arcade today. Molly and I work as a team. She times the fishing pole while I reel in the fish as quickly as possibly. We’ve can usually came away with 20-30 tickets in a solid round.
But today Molly hit the jackpot and got the golden crab for 1000 tickets. I couldn’t believe it!
We earned a total of 1400 tickets for the day. Molly, with her usual patience, chose a bag of Haribo Happy Cola gummies at a cost 300 tickets for today. She decided to save the remaining 1100 tickets for a lava lamp next time we come, probably in a few months.
Claire missed the action because she was hanging out at Susie’s today, recovering from our Dads’ Spring Break trip.
Dads’ Spring Break
My friend Joel had his girls for spring break this year, and so did it. We decided to take our girls on a road trip and, thanks to AirBnB, ended a 14-bed ranch near Fredericksburg. We invited Claire’s best friend Susie along for good measure. So it was two dads and five girls, although I often referred to us as seven girls. 🤷🏻♂️
Highlights:
- Late nights (like 10 pm!) in the hot tub
- Fire pit and s’mores
- Hearty meals for seven, with ingredients bought from WalMart – spaghetti and meatballs, pancakes, cinnamon rolls
- A ride on the “mule” to see the neighbor’s baby goats
- Enchanted Rock. Molly and Maddie were the first up to the top! They won on pure enthusiasm, which the other girls lacked.
- The Pacific War Museum. I tried to squeeze in some short lectures on how crazy that war was and how cool Nimitz was, with only limited to moderate success.
- A fudge store that Maddie was constantly dying to go to. I got a chocolate-covered pickle, because what the hell?
- The girls’ definite favorite, Earthbound Trading Co, a New Age / hippie store. We came back at least three times. Claire ended up with a Himalayan salt lamp, a Ganesh, some ying/yang balls, and some polished stones totaling about $72. I admit I got three stones myself; those things were so dang smooth!
- Luckenbach, TX. This may have been a little too “country” for Claire, who wanted to get out of there for fear of being shot. From looking around, I think we were in greater danger of getting run over by a bicyclist. Or maybe cat allergies.
Pics…
When asked if climbing Enchanted Rock was fun, the general answer from the kids was “No, not really.” 😆
#enchantedrock #hiking #kids #texas #fredericksburg #shotoniphone #springbreak #mcgkids #bluesky via Instagram https://ift.tt/2Y8fu8t
Roblox screenshot
This is a screenshot that Molly put together for the blog. It’s her and Claire in the ROBLOX game “Murder Mystery”. Molly added a few decorations of her own.
Store Stocker
Getting excited about Molly’s recent enthusiasm for math, I asked Molly what she wants to do for a living when she grows up.
“I want to be a store stocker. I already told you that. I just like arranging things.”
Okay, so she wants to stock groceries for a living and do math for fun. It’s not the most practical choice, but I like that it’s full of clarity and passion.
I told Molly that I would put in a good word for her at Whole Foods in a few years if she still wants to be a stocker. I’ve done a couple of shifts in the store myself, and stocking case after case of kombucha is not easy work, but I think she’s up to it.
Fun with Math
Molly has a surprising new form of entertainment while I drive her around in the car. She is doing a math self-assessment. For fun! Her idea, I swear! And this from a girl who was doing extra math tutoring just last year! You have no idea how happy this makes a dad.
Specifically, Molly is doing the official State of Texas 3rd grade math assessment practice workbook. It’s an old copy that she inherited from Claire.
Occasionally as we drive around, Molly will ask me to check her math.
Molly: “Dad, what’s 18 plus 7?”
Me: “I think you probably know that one. Do you have a guess?”
Molly: “Mmmmm… 25?”
Me: “Yep. Well played!”
I asked Molly what she enjoys about doing math for fun, and she just says, “I dunno. I just like it.” She did tell me me she does sometimes get frustrated by multi-step questions. I told her a little challenge can be a good thing. She nodded and kept plugging away at the workbook.
How this happened, I do not know. I guess the math tutoring worked! 🤷🏻♂️
Asthetic Music
Claire has recently discovered what she calls “aesthetic music”. I love that term! This is music that sounds cool and you can just chill to, as far as I can tell. Apparently, most of the time the genre of music involves a light electronic sound plus ukulele.
I’m not sure if aesthetic music is officially an official “thing” or just a term that Claire came up with. Claire says that her friend Olivia is into aesthetic music as well.
Here are some examples:
McG Kids 