My family and I went to see African Cats last night. For those of you who haven’t seen the preview yet, it’s a true story about cats on African savanna. You’ve got Layla (a lioness), Mara (lion cub), Sita (cheetah) and her newborns. The story is truly about them and what it is like to try and survive. Here’s a sneak peak:

We had many thoughts about this movie. Personally, I thought it was great. I forgot how big and muscular these animals are. Also, Disney did an awesome job getting us to connect with these cats. I found myself pulling for them the whole movie! However, because it is true to life (this is true reality), the fighting scenes scared Will (my three year old). I did also like how Disney portrayed the hunting scenes. They weren’t too gory; yet, they got their point across. Bill thought it was a great nature film. Madison loved it because (to quote her) “the cubs were soooooooooooooo cute” (and imagine that in a 7 year olds high pitched voice because she told me that exact statement at least 10 times on the way home).

If you’ve seen the previews, it definitely gives you a good sense of what the movie will be.  I thought it was a great story with some great characters that happened to be “so cute”.  :)  If you have younger kids, just be warned that there are some fighting scenes between the animals on the savanna that may scare the younger crowd.  Besides that warning, I recommend going to go see African cats!

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Well, we finally got it done. I think we are ready for the baby now. The crib came in on Friday, and Bill put it together yesterday. It looks pretty good. (Yes, the stuffed animals will be removed from the crib before the baby gets here!)

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Well, I am not real impressed. We sat in the kids room. This didn’t make sense to me. The singers were miked, and we could hear them clearly. The priest was not. I could not hear his sermon at all. I didn’t go to church for an hour (well, we left during communion since there was no containing Madison anymore at that point, so it was more like 40 minutes) to not even hear the priest. I was pretty disappointed.

Granted, I know we were in the kids room, but why don’t other parents make their kids sit during mass. It makes it increasing difficult to make my kid mind when yours are running around like wild animals.

Next Sunday, we try a different church.

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Children’s programming is not what it use to be. I remember being a child and your only choice was Sesame Street. Nowadays, you have stations like Noggin and Nick Jr. who are dedicated to children’s program. My daughter does not even really like Sesame Street. Some of Madison’s favorite shows include Upside Down Show and Wonder Pets. I actually TIVO these two shows for her, so we can watch them any time we want.

The Upside Down show has Shane and David, and we get to watch their daily adventures. We have been to the art museum, the movies, and the airport among several other places with them. The part Madison loves the most about this show is the imaginary remote. She often plays with her imaginary remote even when we are not watching the show. Honestly, I find the show pretty corny, but my husband giggles right along with Madison (not sure what that says). There are several learning goals with this show:

Imaginative Play

• boosts creativity by modeling pretend play
• fosters a humorous approach to problem-solving
• models a think-outside-the-box attitude

Language and Early Literacy Skills

• introduces new vocabulary in surprising and funny ways
• reinforces phonological awareness with use of alliteration, rhyming, and other kinds of language play

Cognitive Skills

• reinforces logical thinking skills such as making predictions and noticing connections
• models using abstract thinking and imagination to find new ways of looking at a problem
• demonstrates and explores relational concepts (high/low, inside/outside, light/dark)

Social and Emotional Development

• models cooperation and negotiation
• models accommodating and supporting the needs of others

At least she is learning when she is watching this. I do have to admit that my favorite imaginary remote button has to be the Irish dancing button.

The other show she enjoys is Wonder Pets. This show is about three classroom pets named Linny (he’s the guinea pig), Ming-Ming (the duck), and Tuck (the turtle). The show is about how these three animals turn into superhereos to save other animals in trouble. This is one of my favorite shows. It is cute and even holds my attention. The learning goals that are supported by this show are:

Cognitive Skills
Language and Early Literacy

• introduces new vocabulary
• reinforces phonological awareness with its use of sung dialogue, rhythms, alliteration, and songs

Music

• exposes viewers to a wide range of musical styles and formats
• helps make connections between musical styles and world cultures

Social and Emotional Development

• promotes appreciation of and orientation towards teamwork
• models cooperation with others
• reinforces the value of listening to others’ ideas
• models an attitude of helping

There are a few other show I like too, but these are Madison two main shows that we do not miss. These shows are not too annoying, and I like that she is learning something by watching them.

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