I’ve had a million little things floating around in my mind, so here’s my best attempt to “download” them for posterity and hopefully not bore you all to pieces.

• I’m completely fascinated by the ways in which my kids are developing as language learners.  They both love books, and maybe it’s because he’s older, but Calder simply can’t get enough.  Whether he’s quoting Barnyard Dance in the car,  recalling specific details from one of the 13 Magic Treehouse books we’ve read – “Yeah, Mom, I’m being like Dusty, you know, Slim the cowboy’s horse from when Jack and Annie were in the Wild West.” – or even making up his own stories, he loves books, words and creativity.
• We just found an awesome rub recipe that’s sure to become a new go-to.
• It’s amazing the food preferences we pass on to our kids.  One of our favorite things to eat is a concoction I learned about from one of my colleagues.  “Cottage cheese treat” is a mixture of FF cottage cheese, applesauce, walnuts and cinnamon.  It’s tasty and fairly well-balanced. 
• Seneca’s favorite saying as of late is “Don’t Say That!”  It’s hilarious to hear her screaming it at Calder in the mornings when he’s awake and trying to convince her to wake up too!
• In honor of the research projects my 7th graders are doing, I’ve spent the past two weeks at school on Sunday creating a 3D Olympic Torch on our classroom door, and an Olympic Ring bulletin board in the hallway.  This week we’re starting our “Olympic News” collage on the wall in the classroom, to hopefully get them noticing all the coverage.
• Garth and I recently commented about how we feel like we’re either going at break-neck speed, or totally crashed.  Which is precisely why we both fell asleep before the opening ceremonies on Friday night.  Shh, don’t tell my students!  I brushed up online so I know about the faulty trapdoor…
• I’ve discovered a new obsession with Netflix. 
• If you haven’t read the Percy Jackson series – you MUST!  They take Greek mythology and put it into modern day setting.  The movie of the first book just came out this weekend!
• Another great YA read is Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.  I think they’re listed as Sci-Fi, but they almost have a historical feel to them too.  Another favorite Sci-Fi book I recently read is Feed by M.T. Anderson.  This one is amazing.   A bit heavy on the language, but totally scary to think about how accurate this might be…
• Having been pregnant or nursing from July 2006 through October 2009, I was beginning to see the toll, which is why this little investment has saved me a lot of money, time and the recovery from a cosmetic surgery I was sure I’d need!  I’ve shared my excitement over this newfound little gem with at least a few friends who also swear by the fit!
• I’m amazed by the way the world converges on itself!  I taught poetry to my 8th graders, then found this dinosaur book the same author of poems I used with my students.  Calder and I happened to start the Magic Treehouse books because the first one was Dinosaurs before Dark – and now, we’re 3 books away from Hour of the Olympics.   I just love serendipity!
• In honor of a new series we started at church, Garth and I are challenged to pray together every day for the coming week.  Sounds so easy, right?  It’s something we should be doing anyway, right?  Looking forward to some amazing growth as a result of this new spiritual discipline.