1. The baking blitz last night with the 9 y.o. went amazingly well. Once again, I find as a parent that my children are capable of far more than I might have thought. When in my desperation and rush I let them try (whatever), I often discover that--yes, they actually can do it! Or at least clean up their own mess afterwards. The eldest sucessfully followed the recipe for bread and put all the ingredients in the bread machine. She sucessfully cleaned up her own flour and dried milk spills. She did most of the mixing for the chocolate chip cookies and learned a few useful techniques on cracking eggs and using the electric mixer. She shaped the bread rolls (though I divided the dough for her because I could do it in about three minutes and it would have taken her twenty). And the reinforcement of 3 tsp = 1 Tbsp, 8 Tbsp = 1/2 cup, 8 oz. = 1 cup fit in beautifully with the fact that they're covering units in math this week. (We went over cups, pints, quarts and gallons a few days ago).
2. I didn't really need Kidnap to inform me that soccer is the most popular sport in Brazil. After four years of working for a Brazilian boss--and living through Brazil's loss to France in the 2000 World Cup, I knew that. (Disclaimer: that France beat Brazil in the 2000 World Cup is about the only I know about professional soccer.)
3. Today's xkcd. I really didn't need any help anthropomorphizing inanimate objects. It comes (distressingly?) naturally to me. Now I'm grieving for the NASA probe and feeling guilty over every childhood toy I ever got rid of.
4. The kids have an issue with the fact that I don't turn on Grant St. like you do when I'm taking them to school, but wait an extra two blocks and go up to Colfax.
5. Suzuki's Allegro has to be one of the more insanely catchy pieces of pseudo-classical music around. Our 3 y.o. is going around singing it. This is only making it more difficult to get it dislodged from my own brain.
5. Suzuki's Allegro has to be one of the more insanely catchy pieces of pseudo-classical music around. Our 3 y.o. is going around singing it. This is only making it more difficult to get it dislodged from my own brain.
6. The Anchoress's litany on the difference between an icon and an idol here is beautiful. It is an effective definition. That is, it differentiates by the effect it is having. (Something which is intended as an icon might function as an idol. Our sinful nature tries to warp all good things to idolatry. )
7. The girls and I watched a very strange effect as the sky was getting dark last night. By some quirk of light and cloud, the sky was very dark very low--we couldn't see the normal tree and house line--it was all absorbed in the dark. Up above was light--and the whole things made it look like we had a mountain range out our dining room window, here in suburban/rural Indiana. I glanced up from my dinner and did a double take--I might have once again been driving I-70 on the north side of Denver, with the Front Range in front of me. Beautiful.
7. The girls and I watched a very strange effect as the sky was getting dark last night. By some quirk of light and cloud, the sky was very dark very low--we couldn't see the normal tree and house line--it was all absorbed in the dark. Up above was light--and the whole things made it look like we had a mountain range out our dining room window, here in suburban/rural Indiana. I glanced up from my dinner and did a double take--I might have once again been driving I-70 on the north side of Denver, with the Front Range in front of me. Beautiful.
