Susan Ohanian: Congress Sponsoring Disastrous Literacy Bill

Susan Ohanian: Congress Sponsoring Disastrous Literacy Bill

The above link is from the Huffington Post about yet more educational legislation--a national law dictating how children will learn to read. Take a read and see what you think. I agree with Ms. Ohanian. Arggghh!

Adam and Oliver went to the pool today and Oliver came home looking like this. Yikes! He was doing a back flip off of the diving board and bonked his chin. I'm soooooo glad I wasn't there to witness it. Adam said his blood sugar was sky high afterwards--and stress affects blood sugar levels.

We've been busy. The kids have been spending lots of time with friends, especially Levi. We had plans to go to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on Monday to see the exhibit on Genghis Khan and to see the permanent exhibit on Gems and Minerals. But the kids got into a huge fight on the way out the door. I'm talking hitting, kicking and screaming to a pitch we don't usually see here. It took so long for them to cool off and work it out that we never made it to the museum. We learned something--but it wasn't what I had planned! And so goes the journey of living and learning!

Lynx sighting

On Christmas eve, at about 5 pm, we were sitting in our living room with friends. I looked out the window and saw the lynx that we think lives under a vacant house across the street. Last summer we saw it briefly, stalking across the yard. About a month ago, the kids and I came home at dusk and as we turned into the driveway, I saw it on the road. It ran away from the house and toward some trees and brush so our look at it was quick. But this time, it came from the right side of the house and walked slowly all the way along the back of the house, almost up to the neighbors front porch, and then continued on to the left until we couldn't see it anymore.

Sorry, no photos. I couldn't tear myself away from the window. We've debated whether it's a lynx or a bobcat because they're look very similar with only a few distinctive markings that can be hard to see unless you're quite close. Yesterday I picked up the current issue of National
Geographic Kids magazine. On the cover is a photo of a lynx with the title this title--Lynx: The Comeback Cat. The article begins: These wild cats are back on the prowl in Colorado.

According to the article, the lynx was wiped out in this area of its range in the 1970s. A decade later, about 200 lynx were reintroduced. It looks like the reintroduction is working!

Happy New Year!

Among my New Year's "Revolutions," as Oliver calls then, is to get back to writing here more regularly--mostly for myself because it's a good place for me to capture thoughts--but also for any of you who check in on us this way. At my yoga class today, the instructor talked about making resolutions from a place of abundance rather than from a place of lack. I liked that because it focused me on building on the positive and helps me look forward to what I'd like to have in my life instead of looking backward at what I feel like I did poorly.

Our first week of Christmas vacation saw just the four of us here. We got in 2 days of skiing at nearby Eldora Ski Area. The kids played a lot and it seems Adam and I rushed around (too much!) preparing for the arrival of Santa. It was a Lego Christmas here, various Lego kits being on the top of both of the kids' lists.

The day after Christmas brought us most but not all of the Baker clan. We had thirteen of us here, including two cousins that are the boys' ages and our almost two year-old nephew/cousin, the newest Baker addition. It was fun to see the older kids play with him. As he's just starting to talk, the kids spent lots of time asking him, "Can you say . . . ?" Among the words they taught him were lightbulb, waterbottle, mountain!

We had a great time. We had a day of skiing together, walks around the lake, lots of good good (lots of good cooks!), a trip for some of the group to Rocky Mountain National Park, hiking and yoga. With thirteen of us here and three cars, one which is not very snow worthy, trips as a group almost required a flow chart and seating chart. Happily, we never left anyone behind!

Our house is VERY quiet now and we miss everyone. And I'm trying to figure out where the small ladle, kitchen shears and the vegetable peeler is.