Yesterday afternoon I sat in on a meeting while T. happily watched Dora's Halloween Adventure in the adjacent office (with ear buds on, no less). Someone in the meeting mentioned being "math challenged," and my mind instantly sprang to attention--not in a good way, but in an empathetic way. If there had been a soundtrack to my thoughts at that very instant, you would have heard the music from the Psycho shower scene playing in the background. More than one person at the meeting groaned and admitted to being "math challenged" as well, so at least I wasn't alone. [more]

L. had a friend come over to play yesterday afternoon and I made an attempt to help him clean his room. The other day a student told me that his own room is a "study in organized chaos" and I have to say this description fits L.'s room perfectly. I'm sure most eight-year-old boys' rooms are disaster areas as well, but perhaps without the layers of collections and unfinished projects in every corner. After it was all said and done, here's what I found in his room:

--three circuit boards, one handmade out of cardboard and wires

--several lengths of plastic tubing [more]

All weekend long our house was filled with family, and I just loved it. While I do like our quiet weekends and our just-the-four-of-us time, a part of me longs to have our house filled with family on a more constant basis. I like to entertain. I like to see the kids play with their grandparents. I like to cook for lots of people and have a packed dinner table, family sitting elbow-to-elbow, and lots of laughter and stories and lively discussions. Being so far away from our families makes the comings and goings so difficult. [more]

Ever since my son discovered Avi a few weeks ago, and Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, and The Famous Five, it's been all spies and good guys vs. bad guys, and intricate scenes of smuggling and treasure-snatching being enacted all across his bedroom floor. [more]

Next week is the last week of this summer school class, and then the second round starts. I am half-hoping enrollment will be too low for the second section to run and that the course will be canceled. I'm tired and there just aren't enough hours in the day to get work done. And--can it be possible already? I'm feeling a tad burned out. [more]