new year

This week Claire and Benson both started something new.  Benson started playing basketball again at the YMCA and is so excited to have Jared coach his team.  It's a good time for father & son bonding.  I'm pretty sure Benson has never played a sport he didn't like and basketball is one he definitely likes!  Claire started something really really new.  It's an acting class.  Awesome, right?!  She thinks so.  It's offered though the community at taught at the Mayo Civic Theater.  She even got to go on a tour of the real stage last week at class and she though that was pretty special.  It's an 8-week course, and I believe they put on a little "play" at the end of it.  Her comment, after last Saturday's first class, was:  "I have to wait a whole week to go back?? I wish I could go for 6 hours EVERY day!!"  She kinda likes that kind of stuff and after her holiday talent show performances, she was all geared up for something like this!  Fun stuff.  Mabel...hum...what's new for Mabel?  Oh yes!  She gets to start her own little 4-friend-play-school!  She doesn't really know that yet, but I'm sure once we get going with it, she's gonna love it!  New for me??  I'm excited about the upcoming 14-week-home-organization-challenge!  A friend of mine put together a challenge for whoever wanted to be involved to get our homes in ship-shape order over the next 14 weeks.  We talked about it at dinner last night as we discussed this week's challenge (the KITCHEN) and came up with a great reward for all who choose to help conquer the challenge.  Our family reward at the end will be a day at the Mall of America!  The kids were totally in.  Jared's new news??  He put cinder blocks under his computer/work desk.  He got sick of sitting all day long ((sometimes I wish I could get sick of sitting all day long))...so he made it into a standing desk with $8.  Wonder how long before the tall stool is purchased because of tired legs from standing all day!!  Fun stuff for a new year!