Thank you helmet.

I found a snowboarding helmet at the DI last year, super cheap too, and I was so glad to have it on Monday when I crashed into some small quakies. I hit the back of my helmet on a tree pretty hard and the helmet worked perfectly. What a blessing to have found that.

I had been looking for a helmet ever since my concussion while snowboarding with Betty that one time in college. People still gasp when I tell them the events of that fateful day.

Don't drink to your health...

Medical treatments and medical health have been on my mind lately. For one, Jeralynn is wisely trying to help our family eat healthier. For another, I have two friends undergoing cancer treatment. Lastly, I am in the middle of a 16 hour course on Wilderness First Aid, part of my scout leader training. Practicing first aid always gets me thinking about all the tragic things that COULD happen and makes me appreciate more the good health and blessings I currently enjoy.

So I feel grateful and overwhelmed at the same time. I feel a need to slow down the pace and make sure my priorities are aligned properly, with family ahead of work and scout training courses and yes, sadly, even racquetball.

Whenever I get ponderous like this, my first instinct is always to try and find more time to spend with my family. But time alone isn't the answer. I've actually enjoyed some unplanned, unconstructed time with my family in the past month, mainly over the holidays. And frankly, I felt the time was mostly wasted. I was boring. I had the constantly nagging feeling that I should be more productive when I wasn't doing much more than reading books or watching TV with the kids. And maybe that feeling comes with good reason.

So this time, I want to do something different. I want to learn with my kids. More specifically, I want to designate one night a week just for this purpose. Monday is already family night, but the focus there should be spiritual and relaxed; recreational and fun. So I want to make Tuesday night my learning night with the kids. And it can be anything from helping Cale pass off something for cub scouts, to making a science project with Trey, to teaching car maintenance or first aid skills to all four of them. No limitations except that it be educational. Even better if we learn something together.

There will be a few time conflicts, like cub scout pack meeting one Tuesday every month, but I'm ready to fill in the remaining Tuesdays on our calendar with fun things to learn with my family.

Comment and tell me what you think of my idea?