Mondays are a combination of two opposing forces: motivation for the week ahead and manic-panic times of just how much needs to get done. The scripture quote above is one I really need to keep in my mind every Monday … so I’m motivated NOT manic!

Our week ahead is filled with Olympic event-watching and working on our Olympic-country reports… with math and writing and our continued study of the Middle Ages (we’re now immersed in the Crusades and the shenanigans of England’s Prince John, very well depicted in the Robin Hood TV-series) … and our continued quest to stay warm in this unseasonably cold winter here in Virginia. Today is a gloomy, rainy day with 32 at 0715 and a projected high of 35 … usually our area averages the 40s during February!

This week, we’ve also got high school basketball’s concluding games … which means dh and the highschoolers will be home for dinner on Thursday and Friday evenings (usually practice was 5-7 so we rarely ate together as a family the entire season). The last two games … Tuesday against St. Michaels and Wednesday against Paul VIth should be fun. Thursday, I’m going to attempt, finally, to make the traditional Chinese New Year cake (a steamed mix of sticky rice flower, brown sugar and water) that, according to our exchange student, is then supposed to be sliced, dipped in batter and pan-fried. Nian Gao sounds like a British treacle tart (without crust) and then battered/fried. It should be interesting. Bunny had asked about making this last weekend, but with the Sadie Hawkins dance, Superbowl, and her little excursion to DC to see the parade … we just didn’t have time. So, we’re about two weeks late … but I don’t think it will impact our luck too much.

Also on the “cooking” front … I’m going to make another batch of homemade Clif bars (this is so easy and so very good) and a batch of 3-ingredient energy bars. I’ll post pictures and my variations on these recipes later this week.

Saturday will find dh and I celebrating our godson’s 3rd birthday (and his sister’s 1st!). It’s always hard to find gifts for this age group — unless I knit them something which I’ve done the last few years … including Malcolum’s Cluthar, cap and toy cube and Miss Ellie’s Garden blanket. This year, with other knitting priorities, I opted for books … I love to get books and I love to GIVE books. Malcolm will get the McCloskey Treasury … such fun to read about Nack, Pack and Oack … about Sal and blueberries … about Homer Price. Little Mae will get two books. Kit’s favorite author when she was little was Tasha Tudor. So we’ll start Mae on those: 1 is One and her beautifully illustrated First Prayers. Fun, huh?

On the knitting front … the custom-cabled sweater is all done and ready to be blocked. It came out beautifully and I can’t wait to see it on the recipient! Since that’s done, I turned my attention to the KAL and my Knittin’ Love poncho. I’m about halfway thru so, what with watching Olympic coverage and my ability to knit fast, I should be done before the end of the week. I’m thinking maybe some sox or colorwork caps are on the knitting-horizon.

So are you motivated or manic this Monday morning? What are your plans … let us know in the comments and we’ll share the joy/burdens of the week ahead!