1. So, when I'm thinking of slacking off on my running or just getting tired of sticking with it, all I have to do is read my friend Graham's blog about Mavis Lindgren, the 70-year-old woman who ran multiple marathons, and then I am inspired/shamed into getting out the door instead of staying in bed. I'm (relatively) young and I've got two healthy legs. If Mavis can do it, surely I can.

2. My brand new, shiny, front-loading washer arrived on Wednesday. So far, so good. At this point, I don't really have much to say about it: the clothes seem to be getting washed just fine, but I thought my old one did a perfectly fine job too (until the day it spewed water all over the laundry room floor). So far the biggest attraction with this new one is the clear window in the door on the front. You can stand in front of it and watch the clothes while they get spun around. My children find this endlessly entertaining.

3. Speaking of entertaining, Beth tried out for the talent show at school this week. Her talent, which she decided upon herself: telling jokes. Her father is so proud. She didn't appear nervous at all for her audition, although she told me later that she was, and even when she accidentally told a joke that was not one of the repertoire she had rehearsed, she kept her cool and improvised a punch line on the spot. I was totally impressed. I mean, OK, I might be a little biased, but I thought she was awesome. We'll find out next week if she actually gets to be in the show or not.

4. Another exciting upcoming event: a field trip to a butterfly garden on Monday. Both Beth and I are super-excited. This will be Beth's first field trip ever, and my first field trip as a mommy chaperone. The last field trip I remember going on was my senior year of high school, when my class went to the county courthouse as part of a civics lesson. I think the butterfly garden will be way cooler.

5. If you've got kids and you live in the mid-valley, you should join us over at Pet Day at OSU tomorrow. My vet student friend Meg is involved in putting it on, and apparently they've got pony rides, petting zoos, dog agility contests, and all kinds of other fun animal-oriented stuff.

6. My husband's coming home tonight! Thank goodness. Now I'll finally have someone to tell me when it's bedtime again.

7. Evie picked out a Sesame Street CD from the library this week that I've got to admit, I kind of enjoy. A lot of kids' music makes you want to gag after the first time or two that you've listened to it, but "Elmopalooza"....is really not that bad. My girls' favorites are "Nearly Missed," which is very peppy and makes them all jump and dance; "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon," a sweet, peaceful tune featuring Shawn Colvin; and "I Love Trash." They go back and listen to the beginning of "Trash," with its loud rock intro and classic vocal howling by Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, over and over. "This is such a rockin' song!" Beth says, and hits repeat. Since I can't say I'd ever exposed them to Aerosmith before, I had no idea they'd be such fans. But right now, Elmopalooza is totally rocking our living room.