Kids on skis. This is dangerous stuff.

January's been a busy, expanding-your-skillset month around the house.

Dear daughter (almost six) is dipping her toe into the reading pool and liking it.

Dear son (almost eight) picked up tying his shoes like THAT (literally over a weekend).

Both kids are taking ski lessons this month. This is the big one. Daughter's still down on the beginner's area, but has stop and go down pat. Don't know if she'll go up on the chair this year, or if it'll be next year. Son, on the other hand, got to hit the slope with his group last weekend and, as expected, figured out that speed is GOOD... Hopefully his lesson this weekend will be filled with long, slow turns under his instructor's watchful eye. He's got going downhill in a straight line very quickly covered at this point. Yes, he does a good snowplow.