Lego WeDos

The afterschool program I run was lucky enough to receive a few sets of Lego WeDos (think robotics for elementary kids made of Lego blocks). Today was the first day we had the kids use them and the counselors couldn't believe how engaged the kids were for over two hours. I even had a few counselors come to me in amazement about how focused and on-task some of our "tougher" kids were.

The WeDos come in kits that kids can pair up on and build a variety of robots that move and can also be programmed using a computer. The WeDos teach kids how to use a variety of 21st century skills (teamwork, problem solving, trial and error) and engages them in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) which are two things I think every child needs more exposure to. It was great to see the kids bounce ideas off of each other while exploring how to make their robots work. If you have kids or work with kids I highly recommend trying out the WeDos, they are great for both open ended projects and projects with a specific outcome.

Entreleadership Podcast

I just finished listening to my favorite podcast and wanted to share it with everyone. The Entreleadership Podcast hosted by Chris LoCurto is a bi-weekly leadership and entrepreneurial focused podcast, usually lasting around 45 minutes. Chris has on an amazing variety of guests from the business world. Each episode also includes a quick lesson from Dave Ramsey (google if the name is new to you). Today while walking my dog I listened to the best of 2012 (I fell a few episodes behind). It was a great recap of lessons, interviews, and practical tips from the past year. If you are a leader or want to be one I highly recommend this podcast. Best of all it's free! It's a good way to recharge and remind yourself what good leadership looks and sounds like.

What are your most helpful leadership resources? How do you continue to grow your leadership?

Sriracha

Let me start off by saying that if you are Orthodox-Paleo/Primal you should probably stop reading this post right now ( if you don't know what that is please continue).
 I love Sriracha hot sauce, not just like but love. If I had to guess I think I put it on 75% of my meals, it's just that delicious. It goes so well with just about any flavor profile and has the perfect combination of heat and sweet. Having said that I also dislike potato chips (for soooo many reasons I can't even begin to describe) especially mass produced, vegetable oil soaked, can barely tell it is made of potato type chips. Where am I going with this...those two worlds collided for me today while grocery shopping. Lays is having a contest to decide their next flavor of chip and Sriracha is one option along with Chicken and Waffles, and Cheesy Garlic Bread. I felt compelled to try the Sriracha flavor although I was pretty sure it would underwhelm. Well I was right. I won't get into the texture, shape, consistency of the chip itself but the Sriracha flavor was not as potent or vibrant as I was expecting. I go through about a bottle a week of Sriracha and usually put enough on my food to make it the dominating flavor (which might say something about my cooking). The Sriracha did not come through spicy or sweet and was barely recognizable as the signature sauce I enjoy so much. If, and this is a big if, you felt compelled to try the Sriracha chip go ahead and it and add an extra bottle of the actual hot sauce to your cart.

Have you tried Sriracha? Have you tried the Sriracha flavored Lays? What did you think? What out of the ordinary foods do you put Sriracha on?

Gotta Start Somewhere

Well here goes my start as a blogger.  Honestly I don’t know what I am going to blog about over the long haul but having an outlet for my miscellaneous thoughts is probably good for my sanity (as well as the sanity of my family).

A little background about me is probably in order so you aren't reading stuff from some random person; although there seems to be a lot of that going around these days.  I live with my wife, son, and two dogs in the amazing state of Vermont.  I have the privilege of working as an administrator of an afterschool program and enjoy every moment of it.  I am passionate about improving the lives of kids and developing leaders that can continue to make a positive impact on children’s lives.  I choose to eat a primal diet pretty strictly (much more to follow on this topic) and try to get to the gym more often than not.  I just started going to grad school after a few years off from higher ed.  and so far so good.

Well enough about me. I hope you continue to visit my blog and will try to provide information that is not only informative but also makes you think and push your boundaries.