Learning German by coloring Mandalas

June and most of July passed in a blur of Pimsleur German.  The boys have been learning German for two years-- the first year doing Rosetta Stone, and the second using Pimsleur audio lessons.  The deal was that everyone had to complete the entire Pimsleur course (four levels) before we could go on our trip to Europe.  Everyone did it, except for me! (And Joseph hadn't yet finished the Pimsleur, either.)  So, every day I spent 3-4 hours listening and re-listening to the Pimsleur lessons, writing down words, trying madly to get pronunciations and remember vocabulary.  And I did it!  Joseph and I had to finish the very last few lessons once we were actually in Germany, but we did it!
I am convinced I am the least linguistically-gifted of anyone in our family.  Ben had finished Pimsleur months before-- I think he went through it 2 or 3 times, and did a lot of other studying to figure out German grammar.  The boys picked it up really fast, and thought it was really funny to speak in German around me.  For several months as a family we watched and listened to the Book of Mormon illustrated stories in German, listening to a page and then pausing and taking turns translating.  It was pretty fun!
While listening to the Pimsleur lessons, when I wasn't madly writing words down, I stayed focused by coloring Mandalas.  It was surprisingly soothing, addicting, and kept my focus without distracting me.  I can see why Mandala coloring books for adults is such a fad right now.