A fun Wikipedia Entry.
*I could have waited until my 42nd birthday to post this, but I didn't want to wait that long.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Relaxing......
I'm trying.
Right now, K (4) is getting her hair cut at the place where I get my hair cut. It's kind a froo-fy place to get a hair cut when you're 4, but this is K. She trademarked girly-girl (TM), remember? The thing is, her hair is so thick and has kind of crazy waves in the back and the hair cut place I go to offers kid cuts for $30 which is a lot more than the cheap place, BUT..... When K got her hair cut at the cheap place, the cut didn't last more than a month. Here, they cut hair well and the cut lasts 3 or 4 months (and they do free bang trims here at the expensive place). Doing the math, and taking all into account, it seems better to take K to the expensive place.
You all know about Fancy Nancy, right? If you don't, and have a girly-girl, we highly recommend her. We recommend her books any way because they have many "fancy" big words in them. They are fun. They are good for vocabulary. Anyway, in one of the Fancy Nancy books, they show Fancy Nancy doing a beauty facial masque. K is convinced she needs to do a masque now. She asked if we could do one so her skin would be all shiny and beautiful.
Oh my goodness.... I wish I had my camera right now! K just got her hair washed and they wrapped it up in a towel and she just walked back to the hair stylists chair with the biggest, proudest, happiest grin on her face. She is so proud. So. darn. cute.
A couple years back, K decided she wanted a toe ring. Expect that K will be pushing the envelope on fashion and style and inventing the future of beauty soon! K is such a girly-girl! It's fun to have one girly-girl, but I'm glad that all 3 little girls are so different. It keeps it all fun! More soon!
Right now, K (4) is getting her hair cut at the place where I get my hair cut. It's kind a froo-fy place to get a hair cut when you're 4, but this is K. She trademarked girly-girl (TM), remember? The thing is, her hair is so thick and has kind of crazy waves in the back and the hair cut place I go to offers kid cuts for $30 which is a lot more than the cheap place, BUT..... When K got her hair cut at the cheap place, the cut didn't last more than a month. Here, they cut hair well and the cut lasts 3 or 4 months (and they do free bang trims here at the expensive place). Doing the math, and taking all into account, it seems better to take K to the expensive place.
You all know about Fancy Nancy, right? If you don't, and have a girly-girl, we highly recommend her. We recommend her books any way because they have many "fancy" big words in them. They are fun. They are good for vocabulary. Anyway, in one of the Fancy Nancy books, they show Fancy Nancy doing a beauty facial masque. K is convinced she needs to do a masque now. She asked if we could do one so her skin would be all shiny and beautiful.
Oh my goodness.... I wish I had my camera right now! K just got her hair washed and they wrapped it up in a towel and she just walked back to the hair stylists chair with the biggest, proudest, happiest grin on her face. She is so proud. So. darn. cute.
A couple years back, K decided she wanted a toe ring. Expect that K will be pushing the envelope on fashion and style and inventing the future of beauty soon! K is such a girly-girl! It's fun to have one girly-girl, but I'm glad that all 3 little girls are so different. It keeps it all fun! More soon!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Nothing is ever easy
The shoes are great, but the toe ring connector on the right side is twisted. Now I'm going to have to send the shoes back and exchange them. Sigh.
I <3 Zappos!
They sent me this...
I got my shoes before I even saw their email. Go Zappos!
ONE HAPPY CUSTOMER!
(Do you think they know how much K & I like shoes? Was this ultimately a bad thing?)
Although you originally ordered Standard (4 to 5 business days) shippingand handling, we have given your order special priority processing in our warehouse and are upgrading the shipping and delivery time frame for your order.
Your order will ship out today and be given a special priority shipping status so that you can receive your order even faster than we originally promised!
I got my shoes before I even saw their email. Go Zappos!
ONE HAPPY CUSTOMER!
(Do you think they know how much K & I like shoes? Was this ultimately a bad thing?)
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Other T things
Did I blog that T (2.75) can climb in and out of the crib now? I've been trying to convince her she might hurt herself and she doesn't do it very often, but it's almost time to move her to a bed. I'm not in a hurry to do so though.
With the first baby, it seems many parents want to hurry milestones and they move their babes from cribs to big kid beds early (we were no different really). On subsequent children, the hurry seems to be gone. There's no rush! They'll be sleeping in a bed for a LONG time. With the first kid, it's exciting! to see your child do new things like sleep in a bed! when you've never had a child sleep in a bed.
N (6.3) moved to a big girl bed when she was 2 years 8 months. It was thrilling! K (4) moved herself to a big girl bed (I DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT) when she was about two-years-old. K did not like to be contained AT ALL! From the time K was two until she was two and one-half, it as very tough. We tried to get K to sleep in the crib, but she'd climb out and sleep with N. Anyway, I digress.
T is definitely getting bigger. She is very into Thomas the Train (still). She loves the video and the story of "Thomas and the Magic Railroad." She says, "GET OUT OF MY WAY YOU PUFFBALLS!" like mean Diesel 10 all the time (and it never fails to make me laugh!). T kind of likes Elmo still. She LOVES Diego. (I think it's getting serious with Diego.) T's trying to figure out how to use the mouse on the computer. She watches big sisters and is beginning to learn what to do to make it work. T still loves gymnastics and tomorrow we go! We haven't gotten to hang all day yet, but soon! (Did I tell you she will ask, "Hang all day today, Mommy?" and it makes me melt. I so want to hang all day with her.)
Little bedtime things I might forget if I don't write them down
At bedtime, I put T in the crib and we play a "silly I love you" game. I'll say, "I love you with your blanket." She'll say, "I love you with your earrings." I'll say, "I love you with your nose." She'll say, "I love you with your shoes..." And so on ...
We laugh and laugh. She helped invent the game. She's smart and cute!
Before I leave her room, she'll say, "I need something." I'll ask, "What?" She'll say, "ummmmm.... a book." or "ummmmmm... I need that toy over there..." (meaning she wants me to move the toy)... Or something like that. It's very cute.
With the first baby, it seems many parents want to hurry milestones and they move their babes from cribs to big kid beds early (we were no different really). On subsequent children, the hurry seems to be gone. There's no rush! They'll be sleeping in a bed for a LONG time. With the first kid, it's exciting! to see your child do new things like sleep in a bed! when you've never had a child sleep in a bed.
N (6.3) moved to a big girl bed when she was 2 years 8 months. It was thrilling! K (4) moved herself to a big girl bed (I DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT) when she was about two-years-old. K did not like to be contained AT ALL! From the time K was two until she was two and one-half, it as very tough. We tried to get K to sleep in the crib, but she'd climb out and sleep with N. Anyway, I digress.
T is definitely getting bigger. She is very into Thomas the Train (still). She loves the video and the story of "Thomas and the Magic Railroad." She says, "GET OUT OF MY WAY YOU PUFFBALLS!" like mean Diesel 10 all the time (and it never fails to make me laugh!). T kind of likes Elmo still. She LOVES Diego. (I think it's getting serious with Diego.) T's trying to figure out how to use the mouse on the computer. She watches big sisters and is beginning to learn what to do to make it work. T still loves gymnastics and tomorrow we go! We haven't gotten to hang all day yet, but soon! (Did I tell you she will ask, "Hang all day today, Mommy?" and it makes me melt. I so want to hang all day with her.)
Little bedtime things I might forget if I don't write them down
At bedtime, I put T in the crib and we play a "silly I love you" game. I'll say, "I love you with your blanket." She'll say, "I love you with your earrings." I'll say, "I love you with your nose." She'll say, "I love you with your shoes..." And so on ...
We laugh and laugh. She helped invent the game. She's smart and cute!
Before I leave her room, she'll say, "I need something." I'll ask, "What?" She'll say, "ummmmm.... a book." or "ummmmmm... I need that toy over there..." (meaning she wants me to move the toy)... Or something like that. It's very cute.
Hang on!
Crazy post coming at you!
1. I feel happier than I have in a long time. PS and I had lunch with our former supervisor. It was fun, good and gives us hope for the future. We WILL work together again. We WILL do fun stuff again... Who knows when, but for now, we have lunch and we have each other. As my friend PS says, we have a lot of social glue. I'd link to her wise post about social glue, but she's private blogging right now.
2. My new shoes arrived. I ordered them YESTERDAY at 10:44 am. Today, a little over 24 hours later, they were on my door step. Go Zappos! I did not pay extra to have them shipped quickly. I was surprised and delighted! The shoes seem comfy. The heel is lower than I expected, but that's fine. The toe ring is stiff right now. The reviews I read on the shoe mentioned that the toe ring would be stiff at first, but that it got softer with wear.
I know a TRICK for breaking in shoes quickly, but I'm not ready to do it to the toe ring (yet). The trick is to pour rubbing alcohol on shoes (or the part of the shoe) you want to be broken in quickly. It breaks down the leather or cloth (doesn't work with vinyl / synthetic shoes). The problem with the trick is that it does cause the shoes to wear out faster (the breaking in part happens and then they start breaking down...), so only do this trick if absolutely necessary and if you don't mind the consequence of your shoes wearing out too quickly. (The trick is best with great shoes you want to wear dancing THAT night, but can't because they are too stiff, but the great shoes are so trendy that you know you won't mind only wearing them a few times.) When something is a good trick, there is often a trade-off or consequence.
3. I had a fun conversation at work with PS and N(guy). My colleagues are great. They are smart. They are super fun to talk with about hard problems. We don't know the answers to the problems. We are trying to determine solutions. We laugh. We learn.
My colleagues are one BIG reason why I should not teach again. I learned that I like my colleagues a lot better than students who want me to give them an answer. I wanted my students to figure out what they thought the answer was, but they wanted me to tell them. Most of my students didn't like my methods of teaching. I don't think lecture works. I think getting people to a place where they can discover the answer for themselves is MUCH MORE VALUABLE, because they learn to think, and BONUS!, the information more likely to be retained because they have figured it out for themselves.
4. I have a secret from MWH. I am very bad at keeping secrets from MWH. He knows I have a secret and I'm about ready to burst. He may read this post. I can't tell you what the secret is here, but if you email me, I will tell you. Heeeeeee! Have I mentioned lately how wonderful MWH is? He is!
5. Really, I'm thrilled with my class being over! The teaching experience makes me appreciate good teachers a GREAT deal more. I already appreciated great teachers a lot, but now, even more! I know that most K-12 teachers leave the profession within 5 years... I deeply understand why now. It takes time to learn to be a great teacher. It is hard.
6. I DESPERATELY need a pedicure now that I have cute sandals showing off my toes. PS? Zaz?
1. I feel happier than I have in a long time. PS and I had lunch with our former supervisor. It was fun, good and gives us hope for the future. We WILL work together again. We WILL do fun stuff again... Who knows when, but for now, we have lunch and we have each other. As my friend PS says, we have a lot of social glue. I'd link to her wise post about social glue, but she's private blogging right now.
2. My new shoes arrived. I ordered them YESTERDAY at 10:44 am. Today, a little over 24 hours later, they were on my door step. Go Zappos! I did not pay extra to have them shipped quickly. I was surprised and delighted! The shoes seem comfy. The heel is lower than I expected, but that's fine. The toe ring is stiff right now. The reviews I read on the shoe mentioned that the toe ring would be stiff at first, but that it got softer with wear.
I know a TRICK for breaking in shoes quickly, but I'm not ready to do it to the toe ring (yet). The trick is to pour rubbing alcohol on shoes (or the part of the shoe) you want to be broken in quickly. It breaks down the leather or cloth (doesn't work with vinyl / synthetic shoes). The problem with the trick is that it does cause the shoes to wear out faster (the breaking in part happens and then they start breaking down...), so only do this trick if absolutely necessary and if you don't mind the consequence of your shoes wearing out too quickly. (The trick is best with great shoes you want to wear dancing THAT night, but can't because they are too stiff, but the great shoes are so trendy that you know you won't mind only wearing them a few times.) When something is a good trick, there is often a trade-off or consequence.
3. I had a fun conversation at work with PS and N(guy). My colleagues are great. They are smart. They are super fun to talk with about hard problems. We don't know the answers to the problems. We are trying to determine solutions. We laugh. We learn.
My colleagues are one BIG reason why I should not teach again. I learned that I like my colleagues a lot better than students who want me to give them an answer. I wanted my students to figure out what they thought the answer was, but they wanted me to tell them. Most of my students didn't like my methods of teaching. I don't think lecture works. I think getting people to a place where they can discover the answer for themselves is MUCH MORE VALUABLE, because they learn to think, and BONUS!, the information more likely to be retained because they have figured it out for themselves.
4. I have a secret from MWH. I am very bad at keeping secrets from MWH. He knows I have a secret and I'm about ready to burst. He may read this post. I can't tell you what the secret is here, but if you email me, I will tell you. Heeeeeee! Have I mentioned lately how wonderful MWH is? He is!
5. Really, I'm thrilled with my class being over! The teaching experience makes me appreciate good teachers a GREAT deal more. I already appreciated great teachers a lot, but now, even more! I know that most K-12 teachers leave the profession within 5 years... I deeply understand why now. It takes time to learn to be a great teacher. It is hard.
6. I DESPERATELY need a pedicure now that I have cute sandals showing off my toes. PS? Zaz?
Books
My friend Nino just posted about the books she's reading.
From the comment I left Nino:
Sigh. I'm working really hard on turning off my computer and reading a BOOK, but I am still sucked in to the blogosphere (both for fun and for work). I read a lot of blogs that help me with work and I justify my reading and staying in the blogosphere that way.
I read journal articles and chapters from books about work stuff all the time, but I don't think I've read a whole book for pleasure since last fall. Must. change. that. this. summer!
I have a HUGE stack of books beside my bed that I want to read. I'll list them at some point. I'm making it a goal to finish one book in the next week or so. I have two papers I need to work on (lots of writing and background work) this summer, but now that class is OFFICIALLY over (but I still have things I want to think about and write) I should have time to turn off the computer and read. The problem is that I don't like to be interrupted when I read a book. I want to get sucked in completely and transported to another world. I can't grab a book when I am with the girls. However, when I'm with the little girls, I can read blogs and think in small chunks. Help! Suggestions? How do I make time for me to read again?
From the comment I left Nino:
Sigh. I'm working really hard on turning off my computer and reading a BOOK, but I am still sucked in to the blogosphere (both for fun and for work). I read a lot of blogs that help me with work and I justify my reading and staying in the blogosphere that way.
I read journal articles and chapters from books about work stuff all the time, but I don't think I've read a whole book for pleasure since last fall. Must. change. that. this. summer!
I have a HUGE stack of books beside my bed that I want to read. I'll list them at some point. I'm making it a goal to finish one book in the next week or so. I have two papers I need to work on (lots of writing and background work) this summer, but now that class is OFFICIALLY over (but I still have things I want to think about and write) I should have time to turn off the computer and read. The problem is that I don't like to be interrupted when I read a book. I want to get sucked in completely and transported to another world. I can't grab a book when I am with the girls. However, when I'm with the little girls, I can read blogs and think in small chunks. Help! Suggestions? How do I make time for me to read again?
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
sweet!
Last night, K (4) got scared because she "saw something" move in her closet. N (6.3) didn't want K to come wake us up so she let K sleep with her. Isn't that sweet? I love the sisterly love!
Important Updates*
I decided to go with D for now. They were my favorite. My feet demand very comfy shoes...I usually wear my crocs. I ordered D and if they aren't comfy enough I'll send them back and go with either C or A .... I haven't decided between the two pairs. I love A... As Zaz** said, C kind of looks like a "J" shoe. I do LOVE the pink bow. I have had NAOT shoes in the past and they were super comfy.... I like B, they look casual and relaxed, but I am worried they wouldn't have the arch support my feet demand.
We had to go early today to kindergarten. We were late. I couldn't make it at the time they wanted us there. It was TOOOOOOO EARLY. It was kind of funny, half of the afternoon kindergarten class was late today! We were in good company. It's nice to know that it's not just me/my family that finds the morning-routine-shift difficult!
K (4) is definitely working on figuring out how to practice deception aka lie. More on this soon. It's an exciting cognitive development!
*Heh
**Zaz, let me know if you want the link to your blog or not.
We had to go early today to kindergarten. We were late. I couldn't make it at the time they wanted us there. It was TOOOOOOO EARLY. It was kind of funny, half of the afternoon kindergarten class was late today! We were in good company. It's nice to know that it's not just me/my family that finds the morning-routine-shift difficult!
K (4) is definitely working on figuring out how to practice deception aka lie. More on this soon. It's an exciting cognitive development!
*Heh
**Zaz, let me know if you want the link to your blog or not.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Not sure what to write here
Argggh! We went to kindergarten early today, but it's TOMORROW we're supposed to be there early. WE GOT UP 3 HOURS EARLY FOR NO REASON. Maybe I should have realized, but the note was unclear about the time this morning. It said kindergartners had to be at school at a time earlier than normal. Since yesterday (Monday) was a holiday, I had forgotten that Tuesday is normally an earlier than usual time because we are on a stupid, [insert swear word], block schedule!
I don't think I've complained about it, but have not liked the block schedule all year and now I really don't like it. I could adjust to a block schedule that was M, W, F one way, and T, Th another way, but this schedule is M, W, Th, F one way and Tuesday another way. IT DOESN'T WORK FOR ME. I can't keep track of things. I. Just. Can't. It is too much for me.
Also, school gets out at an odd time. Not 3 pm, not 2:30, not 3:15, but 3:05. WHAT IS UP WITH THAT???? And it starts at an odd time... Not 11:45, not Noon, but somewhere in-between. GOOD GRIEF. THEY ARE TRYING TO DRIVE ME BATTY. IT'S WORKING.
I can't believe my kindergarten daughter's schedule is more complicated than mine. Most likely, I am going to be tired and grumpy today. The real kicker is that we are supposed to be at school early tomorrow. [Insert lots of swear words here.]
I don't think I've complained about it, but have not liked the block schedule all year and now I really don't like it. I could adjust to a block schedule that was M, W, F one way, and T, Th another way, but this schedule is M, W, Th, F one way and Tuesday another way. IT DOESN'T WORK FOR ME. I can't keep track of things. I. Just. Can't. It is too much for me.
Also, school gets out at an odd time. Not 3 pm, not 2:30, not 3:15, but 3:05. WHAT IS UP WITH THAT???? And it starts at an odd time... Not 11:45, not Noon, but somewhere in-between. GOOD GRIEF. THEY ARE TRYING TO DRIVE ME BATTY. IT'S WORKING.
I can't believe my kindergarten daughter's schedule is more complicated than mine. Most likely, I am going to be tired and grumpy today. The real kicker is that we are supposed to be at school early tomorrow. [Insert lots of swear words here.]
Monday, May 26, 2008
Tip of the Day
Lots of little cups of coffee with snack-y goodness are better than one big cup. I drink iced coffee and sip it for hours... I like to snack with it. I think I'm doing it right. When I start to get tired, and I'm done with my iced coffee, I either get more iced coffee or I drink tea. Yippee. Go coffee!
On another note, we had a fun, relaxing weekend. We got together with good friends yesterday. We slept until 10 am all 3 days. It was good. (Most people with small children don't get that! We are night owls!) I am not excited about the time I have to get up tomorrow to get N to school early. (They periodically make all the kindergartners go early, even the afternoon ones,to torment us non-morning folks to bring all of the children together for activities.)
I'm asking N (6) to be quiet so I can finish up this very short post and now N is whispering/singing "Mommy loves silence." I think it's time for me to go.
On another note, we had a fun, relaxing weekend. We got together with good friends yesterday. We slept until 10 am all 3 days. It was good. (Most people with small children don't get that! We are night owls!) I am not excited about the time I have to get up tomorrow to get N to school early. (They periodically make all the kindergartners go early, even the afternoon ones,
I'm asking N (6) to be quiet so I can finish up this very short post and now N is whispering/singing "Mommy loves silence." I think it's time for me to go.
Friday, May 23, 2008
More
B-cat got an antibiotic from the vet yesterday. I swear, after only two pills, he's doing better already. Hopefully, he just had a bit of an infection he couldn't fight by himself. HIs eye isn't watering as much today and he's not sneezing either. I had the vet run some blood tests on him to rule out any nasty stuff (TM).
All B-cat's blood work came back normal except his lymphocytes were slightly elevated. (They were 10,000 and the reference range is 400-7,000.) I was worried about it more until I read this page. (The vet had indicated that it was most likely because of an epinephrine response, but the vet seemed to find it hard to believe that was the case. We'll re-check him later this summer. We should note that the vet had to try several times to find a good vein from which to take the blood. I am sure it was a traumatic experience!)
If this blog had been around when Beloved Kitty was around, you all would be treated to lots of Feline Chronic Renal Failure information. I contemplated going back to school and becoming a nephrologist when Beloved Kitty was sick. I read a great deal about the kidney and the feline and put together what I felt was the best care I could for Beloved Kitty. (I decided I probably didn't want to go become a vet/specialist at this point in my life.)
Did I mention I miss my boy? B-cat reminds me some of Beloved Kitty. Both B-cat and Beloved Kitty are very "puppy" like. A puppy-like kitty is one who loves to be around people, loves to be petted, aren't afraid of noise, and want to PLAY! B-cat isn't as soft as Beloved Kitty was. B-cat is more angular, Beloved Kitty was round, but they are both beautiful black cats. B-cat is N's kitty. Beloved Kitty was my boy.
Oh.... K (4) took some seashells from Preschool today. At first, she said her teacher gave them to her, but it seemed unlikely because the seashells had come home in her pocket and not in a bag. I took them from her, put them in a plastic bag and told her I was calling her teacher to find out if she was supposed to have them. I tried to call the school, but since it's a holiday weekend, everyone had gone quickly!
A few minutes after I did that, K told me that she thought maybe she had taken them and hat maybe she wasn't supposed to have taken them. I thanked her for telling me that and told her what she had done was very wrong, that it was stealing, and that we'd take the seashells back to school and apologize to her teacher. Argh.
I hope from this that K learns it is wrong to take stuff that isn't hers. I don't want to over react, but am I doing enough? Where's that instruction manual?! I plan to speak with K again this weekend about how it was wrong to take the seashells, and have MWH speak with her... What would you do? Have you had to deal with this? Suggestions?
All B-cat's blood work came back normal except his lymphocytes were slightly elevated. (They were 10,000 and the reference range is 400-7,000.) I was worried about it more until I read this page. (The vet had indicated that it was most likely because of an epinephrine response, but the vet seemed to find it hard to believe that was the case. We'll re-check him later this summer. We should note that the vet had to try several times to find a good vein from which to take the blood. I am sure it was a traumatic experience!)
If this blog had been around when Beloved Kitty was around, you all would be treated to lots of Feline Chronic Renal Failure information. I contemplated going back to school and becoming a nephrologist when Beloved Kitty was sick. I read a great deal about the kidney and the feline and put together what I felt was the best care I could for Beloved Kitty. (I decided I probably didn't want to go become a vet/specialist at this point in my life.)
Did I mention I miss my boy? B-cat reminds me some of Beloved Kitty. Both B-cat and Beloved Kitty are very "puppy" like. A puppy-like kitty is one who loves to be around people, loves to be petted, aren't afraid of noise, and want to PLAY! B-cat isn't as soft as Beloved Kitty was. B-cat is more angular, Beloved Kitty was round, but they are both beautiful black cats. B-cat is N's kitty. Beloved Kitty was my boy.
Oh.... K (4) took some seashells from Preschool today. At first, she said her teacher gave them to her, but it seemed unlikely because the seashells had come home in her pocket and not in a bag. I took them from her, put them in a plastic bag and told her I was calling her teacher to find out if she was supposed to have them. I tried to call the school, but since it's a holiday weekend, everyone had gone quickly!
A few minutes after I did that, K told me that she thought maybe she had taken them and hat maybe she wasn't supposed to have taken them. I thanked her for telling me that and told her what she had done was very wrong, that it was stealing, and that we'd take the seashells back to school and apologize to her teacher. Argh.
I hope from this that K learns it is wrong to take stuff that isn't hers. I don't want to over react, but am I doing enough? Where's that instruction manual?! I plan to speak with K again this weekend about how it was wrong to take the seashells, and have MWH speak with her... What would you do? Have you had to deal with this? Suggestions?
Thursday, May 22, 2008
On cue...
I took N (6) and B-cat (N's cat) to the vet today. B-cat has had a cold/runny nose for a while now. We took him to the vet about a month ago and concluded he wasn't that sick, probably a little kitty cold. A month later he's still sneezing and having watery eyes, however, B-cat still has plenty of energy, doesn't look sick, eats well, and seems fine.
[Warning: talk of flying green cat snot ahead, only continue reading if you can handle it.]
The vet is looking at me a little funny, probably trying to decide whether I am being a little over-concerned about our cat. I'm explaining how when he sneezes snot often flies out of his nose. Immediately after I say that, B-cat sneezes and big glob of green kitty snot comes flying out of his nose and lands on the back of my hand.
Perfect timing B-cat!
If the vet had been worried I was being a littlefreaky too worried about our cat and his sneezes, suddenly he gets that I'm worried about a real problem.
[Warning: talk of flying green cat snot ahead, only continue reading if you can handle it.]
The vet is looking at me a little funny, probably trying to decide whether I am being a little over-concerned about our cat. I'm explaining how when he sneezes snot often flies out of his nose. Immediately after I say that, B-cat sneezes and big glob of green kitty snot comes flying out of his nose and lands on the back of my hand.
Perfect timing B-cat!
If the vet had been worried I was being a little
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Weird
All of a sudden, the last week or so, I'm getting a lot of hits with referrals from bloglines from a page that documents a search for "very little girls." If you're coming here looking for pervy pictures, this site isn't for you. If you want to hear Mommy blog stuff, with lots of insanity, then welcome.
If you came here from the above referring page, let me know why suddenly it's become the most popular path to my blog, please?
If you came here from the above referring page, let me know why suddenly it's become the most popular path to my blog, please?
2, 4, 6
Those are the ages right now. I pointed that out to MWH and he and I agree that it sounds better to have two years between each girl than to have 15 months! Soon T will be 3 and soon we'll have 3, 4, 6. That sounds a little crazy to me!
I'm in the midst of planning summer activities for the girls. I have 3 weeks of camps for N (6), swim lessons for all 3, and one week of gymnastics camp for all 3 together.
I have 7 more finals to grade. I have a growing list of things I want to accomplish this summer (I'll share soon). I have a lot of work I hope I get to do with a good friend (PS). I would do any project with her. I got asked to teach at a University (we'll call it OLU)where I've always wanted to teach for the Fall, but I don't think it will work timing-wise (there is some travel involved). It would be amazing if I could and I would learn a lot, but I think I am going to have to say no.... (I am really bad at saying no, but I am pretty sure MWH will help me say no.)
My supervisor has officially left and started at his new job. I am NOT thinking about that.... Lalalalalalalala you can't make me.
I'm in the midst of planning summer activities for the girls. I have 3 weeks of camps for N (6), swim lessons for all 3, and one week of gymnastics camp for all 3 together.
I have 7 more finals to grade. I have a growing list of things I want to accomplish this summer (I'll share soon). I have a lot of work I hope I get to do with a good friend (PS). I would do any project with her. I got asked to teach at a University (we'll call it OLU)where I've always wanted to teach for the Fall, but I don't think it will work timing-wise (there is some travel involved). It would be amazing if I could and I would learn a lot, but I think I am going to have to say no.... (I am really bad at saying no, but I am pretty sure MWH will help me say no.)
My supervisor has officially left and started at his new job. I am NOT thinking about that.... Lalalalalalalala you can't make me.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Nice again
The weather is, and I'm less yell-y! The heat takes a toll and MWH started looking into air conditioners. I asked, "Am I that bad?" He refrained from answering. I think he was scared of me.
What else? We went swimming at the Y and T (2.7) is amazing. She's almost taught herself to swim. She is a total fish. She goes underwater all the time and loves it. I want her to be in the same swim class as K (4). Apparently, with instructor permission we can get her in to the three-year-old class before she is three. I am glad. She'd be way bored in the "baby" class. I'll let you know what happens.
More fun with preschool stuff. They cancelled the summer programs for K and T. I am not happy. I am glad that it will save us money, and glad that N3nny is here, so all told, it's not that bad, but it's annoying.
We're still working on getting a back yard, but it won't be done this summer. I'll have to write up more about it as the process unfolds.
What else? We went swimming at the Y and T (2.7) is amazing. She's almost taught herself to swim. She is a total fish. She goes underwater all the time and loves it. I want her to be in the same swim class as K (4). Apparently, with instructor permission we can get her in to the three-year-old class before she is three. I am glad. She'd be way bored in the "baby" class. I'll let you know what happens.
More fun with preschool stuff. They cancelled the summer programs for K and T. I am not happy. I am glad that it will save us money, and glad that N3nny is here, so all told, it's not that bad, but it's annoying.
We're still working on getting a back yard, but it won't be done this summer. I'll have to write up more about it as the process unfolds.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Did I mention?
Did I mention I get downright CRABBY when it's hot because of this? We're having a mini-heat wave and I'm all yell-y. I wouldn't come bother me. I'd just walk the other way!
Really, almost, and all that
No one, not even me, will be happier when I'm done teaching than T (2.7). She desperately wants a Mommy and T day! All Day! All Mommy, all the time, would be good for her! I'm going to give credit to my friend for the phrase, "She'd crawl back in if she could." Actually she said, "He'd crawl back in if he could," about her first child, but it works better if I change the gendered pronoun.
I LOVE my new computer.... But... always a but... the keyboard is MUCH stiffer than the old computer I had. I miss letters all the time. I am a pretty good and fast typer, so this is bothering me. I do a lot of Instant Messaging, so I fear I look illiterate often... If not illiterate, I look like a bad speller. L, T, and O seem to be the most difficult-to-hit letters.
I'm so glad I documented this! I bet you are too!
My friend Ruth took me up when I had an "Ask me anything" post. She asked....
What do you want for your children?
What do you hope they won't do?
How have you chosen to parent differently than you were parented?
What are you proudest of about your parenting?
Great Questions!
Here goes.
1. What do you want for your children?
I want my girls to be happy. It sounds so simple, but it's true. Of course, I want them to be successful, smart, talented, beautiful women, but mostly I want them to be happy. Besides the overwhelmed part of my life, I am very happy. The one piece of advice that I got in life, that wasn't welcomed at the time, but now I am very glad, was, "Find something you love to do, and then work really hard at it!" The other thing, that is a large part of my happiness, is MWH. He is the yin to my yang, or the yang to my yin....errrr... I'm not very well schooled in Chinese Philosophy, but regardless, we complement each other. (We also compliment each other! Heh.)
Many of my friends and I have been on paths searching for "true happiness." My friend Nino summed it up nicely here.... Make sure you are where you want to be! Another friend we'll see if she is okay with the link or not is also searching for happiness. She has been searching a bit longer than I have been, and I have learned a lot from her and I am so glad she is my friend!
2. What do you hope they won't do?
The usual.... I was and am a "good" girl. For example for me and for them:
No drinking (except for that crazy year in college)
No smoking (except when they made me in theatre class and then I thought I was going to DIE! I hate smoke! I was very bad at smoking and hate that I had to do it in class and NOW, I would refuse, but I was a wimpy 18 or 19-year-old)
No drugs (I have never inhaled, nor have I even seen the stuff)
No cheating (I am so saddened by my students who cheat!)....
What about pre-marital sex, you ask? I hope they wait until they are old enough to make GOOD decisions, have a partner they love, be careful, don't get STDs, and don't get hurt emotionally (yea, right!).
It's kind of funny, another friend (who doesn't have a blog--heck she barely does email) said to me, "I know my kids will have pre-marital sex at some point, probably in high school, I don't think it's bad--of course I won't tell them that...." Then she paused and added..."I would have totally had sex in high school if any one had asked me!" (giggle, giggle!)
3. How have you chosen to parent differently than you were parented?
The way I remember it, my Mom was a lot more strict than I am. My Mom spanked me. My Mom parented in a 1950s style.... Seriously. Her first three children were born in the 50s. I was born much later. I don't spank. I have done some firm grasping and lots of yelling (these things won't be listed under my proud parenting achievements!).... I hope I have done a lot more talking, explaining, and giving them tools to help them regulate their own behavior. The little girls are SPIRITED! SPUNKY! ENERGETIC!
Gee, I wonder where they get it?
Anyway, I think that's the main difference thus far, but I hope my parenting will get MORE different as they get older.... I hope the little girls will feel like they can talk with me about anything. I didn't talk with my Mom about a lot of things, and I was a "good" girl. I didn't talk with her because I felt judged when I tried to talk with her. I never felt like I lived up to her expectations. This may have just been ME, and all me, but it's how I felt. I still do not like to be judged--unless it's positive (as any one wants)! I work really hard on most everything I do because I don't want to disappoint any one. I know I judge, but I really try not to judge. I try to be encouraging and not judgmental.
In the last few years, I've grown to really enjoy my Mom and I no longer feel judged by her. I think she thinks I'm doing an okay job in life now.
4. What are you proudest of about your parenting?
Oh.... this is a HARD one!
I think I'm a good role model for the little girls.
The other day, N (6.25) said, "S_______'s Mom is so weird!" S_______ is a child in her class. S_______'s Mom volunteers in kindergarten, so N does see her and interact with her.
I asked N, "How would you feel if other kids said that about your Mom?" N looked blankly at me. I asked, "Is it nice to call someone weird?" N said, "No." I am working really hard to teach the girls kindness and gentleness in thought and action.... (They are SPIRITED and SPUNKY remember?)
In general, they are very kind and nice. I can't say the word "Hate" or "Stupid" without getting told I'm saying a BAD WORD. They also tell me "ugly" is a bad word.
Other things that make me proud are when they give each other hugs, tell each other they love each other, and they usually play well with each other. They are all fun to talk with and hang with and in general, I'm just proud of them. I love them! That's a BIG part of my job is to be proud of them and love them (or so I see).
By the way, the offer still stands.... Questions welcome! Ask me anything! Especially related to kids and development!
I LOVE my new computer.... But... always a but... the keyboard is MUCH stiffer than the old computer I had. I miss letters all the time. I am a pretty good and fast typer, so this is bothering me. I do a lot of Instant Messaging, so I fear I look illiterate often... If not illiterate, I look like a bad speller. L, T, and O seem to be the most difficult-to-hit letters.
I'm so glad I documented this! I bet you are too!
My friend Ruth took me up when I had an "Ask me anything" post. She asked....
What do you want for your children?
What do you hope they won't do?
How have you chosen to parent differently than you were parented?
What are you proudest of about your parenting?
Great Questions!
Here goes.
1. What do you want for your children?
I want my girls to be happy. It sounds so simple, but it's true. Of course, I want them to be successful, smart, talented, beautiful women, but mostly I want them to be happy. Besides the overwhelmed part of my life, I am very happy. The one piece of advice that I got in life, that wasn't welcomed at the time, but now I am very glad, was, "Find something you love to do, and then work really hard at it!" The other thing, that is a large part of my happiness, is MWH. He is the yin to my yang, or the yang to my yin....errrr... I'm not very well schooled in Chinese Philosophy, but regardless, we complement each other. (We also compliment each other! Heh.)
Many of my friends and I have been on paths searching for "true happiness." My friend Nino summed it up nicely here.... Make sure you are where you want to be! Another friend we'll see if she is okay with the link or not is also searching for happiness. She has been searching a bit longer than I have been, and I have learned a lot from her and I am so glad she is my friend!
2. What do you hope they won't do?
The usual.... I was and am a "good" girl. For example for me and for them:
No drinking (except for that crazy year in college)
No smoking (except when they made me in theatre class and then I thought I was going to DIE! I hate smoke! I was very bad at smoking and hate that I had to do it in class and NOW, I would refuse, but I was a wimpy 18 or 19-year-old)
No drugs (I have never inhaled, nor have I even seen the stuff)
No cheating (I am so saddened by my students who cheat!)....
What about pre-marital sex, you ask? I hope they wait until they are old enough to make GOOD decisions, have a partner they love, be careful, don't get STDs, and don't get hurt emotionally (yea, right!).
It's kind of funny, another friend (who doesn't have a blog--heck she barely does email) said to me, "I know my kids will have pre-marital sex at some point, probably in high school, I don't think it's bad--of course I won't tell them that...." Then she paused and added..."I would have totally had sex in high school if any one had asked me!" (giggle, giggle!)
3. How have you chosen to parent differently than you were parented?
The way I remember it, my Mom was a lot more strict than I am. My Mom spanked me. My Mom parented in a 1950s style.... Seriously. Her first three children were born in the 50s. I was born much later. I don't spank. I have done some firm grasping and lots of yelling (these things won't be listed under my proud parenting achievements!).... I hope I have done a lot more talking, explaining, and giving them tools to help them regulate their own behavior. The little girls are SPIRITED! SPUNKY! ENERGETIC!
Gee, I wonder where they get it?
Anyway, I think that's the main difference thus far, but I hope my parenting will get MORE different as they get older.... I hope the little girls will feel like they can talk with me about anything. I didn't talk with my Mom about a lot of things, and I was a "good" girl. I didn't talk with her because I felt judged when I tried to talk with her. I never felt like I lived up to her expectations. This may have just been ME, and all me, but it's how I felt. I still do not like to be judged--unless it's positive (as any one wants)! I work really hard on most everything I do because I don't want to disappoint any one. I know I judge, but I really try not to judge. I try to be encouraging and not judgmental.
In the last few years, I've grown to really enjoy my Mom and I no longer feel judged by her. I think she thinks I'm doing an okay job in life now.
4. What are you proudest of about your parenting?
Oh.... this is a HARD one!
I think I'm a good role model for the little girls.
The other day, N (6.25) said, "S_______'s Mom is so weird!" S_______ is a child in her class. S_______'s Mom volunteers in kindergarten, so N does see her and interact with her.
I asked N, "How would you feel if other kids said that about your Mom?" N looked blankly at me. I asked, "Is it nice to call someone weird?" N said, "No." I am working really hard to teach the girls kindness and gentleness in thought and action.... (They are SPIRITED and SPUNKY remember?)
In general, they are very kind and nice. I can't say the word "Hate" or "Stupid" without getting told I'm saying a BAD WORD. They also tell me "ugly" is a bad word.
Other things that make me proud are when they give each other hugs, tell each other they love each other, and they usually play well with each other. They are all fun to talk with and hang with and in general, I'm just proud of them. I love them! That's a BIG part of my job is to be proud of them and love them (or so I see).
By the way, the offer still stands.... Questions welcome! Ask me anything! Especially related to kids and development!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
For the record (Class)
I wouldn't give tests if I thought I could get my students to study without them. My students are so, um, boxed in by traditional forms of education that the thought of no test would FREAK them out! They wouldn't feel like they got their money's worth. Thoughts..... Do you think you can learn without tests? How would you feel if you took a college course and didn't have a final exam?
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Blocked
I am having a hard time writing right now because I am very busy thinking about my class and my friend who died. On a positive note, I'm ALMOST done with class! The part that is hard around class is that I'm working on understanding the experience that is teaching and why I am so disappointed by it all. I'll share more about that later. On the sad side of things, I'm not almost done with processing D's death.
Sunday was hard. I think it was good for me to talk with one woman who was VERY close to D (my friend who died). She was probably D's best friend. They had been friends for more than a decade. I asked how she was doing and she replied it was hard, but it has helped her to think about D's death as "just a fact of life."
When she said that, it made me realize I too needed to treat D's death as a fact of life. Often, I find myself thinking it can't be real. I create conversations D and I should be having.... I can maybe do this later, but right now, I do need to realize D is gone and she's not coming back. As sad as that thought makes me, I have to understand and internalize it. It's painful, and I haven't quite done it yet. I'm really good with denial.
I imagine it helps D's best friend to understand D's gone and it is reality because she was at the hospital with D. She got to SEE how sick D was and how she wasn't actually D anymore. I'm sure it was hard, but I am also sure it helped her understand it all better. I never went to the hospital. The family was a bit overwhelmed by all of D's friends. She had so many. D was amazing. She is gone. I miss her. D and I hadn't been friends for that long--just four years--but she was so real and trustworthy. She was refreshing. She is gone. I am sad.
Sunday was hard. I think it was good for me to talk with one woman who was VERY close to D (my friend who died). She was probably D's best friend. They had been friends for more than a decade. I asked how she was doing and she replied it was hard, but it has helped her to think about D's death as "just a fact of life."
When she said that, it made me realize I too needed to treat D's death as a fact of life. Often, I find myself thinking it can't be real. I create conversations D and I should be having.... I can maybe do this later, but right now, I do need to realize D is gone and she's not coming back. As sad as that thought makes me, I have to understand and internalize it. It's painful, and I haven't quite done it yet. I'm really good with denial.
I imagine it helps D's best friend to understand D's gone and it is reality because she was at the hospital with D. She got to SEE how sick D was and how she wasn't actually D anymore. I'm sure it was hard, but I am also sure it helped her understand it all better. I never went to the hospital. The family was a bit overwhelmed by all of D's friends. She had so many. D was amazing. She is gone. I miss her. D and I hadn't been friends for that long--just four years--but she was so real and trustworthy. She was refreshing. She is gone. I am sad.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
OTOH
I know some of my students liked what we did.... They may not have loved me, but they said they were sad class was ending. Who knows... I shouldn't really worry about them any more... I don't really worry about them, but I did learn a lot about trying to improve methods for teaching... It kind of sucks to try new things. I know this... They didn't like it... I can't blame them for not liking new things. A few did. You win some, you lose some. I must focus on the positive!
To my confused students...
Maybe if you attended class, you wouldn't be confused. GRRRR!
In one thing, one student commented on how confused s/he was on answering questions with her group...that we spent too much time doing it. It's funny, s/he NEVER even came to class.... that must be my fault... since s/he didn't like what we were doing, it was his/her right to NOT come and try to figure it out.... I was wasting his/her time.
If I ever want to teach again, remind me how (many) students don't actually want to learn... and remind me how (most) students don't want to do work... and remind me how I like to do both and therefore, I don't make a good teacher. SIGH.
In one thing, one student commented on how confused s/he was on answering questions with her group...that we spent too much time doing it. It's funny, s/he NEVER even came to class.... that must be my fault... since s/he didn't like what we were doing, it was his/her right to NOT come and try to figure it out.... I was wasting his/her time.
If I ever want to teach again, remind me how (many) students don't actually want to learn... and remind me how (most) students don't want to do work... and remind me how I like to do both and therefore, I don't make a good teacher. SIGH.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mother's Day
The little girls were cute and MWH was wonderful (as per his name). It was a tough day, we went to a Memorial even for my friend and I'll tell you more about it later. I'm pretty emotionally spent.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Coffee
N (6.25) did a very funny impression of me before and after I've had my coffee. Heh.
Sent via my BlackBerry
Sent via my BlackBerry
3 + 2*
Three more papers to read to be done with the "first pass" of grading. Really the first pass is the most significant pass. I read, I comment, and I make initial grade assignments (on a sticky). In the second pass, I really only check the papers I wasn't quite sure about.... However, this time, in my second pass this time I have to go through their evaluation of their paper (should be easy I hope and give them points for that). I have pretty good papers... I think there's only a couple of C papers... Mostly A and B ones. I'm thrilled... Oh, and one F ... the one who plagiarized.
What was she thinking???
I get to fill out plagiarism papers and turn them in on Monday. Fun fun.
Yesterday, I got to see a dear friend from college. I can't believe how LONG it's been since college. Good grief! I am old. It was lots of fun talking with her. I wish she lived closer. I really don't keep in touch with many friends from college... Only 2 or so on a regular basis (where regular basis equals more than once a year--am I pathetic or what?).
T (2.7) can spell her name. She's been doing that since right around the time she turned 2 I think.... Maybe 2.25, whenever, it's been a while. Tonight, I asked her how to spell her name and she spelled it WRONG.... Then she cracked up laughing. She was making a joke! To me, this is an exciting cognitive development.
Since the end of the school year is approaching, N (6) was tested by her teacher to see how she is reading. N is reading at the level expected by the end of first grade (N is in kindergarten)! YAY! We'll keep working over the summer. I'm thrilled she's a year ahead in her reading abilities. When a child falls behind in reading it has many negative ripple-effects through the academic career.
I'm so looking forward to my class being over, but I will miss a couple of things.... 1) I'll miss learning from the articles my students find. They often find NEW articles I haven't seen before, 2) they are often researching topics I wouldn't choose to research myself so I learn new things that I wouldn't seek out and find. 3) I'll miss the student who LIKE to learn. The ones who are really trying. It is fun to see them make progress!
Because of worrying how I'm going to miss out on the diversity of articles, MWH and I have decided to have article discussion nights. How geeky are we? We have to figure out the details, but maybe we'll each suggest an article and then read it and discuss... Maybe we'll take different weeks.... I will get to keep learning! In case you missed it, here's what MWH shared with me the other night. The genome of the platypus has been sequenced. How cool is that? A reptile-mammal... or a mammal-reptile, or a u-mammile (unique+mammal+reptile)?
*3+2 is the title because at first I thought I only had three topics to discuss, but then I had two more.... I wanted three in the title to indicate how many more papers I have to grade. There you go. Bonus topics!
What was she thinking???
I get to fill out plagiarism papers and turn them in on Monday. Fun fun.
Yesterday, I got to see a dear friend from college. I can't believe how LONG it's been since college. Good grief! I am old. It was lots of fun talking with her. I wish she lived closer. I really don't keep in touch with many friends from college... Only 2 or so on a regular basis (where regular basis equals more than once a year--am I pathetic or what?).
T (2.7) can spell her name. She's been doing that since right around the time she turned 2 I think.... Maybe 2.25, whenever, it's been a while. Tonight, I asked her how to spell her name and she spelled it WRONG.... Then she cracked up laughing. She was making a joke! To me, this is an exciting cognitive development.
Since the end of the school year is approaching, N (6) was tested by her teacher to see how she is reading. N is reading at the level expected by the end of first grade (N is in kindergarten)! YAY! We'll keep working over the summer. I'm thrilled she's a year ahead in her reading abilities. When a child falls behind in reading it has many negative ripple-effects through the academic career.
I'm so looking forward to my class being over, but I will miss a couple of things.... 1) I'll miss learning from the articles my students find. They often find NEW articles I haven't seen before, 2) they are often researching topics I wouldn't choose to research myself so I learn new things that I wouldn't seek out and find. 3) I'll miss the student who LIKE to learn. The ones who are really trying. It is fun to see them make progress!
Because of worrying how I'm going to miss out on the diversity of articles, MWH and I have decided to have article discussion nights. How geeky are we? We have to figure out the details, but maybe we'll each suggest an article and then read it and discuss... Maybe we'll take different weeks.... I will get to keep learning! In case you missed it, here's what MWH shared with me the other night. The genome of the platypus has been sequenced. How cool is that? A reptile-mammal... or a mammal-reptile, or a u-mammile (unique+mammal+reptile)?
*3+2 is the title because at first I thought I only had three topics to discuss, but then I had two more.... I wanted three in the title to indicate how many more papers I have to grade. There you go. Bonus topics!
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
If I get the energy...
I should discuss:
1. My jaw. My stress and my jaw... they are linked. Every day, my jaw HURTS. I'm working to figure it out. More on this later.
2. My back. T (2.7) is over 30 pounds and I'm going to have to stop carrying her. She doesn't want me to stop. My back needs me to stop.
3. I can now do MORE THAN 10 push-ups at a time in a set! For the longest time getting to 10 was all I could do, but now I can do sets of 12. Woo-hoo! I'm talking"BOY" push-ups... you know, legs straight. Maybe someday, I'll be able to do the kind of push-up you clap in between them. Or maybe I'll put one of the girls on my back and do push-ups...or maybe I'll do one-handed push-ups. Heh.
4. T is climbing out of her crib sometimes ... in too... We won't move her to a bed until the climbing gets to be a problem. It's not yet, but this documents she can do it.
5. New kitty is sleeping with N (6.25) some now. I love that N has a kitty to love. I think it's so important to have a pet. I love all that I learned. New kitty lets all the girls carry him around and he LOVES them. It's beautiful.
6. Measure twice, cut once... N measured (used a measuring tape) as she made a hat for K! Cool! New strategy! Impressive!.... I am not sure if N measured K's head or her own head, but still cool.
7. K (almost 4) got a cold last week. She stayed home from school ALL week last week. She went yesterday (M)... Today she has a bad ear ache and stayed home and slept most of the day. I didn't take her to the doctor. We're doing Motrin for the pain. We'll see how she is tomorrow. I don't like to have to do antibiotics. Of course, if she needs them, we'll do them, but she seems pretty good right now.
8. I'm tired and overwhelmed. I was up some in the middle of the night with K. I'm not used to getting up in the middle of the night. It is really hard when you're not used to it.
9. New kitty has scratched my new leather couch. He is no longer allowed on any of the leather furniture. I am going to have to find some kind of repair kit. Sigh. It's not horrible, but you can see it. If you have any experience with this, let me know.
10. I can't wait until my class is over.
1. My jaw. My stress and my jaw... they are linked. Every day, my jaw HURTS. I'm working to figure it out. More on this later.
2. My back. T (2.7) is over 30 pounds and I'm going to have to stop carrying her. She doesn't want me to stop. My back needs me to stop.
3. I can now do MORE THAN 10 push-ups at a time in a set! For the longest time getting to 10 was all I could do, but now I can do sets of 12. Woo-hoo! I'm talking"BOY" push-ups... you know, legs straight. Maybe someday, I'll be able to do the kind of push-up you clap in between them. Or maybe I'll put one of the girls on my back and do push-ups...or maybe I'll do one-handed push-ups. Heh.
4. T is climbing out of her crib sometimes ... in too... We won't move her to a bed until the climbing gets to be a problem. It's not yet, but this documents she can do it.
5. New kitty is sleeping with N (6.25) some now. I love that N has a kitty to love. I think it's so important to have a pet. I love all that I learned. New kitty lets all the girls carry him around and he LOVES them. It's beautiful.
6. Measure twice, cut once... N measured (used a measuring tape) as she made a hat for K! Cool! New strategy! Impressive!.... I am not sure if N measured K's head or her own head, but still cool.
7. K (almost 4) got a cold last week. She stayed home from school ALL week last week. She went yesterday (M)... Today she has a bad ear ache and stayed home and slept most of the day. I didn't take her to the doctor. We're doing Motrin for the pain. We'll see how she is tomorrow. I don't like to have to do antibiotics. Of course, if she needs them, we'll do them, but she seems pretty good right now.
8. I'm tired and overwhelmed. I was up some in the middle of the night with K. I'm not used to getting up in the middle of the night. It is really hard when you're not used to it.
9. New kitty has scratched my new leather couch. He is no longer allowed on any of the leather furniture. I am going to have to find some kind of repair kit. Sigh. It's not horrible, but you can see it. If you have any experience with this, let me know.
10. I can't wait until my class is over.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Questions Welcome!
I'm still in grading-land, but I wanted to ask if you had any questions for me!
You can ask anything*. I know sometimes I start a thread and then don't tell you what happens... You can also ask anything about child development (since I know something about it from both a theoretical and practical side and since it's kind of the blog's focus).
*It may take a while to answer, but I will eventually!
You can ask anything*. I know sometimes I start a thread and then don't tell you what happens... You can also ask anything about child development (since I know something about it from both a theoretical and practical side and since it's kind of the blog's focus).
*It may take a while to answer, but I will eventually!
Sunday, May 04, 2008
MWH
He truly is! He makes me smile and laugh. He is smart and loving. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea... I am lucky!
Sent via my BlackBerry
Sent via my BlackBerry
It will be good
It will be so good when I'm done teaching. You know, if you hit yourself in the head with a hammer, it feels so good when you stop! At least for a while... I so look forward to being able to hang with the little girls and not feel like I have 7,000 other things to do. I know I will still have other things I need to do, but I won't have as many, and they won't be as pressing. Teaching takes up a lot of time because 1) semesters are short, 2) there are a lot of students and only one of me and 3) I am trying new things they haven't done before so I have to support these activities a lot.
Only a little more. Thank goodness!
On another note, a student who worked hard on her paper, but had a tendency to copy and paste from the articles she was reading, worked REALLY hard and put the paper into her own words. I was thrilled when I read her paper. Yippee. She did great.
Only a little more. Thank goodness!
On another note, a student who worked hard on her paper, but had a tendency to copy and paste from the articles she was reading, worked REALLY hard and put the paper into her own words. I was thrilled when I read her paper. Yippee. She did great.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Again...
If you're six, and you're still crying about the toys you left outside a few years ago, I say, GET OVER IT.
Am I mean?
Am I mean?
Little things!
One of the groups in my class, a group of two students who certainly didn't start out as the best students just emailed me answers to their question from a chapter and asked for feedback so they could make their answer better!
Woo-hoo! It's the little things that mean so much!
Woo-hoo! It's the little things that mean so much!
Serious
I have a student who wrote a terrific paper. I actually have several who did a great job, but I'm going to focus on one particular student here.
The student worked hard. I was worried initially, because this student was repeating the course, but this student WANTED to work. I'd get lots of emails from the student to clarify an understanding of issues related to the topic of the paper. Upon the student's request, I sat down and went through one of the papers that he picked to use as a resource. It was a tough paper. I even wrote 2-3 sentences to model how to explain things for the student. The student used my words. (We discussed it. It's okay. We joked that not all professors will write papers for students... ) If a student wants to make an effort, I will sit with them and support their learning. I wouldn't have written things for the student if the student hadn't also been making an effort.
The student worked hard from the beginning of the course, kept up with the schedule and was really open to learning*.
Anyway, from the "final draft" to the final paper, the student added in MORE information! The student didn't do just a correction of the existing paper, but thought about what might be missing and added NEW, NOVEL information. You have no idea how exciting this is to a researcher type! I am so thrilled I could cry. Reading this student's paper was a beautiful way to start my day!
*This is in contrast to the student who was so closed to criticism, it was ridiculous. I get that she was working hard, but she wasn't doing very good work. I was trying to get her to think about things to make her life easier and her work better, but she wouldn't take anything from me. She HATED it when I made suggestions. Note to self: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
The student worked hard. I was worried initially, because this student was repeating the course, but this student WANTED to work. I'd get lots of emails from the student to clarify an understanding of issues related to the topic of the paper. Upon the student's request, I sat down and went through one of the papers that he picked to use as a resource. It was a tough paper. I even wrote 2-3 sentences to model how to explain things for the student. The student used my words. (We discussed it. It's okay. We joked that not all professors will write papers for students... ) If a student wants to make an effort, I will sit with them and support their learning. I wouldn't have written things for the student if the student hadn't also been making an effort.
The student worked hard from the beginning of the course, kept up with the schedule and was really open to learning*.
Anyway, from the "final draft" to the final paper, the student added in MORE information! The student didn't do just a correction of the existing paper, but thought about what might be missing and added NEW, NOVEL information. You have no idea how exciting this is to a researcher type! I am so thrilled I could cry. Reading this student's paper was a beautiful way to start my day!
*This is in contrast to the student who was so closed to criticism, it was ridiculous. I get that she was working hard, but she wasn't doing very good work. I was trying to get her to think about things to make her life easier and her work better, but she wouldn't take anything from me. She HATED it when I made suggestions. Note to self: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
Friday, May 02, 2008
I had...
I had a bunch of things to blog about earlier today and now I have forgotten. How did I blog so much the last 2.5 years? How come I can't seem to create a post anymore? I am really hoping when my class is over that I will be able to blog again. I do feel completely overwhelmed by my class. I have learned a lot about teaching. I am sad to learn that I don't want to do it again--especially at [local state] university. When I started there, I was so excited. Now, I just feel drained.
On another note, today was gymnastics! Kindergarten (me volunteering)! Hanging with two friends! An interview (well sort of) of a person we'd like to hire! Hanging with the girls! Grading papers. I want to write about that, but I don't know what to say and it feels odd to write about it right now.
Only a couple more weeks of class.
On another note, today was gymnastics! Kindergarten (me volunteering)! Hanging with two friends! An interview (well sort of) of a person we'd like to hire! Hanging with the girls! Grading papers. I want to write about that, but I don't know what to say and it feels odd to write about it right now.
Only a couple more weeks of class.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
7 years ago...
Can you believe it? I can't! My six-year-old is so cool.
Lots of posts are running through my head, but I have 8 pounds of term papers to grade. It was all good until the student who was late in turning in her term paper turned it in today--very plagiarized. Oh well, I can't blame any one but the student for that. And, soon I will be done teaching.
Oh, K (almost 4!!!) has the croup... She's almost over it, but today included a little SGR girl action. Sigh.
Sorry I am so boring... Ask me a question, tell me a joke, or something in my comments. I am feeling bleh.
Lots of posts are running through my head, but I have 8 pounds of term papers to grade. It was all good until the student who was late in turning in her term paper turned it in today--very plagiarized. Oh well, I can't blame any one but the student for that. And, soon I will be done teaching.
Oh, K (almost 4!!!) has the croup... She's almost over it, but today included a little SGR girl action. Sigh.
Sorry I am so boring... Ask me a question, tell me a joke, or something in my comments. I am feeling bleh.
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