Why do we nest? (I absolutely love that this uncontrollable urge to clean and cosy is called nesting; it conjures up wonderful images of birds creating masterpieces in trees, wooden swaddles for their eggs.) The mother needs to provide a warm, comforting home for her new baby. I'm also convinced it helps get labor going. This urge could have happened a month ago and it would have been a lot easier; scrubbing floors at 39 weeks is not plain sailing. Nature is a smart lady. Today I have swept and mopped the playroom floor, done the laundry, swept and oiled both staircases, vacuumed the rugs, filled all soap dispensers, organized a baby kitchen cupboard for bottles, pumps, pacifiers, etc., cleaned the kitchen cabinets and scoured the sink. Also, showered, shaved, and tweezed myself. Oh, and went on two dog walks and drove to South Philly to pick up Mexican take away.
Does this mean labour is imminent? Quite possibly.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Thursday, October 06, 2011
38 weeks and 2 days. This little man is staying where he is for the time being. I am feeling remarkably calm about the birth and the baby. I may be in denial. Months of breast feeding, pumping, juggling toddler, baby, dog, mother and husband are ahead of me. Mmm, still feeling calm and overwhelmingly content.
I can't help but love my life right now. Today, for example, we were home bound as yesterday Rose threw up her stomach contents at music class. There is nothing like having a bra full of half digested kiwi and curdled milk. Instead of going to story time, we tidied and rearranged "Nonnie's room", harvested and hung up lavender and sage, made shape cards, and walked in the beautiful October sunshine. Brent came home and we ate homemade squash soup, homemade coleslaw and grilled cheese sandwiches on homemade bread. I'm now knitting Brent's jumper while the baby excerisies his limbs. I'm living a dream.
Here is a photo of Rose moments after spontaneously getting out her mat and showing Brent her new shape cards. Yay montessori!
I can't help but love my life right now. Today, for example, we were home bound as yesterday Rose threw up her stomach contents at music class. There is nothing like having a bra full of half digested kiwi and curdled milk. Instead of going to story time, we tidied and rearranged "Nonnie's room", harvested and hung up lavender and sage, made shape cards, and walked in the beautiful October sunshine. Brent came home and we ate homemade squash soup, homemade coleslaw and grilled cheese sandwiches on homemade bread. I'm now knitting Brent's jumper while the baby excerisies his limbs. I'm living a dream.
Here is a photo of Rose moments after spontaneously getting out her mat and showing Brent her new shape cards. Yay montessori!
Monday, October 03, 2011
Montessori Reboot
I downloaded a Montessori at Home guide today and I am remotivated. I have been searching for this document for months - a simple step by step guide telling me exactly how to implement Montessori techniques into my home and activities to use. I spent nap time reading the intro pages and these were some quotes I picked out:
So today we made a rice tub together and she spent 20 minutes pouring rice from a container into a funnel. We need to work on the clean up, but I am filled with Montessori love again.
This week we are going to be sorting colours, tossing balls, sponging water, and naming shapes. I will post pictures of our prepared environment and our works as we develop them.
"A significant feature of Dr. Montessori’s materials is the way in which each one takes a specific skill or bit of knowledge from the world and isolates that information in an attractive, self-contained activity" p. 13There is no reason to bombard children with singing and dancing stimulus. I know I hate to have too much going on.
"By age six or seven, the foundations of the brain’s nerve architecture have been formed. A young child that experiences a variety of learning experiences in a loving, stable, low-stress environment, develops a brain with more active nerve connections and improved brain architecture."The years between birth and seven are critical to the person the child will become. The implies giving a child a stressful, loveless environment develops a brain with poor architecture. So so sad.
"A child with a great brain who does not believe in himself will not achieve his full potential. A child with an average brain who has great confidence in her ability to master new tasks has a much better chance of success. A well developed brain, partnered with a positive self image, is a dynamic combination that allows a child to unlock their true potential."Self confidence is suggested to be more important than knowing how to read and write. I think this is a wonderful theory. My overwhelming desire for my children is to know themselves, like themselves, and be confident in themselves. Can I say this about myself? I'm not so sure. Can I, therefore, help my children feel this about themselves? We will see.
Young children do not acquire a positive self image because we pamper them, repeatedly tell them they are smart and great, or constantly ask them, “How does that make you feel?” What makes young children confident is mastering actual skills and learning useful information. This makes them feel competent and in control of their environment. When a young child has a series of successes with learning activities a positive self-image becomes integrated into their personality. Along with your unconditional love, this is probably the greatest lifetime gift you can give your child. p. 16Amen.
Home learning should be a series of positive, fun experiences of exploration and discovery. The process is what is important, not finishing as soon as possible. Early learning activities should develop a love of learning in young children. Be patient, be positive, and encourage your child’s efforts.This is something I have to work on. I need to let them lead and explore without interference from me. I'm definitely getting better with the patience part - toddler speed is slow, but when you consider what is happening in her brain when she is doing something as supposedly simple as pouring rice from one container to another, that is a great achievement for a day.
It is vital to remember that young children do not by nature share our sense of the need to do better than anyone else. They are each involved in their own process of development. That is what we should focus on.Yes yes yes!
So today we made a rice tub together and she spent 20 minutes pouring rice from a container into a funnel. We need to work on the clean up, but I am filled with Montessori love again.
This week we are going to be sorting colours, tossing balls, sponging water, and naming shapes. I will post pictures of our prepared environment and our works as we develop them.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sales
I have sold two Giver novel units on teacherpayteachers. I beleive I have made $12 but it feels good and is incredibly motivational. Maybe I should do more?? I have been working on a test prep powerpoint, but it is painful. My thought was it woud sell. But maybe I should work on stuff I actually enjoy doing. It's just a hell of a lot of work for two sales. I'm going to wait for five sales and then move on to another book. The current bestseller is the Hunger Games - maybe I should do novel units on new popular novels instead of the older classic YA texts. mmmm, but first I will have another baby and figure out if I have enough time and energy to eat and sleep.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
acupuncture trial
Rose is having a week of melt-downs. Music class ended early with me getting a waterbottle slammed into my teeth, yesterday she spent a good five minutes crying on the front step because she didn;t want to walk up and today, at Please Touch, she lay on the floor screaming becaue she didn;t want an apple. I think the answer is more food. All these melt downs seem to happen mid-morning. She wakes up and has a bottle and then very little breakfast. By 10.00am she needs a substantial snack, which in the last week we haven;t been having. My plan is to get more breakfast in the little madame and hopefully we can avoid apples being flung across the floor of the Please Touch Museum.
I had my first taste of acupuncture today. The right side of my bottom is taking the brunt of the baby and has been painful for months now. In the last couple of weeks, I've had some stop and gather moments with pain shooting down my leg. I learned the acupuncture cost $15 and decided to give it a go. It was a very pleasant experience, once you get past the idea of twenty small needles sticking in your limbs, face and head. It is a communal approach to alternative medicine with everyone needled and reclining in chairs in the same room. The lights are low and the air conditioning buzzes. I was encouraged to stay as long as I wanted and make eye contact with a member of staff when I felt "done". A couple of the needles hurt as they went in, but the pain disappeared just as quickly. I was able to close my eyes and almost relax - I found it a little hard to completely give in due to the tiny needles and the two and a half hour nap I had taken two hours before. The woman next to me was snoring. Four hours later and I am pain free. We will see if that is still the case in the morning. Does it really work or is it all in my head?
I had my first taste of acupuncture today. The right side of my bottom is taking the brunt of the baby and has been painful for months now. In the last couple of weeks, I've had some stop and gather moments with pain shooting down my leg. I learned the acupuncture cost $15 and decided to give it a go. It was a very pleasant experience, once you get past the idea of twenty small needles sticking in your limbs, face and head. It is a communal approach to alternative medicine with everyone needled and reclining in chairs in the same room. The lights are low and the air conditioning buzzes. I was encouraged to stay as long as I wanted and make eye contact with a member of staff when I felt "done". A couple of the needles hurt as they went in, but the pain disappeared just as quickly. I was able to close my eyes and almost relax - I found it a little hard to completely give in due to the tiny needles and the two and a half hour nap I had taken two hours before. The woman next to me was snoring. Four hours later and I am pain free. We will see if that is still the case in the morning. Does it really work or is it all in my head?
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
One month to go
My memory has never been great; my memories of school are spotty and I regularly nod along as people reminisce about past events I was involved with but can;t really remember. As R. grows and this little man is about to make his appearance I am resolved to prop up my crummy memory with writing and photos. I'm definitely a visual learner, maybe I'm a visual rememberer as well.
Today's reminisce: I've been slacking on changing the Montessori works in the playroom so rallyed myself (after an hour nap) to create some more. The web has exploded with examples since the beginning of school and I really don't have to be creative, I just have to copy. I spent thirty minutes creating four new "works": a pouring activity with dried beans, a spooning activity with pompoms, a slotting activity with straws and an old yogurt pot and an open/close activity with various bags. R. explored the pompoms and the beans. I repeatedly reinforced the mat and keeping everything in one place, I feel like I will be doing this for a while. So all was good, and then B. came home. I'm making dinner and he complained about having pasta again, then we had the following conversation
"Are these from the packet of beans I bought this weekend?" (shouted from the playroom to the kitchen
"Yes, I used two tablespoons. Why, do you need me to go and buy you more?"
"Yes I do"
DICK. What a dick thing to say. Here are my problems with this dick thing to say. 1. I have used some beans that would have sat in the cupboard for months before he got around to making anything. 2. They are dried beans. 3. If something has happened during the day, there is no reason to snap at me about beans. Urgh. Maybe it's time for some alone time.
Today's reminisce: I've been slacking on changing the Montessori works in the playroom so rallyed myself (after an hour nap) to create some more. The web has exploded with examples since the beginning of school and I really don't have to be creative, I just have to copy. I spent thirty minutes creating four new "works": a pouring activity with dried beans, a spooning activity with pompoms, a slotting activity with straws and an old yogurt pot and an open/close activity with various bags. R. explored the pompoms and the beans. I repeatedly reinforced the mat and keeping everything in one place, I feel like I will be doing this for a while. So all was good, and then B. came home. I'm making dinner and he complained about having pasta again, then we had the following conversation
"Are these from the packet of beans I bought this weekend?" (shouted from the playroom to the kitchen
"Yes, I used two tablespoons. Why, do you need me to go and buy you more?"
"Yes I do"
DICK. What a dick thing to say. Here are my problems with this dick thing to say. 1. I have used some beans that would have sat in the cupboard for months before he got around to making anything. 2. They are dried beans. 3. If something has happened during the day, there is no reason to snap at me about beans. Urgh. Maybe it's time for some alone time.
Friday, July 29, 2011
The end of teaching: A gratitude journal
An hour ago I taught my final summer school class. I have had a great four weeks teaching 30 7th graders and now I'm all done. Ahead is a couple of years of being a Mum with Rose and our little guy, not being in a classroom. I don't know whether I will ever be in a classroom again. I'm at the end of a five year adventure and amazingly I feel sad.
Teaching gratitude
1. Not quitting in the first year. Looking back, I was in an insane position. I knew nothing about teaching, middle school students, kids in Philadelphia and I was in front of three classes of over 40 students. I remember my academy lead coming in my room in October and yelling "You've got to stop that hollering!". But, in March, she came back, sat down and said "You have turned it around, you have done a 180."
2. Lasting five years. There have been so many evenings and weekends where I have trawled job advertisements for anything other than teaching. I have cried while planning and woken up in panics night after night after night. I lost almost 15 pounds in my first year. The job is all consuming, and I'm very proud of myself for doing it.
3. Making the decision to leave. There are things about it I hate, but there are some things I like and I think I am good at. But, at this point in my life I am going to focus on my kids. I am going to be a Mum who can go to the playgroups, help at nursery school, read to them every day, make Montessori toys. I'm going to be a Mum for my kids. When they are at school, then I can decide whether to go back.
Teaching, so long for now. I may see you again.
Teaching gratitude
1. Not quitting in the first year. Looking back, I was in an insane position. I knew nothing about teaching, middle school students, kids in Philadelphia and I was in front of three classes of over 40 students. I remember my academy lead coming in my room in October and yelling "You've got to stop that hollering!". But, in March, she came back, sat down and said "You have turned it around, you have done a 180."
2. Lasting five years. There have been so many evenings and weekends where I have trawled job advertisements for anything other than teaching. I have cried while planning and woken up in panics night after night after night. I lost almost 15 pounds in my first year. The job is all consuming, and I'm very proud of myself for doing it.
3. Making the decision to leave. There are things about it I hate, but there are some things I like and I think I am good at. But, at this point in my life I am going to focus on my kids. I am going to be a Mum who can go to the playgroups, help at nursery school, read to them every day, make Montessori toys. I'm going to be a Mum for my kids. When they are at school, then I can decide whether to go back.
Teaching, so long for now. I may see you again.
Gratitude Journal #13
An hour ago I taught my final summer school class. I have had a great four weeks teaching 30 7th graders and now I'm all done. Ahead is a couple of years of being a Mum with Rose and our little guy, not being in a classroom. I don't know whether I will ever be in a classroom again. I'm at the end of a five year adventure and amazingly I feel sad.
Teaching gratitude
1. Not quitting in the first year. Looking back, I was in an insane position. I knew nothing about teaching, middle school students, kids in Philadelphia and I was in front of three classes of over 40 students. I remember my academy lead coming in my room in October and yelling "You've got to stop that hollering!". But, in March, she came back, sat down and said "You have turned it around, you have done a 180."
2. Lasting five years. There have been so many evenings and weekends where I have trawled job advertisements for anything other than teaching. I have cried while planning and woken up in panics night after night after night. I lost almost 15 pounds in my first year. The job is all consuming, and I'm very proud of myself for doing it.
3. Making the decision to leave. There are things about it I hate, but there are some things I like and I think I am good at. But, at this point in my life I am going to focus on my kids. I am going to be a Mum who can go to the playgroups, help at nursery school, read to them every day, make Montessori toys. I'm going to be a Mum for my kids. When they are at school, then I can decide whether to go back.
Teaching, so long for now. I may see you again.
Teaching gratitude
1. Not quitting in the first year. Looking back, I was in an insane position. I knew nothing about teaching, middle school students, kids in Philadelphia and I was in front of three classes of over 40 students. I remember my academy lead coming in my room in October and yelling "You've got to stop that hollering!". But, in March, she came back, sat down and said "You have turned it around, you have done a 180."
2. Lasting five years. There have been so many evenings and weekends where I have trawled job advertisements for anything other than teaching. I have cried while planning and woken up in panics night after night after night. I lost almost 15 pounds in my first year. The job is all consuming, and I'm very proud of myself for doing it.
3. Making the decision to leave. There are things about it I hate, but there are some things I like and I think I am good at. But, at this point in my life I am going to focus on my kids. I am going to be a Mum who can go to the playgroups, help at nursery school, read to them every day, make Montessori toys. I'm going to be a Mum for my kids. When they are at school, then I can decide whether to go back.
Teaching, so long for now. I may see you again.
Friday, July 01, 2011
Gratitude Journal 13
1. watching my little girl become more and more independent. I'm very gradually becoming surplus to requirements.
2. ice cold water
3. putting my knitting projects on facebook. I had put it off for days with worries about seeming very nerdy, but I'm enjoying creating these projects and I want to show them off!
I'm sitting in the playroom floor. Next to me, Rose has been threading wooden beads onto a shoestring for fifteen engrossed minutes. It is an absolute pleasure to watch her. I have been worried about her being too clinging, needing me every second of the day. I'm seeing her discover her own interests and curiosities. And, it seems like I may actually be able to do something else while she is playing. I'm writing this, and she is playing around me. I feel a mixture of joy at her growing maturity and relief about my own growing personal space.
2. ice cold water
3. putting my knitting projects on facebook. I had put it off for days with worries about seeming very nerdy, but I'm enjoying creating these projects and I want to show them off!
I'm sitting in the playroom floor. Next to me, Rose has been threading wooden beads onto a shoestring for fifteen engrossed minutes. It is an absolute pleasure to watch her. I have been worried about her being too clinging, needing me every second of the day. I'm seeing her discover her own interests and curiosities. And, it seems like I may actually be able to do something else while she is playing. I'm writing this, and she is playing around me. I feel a mixture of joy at her growing maturity and relief about my own growing personal space.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Gratitude Journal 12
1. driving for an hour to spend four hours at the beach.
2. carrot cake
3. watching my little girl investigate her world.
Here is a run down of Rose's last half hour of the evening:
7.00pm picks up "baby", "doggie", large baby blanket, and two yellow tea towels in the dining room. Drops one tea towel. Bends down to pick up blanket and drops "doggie"
7.01pm Daddy: "Can I help you?"
Rose: "Yes," Daddy picks up fallen tea towel and "doggie." "Daddy help, daddy help"
Rose and Daddy come through to living room.
7.02pm. Rose drops all toys and accessories and walks to playroom to get "baby's stroller". Pushes stroller past toys, through dining room and into kitchen. Parks stroller in center of kitchen floor.
7.03pm Runs to living room to pick up "baby", "doggie" and all towels. Drops one towel.Bends down to pick up blanket and drops "baby" Manages to pick up everything and walk over to stroller.
7.04pm Places all toys and towels into stroller and wheels whole lot though to living room.
7.05pm Dumps all contents of stroller onto the rug. I'm able to grab her long enough to pull down shorts and pull off t-shirt.
7.06pm Rose lies down to have her nappy changed. "Nappy off." New nappy goes on with some wiggling.
7.07pm Jumps up and grabs dirty nappy (all neatly folded (!)). "Tash, tash" Trots to kitchen, but looks back at me unsure. Trots back through house and throws dirty nappy into trash in the playroom.
7.08pm. Grabs "baby". "Up, up" Daddy pulls Rose onto couch. "Baby shoe" Rose clambers back of couch and retrieves a tiny pink baby shoe from the floor. "Up, up" Gets back on the couch and holds shoe out to Daddy. Daddy replaces shoe. Rose climbs over Daddy, up onto the arm of the couch and reaches for the lamp switch.
7.09pm - 7.11pm On and off, on and off, on and off. Looking back at me with the biggest smile each time.
7.12pm Minor fall off couch, crawls over to me, tries to put on night dress, gets a little frustrated, goes back to Daddy.
7.13pm "Up, up" Clambers back over Dad, stepping on some delicate parts. Reaches for lamp.
7.14pm - 7.16pm On, off, on, off, on, off. Reaches for my knitting. "No, that's Mummy's special box. Mummy's knitting" "Mummy's night-night" "No, Mummy's knitting."
7.17pm I lie down and try to stretch out my back. "Mummy?" Rose climbs down and put "baby" and "doggie" on my tummy.
7.18pm Rose climbs on as well.
7.19pm- 7.21pm I lift Rose up and we do some flying.
7.22pm "More fly?" "Oh no, I can't fly anymore." I try to make my escape to the couch.
7.23pm with "baby" and one towel in arms, "Up,up" Climbs on couch and buries herself in a corner with cushions.
7.24pm "Rose are you ready to go night night?" "No, no" with vigorous head shaking. Clambers over me and hides behind two more pillows.
7.25pm - 7.26pm "Rose, time to put on monkey (ie green nightdress with monkey on the front)" "No, no" Holds out her hands "jump jump" and begins her awesome non-jumping jumping. Now has a sweaty head.
7.27pm "Five more minutes" I set my watch to go off three minutes later. "More jump"
7.28pm - 7.29pm Jumping, losing baby, finding baby, jumping, standing on edge of couch and light switch on and offing.
7.30pm Timer goes off. "Mummy, mummy" watch button pushing. "Time to go to bed" Grabbed by Daddy. "Night night Mummy, night night Gus." "Bye Mummy"
I adored every single stinking minute of it.
2. carrot cake
3. watching my little girl investigate her world.
Here is a run down of Rose's last half hour of the evening:
7.00pm picks up "baby", "doggie", large baby blanket, and two yellow tea towels in the dining room. Drops one tea towel. Bends down to pick up blanket and drops "doggie"
7.01pm Daddy: "Can I help you?"
Rose: "Yes," Daddy picks up fallen tea towel and "doggie." "Daddy help, daddy help"
Rose and Daddy come through to living room.
7.02pm. Rose drops all toys and accessories and walks to playroom to get "baby's stroller". Pushes stroller past toys, through dining room and into kitchen. Parks stroller in center of kitchen floor.
7.03pm Runs to living room to pick up "baby", "doggie" and all towels. Drops one towel.Bends down to pick up blanket and drops "baby" Manages to pick up everything and walk over to stroller.
7.04pm Places all toys and towels into stroller and wheels whole lot though to living room.
7.05pm Dumps all contents of stroller onto the rug. I'm able to grab her long enough to pull down shorts and pull off t-shirt.
7.06pm Rose lies down to have her nappy changed. "Nappy off." New nappy goes on with some wiggling.
7.07pm Jumps up and grabs dirty nappy (all neatly folded (!)). "Tash, tash" Trots to kitchen, but looks back at me unsure. Trots back through house and throws dirty nappy into trash in the playroom.
7.08pm. Grabs "baby". "Up, up" Daddy pulls Rose onto couch. "Baby shoe" Rose clambers back of couch and retrieves a tiny pink baby shoe from the floor. "Up, up" Gets back on the couch and holds shoe out to Daddy. Daddy replaces shoe. Rose climbs over Daddy, up onto the arm of the couch and reaches for the lamp switch.
7.09pm - 7.11pm On and off, on and off, on and off. Looking back at me with the biggest smile each time.
7.12pm Minor fall off couch, crawls over to me, tries to put on night dress, gets a little frustrated, goes back to Daddy.
7.13pm "Up, up" Clambers back over Dad, stepping on some delicate parts. Reaches for lamp.
7.14pm - 7.16pm On, off, on, off, on, off. Reaches for my knitting. "No, that's Mummy's special box. Mummy's knitting" "Mummy's night-night" "No, Mummy's knitting."
7.17pm I lie down and try to stretch out my back. "Mummy?" Rose climbs down and put "baby" and "doggie" on my tummy.
7.18pm Rose climbs on as well.
7.19pm- 7.21pm I lift Rose up and we do some flying.
7.22pm "More fly?" "Oh no, I can't fly anymore." I try to make my escape to the couch.
7.23pm with "baby" and one towel in arms, "Up,up" Climbs on couch and buries herself in a corner with cushions.
7.24pm "Rose are you ready to go night night?" "No, no" with vigorous head shaking. Clambers over me and hides behind two more pillows.
7.25pm - 7.26pm "Rose, time to put on monkey (ie green nightdress with monkey on the front)" "No, no" Holds out her hands "jump jump" and begins her awesome non-jumping jumping. Now has a sweaty head.
7.27pm "Five more minutes" I set my watch to go off three minutes later. "More jump"
7.28pm - 7.29pm Jumping, losing baby, finding baby, jumping, standing on edge of couch and light switch on and offing.
7.30pm Timer goes off. "Mummy, mummy" watch button pushing. "Time to go to bed" Grabbed by Daddy. "Night night Mummy, night night Gus." "Bye Mummy"
I adored every single stinking minute of it.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Gratitude Journal 11
1. reading the moving, inspirational bool "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie. "I think all of us are always five years old in the presence or absence of our parents." (p. 157)
2. being a part of Shoemaker's first senior graduation. However much I bitterly complain about teaching, I felt real pride watching the students get their diplomas and being a member of the teaching staff.
3. air conditioning!
2. being a part of Shoemaker's first senior graduation. However much I bitterly complain about teaching, I felt real pride watching the students get their diplomas and being a member of the teaching staff.
3. air conditioning!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
gratitude journal #10
1. making a friend happy by planning a hen party.
2. celebrating a very low key father's day with my low key husband
3. caramel filled chocolates
I hosted a hen party for E last night. Entertaining is a stomach churning experience. Will people come? Do I have enough food/drinks? Is the food edible? Will people enjoy themselves? What do I do with the dog/daughter? Urgh, no wonder caterers and butlers exist. Needless to say, the night was a success - I think. E got wonderfully tipsy surrounded by friends wearing dollar-store leis. She did not, however hard I tried, cry at any point of the evening. The girl is made of stone. Her fiance broke down in tears on screen for God's sake. The night ended at 1.00am after three hours of full-throated karaoke singing. Sitting here on a Sunday evening after a nap, bath and tea, I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself. If only I could have enjoyed some of the champagne with them all.
Today is Father's day. B is notorious for not wanted to celebrate himself in any way whatsoever - birthdays, work achievements and definitely not father's day. He just said, "I'm still skeptical on this whole Father's Day thing. Aren't they just doing what they should be doing?" I get his point, all of these days (mother's day, secretary's day, bin man's day) seem a little over the top, but underneath all the cards and balloons the purpose is to celebrate and thank the essential people in your life. The people who are doing what they should be doing each and every day. They all deserve a great big thank you and couple of hours to do whatever they want to do. Unfortunately, I can't do that for my father, but I don;t even want to go there right now.
2. celebrating a very low key father's day with my low key husband
3. caramel filled chocolates
I hosted a hen party for E last night. Entertaining is a stomach churning experience. Will people come? Do I have enough food/drinks? Is the food edible? Will people enjoy themselves? What do I do with the dog/daughter? Urgh, no wonder caterers and butlers exist. Needless to say, the night was a success - I think. E got wonderfully tipsy surrounded by friends wearing dollar-store leis. She did not, however hard I tried, cry at any point of the evening. The girl is made of stone. Her fiance broke down in tears on screen for God's sake. The night ended at 1.00am after three hours of full-throated karaoke singing. Sitting here on a Sunday evening after a nap, bath and tea, I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself. If only I could have enjoyed some of the champagne with them all.
Today is Father's day. B is notorious for not wanted to celebrate himself in any way whatsoever - birthdays, work achievements and definitely not father's day. He just said, "I'm still skeptical on this whole Father's Day thing. Aren't they just doing what they should be doing?" I get his point, all of these days (mother's day, secretary's day, bin man's day) seem a little over the top, but underneath all the cards and balloons the purpose is to celebrate and thank the essential people in your life. The people who are doing what they should be doing each and every day. They all deserve a great big thank you and couple of hours to do whatever they want to do. Unfortunately, I can't do that for my father, but I don;t even want to go there right now.
Friday, June 03, 2011
gratitude journal 9
1. having a healthy, growing, jiving baby boy
2. getting a great haircut for only $16
3. opening the windows to let in a spring breeze
2. getting a great haircut for only $16
3. opening the windows to let in a spring breeze
Monday, May 23, 2011
gratitude journal 8
1. not living in a tornado zone. Over 100 people were killed in Joplin, MO last night by a tornado that "sat" on the town.
2. potentially having a public school option for R. by the time she gets to kindergarten.
3. bring a cardigan to work today. My skirt split up to my bum - my baby bump is starting to fight back.
2. potentially having a public school option for R. by the time she gets to kindergarten.
3. bring a cardigan to work today. My skirt split up to my bum - my baby bump is starting to fight back.
Friday, May 20, 2011
gratitude journal 7
1. baking a successful sponge cake after reading the recipe carefully and buying scales and the correct sized tins.
2. walking around the block with my toddler and dog.
3. chatting about birth plans with my husband and debating the question is child birth more painful than crucifixion.
2. walking around the block with my toddler and dog.
3. chatting about birth plans with my husband and debating the question is child birth more painful than crucifixion.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
super cling
R and i went to a small playgroup this morning. There were five or six other children there. She left my lap for maybe five minutes of the two hours we were there. She cried when another child came near her, whined when another child touched the toy she was playing with and moaned when another child interacted with me. She sat on a blanket during snack time, but needed me immediately behind her. All of the other children were happy to interact together and move away from their parents. I have a super shy, clingy little girl. Is it shyness or insecurity? Is it me? I know that she plays with other children while she is in nursery. Maybe it is a combination of both. Both B and I were shy children, and even now social events intimidate me. When I am home, I always play closely with her. Also, maybe I just need to accept her timid temperament. But I want her to be secure enough with herself and her situation to venture off on her own.
After getting home from playgroup feeling embarrassed and a little saddened by R's behaviour, I opened my email to see my weekly "your child this week" email. The main article was about "what to do when my toddler won't leave my side at the playground". It seems I am not alone in dealing with the super cling. The advice is to not overwhelm the child with too many people (I don;t thing five or six other kids is too overwhelming), to praise any act of independence ("wow, you just went down the slide all by yourself, what a big girl" and to feign exhaustion (pretend I'm too tired to play and she should play on her own). All of these seem totally appropriate and worth giving a whirl.
Obviously, R. is an observer, not a jump in without thinking child. I value and respect that quality. But as a mother, I want to to get the most out of everything and I'm saddened, and a little embarrassed, when she moans and clings when another child comes into her personal space. My first thought after leaving playgroup today was to not return. This, I now realize, is ridiculous. It is a safe and secure environment and we need to keep going, for R and for me. All parents want their children to need them, I just want my child to need me a little less.
After getting home from playgroup feeling embarrassed and a little saddened by R's behaviour, I opened my email to see my weekly "your child this week" email. The main article was about "what to do when my toddler won't leave my side at the playground". It seems I am not alone in dealing with the super cling. The advice is to not overwhelm the child with too many people (I don;t thing five or six other kids is too overwhelming), to praise any act of independence ("wow, you just went down the slide all by yourself, what a big girl" and to feign exhaustion (pretend I'm too tired to play and she should play on her own). All of these seem totally appropriate and worth giving a whirl.
Obviously, R. is an observer, not a jump in without thinking child. I value and respect that quality. But as a mother, I want to to get the most out of everything and I'm saddened, and a little embarrassed, when she moans and clings when another child comes into her personal space. My first thought after leaving playgroup today was to not return. This, I now realize, is ridiculous. It is a safe and secure environment and we need to keep going, for R and for me. All parents want their children to need them, I just want my child to need me a little less.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
gratitude journal 6
1. vertical bouncing rain
2. baking and eating the third rhubarb crumble (with cream) in two weeks
3. hugging my husband on the playground as R. plays on the slide
I read an article yesterday about the steady decline of home cooking, but the steady increase in spending on kitchen gadgets. The author described her grandmother, a lady who provided a homemade desert for every lunch and dinner of her married life. This inspired me, could I follow in this ladies footsteps? I lifted Delia's hefty "How to Cook" down from the cupboard and turned to the "Cake and Biscuits for Beginners" chapter. My baking appetite was aroused even further with this, "A cake is a symbol of love and friendship - if someone actually goes to the trouble of baking a cake specially for family and friends, they can't fail to feel spoiled and cared for." (Delia Smith, Book of Cakes (1977) Before I embark on my baking journal I need to improve my apparatus, according to Delia. Apparently perfect cakes are not going to happen by lazily attempting to convert metric weights into imperial weights using our blue plastic cups and going with the one-size-fits-all cake tin I have in my cupboard. To Amazon I go to buy an accurate scale and correctly sized tin, then I will be making "A Classic Sponge Cake (with mixed fruit filling).
2. baking and eating the third rhubarb crumble (with cream) in two weeks
3. hugging my husband on the playground as R. plays on the slide
I read an article yesterday about the steady decline of home cooking, but the steady increase in spending on kitchen gadgets. The author described her grandmother, a lady who provided a homemade desert for every lunch and dinner of her married life. This inspired me, could I follow in this ladies footsteps? I lifted Delia's hefty "How to Cook" down from the cupboard and turned to the "Cake and Biscuits for Beginners" chapter. My baking appetite was aroused even further with this, "A cake is a symbol of love and friendship - if someone actually goes to the trouble of baking a cake specially for family and friends, they can't fail to feel spoiled and cared for." (Delia Smith, Book of Cakes (1977) Before I embark on my baking journal I need to improve my apparatus, according to Delia. Apparently perfect cakes are not going to happen by lazily attempting to convert metric weights into imperial weights using our blue plastic cups and going with the one-size-fits-all cake tin I have in my cupboard. To Amazon I go to buy an accurate scale and correctly sized tin, then I will be making "A Classic Sponge Cake (with mixed fruit filling).
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
gratitude journal 5
1. smelling the lilac bush as I was up the front steps
2. having a strangely shaped cervix and not abnormal, possibly cancerous, cervical cells.
3. a family who are honestly concerned about me
2. having a strangely shaped cervix and not abnormal, possibly cancerous, cervical cells.
3. a family who are honestly concerned about me
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
gratitude journal 4
1. Rose was unhurt in car accident.
2. Baby was unhurt in car accident.
3. I was unhurt in car accident.
2. Baby was unhurt in car accident.
3. I was unhurt in car accident.
Monday, May 09, 2011
Recess
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/09/exercise.for.kids/index.html
Imagine all employers banning coffee breaks, chats with colleagues and occasional off task surfing. Imagine employees being mandated to stay seated at their desks for over six hours completing high pressured tasks with minimal talking. Imagine the only daily break being a thirty minute lunch of sub-quality food and assigned seating. Imagine going home with a further three to five hours of work due for the next day. This imagined scenario is a return to England before the Factory Act of 1844.
This is not an imagined situation or a look back in time; this is the reality of an increasing number of school children in this country. How have the priorities of education become so fundamentally wrong? How can we honestly think a child with 30 minutes of semi-free time is going to concentrate, let alone interact, analyze and synthesize the lessons of the day? Why do we expect that child to behave? How can we expect that child to learn? The brain needs breaks. How can we deprive our children of this?
Imagine all employers banning coffee breaks, chats with colleagues and occasional off task surfing. Imagine employees being mandated to stay seated at their desks for over six hours completing high pressured tasks with minimal talking. Imagine the only daily break being a thirty minute lunch of sub-quality food and assigned seating. Imagine going home with a further three to five hours of work due for the next day. This imagined scenario is a return to England before the Factory Act of 1844.
This is not an imagined situation or a look back in time; this is the reality of an increasing number of school children in this country. How have the priorities of education become so fundamentally wrong? How can we honestly think a child with 30 minutes of semi-free time is going to concentrate, let alone interact, analyze and synthesize the lessons of the day? Why do we expect that child to behave? How can we expect that child to learn? The brain needs breaks. How can we deprive our children of this?
Recess
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/09/exercise.for.kids/index.html
Imagine all employers banning coffee breaks, chats with colleagues and occasional off task surfing. Imagine employees being mandated to stay seated at their desks for over six hours completing high pressured tasks with minimal talking. Imagine the only daily break being a thirty minute lunch of sub-quality food and assigned seating. Imagine going home with a further three to five hours of work due for the next day. This imagined scenario is a return to England before the Factory Act of 1844.
This is not an imagined situation or a look back in time; this is the reality of an increasing number of school children in this country. How have the priorities of education become so fundamentally wrong? How can we honestly think a child with 30 minutes of semi-free time is going to concentrate, let alone interact, analyze and synthesize the lessons of the day? Why do we expect that child to behave? How can we expect that child to learn? The brain needs breaks. How can we deprive our children of this?
Imagine all employers banning coffee breaks, chats with colleagues and occasional off task surfing. Imagine employees being mandated to stay seated at their desks for over six hours completing high pressured tasks with minimal talking. Imagine the only daily break being a thirty minute lunch of sub-quality food and assigned seating. Imagine going home with a further three to five hours of work due for the next day. This imagined scenario is a return to England before the Factory Act of 1844.
This is not an imagined situation or a look back in time; this is the reality of an increasing number of school children in this country. How have the priorities of education become so fundamentally wrong? How can we honestly think a child with 30 minutes of semi-free time is going to concentrate, let alone interact, analyze and synthesize the lessons of the day? Why do we expect that child to behave? How can we expect that child to learn? The brain needs breaks. How can we deprive our children of this?
Gratitude Journal 3
1. Reading Olympics coming to a successful end
2. getting into PJs at the end of a work day
3. having lots of options (sometimes)
2. getting into PJs at the end of a work day
3. having lots of options (sometimes)
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Gratitude journal 2
1. a cup of tea when my head hurts
2. wool socks
3. having lunch with friends on a work day
2. wool socks
3. having lunch with friends on a work day
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Gratitude Journal 1
Three things I am grateful for today:
1. Watching seeds become seedlings
2. Being unable to do up my jeans because of my growing baby
3. knowing R will happily go to bed at 7.00 and I will have the evening with B
"Weigh up your life once a year. If you find you are getting short weight, change your life. You will usually find that the solution lies in your own hands" Robertson Davis from Authentic Happiness p. 82
1. Watching seeds become seedlings
2. Being unable to do up my jeans because of my growing baby
3. knowing R will happily go to bed at 7.00 and I will have the evening with B
"Weigh up your life once a year. If you find you are getting short weight, change your life. You will usually find that the solution lies in your own hands" Robertson Davis from Authentic Happiness p. 82
Situation Room 05/01 2011
The gesture and expression of Hillary is so telling of gender differences. You assume the screen is showing a moment of high drama (they may be watching the moment bin Laden was shot and the men passively watch while Hillary holds her hand to her face. Fascinating.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Quote Journal #2 Raising Children
"Raising children, I knew now, was far more than fixing what was wrong with them. It was about identifying and amplifying their strengths and virtues, and helping them find the niche where they can live these positive traits to the fullest." (p. 28, Authentic Happiness by Marty Seligman)
Monday, April 25, 2011
Afghanistan Great Escape
Article about Afghanistan Great Escape
Last prisoner in the wing had spent three and a half hours watching 300 fellow inmates remove prison uniforms, shoes and turbans, enter the tunnel and walk to freedom. He stopped and listened. No snoring or shouting, nothing. The wing was empty. He grinned. His future was bleak, fighting, dying or more prison was his assumption, but this moment was sweet.
Last prisoner in the wing had spent three and a half hours watching 300 fellow inmates remove prison uniforms, shoes and turbans, enter the tunnel and walk to freedom. He stopped and listened. No snoring or shouting, nothing. The wing was empty. He grinned. His future was bleak, fighting, dying or more prison was his assumption, but this moment was sweet.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
British cruise ship passenger dies after being dropped into North Sea
British cruise ship passenger dies after being dropped into North Sea
Janet Richardson, 73, who was being carried off the ship on a stretcher, dies after falling into sub-zero ocean
* David Batty and agencies
* guardian.co.uk, Saturday 23 April 2011 16.34 BST
A British tourist who fell into the North Sea in sub-zero conditions as she was being carried on a stretcher off a cruise ship has died.
Janet Richardson, 73, from near Penrith, Cumbria, was taken ill on the Ocean Countess and fell into the sea while being stretchered onto a rescue vessel. She spent eight minutes in the water before being rescued and taken to hospital in Norway.
The grandmother died on Thursday evening at Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle.
Richardson had begun to suffer internal bleeding on the voyage from Hull to Norway on a trip to see the Northern Lights with her husband George, 78.
The captain of the Ocean Countess, operated by UK company Cruise and Maritime Voyages, had called for a rescue boat to take her to hospital.
However, while the rescue teams were moving her on a stretcher to a rescue boat, she fell into the sea – which was about -3C at the time. The incident is under investigation by the cruise company and the Norwegian rescue authorities.
She was eventually transported to hospital in Bodø, Norway, accompanied by her husband, who remained by her bedside for several days before she was airlifted to Cumberland infirmary.
In a statement, North Cumbria University Hospitals said: "It is with regret that Mrs Janet Richardson passed away on Thursday evening, 21 April. Respecting the family's wishes, we have no further comment at this time."
What are the Northern Lights? What do they signify for people?
Why did the couple make the trip? Special occasion - wedding anniversary, second honeymoon, recovering from illness
Description of the boat
Why would you be bleeding internally?
Janet Richardson, 73, who was being carried off the ship on a stretcher, dies after falling into sub-zero ocean
* David Batty and agencies
* guardian.co.uk, Saturday 23 April 2011 16.34 BST
A British tourist who fell into the North Sea in sub-zero conditions as she was being carried on a stretcher off a cruise ship has died.
Janet Richardson, 73, from near Penrith, Cumbria, was taken ill on the Ocean Countess and fell into the sea while being stretchered onto a rescue vessel. She spent eight minutes in the water before being rescued and taken to hospital in Norway.
The grandmother died on Thursday evening at Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle.
Richardson had begun to suffer internal bleeding on the voyage from Hull to Norway on a trip to see the Northern Lights with her husband George, 78.
The captain of the Ocean Countess, operated by UK company Cruise and Maritime Voyages, had called for a rescue boat to take her to hospital.
However, while the rescue teams were moving her on a stretcher to a rescue boat, she fell into the sea – which was about -3C at the time. The incident is under investigation by the cruise company and the Norwegian rescue authorities.
She was eventually transported to hospital in Bodø, Norway, accompanied by her husband, who remained by her bedside for several days before she was airlifted to Cumberland infirmary.
In a statement, North Cumbria University Hospitals said: "It is with regret that Mrs Janet Richardson passed away on Thursday evening, 21 April. Respecting the family's wishes, we have no further comment at this time."
What are the Northern Lights? What do they signify for people?
Why did the couple make the trip? Special occasion - wedding anniversary, second honeymoon, recovering from illness
Description of the boat
Why would you be bleeding internally?
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
down the shore
Wildwood. A place I will never visit again. The weekend before Easter may not, admittedly, display Wildwood at its best, but really its best might eek out a position slightly above Sunderland on a January morning for worst holiday destination. Downtown boasted shuttered restaurants thanking you for "the great season" and real estate offices pleading for custom. But most unnervingly, there were no other people. We had driven into a scene of "The Walking Dead"; I kept wanting to scan the rooftops for survivors. Even the hotel's car park was frightening as it contained our car, the manager's car and one other forlorn vehicle, possibly a lost soul from "the great season".
The middle-aged manageress huddled in her winter jacket peered curiously at us at check in.
"Why would you come down now?" She asked incredulously.
Leaving the deafening heating unit blasting warm air into our room, we ventured to the boardwalk, the symbol of American beach holidays. Traditionally, visitors stroll down the wooden parallel pier with the glistening beach on one side and a smorgasbord of arcades, candy floss, tacky souvenirs, and, inexplicably, Christmas decorations on the other. On previous shore trips. I've enjoyed hours of tacky, cheesy fun at the boardwalk; on this trip, our visit lasted maybe five minutes. The only open establishments were two body piercing and tattoos parlors. A couple of "walking dead" extras glared at us from gloomy doorways.
Luckily, the delightfully quaint island of Cape May was open for business and only four miles from Wildwood. We spent a lovely 36 hours climbing the lighthouse, putting our toes in the ocean, buying earrings made of wood and pressed flowers, gorging on crustaceans and feeding the goats the zoo. Returning to Wildwood was like visiting a slightly-off aunt who was once an attractive young woman, in the right light, but the years had been cruel to her.
The middle-aged manageress huddled in her winter jacket peered curiously at us at check in.
"Why would you come down now?" She asked incredulously.
Leaving the deafening heating unit blasting warm air into our room, we ventured to the boardwalk, the symbol of American beach holidays. Traditionally, visitors stroll down the wooden parallel pier with the glistening beach on one side and a smorgasbord of arcades, candy floss, tacky souvenirs, and, inexplicably, Christmas decorations on the other. On previous shore trips. I've enjoyed hours of tacky, cheesy fun at the boardwalk; on this trip, our visit lasted maybe five minutes. The only open establishments were two body piercing and tattoos parlors. A couple of "walking dead" extras glared at us from gloomy doorways.
Luckily, the delightfully quaint island of Cape May was open for business and only four miles from Wildwood. We spent a lovely 36 hours climbing the lighthouse, putting our toes in the ocean, buying earrings made of wood and pressed flowers, gorging on crustaceans and feeding the goats the zoo. Returning to Wildwood was like visiting a slightly-off aunt who was once an attractive young woman, in the right light, but the years had been cruel to her.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
31st March 2011 quote
Five years into teaching and heading out, forever or for a while, I would like everyone who questions any aspect of the profession to try it for a week. Try waking up at 5.00 every morning to get to school hours before the kids, head home hours after the kids have left to spend hours preparing for the next day. Try battling a combusting photocopier to make your days copies, your lifelines. Try quieting thirty sugar-high, hormonal, distracted teenagers for long enough to teach your lesson. Try dealing calmly with gum chewing, secret texting, calling out, nasty comments, and outright disrespect. Try calling frustrated, exhausted or antagonistic parents. Try grading piles of assignments and inputting grades by 8.00am on Monday. Just try, just for a week.
"If we want to understand how much teachers are worth, we should remember how much we were formed by our own schooldays. Good teaching helps make productive and fully realized adults — a result that won’t show up in each semester’s test scores and statistics.
That’s easy to forget, as budget battles rage and teacher performance is viewed through the cold metrics of the balance sheet. While the love of literature and confidence I gained from Ms. Leibfried’s class shaped my career and my life, after only four short years at Hibbing High School, she was laid off because of budget cuts, and never taught again."
from
What I Learned at School
By MARIE MYUNG-OK LEE
Published: March 30, 2011
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