A whole week

...of teaching this week! After a 4-day week, followed by a 3-day week, this is going to seem like a long one! Oh well...only 2 days next week :)

Yahooooooooooo! I've lost 5% of my body weight! I thought for sure that I'd lose nothing or even gain something, especially after eating out a couple times and having a shot of Jack Daniels with honey for my sore throat. When I got sick, I stopped exercising, too. The gal who weighed me told me to be careful this week because it sometimes takes a few days for our indiscretions to catch up with us. When I hit 10% weight loss, I'll be almost at my goal weight, so I'm not going to let up now...

Short week...

Tomorrow is the last teaching day this week...Thursday is Veteran's Day and Friday is a furlough day (without pay)...one of five this year. I'm looking forward to this because I really want to get a little ahead on lesson planning and homework before the holidays are upon us.

Good news! I lost another pound! That brings me up to almost 7 and allows me to fit into a couple pairs of pants that had gotten too snug. I am looking forward to having those same pants get baggy! My weight hasn't been this low in some time, and it feels good!

Off to do homework...

Market of Choice

We spent an hour here today, slowly walking through each aisle and marveling at the selection...and the prices! Yikes! A 6 oz container of cultured coconut millk (like yogurt, I presume, since it was located in the yogurt section) that was priced over $2.00! I'd be afraid to try it for fear that I loved it. Very nice wine and cheese selection...fresh sushi....and a dessert section that we had to walk past quickly.

Interesting place...and a nice break from my reading...over 100 pages assigned this week! I'd better get back to it!

November...

...already! Oh my gosh...did we skip October?

The first nine weeks of school is over, and Friday was grading day. Actually, I got my grades finished Thursday night, so I was able to spend Friday morning with lesson planning activities. I got most of it finished up (which reminds me, I need to write a letter of support for a local Rotary student of the month). This means that I get to spend most of my weekend working to get ahead in this week's homework...yippee!

Last night, we went out to dinner with Kevin's girlfriend's family...parents John and Karen and brother Brandon. A very nice family and it was great to meet them and talk about the old days of HP. John and Karen both work there, though they started after we both left.

An extra hour of sleep tomorrow...or perhaps I'll use that hour to send out Thanksgiving invitations and begin to plan dinner. I'm not sure what we'll do with the menu this year...perhaps I'll see if I can lighten some of the menu items, but there are a couple that one just doesn't mess with...like rolls with BUTTER and stuffing (though I'll use whole wheat bread in it) that contains BUTTER!

One final thanks to the powers that be for allowing Kevin to get through the whole football season unscathed. We are really enjoying having him home for dinner for a couple months!

Yahoo!

I've lost 5.6 pounds in 3 week on Weight Watchers...and Bill is losing weight along with me! We're eating healthy and smaller portions, too...and not starving ourselves. Hopefully this is a lifestyle change for us.

If you want a low-cal snack that is tasty...take a couple tablespoons of Frito-Lay bean dip, a couple tablespoons of fat free sour cream (I like this a lot, and thought it would be awful!), and a couple of tablespoons of salsa...layer them like a dip. Cut mushrooms into slices and use them as your "chips"....SO yummy! And you're welcome :)

Is it worth it?

I got home Friday night and turned in an assignment that was due and then decided to look at what was coming up for the next week. I broke down in tears as I realized that I would need to get the paper due Saturday done on Friday night so that I could do lesson planning all day Saturday and start next week's class work on Sunday. Kevin had an away game Friday night and I wanted to go watch it, but felt immense stress about all my looming work. I finally decided to stay home and do homework and watched as Bill and Ashlee (Kevin's girlfriend) left for the game.

The good news is that the paper came together quickly and I was able to upload it to my class web page without some of the issues I'd experienced in previous terms. I looked at my watch and decided that I could still make most of the game. I drove the hour north and walked in only half an hour late. Philomath lost, but I'm still so glad I made it.

I've been looking at friend's Facebooks posts of weekend activities...trips to see fall leaves, people cheering on their college teams, the mention of a harvest moon (though I don't know how they saw it through the rain and clouds), home projects (heaven knows our landscaping could use some TLC). I guess there is something to be said for making progress toward a goal, but I think I need more balance in my life.

Is a master's degree worth all this? Can I make it through six more of these classes? I'm starting to wonder...

A Busy Week...

Monday found me in Portland working for the state of Oregon. I was one of about 50 people who was looking at the new Common Core State Standards to see how they matched up with Oregon. I got up at 4 to get to Portland before the traffic hit and got home about 6...long day!

Tuesday was my weigh in for Weight Watchers. I'm hoping to shed at least 20 pounds. Tracking the points is a bit tiresome and I'm evaluating this program in terms of things I can live with long term. We're finding some great lo-cal recipes this way! I just made a white chicken chili recipe that is awesome! Even Kevin loved it. It was supposed to make 8 servings. After Kevin and Bill helped themselves, there was about 3 servings left.

Speaking of Kevin, his team won their first football game last Thursday! Kevin recovered a fumble and had a great game!

Class is, as usual, kicking my butt. Though I didn't like having to go to a 4 week end-of-summer class on campus at OSU, I had the equivalent of 1 week of homework in an online class during that 4 weeks...and I got an A. This class is the first in a series of three that culminate in my capstone project (which will be presented during my oral comps).

Speaking of which, I'd better get back to it...

Whew!

I finished my Geometry class and have now started on the next class. This is the first in a series of three classes in which I design (and implement, I believe) a professional development activity in my school or district. It's a bit overwhelming, but I know I'll get through it.

In my spare time, I've been appointed to a panel that compares the math standards in the state of Oregon to those of the Common Core Standards being proposed for adoption. Our findings will go to the state board of education and they will make the final decision about whether we will join with as many as 47 other states in adopting these standards.

And in the spare time I have left, I'm joining Weight Watchers! It's a new part of our health benefit package. Our premiums are rising since teachers are a high stress, overweight group. This seems like a great proactive thing to do to ameliorate the overweight part. We have over 20 staff members in our district who are signing up. This is my last week of unhealthy eating and I'm making sure I'm doing it right by eating all the junk I can! :)

It's been a while...

Busy times...Jon and Courtney moved to Kennewick, WA and then turned around and came right back so that Jon could (successfully) defend his master's thesis. They will be heading back today to get settled in and Jon starts his new job next Monday. Exciting times for them!

Teaching school and taking night classes has been hectic. Classes go from 6 - 9 and when I get home, I can't sleep right away. This week and next week will be especially tough, as there are three classes a week and very little time for homework in between. The good news is that the homework isn't too grueling; much less work than online classes. Speaking of online classes, another one will start the week after I finish this class. More good news (sorta) is that I'm officially halfway through my master's degree. Only "sorta" good news because it seems like it's taken me forever to get to this point. Only one forever left :)

Kevin's first (and final) game

This picture was taken right after Kevin (#11) got laid out by some big mean player on the other team. I was happy when he came home on the bus instead of going somewhere else in an ambulance. I think he can be done with football now, right Kevin? I don't think I can take watching that sort of thing again.

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Thursday night...I just finished my homework...and I have NO class until Tuesday! Assuming I spend one day this weekend on lesson planning, that means I have a full two-day weekend to do things I want to do! I sure hope the weather is going to be nice. The yard could use some attention.

I spent a good part of the summer learning to write lesson plans that centered around teaching math with spreadsheets. So I go to the computer lab with my 8th graders today to do a simple one. First off, the IT guy decided that we all needed to change our passwords, even the kids. It takes the first class a while to work through that. Then for some reason, the computers ran slower than usual (which is pretty slow to begin with). No kidding, the first couple periods, about half the kids weren't able to get in so they had to buddy up while I tried to figure out what was going on. By the 4th time we went in, I got all but three running the program I wanted. Geez...frustrating for both the kids and me. The IT guy is aware of the problem and is trying to fix it, but I won't be going back until we can all log in within a reasonable period of time.

Kevin's 1st day of school as a senior

Hard to believe that this is the last picture we'll take on the first day of school...it went so fast!

Oh my gosh...

my legs are sore! Standing on my feet all day after having sat for much of the last 3 months is quite a change for my old bones! I'm already ready for a weekend.

The first day of school went well, though the downside of "looping" with the kids is that they aren't sitting there afraid to speak the first week. Indeed, they were quite social...especially my class of 31. I only have one class of 7th graders whose names I need to learn--the rest I already know except for the odd "new kid" in the other classes.

And now I'm off to do more homework. I started my latest class--Learning and Teaching Geometry--last night. Though it's not an online course, I can already tell that I'm not going to have to work quite as hard as I have been. However, if anyone wants to help me prove that if the area and perimeter of two rectangles are the same, they have the same length and width, please do contact me!

Relaxing Saturday

I was hoping to sleep in this morning, as it's the last time I really would get to do so before the school year began. Nope...eyes popped open at 5:30! Oh well...it is probably for the best and I'll be a better person for it next week :)

I did get some lesson planning done today, which was good. I think I'm in good shape for the start of school. I also got to go watch Kevin's football scrimmage. I arrived just in time to see him catch a touchdown pass...wahoo! Tomorrow is grocery shopping, bottling wine for a friend, and having Kevin's senior pictures taken...and a few family ones as well. A nice relaxing end to a good summer...

The final days of summer vacation...

As I sit here drinking a nice glass of red wine, looking out the window at what has been a gorgeous day, I consider how fast the summer has flown by. Much of the summer has been spent in front of the computer, completing the requirements for a class...and my yard reflects that.

Though today was a non-contract teacher's day, I was at work all morning. I got a lot done, which was good, but I long for a relaxing summer spent on personal projects. I needed to work today in order to have lesson plans done far enough in advance to make it through the next month. I start ANOTHER class on Monday...not an online class, but a scheduled one in which I need to have my butt in the chair at a specifiied time. It only lasts a month, which is good news and bad news. Good news that it's short. Bad news that 10 weeks of "normal" classes are packed into that time, which means I'm going to be very busy. More good news in that this class marks the halfway point of my master's degree...the end will start to approach!

Kevin's senior pictures get taken this weekend, and perhaps some family pictures as well. It's hard to believe that my baby is a senior. Or to contemplate what he has added to our family. Again, time flies.

Tomorrow will bring more lesson planning...but until then, I'm gonna relax!

This tickled my funny bone!

I know I posted this on Facebook, but I want to be able to refer back to it...funny video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLZY2AW8EfI

A beginning

My uncle Robert publishes a family newsletter called "The Malcom Monitor" for my mom's side of the family. It's not only interesting, it provides some family history for future generations. The purpose of my blog isn't the same. I'm not sure yet what it's purpose is, but I'm sure that will develop as I go along. I don't anticipate that I'll post on a regular basis; sometimes I'll get a few posts a week. Other times it will be a week or two between posts.

The picture is of MOST of my family. I'll get another one on here that shows Courtney and Jon. The rest of us went to Boston this summer and this picture was taken in Boston Common. We had a great time on the trip.

This week I headed back to school. No kids in class yet, but lots of meetings and preparatory activities. The 7th and 8th graders will start on Tuesday and I'm eager to see them and hear about their summers. On top of this, I start a class on Monday; three days a week for 2.5 hours per class. It will last a month and will ensure that I have no extra time in my schedule. Arg! I'll be so glad when the master's degree is finished!

OK, that's it for the first blog. More to come later...