I didn’t plan it, I promise!

15 April 2011, 8:41 am by Giggles
Categories: Education

Yesterday afternoon I was teaching my child development class like I do every Thursday (it’s the class we do belly dancing in). It’s a class for future elementary teachers and this semester they’ve started having cohorts of students who take all of their classes together and take them all out in an elementary school. It’s how I learned to teach, so I’m a little biased and think it’s a great way to become a teacher.

One of the topics yesterday was classroom management. I started by pointing out several reasons why classroom management can be difficult. The last reason I mentioned was all the interruptions that happen in classes in this country, particularly with the intercom going off several times during the day (other countries thinking teaching is sacred and should not be interrupted). Right at that moment, the school intercom came on. It was perfect! And it wasn’t even planned! A little while later it came on again and they needed someone to go to classroom 15 1/2. Several of us immediately thought of platform 9 3/4. It was nice that the school so readily proved my point about the interruptions.

1 Shared thought

No time!!

13 April 2011, 7:32 am by Giggles
Categories: Education, Exercise, Family, Gospel, Life, Musings

Clear back the beginning of March someone was talking about time and what we do with it. I started thinking about my time. There are 168 hours each week. Here’s how I figured out how my week breaks down.

  • 63 hours sleeping :lisa:
  • 7 hours teaching :apple:
  • 7 hours eating :lisa:
  • 5.5 hours working on IRB paperwork (almost done!! for the first draft) :apple:
  • 5 hours running :lisa:
  • 5 hours of TV (although I often do other things while I’m watching, like eating and weights, so I’m not sure how to count this) :lisa:
  • 5 hours cleaning the house (cleaning, laundry, groceries) :lisa:
  • 5 hours showering and getting dressed :lisa:
  • 4.5 hours on a bus, which I spend reading :lisa:
  • 3 hours driving (to work and church, other driving in the week isn’t counted here) :apple:
  • 3 hours grading/prep each week :apple:
  • 3 hours of church meetings (plus a few more if I have a YW meeting (3 hours) or activity that week (2 hours)) :star:
  • 3 hours reading the scriptures personally :star:
  • 2.5 hours each week reading the scriptures with Brett :star:
  • 2 office hours :apple:
  • 2 hours for date night :lisa:
  • 1.5 hours for FHE each week :lisa:
  • 1 hour for a TA meeting :apple:
  • 1 hour at misc appointments :lisa:
  • 1 hour talking with my mom on the phone :lisa:

Key:
:lisa: Personal & family = 100 hours
:star: Church = 8.5 hours
:apple: Work & school = 21.5 hours

And that’s 130 hours I’ve accounted for each week. Which leaves me another 38 hours that I can’t definitely pin down on anything specific. (Three years ago when I broke down my week I accounted for almost the same number of hours.) I know I spend some of it on-line. I spend some of it doing crafts. I spend some of it out in the yard. I spend a lot of it talking with Brett. If we go to the temple that’s 8 hours of that day.

I’ve heard people say that they would do this that or the other if they only had the time. And maybe I’ve said that too. But really it’s a lie. You have the time for anything you want to. The truth of the matter is that if something is enough of a priority you will make the time for it. It’s not a matter of time. It’s a matter of priority. I might say I don’t have time to learn to play the banjo, but really, it’s just not high enough of a priority for me to make the time. My family, my job/studies, and church. Those are my priorities.

3 Shared thoughts

Go back to bed?

9 April 2011, 7:52 am by Giggles
Categories: Random

I woke up yesterday morning with a song in my head. And it took me a bit of time to figure out what it was. I really liked it, so I didn’t mind, I just wanted to identify it. It finally dawned on me, it was this song (the Andrea Bocelli part, not the Elmo part):

And that is not a bad song to wake up to. Although it did leave me wondering if it was a sign I should just go back to bed and skip the day. Should’ve taken a nap in the afternoon at the very least.

Now if I’d woken up with Brett’s preferred Sesame Street lullaby in my head, that would’ve been a definite clue to go back to bed and try again later.

1 Shared thought

Draw a picture of a bird

8 April 2011, 9:20 am by Giggles
Categories: Random

It’s that time of year again! Draw a picture of a bird day! Yea! :bird:

This is the bird I drew for today.

What bird picture are you going to draw?

2 Shared thoughts

Spring moments

7 April 2011, 4:32 pm by Giggles
Categories: Happy Things, Random

The citrus tree in our backyard is blooming. We are still waiting to see if everything else survived the freeze we had this year. We’ve already written off one tree, although it could surprise us. But the citrus tree is blooming. There is no better smell than citrus blossoms. Step outside and take a big deep breath. It’s wonderful.

My car has been hesitating when I drive it, like something is slipping. So I took it into the mechanic. And it worked perfect for them. I figured that would be the case. Ah well. They cleaned the air filter and that could’ve fixed it. To help me out Brett walked to work for two days and I drove his car. Which I’ve driven once before. Which lead to the following situation:

I’m trying to start the car. I put the key in it (it looks like a USB thing almost). And push the button. Like I’ve seen Brett do thousands of times before. And nothing happens. I try it again and again and nothing happens. And I’m panicking because I’m running late. So I call Brett and ask him what the secret is to starting the car. He says there is no secret and to put the key in and push the button. I tell him I’ve done that. So he asks me if my foot is on the brake. To which I reply, “That’s the secret!” And the car starts. :car:

Something happened to our hummingbird during a storm two weeks ago. I always hate that part of the nature shows. We’re keeping our yard a hummingbird friendly zone though.

Our pomegranate bush is also blooming. I love it’s bright colors. Yesterday I was out taking pictures of it when the Google Street Map car drove past. They haven’t updated our street view yet (the current view is when our trees are bare, and they are definitely green now). When they do update it we’ll have to see if I’m on it.

And I’m very proud of how many weeds aren’t in our yard. I’ve been pulling them for more than a month now. If I’m outside and I see a weed I pull it. It’s a constant battle, a daily one when it rains. But by keeping on top of it, it never gets overwhelming. If you think about it, that’s probably true of just about anything.

With the weather right now, and the blossoms, and the green, this is the time of year you want to live here. Now I just need to finally figure out how to hang my hammock.

3 Shared thoughts

Being a winner

4 April 2011, 11:43 am by Giggles
Categories: Gospel, Life, Musings

This quote came to my email last week (I get a quote for a daily “kick in the butt” from Runner’s World). :run:

Winners say what they want to happen.
Losers say what they feel will happen.
– Dr. Linda Bunker in Joan Samuelson’s Running for Women

And that struck me. It’s not just talking about winning running races, but it’s also about winning this race called life.

I’ve learned in my writing that by speaking in absolutes you come across as more powerful in your writing. It’s the difference in saying “this may happen” and “this will happen.” So I’m putting that into practice in more than just my writing, I’m going to make it part of my life.

My favorite quote is:

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!
Live the life you’ve imagined!
– Henry David Thoreau

It’s not just imagining the life we want to have, it’s actively living it as if it were a reality that makes it happen.

I love a good check-list. It’s a sense of accomplishment to cross things off it.  Yesterday during the afternoon session of General Conference, Elder Robbins suggesting making not just to-do lists, but also to-be lists. Or, in other words…

Decide what you want to be….
Pay the price …
And be what you want to be.
– John A. Widtsoe

A life can be exciting when it is full of wonderful things to do. But a life is rich when it is full of wonderful things to be.

1 Shared thought

Time Zones, Technology, and Teaching

2 April 2011, 11:09 am by Giggles
Categories: Family, Gospel, Learn Something, Quilting/Sewing/Knitting/Crafting, Science & Tech

Yesterday evening was quite the evening for me. I taught a class about the internet that started at 6:30 and I taught a sewing class that started at 6:00. How was this possible? Through the magic of time zones and technology.

The first class was not just about the internet, but it was on the internet too, through our webcams. I was at home, the class was at my parents’ home in Indiana. So it was 6:30 for them and 3:30 for me. My parents had some friends over. We connected our webcams with our Google accounts. And I talked with everyone about some of the wonderful ways to use the internet. We talked about all the things available to LDS members on the internet. We talked about some pointers on how to keep your family and identity safe on the internet. We talked about using the internet to communicate with family and the world at large and to connect your family, both present and past generations. And of course we looked at how to use the internet to learn and share skills and hobbies.

The second class was a sewing bee where I shared one of my skills and hobbies. I showed a group of women how to make quilted balls. It was so neat to see each of their balls take shape from individual flat pieces of fabric and become three-dimensional objects. Each one unique and they all made me smile. I gave general instructions and then they each made their ball their own.

And today, this weekend, is another miracle of technology as Brett and I sit in our home and watch and listen to the annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and receive the counsel and direction God has for us through living prophets and apostles. Already this morning I’ve heard counsel that was just for me.

1 Shared thought