A little bit of trouble

Now that my son is in school full time, he occasionally gets himself into trouble. He is a gentle and kind soul but, wow, does his like to get crazy when he plays! Talk about rough and tumble.

I went to pick him up from the after school care and the leader very seriously asked if I had a moment. Yikes I thought.

She explained that my son has received a time out and was spoken to for hitting the other coordinator with his snowpants. Apparently he had been whipping them around while playing with the other boys and caught her full in the face. When asked to explain his behaviour he replied, "I didn't meant to."

Oh good, I'm thinking, it was an innocent mistake.

Then he continued, "I was aiming for the back of her head, she shouldn't have turned around!"

Oh boy!

Retinas and Rectums

I have so many funny moments in my day between my kids and my students. I NEED to start writing them down as they happen. This may come as a shock - my memory isn't what it used to be.

For those of you who don't know, I teach Math and Science to grades 8 and 9. So many stories...

This past week I have been teaching the Light and Optics unit to our grade 8s. One of the things they need to have a grasp of is the comparison between a camera and an eye.

I was teaching the tough class - yes - there is one every year. They were actually sitting rather quietly (for them) as I was trying to help them see the similarities between the eye and camera.

I started with the first part - camera shutter - opens and closes... eyelids! Wow, some were listening. Then our next part, the hint was "captures the image". I gave them film - the world of digital has made this a slightly tougher connection. I started to prompt them for the eye part... we had covered it the day before. At this point my colleague that I teach math with wandered in to ask a question.

One of my really tough students looked up from his paper and started to listen. It starts with an R, I prompt. Assorted rumblings - nothing concrete. I prompt again, come on guys, what part of your eye captures the image. One student guessed - optic nerve. No I explain that sends the signal, close though - remember it starts wit an R. From the side of the room, my tough students shouts out, The Rectum!!

Class dissolves into laughter. All I can say in response is, "Now I understand why your view of the world is so different."

Sigh, "Retina."

Resolution Check In

1. Exercise more - started off strong - then got way laid by stress and sleep - will be a bigger focus for Feb.

2. Eat better – Plan meals, pack snacks- so far so good. Fast food – maximum once every two weeks - so far so good. Need to focus on cutting bad snacks out of the eating!

3. Cook better - Joshu has been helping me meal plan and then I shop for the week - this has been extremely successful.

4. No credit cards - one purchase and I transfered money before. More cutting still needed to accelerate the pay off. Up side, tax return looks good and got a better rate on both cards.

5. Blog more – Twice a week. Worst resolution... must focus!

6. Drink more water – One full glass with my pills in the morning - this is the only one I get for sure. Will try and add one more into my routine each week.

You?

2010 Goals

Slightly tweaked...

1. Exercise more - 3 times a week; treadmill, run, swim, or bike. Innisfail Sprint Triathlon in September with Melody!

2. Eat better – Plan meals, pack snacks in my lunch so I have energy at the end of the day. Fast food – maximum once every two weeks. (This may be overly ambitious.) Remember to serve a fruit or vegetable with supper – ie. add a side fruit to our lasagna to maximize the family intake.

3. Cook better - This ties into #2. I need to spend a little more time planning so that we eat less pizza and cereal for supper. (Although, I really like cereal for supper and so does my son!) With planning I can use my slow cooker more often and remember to defrost the meat ahead of time!

4. No credit cards - my goal is to be debt free other than the mortgage by Aug 7, 2012. My first commitment is to stop credit card use. I also need to find a few little areas to cut back spending. I have stuck to my budget for 5 months, now I need to get serious and find areas to trim.

5. Blog more – Twice a week. I will use Catherine’s suggestions. Wordless Wednesdays and Family /Funny Friday.

6. Drink more water – One full glass with my pills in the morning, 20 oz. at work, full glass when I get home, and a full glass before bed.

First week of every month I will check in and see how I am progressing!