Random Tagging

Tagged!
Another fun round of tag is making its way through the blogging world! I've been tagged by my friend, Deanna. The rules are that I have to share 6 random things about me and then tag 6 others....

First, for my randomness...

1) Every time I go to the dentist, I get happy gas (even if it's a cleaning).
2) I schedule one of my dentist appointments on my birthday (or as close to as I can). It's my relaxing treat to myself.
3) I was in 4-H for 10 years and NEVER was in any of the animal projects. I did personality, cooking, library, etc...that's why I am the way I am... :)
4) My hair looks better if I take my shower at night and then run a curling iron through it in the morning...bed head :)
5) I take an annual photo (okay 2) down in Panama City Beach. It shows my weight loss.
6) I can be so anal about recycling that I take others' trash and take it home to recycle...is that horrible?

Okay, now I am tagging: Sarah, Jen, Gail, Kathy, Teachermom, and I can't come up with a sixth...

Here are the rules:
-Link to the person who tagged you.
- Post the rules on your blog.
- Write six random things about yourself.
- Tag six people at the end of your post.
- Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
- Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

My Treat

These are the flowers that I treated myself to because I have eaten every meal at my table since Sunday. This does not include snacks. But what I do notice and know about myself is that I eat slower while at the table. I eat less at the table. I feel fuller after eating at the table. And I know that all of those things combined will help me with not relying on food to comfort me. Am I cured yet from eating in front of the tv? No, but I am trying to take one meal at a time and eat it at the table...how many days does it take to make a habit? I am hoping 21 meals is the case, which would be Saturday/Sundayish...So, today is halfway and a treat was needed to keep me going! This is one area of my life where I want to honor God and bring Him glory through it. Living alone sometimes can get hard and the tv is great at keeping empty company. And when I eat in front of the tv, I eat mindlessly.

And for those who are brave - a new snack to try...

Roasted Chickpeas (think healthy corn nuts)
Rinse a can of chickpeas (it gets the juice and sodium off). Then cook them in the oven at 400 (on a pan)...stir every 15 minutes until they are the desired crunchiness you want (between 45 - 60 minutes). Then spray lightly with non-stick spray and put whatever seasonings on them. Eat and enjoy...yum!!! And feel free to leave a comment and let me know if you tried them.

Big Stuf Processing

So while planning would be beneficial for this post...I am going to let the Spirit lead and allow myself to process a bit more of what I learned and am incorporating from our high school church camp. Some background...we take our high school church youth group down to Panama City Beach, FL for five days where we are encouraged, led in worship and taught in the Word by some amazing speakers. This year proved to be no different...We arrived and spent a few hours on the beach before heading into worship and our evening service. The theme this year was Broadcast. Each session began with Live...The following is a brief recap from myself and the big lesson I took from it.

Live Loud - My life is broadcasting some message...my message speaks louder than my words. I will not change who I am until I love...Do I love God enough to change? I broadcast the loudest and most clearly what I desire the most (I am still processing that one...)

Live Clear - Are my actions and beliefs matched? What is the reason that I broadcast what I do? A man's deepest question is do I have what it takes? A woman's deepest desire is to know she's beautiful (as a result I am reading Do You Think I'm Beautiful by Angela Thomas). My Creator paid the ultimate price...therefore I am worth something. I am of highest value.

Live True - I may struggle still with sin, but I am NOT enslaved to it anymore. I am free. We've been designed to hear God's voice and I have to choose between the sensitivity of the Spirit or sensuality. It takes an active participation on my part with the Holy Spirit to transform. So looking back at my frustrations with last week, I must be an active participant. I can say that today, Sunday, I was an active participant. I feel better about how I honored God with my food and choices. Also with this message - it's not necessarily what I'm doing, but what I'm NOT doing because of the sin that I am committing. What else could I be doing with my life?

Live Connected - With Jesus being our teacher..embracing His teachings is difficult. Gossip is the easy way out. Our minds are capable of crazy scenarios...seek out the truth. Issues are always bigger in my head than in real life.

Live Louder (surprise speaking from Louie Giglio) - Suffering is a megaphone and God said it the loudest when Christ was crucified. In the long run, I will be happy about the way that God led my life. Suffering can be used to shine God and His glory...I need to get beyond myself and shine for God's glory, no matter what that is in my life - singleness, honoring God with my food and workout habits, being an example to people I work with, and other things in my life.

Live Larger - What am I doing to make an eternal difference? Where is God working? - Then get there... God's heart is for widows and orphans, the broken and the oppressed...What am I doing to change the world?

Live Loved - God has always been pursuing His people...He had the power at any moment to wipe us all out...and He didn't. He continually pursued when we drift, run, and turn. He loves with a love that is unfailing and outdoes everything. He loves with a love that is far reaching and completely filling. I gain my purpose and significance because God has placed His image on me.

I know that that is a lot...maybe you can understand how amazing this camp is...maybe it doesn't make a lot of sense to you. I just needed an outlet to help explain a bit of what I was able to take in during Big Stuf. It sure is big stuff and I am so thankful that I get a chance to go. I'll post some pictures later to show you where I was and what else went on.

Frustrating...

I'm just frustrated with myself. I had a wart removed from the top of my left foot. It was almost 3 weeks ago. Since then, I haven't been able to run. Or even really do cardio. And what do I do? I feel like I sabotage myself with my eating habits. I know I don't eat horrible, but I know that I eat beyond full and when I'm not hungry. I guess this lack of running right now has truly forced me to re-evaluate how I view my workout habits and look at the eating habits since that is almost more important than the working out. You need both...but the eating is huge.

I was at our high school church camp last week and the worship was amazing and the messages were fantastic. Many of the songs and messages spoke right to my heart about how I am no longer chained to what I was. I am free and I need to start acting like it. I may struggle but I am no longer enslaved.

Sometimes it's hard living by myself because there's no one physically here in the house to tell me not to eat...not that the roommate I have right now does that (she's gone for a few days). I am posting this here simply because this blog has always been designed for me to share the process of who I am becoming. I don't expect comments of advice or encouragement...I just wanted to spew it out and maybe I'll feel better.

P.S. - I'll have future posts about our Big Stuf trip as well as information as to what I'm reading.

Professional Thinking

This summer I want to push my professional thinking by reading more! One book that I am currently reading through is Assessing Writers by Carl Anderson (Normally I would have underlined the book, but the Control U does not make it underline).

I am just a few chapters in, but already I have a page of notes. This year I tried something new. I began collecting randomly throughout a unit the students' writing. This allowed me to take notes of their strengths, weaknesses, and goals for each student as well as seeing who I could group together and teach a focus lesson. I was also able to see who was doing what, who wasn't doing anything, and future focus lessons for the class.

I feel that one area of weakness (and there are many) for me during writing workshop is finding the best focus for a student's conference. I want to make sure when assessing their writing, I know who they are writing to and for. Also, looking at the MEANING of their writing. What's important? What is the point they are trying to make? I think if I do this, my students will have a stronger purpose for writing and it will lend itself to having a stronger voice present.

I still have several chapters to go. This is just the beginning. Feel free to leave comments and share what you are reading this summer. Next on my list will be Lucy Calkins - The Art of Teaching Reading...

Looking Back

I truly adored my class this past year. I am anxious to see if because of our Reading and Writing Workshop mixed in with our Morning Meeting allowed my students to become the type of community they did. These kids brought in books all of the time for others, looked for books for others, shared ideas, learn to use their words instead of their hands when needing something, and truly cared for each other.

At the end of the year, I created a DVD for each child that highlighted the year with photos and pictures from my Photo Booth. For those of you who have Macs...it's amazing what we can do with them! I plan on taking more photos next year and creating another project. It was a great way to end a great year!!!

Remembering the Good Times

I know it's been a while since I've blogged. Sometimes in the summer, I often find I have not much to say. I guess that goes to show how much of my life revolves around my teaching. Sad in a way, but yet, it shows that I'm dedicated to what I love. I have below some of the stories that occurred at the end of the year.

I did a unit at the end of the year with reading non-fiction. I explained and had the kids read several informational texts and pay attention to the pronouns. Did they know what the pronouns referred to as they read? I modeled and then had the kids practice it. One of my boys came up to me later and said, "The they (in one of our charts that we had written earlier in the year) refers to the writers...He got it! He took the skill and applied it to his own life and reading! Those are the times I wish I could record for others.

Another day my boys were talking with each other about if they would remember the conversations they had when they were in second grade. They were discussing being wrestlers when they are older. One of the boys said, "You'll recognize me, I'm keeping my red hair." - I don't think he could change his hair color if he tried...it was sweet to think that they will stay in touch when they are older.

We had the lovely caterpillar turning into a butterfly unit and the day that one of the butterflies emerged, my students were ecstatic! They were proclaiming that one of the boys was a daddy! Then they discussed what he was going to name his butterfly. Too cute! Although the daddy/mommy of the butterfly changed almost every hour as they tried to deduce whose chrysalis was empty.

A lesson on why schema is important. I was reading The Meanest Doll (a sequel to the Doll People) and the author used the word former. I wanted to make sure the students knew what former meant. I asked if they knew what it meant and one of my boys said, "Yeah, it means no longer." I was pleased as punch that he knew the meaning and then he continued,"Like the former WWE champion." I guess watching the WWE on TV isn't all that bad, huh?

I try to let the students be as independent as possible in my room. If they need a band-aid, they just go and get one from the drawer. Well, it's the end of the year and I'm out and apparently so is the nurse...and when my teacher's helper came back and informed the class, one of my girls (who is prepared for anything) said, "I have some in my bag." Now that is one prepared second-grader. I had to chuckle at the timing, and the willingness to mother her peers. :)

And one final conversation between my students that took place on the last day while we were eating snack in a circle. Two boys were talking with each other about who they wanted elected as the president. A third one chimed in.
Boy 1 - Who do you want, Hillary or Obama?
Boy 2 (interrupting) - John McCain
Boy 1 - I guess I don't really care. I just want the one who believes in the Bible more.
Boy 2 - Hillary doesn't believe in the Bible. She thinks it's good to kill babies.
I guess I should have had a unit on the primaries...And when I started to laugh and asked one of the boys to get my blogging notebook, he knew EXACTLY which notebook to grab. They've seen me write in it all year...so Ruth, my notebook is getting some great writing in it!!!