"Cleaning house while children are growing is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing" goes an old saying. I am blessed that I am not actually out shoveling snow.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Shoveling
"Cleaning house while children are growing is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing" goes an old saying. I am blessed that I am not actually out shoveling snow.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Check-in
I have;
Hooked up the new printer - It's about time!!!
Printed my budget sheets for my planner - Dave would be proud :^>
Balanced checkbook
Paid bills
What I still have left for this week;
Sort through and file or trash paperwork on my desk
Prepare our taxes for Federal and State
Go through one box of my scrapbook and craft supplies
And keep up with my normal routines - I have kept up with the laundry so far, cleaned the bathroom and dealt with the budget. I think I am on track.
Since I am feeling really lousy, I will just do what I can. Tomorrow they are calling for a big snow. 5-8 inches in our area. I would rather it not. Did I mention I am done with winter.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Not My Best
Monday, January 28, 2008
Up to a Challenge
One of the keys to meeting a goal is to share it with others, and ask that they hold you accountable. I am usually a person that has no problem setting goals. I write them down. I set sets of goals. I categorize them, schedule them into my future and then often stall out unless it is something that I really want or want to do.
It is easy for me to set goals, but without others knowing what my goals are, they can easily fall by the wayside. Sometimes I pick up my goals again and again and again and again, but they are really not met.
My biggest foe is "someday". Or "tomorrow". The reason is usually because I think the job is too big for now, and so it has to wait until later. I am learning that I need to break my goals into smaller pieces, to write them down and to share them. And then, "Just do it."
So here are a few things I need to do.
Set up my new printer/scanner/copier (I got it for Christmas)
Print up my budget sheets for my planner (It's the end of January, sorry Dave Ramsey)
Balance my checkbook (done weekly)
Pay bills (done biweekly)
Sort through and file or trash paperwork on my desk
Prepare our taxes for Federal and State
Go through one box of my scrapbook and craft supplies
And keep up with my normal routines
I want to have this all done before the weekend. Since I have read that creating a reward for meeting goals can also be important, my reward, I decided, is to be able to sort though pictures for future scrapbook sessions for several hours when I get this list complete.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The Sunday Post
Yesterday I spent the day out and about. This afternoon the house needed some attention. Today I worked on deep cleaning my great room. It is big enough to be two rooms really. Often we split the room up with furniture. When we rearranged the furniture as the Christmas things were getting packed up, we left the room opened up so we can enjoy the fireplace from the whole space. There are definitely two sections of the room. The boys' video game area, a dart board, a book case, a video/DVD cabinet topped with other electronics, and a game cabinet are on one side of the room. No real seating right now. Last Summer and Fall I have the extra fold up chairs from the patio in there, but they have been put away since the end of November. The other side of the room has the sectional and a big leather chair, a side table, TV and the fireplace. The fans and fireplace were cleaned, and then I did a thorough cleaning including dusting and vacuuming the floors. I did clean up, dusting and vacuuming in the dining room also. It went pretty quickly really.
The dining room has my scrapbook supplies in it now. So my mission this week is to purge down some of the craft items I have that I just don't use. I will probably send the extra items to school with Raymond or Daniel. I am not sure how long this will take. I spent some time today working on it, and I didn't even make a dent. Just rearranged. I guess I need to keep in my mind my vision of actually working on pages soon. It was last Spring since I worked on pages last...way too long.
Birthday & A Family Day Out
Sheila and Richard
Saturday, January 26, 2008
My Marbles and My Life
Brain Booster 1: Your Heart
The reason you misplace keys or can't remember what you ate 9 minutes ago? Normal aging shrinks neurons (brain cells) and drains neurotransmitters (the messengers that communicate between and among cells). But getting your heart rate up can reverse this process by increasing blood flow to the brain to improve memory and overall brain function, says Arthur Kramer, Ph.D., a professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Illinois. "We examined brain structure before and after fitness training and we found increases of brain volume in a number of areas," says Dr. Kramer, whose patients improved 10 to 15 percent on a variety of memory and attention tasks after exercise. The minimum: You can reap benefits from as little as walking 30 minutes three times a week.
Brain Booster 2: Your Back
Hauling your everyday (80-pound) shoulder bag can leave you tired. Carrying whiny kids can leave you frazzled. And both may injure your back — and your brain — in the process. A recent Northwestern University study found that people who suffered from chronic back pain lost up to 1.5 cubic centimeters (equivalent to 1 teaspoon) of gray matter per year. That's because the area of the brain that copes with the stress of the pain (the lateral prefrontal cortex, for those scoring at home) becomes depleted and dysfunctional enough to affect emotional decision-making, says A. Vania Apkarian, Ph.D., whose previous work found that patients with chronic back pain were slower decision-makers. Best way to beat back pain: build muscle in your lower back and abdominals to support the spine. Try the reverse trunk curl. Lie flat on your stomach and fold your hands under your chin. Lift your chin and chest off the floor about 3 to 6 inches. Aim for three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions three times a week.
Brain Booster 3: Your Waist
A body mass index below 25 not only means you'll look great in a bikini but that you'll be more likely to remember that you do. A recent Swedish study found that women who had a BMI of 27 (25-30 is considered overweight) were more likely to experience loss of brain tissue in the temporal lobe (that's your brain's main hub for memory function and one of the first areas affected by Alzheimer's). That's because extra fat generates more chemicals that can be toxic to your brain, says Deborah Gustafson, Ph.D., the lead study author and assistant professor at the Institute of Clinical Neuroscience in Sweden. One class of these chemicals — called free radicals — latches on to cells, disrupts the way they function, and can kill them. Aging naturally chews away at your memory, but excess fat may speed up the process. For each point your BMI increases, your risk increases 12 to 16 percent. "If you decrease your body weight, you're going to slow potential atrophy," says Dr. Gustafson, who recommends a BMI below 25.
Brain Booster 4: Apples
Eat one a day and keep your neurologist away. Researchers from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, recently discovered that animal brain cells treated with the antioxidant quercetin were able to resist damage from those brain-frying free radical cells (above). "We know that quercetin, commonly found in apples, has a great potential to protect against chronic diseases, including Alzheimer's," says Chang Lee, Ph.D., the principal study author and chair of the department of food science and technology at Cornell. Since fresh apples contain high levels of quercetin, Dr. Lee suggests that one a day may help combat neurodegenerative diseases. Other foods high in quercetin include onions, plums, and berries.
Brain Booster 5: Your Desktop Wallpaper
Set up a Kandinsky painting as your desktop wallpaper, and it's like 10 pushups for your brain every time you look at it. Researchers from the University of California at Davis found that the brain first detects recognizable patterns, such as shapes and lines, and then starts to break down new and different elements. Taking in an eyeful of complex images may ultimately help slow natural brain deterioration, says study author Scott Murray, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Minnesota. Looking at a painting that actively engages your thoughts is far more challenging — and better — for your brain than staring out a window, which likely offers familiar views and much easier interpretation, Dr. Murray says.
Brain Booster 6: EspaƱol
Knowing how to say "Yo quiero Taco Bell" versus knowing how to order your whole meal in Spanish may mean the difference of a few brain cells. A recent study from the University College London found that bilinguals have more gray matter than monolinguals. "It appears that gray matter, which is critical for performing simple as well as complex tasks, is shaped by what we learn and by our experiences in general," says Andrea Mechelli, Ph.D., the lead study author. Even people who picked up a second language at age 35 saw an increase in gray-matter density, says Dr. Mechelli. Where to start? The easiest second language to learn is the one you're most likely to encounter; for most, that's Spanish. "Find a way to immerse yourself in situations where people are actually using that language," says Dennis Baron, a professor of English and linguistics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For other ways, try community college classes, or go online to look at foreign newspapers that have illustrations to help you understand.
Brain Booster 7: The Mall
In a recent study of 1,000 participants, researchers set out to find why 75-year-old women tend to maintain better brain function than 75-year-old men. The result: they shop. That's because shopping requires more physical and mental activity than sitting around and watching golf, says Guy McKhan, M.D., study author and professor at the Mind/Brain Institute at Johns Hopkins University. "They're being physically active, mentally active, and tend to see themselves as having a role to play in life," says Dr. McKhan. Deciding what to buy, for whom, and how much to spend is one way to keep your brain — and your eye for a bargain — active on weekends.
Then I read another e-mail:
People with four healthy lifestyle behaviors — not smoking, physical activity, moderate alcohol consumption, and eating five servings of fruit or vegetables a day — live an average of 14 years longer than people with none of those behaviors, shows a new study.
Learn more.
What good would living long be without a sound mind? The realization for me is that either could go at any time.
Spell Check
If I do my first draft writing later in the day, I find it to be more critical of my life and position and choices. I guess that is okay sometimes, but I find those writings harder to come back to later in agreement. It is harder for me as the day unfolds to get unique ideas. The writing seems more cliche. Stale. I want to hash it up later and make it something else entirely. There will be few publishings of first drafts or afternoon drafts from me.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Why I Love Fridays
10.Doughnuts sold in front of the school library in the morning
9. Lesson plans often include tests, quizzes or videos (not for me, for the kids LOL)
8. New episodes of Monk, reruns work too-I love that show
7. I can wear jeans to work
6. I get to veg out in the evening if I want
5. I get to have dinner out if I want
4. I get to have a late night if I want
3. I eat lunch with my friends at a mexican resturant near work
2. Its the beginning of my weekend once I leave work
1. Everybody at my house has the night off-Family time
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Clearing off Space
Then comes a project, one of mine usually, and the sanctity of the dining room table is lost. It is covered with something that needs attention. Something is there that no one but the person working on the project can deal with. Meals are shifted to the kitchen. Much more cramped, but we are still together. It happened just this week. My dining room table had been covered since Sunday afternoon with empty boxes and craft supplies. There were also two boxes that need to go out of the house altogether. Why was all of that still sitting there today...interrupting the family meals? I did a fifteen minute rescue this morning before work and it is mostly cleared. Just 15 minutes; and why didn't I deal with that Sunday? I needed to reclaim the space for my family. Fifteen minutes and it was nearly all cleared (except the boxes that needed to be loaded in my van). Why did I let that little job junk up the family dining tradition for so many days?
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Anti-Procrastination
I think it is because I have so many things on my to-do list. They say that those who have a lot to do put themselves through stress and their memory goes. A big part of that is the fact that you can't multi-task with attention. Some things you can do. Habits that do not require thought. Loading a dishwasher while talking on the phone. I don't have to think about it much, and after the phone call, or during a pause in the conversation I will ask myself if I put the soap in or started it up. I won't remember because it didn't have my attention.
So I make to do lists. I do the things that are every day routines and I do what has to be done, but often times things that need attention just don't get it because I can only do so much. The less desirable jobs are often the ones that are put off. Sometimes too long. When I get around to them I often discover that they really were not as bad as I had set them up to be or that they have become monsters since I have put them off so long that it will take a great deal of time and effort to get it done. And I really believe that it would have been less time and anguish involved if it had been dealt with the first day it appeared on my list. Now to find the time....
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Down and Dark
Monday, January 21, 2008
Dreams
Some things that I really want I have to work hard to get. I set my mind to it and devote my energy to making it real. This is why I have an education. There was no one in my family that I could follow the footsteps of, although I found my own mentors along the way. There was no one who would do the work for me. Looking back I feel so extremely blessed to have people in my life at just the right time to challenge me to give my best and to do what I needed to do to get what I wanted. I was also blessed with a mind that made learning easy for most things. I was blessed to be born in a land where education was compulsory to some extent, and then available to anyone who was willing to work and pay for it.
Martin Luther King, Jr. is remembered by many today as a man with a dream of peace. I know that many today wonder how much of his dream has been realized. I know many young people today, my own children included, don't seem to get why King's dream is such a big deal. That, I think is progress. God created us all to give glory to Him. He also expects us to treat others well as that is a way that we show our love to God himself. I pray that King's dream is realized, but in reality it starts with me...and then you..and then...the world. People in general don't have a good track record for being good to each other. Especially not to others that are considered different or outsiders.
For something to happen, you first have to dream it. It has to be a picture in your mind or else you are living without purpose. I was posed a question a couple of weeks ago. The question was, what would I dream if I knew that it would be one that would come true? Followed by the question, what is stopping me? For me, the answer I know is that at the end of my days, when I stand in front of my creator, the love of my life, that He will tell me, "Well done, my lovely child." What is stopping me from realizing my dream? That is my life journey.
"The time is always right to do what is right."
--Martin Luther King Jr.,Nobel Peace Prize recipient and civil rights activist
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Clean Sweep
Over Christmas break, I did do a lot of getting rid of stuff and managed to declutter and organize the walk in closet in the bedroom now used by my 7 year old. I limited my storage area to one side of the closet so that Raymond would have room for his clothes that hang up, his shoes, his travel bag and a two drawer file cabinet for his projects and materials (he puts me in the mind of da Vinci's notebooks, as he writes on any and every scrap of paper he finds. He loves spirals, planners, notepads, scratch paper and blank sheets of copy paper; and fills them with writings and sketches on a daily basis). The storage side of the closet has about a four by four foot square floor space and there is a shelf about five feet up that has another three feet of space above it that covers two walls meeting at the back corner. This is the area where I am storing a few pieces of baby furniture until we have someone small in the family again. I have also packed large plastic storage tubs with each holiday's decorations, labeled the tubs and recorded their contents in my planner. I have also added to my to do list finding a pressure rod and curtain to cover that side of the closet so that Raymond is not even looking at the floor to ceiling storage on that side of his closet.
So I have one storage area left in my house; the very large linen closet in the master bathroom. The bathroom closet has been the catchall of late for paper clutter, office supplies, scrapbook supplies and various computer components and software from the past decade or two. Today I was working on the linen closet "clean sweep" style. I pulled each item or container out one at a time, trashed the items that were obviously trash, had an area to round up donations (as I will not ever be doing a yard sale), a tub for items that will need stored in the new craft area, and a tub for items that need to be filed or put away in a specific place somewhere else in my home. The object of the first round of decluttering was to get rid of trash and items I don't use, as well as to group together like items that are staying in my home. I set my timer for 30 minute sessions and then took a 15 minute break between to deal with kids, have a cup of tea or take care of other things going on in the house.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Staying Connected
Last night we got a late start, but still managed to get out in the frigid January night to continue the tradition. My older sister's birthday was in late December, but this was really the first weekend that we were all four free and healthy. My sisters and I usually meet at my mom's house and then we all go together to pick up my brother. Last night was no different. My brother lives close to the Legends in Kansas City and we ate at a new restaurant there called Grandma's Chicken Ranch. They have good food and serve it family style. We had tried to go to the Irish Pub that had been in that building previously. The second time we actually drove there, and it was closed down. We ended up doing Italian food that night instead. Last night my older sister and I both had the grilled chicken, my brother had the chicken fried chicken and my younger sister had some kind of a cheeseburger. They served a bowl of salad, and a basket of biscuits and cinnamon rolls as the first course, and then the main course was served along with a big bowl each of green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy. Not bad. Soon into the meal we discovered that they would have karaoke set up that night and the stage area was very near our table. We left just as it was starting up. Good timing in our minds. The next sib birthday will be mine in July. A long time to wait, but we will get together again. Maybe not just the four of us before then, but we have many more kid and family birthdays and holidays to get together in the mean time.
Hello from My World!
*Aside from teaching full time, I have contributed to education the past several years by being an active part in the site council for the school where I work and working on the board for the PTO for my children's school. I like to be in the know and to help make good things happen for the young people in my world.