Yesterday was such a good day. It was a great end to a crazy week, and a great beginning outlook for the rest of my semester.
Last week at school was crazy. I really enjoy my English classes, but the workload with them is a bit heavier. I don't mind, it just occupies my time, and last semester I had a lot of free time on my hands. Not so much this semester. Anyway, I had a paper due Friday that I was stressed about for many reasons: I'm not familiar with the professor so I don't know how she grades/what she expects; I'm always nervous about the first paper or test for the first reason; my professor didn't explain what she really wanted until Wednesday, and I'm not someone who likes to write a two-page paper in two days. By the time I handed in the paper I was a nervous and slightly downtrodden wreck. As a side note, my anxiety gets so bad that the first math test I had last semester gave me nightmares that involved Nazis, since that was the theme of the book I was reading at the time of the test. Nazi math tests - not good.
I have to admit I have a slight obsession with wanting an A. Ever since I found out I can earn an A, it's like I am holding myself up to that perfect standard. Need I remind myself that I have three kids at home, which is a 24-7 job in and of itself? I forget that sometimes in my quest for perfection. I have to let it go, and Sunday helped me to do that.
There wasn't anything spectacular said. Our choir sang and they were amazing, as usual. I love how we can take a hymn and work it up to really bring the Spirit to the meeting. I was the substitute teacher for Melanie's primary class, and that was actually a lot of fun. Choir practice is directly after church, so we're there from 1:00 to 5:00. Usually I'm griping about how long we're there, but yesterday was just different.
I came home and while I was putting away my scriptures and things I realized that school is great and important, but it doesn't matter. I'm still going to graduate, but not with perfect grades at the expense of my family, my sanity, or my spiritual well-being. It was such a good, gentle feeling. I don't feel the Spirit very often, usually because I'm so stubborn. Yesterday was a nice change of pace.
Now, I just need to keep that my focus and everything else will fall in place.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
If you want a good laugh, read on.
Sunday was an eventful day, although not all events were revealed to me until last night. Some of you have already heard this story, so just be patient and humor me for a minute, and there will be an ending that brings tears to your eyes. What kind of tears, I won't say.In sacrament meeting on Sunday our bishop was speaking, and he was relating his story to baking cookies. He said the phrase, "I love cookies." Well, of course Riley had to make sure our bishop knew he liked cookies, so he raised his hand high in the air and spoke (in a very loud voice), "I like cookies, too!" The ladies sitting in front of us (Becky Eastmond and her mom) were shaking they were laughing so hard. They like sitting by us, because apparently they find Riley very entertaining. I don't agree.
But there's more. How I wish there wasn't more, but there so is.
Ben came home from work last night and said, "Are you ready to be embarrassed?" He had this huge grin on his face, like he had the best news in the whole wide world. I told him to get on with it and just spit it out, thinking I had done something to warrant my being embarrassed. Then he said, "I was talking to Kayleen today..." Well, you see, Kayleen is Riley's Sunbeam teacher. At that point I put my head in my hands and just waited for the bomb to drop.
On Sunday Riley's Sunbeam class was sitting in a circle. This was the first time Riley had been to Sunbeams yet because he had been sick the previous two weeks. For those of you who don't know Riley very well, please keep in mind that he has a very playful personality and he loves to tease. Anyway, he walks over to his teacher and smacks her on the bum. She turns around and very nicely tells him that we don't do that. And of course Riley has a reply for her: "I do it to my mom at home."
It was at that point in the story that my laughing was mixed with my tears of embarrassment. Ben thought it was great fun - he wasn't embarrassed at all. I was mortified. What am I supposed to say to that primary teacher? She was really sweet and told Ben she didn't know what to say because she and her husband thought it was so funny. Funny my foot.
So, for any of you struggling to keep your little ones quiet at church, just be thankful they're not spanking their primary teachers and telling them it's OK because they do it to their mom at home.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Being a Part of Infamy
There is nothing like being a part of a story your professor tells....
Today in my Intro to Poetry class, my professor was talking about connotation. She used the word "bird" as an example, and wanted us to talk about some things the word bird connotes. A guy in my class raised his hand and said the word "bird" can also stand for an ounce of cocaine, and when you "flip the bird" it means you get rid of an ounce of cocaine. My professor commented on that and acknowledged that flipping the bird was another connotation of bird. She then went on to say something like, "Yeah, when I moved here I was told that the band geeks from Cedar High have all these weird signs for giving the bird, none of them actually involving the middle finger." I thought I was going to die. I wonder if a certain someone knows they're infamous in the English Department at SUU? I don't know whether or not to admit to having used this "bird" numerous times or to having known the maker of the "bird" pretty well.
Today in my Intro to Poetry class, my professor was talking about connotation. She used the word "bird" as an example, and wanted us to talk about some things the word bird connotes. A guy in my class raised his hand and said the word "bird" can also stand for an ounce of cocaine, and when you "flip the bird" it means you get rid of an ounce of cocaine. My professor commented on that and acknowledged that flipping the bird was another connotation of bird. She then went on to say something like, "Yeah, when I moved here I was told that the band geeks from Cedar High have all these weird signs for giving the bird, none of them actually involving the middle finger." I thought I was going to die. I wonder if a certain someone knows they're infamous in the English Department at SUU? I don't know whether or not to admit to having used this "bird" numerous times or to having known the maker of the "bird" pretty well.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Spring Semester 2009 Week In Review
It has been a long week. There has been so much to do between school, shuffling kids, sick kids, potty training, and home & family stuff that I feel like I could sleep all weekend - and that's not something I usually like to do.
So far I enjoy all of my classes. I am taking two that fill my general education requirements, one is math and the other is an education class. I'm also taking two classes toward my major, one is Creative Writing and the other is Intro to Poetry. I've lucked out again in the professor category - they are all there to assist in my education, not make the classes as hard as possible.
My two English classes are going to be challenging, not in the way that makes me think I can't do this, but in the way that motivates me to do it well. Intro to poetry is actually not writing poetry but analyzing poetry, something I have never done. I've analyzed other things for English classes, but never poetry. It's a different process because it's not straight forward like prose tends to be. Poetry could have many different interpretations depending on what the reader gets out of it. In the near future I have to write two 2-page analyses of assigned poems, and one 4-5 page analysis of a poem of my choosing. I haven't written academically in about nine years, so that is going to be a bit of a challenge - but a good challenge. I don't mind writing papers (kind of goes with the territory) but getting back into the swing of writing, especially for a literature class not a composition class, is where my anxiety lies.
My other English class is seriously my favorite class - mostly because of the professor. She is truly there to help our writing come to fruition without interfering with our creative process. Our first unit is poetry, and in this class we're actually writing poetry. We are given a trigger subject every day (class is only Tuesday and Thursday) and our poem is due a week from that day. My first one is done and I liked what I wrote but I'm definitely stuck on the next one, and the reason why is a long story. I'll just give you the words Lizard King and you can make what you want out of why I am stuck.
My math and education class are fine. My education professor said it's nearly impossible to fail his class - I love when teachers say that. My math professor is quite funny, and she's good at teaching. She doesn't just lecture as she writes on the board, but makes the class tell her what to write as she goes along. It makes the learning going on more concrete. If I do well in this class, I'm considering taking another math class. I think I might be crazy.
So far I enjoy all of my classes. I am taking two that fill my general education requirements, one is math and the other is an education class. I'm also taking two classes toward my major, one is Creative Writing and the other is Intro to Poetry. I've lucked out again in the professor category - they are all there to assist in my education, not make the classes as hard as possible.
My two English classes are going to be challenging, not in the way that makes me think I can't do this, but in the way that motivates me to do it well. Intro to poetry is actually not writing poetry but analyzing poetry, something I have never done. I've analyzed other things for English classes, but never poetry. It's a different process because it's not straight forward like prose tends to be. Poetry could have many different interpretations depending on what the reader gets out of it. In the near future I have to write two 2-page analyses of assigned poems, and one 4-5 page analysis of a poem of my choosing. I haven't written academically in about nine years, so that is going to be a bit of a challenge - but a good challenge. I don't mind writing papers (kind of goes with the territory) but getting back into the swing of writing, especially for a literature class not a composition class, is where my anxiety lies.
My other English class is seriously my favorite class - mostly because of the professor. She is truly there to help our writing come to fruition without interfering with our creative process. Our first unit is poetry, and in this class we're actually writing poetry. We are given a trigger subject every day (class is only Tuesday and Thursday) and our poem is due a week from that day. My first one is done and I liked what I wrote but I'm definitely stuck on the next one, and the reason why is a long story. I'll just give you the words Lizard King and you can make what you want out of why I am stuck.
My math and education class are fine. My education professor said it's nearly impossible to fail his class - I love when teachers say that. My math professor is quite funny, and she's good at teaching. She doesn't just lecture as she writes on the board, but makes the class tell her what to write as she goes along. It makes the learning going on more concrete. If I do well in this class, I'm considering taking another math class. I think I might be crazy.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
New Year Goals?
I write that with a question mark because I was wondering how to decide on what good goals would be. I wondered how others come up with goals for the New Year. Do you think about them for quite some time or are they spur-of-the-moment? Are they physical, mental, or spiritual? Are they individual goals or family or group goals? Just questions I was pondering.
Anyway, I have a few in mind, and although it frightens me to blog them because then so many of you will know if I fail, hopefully many of you will also know when I succeed. Did you like that positive thinking? With that in mind, here goes!
1. Read the Ensign cover-to-cover each month for the entire year. If I read one article each day I can easily have it finished before each month is over.
2. Read my Relief Society lesson and my Sunday School scriptures before I get to church.
3. Get my visiting teaching done each month. Is that humanly possible? My ward is very ambitious about visiting teaching, but they're not very organized. Bad combination.
These first three goals are some I really want to accomplish. Before school when I didn't read the lessons it wasn't like I was doing something else instead - I just was being lazy. But now with school if I don't get these things accomplished it's like I'm putting my school learning ahead of my spiritual learning and that won't do me any good.
4. Eat at least 2 fruits and 2 vegetables each day. I think this will be by far the hardest goal for me to accomplish.
5. Drink more water. I never do because I hardly ever feel thirsty, but I know sometimes I eat something when I'd be just as satisfied with a glass of water.
6. Exercise at least five days a week. I don't have class until 12:00 every day for goodness sakes - I can work in 45 minutes or so of exercise!
7. In conjunction with goals 4, 5, and 6 I would like to lose ten pounds by June 1. I'm not overweight, but I am at the very top of a healthy weight for someone my height and age. I would like to be in the lower portion of that range. I would also like to feel better about myself in a bathing suit. I would also like to play a full tennis match without keeling over dead.
8. I need to work on being careful about what I say, but not so much what I say but how I say it - especially to my kids. My mom used to tell me I needed to watch that when I was growing up. I never noticed I did it until I noticed my kids doing it and I realized they had learned it from me. Yikes!
Well, I think I've given myself some goals that I really need to accomplish. They certainly aren't lofty goals, but if they're satisfied I know they will improve me in ways that will make a difference in my own life and in the life of my family and those around me.
Do you have any New Year Resolutions?
Anyway, I have a few in mind, and although it frightens me to blog them because then so many of you will know if I fail, hopefully many of you will also know when I succeed. Did you like that positive thinking? With that in mind, here goes!
1. Read the Ensign cover-to-cover each month for the entire year. If I read one article each day I can easily have it finished before each month is over.
2. Read my Relief Society lesson and my Sunday School scriptures before I get to church.
3. Get my visiting teaching done each month. Is that humanly possible? My ward is very ambitious about visiting teaching, but they're not very organized. Bad combination.
These first three goals are some I really want to accomplish. Before school when I didn't read the lessons it wasn't like I was doing something else instead - I just was being lazy. But now with school if I don't get these things accomplished it's like I'm putting my school learning ahead of my spiritual learning and that won't do me any good.
4. Eat at least 2 fruits and 2 vegetables each day. I think this will be by far the hardest goal for me to accomplish.
5. Drink more water. I never do because I hardly ever feel thirsty, but I know sometimes I eat something when I'd be just as satisfied with a glass of water.
6. Exercise at least five days a week. I don't have class until 12:00 every day for goodness sakes - I can work in 45 minutes or so of exercise!
7. In conjunction with goals 4, 5, and 6 I would like to lose ten pounds by June 1. I'm not overweight, but I am at the very top of a healthy weight for someone my height and age. I would like to be in the lower portion of that range. I would also like to feel better about myself in a bathing suit. I would also like to play a full tennis match without keeling over dead.
8. I need to work on being careful about what I say, but not so much what I say but how I say it - especially to my kids. My mom used to tell me I needed to watch that when I was growing up. I never noticed I did it until I noticed my kids doing it and I realized they had learned it from me. Yikes!
Well, I think I've given myself some goals that I really need to accomplish. They certainly aren't lofty goals, but if they're satisfied I know they will improve me in ways that will make a difference in my own life and in the life of my family and those around me.
Do you have any New Year Resolutions?
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