It's That Time Again!

It really is that time again! Major changing time. You knew it was going to happen, didn't you? I hoped it wouldn't, but it's really great that it has.

I've decided to major in Elementary Education for a number of reasons, some of which are because I do not want to major in English. Not that I feel the need to justify my decision, most college students change their major several times, or wait a couple of semesters before deciding anyway. But I feel sometimes like I need to convince myself. Here are my reasons, in no particular order.

#1. I found out I do not want to major in English. That is probably what spurred my desire to find a new major. The biggest reason I don't want to major in English is because I can't spend four more years debating with professors about papers. What I mean is when I turn in a paper with my ideas on it, and I get back a grade I don't think reflects what my work earned, and some of that grade is because the teacher didn't think I "dug deep enough" it drives me crazy. Well, I didn't dig deep - because that 's how I read things. I'm not a "find the hidden message" sort of girl. I can read books over and over again and enjoy them just as much as the first time. This reason is the only one not associated with education that made my decision to switch majors.

#2. I have really enjoyed my education general ed class. I know it's super easy, and there is not much required of me, but it got me thinking about education, what kind of teacher I can be, what I can do in the classroom, etc. Had I not taken that class for a general ed requirement, I don't think I would have leaned toward education.

#3. It is such a good fallback for my family. And it's something I would enjoy doing - at least I think I would. I'll never know until I'm actually in the classroom, but I think I'll have a better experience with my education if I have the idea that I will do well as a teacher.

#4. I actually know a lot of people who are majoring in education, and while it's nice to have friends to take classes with, that's not why I will do it. Since I know these people it helps me to see all the types of personalities that work well with education.

#5. Elementary Education really fits my personality and learning style. One thing that always stressed me out when choosing a major was me thinking, "How can I be good enough to do well in the upper division courses for this area?" I'm a very well-rounded learner. I like a collection of subjects, and Elementary Education allows me to gain knowledge and then teach in each subject. This is actually one of the reasons I'm most excited to take education classes.

#6. The Department Chair and the Academic Advisor are really helpful. Most of the advisors I've spoken with already were the same way. When I was admitted as a music major, the PVA Advisor was great. I actually already know the Education Chair - he was my 7th grade core teacher, and I really liked him back then, too. The advisor is really helpful and knows her stuff. She'll also register you early as soon as you know what classes you want, and even if you don't she'll help you figure out a schedule and then register you. It's very nice.

Anyway, after this post I'm now convinced! Just kidding, I was convinced before I wrote this post!

Science Fair Results

A few of you who read my previous post asked about which stain remover Melanie discovered worked best. Well, here's the skinny. And just so you know - the stain remover didn't really matter much in the end.

Melanie had four squares of white fabric - an old T-shirt she had cut up to use for her project. She then "spilled" approximately 1/4 tsp of ketchup on each, scraped as much off as she normally would if she had spilled on herself, which she does all the time, and then applied different stain removers. I use Shout remover and that is the store-bought remover she used against her homemade removers. She also used a combination of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, a combination of lemon juice and salt, and diluted bleach. She let each treatment sit on the stain for about 15 minutes. The bleach did the best, but of course it was white fabric. The Shout did really well, too - she could barely see the stain.

Anyway, we laundered all the pieces of fabric like I normally would after applying a stain remover - I through them all in the wash with some HE Tide with Bleach. After the wash cycle, all the squares were equally clean. So the Tide is actually what turned out to be the best stain remover. I would have to spill ketchup on four squares of white fabric again, and then launder them without the stain removers to see if the Tide works fine by itself, which I think it does.

On a side note that doesn't pertain to Mel's project, but to laundry...The other day Riley decided to eat a chocolate pudding. I use the word "eat" loosely, as it was more like he was slurping the pudding. You know the part on A Christmas Story where the mom tells the little boy to show her how the piggies eat? Yeah, it was kind of like that - only with chocolate pudding, and I was NOT prompting him to eat that way. Anyway, he got pudding all over the shoulder of his orange polo shirt. I sprayed some Shout on that the next day before throwing it in the laundry, and it came out nicely. No sign of pudding anywhere.

Best wishes to you and your laundry.

Melanie's Science Fair & Spring Break

Last week was the Science Fair for the fifth graders at Fiddlers Elementary. Melanie did her experiment on which stain removers work best - maybe because she tends to spill on herself. She did all of the work herself. I took pictures, and occasionally gave her some direction. She won third place in her class and qualified to compete in the District Science Fair, where she says she will have to sit ALL DAY by her project while people walk by and look at it. Ben told her to take a book.

It was fun for her to do so well. It was not her goal to get a ribbon, she was just having fun with the experiment. She came home the day she won and told me, but we didn't tell Ben because she wanted to wait and surprise him at the open house that night. It was so cute to watch her face as she watched her dad notice the ribbon. Good job, Melanie!

With the Science Fair and everything else that went on last week, the timing for Spring Break could not be better. I really have no plans, and that is perfect for me. Usually I am on-the-go all the time, which I enjoy, but once in a while I like to sit. And that is what I'm doing this week. Do you have any idea how nice it was to get the laundry washed, folded, and put away all in one day? I haven't accomplished that since school started last Fall!

It's nice for the boys to have a little extra Mom time. Carter and I are playing Zelda 'til our hearts' content. I can stay in my pajamas all day if I want to. I don't, but I can.

Once school resumes I'll only have five weeks of school left, plus finals. Crazy! I am so looking forward to summer, swimming, and warm weather! I know I'm jumping the gun, what with living in Cedar City, and as a guy in my English class said, "If you don't like the weather just wait 20 minutes," but it will be nice to be done with the cold for a while. Now watch, because I said that it will snow this week. If it does, I apologize.