Miles Logged and Halloween

Halloween was last night and my oldest, who is twelve, didn't trick-or-treat. She stayed home and gave out candy, as well as helped out with neighbors' smaller children. She did go to a Halloween party over the weekend and dressed as a bat, with wings, fangs and black clothing. She had a great time! My youngest went as a bunch of grapes: purple clothing, green face paint for the stem, some leaves in her hair and purple balloons sewn all over her upper half. She got many compliments and a neighbor said she should pop her balloons and go back out again as "raisins". :) We like to put together costumes, rather than buy them.
I subbed a few days this week, tomorrow will make three. I'm headed back to first grade to a class I did last week. I enjoyed them immensely, so I look forward to the task.
I have ran four times since the marathon, totaling fourteen miles. Nice, easy runs. It's been windy, and I don't like running in the wind. Although, it's been nice to get out running. A few days the schedule didn't allow it.
The husband's grandparents are coming down for the weekend so I look forward to that visit. As well as scrapbooking at a nearby store tomorrow night. Have to get working on some gifts for Christmas! I also have to mail out the thankful letters soon, too!! :)
That's all for now. Anyone else trying to post every day in November? :)

Happiness....

Happiness is new running shoes...Well, for me.
As I have previously mentioned, I am not a big fan of shopping. Shopping for myself is my least favorite shopping (unless we're talking scrapbook materials or books, the I could look for hours). And then there's the running items... You saw my watch and the joy I got from it. And my family's gift of running shoes that I loved. Thank goodness my husband spoils me. :)
Well, I got to get new running shoes today. Mine had over 600 running miles, not counting that I (this a big no-no in the running community:) wear them for my everyday shoes, too.... I couldn't get new shoes after hitting the 500 mile mark (the mark all sources say shoes are not good for running feet anymore) because I would need work at breaking them in for the marathon. Anyway, now that the marathon is over... I got some new, beautiful, comfortable, and did I mention new? shoes. :)))) They are orange. I like orange. :) They are great. Ahhhh. I might sleep in them....
Just kidding. :)
Here it is:They do have me dreaming of doing another marathon... spring or a year from now, with a half marathon in the spring? Hmmm, "what's next" is the running question to ponder.

Other Information

Marathon update: my body feels great today. Monday, as I noted, I was sore, stairs were painful and the mole surgery didn't help anything. Tuesday, I was tight. Bending down to help clean up children's spilled art boxes made it difficult to get back up. By Tuesday afternoon, I felt pretty good. Today I feel great. The sore from the mole removal is not much better, but the muscles from the marathon feel great. So great, I didn't even take an advil today and I felt like running in the rain! My MIT group said DON'T RUN due to many little muscle tears from a marathon, but wait until Saturday to begin again, slowly. The mole area is in the middle of my back, so any muscle movement is a bit painful (good thing I didn't run, hm? :)) but that will get better soon, as well.
The teaching has been very fun. I look forward to returning tomorrow. And my muscles have probably benefited from being on my feet most of the day: stretching without being too strenuous.
I have a "to-do" list of scrapbooks and crafts I would like to get done by Dec. 31 but we'll see. I have Thankful Feather Cards to finish up so I can get those mailed this week. (see October 27, 2006 for explanation.) My husband would like to change it up a bit this year, so I will keep you posted as to what "feathers" transpire this year. I am handmaking the cards this year. They all have leaves, acorns and "thankful" in some form or another.
That's all for now. Going to go try to get the last of the aforementioned cards done. Hope all is well for you, on this day.

Grade One

I have been a substitute in first grade the last two days, and am in first grade tomorrow, as well. I found some tidbits I may use when I get my own classroom. Here are a few of them:

1. To encourage the children to lengthen their stories and use more detail, they had gloves at their desks (the cheap, knit kind) that said "beginning" on the thumb, "middle" on the next three fingers, and "end" on the pinky. Then when they were rereading their stories, to see if they needed more, they could put the glove on to double check. A small thing, really, that just helps them not to get in a hurry to move onto their next work by making a two sentence story. This was a simple reminder to make it five. :)
2. In the calendar area of the room, where they meet everyday, there was a pocket chart. It had $$ in it. Fake coins, actually. The "helper of the day" had to make the amount of change four different ways for the day of school-example, it was the 39th day of school, so there had to be four different ways to make 39 cents on the pocket chart. :)
3. The teacher had a 30 sided dice so, when playing a game, reading aloud, etc, where kids all raised their hands and wanted to help, she rolls the dice. The number up is chosen.
4. On the word wall, the children's names were up under the first letter, and it had a picture of them beside it. :) A simple way to make them feel special.
5. For the lunch count (in the school system I am teaching in, they have to choose lunch A-today was pizza, lunch B-today was Chef Salad and breadstick, lunch C-is always peanut butter and jelly crustable, or packed a lunch) they had to choose a piece of (again fake) coin/money to tell what they were having. Lunch A is a nickel, B is a dime, C is a quarter and pack is a penny.
6. There was a very large construction paper pumpkin up in the back of the room covered with fall words, in case they were doing journals or story writing and needed to spell a fall word.

I have enjoyed first grade very much. They are a great age, eager to please and learn. And respond well to all the positive encouragement I like to give out. :)

Final Stats and Moles

My ipod said I had completed 591.05 miles since I began training in May. As well as 23,000+ calories burned, and 90+workouts.
Moles... not the furry, blind kind that dig in your yard. Nope, I had another skin mole removed today. My day to rest from the marathon marred by surgery. The dermatologist said he wanted to remove 3 in the same area, and I requested to wait after the marathon. He said I could, as it wasn't immediately necessary, but then I should come in the very next day... so surgery 1 of 3 today. It went much better than the surgery of a year and a half ago: this was 20 minutes at most, four stitches, still not super painful. Maybe doing it the day after the marathon helps by using the leg pain as a distraction? :)
I hope your fall day is as beautiful as mine is currently!!

Update... few hours later, after anesthesia has worn off...ok, now it's painful... :)