Jan 3

Today I went to the doctor for my chest congestion and coughing. I received antibiotics and am hoping to be myself tomorrow! :)

My husband and oldest daughter are at the eye doctor for their yearly check-up appointments. Both needed new prescriptions/glasses.

My youngest daughter is reading a new book-enjoying her last day of reading "for fun" for a while, since the girls start back to school after their winter break tomorrow. They will have a lot of homework and their after school activities will keep them busy.

I have worked on my class assignment today. I am almost done with module 2. Each module has 6-8 sections about a specific area of differentiated instruction. The section I just finished was on research and strategies to implement in a classroom, dealing with physical environment (harsh lighting, temperature, music, etc.) and social and emotional environment (how to work with students and have them work together to have a positive effect on learning).

I have also done a little "fun" reading today... although I didn't really "have" the time to...
I started a book called Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos (the author of Love Walked In and Belong To Me-both of which I had heard were good, but haven't read). Pretty good so far, but I'm not too far in... Guilt over all I should be doing instead seeped in and squashed the enjoyment. ;)

Speaking of reading/books, one of my goals for this year is to read 6-12 books.
Books on my reading list?
*Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos
*Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs (I like her Scrapbook Mysteries and there is another coming out Jan. 18, and her Tea Shop Mysteries, so I thought I'd try it.)
*Laura Childs' next Scrapbook Mystery-she also usually has a tea mystery in March... if so, add that to my list!
*The next 3 books are chapter books that are historical fiction, but middle school level, so I could use them in my classroom in the future if I'm blessed to keep this same teaching job next year. Those three books are: War Horse-like the movie that just came out-by Michael Morpurgo, Bloody Times about Abraham Lincoln's death and the manhunt after by James L Swanson, and The Fighting Ground by Avi about a boy during the Revolutionary War
*Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo-both of my daughters and my mom liked/loved it.
*101 Things You Should Do Before Your Kids Leave Home by David Bordon and Tom Winters... my oldest will be leaving in the blink of an eye... thought it sounded interesting
*Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

I'm sure there are more, but that is all for now, since I have textbooks to read, too! :)
What is next on your list to read?

Right Now January

Right now I am happy to be posting for two days in a row.

Right now I have 42 unread emails in my inbox and 92 emails total-most of which can be deleted or filed. Some I need to reply to. I used to be so good at that...

Right now my google reader has 53 posts to read or organize. I have enjoyed Pinterest for helping me to link posts I like and then remove them from reader.

Right now I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with schoolwork-I am taking a class (we have to take some classes, as teachers, every so often to renew your license and not let it expire. I am due... I am taking one now and will take another directly after.) I am also trying to prepare a new unit for my students and am nervous about the whole thing. I have to prepare them for the National Geographic Bee... Still organizing thoughts and ideas.

Right now I am very excited about Project Life. I got the info/products last year, but I didn't have everything organized, laid out and accessible so I could actually use it as our daily lives chugged along. I am really very ready to be scrapping! :) I have been working on kits from scrapscription and enjoyed that, but am ready for the daily.

Right now my two biggest time wasters are Facebook and Pinterest. Contemplating stopping FB for the new year. A whole year? A month? Lent, when it comes around? What to do? Learn how to be adult and moderate FB intake? :)

Right now I am thinking that my first "baby" will be turning 17 this month and I CAN.NOT.BELIEVE.IT. She has her first boyfriend and it's sweet and scary all at the same time.

Right now I listen to my dog snoring on my office floor-he isn't even supposed to be up here, but I like his company. We have had several family and friends who have had to put their pets down lately and I am dreading the day when my almost-twelve-year-old weimaraner goes. He's been losing weight and not eating much over the last couple days, causing worry. Our other dog, almost eleven year old beagle, has a tumor that is getting quite large, too, and the vet wasn't very optimistic.

Right now I am very thankful that my husband got me this for Christmas. It is helping me keep my goal of getting rid of Starbucks. I stopped drinking it completely on Dec. 4. I have had a cup or two when my husband has brought me a "surprise" but that was two times in the last month. Back to regular coffee. I have had milk and sugar-not all the way to black coffee, yet. :) Down to 50 cents a day as opposed to almost 4 dollars a day...

Right now I am scurrying off to get to work-tomorrow I head back to school/teaching and I have yet to cross things off my "winter break to-do list". Wish me luck! What are you up to "right now"?

Happy New Year!

So begins another year. I can't believe time is going so fast.
It's been almost a month since I last posted. So much going on.

I started getting a cold on the 12th. It has continued, like the last few years, in fact. I'm not sure why I can't shake it. Over the last week and a half it turned into something else. I'm not sure what. Coughing, hacking, feeling quite ill. I try to get over it myself, without visits to doctors or medication, but to no avail. Will be heading to the doctor soon, I think.

I have been running-yes, even with this illness. I never know which things to run through, and what not to. Will the running clear out my lungs or make them more tired? Will it clear out the "gunk" or cause my body to be weak and produce more? I'm just not sure.

Anyway, the running has been good. After Christmas I got new running shoes and have liked them. Last year my mileage total was 506.74. It wasn't as high as I had hoped/my goal set a year ago. But, I'm happy with it nonetheless. I have signed up for the running group I participate with in the summers. I am hoping to make myself do a spring half marathon, this year. Now to get healthy again so I am successful...

So many goals, thoughts about 2011, sites set on in 2012... I will be posting more soon. :)
Many Happy New Year hugs to you, dear reader! :)

December 2

Today, I took a picture of some of our family for my December daily photos. We try to meet on Friday mornings with my husband's parents, at Tim Hortons, before school/work. My brother in law usually comes, and recently has been bringing my twelve year old nephew. Our two girls, my husband and I go.

Today is Friday, thank goodness. The week has been long, and I stayed up way too late a few nights this week-my college basketball team played at 9:35pm one night this week and I stayed up for the whole game-It was a great game and my team won, but wow, it was late and I have felt behind on sleep since!

I have only gotten one run in all week. My husband and I went and walked laps around the grocery store (it's a big Meijer grocery store) and after a few laps we got our groceries. It was really nasty weather outside and we can't walk together on the treadmill! :)

We get our tree on Sunday and I'm so excited! :) That always makes it feel really like the Christmas season has arrived. :)

December

Wow, December, already.
*I didn't have Starbucks today.
*I had tea in the afternoon.
*I didn't run.
*I went to see my youngest daughter's basketball game.
*I have a lot of shopping to do for gifts, still...
*Our Christmas cards came today, so I need to label them and get them out in the mail.
*I only have three pages done in my December daily album, so I need to get going before it's December 4th! :)

Hope your December has started well! :)