A Fond Farewell

In in a sense I am most sorry to be bidding you all adieu. If this had been a full semester class, just think of how adept we could have all become. :) I have been most thankful for my lab partner Angelica's patient kindnesses I think she has rather been an Angel to me (just like in her name:). I also am giving thanks that Mr. Gibbs was not one of those up tight, never made a mistake type A teachers that have no patience with those still needing to learn. I know he said the number one rule was no stress but... I think even the best laid hopes often go awry :) still I'll take inadvertent stress of intentional stress anytime. I hope that legs will heal and moves will go well, that CSET results will come back positive and that all the traveling and moving that is being planned will result in the very happiest of outcomes for you all. Have a marvelous summer!!!

Cautionary Tale

Have you been putting that visit to the Dr. off? You know, you know there's been one or two things that weren't quite right with how you were feeling, but... why take the time to go when they'll just pat you on the head and say it's nothing, right? My 47 year old sister went to bed with a wretched headache this last Tuesday night, she's been dealing with blood pressure issues since Christmas time, but she is a pastor's wife, the mother of three adolescent girls, and a full time substitute teacher, so there's usually enough stress in her house to sink several ships. On Wed. morning, she couldn't open her eye,her lashes were stuck closed with clotted blood. She had a blood vessel break in her eye. She went ahead and went to work but at noon went and had her bp taken. it was something over 96 (not good when optimum is under 80). She called the Dr. thought he might see her the next day. He told her he wanted her in in 10 minutes and when she wasn't there in 10 minutes, they were calling to check why. By the time she got to the Dr. the number they watch, (that bottom diastolic number) was up to 106 and she was very lucky not to have had a stroke. She knows she needs to take time to take care of herself, she keeps her wt. down and exercises consistently, but... I guess she is the proof that genetics will over ride everything else. My mothers side of the family have all dealt with bp issues, but... this was too close a call for any one's comfort. My word of advice this week, if you're not feeling right, check it out!!!

"What's in Your Wallet"?

Well I am glad that ad lines are not for the most part copyrighted. Our family has been going through the very real frustration of identity theft. Three days before her 20th birthday, our oldest daughter had her drivers side window broken out at work and her backpack taken. Inside were her college notebooks and her wallet. The thieves immediately took her credit card and debit card to local gas stations, they then went to the local mall. They spent over $700 dollars on the new credit card they opened for her at Macy's and then went to Mervyn's where they made the mistake of trying to open an account with a man who had known my daughter for a number of years. That got us the Driver's licence back and a picture of the robber. In an interesting twist, someone delivered all her notebooks and things that were in the backpack, to the Child Development Center where my daughter goes to college. We were so thankful to get the notes and things that were needed to finish out her semester. This has been a hard and ugly lesson both for our daughter and for us. We've been really blessed to not have run into this problem up until now. I guess I'd have to highlight that line in this weeks title, but I would add , Be careful, about what you keep in your wallet!!

Try try again

This week I tried to practice what we've learned in class, so... in my on-line Diversity class I found www.tolerance.org. It had some stories that would be read to the students in Spanish and English. The computer guru on our school site had run cable so that I could click two buttons on my key board and transport the image from my computer to the TV screen in my room. Then I hit the problem, the picture transferred fine, but no volume came through and as a result, we all ended up camped around the computer on my desk so we could hear the story. :( Now I am on a quest to get speakers for my computer. It was disappointing, I had thought it would be "So Cool", but... perhaps Cool will come another day :). Thanks for reading

Can I really be so old?

This Saturday my oldest daughter will turn 2o years old. Now I know I turned 20 once, but having been born when my mother was 23, my turning 20 could not have had the same kind of impact on her as my daughters is having on me, (could it)? Akasha was born the May before I turned 30 (having married at 27). The thing that confuses me, is that I can remember her babyhood so clearly, it just couldn't have been 20 years ago. Still, she will be leaving to finish her four year degree in August, and she may never return for any real length of time again. My husband was a Naval officer when she was born, so he had to leave for an 8 month tour in Spain when she was 10 days old. We had a very bonding but exhausting first 8 months. She did not like to sleep in her bed, so I spent many nights holding her in the recliner watching CNN and or the very new Lifetime channel. (And Rosie O'Donnell when she was still hosting Music TV). Well my first baby is a baby no longer, (and I am no longer almost 30). The young woman she has become is very confident and I am given many compliments in regard to what a fine young person she has become. It is my hope that one day, she too will have a daughter that brings her as much joy as she has brought us. If you think of it on Saturday, be to wish her a Happy Birthday with us :)!

No Dogs

This weekend was a welcome relief. Saturday was the first weekend in a long long time that I didn't wake up to feel the heat of some "project that had to finished" nipping at my heels. For the first time in too long, my family's laundry was washed and folded by Sunday night. I was able to sit down and watch the new "Sense and Sensibility" (both installments) with my 20 year old that really wanted the extra time. It was nice to get to breathe deep for a little while... now I've got a paper due by Sunday and a power point presentation to make, so... the heat is on, but... perhaps after a the rest it will be easier to face. We shall see.

The things we do for love

Going to school, teaching and raising a family leads to a life of continual priority confrontation. I was able to stay at home and "be there" for my two older children, and then began to substitute when my youngest started middle school. There have been days and moments at my present position, when I've received that long dreaded call " mom, I'm throwing up and I don't know know what I should do". These were very hard moments, esp. since I was not able to hand my SDC class off to another teacher. Mine is not the kind of class that most general ed. teachers can deal with comfortably. Guilt/ Guilt on both mother and teacher levels. I have also run into a problem when I need to write a paper at the same time my college age daughter or my Jr. in High School need help writing papers of their own. Pretty much, my work needs to slide to the back of the desk until their work is finished and their questions answered. I have to make sure that there is never any doubt that they and their dad were always my first priorities. Its probably not the general attitude of many if not most working wife/mothers today, but... for me, it is hard, but very key!