February Goal Recap & March Goals

For the month of February I listed 6 goals that I wanted to work on. I tried to make them more measurable and specific so I could have a good idea of how I did. The goals were:


1. No soda/coffee: 
I will admit, I completely and utterly failed at this goal. I did cut down on drinking coffee at work, which is great, but I need to continue working on the soda thing.... still trying!


2. Eat at least one completely unprocessed food with each meal: 
I wrote down my food intake (on most days) this month and have definitely added more raw and cooked vegetables into my daily eating although my documentation was not complete enough to really know if I was successful at each and every meal.  I am, however, making a conscious effort to reduce the amount of processed foods and I would say this goal was successful. I want to keep it up and continue improving my meals. 


3. Read at least one book for pleasure: 
I read In Defense of Food, Food Rules, Attention Deficit Disorder, & Driven to Distraction. (Yes, two of those are work/school related reads, but I did read them for pleasure just for my own interest, so I counted them)
 
4. Leave no more than one item unfinished on daily To Do lists:
I have data for this one! I was successful on 15 out of 22 To Do lists. When I was on my weekend trip, I did not make lists, so that is why there were only 22. I have one for this weekend, but I decided to write this post today, so that accounts for the other 2 days in February. Bottom line, I got a lot accomplished this month!


5. Write 4 pages per week on my Comparative International Edudcation paper: 
I have 16 pages written and there were 4 weeks in February. Success!


6. Work out 5 times per week: 

Week 1: 5 workouts

Week 2: 5 workouts

Week 3: 4 written down, but I think I did 5

Week 4: I have done 2 workouts so far, but since it is Saturday it looks like this week's total will be 4

I would say I was pretty successful with that goal!


I think some of these will carry over into my goals for March, but I would also like to include some different goals as well....


Health/Wellness Goals

• Do pilates video 3 times per week: I used to do pilates a lot and really saw benefits from this type of workout. I want to try and incorporate more into my workout routine.  I have a very short (20 min.) buns and thighs video and I am thinking of getting up 15 minutes earlier and just getting it done before school. If I spent a little less time reading blogs in the am, I could definitely make this happen!
• Strength training 3 times per week: I am going back to letting cardio overtake my entire workout schedule. I made a plan to do more weight lifting and started out doing well, but then I crept back into my old ways of cardio cardio cardio. 
• Continue with cleaner eating and also cut down on soda, coffee, sugar intake, and chocolate (this one is less measurable, but with keeping track of what I eat, I will be able to see how I am doing).

Personal Goals

• I am still loving the To Do lists, so I am going to continue with that. Let's see if I can do better than 68% success this time.
• Plan/Organize for our trip to Ireland. I would like to create a written itinerary (which I have already started) so that we are really organized when we travel.  
• Try two new healthy recipes.

What would you like to accomplish this month? 
What helps you follow through with your goals? Writing them down? Posting a visual? Writing in a journal?

gifts

Today I woke up to a messy apartment and decided I could not spend my day off in a cluttery mess. I decided to set my egg timer for 15 minutes to see how much I could accomplish in that short amount of time.

Surprisingly it was a lot! I made the bed, put random clothes away, picked up the living room, did the dishes, picked up my office and got my of the kitchen cleaned before the buzz went off. Since I was being so productive, I just kept cleaning for another 15 minutes or so and now the whole place looks much better!

My level of enjoyment as I watched The Desperate Housewives of Orange County was entirely intensified by my clean, organized surroundings. For all those times that I hesitate to get things done because it seems like it will take SO long, I just completely proved to myself that it doesn't take long at all. I would still like to vacuum today and maybe get some laundry done, but the apartment looks so much better and I just know I will be productive all day because of that motivated cleaning frenzy of a morning I had.

This morning I also decided to be extra sweet to my husband and I made him his favorite breakfast (egg in the whole) because he came home last night bearing gifts! He brought me a super soft and cozy fleece from a company called Bench that I had never heard of, a cute little pink watch that is made of a stretch material and really durable, so I can wear it when I workout (he knows me so well), and this adorable little flower thingy for hanging my razor in the shower.

 

  

 

What a sweetheart!

He told me to think of something fun to do tonight, so I am brainstorming what we can do. There are some good movies at the English movie theater so that might be fun...

1. What is your idea of a good date with your significant other?

2. What is the most thoughtful gift you ever got from your honey?

3. If you could press a magic button that would either clean your whole house and do your laundry OR fastforward through your day at work until it was time to go home, which would you pick?

Sun!

It is a gorgeous day in Germany! It is 54 degrees out, the sky is Robin's Egg blue, and the sun is shining! I just went for a run outside and I had forgotten how nice it is to exercise in the fresh air. I don't run that often because running on the treadmill at the gym is so boring. Even with good music, it seems like every minute is an eternity and I typically choose another form of cardio over running. When I am outside though, it is so interesting to look at all the scenery, pass by other people, and just be in the sun soaking in the rays.

The one thing that makes running outside less appealing is that I really have a hard time determining what my pace is. I run between 11 and 11.5 km/hour (6.8-7.1 miles per hour) on the treadmill and I like to know how fast I am going. It feels like I run a lot slower outside since I don't have the belt to keep me at a steady pace. Usually I just pick an amount of time I want to run for and try my best to keep a steady run without walking, even if my pace feels slower.

I noticed the past few times I have run that when I get home there is blood on two of my toes. For some reason they are squishing each other/rubbing funny when I run and it makes them bleed. With ridiculously expensive custom orthodics, I am not sure why this is happening! It doesn't really hurt as I am running, but when I am done there is blood. I make sure to keep my nails trimmed because I thought maybe the nail was digging in or something, but that's not it. Boo!

In just a bit I am off to work on another block of my quilt. Today's will make a grand total of 4. Then I will have 5 more to make of this same pattern before I move onto the next star pattern. I am enjoying learning how to sew, but it is not as leisurely as I would like considering I have to schedule times to go over to Lucinda's to work on it. On a beautiful day like today, I would rather be outside than inside sewing, but we already set up the time for me to go over and work. Maybe some day I will have my own sewing machine so I can just sew whenever the mood strikes.

It is only 2:15 and my To Do list for the day is almost complete. I need to read for my class and maybe work on my paper a little bit more, but then I plan on getting my relaxation on this evening and catching up on some shows!

Now it's your turn:
1. Do you prefer the treadmill or the pavement?
 Most often the pavement (but that is weather dependent)

2. What outside activity do you miss the most when it's all wintery and snowy out?
I enjoy walking/running outside and just being outdoors when it's sunny and warm, but in the winter I always just want to cozy up inside and hibernate! I am glad the sun made an appearance today :0)

3. Are you currently reading anything interesting that you could recommend?
I am reading a few books for class, but I want something just for fun.

Highlights

Today a few things made me really happy. One of my fifth grade classes is reading Number the Stars and their teacher gave them an assignment which required them to write a persuasive piece about their opinion of lying. In the story, several of the characters tell lies to protect a Jewish girl from the German soldiers, so the idea of whether or not it is okay to lie sometimes becomes an interesting topic of debate. Her assignment got me thinking about the Anticipation Guide that my friend did with her 7th graders before they started reading Tuck Everlasting.

The idea is that you create a series of statements based on the major themes that you will be teaching about. The students respond to the statements by placing a check mark next to the statements that they believe to be true or that they agree with. You can do a group discussion about their ideas and opinions, then revisit the same guide once the unit has been completed or the book has been read. I thought it would be really interesting to incorporate an anticipation guide for Number the Stars with the same concept the fifth grade teacher was using for her persuasive piece.  The interesting part about the Anticipation Guide is that students respond to the statements before they connect with the book and their ideas may change as a result of getting to know certain characters and their motives. I would guess that many students would not check the statement, "It is okay to tell lies," yet after reading Number the Stars and becoming familiar with the idea that people lied to protect others from being killed they may have some different ideas and justifications for checking it.

When I was sharing my idea with the fifth grade teacher, I asked her if maybe I could create an Anticipation Guide for the other group of fifth graders who will read this book next month. She was really excited about the idea and welcomed me to teach a lesson to her students! I am really pumped because I think it will be a great activity and I am always thrilled to get back into "real teacher" mode. I love it when the teachers whose classrooms I push into are welcoming and really value my presence. I  always worked with instructional assistants as a classroom teacher and now that I have had time in that role, I have a better understanding of how to make them feel more valued in my classroom. It is always fun to have the chance to collaborate with other teachers and share ideas.

Another thing that made me really happy today was my high school friend wanting to work on his Spanish homework during our 1:1 time. Typically he has Physics or History homework (two of my most favorite subjects...NOT), but today it was Spanish. I was so happy to have the chance to speak a little bit of Spanish and to remember what it feels like to actually understand the foreign language being used! It was a nice little refresher and and a nice end to a long day.

Also, being able to change into comfy pants after work made me super happy because my pants felt too tight all day. Tomorrow is a new day and I need to end the week eating better than I have for the past few days. 

Last, My girlfriends came over and watched The Women Tell All episode of The Bachelor after work and we enjoyed a nice little tray of snacks that I put together. We are all so excited for the finale next week and we actually discussed the possibility of getting together at 5 am (our time), which is when the live finale airs on the West Coast (which is the timezone our Slingbox accesses). Ultimately we decided to wait until after school, but it is going to take a lot of restraint and facebook avoidance to remain in the dark about the results until after work. I am still convinced something is going on with Ali....

A couple of questions for you! I shared my thoughts and I want to hear from you as well!

1. What is your opinion on lying? Is it ever okay to lie? 
That's a toughie, but I think that under certain circumstances, if it involves your life or your family at risk...you do what you have to do.

2. Who do you think Jake is going to choose? Are you Team Tenley or Team Vienna?  or maybe....
    Team Ali?
    Team Stay Single?
    Team Marry ME Jake?
I could be wrong, but I just have this feeling we haven't seen the last of Ali. I don't think Jake will propose to either of the finalists and I think he sends them both home. Whether or not he goes after Ali, I am not sure, but I have a feeling there is a surprise in store and there will be some major shock value!

3. What is your opinion about people who post the results of reality shows on facebook? 
Since I never watch shows on time, I am always really bummed when someone reveals the results because I hate finding out the ending before I actually watch the show!

Chemistry Teacher Say What?!

The most recent class that has been added to my schedule is a high school Chemistry class. I consider myself a pretty on top of it and smart person, but I can't seem to understand anything the teacher is talking about. It's not that he is not a good teacher, but I come in 45 minutes after the class has started (because they have a double block and I only cover the second half) and I immediately feel disoriented because he is in the middle of teaching and the students are seated and in the middle of working/learning. I am the type of learner who always gets to class early and take furious color coded notes (I know, again with the color coding...) and doesn't like to miss a beat, so not knowing what is going on really is not  my cup of tea...

When I got to class today, I went and checked in with the student that I support and felt relieved he wasn't seeking too much help because I felt like I needed a support team to come in and help me understand! Jeesh. I am such a nerdy overachiever type, I really can't stand feeling entirely lost, but it's not like I can raise my hand and ask a question. That would just make me look unprepared and if I let on that I really had no clue what was going on I feel like I would lose my professional smart teacher credibility with my student. Thank goodness I also see him for Algebra and I kick Algebra's butt! That provides me a small feeling of redemption that prevents me from wanting to crawl under the desk and tear the Periodic Table to shreds.

It's pretty fortunate that this particular student who has to bear the burden of my Chemistry induced stupidity is very polite and pretty shy, so he would never draw attention to the fact that I am not actually helping him. Maybe he doesn't notice!?

I guess this is why I love teaching the little ones...the small kiddos that think I am super smart just because I can tie my own shoes, push the straws in Capri Suns without help, and read hard books like Junie B. Jones. In their world I am a super smarty pants and I like that. Any student that will never ask me to explain redox equations gets a gold sticker!

What was your hardest subject in school?

If you don't know the answer to a question that a student asks, do you own up to it or fake your way through to save face?

Inspiration

Today was one of those mornings where I looked around at all the clutter in my office and kitchen and just had to tidy up when I really needed to be getting ready for work. I was brushing my teeth (well really just walking around with my toothbrush clenched in my mouth) while I made the bed and put away the clothes that were lying on our guest bed. The same mess had been there all weekend, yet it wasn't until I was really in a time crunch that I felt the need to get rid of it. I guess timing is everything...I needed a little bit of extra motivation to get that tidying done and luckily I still made it to work on time!

I got to sub for my friend today in math because she was home sick. Ahhh...the joy of being in charge and actually teaching the group! We worked on the difference between equations, numeric expressions, and inequalities and I really got to do my thing since she was too sick to write a thorough plan. She knew I would be covering so she pretty much left the worksheets and said to do some examples with them knowing that I could handle it. I loved the chance to put on my "real teacher" hat again!!

Today inspiration is on my mind because after talking with my partner in OR on the phone yesterday, I felt completely inspired by her. For the online course I am taking, I have to collaborate with another teacher in order to create and implement reading intervention lessons for a student. I create the lessons and she teaches them to one of her students, then she provides me with feedback so I can create the next lesson. Usually we chat on the phone on the weekend to go over our assignments, how the previous lesson went, and what we want to do next. I don't know much about her school or the student we are working with because the information needs to be kept confidential. She did reveal that she works at  an alternative school that services students who have been removed from their homes. Some students have come from environments where drugs were used and some students have police records.  They have it rough and tough and she is their teacher. She works her butt off sometimes spending more than 12 hours at school in an effort to get everything done. She is supposed to be retired, yet this is how she spends her days. Helping kids who quite possibly feel like they have nothing and no hope. She helps them realize that they can have a future and gently guides them to continue their education and alter the path of their lives.

As we spoke, I was in awe of her commitment and her capacity to handle the situations she described. She shared some information about the student she selected for us to work with for our assignments and I was near tears to hear about the drastic changes that have taken place in his persona since she first met him. She tried to share this credit with me, explaining that the lessons I have created have helped him to grow as a learner, yet I feel so insignificant compared to the powerful impact she is having in this student's life. I picture her as a more mature Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds or Hillary Swank in Freedom Writers yet with a greater longevity of wisdom from years in the classroom. At one point before the course started, I considered dropping it because I was a little nervous about having to work with a partner. I tend to be a perfectionist and don't really like to rely on other people when it comes to my grades. I am so glad I decided to stick it out because I have had the pleasure of working with this terrific lady. She is so sweet and so complimentary of me as if my skills even compare to her years of experience. We agreed that when I go back to OR, we will meet for coffee and I am looking forward to it! I am thankful that I am able to work with this person and she has left an impression on me with regards to what kind of teacher I strive to be!

Who or what inspires you ?

Which movie did you find more inspiring? Freedom Writers or Dangerous Minds? Or do you have another favorite?