Mindful Eating

OH bummer.  My WiiFit balance board has informed me; "THAT'S OBESE!"  For the past three months, I've been watching it.  I mean - I'm cutting out foods with empty calories and reaching for food with more sustenance. And slowly, thirteen pounds have lost their way from my body and went somewhere else.

I'm angry.  I hate the process of losing weight.  It's painful - it makes me think about why I've gained weight and unsuccessful weight loss in the past.  I hate that.

In high school, my weight bounced around a lot.  I remember getting on the scale in ninth grade and being terrified that I weighed 138.   I started dieting.  I counted calories and exercised nonstop and wasn't successful.  (Probably because I was supposed to weigh 138 lbs - based on my body frame) 

I was obsessed with what I ate.  My topics of conversation were calories, exercise, and weight.  Yeah - really great stuff.

Eventually, a boy suggested I lose weight.  I took to it.  I lost a lot of weight.  I threw up.  I couldn't keep anything in my stomach.  I was constantly sick.  I didn't even know how to eat normal things anymore.

I'm not quite sure how I stopped myself.  Maybe once that boy was removed from my life, everything went back to normal - back to somewhat healthy.

 Now, I'm a mom.  I have genetics.  My babies were both born over ten pounds.  I have type 2 diabetes to think about and avoid.  I have high blood pressure and cholesterol to think about.  These are not a problem now - but the reality strikes me every day when my WiiFit balance board announces; "That's Obese."

I really should mute that damn thing.

My weight had been creeping up on me - because I try not to think about what I'm eating.  I don't want to count calories.And this is what is painful for me - trying to decide if I'm hungry - and what my body needs.  And to be healthy, but slowly - because I don't want to be hungry.

Cribs - Teacher Version

Leprechauns are Scary Things

I never knew they had leprechauns in the South. 

In Kindergarten, our girls a treated to a unit on leprechauns.  They make traps for this feisty green guy in the classroom.  Sometimes, the leprechaun will make a little mess while the kids are in gym.  Sometimes, the leprechaun will mix up crayon boxes.

My girls have always taken these little green guys seriously.  Natalie had taken this too seriously so where it was at a point I had to go with her to the bathroom.  She'd wake up in the middle of the night and cry for fear of the leprechaun.

I was at a loss.  Eventually, I broke down and told her that Jason built a force field around our house. (Ever the scientist)  And every night, we turn it on.  This force field protects us from leprechauns, ghosts, aliens, robbers, kidnappers, but lets mice in.  (Jason hadn't perfected it yet.)
- I guess I had to fight fire with fire - or imagination with imagination anyways.

Leperchauns

Right now as we speak Alison is quickly running to her dad, "DAD!  DAD!  THE LUCKY CHARMS ARE GONE!" 

Allie's plan to catch a leprechaun was foiled.



Awwww  I'm going to miss that one day.

Diane Ravitch - No Child Left Behind

Gifts and Strengths

I love that in this day and age more school professionals understand that despite a learning irregularity, kids with reading problems are a phenomenal children waiting to discover their strengths. 

Pete the Cat

After school,  Allison showed us the video.  Her teachers showed her class the song.  She said all twenty-five of her classmates sang along to the song.  Pretty cool that they'd share this message with our kids.  As a teacher, I can imagine the glowing feeling they must have had knowing these kids enjoyed the story so much.

Personally and professionally, I love the rhyming and poetic feeling of this video.  This would be a great introduction to poetry for any age level - Older kids would enjoy watching little kids singing and being exposed to poetry, too.