I've moved....

I've moved to http://jubileejennybea.wordpress.com/ just because I'm a woman and I'm entitled.

I'm still here

I'm done reading, finally. Currently, I'm struggling with the winter blues...I don't want to go to school or work today...I'd just rather crawl into bed and watch T.V. When I was working retail, I always felt crappy this time of year; I chalked it up to post Christmas let down and pure exhaustion. When I went back to school two years ago I thought I might be able to escape the winter blahs, but no dice.

I have dealt with depression my entire adult life (depression runs in my family) so I have been on and off meds for almost 20 years. I've been lucky- for the past 2 1/2 years, I've not had to take any medication for depression....the longest time ever. However it's times like this, the winter blahs, that I'd like the medication back...I think it's easier to deal with life when your medicated. So if I'm not posting it's because I'm feeling overwhelmed and blue. In years past, I normally snap out of it sometime in late February. I think I'm fortunate that I know my body and if meds are necessary I'll go back (but I don't want to). I feel better just writing about it...I'm off to school.

Reading...not Blogging

I will need to take a few days off from blogging for I am desperately behind in my reading for school. See, I thought I was being so smart and saving a few bucks ($50 to be exact) by ordering some of my books online. One of my books arrived yesterday and the other today. Here's the problem, my Tuesday night class has met twice-I have the last two weeks assignments to read and read and prepare for class next week....I have 130 pages to read! Even if I break it down, it still means I have to read 25 pages a night and it will take me about 2 1/2 hours to get through those 25 pages (I highlight and take reading notes). On top of all the reading I have to review 10 websites and start a six page reading paper....AAAAAAH! I need to leave for school in an hour and I haven't been through me evening routine because I have been reading. So tell me why am I blogging? Was it worth saving $50 to be so desperately behind? Wonderful Wednesday? Not!

P.S. I did not get to take a nap today....I am very tired and grouchy....how am I going to get through a 2 1/2 hour night class? Starbucks....a BIG Starbucks.

Science Fair Project

Let me be on record....I hate science fair projects! I hate that my daughter's science fair project turns into my science fair project. Let's review...my daughter is high functioning autistic-she is all about concrete concepts and the here and now. Trying to explain to her why we are doing an experiment and what it means to her is like beating my head against a wall....she couldn't care less. I have tried explaining this to her teachers and I have tried to get them to assign something else for her-they pretty much put it on me to figure out something else for her to do. Here's the thing....I don't have time to make up a project for her to do, I mean I really, truly don't have time and surely she is not the only one to ever go through the school district who couldn't do a science fair project! For the love of God give her a pass!!!

I am dumping here because I have spent the afternoon working on sweet daughters science project after she got bored with it. I know I will struggle with science fair projects when I'm a teacher because I think they are a monumental waste of time...kids don't like them, parents hate them, and most teachers can't be bothered with them. GRRRRR....I hate this!

Week in Review

Last night was my Social Studies/Language Arts Methods class...once again, a project oriented class. This semester I will have to produce a field trip lesson plan that includes a "treasure hunt", a social studies game, short reviews of ten web sites, an original biography of a U.S. president in a picture book format, a whopper group project with too many elements to list, and two multiple choice tests. Attendance is required (no problem there) and when we come to class we need to not only bring our book but markers, construction paper, tape, glue stick, stapler, and scissors; I am not getting a degree in Education but in Arts and Crafts! Shockingly, I have an idea for a game and I think I'm going to do my presidential biography on Jimmy Carter.

A few thoughts now that I've made it through the first week: My initial twitting out about my math class is unwarranted...this is basic eight and ninth grade math, we have worked on estimation, rounding, reading graphs, and solving very basic word problems. I hope it gets better because I'm kind of bored but it is giving me confidence because I know more than I thought I did. Exceptional Children class should be a breeze after the paper due February 2nd is over. Reading and Social Studies will be okay but a ton of work. I generally need to think about projects for a loooong time so I'm glad I have much of a semester to get most of my projects done.

One week down....14 to go.

P.S. I'm having a Vodka tonic with Absolut Citron Vodka to celebrate not having a Friday night class.

Learn to Read

Reading I class last night....one word....OVERWHELMING! This is going to be a project oriented class and let me tell you there are a lot of projects- a six page paper, a vocabulary lesson plan, a reading lesson presentation, a personal reading memoir, and a reflection plus five quizzes and two tests. None of these is a small project and all will take HOURS to complete...I'm starting on the paper this weekend.

Personal note: My husband came home from work last night and told me he would rather have a terminal disease than get a divorce. Apparently one of his customers came in close to closing and dumped his personal life on my husband...just got out of rehab, business in the crapper, and wife just served him divorce papers (he has three young boys). I think my husband was feeling particularly grateful that, while we may be dirt poor, at least we have a decent marriage.

Wonderful Wednesdays!

Remember last semester Thursday was the best day of the week, well this semester it's Wednesday! On Wednesdays, I have the morning math class and Wednesday evening I have Reading I so the afternoon is free, free, free! No husband, no kid, and no work...there is total silence in the house!!!!! I don't know when it started but I crave silence-peace and quite-when I go without, I start to get a little crazy. Sometimes, after a particularly rough day, I will escape to the book store so I can peruse the knitting, cooking, and photography books. Rarely do I buy anything but when I leave I feel like I've taken an hour nap and I feel like I can face my family again. Wonderful Wednesdays....I'm looking foward to them!

Resume Napping

I have three, count 'em, three night classes...Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night from 7 to 9:45. I am such a morning person so this night class business just kills me. Fortunately school is less than two miles from home; class can be over and I'm home and in bed in less than 10 minutes. I have this need to have a smooth running household subsequently a number of things need to be done from the time I pick up my daughter from school to the time I walk out the door for the evening...

1. Daughters homework completed and returned to her backpack
2. School papers signed and returned to said backpack
3. Bath for daughter
4. Dinner for daughter
5. Dinner for mom and dad
6. Clothes picked out and ironed for the next day
7. Face washed and contacts out
8. And the most critical....a nap! I can't get through without my nap

My husband usually walks in the door at the same time I need to leave...any discussion we need to have must be completed in less than 30 seconds or via cell phone on my way to school. This schedule makes me cringe but it's only for 15 weeks and I think I can do just about anything for 15 weeks.

Back to the grind

First day back to school and I must say....not too bad. Today was College Algebra for Non-Scientific Majors and I am taking the easiest math possible because I am afraid of math. I'm not sure when the fear set in...I took a lot of math all through Jr. High and High School- pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and college algebra but I struggled through all of them; I never did any better than a B-. Anyway, I have avoided math for 2 1/2 year of college and now I have to bite the bullet. The professor seems nice enough and the book looks more like 8th or 9th grade math so I think I'm going to be okay. There will only be three tests that will determine the entire grade(I'm a little twitted out about that) and we have assigned problems from the book however we don't have to turn any of it in. Weird but whatever; I guess I'm going to have to be an adult in this class because there will no one to report to except me.

On a totally different subject-I walk for about 45 minutes every morning; Monday mornings are always the most interesting because just based on the trash people leave on the curb I know what type of home improvement project they did over the weekend. One neighbor got new mattresses, another got a new dishwasher and a new trash compactor, and someone did some MAJOR spring cleaning. Just like you'd like to know.

Been about a year....

Last year, about this same time, I took my mother-in-law for what I thought was a routine colonoscopy. Turns out it was not so routine- she was diagnosed with colon cancer. The Doom and Gloom team (as I so affectionately call my husbands family) was in rare form...my husband was ready to go shopping for a headstone and coffin, my sister-in-law was positive she was going to have to pack up and move back to Texas to take care of her extremely ill mother, and my mother-in-law was sure she was going to be walking around with a colostomy bag and no hair. Me (the only voice of reason) told them all they were going waaaaay overboard!

Turns out my mother-in-law only had part of her colon removed (did you know you have 6 feet of colon) so no colostomy bag, she took an oral chemotherapy with the biggest side effect being extremely dry skin, and she took care of her older sister after she had heart bypass surgery. I really wanted to say, "See, see...she was fine! No one listens to me!"

The reason I bring this whole story up is this morning, I took my mother-in-law for her annual colonoscopy. Doom and Gloom mother-in-law was sure she had cancer again-I think she has been worrying herself into symptoms. Her worrying was about to send me over the edge, I have no patience for pity (one of my many short comings.) Well, long story short....she is fine, no sign of a tumor not even a little polyp. Going through all of this I wonder, once you have had cancer do you every stop worrying it's going to come back?