Thursday, January 23, 2014

THE JOYS OF SNOW DAYS

Nothing causes such joy in teachers as the words, SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED.

Don't get me wrong, we teachers love teaching but sometimes there comes a time when parents push those buttons or the students just don't want to be in class. In those moments, we want to scream, or at the very least have a drink. Makes me wonder why most teachers are not alcolhics because goodness knows we could be.

Dealing with the parents who don't want to believe that their 'little darlings' could ever talk that way to a teacher. For those parents who never see their child bring home any books or do homework for that matter and just 'can't understand why their child isn't passing" or "why you can't give him makeup work to do." 

Hmmm, how about because he/she had over a week to do the first assignment, chose not to do it and yet you believe that he will do something in one day because it's 'extra credit'. So we hope that the snow predictions are right and we get that great day from work called a SNOW DAY.

Ahh, the joys of snow days.

When we don't have to face another classroom full of disrespectful children. Another day we don't have to make that dreaded, "your child didn't do their homework" phone call. Another day we don't have to prepare the students to take a hour test that will measure if they have learned something new in math or reading or social studies.

Ahh, the joys of snow days.

When we get to sleep in without fear of over-sleeping. When we get to get up and realize that we have NOTHING to do that day except eat breakfast, turn on the TV and maybe, just maybe, walk the dog. (Cat lovers don't have to worry about such things) When we loaf around all day in our favorite footie pajamas, hair not combed, the shaver still on charge and the bed still crumpled from us laying in it all day. 

Ahh, the joys of snow days. 

But with the joy of snow days comes the dreaded, 'make up days" because we took to many snow days. 

But for now, we are just going to enjoy our snow days and worry about the rest later. 

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

I'VE GONE AND DONE IT NOW!

Well, if you know me than you know that I have always wanted to be a talk show host. What you didn't know that? Then where have YOU been?

At the C3 conference I talked about how I wanted to do it and another author in the audience yelled out, "then why don't you?"

Hmm, well she was right. Why hadn't I done it. She was right. I had been talking about it forever! I had a new computer that had the capability to create great videos. I had great friends who would love the chance to sit down and talk to me and I had the personality to carry a 'show".

So I did it! I went and did it! I dragged a friend, ok, well not quite dragged but nagged him enough that he agreed to be my guinea, I mean my first guest on my show. Now the name of the show is The BSW Show because I do everything with BSW.

I sat down with my little sad bunch of flowers, a small table and two folding chairs and started talking.

+Austin Camacho was gracious in granting me an interview. The room was dimly lit and I talked a little to fast but my first 'show' is now on Youtube.

Click here, The BSW Show is live and hoping that you don't judge it to harshly....remember, I have a low budget right now and it will get better.

At least next time, it will be better lighting and the flowers won't be so small. So tell me what you think and be kind....

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Oh No! I'm one of THOSE People

Do you see this? Huh? I mean....I actually have workout shoes that are flat to the floor. Gasp! What is happening to me? I can't seem to wrap my mind around the fact that I have tennis shoes. 

As you can see, my 'heels' are trying to intimidate the cute little purple/grey shoes but they are standing their ground! The tennis shoes have taken up residence in my work bag. Correction, my work bag; which used to only hold my laptop, various pens and pencils, a notebook and the occasional bottle of juice or my coffee mug has now become...

A WORKOUT BAG!  I think I feel faint! *fans self in an attempt to not faint*

You see, I went to the gym to help a friend who is on the journey of a life-time. She has lost over 80 pounds by walking and needed a little motivation and she asked me to go. I went and then I asked her to do the circuit training with me. After walking 4 miles in a little under 35 minutes; I was pumped. I was barely sweating so I figured I needed to do something else to get the old sweat glands to work. Like who does that? Well, I do because with me it is all about the competition. I couldn't have THOSE people in the gym looking at me like I was a slacker. I could imagine what that group of women thought when they walked in, "look at her...taking up that machine walking and she aint even sweating''. I can't help it that I don't sweat much! Get off my back! 

Wait, they didn't actually say that but I felt like I wanted to have an attitude with them so off to circuit training I went and for the next 30 minutes I sweated like I was in the park playing frisbee with my dog Mocha. Except he wouldn't catcha frisbee and I wouldn't have him in the park with all of those fleas and ticks. But I digress.

So afterwards, while cooling down and chatting with my friend, I felt alive, I felt new, I felt like; one of THOSE people. I immediately needed new clothes, new shoes, a new workout bag and most of all, one of those emblems for the car! 

I felt like I belonged in the gym, like I wanted to be there all the time, like I wanted to become a workout enthusiast. So I did what I figured most people would do. I joined +Planet Fitness and became a Black Card member that allows me to use the gym whenever I want to and to take advantage of the hydro-therapy massage tables or the massage chairs. The plus side, it only costs me $20 a month because I'm cheap and would never pay anything more than that...so yes, I am officially one of THOSE people. 

You know, the ones with the gym bags, cute little shoes, the weights, water bottles and the emblem on their car (except I'm not putting it on my car; instead its on my workout bag)

So, if you live in Waldorf and are ever at the gym, look for me and my cute little purple and grey tennis shoes; I'll try and leave the +Stilettos at home or at the very least in the locker. 

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

NEW YEAR, NEW ATTITUDE

Every year people make resolutions and every year, around February, most of the resolutions have been broken.

This year I challenge you NOT to fall into the trap of making a resolution. Instead I challenge you to have a new attitude.

A lot of women fall into the trap of, "I'm going to start my diet" and come December, they look in the mirror and they have not lost one pound but and have gained at least five. Then they moan, groan and complain that they didn't have the right food, or they couldn't make time to work out, or they didn't have support but what they won't do, is blame themselves. 

See most women want to lose weight but they don't have the motivation to do it. They want someone to blame when they don't lose a pound instead of taking the blame themselves. Instead of saying, I chose to eat that entire bag of chips, or I chose to eat out for lunch everyday or I chose to eat that ice cream even though I said I wouldn't. They look for a scapegoat when all they need to do is look in the mirror.

Men are not exempt from this. "I'm going to work out everyday" "I'm going to stop smoking" "I'm going to work harder and get that promotion". But come December, they say, "well I couldn't stop smoking because my job is stressful because they gave that promotion to someone who just started working there a year ago." 

See the pattern? Those people didn't have a new attitude, what they had were new excuses. But come next January 1, 2015; those same people will again make the same 'resolutions'. 

I challenge those people to say, in 2014, I am going to have a new attitude about my eating. I want to be healthy, I want to live longer and I won't make excuses for my behavior. I want them to say, I'm going to try and limit my cigarettes and I am going to try and work out more and I will work harder and apply for that new position.

See, if you do that and post it everywhere. Put it on your computer at work, in the desk drawer that you would have junk food in; or in the drawer you keep those cigarettes. Put it in your bathroom, on your refrigerator; anywhere you will see it everyday because until you change your attitude, you won't lose a pound, you will still smoke and your weight bench will continue to be a clothes rack.

So, what is your new attitude this year? 

Well for me, I am going to try and learn to be patient and learn how to speak up for myself. If I don't like something, I will not let people change my mind about it.

So, tell me; what is your new attitude this year?