10 Reasons I need a snow day tomorrow…

1.       5 days in a row is too many to teach first grade.

2.       The new water heater needs my help to get acclimated to our home. After all, we haven’t seen hot water in 24 hours. Yes…we smell.

3.       Ashlyn doesn’t have school so why should I?

4.       Riptide misses me. His constant whining tells me so.

5.       I do NOT need another hour long commute in snow and wind with crazy drivers.

6.       I need to replace the battery in the carbon monoxide detector. I think it was beeping all day and drove Reba crazy based on her behavior when I got home.

7.       Reba needs a day of snow Frisbee to get over the trauma of the beeping from today.

8.       I need to work on my T-shirt quilt.

9.       A four day weekend would be one more day nicer than a three day weekend.

10.   I would love, love, love a pajama day filled with hot chocolate and a good book. 

So what do you say? I NEED a snow day don't I? Here's hoping!!!! :)

The Word of the Day

THE WORD OF THE DAY

Today I started something new with my first graders. It’s called “THE WORD OF THE DAY”.  (Please, when you read it, pretend the guy from the Price is Right is saying it like he says “C’MON ON DOWN...” because that’s how we say it in first grade.) The word today was “resolution”. Dictionary.com defines it as "the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc." The Scholastic children’s dictionary was easier to understand. I remember it saying something like “a promise you make to yourself to do something.”  Dang! A promise to myself? You mean if I mess up on these resolutions I will be letting myself down? uh oh.

I wouldn’t say that maintaining my resolution deserves a FAIL yet, but I’ve been less than perfect with my 3 resolutions…meditation, exercise, training. The only one that I have managed to accomplish each day of 2012 is meditation. I have done TM, prayed, and thought through some tough stuff on the way home today. As for exercise…I tried to take a walk on Sunday and after one lap around my street, the wind blew me back inside. Monday and Tuesday I made no attempt to exercise. On my log I typed, “I suck” and I do. Yesterday I counted moving furniture from room to room and around the room to vacuum as my exercise. It was a stretch I know, but I didn’t want a third “I suck” in a row.

My effort on the dog training resolution has been so-so. Each day I’ve done something small, but I have not spent the time that I know it needs. Riptide does know “wait” better than he did four days ago and will do a down without a hand gesture 50% of the time. But, Wrigley still won’t let me clip his nails and Reba still barks too much and chews up all toys. There is still tons of work to be done!!!

I’ve cut back on the online game time. I only maintain one farm in Farmville and play Castleville briefly…only because the “beasties” crack me up and I like the idea of owning a castle. But instead of filling the time with exercise, I have read the newspaper from front to back, completed a crossword puzzle or two, and started picking out stuff for the bathroom remodel. Oh, and eaten lots of chocolate and pinned a bunch of stuff on Pinterest.

As a result I’ve gained 3 stinking pounds. The short term solution to make myself feel better is to wear clothes that are too big. That makes me feel skinny. The long term solution is that I will most likely have to micromanage my day and schedule everything. That never ends well, but I don’t know what else to do. Also, I need to hide the carbs and get back on the 17 day diet…the first 17 days.

This all leads me to my next meditation: What was the purpose of my resolutions? And how will I not let myself down? The answers are necessary so I don't break the promises I made to myself.

Welcome 2012

Happy New Year! Are you ready for 2012? I am!

Let’s get down to business. I have 4 New Year Resolutions:

1. Exercise every day.
2. Meditate in some way every day.
3.  Train dogs every day.
4.  Blog (No, not every day…I would get sick of myself!)

I imagine you can get at the motivation behind Resolution #1. Who shouldn’t exercise daily? Everyone should. Actually doing it is another story.  It’s good for the heart, body, and mind. Maybe it will result in a little more weight loss. Regardless, it is something I need to do.

Resolution #2 is a bit trickier, both to understand and to find the time each day. Meditation comes in many forms: prayer, Transcendental Meditation (TM), reading the bible, reading meditative verse, taking a quiet walk, and sitting quietly thinking of ‘nothing’. I am comfortable doing all of those, but remaining consistent is a problem. So I have decided that I will do all of them and it will change depending on the day and on what I need that day. The motivation is pretty straight forward. I want to be at peace mentally. Meditation helps with that. It also helps me focus and clear my mind to what is truly important.

The motivation behind Resolution #3 is simple: well trained dogs are easier to live with. They need the structure and stimulation and we need the order. Five dogs can be chaotic. I have specific goals for each dog and I think I will save that for another blog.  I am really hoping I can get the rest of the family in on this one too. They will be better dog owners and the dogs will respond to them better. We shall see…

So far, so good on Resolution #4! I have blogged each day of 2012! Why blog? Because it will hold me accountable to the first three resolutions. Also, every now and then I have something really cool to share and this is how I am going to do it. I have no illusions that what I have to say is so important that everyone needs to read it, but it will be out there, just in case it can touch you in some small way.

And the big motivation for all of this stuff – to get me off of the computer!!!  I have a small, ok a BIG, addiction to certain games on the computer. It’s time to cut back, quit, and be more productive in general. I love my gaming friends! I have done things and met people that I never would have without that virtual farming world. I was one a Farmville flyball team that won its division 2 years in a row! I have become friends with people I have never met in person! It is so much fun! But it is time to sow something else besides pretend crops. I will still be around, just not as much. So while I am not giving up Farmville altogether, the time I spend on it will be limited.

My family will play a big role in all of this because I will be inviting them to join me in all of the resolutions! I want to exercise with them (but I will NOT run with Ashlyn…you know why…just sayin’). I want to meditate, pray, and read with them. I want them to help me create 5 well mannered canines (o.k. I need them for this one!) And they will help me blog too. Perhaps there will be a guest writer or two or three. Won’t that be fun!

So welcome to 2012! It will be a wonderful year…because every year that we get to enjoy this life is wonderful. Let’s not take it for granted. Peace!