Countdown Begins!

Well, 12 more hours and 2008 will be a memory. I can say that it was a very good year with many new opportunities and experiences. I'm especially glad to have "met" so many of you and I look forward to a fresh new year filled with possibilities.

Enjoy your celebrations--quiet or noisy--and let's raise a glass to 2009!

My Blog It Is A Changin'

It's a warm day here in Windsor--already 50 degrees! It's nice because it's melting the piles of snow but, it's just a tease because winter is just starting!

I loved my Christmas blog background but I'm a person who likes change and in anticipation of my upcoming birthday I opted for a softer look (does it look alright? anything I should change perhaps?) I'll be 41 on January 17 and am simply amazed at all the changes that have come into my life since last January. School, teaching, starting to run--you name it! I'm still working on my birthday challenge and feel that I'm right on track even though I don't post about it as much as I used to. I'll try to get that to change ;)

I am glad that, although I haven't reached my goal, I am down 25 pounds from February when I started blogging on the Healthy You Challenge. I know a lot of you have had terrific success in 2008 with a few bumps in the road (who hasn't?)

I hate resolutions because they seem to set a lot of us up for failure but, there are still some things that I want to work on improving. I'll do a January post about that soon.

How about you? What are your feelings on resolutions? Is it a positive thing or not so much? I'll be interested in reading your thoughts on this subject.

Until next time, have a great weekend!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a joyous and blessed holiday season!

"Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful"

Boy, I sure do hate when the weatherperson gets it right! There's a blizzard going on RIGHT NOW! Today is the last day of school and we were hoping to have some fun. I took a few pictures of my kiddies making gingerbread houses yesterday but I was hoping for a fun group picture today. The problem is that the majority of them get bused in and it's looking like a great day for a cancellation.

Oh well, such is life!

Are you ready for Christmas? I must say that it's passed me by this year because of my teaching and then add my own assignments to the mix and poof--time has totally fast forwarded! I'm looking forward to cleaning my house (it's a mess!) and finally focusing on getting back into working out. I've still got time for my birthday challenge and I'm glad to say I've maintained my summer loss.

Look for me this week 'cause I'm making time for blogging no matter what! Talk to you all soon--I'm off to shovel because there wasn't a single snowblower anywhere!!!!

Spare Time? What's That?

I'm finishing up my first practicum with my Grade 4's. I've grown so fond of them--they are a great group of kids and it has been so fun to learn with them. I've still got a long way to go (classroom management is EVERYTHING!!!!) but, the assessments I've received from both my associate and advisor were very good so I'm extremely pleased with how things are going.

I have to say that I've not given any thought to Christmas. It has come upon me so quickly. I'm very thankful that my mother's cousin has invited everyone over to their house once again so all we need to do is bring the food. I'm busy grading books, writing a unit test (I've been teaching "Habitat"), preparing for a field trip tomorrow (going to see "The Christmas Attic") and just living life one day at a time.

Next week is the last week of school for this student teacher and her class. After that, 2 weeks of doing assignments for University and then another placement in February. I'm really hoping that those 2 weeks will catch me up with my life. I must say that I haven't been paying much attention to my birthday challenge but feel positive that the 17th of January will be a great day for me!!

I hope to catch up with you all in the coming days--thanks for the comments and as always the positive vibes. Take care :)

Thursday Already?

Does anyone have some time they can spare? I'm swamped with lesson plans and activities and have no time to just sit and think about exercise! All the best intentions have just been swept away with lack of time and some not so great health. My left ear (same side as the sinus that needs to be drained) has been plugged up since Saturday and has been popping constantly all day--it's like being inside a bubble!

Along with the spare time, does anyone have tips for taking care of popping ears? Chewing gum irritates my jaw and I doubt that it would work anyway. I just don't want to bust an eardrum by doing the old hold your nose and breathe with the mouth closed (I've tried--it doesn't work!)

By the way, thanks for sharing some of your goals with me. It always gets me more motivated :)

Tuesday Ha Ha!

Here's a joke for you:

Two little boys, ages 8 and 10, are excessively mischievous. They are always getting into trouble and their parents know all about it. If any mischief occurs in their town, the two boys are probably involved.

The boys' mother heard that a preacher in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys.
The preacher agreed, but he asked to see them individually. So the mother sent the 8 year old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the preacher in the afternoon.

The preacher, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, 'Do you know where God is, son?

The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there wide-eyed with his mouth hanging open.

So the preacher repeated the question in an even sterner tone, 'Where is God?!'

Again, the boy made no attempt to answer. The preacher raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, 'Where is God?!'

The boy screamed & bolted from the room, ran directly home & dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him.

When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, 'What happened?' The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, 'We are in BIG trouble this time.
'GOD is missing, and they think we did it!'

So, who's ready to end the year in style? What sorts of things do you have in mind for the final month of 2008? Any goals that still need to be reached? Something you haven't tried but said you would? Whatever it is, I wish you luck in achieving it. I do hope that the New Year will bring many more opportunities for better ourselves!

(*24 more days to post lots of pretty Christmas photos :)