I'll take a helping of written feedback please!

My little "helper"!

Yes, I am spending my Thanksgiving weekend writing a midterm paper.  I am not complaining..okay, maybe a little bit.  I am sad I am missing my family Thanksgiving but it's been a crazy few weeks this fall and we're just a bit stressed out around here.  We just need to relax for a day or two.  Jeremy is going to take the kids to his family's Thanksgiving tomorrow so I can stay home and have some quiet time to work.  I will at least get some leftovers!  Honestly, I've been eating so much lately that it's probably a good thing I am skipping out on the main meals.  The last thing I need right now is a big Thanksgiving dinner.  I think the stress of everything has caused me to eat way too much which isn't a good combination since I'm taking some time off running due to a nagging leg injury. Well, this post sure has become depressing.  I promise to write a more positive post tomorrow about all the things I am thankful for because I truly am thankful.  I feel lucky to be so busy and have so many great things going on in my life.  It's just that it is busy and I don't get a lot of time to relax.  There's no magic here.  I just work a lot and don't sleep very much right now.  The good news is that I am enjoying everything I am doing so it's all good.

Of course, while I am working on my paper, I hope and pray that the kids sleep well.  They are also very helpful as you can see from the picture of Aleena with my journal article and outline.  So far, I've got a well developed table comparing journal articles that's fourteen pages long.  The write up has to be around ten pages so now it's just a matter of typing it out and adding a few other supporting articles.  I am sure that no one really cares about this except for me and possibly my professor.  Actually, my classmates might find this interesting since I know it's fun to compare progress with others.

I asked Aleena where Mommy was.  She was right!

In other news...I hope to post a giveaway on Monday.  I just need a couple photos of the product being reviewed so hopefully that occurs tomorrow with some nice autumn leaves and cute kids.  The company is a small Canadian business which features some adorable, unique products that would be great as Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers.  I am excited to write about them!

I hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving weekend, whether you are at a big gathering or at home with your family.  

A Gorgeous Fall Day

I am sad to say that today may have been the last really warm day this year.  In order to celebrate, I took my students outside for literacy class and they shared their stories in smaller groups.  The students really appreciated it since tomorrow is the start of a long weekend and I think they were ready to leave the school anyway!  Amazing how a few words can energize a class.  I should take them outside more often as they were really excited about it and stayed on task the whole time (okay, most of the time).

Took a picture of the school today.  It really is a beautiful building.

The lovely girls in my literacy class.  There are only four girls in a class of fifteen students.

Busy, busy, busy!

Aleena watching Uncle Curt run his first half marathon.

I sit here writing this as I should be working on a midterm paper that's due in a week and a half.  Seems like a lot of time but not really...not when I don't have any guaranteed working time and have to take advantage of every opportunity available to me.  This past week, I think all of this caught up with me and I ended up taking a sick day.  Yes, I am just a wee bit stressed with everything that I've taken on.  No, I'm not superwoman..not even close.  Actually, typing this reminds me of when I visited my minister when I was in high school.  They used to have clergy come into the school to do some counseling for students.  Wow, have times ever changed.  Imagine the uproar that would cause these days?!  (I went to a public school.)

Anyway, back to the story.  I remember telling our pastor that I was extremely busy and stressed out and had taken on too much.  I really had.  I am starting to see a pattern here in my life.  I seem incapable of relaxing for very long but at least it does happen from time to time.  Ironically, I am often asked about my running as if it's an extra thing I do that stresses me out.  The good news is that running doesn't stress me out..it makes me feel better.  This is why I am somewhat unhappy right now as I've got a nagging injury that I am making myself finally listen to.  It's time to rest now that my half marathon is over before I cause any permanent damage.

I realized the other day that I may have an addiction to being busy because I've stopped telling people everything I've taken on.  I'm actually embarrassed to admit it.  For example, how many people know I have helped coach cross country running at school this year?  I doubt anyone knew until I got sick and couldn't take the kids to a meet thereby canceling the event for our school.  Gotta love how the one extracurricular/volunteer aspect of my job made me feel the most guilty about going home sick.  And how many people know that I'm now a school rep for the RPSTA (RPS Teachers Association)?  I figure that if I don't like how some things are going in education right now, it's better to take action than complain.  This is my way of getting involved.

Of course, there's also my Masters class and it mostly just stresses me out because I am never sure when I'll have the time to work on the readings and assignments.  More good news though.  I enjoy taking my Masters as odd as that may sound.  It's so relevant to my teaching and I find it fascinating.  For example, I have 15 stories to correct next week and I am going to write a paper comparing a couple journal articles on giving written feedback for ESL students' writing.  I find it fascinating to learn what the research in the field is.  When you read a text or teaching guide, you get one perspective.  When you read a bunch of journal articles, you learn many sides of the story and get a broader perspective on a topic.

Of course, between all of this craziness, there are my two lovely children with contagious smiles.  They keep me smiling too.  They also remind me about what's really important everyday and that helps keep perspective on everything else.