Thursday, April 28, 2011

Why aren't we all taking this??

I've been on a quest (yes, there are a lot of quests...) to find alternative ways to support my busy 7 year old's attention issues.  This has presented itself over the years; in Kindergarten it was "he can't stand still during the pledge", in First grade "he swings his body around all about the room, but it's getting better", and in Second grade (this is the killer) "just think of how much more he could be learning if he were not wandering around the room"  OUCH.

My frustration with this is that where does a busy boy (or girl for that matter) get to be themselves?  Keeping in mind I teach in a public school, I am at a loss for kids like this.  We expect kids to fit into the mold for "Sit at your desk, read, write, calculate.  Do some at home.  Come back and do it some more tomorrow."  There are so many opportunities to teach kids as they move...outside, in a hallway, in the community, in small groups.  Yet we don't take advantage of these opportunities nearly enough, in some cases EVER.  Tied by so many factors; prescribed curricula, standardized test scores, curriculum maps that must fit teachers into the same mold, meeting after meeting, standards, data.  

This was not meant to be a rant actually.  I got a bit carried away!  I love my job.  I love my kid.  I so wish I had an educational solution for him and others like him...I'll keep working on it!

But today I learned about the health benefits of HEMP OIL.  Are you gasping?  In many places it's labeled the perfect oil that contains the most balanced and richest natural single source of essential oils for human consumption.  
There is a long list of health benefits:
lower cholesterol
increased energy
reduced symptoms of arthritis, PMS
improved psoriasis
healthier hair, skin, nails
improved brain function
the list goes on and on.

SO, now, on the door of my fridge I have a large brown bottle of this nutty oil and while I bought it with my 7 year old (and his teacher) in mind, it will bring good health to everyone in our family.

I'm off to see how clever folks on the internet use this dynamic oil...I'll keep you posted!  :)

Sunday, April 24, 2011

My 7 year old knows everything...

I wonder how it is for my 7 year old to know everything there is to know already...where is there to go as an obnoxious teenager?  :)

He assures me that when a skunk sprays it hurts the skunk.  I can't find any evidence to prove or deny this, can you?

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Whole lotta learnin' going on...

Almost an entire month?  This is not good, hopefully you all can't possibly think I've learned nothing in a whole month.  In fact it's been quite exciting since the beginning of April around here...

I've learned
*that Mother Nature has a weird sense of April Fools humor
*how to navigate the NH unemployment website
*that sending out resumes and applying for jobs in 2011 is very different than 8-10 years ago.  There's no one to talk to, no one to impress with your follow up call or your fancy paper.  A lot of times you don't even get to show off your artistic formatting skills because the computer actually pulls pertinent information off your resume and automatically fills the cells it sees fit!
*Discouraged is a dirty word, and an easy one to hang on to
*how to find a broken tooth in the burn pit
*that our on call family practice doctor "is not a dentist", and therefore can offer absolutely no advice on knocked out teeth
*that you should try very hard not to break your tooth on a weekend when there is a regional dental conference in Boston, because it is very, very difficult to find someone to answer your panicked call about said broken tooth.
*that breaking off one's front tooth is not dire, and despite the weird feeling of it and the pain of having a large piece of wood jammed into one's mouth, you can actually wait several days for a dentist to fix it.
*that an accomplished dentist can actually GLUE the bottom half of a tooth back on.  I am most surprised about that one!
*that nature and gardening saves a tiny piece of my sanity
*that losing weight is hard
*that I love sweets...a lot
*that losing weight is hard
*that faith is not just the bible and what you learn about in church
And while I already knew this one, I am reminded of how great my kids are and how fast time flies! 

***Don't get distracted, you might miss something really great like that flock of wild turkeys, or that third hug before you run out the door! It's been an interesting month!