Sleep, and why I don't get enough, or do I?

                                              

"Tis a grey day, Misty May! Tis a grey day!"

I speak these words to my early morning companion after her one-bark request wakes me up: "Arf!... Let me out!"

It's her way of letting me know that I have slept past the acceptable time for getting up. I turn and blink at the digital clock above my head... it's only 6:01 a.m. And it's Saturday. But she doesn't know about sleeping late on Saturdays, (or first day of the work-week Mondays, hump-day Wednesdays, "Lost!"-Thursdays (a favorite TV show of mine), or evenTGIF Fridays )... she just knows that every day after she eats her first doggie meal, she needs to go to the bathroom. Pretty near the same time every day.

Steve is up at 4 a.m., eats a breakfast and feeds her before he goes off to work. He doesn't let her out because she doesn't want to go out at that time. She needs to let her digestion kick in, I suppose.

I'm the one who lets her outside about an hour later.... the one who usually wakes her up and says "Let's go outside Misty! It's time to go out!"  Then I open the door and off she goes. She has her routine walk around the yard and woods. She generally comes home. It takes her about ten minutes, sometimes fifteen if she dawdles. Then, weather/temperatures depending, I will lead her to the outdoor dog pen, or she'll stay inside for the day.

So, her bark wakes me up this morning, and despite that I really want to savor that early morning slumber, my mind quickly fills with the list of things I need to do... not all what I want to do... but need to do.

I partially fill the glass tea kettle with water to make tea. I love tea this early in the morning. It is the only time I can drink a hot beverage without triggering a hot flash.

I look out the windows... it is a grey day... and the yard looks so peaceful and inviting. I pull a long sleeve shirt over my tank top, slip on a pair of walking shoes, and grab my camera. Maybe there is something out there waiting to be photographed.

                             

Pouring hot water over the tea bag, I brew one cup of tea. I am alone, except for Misty. I want to be still today. It has been a full week. Looking ahead, there are only 6 1/2 school days. I'm excited about the summer ... time I can use to really prepare for next year, and reorganize my classroom. There's Vacation Bible School, and traveling to visit my son in Baltimore. There's Jury Duty in July.... there's a couple of teacher workshops to look forward to.

But for now, today, this morning, there is time to be still and know that the Lord is God! Grey day, yes, but one the Lord has made and I rejoice. I am glad in it!

I step into the dew sprinkled grass and ground cover in the woods. Shoes quickly soak it all up, cooling and wetting my bare feet inside, but I don't care. Time to dry off later.

                             

As I walk about the yard, wishing for a little more sunshine for better lighting, and wishing that I had paid more attention to Greg's instructions about what to do when light is low (a tripod would have helped!), I notice that mushrooms have sprouted up all over the side and back yards.

I am not sure if they are little white mushrooms or little brown mushrooms at first, so I come in and do a google search.

                                                 

My inexpert conclusion is that they are definitely little brown mushrooms. To play it safe, if you ever see these 'shrooms growing in your yard, and you will after a good rain, it is best not to even consider eating them. You don't want your doggies to eat them either. They may or may not be poisonous, but who would want to chance it?

I love to eat grilled or fried store-bought mushrooms once in awhile, but the thought of harvesting the ones growing in my backyard does not appeal to me.

I continue to stroll around the yard, noticing work yet to be done. I take a moment to shoot our neglected patio below the deck. There are weeds to pull, pond statuary to remove (the pond has been gone for nearly two years), and swings to repaint.

                            

While I'm on the topic, there's going to be a Porch Party at Rhondi's Rose Colored Glasses, Thursday June 5th. I've never heard of an online porch party, so I thought I might participate, but I really don't have a front porch... I have the aforementioned mini-patio downstairs, and upstairs, there is the front deck. If I plan to participate in the Porch Party, I'm going to have to do some major cleaning.

The porch below is not my front porch. Just a tag.  

                                                 

By the way, if you would like to join the Porch Party, check out Rhondi's journal for details. Rhondi writes: " ...All you have to do is leave a comment (in her journal) on any post between now and then. Then on June 5, post photos of your front porch and my post that day."

She will include links to all our blogs so we can all visit each other.  Remember, this is Rhondi's Porch event... I'm just passing on the message and the invitation.

I first read about the Porch Party first at Marie's Oak Cottage blog. Remember Marie, the UK Chef from Marie's Muses? She's still the UK chef,but you should see her new blog... it's more of what she had at aoljournals. Her life continues to be faith driven, and she is charming as ever.

Now to get to the topic of sleep, and why I don't get enough of it, or do I?

This is a topic near and dear to blogger pal, Karen, at OutPost Mavarin.

Waking up several times during the night is not uncommon for either myself or my husband despite that both of us get up very early in the mornings for work: he at 4 a.m, and myself at 5:30 a.m.

I think it's our age. I remember when sleeping through the night undisturbed and sleeping late were the norm for us. I've talked to others, and it seems most of the people I know can describe some kind of sleeping problem. The most common is not getting enough of it.

What to do? I've tried going to bed earlier, you know, to give me more sleep time. But it doesn't work. Going to bed earlier (say around 9:30 pm instead of 11:30) only means I will lay in bed awake thinking, thinking, thinking. Two hours later, I'll still be awake.

I've tried sleeping aids (OC and Rx)... they make me feel like I'm getting up way too early, as well as making me feel drowsy throughout the day. I never take them on a school night. I don't like feeling drowsy when there are twenty-five students in my classroom who need an alert and active teacher!

I've tried not drinking water before I go to bed, but that only eliminates one problem.

When my DH was sick last week, he slept in the other room. He hadn't wanted to disturb my sleep, was his thoughtful reasoning. But I still woke up... my own snoring wakes me (grin). So I sleep on my side which partially eliminates my own snoring, but I still wake up at least five or six times a night. We're back together, dormer a deux.

I avoid drinking anything with caffeine after 1:00 pm... that helps out a bunch, but I am not happy with how many times I continue to wake up, nor how tired I feel in the mornings.

I had my blood levels checked, and though I was very anemic earlier this year, taking iron supplements daily has remedied that. Still, I am tired during the afternoons and early evenings. If I sit down to rest after I get home, I fall asleep.

Therein lies my problem, I think. I will sit down in the lounger chair after I get home, lay back, and fall asleep. Anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour. Then I'm ready to cook dinner, read, Bible study, do school work, or surf the net and read journals, answer emails, etc. Nothing very active.

I spent some time this morning following up on my concern over what I've perceived to be a lack of sleep, and found a great website that helps explain the health connections to sleep.

If you want to know more about our circadian rhythms, or the two forces that drive our sleeping patterns, how to get the sleep you need, you might be interested in this website which features many high quality videos that are helpful to teach you more about your sleep patterns. The site is called Healthy Sleep. It is a research based production of WGBH Educational Foundation and the Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine, created to improve knowledge about sleep. Many researchers and physicians were interviewed in the creation of this relatively new website, so I feel like it is a reliable source of information.

So what did the good doctor recommend? He suggests I try not going to bed earlier, but rather stay up later. Apparently, there are two sleep-related forces at work: one that drives us to sleep, and one that drives us to be more alert and awake. When they get out of whack, like when I sleep later on Saturdays, it can greatly interfere with my getting enough sleep during the school week.

Okay, I'll bite. I'll try it. As long as I have Misty, that won't be a problem. She's the best early morning alarm clock. I don't even have to remember to set her before I go to bed... she sets herself!

Oh, he also recommends that I not take those after school naps when I get home... big mistake. Messes up my sleep drive mechanism. That's going to be a little harder to reprogram, but I'll give it a go.

Finally, my early morning stroll took me past Max's grave. The tree there is sprouting new leaves, looking more alive than it did the day we buried our little dog the day before Palm Sunday. It's been over two months since he left us. I haven't yet made plans to landscape this area, but I want to do something. Whenever I walk the yard with Misty, we stop where we laid him to rest, and I remember better days with Mr. Max. I miss that adorable face and his happy bark. <sigh>

                                                             

 

Tags: mushrooms, Porch Party, Sleep problems

Tags:

Chinese script and symmetrical faces

Suddenly, the school year is flying toward the end. Our school system has just completed the End of Grade testing in elementary schools. Today our fifth graders took the Science Test. There were about 80 items on the test... a fifth grade science test.  It's been a tough week for them, but we are all glad it's over.

                                    

One of the third grade classes are learning how to use a bamboo brush. Here they are practicing holding the bamboo brush, and drawing the basic strokes of Chinese characters. Just holding the brush properly was a challenge. The kids tend to hold it the way they hold a pencil. It took a couple of sessions for them to get the hang of holding the brush vertical to the paper.

Once they learned the basic strokes, they began to practice writing their names in Chinese characters. I had found a website that gave me the Chinese version of every name in my classroom... every name including the Hispanic/Latino names. They learned a little piece of history about how the Chinese were the first to invent paper made from wood pulp

                                     

I gave each student a copy of his name in Chinese, and they practiced writing their names using the bamboo brush and a watered down black tempera paint. All in the spirit of becoming more globally aware... the news of that deadly earthquake in the westernpart of China two weeks ago had not reached most of their eight-and nine-year-old ears. It's hard for a kid to imagine over ten thousand people dead and missing. It's hard for an adult to imagine. The kids were very concerned as they have mostly been learning fun things about China. I took a few minutes to update them on the news and that many people were going in to China to help rescue the victims, and help take care of them afterward. The class continued in a more somber note that day.

I do not claim to know how to write Chinese script... I only know what I've learned from a book, but if I ever get the opportunity to learn from a bamboo brush master, I will gladly work hard to learn the strokes.

I think the characters are beautiful, even though I don't know what they mean. The focus of their learning during these brief classes was less how to write Chinese script, and more how to use the tools of art. They've drawn with oil pastels, painted with water colors and tempera. They've drawn in pencil, colored in crayons, and sculpted in clay. Learning that there are different kinds of brushes, and different ways of handling them, is more about solving problems, and developing good eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills, than about being an artist. And being an artist (who solves problems using higher order thinking skills like analysis and application) helps a kid develop the skills he or she needs to learn in any academic area.

So although their attempts to write Chinese script would not impress a calligrapher, one would have to admire the students' focus as they attempted to draw each character in their names, and the variations in line thickness, length, and the control of ink flow from the brush... actually, tempera paint flow... it would have been a disaster to use genuine black ink!       

                            

Now in Second grade, one of our projects has been the Symmetrical Smiles painting. Here, the students learned about warm and cool colors while also using their knowledge of symmetry. They painted the facial features in warm colors, and the background in cool colors. Again, the focus was in learning how to use the brush, and how to apply the necessary amount of water and paint to the paper. Cleaning up was another learning task. Actually, cleaning up is a learning task EVERY DAY!

                                    

Second graders learn in math how to find symmetry in basic shapes, but in doing this painting, they had to draw half of a face on one side of the paper. I showed them how to transfer what they drew on one side of the paper, to the other side. They were totally amazed when they opened up their paper and saw the face in its entirety.

I have to admit that each day they start or continue a painting, I am not always buzzing busily about the classroom making sure that each child is doing exactly what I showed or told them to do. No, sometimes I'm just standing there watching them. I see their faces and hear their remarks when they have noticed something about the experience, something new. Sometimes I hear a kid say "I made a mistake!" and I go to his desk and tell him that we don't make mistakes... we change our minds.

Other times I hear a kid say "Wow! Look what I did!" or even better, one student saying to another, "Wow! Look at what you did!"

I am thrilled that I'm going to be doing this again next year! I'm already putting together a notebook of ideas for new lesson plans ... and I have all summer to think about it.

 

 

                                       

Tag by Donna (Nightmaremom)... Thanks,Donna!

If you have never visited Donna's site, and you want to know about how to get these kinds of cool tags for your journal, just click on her link... she puts new ones in her journal every day. She made this for me last month when my 1st graders were painting their kite flying paintings.

Tags: Symmetrical Faces, Chinese Script, student art in progress, teaching art, Nightmaremom

The Prayer of St. Theresa

You've probably received this in the email many times from friends who love you. I have received it many times from friends who love me. I checked my email this afternoon, and there it was again, sent by a dear friend from my church family. I never tire of reading it.

Today, I post it here. I think there are people out there, caught in the chaos of their lives, who need to be reminded. Maybe it will read differently to them this time. May it bring peace into their hearts and minds.

 

May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content knowing you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of you.

By St. Theresa d'Avila

Tags: St. Theresa, prayer of St. Theresa

Tessellations, and Escher in the movie Labyrinth

                            

I had just emailed Patrick (aka Daddyleer, Caregivingly Yours), in response to his comment in the previous entry, and that got me to thinking about MC Escher, the famous graphic artist (1897-1972).

One of my most favorite lessons to teach in school is the tessellation math unit. I generally do it for fifth graders only. If I did it in the fourth grade as well, they wouldn't be as surprised and excited to do it again in fifth grade.  Although, I should rethink that now that I'm an art teacher. Certainly there is room to break that unit up into two different projects, one for the fourth graders and one for the fifth graders, expanding on what they had learned in fourth.

I begin the unit with an introduction to tessellations, and to the relevant vocabulary the students should know in fifth grade: translate, reflect, rotate. In fourth grade, they learn the same words as slide, flip, and turn, respectively. There are many lesson plans available on the internet that teach tessellations. But I have developed my own.

I spend about 10 minutes the first day just showing the kids pictures, prints, and video clips of the work of MC Escher. Each small group gets a brown envelope with prints of Escher's work that I have collected over the years from calendars and the internet. For another 15 minutes, we talk about what we see in the images, have small group discussions, then share with the class. When kids study Escher prints for the first time, they are blown away! They can't believe that someone who lived at the turn of the century was doing that kind of 'special effects' art.

After they recognize his graphic style, and can name the three movements found in tessellations (at this grade level), they begin to make their own tessellation pieces. This takes about one 35-45minute session. In subsequent sessions, they create their own tessellation drawing... spending several days coloring it in, using one or two contrasting colors.

The one below is one of the unfinished examples I show, my own design, representing a slide/translation, with two color rendition. The students' work is of a much simpler design. I'd love to show some Escher prints, but am waiting for permission.

                             

Just before they are finished with their drawing, I bring in the video movie, Labyrinth, starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. It was made in 1986 by the greats Jim Henson (muppet king) and George Lucas (special effects wizard). The musical score was written by Bowie himself... every song fits the story line perfectly.

I have enjoyed this movie from the first day I saw it... my son was eight years old at the time. To this day it is one of his childhood favorites as well. 

Needless to say, the influence of artist MC Escher is all through this film, which is the reason that I include it in my lesson. Depending upon the time allowed, the kids will view either a few minutes of one clip from the "Stair room" scene, or the entire movie, shown in parts during their lunch time.

                                     This photo from Walter Pullen's website

        

I wanted to include two pictures, one of Escher's print, and one from the film for you to compare... but I think I'll be in copyright violation for the Escher print. Mr. Pullen granted permission for the movie still. If I get permission for Relativity, I'll comeback and post it. For now, just click on the link in previous sentence, then go to Picture Gallery, then click on Back to Holland. Scroll all the way to the bottom. You'll find the print there on the left.

The video clip below from YouTube shows the exact scene the kids will see at the end of their Escher/Tessellation unit.

In this scene, Sarah (Connelly) is very close to finding her baby brother, Toby, who was stolen by the Goblin King (Bowie) 13 hours earlier.

For Indigo: The voice is Bowie's as Jareth, the Goblin King, and he is singing to Sarah. He has been deceiving her, creating all sorts of illusions to keep her in his Labyrinth, and until now, she has been under his spell. But she is stronger than he is, determined to rescue her brother and return home. Jareth realizes he can't have her when she makes that final leap. Bowie starts singing at the 18 second mark, where Sarah stands above and Jareth stands below, like mirror images.

         

"Within You" by David Bowie

How you turn my world
You precious thing.
You starve and near exhaust me.

Everything I've done,
I've done for you.
I move the stars for no one.

You've run so long.
You've run so far.
Your eyes can be so cruel,
Just as I can be so cruel,
Oh I do believe in you.
Yes I do.

Live without your sunlight.
Love without your heartbeat.
(Falsetto) I... I...
Can't.. live.. within.. you...

I can't live within you

I...I..Can't live within you

I hope you enjoy these little details from one of my favorite topics in art/math.

 

Tags: Labyrinth,tessellations, MC Escher, tessellation art lesson, David Bowie, Jim Hensen

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Flying kites and boomerangs

                                     

                                                                       Painting by a first grader.

The wind continues to blow, but after watching the news, I feel lucky that it is only blustery wind we are getting around here.

I was hoping for a mild day today so my third grade class could go out into the field and practice throwing and catching their four wing boomerangs. They had made their boomerangs last week, but there wasn't time to go outside and test throw them at the time. We did toss them around in the classroom a bit, and they would have flown much better had they not had bookshelves, cabinets, and walls to crash into! So I told the kids that "next time" we get together, if the weather is mild, we could go outside and play with our handmade, posterboard boomerangs.

                             

Today was that day, but alas, the ground is still wet from the weekend showers, and the wind kicked up enough to fly a kite. No boomerangs flew today. Instead, we began a 'handprint' painting based on Aboriginal design (using lines and dots).

In case you are interested in those handmade boomerangs, which are pretty nifty, btw... they really work... click here for boomerang pattern. Here is the link to the directions for making it. Here is a lesson plan for boomerang fun at Educational World that any teacher could use for making boomerangs, with links for information about boomerangs.

Tomorrow morning I'm working with a group of fifth graders who are making tessellations. M.C. Escher is one of my favorite artists. I'll be talking about his work, and showing examples. I hope to get some photos of the students' work... perhaps something I can post.

                                     

That's one of the perks of being an art teacher... instant access to new work being created every day. On the one hand, I don't want the kids to make a mess because I need to get ready for the next class to walk in. Yet, the creative person inside of me is saying "Yes! make a mess... explore the medium, mix the colors, find out what happens when you do this or that...!"

                             

The paint palettes are messy... some colors are completely used up. Every day someone tells me this color or that color is gone, and I replace it with a refill color. Red, yellow, and blue are the ones that get used up first, which makes sense as they are the primary colors. The students are learning how to hold the brush properly, how to clean it between changing colors, and how to be patient ... sometimes the artist has to wait while one color dries before laying down another color. That's a difficult one to learn.

                                     

One teacher hung up all her students' kite flying paintings in one big display... it made quite an impressive image.

I don't remember having art classes like this when I was in elementary school. Seldom did I get to paint. Crayons, cutting and pasting construction paper, and sometimes tape were generally the materials we used.

There is an interesting phenomenon that takes place when Kinders and first graders paint... well, actually, I've seen it happen at all grade levels.

It happens when a student stirs up the water in his cup. I see the grin on his face. He stares into the cup, mesmerized by how it changes color when he dips his brush in to clean it, and I know he is fascinated more by the water changing colors than the picture he has just finished painting.

I'm pretty sure it's because he/she lives in the moment... I could learn from that observation.

Mental note to self: next year, allow more time for the kinders to stir their watercolor water before I tell them to dump it in the sink!

 

Tags: Student art work, flying kites, making boomerangs, MC Escher, tessellations

Graduation Day Photos

                                     

Here are the 2008 graduates of the UNC School of Pharmacy in front of Memorial Hall where the ceremony took place. Steven and Vi are in the third row back, to the left... you can see them, can't you?

                                                                    

There they are! Steven points me out to Vi, and she waves. Hi guys!! They found me in that crowd of photographers! It was an amazing day, and the graduates were arranged before the ceremony so that parents could get their group shot. I am so glad they did that for us... well, there was a professional photographer there too, but I'm sure it was for us, the proud parents, and other family members.

                                                      

We met before the ceremony to get pictures of them in their regalia, or academic robe. Their regalia features olive green velvet stripes to denote pharmaceutical studies. The satin lining is Carolina Blue, of course! Steven is wearing a green and gold cord to show his membership in the Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society, and Vi is wearing the purple and white cord for her membership with the Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society. She was also recognized with Highest Distinction, having a perfect 4.0 GPA. We are proud of both of these kids, who are now Doctors of Pharmacy.

Inside the building, I filmed the ceremony using the video feature of my camera, but am not going to post it here because we were so far away that you wouldn't see much of anyone on stage, and the shiny pate of the dad who sat in front of us sort of distracts.

                                 

The wind whipped my hair about, but we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day temperature-wise. I had a good shot of the three of us with Steven in his grad regalia, but it wasn't a good shot of my hair blowing every which way, and vain as I am, I opted to post this one instead.

                                   

Here are Vi's family and Steven's altogether for a family group shot. Vi is going to do her residency in Richmond, Virginia and Steven will be doing his in Baltimore, Maryland. Steve and I enjoyed spending the day with them all.

Steven and Vi, we are proud of you both... here is that prayer I read at the dinner yesterday. Lest you think I authored it completely, I will have to give credit to Joanna Fuchs for the bulk of it... I only altered it to make it apply to your special day.

Dear Lord,

We thank you for this wonderful day

As we gather together to honor two of our children.

You have blessed them with intelligence, good health,

many friends, guiding teachers, and supportive families.

For this we thank you, Father.

Continue to bless Steven and Vi
as they go out into the world
to make it a better place,
while they pursue their dreams.

Gently guide them, lead them,
show them Your way to success and happiness
through service to others,
as they maximize their own potential as Pharmacists,

and members of their community.

Fill them with joy when they reach their assigned hospitals.
Strengthen them, as they deal with the challenges
they will face during their year or years of residency there.
Give them patience and persistence
to pursue whatever plans they make for their future.

Most of all, give them caring hearts
to look for ways to help the people they meet
on their life's journey.
Encourage them and lift them up now,
as they spread their Pharmacist ‘wings’
into a clear sky of limitless opportunity.

Let them and their fellow graduates
be wrapped in the warmth of Your infinite love,
and let Your wisdom show them the way
to make the most of their lives.

In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

                                        Original poem by Joanna Fuchs, with personal alterations by Bea Gilmore

 

                                                    Joanna Fuchs at http://www.poemsource.com/

Thanks to Joanna for letting me borrow her prayer/poem and alter it in the manner I have done. She has a great website if you need a poem for just about any occasion. Be sure to click on her link above to visit her website.

 

 

Tags: Pharmacy school graduation, UNC Pharmacy School, 2008 graduation

Happy Mother's Day!

                     

Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers! and to all women who act as mothers to children. You know who they are: our sisters, aunts, friends, neighbors... people who aren't mothers by giving birth, but do the mothering for other people's kids because they have a natural instinct to be a mother.

We all know of women who have been unable to have children, yet, denied the role of biological motherhood does not stop them from giving their time to loving and caring for children. Happy Mother's Day to you, too!

I'm late getting this post out today... after yesterday's graduation ceremony (another entry forthcoming with a photo or two) and today's Mother's Day attention, I decided the only thing left to do was to snuggle in bed, read my book, or take a nap. So I did all three!

I was happy to see my son and husband walk into church today! That was a nice gift of presence. All the mothers in our church received a flower to take home. My girlfriend and two of her kids, and a friend and her daughter all met me and my family at the local Chinese restaurant for some good food and fellowship. It was a good day.

My mom called me today... I usually call her, but she got to me first... and it sounds like she had a wonderful mother's day with my sister in Georgia. I'm so glad she now lives close enough to family that she can enjoy special visits on special days from her kids and grandkids. For a couple of years, that has been impossible... but now it is possible. I'm so glad she moved.

I want to do a special entry for my son's graduation, but I haven't downloaded the photos from my camera yet. Will do it asap!

I hope your day was a good one as well.

 

Thank you, Donna, for the tag. Ilove the blingkie!

 

Tags: Happy mother's day

Graduation Day at UNC

Dear Lord,

We thank you for this wonderful day as we gather together to honor two of our children, and their graduating colleagues. You have blessed them with intelligence, good health, many friends, guiding teachers, and supportive families. For this we thank you, Father.

Continue to bless Steven and Vi as they step out into the world to make it a better place for their patients, their neighbors, their friends, and their families.

Embrace them with Your infinite love as they enter into their years of residencies at their assigned hospitals in far away places. Guide them as they seek to help others, teach others, and give to their communities. I ask this blessing not just for our two children, Lord, but for all the young pharmacists who are graduating today.  In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.