How to Comment

It has come to my attention that it can be difficult to see how to comment on my posts! I guess this is a bit of a flaw with the blog template I am using, so I am posting simply to let you know how to post!

At the top of each blog post (this one included), there is a number (most often a zero) that seems to be surrounded in a type of parentheses. It is located at the top right of each blog post.

If you click on that number, it will then take you to where you can comment.

If you click on an individual blog post, then there should be a box labelled, “Leave a Reply” at the far bottom of the page.

Sorry for the inconveniences before! I look forward to hearing from you!

Week 6 Day 7

So my mother started texting me at 4:00 a.m. My students woke up at 5:00 a.m. And despite any effort to make them go back to sleep, they were wide awake. And so, my girls were showered, dressed, hair and everything done and ready for church by 6:30 a.m. And yet breakfast wasn’t until 8:00 a.m. and church service not until 10:30 a.m. They spent a lot of time singing praises to God and even got compliments on sounding like a heavenly choir. I was so impressed.

Now the boys were a different story. They did not get up until much later. And although I turned on the lights at 7:15 a.m. so that they wouldn’t miss breakfast, I got yelled at to turn them back off. Oops. All in good fun though!

Following the church service that was held for us, we ate lunch (again, so thankful I had my meals prepared so that I could say no to the meal they had). However, what I didn’t expect was that I’d miss the activities for the next few hours.

We discovered a problem that had occurred between two students and it was immediately deemed that one student had to leave. Of course, upon hearing he would have to leave, he decided to make a run for it. I HATE running, more than I could ever explain to you. Not to mention running through brush and over hills. No need for a workout today. I got my cardio in for sure!

After everything was taken care of and settled back down, we were getting ready to play football in the town on their professional field. The kids played so well, even despite some unfair calls that were made, but that’s a different story. The problem was how cold it got. I had stopped and gotten snacks and hot chocolate for the students for later as even I was literally freezing watching the games.

We left the field at 11:30 p.m. (can you tell how long of a day this was for me?). The students were debriefed when we got back to the gym, they were thankful I had gotten snacks, and spent the rest of the night celebrating and having fun. After we sent them to bed and made sure they were all in bed, we went over to the weightroom and had a little fun workout session of our own. We kept checking in on the students who were of course tired and went to sleep very quickly. Following our workout, we sat around eating before bed. Again, couldn’t have done this without my pre-made meals. Thank you so much Fresh Fit Foods!

It was a late night of going to bed around 2:00 a.m., especially exhausted from already running so much today. But I was never more happy to see my sleeping bag on the floor, no matter how uncomfortable it was.

Week 6 Day 3

Today’s worship carried a substantially difficult topic. I looked at our Spirit Week and today was Jersey Day. Side note: I wore a Broncos jersey! Go Broncos! But as I was trying to come up with a topic that would associate with Jersey Day, something to do with teams, I quickly realized that the most immediate topic was that of teamwork. The only problem is, I think our staff honestly works well as a team. So this topic was just not striking me properly.

I continued to think and think and think until it finally hit me: forgiveness. It connected in my brain when I thought of the pressure athletes have to win. How often do we get mad at them when they make a mistake, when they miss the winning goal, when they play horribly? How often do they likely get yelled at and ridiculed for mistakes that we may as equally make in our own lives? And with mistakes often comes the act of forgiveness.

Now, this was a touchy topic to talk about. Because the act of forgiveness is called upon us by God Himself. When asked how many times a person should forgive, Jesus said, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). Yet, how often do we not forgive people? How often are we hurt and then carry around that hurt the rest of our lives? I went over Bible verses about forgiveness, and over some expectations of forgiveness. Forgiveness means not using the event against the person (not holding a grudge). It means not gossiping about that event and person, as well as a few others. However, I was not satisfied with the way this worship ended because it was ended with the thought that forgiveness is still difficult even though the Bible gives us so many examples. And I was challenged by this to come up with how it was easy for myself to forgive others. And this is something I would think about constantly until the next morning.

Today’s workout was focussed on legs and abs. And as usual, leg workouts kill me everytime. I was so tired and worn out, not to mention in pain. I’ve noticed that our coach has dropped the reps down to 10 for almost all body parts, except legs. Our legs reps remain at 15. Oh does this ever push your legs. Ah! So glad when I finished.

Bicep Curls Tip

It occurred to me yesterday, while sending my friend her workout for the week (I love training!!!) that some people “KNOW” the exercises without REALLY knowing them. One of them, for example, is bicep curls.

Yes, usually we think of those biceps growing, those men that just sit in front of the mirrors for hours watching them biceps grow as they curl the weight. But really, bicep curls are a great exercise, as long as they are balanced out with tricep exercises.

So here’s my tip for bicep curls. Don’t just swing the weight. Turn to the side and watch in a mirror. Quite often, you’ll see that you elbow moves significantly during the curl. You don’t want this. It should be almost as if your upper arm is glued to the side of your body. Your forearm should be the only part moving. This ensures that your bicep is really doing all the work to raise your lower arm, and not recruiting help from your shoulders.

This is Mun from munfitnessblog.com showing excellent form in curls.

Try it out. See if it makes a difference! I know it did for me once I learned how to do it properly. I am LOVING my biceps, and I know you will love yours too!

It’s Getting Close to the End…

Teachers, it’s almost that time. And for some of you, it may be that time. It’s almost the end of the year!

You would think that since there is little to be done at the end of the year (once you get the final grading done and report cards ready), it would be an easy finish. NOPE.

There seems to be this underlying rule that the kids climb a hill of good behaviour throughout the year, and then manage to slide down the other side in the last few weeks. I mean seriously, we’re going until the VERY END of June. Vacation should start right now. Plus, for many who don’t know, teachers work does not stop when the kids stop. We have a “work week” that we must attend the week after (and also the week before school starts for the kids), plus quite often we have professional development or school of our own to do throughout the summer. You even have planning to do to get ready for the next year. It’s not as glorious as it all sounds.

My biggest stress this week came from our PATs. We have one more to go on Monday, but for some reason, my 3 students that came during the year were not registered for the PATs. And so, I was sent too few. This is a huge deal. It’s illegal to photocopy them, I can’t just have one kid not write a PAT, it’s just bad.

Thankfully, a colleague in our school sensed my problem (principal has been away for PD out of country) and took it upon herself to contact the head of testing in our province. Due to the time pressure, we were granted permission to make copies of the test for the sole reason that the tests would be over by the time they couriered us extra tests. Talk about a HUGE weight off my shoulder. I’m so thankful to her for that!

My students don’t want to be taking tests. Despite how many times we review in class, they don’t want to study. They’re done for the year before I’m ready for them to be. But you just gotta do what you gotta do!

Teachers, if you’re struggling with that end of the year, kids going crazy too early thing, I’m with you. I feel your pain. But just remember the work, the passion, the patience and discipline you’ve provided these kids with over the year. The dedication you had/have to their learning, the progress you’ve seen. Celebrate those things. You’ve invested a large amount of your life in the past year to these kids and you deserve to celebrate along with them.

Have a good end of the year, and an awesome summer! Take a vacation with the time you have or at least get away from everyday life and relax. You deserve it!

The Cold of a Lifetime!

What can I say… September has been one crazy month! Started off with a sprained foot (for the first week of school) and ended it with a sickness that is like nothing I’ve ever had before. Oh my… It can only get better from here!

Around Wednesday of last week, I started feeling “off”. I couldn’t place what it was, but I knew I was “off”.

Thursday, I noticed a hurtful spot in my throat. It wasn’t my whole throat, just a part of it. But I knew enough to start hyper-dosing on Vitamin C and other vitamins.

 

Friday, I woke up with still just that spot in my throat. So naturally, I got up and went to work. By the time the students went out for morning recess, I was SHIVERING. Shivering INSIDE the school. I quickly put my winter jacket on and sat at my desk. I stopped shivering while I sat there, but as soon as I got up to move, I would instantly get goosebumps and start shivering again. It didn’t matter where I went in the school, I was shivering. My students came in for recess and complained how hot our particular classroom was, and I sat there shivering with my winter jacket on. Something was seriously wrong. It didn’t take me long to figure out that my eyes were actually burning. My face was hot. And yet my hands were like ice and my body was covered in goosebumps and shivering. Oh boy… 

 

Now… this is where I can be stubborn. I did not leave work and go home. I stayed for the next… almost 6 hours before going home. By that time, I thought my brain would be fried, my heart was starting to beat abnormally causing me to be weak and almost wanting to make me cry. I just wanted to go home. It was so hard to keep it together. 

 

I shivered the whole way home and despite wanting to cry at every bus stop that I wasn’t home, or the short walking distance between the final bus stop and my apartment, I came in to my apartment, and jumped into bed covered with 2 huge blankets, my winter jacket, and tried to just warm up. This went on for hours. I couldn’t lay down, or lay half up because the heart beats, hard and fast, I think even skipping beats, would freak me out. I had to pack pillows behind myself to sleep sitting. I don’t remember what time I actually fell asleep, but my eyes were droopy, my face so hot, my body so cold. I woke up a few times during the night, but pushed myself to sleep as fast as possible.

 

Saturday morning, I woke up warm and with a normal heartbeat! How nice it was to not be so cold and shivering anymore! I noticed my nose/ears/throat wasn’t feeling the greatest, but the fever was gone! I jumped right out of bed, and had to pause. My head felt like a gong that someone had been hitting. Oh man. So I very slowly walked around and came and sat down. It seemed ok after those first few moments of getting. Sitting down, I had no problem. Got up again a little later, and had to pause again. I have never experienced a headache like this. Inconsistent in that it didn’t bother me when I was sitting still or laying still, but any fast movements or changes in sitting/standing/bending over would drive my head like a gong. I’m telling you. Like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. And this went all day.

 

Sunday morning, the headache is gone! Another success! But my throat/nose/ears are still not good. So I do nasal treatments, ear treatments, etc… And my ears hurt for hours! They definitely showed their true colours and I worked so hard to focus on anything other than my ears. I had to. It would have drove me crazy. Thankfully, it did go away. But since I was alone all day, I hadn’t used my voice. And it was later, when I had a phone call, I noticed that when I talked, my throat felt dryer and dryer. To the point that anything I said, I would have to cough after. Oh boy…

 

Now today, Monday morning, is the first day I’ve ever, on my own accord, called in sick to work. This morning, I had no voice. My ears are fine today, but my throat felt like it had been scorched. I’m a teacher, and I normally talk all day. I had hardly talked at all yesterday, and yet my throat was paying me for it. It actually was so bad, it woke me up at 3:30 in the morning. And I haven’t been able to fall asleep all day. My throat is horrible. All the hot honey drinks in the world don’t seem to be able to touch this. I had to leave my apartment today to venture to the store and get throat lozenges. I’m almost finished one pack, and even those don’t seem as effective as I’d hoped they would be. 

 

It seems like each day of this mystery cold/flu/sickness has a new symptom, or at least an increased symptom each day. I have no idea what it is, but I’m glad I’m on the lesser end of it. Now on to recovery!

 

Take the necessary precautions! It’s flu season!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! For many years, people who have known me have asked when I’m going to write my first book on my life. Well, I don’t feel up to writing a book, but I’ve been contemplating blogging for a while. I enjoy the ease of being at home and searching for bloggers who are relevant to me, and hope this will bring that same ease to you.

As my blog name suggests, I hope this blog shows you true calmness in the midst of chaos. The world is a chaotic place, and sin has made it completely undesirable. But no matter the circumstance, no matter the trials, I hope that I can share with you the way that God gives me peace, calmness and strength in these situations. I pray that you can take your own peace, strength and calmness from this and learn to lower stress and be “calm” in your life. You never know what life has next, so it is worth trying to make the best of everything that you can. Live every moment to the fullest!

To introduce myself, I will tell you a little about me and my background. First and foremost, I am a Christian. I credit my entire life to God and His guidance, His protection, and His love. I would not be where I am today if it was not for Him. Though I have been a Christian my entire life, I have never been as close to Him as I am now.

Secondly, I am a teacher. This is my second year of teaching, and it has been an incredible journey. After 4 good (but long!) years of university, I was incredibly fortunate enough to have an interview the day after my graduation where I was hired to being in less than a month. A teacher had taught up to the day she began labour, and it was more of an emergency placement to cover her early maternity leave. Luckily, I was in a small school, where I had 8 students in my class, and had an incredibly good time! It felt so nice to finally get paid for what I loved. I taught for her entire maternity leave (grades 4-6), and could not have asked for a better place to be. I fell in love with that school, and it still holds a large part of my heart. I learned a lot being at that school: discipline (no principal), behaviour problems (HUGE), and the joys of a flexible and family-like school. I now work in a larger school with only grade 6 students, and each day is still a learning process. Being a teacher is never boring, that is for sure!

I, myself, am a small-town girl at heart. I come from a large family; a large split-up, mixed-up, abnormally lovely family. My family has been through a lot, moved a lot (20+ times), and definitely has never suffered a life of boring-ness that so many children complain of today. We were never rich, by any means. We’ve had times where we could purchase anything we ever wanted, and there were times when we did not have a lot. But through it all, we became a close family, and I appreciate each and every one of them.

Adding to my own family, I was very fortunate to meet my future-husband while I was in university. He had actually left university, and come back just to be closer to me. Nothing beats a personal love story! When I had left to see my family for a month during the summer months between semesters, I came back, and was asked to go on a date to a restaurant with him. Not expecting anything, after I came back from the washroom, he started overwhelmingly complimenting me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it! But I knew it was unordinary. Needless to say, it led up to him kneeling on the ground beside our table, with this box, and the most gorgeous ring! Prior to this, he had “faked” proposed to me with a ring I already had… so it took me a few minutes to realize this was real, and to even realize the ring was real! I totally said yes, and we were happily married last summer amongst family and friends. It was a beautiful outside wedding. I’m so thankful for all of the people who put in the work to make it happen, and especially to my mom who did quite a bit of the work herself. She (and the others) did a wonderful job!

So now, aside from being a teacher, I live at home with my husband, our two dogs, our skinny pig and our one fish. (Yes, the fish is a survivor!) If you aren’t sure what a skinny pig is, it is NOT a “pig”. It is actually a mostly hairless guinea pig. I actually hated the way they looked when I first saw them. But they were “so ugly they were cute”. There is a whole story on my skinny pig, but I will save that for another post. My dogs are both miniature dachshunds, and totally completely opposite personalities. We have discovered there is never a need for children. We have ours, with 4-legs and fur. Seriously, get a small dog with attitude, and you’ll see what i mean! But I love them to death, and would not trade them for the world!

Close in appearance to Dolce!

I love books, I love travelling, and I love talking to people and spending time in the gym. I absolutely love finding and trying new healthy recipes and finding filling and satisfying ways to lose weight. I will share my life experiences, and my findings in my blog. My goal is to post something everyday, and I hope you will find answers that you are looking for, or even information that you may not know. If anything, I hope you find something that is relevant to you, and feel free to leave comments. I love to hear from people, and I look forward to hearing from you! I will do my best to respond quickly to everyone.

I wish you all a great day. God bless!