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While I Was Gone…

Posted on December 18, 2015 by auburnchick

Lordy, but every time I write a post, it seems as though I’m apologizing!  My blogging…it just sucks right now.

Enough with that, though.  I’ll offer up no excuses.  It is what it is.  I’m choosing to spend down time not on the computer and, instead, watching television, knitting, and reading.

Anyhoo…

The burning question, if you’re not a friend on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter is:  What has Auburnchick been up to the past few weeks?

Well, let’s see…

I’ve been doing a LOT of teaching.  With this being December, we are hot and heavy into all things reading.  My kiddos are working hard on grammar, fiction reading, and main idea (our current unit).

Things are going swimmingly.  I’m extremely happy with my classes this year.  I’ve had fairly minor behavioral issues, and I’ve experienced a few surprises.  My students have been incredibly cooperative and trusting, allowing me to lead them in all things reading.  They don’t always like that I’m strict, but I think they understand that I’m consistent, firm, yet fair.

One thing I’m doing a better job at this year is balancing my life.  I’m lesson planning one night a week from home and getting the rest of my work done at school.  These purposeful decisions have allowed me to spend more time on myself and my family.

Probably the thing I’m most proud of is my fitness quest.  After jokingly being called “thick” by a student last school year, I made it my mission to take care of my body.  You know I started working out this past spring.  I worked out with weights this summer but tapered off when school began.  The start of the school year is when most teachers drop into a black hole.  It’s brutal setting up new classes…new routines…new everything (because the state of Florida constantly changes things).

That’s when I started working out from home with Beachbody’s Piyo program.

The diet plan and workout schedule helped me so much.  They provided the structure I desperately needed, and when I finished two months after starting it, I was fourteen pounds and 7.25 inches leaner, stronger, more flexible, and in the best shape I’ve been in for a long time.

I had seen a friend (a former teacher who I used to sub for who is now a full-time Beachbody coach) and her posts, but I’d resisted.  I’m completely sold on these programs now.  They work, if you have the self discipline to follow through (which I do, as you know, because I am the poster child for being an overachiever).

I love the free shirt I received after I uploaded before/after photos on Beachbody’s website…

The back of this shirt says it all.  I sincerely feel as though I have redefined myself.  I’ve developed healthier eating habits…keeping up with my portions in MyFitnessPal, a free app, and exercising nearly every morning.  Working out at 5:15am (thus getting up at 4:15am so I can read my First5 devotions) is sometimes challenging, but I’ve seen the payoff, and it’s totally worth it.

I have re-instilled the confidence that had slowly eroded away over the past few years, and I’m finding it a joy to pick out clothes each day.  They fit so much better now, and I’m getting into pants that had gotten extremely tight last year.

I jumped right into a new workout after “graduating” from Piyo.  I’m currently four weeks into TurboFire, which is an intense cardio program.  I selected it with a goal of burning the subcutaneous fat from my abs.  It’s lingering, despite the ab muscles I developed through my previous program.

TurboFire is no joke, let me tell you.  When I do the 40-minute workout, I burn nearly 400 calories.  It’s crazy, but I’m loving it!  Chalene Johnson is extremely motivating (and no, I’m not getting paid to say this).

Oh hey, do you like that picture up above?  Well, let me tell you about THAT.

See, with me getting into fitness and doing my first 5k in October, I started wanting a fitness watch.  After doing a LOT of research, I found one I liked and told the Mr. that this is what I wanted for Christmas.  He asked if I wanted to wait to get it, and I decided that no, I did not.  I even had a Best Buy coupon that was going to expire, so he let me order it.

I decided to get the Garmin Vivoactiv.

This arrived on my doorstep right as we were leaving for dinner. I had separation anxiety and took it with me…hence the restaurant menu.

I went back and forth between this and the Apple Watch but ultimately decided on this because of a few of the features it offered that the Apple version did not.  It’s also a watch that I thought would fit on my small wrist much better than the Fitbit Surge, which I’d read was fairly large for people with uber-small wrists like mine.

Being the techie that I am, it didn’t take me long to set it up and download widgets.  Don’t you love the clock I set up in the picture above?  It’s animated; the dog wags its tail…totally worth the itsy bit of extra battery it takes to run it.

Speaking of battery, this thing only requires a charge every 10-14 days…no kidding!  I have it connected to the GPS, and it still lasts FOREVER!  I love this thing and wear it CONSTANTLY, except for when it’s charging.

Things I like about it…

It connects via Bluetooth to my phone, so I receive various notifications on it.  I can read text messages, get weather updates, and even view calendar notifications on it!  I cannot respond to or generate any communication from it, but I can answer phone calls though it!  No, I can’t talk through it, but I can press an answer button it, and my phone will pick up!  It also has the capability of setting alarms, which I love!  It vibrates when it goes off, which is much less irritating than my regular alarm sounds, which I eventually ignore.

I love the step counter and derive much pleasure when I reach my goal of 10,000 steps.  A party goes off on my wrist when I do with the watch vibrating and displaying fireworks.  I do the happy dance every single time this happens.

Please excuse the random photos below.  They were not taken the same day, but they are various screen shots from the Garmin Connect app on my phone and photos of the watch’s widgets, so you can get idea of the data you can view.

Fireworks on my wrist…

Caloric breakdown…

It also connects to the app, MyFitnessPal, so all of my calories are updated seamlessly.  It keeps track of a variety of exercises too!  I’ve been extremely pleased with it.

Knitting-wise, I’ve been busy.  Here are a few pictures of things I’ve completed (I’ll try to post soon with specific details)…

Hearwarming Stockings for the Mr. and me…

The Mr.’s stocking

My stocking

I’ve made a few baby hats…two for a former student’s twins, and two for a friend’s grandson…

The yarn is TopThis, and it is FABULOUS to work with and comes in a large variety of animal themes!  It’s relatively inexpensive, so it makes for lovely gifts, should you choose to order it.

I’m currently working on a very large project…my Oakwood Poncho.

Thanksgiving rolled around, and the Mr.’s parents treated us to a Western Caribbean cruise.

Packing was a bear, let me tell you.

I’d created a plan for myself that week…trying to balance work and packing…and it was a relief when I finished everything with a minimal amount of stress.

It was a wonderfully-relaxing week that I’ll share about in some future post.

Getting back from vacation was not so much fun.  I got sick that Tuesday and had to take two days off of work.  I’d thought I could persevere, and I even went to work that Wednesday and attended a meeting before school.  However, I started crying toward the end of the meeting because I couldn’t figure out how I was going to make it through the day, and my friend/department head told me to ask one of our school’s secretaries if she could find a sub to cover my classes that day.

Cindy, sub extraordinaire, filled in with the subs that were already scheduled to work at our school, and after quickly creating lesson plans, I left school.  My poor first period class…they saw me crying, and my heart nearly burst when a couple of the girls teared up themselves.  I think it was hard for them to see me incapable of being the stoic teacher that I usually am.

I put in for a sub that night because I knew I was still too sick to go in the next day, and when nobody picked up, my fellow reading teachers filled in the gap and absorbed my students into their classrooms.  Reading teachers are the BEST!

I’ve been fighting the crud for over two weeks and think I’ve FINALLY turned the corner.  It’s taken LOTS of prayer and the preparation of homeopathic remedies.  I’d been unable to work out for two weeks and just got back into my routine this week.  This is the sickest I’ve been in about four years.  Not good stuff, let me tell you.

CVS remedy…

I googled for my own remedy (and have discovered that I do NOT like honey and am only consuming it because it’s supposed to be good for sore throats, which I STILL have…)…

My first workout after a two-week hiatus…

Despite being so sick, I managed to get most of January’s lesson plans written.  I especially wanted to get the first couple of weeks finished so I could go into Christmas Break without work on my mind.

 

Speaking of Christmas Break, I am now officially on my two-week vacation.

This was me, this morning, after my challenging/invigorating 40-minute workout.  Because I’m still recovering from the crud, I had to transform high-impact moves into low-impact ones (i.e. no jumping and less jogging/running in place).  I still burned a TON of calories and was ready to head into my school’s early release day…

Leaving school…well, I don’t think there are enough memes to show what I was really feeling.  My watch and this selfie tell the picture best though…

After I ran a few errands and grabbed lunch to go, I settled in for a two-hour nap…more recovery time so I can continue my quest for full healing from this horrid crud I’ve had…

That’s about it from my corner of the world.

I always say I’ll blog more, but I know I can’t promise.  My priorities are shifting; turning on my computer on my “off” days is less important.  Spending time unplugged (except for my phone) ranks near the top of my list these days.

However…I miss my writing and long to return to it more consistently.

We.  Shall.  See.

Filed under: fitness | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Falling Back into the Hodgepodge

Posted on September 23, 2015 by auburnchick

When last I posted, it was September 9th, and I was celebrating my anniversary.  This blogging thing…it’s so hard right now…hard to find the energy…hard to find the time…hard to find the desire when all I want to do is to stay unplugged on the evenings when I am not lesson planning.  I hope you’ll forgive me.  My heart is full of so many things, but moving the words out to my fingers just seems to be one thing I cannot do consistently right now.

Seasons of life…just like earth’s seasons…ever changing, eh?

Which brings us to this very fall-ish themed Hodgepodge.  Play along by answering on your own blog and linking up with Joyce.  Oh, and thanks for visiting!  ❤

1.  What have you ‘fallen for’ recently?

I’ve recently fallen for the (Skinny!) Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie.

I’m following a lean eating plan put out by Beach Body, eating a reduced amount of calories each day and watching my portions closely.

I have never been a fan of smoothies, but this one is to die for.  It smells and tastes just like a cookie.  I leave out the honey and raisins and substitute soy milk for the almond milk to help me get enough calories (yes, I’m having a huge problem getting enough) and protein.  Oh, and I grind my oatmeal first (love, love, love my Ninja) and have recently started adding a tablespoon of chia seeds (grinded up with the oatmeal) for protein and fiber.

2.  What’s something you’re ‘squirreling away‘ for later?

With this eating plan, I feel like every day, I’m squirreling away portions for later.  I get nervous about using them up that I tend to save them for the end of the day, which is probably one reason why I’m not getting enough calories.

Sigh…this fitness thing is tough!

3.  How do you like your apples? Sweet? Tart? Crisp? Cooked? Apples are one of the superfoods for fall…how often do you eat an apple either plain or as part of a favorite recipe? What’s your favorite variety?

Lately, I like my apples sweet.  Hello Ambrosia apples!  Yum!  A must is that they are crisp.  Rooster and I spent all summer looking for the perfect apple.  Most were mushy.  It was discouraging.

I prefer to eat my apples in the simplest way possible…peeled and with a bit of natural peanut butter.  This has been my go-to mini-meal of late.

4.  According to Fodor’s the ten best fall foliage trips in the US of A are-Aspen Colorado, The Catskills New York, The Berkshires Massachusetts, Columbia River Gorge Oregon, Green Mountain Byway Vermont, Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway New Mexico, Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, Upper Peninsula Michigan, Lake of the Ozarks Missouri, and Glacier National Park Montana. Which would you most like to visit this fall and why?

I’m going to be honest here.  I don’t care to take any foliage trips.  While I enjoy nature, I don’t actively get out in it for such things as camping, hiking, or whatnot.  If I’m going to see the leaves change, I’d prefer that it be while living in Auburn, Alabama.  That’s my dream…to retire there soon.  Then, I’ll have the pleasure of watching my Tigers play while the leaves turn colors and fall.

5.  The topic of legalizing marijuana was raised in the most recent televised political debate so let’s wade in too. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia currently have laws legalizing marijuana in some form. Four states have legalize marijuana for recreational use. Your thoughts?

I think this is a terrible idea and more evidence of how far our country is sinking in its immoral laws.  First, we had the legalization of gay marriage; now it’s this.  I’m appalled.  I also find it ironic that the “leader” of this country (whatever) is greeting the Pope when he (not the Pope) is pushing for such immoral legislation.

Sorry to get on my soapbox, but I’m so disgusted.  I cannot wait for the next big election, and I pray that Conservatives will make their voices heart through their ballots.

6.  Are you okay to watch a movie already in progress or do you need to always see it from the beginning? How about jumping into a TV series somewhere in the middle? Is that okay? 

I don’t mind movies already in progress, but jumping into a TV series in the middle…oy vey!  One gets invested in the story line and characters.  How can one get into a series without starting from the beginning?

7.  Thursday (September 24) is National Punctuation Day. What rule of punctuation trips you up most often? What rule of punctuation, when broken by someone else, bugs you the most?

Oh, punctuation.  How you vex me vicariously through the high school students I teach.  I despise grammar mistakes.  Right now, my classes are working their way through capitalization rules.  I just graded a non-grammar test I gave yesterday.  It had short answer responses.  What did about half of my kiddos do?  They didn’t capitalize the first word of their sentences in their answers.  Sigh.  It’s like herding cats.

Honestly, most punctuation mistakes drive me nuts.

The one I struggle with often is when to use hyphens in words.  I’m forever looking things up to double-check.

8.  My Random Thought

Here’s a sneak peek of me…the second day of my third week of my new fitness regimen…

What am I doing?

I’m a quarter of the way through Beach Body’s Piyo program…

It’s very regimented.  I’ve been getting up earlier and working out before school.  I’ve got a calendar of which video to do on which day (there are more DVDs…more workouts that you don’t see on that screen above).

For the record, yesterday, I was finally able to do Burpees for the first time!  Yay!

I’m doing meal prep for long days…

It’s hard work.

Nothing worth having comes easily, eh?

I know one thing.  When I reach my personal goal, I’ll be especially proud of myself…especially because this sure as heck isn’t as easy as it might have been ten or fifteen years ago.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Project Me

Posted on August 9, 2015 by auburnchick

You’ve probably heard of the show Project Runway.

After a conversation I had today during lunch, I decided to title this post “Project Me.”

The question that sparked my moment of brilliance was actually, “What project did you complete this summer?”

My church small group is comprised of mostly teachers.  We’re going back for pre-planning on Tuesday, hence the topic of our conversation.

As I thought about my summer, it was hard to find a “project” that I’d completed.

You guys know that I’ve napped, so catching up on sleep could be considered a major project.

I did a lot of knitting, watching Netflix, and reading, so those relaxing activities were also “projects” that I guess I finished.

The Mr. jumped into the conversation at that point and reminded me of my time in the gym.

Oh yes.

My biggest project…

Revamping me.

I’ve posted a few pictures here, and I’ve certainly kept a nearly-daily photo journal going on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Because I’m basic like that.

But I want to blog about it in more detail.

You see, last school year, one of my students told me I was “thick.”  To be thick means that you’ve got some junk in the trunk…that you’re curvy.

I have some serious body issues, remnants from a childhood that involved watching my mom constantly yo-yo diet.  I spent summers “starving” myself for a day or two, only to binge on snacks afterward.

I’ve never been what one would call obese; the only time I passed 110 pounds was when I was pregnant.

Still, I carry a poor body image…the flab in my mid-section is what my eyes zoom in on.

Hence the hurt that hit my heart when my student made the comment…and other students agreed with her…and it was mentioned frequently the rest of the school year…only to be confirmed by the fact that my clothes, indeed, were fitting differently.

Sigh.

Thus it was that I set out to improve myself by renewing my membership at the gym my church runs.  Rooster works there and was more than happy to sign me back up.

I started going back on April 23.  I was mortified at the jelly roll that hung over the new workout pants the Mr. had bought me.

I took a picture, though, because I am both basic and because I blog.

And then I started working out.

The first day was bad.  Really bad.  To the point where Rooster helped me with my first squat when I couldn’t get back up on my own.

Did I mention that I was mortified?

Back in the day, I used to squat a lot of weight.

I was so sore after the first workout that I didn’t walk normally for a week.

My attendance at the gym was a little spotty the first few weeks.  School was still in session, and at one point, I pulled something in my back, putting me out of commission for over a week.

I persisted and began leaving my gym bag with fresh workout clothes in my car each day so I could exercise immediately after school.

My summer vacation offered me the much-needed time, energy, and focus to exercise about four days a week.

One week, I hit the gym six days.  Rooster constantly encouraged me, gave me tips, and spotted me during certain exercises.

I remember the first time I sat at the leg press machine.  I couldn’t add any extra weight.  Week after week, I began adding more…

By last week, I’d gotten up to 170 pounds!!  It was a proud moment for me.

Last week, I noticed that I was wearing the same outfit as the first day I’d worked out, so I took a selfie.

When I put the pictures side by side, I got tears in my eyes.

You might not be able to see any differences, but my well-trained eye does.  How well we know our own bodies, eh?

My muffin top is nearly gone, thank heavens.  My hips, though, are what struck me the most.  They have slimmed down…a lot.  They’re tighter.  My thighs…oh word, but they don’t flap any more, and my behind is taut (just trust me on this…a rear picture will not be forthcoming).

I still have a lot of work to do.  I can’t say that I’ve done many exercises dedicated exclusively to my abs.  I’ve strengthened my core simply by lifting weights, but I haven’t done crunches since I hurt my back early in the summer.

So, that area will be one I begin focusing on soon.

I’m starting to train for my first 5k, which I will run with Super Sis in October.  I’m hoping that adding cardio to my workout regimen will help my middle section to gradually disappear.

I hope I’m not sounding vain or superficial.  This just happens to be something that makes me extremely self-conscious.

How my body looks is a direct reflection of how I’m taking care of it, and it leads to my mental state.  I’ve noticed that as I’ve gotten more fit, my confidence has improved.  I’m eating regular meals; whereas, I used to skip meals regularly.

Tofu Scramble

My prayer now is that I will carry my workout habits into the school year…that I will still be as diligent as ever to take care of me as I was during the summer, because taking care of me will benefit all of those around me in the end…through my calmer demeanor…through my new, improved confident self.

Filed under: fitness | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

Goal-Oriented

Posted on August 7, 2015 by auburnchick

One of the things I am going to be more intentional about with my students this year is helping them be goal-oriented.

I know that this is probably why I have usually been successful at the things I’ve attempted in my own life.

I’ve always derived much satisfaction from accomplishing tasks.  This has included such things as learning to knit, obtaining my college degree, and becoming a teacher.

Although, in past years, my students and I have talked about goals, and I’ve even had them write a couple of them down on note cards that I’ve given back at the end of the school year, I can’t say that I’ve stressed the importance of creating an action plan and then self-monitoring periodically, reflecting on what’s working or not working.  That’s going to change.

Children need to be taught, explicitly, how to be metacognitive.  They need to learn how to evaluate their actions and the thinking process behind their decisions.

To help my students understand my revamped plan, I’m going to use myself as an example by listing my own personal and professional goals, which will probably look something like the following…

Personal Goal
Run my first 5k

Plan of Action

  • ✔️ Sign up for Color Run
  • Train three days a week using the Zombies Run app to track my progress
  • ✔️ Sign up for Hogwarts Running Club Platform 9 3/4 virtual race to stay motivated (who doesn’t like bling?)
  • Check in, via Instagram, with the HRC on September 1 when I’ve finished my training run that will double the 9 3/4 race

Professional Goal
Improve classroom culture

Plan of Action

  • Incorporate more Kagan Team and Class Building activities into my lesson plans (I didn’t do as good of a job with this last year)
  • Work with students to create affirmations and killer statements and gestures that will serve as reminders of how to respect themselves as individuals and each another as a learning community

Along with big goals, I’m going to have students create specific reading goals.  I read Penny Kittle’s book, Book Love.  She gives instructions for helping students determine how many pages they should be reading per week.  Her students write down their goals, and they assess their progress weekly and reflect on the numbers.  I just love, love, love this!

If you haven’t read her book and you are a teacher (home school, online, or brick and mortar), buy it.  You’ll love it too!

Back to my post…

After creating goals and action plans, I’ll have students place them into data folders.  We’ll revisit these goals and write reflections at least once every nine weeks.

It is my hope that as students see themselves taking steps toward reaching their goals…or even acknowledging backward steps, that they’ll take ownership of their learning, holding themselves accountable in the process.

Filed under: fitness, Teaching | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Back Away from the Weights

Posted on July 2, 2015 by auburnchick

Yesterday, I headed to the gym determined…

That’s my “Don’t mess with me” face.

🙂

I had some things on my mind but knew I needed to head to the gym and not use my preoccupied state as an excuse to skip…

Even if it was leg day.

#truth

I did a couple of rounds on the leg press machine and decided I needed to go up in weight, so I started looking for the ten pounders.

It took me a few minutes because, as I said, I had things on my mind.  I was also trying to listen to World Cup stuff on the radio.  It’s safe to say that I wasn’t all there (not that I’m ever all there).

I finally found the weight I needed, so I started to take one off of the bar.

That’s when I heard a guy laughingly say, “So now you’re taking my weights?”

It took me a second to register what he meant…because I am slow that way…and a little blonde.

That’s when I realized that the bar I thought was holding weights for the gym was actually the chest press bar that SOMEONE WAS USING.

I have never, ever done this before.

I was mortified.

I quickly apologized and explained that I was distracted and not operating on all cylinders.  He assured me I could have the weights, adding insult to injury.  I walked away and found the plates I needed somewhere else.

Sigh.

This is my life.

But it gets better.

After finishing up on the leg press machine, I started removing the plates from it.

And then I discovered another consequence of my distracted mind.

On one side, I’d loaded a 25 pounder.

The right side…a 35 pounder.

So now my legs are going to be uneven.

Need I remind you that this is my life.

For real.

Filed under: fitness | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Things That Have Kept Me From Blogging

Posted on June 28, 2014 by auburnchick

It would seem as though, despite having much more time to blog, I have chosen, instead, to do other things.

A pictorial explanation follows…

Did someone say World Cup?

Shout-out to my main soccer squeeze for helping the U.S. advance to the round of 16!

My OWL (three-month project)…halfway finished…

A return to the gym…

Zombiesrun.com – GREAT way to keep my Zombies Run C25K app synched (that’s the playlist I used one day this week)

Best workout app ever (former iFitness)!!!! Sure beats carrying around a notebook, which I used to do to keep track of my reps!

Sixteen cans of tomatoes…for about thirty cents each after BOGO and a $1.00 off of four coupon (shout-out to Coupon Queen for sending me extra coupons!!)

Infinity Cowl

Two of my loves…

Southwestern Socks – A quick, five-day project!

Southwestern Socks

Online Shopping…courtesy of shophopes.com

Another shophopes.com dress! Please excuse the hair (freshly washed and, obviously, unfixed) and the background (must invest in a full-length, over-the-door mirror)

Teacher Training

Tweeting with one of my favorite authors…and feeling star-struck when she followed me…

Chatting it up with one of my favorite shows (please note that THEY tagged ME in this conversation!)

What’s kept you busy of late?

Filed under: Knitting, Saving Money, This-n-That | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

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