Sunday, March 4, 2012

Support

Lately I have been feeling a but discouraged by the lack of support from close friends and family as I continue to focus on health and clean eating. Since October I have cut out all grains/gluten, legumes, & most dairy. Just recently I have cut out ALL dairy. This is called the Paleo Diet as it mimics that of our paleolithic ancestors. We eat what our bodies are designed to eat.

Anyway, I have just been lacking support from a few close people and it is tough. I believe that I am healthy. I feel better than I can ever remember feeling, and I am happy. Isn't that what matters? I am thankful that I do have support from quite a few friends, I just wish I could get more of it.

We are all faced with things in our throughout our lives that our friends and family do that we may not agree with, but we can still support them. I think it is important to remember that!! 

Thursday, March 1, 2012

SPU Interview Day

I finally found out that I got at interview at SPU for the ARC program!! It will be next week on Saturday March 10th. The "Alternative Routes to Credation" program is basically a fast-paced intensive teacher certification program that has a Master's component. It consists of a 4 week cohort in the summer at SPU campus, followed by a full year of student teaching and night classes at SPU 1-2 days a week, and then finally the Master's componenent the following summer. Then I get to be a teacher...yay!!!

So, If I dazzle them next weekend, I will be MIA for a while!

I am a little nervous as I don't feel super-prepared for this interview and it's a bit intense:

The ARC Interview Day provides the committee with important information about each applicant that is not reflected in the grade point averages, test scores, and letters of recommendation of your application file. Our attention will be focused on those interpersonal and communication skills that are supported by research as characteristics and dispositions demonstrated by effective teachers. These include:
·         Presentation of Self – Confidence, high self-esteem, energy, body language
·         Initiative & Tolerance for Stress – The ability to get involved and take action with the tasks at hand when under pressure.
·         Communication Skills – The ability to express yourself clearly by organizing your thoughts and presenting them coherently, both orally and in writing.
·         Problem Analysis – The ability to identify issues or problems and to think analytically about them (e.g. identify relevant information and causes, weigh outcomes).
·         Sensitivity & With-it-ness – The ability to read and to respond to the feelings and needs of others both verbally and non-verbally while monitoring group activities/interactions and your role within them.

How to prepare for the ARC Interview Day.

The interviews will be conducted in a small group setting and I encourage you to relax and be your very best self. It is important to be open and honest, engaging and accessible. This way, you will be able to confidently and effectively take part in the process.

You will be assigned to a small group of approximately 10-12 fellow applicants. Come prepared to tell us a little about yourself and to teach a “mini-lesson” of seven to nine minutes relating to any topic that is within your endorsement area (the subject / discipline area that you would like to teach). The intent of the mini-lesson is to actually teach something about which you are passionate in your endorsement area, rather than lead a discussion about what you would teach. You will be asked to clearly state the objective of your mini-lesson before you begin. You are also asked to attempt to engage the rest of the group during your lesson as you would try to interact with a group of students in a class setting. Feel free to use any interactive props, manipulatives, handouts, etc. if you feel that this will help you in your lesson. It is your responsibility to provide these. There will be a whiteboard in the room where you will teach, but I cannot guarantee access to dry erase markers. You are advised to have some with you, just in case. You will not have access to a computer podium or to a dvd/vcr - television screen for the lesson. As you plan your lesson, do remember that the facilitator will be quite strict in adhering to the total time limit. This will have to include any set-up time you may require.

So.....basically I have to be awesome. So that's what I will be working on the next week. I am thankful that I have a sister and some close friends who are teachers! I will be asking for a little help for sure.

My sister Melissa just told me that I shoudl just tell them I work out, but I am not quite sure that's what they are looking for!

Wish me luck!!!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Trader Joe's Light Coconut Milk

Ah sweet delicious coconut milk, where would I be without you? When I embarked on my Paleo Journey in October I had never cooked or regularly consumed this amazing item before. I was missing out! I am a huge fun to say the least! After trying a few different brands I have found that I prefer Trader Joe's Light Coconut Milk for a few different reasons.

1. Taste: nothing beats it! (except for homemade but I don't have the time for that one!) It's smooth, nutty, and slightly sweet, yet not heavy to keep it from being refreshing.

2. NOTHING added. That's it-nothing. No Guar gum=no weird taste. Just pure delicious coconut milk ( oh and water)!

3. "Light" I am not concerned with calories or fat, but I am concerned with texture. This milk is the perfect texture. It doesn't harden when it's cold and there isn't heavy cream on top. If you are a crazy paleo and not a fan of "light" stuff just add some coconut oil to make up for it!

4. Cost: .99 per can. The other brands usually cost $2-3 per can.

I used to allow myself to drink heavy cream in my coffee. I recently got pretty grossed out with big dairy and the heavyness of heavy cream decided to try black coffee. Yuck. So I tried coconut milk (again). I don't like any other brand in my coffee because of the taste from the additives, but this stuff is amazing. MUCH better than heavy cream. My husand even likes it better which makes life so much easier!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Teamwork

The past few months I had the opportunity to work the Mt. Baker Girls Basketball program. It was a blast. I loved working with such a driven group of kids. They were hard-working, positive, enthusiastic, and worked so well together as a team. The lead eachother and did not try to outshine oneanother. It was a beautiful thing. With kids, the joys of life are front and center without jobs, bills, and responsibilities to throw them on the backburner. Talent aside, I think that my favorite aspect of this group was their teamwork. I learned a lot about what teamwork really means to me.

Teamwork is vital to so many relationships and to daily life. We like to be independent and strong, but sometimes we lose sight of how important it is for us to work together to achieve optimal results. I see this every day. At work, in the family setting at home, and even on the basketball court.

The past year has been incredibly challenging. When dealing with loss and grief sometimes we lose ourselves in that battle, and have a hard time with things that used to come easy. For me, my relationship with my husband really took a big hit. Things have really improved in the past few months, but at the time I didn't even realize what was happening to us. Looking back, I can see that we were on two separate paths, rarely working together. We fought often, and did not communicate well. Things like doing the dishes and laundry caused us to argue. It's really silly, but the little things can really get you! We just fell out of sync. We finally realized what was happening and both made a conscious effort to improve on our teamwork. Since we have been working on this life has been so much better. We help each other out! We communicate and share. It's wonderful! We are both dorks, and since our last name begins with "C," we now refer to ourselves as "The C-Team." That's very special I know. But what if we hadn't made the decision to get our 'teamwork' in check? It is a scary thought.

I have such a hard time with those who don't understand how important teamwork is. It is so frustrating because I think that it is vital and I prefer to work together not against! When we don't work together it makes every task more difficult than it needs to be. That being said, it can be a challenge to work together. It requires leadership and communication and the most challenging of all: compromise.

Lately I have been faced by a number of individuals that throw a giant wrench in my little teamwork plan. It's been difficult to get them to work with the 'group' and they don't seem to want to change. I have come to the conclusion that the best way for me to 'help' them with this would be to lead by example and be positive about it. I am challenging myself to work harder and be better at "teamwork." Fingers Crossed!

COMING TOGETHER is a beginning.
KEEPING TOGETHER is progress.
WORKING TOGETHER is success.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

The 5 Best Dark Chocolate Bars in the World | Mark's Daily Apple

Valrhona is the best Chocolate ever!!! The 5 Best Dark Chocolate Bars in the World Mark's Daily Apple

The Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate | Mark's Daily Apple

So happy that I get to eat this deliciousness :) The Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate Mark's Daily Apple

Carb Addiction: Cake Is The New Crack

Just read a great little article Carb Addiction: Cake Is The New Crack by Kevin Cann. I think my friends are sick of my Facebook shares so I am going to start blogging them instead. It's so interesting to me how cravings have pretty much disappeared since switching to the Paleo Diet. Now I crave real food, not foods that are bad for me!

I am so happy that I can say no to sweets and cake without even thinking twice. Just today at lunch a big sugary cake sat right there, and I didn't even think it looked good. It smelled horrible and I had to move away from it. Call me a food snob, but I never want to eat like that again.

We should make a new version of D.A.R.E.: Dare to be cake-free :)