Spring Has Sprung - And Other Things.....

03Sep08 - Today I am grateful for -

• The blossoms have started to bloom.......it's a sign of warmer things to come. (YIPEE) It was a rather chilly winter - and although it was a bumper season on the ski slopes (2 hours south from here) - we didn't manage to fit in a snow trip this year. Hopefully 2009.

Here are some almond blossoms in our front garden, taken today.

• A great tutorial at Uni today - with lots of discussions on the state of Australia's education system - and all that has been in the news lately.

Sadly - our society puts so much emphasis on the measure of success for a child being how high their university entrance score is upon finishing high school.

Seriously though - one can not measure a child's ability to be successful in life in only those terms. That's really quite absurd!!
As teachers (and as parents) we must care for our students, help them to have a love of knowledge - and just give them the best tools to take on the world.
And those tools MUST include the ability to think for oneself / think creatively / think outside the box / think with empathy & compassion for one's fellow man - as WELL AS having a good grasp of literacy and numeracy, science and social studies.

Teachers and schools are asked to show their worth by children scoring well only in the areas of literacy and numeracy.

How on earth can that really work???????

It baffles me that this education system - and all the government debates - haven't really changed at all in the last 100 or more years.

There HAS to be a better way.

Frustrating - to say the least.

(and I won't even start on how low teachers are paid in this country!!! Scandinavian countries pay their teachers almost the same as doctors - whereas here - we're expected to work our magic for the kids - but live off very low wages. No wonder over 50% of new graduate teachers leave the field completely within the first 3 years.........yes - 50%!!)

Anyhoo - the discussions were good. Rant now over!!

Now I have to work out how I can change it all!!! (I'll get back to you on that one......!)

• Getting around to doing a big food shop today. It's been awhile - just grabbing small bits here and there. Our pantry and fridge are now fully loaded!!!! (we'll see how quickly this hungry family manages to consume it all!!)

02Sep08 - Today I am grateful for -

• Teacher's strike this morning for 2 hours at school - so we managed to have a sleep in. I dropped MissJ and MissE down to school at 11:00am. It was a nice and calm morning!!

• A surprise package arriving from my sister L - who lives in Darwin. She recently went to the UK - the trip was part business / part jolly - and she hunted around for some great treasures for us all.

And here are pics of the girls with their new Gap t-shirts from London....

Yes - it's a dorky photo - I know - but it's so cool that they're all at a similar height difference!!

(they're growing up so quickly - * sob*)

So here's a more relaxed shot - with Miss Molly!!

01Sep08 - Today I am grateful for -

• Having a monumental BLONDE moment - but still being able to admit it - and to laugh harder than I have in a very long time!!! I think it's a good skill to be able to laugh at your own mistakes. It's lucky I can - as I make mistakes often - and I'd be a depressed mess if it weren't for the laughter!!

• My gorgeous friend MrsSmiff came home from hospital today - after 5 days in with pnemonia. She's a busy woman - and the hospital stay forced her to rest. We're all very glad she's now home - on the mend - and resting for another week. It's also made her re-think life choices - which could be a very good thing. Life's far too short and precious to be running around after everyone except you and those that you love.

• Long over-due phone-call with my sister L. It's been awhile - and it was great to catch up. Sadly we may not be able to see one another this year (she lives 8 hours by plane away - in Darwin) - but we'll look forward to when we can.

Bad Blogger.

So apparently I'm not too good with sharing my 3 Grateful Things (3BT) each and every day.
Yes - I can admit it. I'm a slacker.
But truly - life just gets busy at times - ya know?!

I think at this stage in my life - I have to remember to be gentle on myself.
I am NOT superwomen - even though I try to be sometimes.
I am just a women, that is figuring out her place in the world; a mother, that is trying to raise 3 gorgeous girls that show me more about love than I've ever known; a wife, that is not nearly as kind to her husband as she should be; a student, that is not very good at time management and seems to always end up finishing assignments during the wee hours of morning; a friend, that cares deeply but often doesn't show it enough; a netballer, that really isn't fit enough, and may even be an embarrassment to all that play with her - but is having a damn good time at it all anyway.

OK - Things that have kept me busy these last few days.

• The girls had Book Week parade at school last Thursday. It's become an important tradition at our local school - and everyone from the Principal through to the grounds person gets in on the fun!! It's a hoot. Here's this year's effort from MissE and MissJ................(MissJ's very first Book Week Parade...my baby's growing up too fast)

MissE was a 'Fairy Godmother' and MissJ was a 'Princess' - obviously. Miss E put her outfit together herself - and luckily we found enough supplies for everything around the house and in the dress-up box. (thanks goodness for well stocked dress-up boxes - I say!!)

• Thursday was also a successful day for me - as I handed in an assignment for my counselling unit - on time. PHEW!! Apparently my brain does still function - dispelling all fears to the contrary. So - on to the next assignment I go - due next week - ICK!!

• Friday saw another wonderful day off. It's good to let my batteries recharge at the end of the week.

• Saturday was full of netballing madness.

Great news - MissG and MissE both had wonderful games - and they both now head into the finals. VERY exciting. (especially since last year - MissE's team didn't win a game all season!)
My game was a loss - and that's it for the season for us - but we had a GREAT time - my first ever season of netball - we're all planning on playing again next year. It was a hoot. Great friends, good laughs, no major injuries - all was good!!!

Here's MissG in action -

And here's MissE -

• Today - we had rain - lots of rain. It was wonderful to hear it falling on the roof - and being snuggled up and warm inside - with a fire for added warmth and visual pleasure!! (perhaps the fire was not so good for the environment - but I feel the cold - damn it.......). Our parched soils are looking kind of sad - so rain is good. I say - bring it ON!!! More rain please Mr Weather-Man!!

OK - I've stayed up far too late - once again.

Thanks for coming.

25Aug08

25Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• Meetings with Uni peeps that put things into perspective - and assure me that I am heading in the right direction.

• My finished clay 'Totem' being fired safely - and all working out well.

Here is - 'Mother and Child' - by ME.

I'm very pleased with how she worked out - as I haven't touched clay since I was at school. Not bad for a couple of hours work!!

• Meeting at Netball Associations running on time - and not taking all night!! (which I had feared)

24Aug08

24Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• A quiet Sunday at home.

• MissE starting to practice piano - with great enthusiasm - after I gave her her first lesson last night. She's been dying to start - and I figured that I would use my sleeping talent!!

• Reading "The Beast: A Reckoning With Depression" by Tracy Thompson (published in 1995). Amazing book about one persons fight against the darkness. I can highly recommend it. (I started it and finished it just today.)

23Aug08

23Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• MissE's and MissG's teams both winning their netball games today. Both were great matches - and a great boost for all the girls. (they played brilliantly)

• Not coming away too badly injured when I put my body on the line for my netball team!!! Just scrapes and bruises - I'll live to play another day!!

• More Olympics magic - GOLD in the 10metre Diving by Matthew Mitcham (amazing dives) - GOLD in the Pole Vault by Steve Hooker - GOLD in the Kayaking by Ken Wallace - SILVER by the Opals Women's Basketball & BRONZE by the Kookaburras Men's Hockey. Great moments all of them.

22Aug08

22Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• Fridays. Just LOVE them. I had a Nanna Nap today!!! Love my Fridays.

• Having fun talking on the radio at the local radio station!! I took MissG and two of her team-mates - and they spoke for 15 minutes about netball and umpiring - and how much fun it all is. Great experience for the girls - and now they're almost famous!!! MrW, MissE and MissJ stayed at home and listened to the fun - at least some people were listening!! (we're talking a very small radio station here - but good fun - none the less!!)

• No major finals on at the Olympics tonight - so I can have at least one early night since they started!!

21Aug08

21Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• Staying awake during my lecture & tutorial today. It was a struggle - but I managed.

• The Opals (Aussie Woman's Basketball Team) - winning their game against China in the Olympics - and now they're heading into the Gold medal match V USA. They played brilliantly and it was a pleasure to watch. (they're at least guaranteed a Silver - but they could go all the way!!)

• Our new BOSE Ipod SoundDock - this thing is just amazing!!! MrW surprised me - and ordered it thru his Frequent Flyer points (very good bargain - in fact it was FREE!!). It arrived tonight. The sound is incredible. I'm in LOVE!!! (and it has a remote!) Yep - I love new toys!!

20Aug08

20Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• Finally catching up on past posts of gratefulness here. It got away from me - but I managed to get back up to date. YAY ME!!

• Getting major work done on my visual arts book. It's looking great. I am pleased!!

• Really getting into my Counselling unit readings and getting my head into things. I've been absent - just driving on auto pilot - but I can feel myself edging back. The arty stuff helps - I should keep it up - and keep it constant. I think my soul works best when I have a creative outlet. I just have to find a way to not get too manic on projects (as I'm prone to do) - and just plod along - getting the right amount of creativity to get me through!!!

19Aug08

19Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• Coming up with loads of ideas for my visual arts project. I've named my book - 'Moments in Time'. I hope to post some pics of my pages when I'm done. Each event must be depicted abstractly using collage. I forsee lots of cutting, pasting, and general mess around my desk for awhile. (well - there's usually mess - but it's gonna get a lot worse - me thinks!!!)

• MissG surviving back at school. We hired her some crutches to help get around while her ankle heals - and they hurt under her arms a bit today - but she was allowed to use the lift at school all day - to help navigate between the 2 storeys at her school. She's healing.

• MrW seeing the doc and getting some days off work. It's not great he's not well - but it's good that the doc is making him have some rest. No major illness - but some icky lurgy has invaded - and he's just a wee tired. Rest will be good.

18Aug08

18Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• More creative happenings in my visual arts tutorial today. (we're going to make a book now - showcasing significant 'events' in our lives.) Hee hee - Possum rubs her hands together gleefully!!! I love love love getting arty!!

• Surviving another Art Ed 2 seminar - and completing set tasks for the week. (thanks be to Fee for being my ROCK and bestest Uni buddy eva!!!)

• MissG seeing a physio about her ankle injury - and the verdict not being too bad. (phew!) She goes back to see him on Friday. Her ankle is 'out' - and her hips aren't quite straight either - but at least it's nothing major. She heads back to school tomorrow after having 2 school days off.

Life is good!!

17Aug08

17Aug08 - Things I am grateful today -

• More Olympic fun from Beijing. I never watch so much sport as I do when the Olympics is on!!!

• Actually getting some readings done for Uni - wonders will never cease!!

• The fog starting to lift from my head - and progress towards getting into this semester of Uni. This year has been a wee taxing on my brain - just too much external stuff going on. But I'm getting there. And that's a good thing!!!

16Aug08

16Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• An absolutely brilliant 4-page letter from my bio dad!! (the one he's been promising to send since December last year) Family medical history, a little bit of family history and a shared hope that one day we may meet. WOW. Some missing pieces to this adoptee's life - FINALLY!!!

• A day off from netball duties. MissG has a sore ankle and my game got called off - while MrW took MissE along to her game at 10am. It was nice to have a Saturday at home - out of the cold.

• A day of study, reading and research for Uni assignments. I'm finally getting knuckled down for the semester. (it's only week 4 - eeekkkkk!!!)

15Aug08

15Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• My bio dad calling for the first time all year. (it was our 3rd conversation since finding each other last year). He wants to keep in touch - he wants to know what's happening in my life. It's always in small doses - but it feels - oh - so - nice.

• The outdoor temperature reaching 12 degrees C today!!! I'll soon need to break out the summer clothes!!!!! (but that wind was still a killer!!)

• Friday nights - cuddled up on the lounge with my family and with Molly - fire blazing - watching movies. I love these nights we share together.

14Aug08

14Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• Having a day home with MissJ to rest, cuddle and just get ourselves well.

• Email from my bio dad - nice.

• Being thought about - and loved - from afar.

13Aug08

13Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• Finally getting my dishwasher back - fixed - and working like new! (added bonus - it didn't cost us a small fortune to get it fixed!!) We've been without it for almost 2 months. You think being without a computer/internet is bad? That's nothing compared to having no working dishwasher in the house!! We had a little field mouse in the house a long time ago - and it took a really long time to catch the bugger. Apparently he quite enjoyed nibbling at the power cord and internal parts of said dishwasher. Mouse + dishwasher = not a good match. Just a little hint for you to remember!!

• Olympic sports - that I never normally watch - EXCEPT when the Olympics are on. Crazy - I know - but cheering on the Aussie's in the green and gold is just the best during these once-every-4-year games. Today I've watched Water Polo, Cycling, Canoing - and of course - the Swimming. (yeah - I know - I should be studying - but it's only once every 4 years - ya know?!?!)

• My bed! Last year we finally outlayed a great deal of cash for a GREAT mattress. (after buying the last mattress over 15 years ago - ICK!!) This new one is so so so comfortable. SO very worth the money. We spend so much of our lives sleeping - it makes sense to buy a good bed to rest well on.

Just wish I could get my ass to bed earlier most nights - so I could take full advantage of the bliss that is my bed. I'll try hard to get to bed before midnight tonight - I promise!!! (oh - I hope I don't get trapped in another Olympic moment again!!!!!)

12Aug08

12Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• Leisel Jones finally getting her well deserved Olympic GOLD in the Women's 100m Breaststroke Final!!! She's come a very long way since she crashed on the Australian swimming scene at the young age of 14. Our nation is proud of you Miss Jones!!

• Better health!! My cold has almost dissipated into nothingness. YAY!

• Being around in the afternoons when my girls all come home from school. It's the BEST time to talk about what has happened in our day. My mum (being essentially a single mum - as my dad died when I was one) had to work - and was never there for that special time. I'm so very grateful that for now - I can be.

11Aug08

11Aug08 - Today I'm grateful for -

• Internet access being restored to my home!! (see the following post) I don't know how I lived without it before we had it. I now have it back (after a few wee hiccups) - and life is good!!

• My visual arts tutorial for my Arts Ed 2 course this semester - where my creative juices are once again ignited. I LOVE any opportunity to switch the right side of my brain to maximum power! I LOVE being challenged artistically and I LOVE to CREATE!! Today we looked at how to capture the concept of 'TIME' via photography - along with how to share with kids the concept that artists - even from way in the past - were just like us - and were influenced by all that was around them. Last week I used clay to make a 'TOTEM' - theme of our own choosing - I made a 'MOTHER & CHILD' statue (it should be fired in a few weeks). I'll post some pics of my finished creations - later in the semester. Really really fun stuff.

• The training I've already received in my course - and being able to help MissG with her Maths homework - using Lego blocks to show her concepts in a manipulative form. (I love those 'light-bulb' moments with kids.........."Oh, now I get it!!!") Got to love 'perimeters' and 'areas'.

Off to do some reading for tomorrow's tutorials.

Night!

Internet Down - and Catching Up

 

How frustrating is it when the internet connection goes - and it takes 4 days to sort it all out with your ISP?!?!?!?!

AAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!

OK - I'm breathing again. Glad that's over. Lets get on with things.

So - I need to catch up on a few 3BT's - you know - those things I'm grateful for!!!

I'll think back - and try to make my lists. (and I'll go backwards from yesterday - so they sit right on the blog - 'cuz ya know that I need it to look right - yes??)

10Aug08 - Today I'm grateful for -

• Long sleep-ins....to allow my body some rest and recuperation from my head-cold.

• A family that allows me to have long sleep-ins when I need them!!

• Good friends for company as we laze the afternoon away watching the Olympic highlights from Beijing!!

............then.................

09Aug08 - Today I'm grateful for -

• Amazing peeps - both young and old - from Saturday netball - that make me smile and laugh - until my cheeks hurt.

• 10 gorgeous 12-Years netball peeps that I had the honour to manage this past Rep Netball Season - and their wonderful parents.

• Celebrations at the Rep Presentation Dinner - good food, great friends, fun times.

............then.................

08Aug08 - Today I'm grateful for -

• The start of the Beijing 2008 Olympics!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE me some Olympic viewing. (guess I'll be lacking some sleep over the next 2 weeks!!!) GO YOU AUSSIES!!!

• Molly after she's had her hair clipped!! She's just even more cute, cuddly and fluffy.

• MissE performing and getting an award at school today - and me being able to be there to witness it. She's one very talented little vegemite. I'm so very proud of all she does.

............and lastly.................

07Aug08 - Today I'm grateful for -

• My good friend and neighbour not being badly hurt - when attacked by a pedestrian whilst driving her car. The car is damaged. She's shaken. But she's OK. (weird things really do happen)

• Good friends and coffee shops. Couldn't live without them!!

• Friends who really do understand - or at the very least - TRY to understand - what being adopted really means to me. Their validation and unconditional support have helped me heal and grow - in more ways than I could ever describe.

PHEW!!! I did it.

OK - back to your regular programming now!!!!!

Thanks for checking in!

06Aug08

06Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• Friends - both in real life and on-line - close & far far away - for they constantly make me smile and brighten my days.

• The view out my front window - of snow on the Brindabella Mountains. It never bores me - and makes the cold winter weather seem all OK. (sadly - there isn't currently THIS much snow - this was taken in 2004 - but it's the same range of mountains - and I just LURVE any amount of white fluffy stuff)

• Facebook - for being the tool that helped me connect to a long lost friend - whom I hadn't heard from in over 20 years.

Celebrations and Gratefulness

This semester I am taking a subject/unit called - 'Promoting Positive Learning Environments' at UC.

It's all about behaviour management and discipline in the classroom - and how to get the most out of your students.

We have been given a huge list of movies to watch over the semester - to see best practices in teaching - and to witness those teachers that have really inspired their students in the past.

First movie on the list - 'The Freedom Writers' - is an amazing story about a teacher that really cared about her students - like nobody had cared about them ever before.

The most amazing part - my gorgeous friend J - currently living in New York - sent me this book for my b'day last year - and she wrote on the inside cover -

'To dear Possum - because I know you will be an incredible teacher!'

(I heart my gorgeous friend J !!)

The story is extremely inspiring - and it has been made into a movie - staring Hilary Swank.

Do see it if you get a chance - check out the website - or better still - get your hands on a copy of the book.

So anyway - today's lecture talked about 'Positive Psychology & Positive Education' - and about an experiment that is running on 'Celebration and Gratefulness' - to increase one's own sense of well-being and happiness.

The gist of it is - if we give to others of our free will - and be constantly grateful for the good things in our lives - no matter how big or small - our lives can be happier & ultimately healthier in the long run.

So - from today - I shall try to write about 3 things/people/events - each and every day - which I am grateful for - that I wish to celebrate!!!

I know - I'm a slack bugger when it comes to keeping this little place updated - but now I have a challenge - and I hope that I can keep this up - to document what matters in my life - and to see if this helps me to truly appreciate the wonderful-ness of my life.

(yeah - I know it's not a real word - and I promise not to teach the kidlettes my Possum-isms when I become a real teacher - K?!!)

05Aug08 - Today I am grateful for -

• My gorgeous girls - that always give me the BEST hugs and kisses any mum could ever wish for.

• MrW - my husband - for being the MOST patient, loving man - and I'm so thankful he's stuck around!!!

• My PPLE Lecturor - Dr Thomas Nielsen - who is an extremely inspiring teacher in his own right. I'm so glad that I know him - and that he is so giving of himself.

Now - go be grateful for the good things that happened in your day!!!

See you tomorrow! xx 

ETA: I'm labelling all of my 3 Things' under '3BT' - for '3 Beautiful Things' - which is used around blog-land.