Memorial Day - a time to be Thankful

As Memorial Day approaches, somewhere in the midst of organizing the big camping trip, family barbeque or visit to the beach, we all need to take a minute to reflect on the meaning of this very special holiday. 

To those of you who have served, and those of you who are serving our country, THANK YOU!  It might not be a lot, but my appreciation for your service is genuine and heartfelt. 

To your families, who endure time away from you, with the ever present fear that something bad could happen, I say thank you.

To everyone who serves, whether you repair vehicles to keep them safely running, or you fly jets across the globe, each of you contributes to the safety of our nation and I thank you. 

To the politicians & talking heads, who so easily demand that our country ‘do something about…?” (Whether it’s Russia, Syria, Iran or anywhere else in the world), I want to remind them that there is NOTHING easy about the service you give our country and we should never be in a hurry to put American men and women in harm’s way. 

So far, more than 6,700 U.S. servicemen and women have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and at least 50,000 more have been wounded.  In Vietnam 58,209 US servicemen were killed and 153,303 were wounded in combat.  In Korea 36,516 servicemen were killed and 92,134 were wounded.  In World War II 405,399 US servicemen were killed and 670,846 were wounded.  In World War I 116,516 US servicemen were killed and 204,002 were wounded.  We owe a debt of gratitude to each and every one of these individuals, and we should NEVER enter into war without considering the enormous price these men and women have paid for our freedom. 

Book Review: Three Little Sisters by Ryann Adams Hall

Three Little Sisters by RyAnn Hall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I did like the story, and the three little sisters offer lots of fun ways for children to play and enjoy themselves, but for me the story was a bit too simple and the illustrations were not very appealing.

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A farewell to teaching

This will be my last week of teaching.  After nine years I am leaving the classroom because I am unhappy with it and life is too short to work at a job that makes you miserable.  It was not an easy decision – I love teaching and I love my students even more, but to me it just isn’t worth it anymore. 

I have spent literally hundreds of hours beyond my regular school day in committees and professional development trying to improve my skills as a teacher and trying to advocate for the teaching profession.  I have spent weekends and summer breaks at workshops.  I have spent hundreds of dollars of my own money to supplement my teaching supplies.  I am not whining – I chose to do these things to be a better teacher, but I have come to the conclusion that it is no longer worth it for me. 

I did not come to this decision lightly, here are some of the reasons why I feel like it is the right time for me to leave;

·        As the Kyrene district implements the new teacher evaluation system mandated by the state legislature, I have been marked down on my evaluations for not stopping every five minutes to have students discuss what they just learned with their peers or have students evaluate their own learning, simply because some book said that is better teaching than what I had been doing.  My evaluation scores have been erratic, and have more to do with the mood of the evaluator than with my teaching skill.

·         I have been asked to increasingly do more with less, larger class sizes, limited budgets, begging parents for classroom supplies, etc.

·         I have watched as the media and the legislature vilify teachers and strip away teacher rights. I watch every day as the Arizona legislature makes decisions to siphon even more away from the public education system through private vouchers.  I have made phone calls & visits to the state capitol.  I have been there when legislators actually admitted that they don't like teachers. 

·         I am appalled by legislative discussions of arming teachers with guns – I want no part of that.    

·         I have witnessed a push toward standardization that is not in the best interest of the children I teach.  We are forcing students to take standardized tests, yet teachers are being asked to provide differentiated lessons for each student – which makes no sense.  The new common core curriculum is being rushed to implementation before students and teachers are ready for it.  There is a frantic quality to teaching now, that somehow implies if we could just work even harder and harder we could fix this broken system. 

·         I have had to deal with parents being abusive, demanding and belittling and school administrators telling us to just put up with it; what other profession would be okay with being yelled at and abused?  (most parents are wonderful and caring - but there have been some that yelled and have even been threatening to me and my fellow teachers).  I have had to deal with Administrators who are poorly trained and overwhelmed, and who do not support their own teachers. 
 

When I started teaching I was really proud of the impact I had on the lives of children.  I was thrilled and honored to be recognized with an Excellence in Education award from the Tempe Diablos.  I have worked with amazing and dedicated colleagues who literally pour their heart and souls into their teaching every day.  It is disheartening to see my fellow teachers stressed and overworked. 

I love middle-school students.  They are bright and eager to learn.  There is nothing quite like watching students get ‘turned on to learning’.  I will miss my students so much.  I am not leaving because I am angry or bitter – I am leaving because I don’t want to become angry or bitter.  My students deserve better than that.

I'm so excited to be on the Book Review Depot Blog Tour

 

 

13 AUTHORS OVER 3 DAYS

GENRES: Epic fantasy, Paranorma, Romance, YA

Tour Link:  May Book Festival

 Find AMAZING books of unrivaled quality, right here on this CATALOGUE.

http://eepurl.com/UWg_D

Giveaway Link: MAY Book Festival Giveaway

www.alterranlegacy.com

 

REMEMBER! Follow the hop by visiting as many of the blogs on the linky as possible.

And visit the blogs of participating authors.

http://reginajoseph.blogspot.com/
www.kathryndionne.com
www.jalpawilliby.com
http://dianneharman.com/blog/
http://williambryanmiller.com/
www.terrymaggert.com
http://mariagreene.me
www.cynthiapratt.com
http://www.wix.com/brokendesire/paintedwire
www.lindabudzinski.com
http://lookingonthesunnyside.blogspot.com/

 

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GERD - my latest acquisition in acronyms

No one ever said getting older was easy, but I didn’t realize that it might be this hard.  Everything seems to be breaking down and falling apart.  My latest acquisition in age-related health maladies & diseases is Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, otherwise known as GERD. 

According to the National Institutes of Health, Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when stomach contents flow back up into the esophagus—the muscular tube that carries food and liquids from the mouth to the stomach.  GERD is also called acid reflux or acid regurgitation because the stomach’s digestive juices contain acid.

 

Apparently this is just another normal occurrence for many adults.  Anyone can develop GERD at any age but you are more likely to develop it as you get older.  Spicy or acidic foods are just harder to take as your stomach gets older.  It is even more complicated for women.  While women and men have the same basic digestive plumbing (stomach, liver, gallbladder, colon), the lower portion of the colon, called the sigmoid, tends to be longer in women so  along with a longer colon, women have extra female reproductive organs all vying for the same small space, and their digestive systems don't have as much room to expand when troubled by excess gas, air or food so they are likely to experience distress.  Yes it’s true, once menopause finally stops your annoying monthly cycle with its cramps and bloating, you get to experience new gas and bloating due to GERD. 

Luckily, there are lots medicines out there to help & just plain old diet and exercise can help too.  Reducing excess body fat can help improve your symptoms, and eating smaller portions is not only good for your waistline on the outside, it helps on the inside too.  If your symptoms are persistent and really uncomfortable, you should see a doctor.  An occasional antacid is a quick fix, but relying on Tums everyday could be an indication of a more severe problem and could cause additional challenges. 

Experts do suggest limiting your consumption of wine, chocolate & coffee if you have GERD, but I have to admit – I would rather suffer than go without the essentials in life J  

The big day is almost here

Yup, it’s almost here.  After months of planning and dreaming, our incredible Antigua Beach Wedding is only a few short weeks away and we are both like little kids waiting for Christmas morning, we are so excited.  We have even started this adorably annoying habit of reminding each other how many days it is until the wedding. 

 

I feel so incredibly lucky to have found such a rare and wonderful guy.  He is so supportive of everything I do.  He is my biggest fan.  He makes me laugh and smile all the time.  When I am with him, I can’t be in a bad mood – it’s impossible.  He has such a great outlook on life and his enthusiasm is absolutely infectious. 

 

I know I have found the perfect partner for me & I can’t imagine a more beautiful setting to start our married life together.  We have had so much fun making plans for all of the fantastic things we will do in Antigua, but to be honest, the one thing I am looking forward to the most is just sitting in a beach chair next to Peter and enjoying the moments together. 

In one month from today, I will be standing on a beach, saying I do to the man that I love! 

Book Review: The Dead Game by Susanne Leist

The Dead Game by Susanne Leist
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found the Dead Game to be fast paced and intriguing. I am not normally a fan of paranormal work, but decided to read this book and I am glad I did. There are numerous plot twists and turns. The main character Linda finds herself falling for the dark and mysterious Todd, but she suspects he is hiding something. The story moves along at a rapid pace, and I must admit at times I got confused by some of the new characters introduced later in the story, but overall felt like this was a fun book with lots of action and suspense.

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