My son checked out a dictionary

Only my son----he chose to check out a dictionary as one of his 2 library books for the week.

Dr. C taught them about the dictionary today and he wasn't finished looking at "all the new words" and "their definitions" so he asked if he could bring it home.

He was so excited he stopped a teacher in the hall and showed it to her.

Ironically.....I read a blog post this morning by one of my favorite Kindergarten on teaching kinders big words. www.mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com

She said other teachers complained that in her units she sells on TPT some of the vocabulary words were not appropriate for Kinders. Specifically that she shouldn't use metamorphosis in her butterfly unit. REALLY?!?!

And then today....I was reading Duck For President to my kiddos. We talked about the words governor and autobiography because they were in the text. Some got it and some gave me that blank look like "what is she talking about...can't we just hurry up and get to centers".

Did I expect them to go check out a dictionary and look up the definitions? NO!!

But I believe that exposing my kiddos to a variety of BIG WORDS will only benefit them as they grow and learn.

MAYBE....that is why my 7 year old checked out a dictionary today. MAYBE....that is why he knew that a meat eating dinosaur was known as a carnivore at age 4. MAYBE....that is why he talks like an adult and is reading on a 4th grade level. MAYBE....that is why he can tell you the technical names of football positions and how they work in a spread offense or a 4-3 defense. MAYBE...that is why he can read books like Tim Tebow's autobiography and understand it.

Jackson loves BIG WORDS!!! I love that he loves BIG WORDS!!!

METAMORPHOSIS, CARNIVORE, AUTOBIOGRAPHY, GOVERNOR, SCHEMA......who says they aren't age appropriate words for my 7 year old son and the 23 five and six year olds in my class? Maybe their future will be brighter because I exposed them to BIG WORDS and smiled when my son checked out a dictionary.

PS---I should probably teach him how to use the computer and internet to look up words because that bookbag was heavy today and before long dictionaries will be door stops :)

An Interview with Jackson

I first did this interview with Jackson in March of 2010. Here are his answers:

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Don't say bad words

2. What makes mom happy?
When I help you clean up my room

3. What makes mom sad?
When I do something bad

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Tickle me

5. What was your mom like as a child?
A baby

6. How old is your mom?
31

7. How tall is your mom?
7 inches shorter than Daddy

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Snuggle up

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
That's a hard question....I am not around.....What do you do?

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be?
Micheal Jackson or a Princess

11. What is your mom really good at?
Keeping score in my baseball games

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Coaching basketball

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Teach

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Apples or coffee...I am not sure

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Because we do stuff together

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Phineas and Ferb's mom

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Ride to school and listen to Kidstuff Radio

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Both are a Meares

19. How are you and your mom different?
You are older, bigger, and taller than me

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Because you say it everyday

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Clemson

Fast Forward 2 years----here we go again:

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Don't wrestle around with Beau

2. What makes mom happy?
When I do not whine

3. What makes mom sad?
When I whine and when I am mad

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Show me my baby pictures

5. What was your mom like as a child?
no idea

6. How old is your mom?
33

7. How tall is your mom?
5 foot 6 (he is very close---I am 5'7")

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Watch The Bachelor

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
I have no idea...I am not there to see

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be?
A Principal of the School District

11. What is your mom really good at?
Talking

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Ballet

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Teach

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Veggies

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
That you are educated

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
The Roadrunner's coyote

17. What do you and your mom do together?
A whole lot

18. How are you and your mom the same?
we are family

19. How are you and your mom different?
we are from 2 different families---you are a Hamilton and I am a Meares

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Because you are my mother

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
school and Red Bowl

Success = Dress

If the dress (finally) fits, wear it :)

I will take every little success that I can get.

I got very discouraged earlier this week regarding where this journey is taking me.

BUT...today is a new day. AND THE DRESS FITS :)
Not the ultimate goal dress....we will call this one the speed bump dress.


Advocare Update----Day 21
I have officially lost 8.2 pounds, and 3.5% body fat. And a total of 5.5 inches.

Thanks you Advocare and QSA family.

New Year....New Mommy......NEW DRESS!!!!!

New Year--New Mommy---Days 4 and 5

-5.4 pounds

That is what I have lost in 5 days. AND I FEEL GREAT.

I am doing the Advocare 24 day challenge. Today was day 5.
It has gotten SO MUCH easier. I am currently doing the cleanse or as I like to call it "detoxing". That just sounds so much nicer and more pleasant to me.

I have lived on coffee (lots of coffee) and sugar. I love sweets. LOVE them.
I know that holidays are the best time for Reese's peanut butter cups. The shapes like trees, pumpkins, and eggs are SO MUCH better than the regular ones. The peanut butter to chocolate ratio is so much greater. Making them so much better. See---I have a problem :)

Tonight I went to CVS to get J's medicine and walked past the Reese's hearts. I walked past them. Part of me wanted one (or 2) and the other part of me was afraid of the consequences of eating it.
And I remembered this dress that I want to wear to our auction on St John the 2nd weekend in March. It has been 3 years (pre-surgery) since this dress fit.

New Mommy chose the dress over the Reese's heart. Somebody should probably pinch me.
(I will reward myself with a heart when I lose 15 pounds).

More than the weight loss that I have seen, I feel great. Bootcamp was easier tonight. SPARK helps me get through my afternoon transitioning from Kindergarten teacher to Mommy. I have enough energy to keep up with my kiddos---Jackson and the puppy Beau.

New Year---New Attitude---New Mommy :)

Advocare 24 day challenge Days 1-3

On Thursday I traded these....

For this...

The perfect time to begin my

Advocare 24 day challenge. Since my ability to do cardio and bootcamp like I had been will be hindered for a couple weeks. (I went to BOOTCAMP in my BOOT Friday night. Let's just say I didn't know I could go that many push ups and ab exercises. I sneezed yesterday and IT HURT)

I will be the first to admit---the Herbal Cleanse for the first 10 days scared me. So much so that I had to talk to 2 different people and check out several blogs before I was sure that I could handle it.

(TMI---I have not been running to the bathroom like I was afraid I was going to)

I hope this blog (and the ones that follow) will be motivation for me and others. I hope at the end of 24 days I will have a success story like no other.

DAY 1

Fiber drink first thing in the morning (OMG---I told D it was like runny applesauce with grass and bark mixed in. It didn't taste bad it was just the texture that was hard for me to handle) Lesson learned---drink it fast

2 Omega Plex

1/2 of a whole wheat bagel with a tbsp of cream cheese (at this point I didn't realize NO DAIRY)

For lunch we ate at Genghis Grill---I had the veggies and brown rice and a tbsp of sauce

2 Omega Plex

Dinner

Low Fat Chicken Lasagna recipe from Runner's World (still haven't realized NO DAIRY)

Herbal Cleanse tabs before bed

Water (24 oz per cup) 7 cups

DAY 2

Fiber Drink (OMG again. I poured the last little bit out. I just couldn't do it)

2 Omega Plex

banana

Lunch: 1/2 cup of left over chicken lasagna

2 Omega Plex

Fruit punch Spark late afternoon (I have been very tired today)

Dinner---chicken breast, 1/4 cup chicken broth, can of no salt added corn, can of low sodium black beans, and a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles---cooked in my crock pot.

You are supposed to eat this like a taco with cheese and sour cream.

I opted out of that and just had it plain.

HEADACHE....I tried more water and an apple with some peanut butter.(for the sugar) My body is going through detox. I live off of coffee and sugar. No wonder I have a headache.

Herbal Cleanse tabs before bed.

Water---6 (24 oz) cups

Day 3----I woke up feeling better

Fiber Drink (OH HAPPY DAY....I drank it all because I don't have to drink one again for a couple days)

Omega Plex

Banana

Spark (on the way to BOOT camp---again more push ups and abs. You know it is bad when you trainer says "oh, this is going to suck for you today with these modifications")

Lunch:

Vanilla Meal Replacement shake (YUMMO!!!)

2 Omega Plex

New Year....New Motivation...New Meares Mommy :)

New year, new motivation, new mommy

This post has been 3 days in the works. I have debated on whether or not I really wanted to write about this personal journey that I am on. I got on Facebook this morning and my friend Wendy from Texas posted about her success on the Advocare program and asked us to share our success stories. That was all the motivation I needed.

A little history (feel free to skip this part)---

In June of 2009 I had a total hysterectomy at the age of 31. This was a hard decision to make but as far as my health, it was the best decision for me and my body. I WAS NOT going to be a statistic. I WAS NOT going to gain 20 pounds. I WAS NOT going to gain weight in places that I had never gained weight before. LITTLE DID I KNOW.

After 2 1/2 years of diets and running and gyms and Wii fit games and clothes not fitting and tears before benefit auctions and feeling sorry for myself and not liking myself or the way I look.....

I decided to change my outlook.

I have decided that I need to be the best that I can be. Stop making excuses and stop feeling sorry for myself. Stop focusing on a dress size and start focusing on feeling great.

At the end of October, I joined the Upstate Women's Bootcamp at QSA. I know I am crazy. The first 2 weeks I was ready to quit. I pushed through.

I have become stronger and my ability to push myself is incredible. Jason is a work horse and pushes to our limits. But he is always there with a smile, a yell, or a word of encouragement.

In January I decided to take this crazy notion of improving myself to a new level. Darron has been using Advocare products for months. Our friend Wendy from Texas is an Advocare rep and had posts on her Facebook page about the 24 day challenge. Something crazy told me---"hey, you can do that. You read all the blogs. Not only do these people lose weight but they fell better. Have more energy....yada yada yada."

3 days ago my Advocare journey began. I am going to write about my journey as motivation and accountability for myself.

No more feeling sorry for myself, no more tears when it is time to find a dress to wear to an auction, NO MORE.

It is a new year. I have new motivation. It is time to be the best Meares Mommy that I can be.