The Waiting Game & Pregnancy Books I Recommend

With four weeks until my due date, Cody and I are now at the point in this pregnancy that is just waiting--waiting for our baby to be ready, waiting for my body to be ready, and there's not much we can do to hurry along either of those processes. It just requires waiting.  Even though I was a little antsy about waiting  a week and a half ago, I'm pretty much resigned to it now. The baby is in a nice, warm, safe, healthy place, exactly where he should be until he is born.

During the past month, Cody and I have gotten his bedroom ready and as of yesterday, we now have everything (we think!) that we need to have him come home and everyone be comfortable.  Yesterday we made our last big purchases: crib mattress, humidifier with the capability to put medicine in it if we need it to be diffused, and a space heater (because his room is really hard to get warm, even with our heater on).

Here's the finished product:

Crib and dresser

Baby bouncer, bookshelf with baby stuff on top two shelves and photos & music underneath, rocker

Bassinet (that will go into our room once we've brought him home from the hospital) and hospital bag (with clothes for me and some stuff for him)

Also during these last five months I've been doing reading on pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period. I don't buy into one method or process or whatever. Whatever needs to happen to keep me and the baby safe and for the baby to be delivered is what I'm in favor of. As such, the books I've read reflect that. In addition, I have to go back to work after six weeks and possibly we'll be moving at the end of the summer if/when Cody gets into grad school so I'd kind of like to have muscle back in my body, so I read a book on helping with that.

Bringing Up Bebe

I really liked the French philosophy of pregnancy and childrearing. A lot of it seemed like common sense actions that my Mom did when we were growing up and when she did daycare.  Plus, it was written well and very easy to read.

Birth Day

This book went through the history of all the different types of birthing methods and why some are more popular now than others.  I thought it was a fascinating read plus it gave me more knowledge on my body, what's going on in the hospitals, and the experience that I will probably have and the experience Cody will have.

Easy Labor

Since every woman is different and so is every baby, and therefore, every pregnancy too, I liked the easy way this book went through most, if not all, the different types of birthing methods and pain relief, with pros and cons to each.

The New Mom's Survival Guide

Don't let the title scare you--this book was awesome! It gave really good information and advice about the postpartum period.  The author is a doctor and a mom so she could provide her own experience from being a practicing doctor and seeing her patients, to being pregnant herself, and then the postpartum experience she went through.  Really good book to know what to expect and it's funny.

Lose That Baby Fat

Similar to The New Mom's Survival Guide, this book was really good because the author used her own experience of losing weight healthily after having her first child.  That's what I loved the most about this book--she went through each month and gave target workouts for that month, how much weight will probably have been lost and why, and how you are probably feeling about yourself and your body.  And it isn't a six month or six week program. It's a real-life program--it has workouts to last for a whole year because that is about how long it will really take for your body to completely "bounce back"--muscles on the inside and out, emotions, menstrual cycle to regulate, breastfeeding effects, etc.  Another thing that I really appreciated in this book is that each workout has a picture of what you should look like when you're doing the 20 minute (yes, only 20 minutes) workout in your home.

Gratitude

I feel like I'm always trying to find things for which to be grateful.  I know November is a natural time for Americans to think about gratitude because of Thanksgiving. I'm sure that other months are months of "Thanksgiving" in other cultures.

Here's a short list. I hope to add some longer posts about specific things that I am grateful for in the coming weeks:

1. the Gospel of Jesus Christ
2. my husband, Cody
3. the restored church of Jesus Christ (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
4. family
5. prophets, seers, and revelators today
6. books
7. library cards
8. chocolate
9. friends
10. letters
11. my mom and dad, specifically
12. Lindsey, specifically
13. carpools
14. airplanes
15. cameras
16. notebooks and pens
17. literacy
18. music
19. patient people
20. knowledge
21. Shakespeare
22. Dr. Seuss
23. Yo Yo Ma
24. blue things
25. warm blankets
26. colors
27. food
28. being able to cook
29. running water
30. indoor plumbing
31. indoor heating and cooling
32. a car
33. my job
34. Cody's job
35. that I live in the United States 
36. that I grew up in middle-class America so that I'm blessed with opportunities beyond many in the world
37. our local and national leaders
38. good people that have the desire to run for/be president/Senate/House of Representatives/Governor/etc. and who mostly are all just trying to do their best, so that I don't ever have to feel like I need to
39. scientists
40. iPods
41. running shoes
42. socks
43. my nephew who is the cutest
44. my brothers and sisters (counting in-laws, too)
45. American history
46. having gone to BYU and taken so many different classes
47. prayer
48. perspective
49. fall
50. that I'm not allergic to any foods or medicines

"You are buried in the past...It is time to move on"

Those of you who read my post about Jane Eyre, are here for the next installment: Charlotte Bronte herself.

Labor Day weekend, I started and finished The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James.  As much as I felt like I knew Charlotte Bronte before reading this book, I now realize that I was probably missing a big part of her--her actual personality.  Yes, she is similar to Jane Eyre and Lucy Snowe, but I think there was more to her than I realized.  One of the biggest things that I learned about and that I'm grateful to know about now was her growing friendship and eventual love for her husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls.

The reason why I'm especially grateful to know more about that relationship is because of what I had read previously about how she hadn't really liked him, she'd been in love with her professor, and she'd turned down other offers for marriage, and then looking at her age, 37, when she got married, I always had the thought, "I hope she didn't just marry him out of convenience," even though I know that she wrote to a friend after she was married that she felt her heart was knit with her husband's.

To delve into those concerns a little bit further:
She hadn't really liked him--That is true.  She found him close-minded in certain areas. However, she did acknowledge his generous nature to others and his indispensable service for her father as his curate.  She also reacted towards him based on incorrect information she had about him. Once she realized the truth of what really happened, she allowed herself to start to become friends with him.

She'd been in love with her professor--That is true.  But that was 10 years before she got married.  She used descriptions of M. Heger to create Mr. Rochester and M. Paul Emmanuel. However, she buried (literally) that part of her life in order to let herself live.  I was particularly touched by a dream she recorded after her sisters had all passed away and they visited her in a dream, telling her that they were dead and couldn't live, yet there she was living and yet she was living as one dead. She needed to leave the past in the past and move on to the living and real. Her sisters told her that she was buried in the past, she needed to move on and leave Belgium behind.  I have continually thought about this statement and experience because I wonder, as one who likes to look back at experiences in my life, do I live to much in the past? Am I leaving behind my Belgium (whatever it may be--past hurts, feelings of inadequacy, etc.) and moving on so that I can live and develop fully in the time that I have been given in this life?  No, I don't have a secret old love like Charlotte did for her professor, but just like Charlotte, perhaps I, too, need to find more ways to live in and appreciate the present.

She'd turned down other offers for marriage--That is true. This one always intrigued me because on the life lines in the beginning or backs of books written by Charlotte, it mentions those other offers of marriage and I always wanted more information about them.  Well here is some information: One of the marriage proposals was in a letter, the other was someone she didn't know but assumed she would want to get married since she wasn't married yet, rejected a marriage proposal from a man in her publishing house who she knew she wouldn't really suit, and then she first rejected her husband's proposal because her father was against it, but later accepted it when she decided to live and give him a shot.

It wasn't that she just "gave in".  She really became friends with Arthur and while she couldn't say she loved him when they got married, the respect and friendship she had for him turned to love as she got to know him better, saw him with his family, and he was able to freely show how much he loved and adored her.

What is most tragic to me, is that she died while she was pregnant, probably because she just had horrible morning sickness.  After being married for nine months, and being happier in those nine months than she had been in years (and feeling a peace in her life that she had never felt before), she died.  That is so sad.

I hope that someday I'll get to talk with Charlotte Bronte (fun note: her last name is pronounced "Brunty"--when her father came from Ireland to England, he was able to write his last name--Brunty--however he wanted, and he tried to make it look more elegant by spelling it with an o and with the e and double dots; but it's just pronounced Brunty).  Her books have changed my life. Learning about her life has added to my life, as well.

Also here are the two photographs that Charlotte took with her husband during their honeymoon tour:

Happy Birthday Harry Potter!

In honor of Harry Potter's (and J.K. Rowling's) birthday today:

A lot of thoughts about Jane Eyre

I have spent the last week thinking constantly about Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, since I have reread it for the 8th or 9th time, I believe.  Since I wrote some blog posts on Villette when I read it for the first time three years ago, I thought it was time that I wrote a post about Jane Eyre.

The first time I read this novel I was in eighth grade and thought it one of the most romantic and exemplary books I'd ever read--even more so than Pride and Prejudice that I had read a year earlier.

I bought Jane Eyre on a whim at the school's book fair--it was only five dollars, I liked the cover, it promised romance on the back, and it was fairly thick.  As I began reading I was instantly pulled in by Jane's voice--or Charlotte Bronte's voice, is how I view it now after having read all her works--and by the familiarity of feeling that seemed to swell in me as I read about how she fought her emotions as a child between being good and wanting justice, how she dealt with the loss of a friend, and how even as she worked she yearned to be more a part of the world. Then I met Mr. Rochester. And then I really met Jane.

Mr. Rochester

It seems like Mr. Rochester is an enigma to many men (my husband included) who only see the movies of Jane Eyre.  In the movies he seems to be very changing, sometimes violent, kind of a creeper, mean (trying to force jealousy), a liar, manipulative, and not really in love with Jane--perhaps in infatuation, but not love.  So why on Earth does he seem to be a man of romance to so many women?

The way I tried to explain it to Cody was that just like he and I are perfect matches for each other--based on past experiences, mutual interests, learning from each other, etc.--for the character Jane, Mr. Rochester is her perfect match.  The blossoming of that realization is very apparent in the novel, though I think, harder to show in a movie since most of the realizing happens in Jane's head.  Also, near the end of the book there is a quote that says, "I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on earth...I am my husband's life as fully as he is mine." Even though most of the time, Mr. Rochester seems to be a crantankerous man, he loves Jane and Jane loves him.

I do have my problems with Mr. Rochester's character, but guess what? He isn't my match. He's Jane's, and it's wonderful seeing how they complete each other.  My real problem with Mr. Rochester is how he is portrayed in the movies.  But I'll get to that later.

The Real Jane

What did I mean when I said that during my first reading of Jane Eyre I went through her childhood and early working time and meeting Mr. Rochester, and then that's when I really met Jane? Hadn't I been reading about her for the first 300+ pages?  Why wasn't she real before then?

Well, she was. But she didn't discover her strength, her core, until 300+ pages into it.  Mr. Rochester seems to see it in her before she does (during the gypsy scene, "that brow professes to say--'I can live along, if self-respect and circumstances require me to do so. I need not sell my soul to buy bliss. I have inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous delights should be withheld, or offered only at a price I cannot afford to give.' The forehead declares, 'Reason sits firm and holds the reins, and she will not let the feelings burst away and hurry her to wild chasms.  The passions may rage furiously, like true heathens, as they are; and the desires may imagine all sorts of vain things: but judgements shall still have the last word in every argument, and the casting vote in every decision. Strong wind, earthquake-shock, and fire may pass by: but I shall follow the guiding of that still small voice which interprets the dictates of conscious.'") Since it was my first reading of the novel, I didn't see this foreshadowing.

It wasn't until the critical moment of the plot, when all is in turmoil, and Jane is in agony and doesn't know what to do, when she thinks, "I care for myself.  The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.  I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man.  I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad--as I am now.  Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent they are; inviolate they shall be.  If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth--so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am insane--quite insane, with my veins running fire, and my heart beating faster than I can count its throbs.  Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations are all I have at this hour to stand by; there I plant my foot."

Oh my heart stopped when I read this! This is what I think and feel! This is how I want to be! my 14-year-old self thought.  I wanted to be strong against temptation. I wanted to know that it was okay to step out of the flow of what is "normal" and "accepted," to stand alone and to be okay with myself for doing that.  If Jane could do it--and by extension, Charlotte Bronte, because I am certain she had to do so as I've studied her life--then I could, too.

I've often thought of this quote as I've gone through hard times, especially a few years ago when I had to make some tough decisions and stick by them.  It was extremely difficult. It wasn't what I had expected. However, though I didn't feel exactly like Jane in that no one was trying to outwardly force me to do the opposite of what I had decided, the other half of my nature was wanting me to do it.  I wanted to do what I had decided I wouldn't do. But I could think about how I knew what I was doing was right and then I would have more strength to do it.  Also, it was just a good quote to keep floating around my head during dating and being engaged--"Laws and principles have a worth! They have a worth!" I would inwardly say to myself when temptation could have arisen. As a result, I never felt like I got close to anything I didn't want to get close to.

Back to the plot: After this point in the novel, we see the foil of the Thornfield Hall episode in the shape of the Rivers' home. I rather like the contrast and have never found this point in the book particularly boring, especially because it shows that Jane can stick by what she said she would do and that she won't give in purely to reason; she still has feelings and knows that she needs to satisfy reason and desires in order to have true happiness.

Needless to say, I love Jane. I love Jane because she grows up in this novel (not like in Pride and Prejudice, which I also love, but Elizabeth is 21 pretty much the entire novel) and you get to see how she changes and figures herself out. I love Jane because she has integrity. I love Jane because she knows how to balance logic and reason, and emotions and feelings.

The Movies

(MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT: I'm not tiptoeing around any plot developments here)

1983 version

Now for my critiques of the movies.  I have seen the 1983, 1995, 2006, and 2011 versions of Jane Eyre.  While I think the chemistry between Jane and Mr. Rochester is best in the 2006 version, I think that Jane's passionate integrity comes out best the 2011 version. I do like that the 1983 version includes more lines from the actual book, and includes a more faithful rendition of Lowood than the other three.  The 1983 version is also the most complete movie (probably because it is a miniseries) in having events that are in the book but that are usually omitted from the other movies (i.e. the gypsy scene, when Jane lost her parcel and went begging, a true rendition of how Jane gets her inheritance, Rosamond Oliver, the several times that St. John proposes, how Rochester ends up at a separate house at the end, and that Rochester's hand was amputated not just that he went blind).  I also think that Jane's character was developed very well in the 1983 version in that she doesn't seem like an abnormally quiet person all the time; she can and does laugh and her bluntness seems more in character in this version.

However, the acting is a little forceful in the first several episodes of the 1983 version, the typhus episode is actually talked about (unlike in the other three) but Helen Burns death and her parting, inspiring, life-changing, faith-building words are not included. The made a few, though not memorable (unless you have just read the book like I have), changes towards the end, but overall, they did a remarkably good job with this version, except for the kid actors in the first couple episodes.

1995 version

The 1995 version completely changes events for the last half of the movie--St. John apparently is Mrs. Reed's parson at Gateshead, the house burns down the moment Jane leaves, since Mr. Eyre "never believed Jane to have died" and still left her his fortune--how on Earth did Mr. Mason find out about the wedding?, when Jane returns it is to Thornfield Hall, not Ferndean Hall. I was just very unimpressed with the ending of this movie (and some events at the beginning at Lowood--Jane's hair did not get cut off, neither does Helen's; Ms Temple is supposed to be the superintendent, not Ms. Miller; and Jane didn't stay on the stool all day, only a half hour).

2006 version

The 2006 version I haven't seen in four years so I can't say much about it except that there is one scene in particular when Jane is leaving Rochester that I think the director wanted to put in a little more firey-ness than actually is found in the book. But whatever, that's his license.  Also, I don't think that Mr. Rochester was ugly enough; he was rather nice looking in this version. Until I saw the 2011 version, this one was my favorite.

2011 version

The 2011 version is one of my favorite versions because it gives more of the full picture, without being a mini-series like the 1983 version.  While Jane's passionate integrity comes out more in this movie, I feel like the build up of her and Rochester's relationship isn't as strong as it is in the book.  I also think Rochester is too handsome in this movie.  Overall, this is my favorite version for a shortened 2 hour movie adaptation.

Books I've been reading lately

This past week and a half I've read some books that I never would have read if I wasn't married to a political science major doing an internship in Washington DC.  The first book is America, the Owner's Manual: Making Government Work for You by Senator Bob Graham.  It was required for Cody to read this book for an assignment that is due at the end of the summer.  Basically what the book outlines is the process whereby regular citizens can get involved in the government, the feelings that prompt an individual to get involved, and why it isn't as scary or meaningless as we seem to believe it is when our definition of civic engagement is to vote for president every four years and nothing more than that.  It was an interesting, easy to read book.  I'll be taking some of the principles that I learned about into my third grade classroom this next year, I think.  What better time to get involved then when you're passionate about something at 9 years old?

The second book I've read (and just finished) is entitled, The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by the Arbinger Institute.  While America, the Owner's Manual is good for Americans to read, The Anatomy of Peace is a book that every person should read.  It goes through how we invite conflict with others by the way that we view them--as objects or as people--and that even if we're offering to do something nice or cutting them a deal, if they know that we view them as objects, they will fight back, they'll respond with sarcasm and be unfair because they can feel that we don't view them as a person.  After learning about how we view people, the book goes through the reasons why we view people as objects: the boxes we're in (basically, different versions of pride: looking down or looking up pride), and how we can get out of those boxes so that we can begin viewing everyone as a person and stop the conflict that we are constantly inviting when we view everyone as an object.  This book is written in narrative form, much like The Peacegiver by James L. Ferrell, if you are familiar with that book.  I love that it's written in narrative format, instead of an instruction manual, because that's how humans learn! We learn through stories.  It gives you a lot to think about, and if you're brave enough (which I'm still deciding if I am), to discuss the things you learn about yourself with others (when do I view people as objects? Which boxes am I most comfortable in and that I use to justify viewing others as objects? etc.)  Very good read, highly recommend it.

Now I am about to embark on reading John Adams by David McCullough.  After reading 1776 in January, I'm really excited to read this biography. I like McCullough's style and I like biographies. Plus, I watched the movie they made based on this book a few years back with my Dad and really enjoyed the movie.

Lessons I'm learning in D.C.

I finished out the school year, set up my new classroom, visited my family in Michigan, and then on Monday I was reunited with my husband after 33 days apart.  Frankly, I don't advise 33 days apart if you can help it. It was hard, but now it's over.

I decided I would spend my first day in D.C. as a proper/improper tourist.  What I mean by that is that I dressed up in dark clothes, including a skirt, so I would look like someone going to work, but then I went and visited tourist attractions.  My ruse worked and as I was on my way to my first tourist attraction, a man and his wife stopped me and asked me a question about transportation.  Thankfully, I knew the answer or I would have had to admit this was my first day back in the city after two years, and even then, I'd only been here for three days.

I visited the Smithsonian Castle (which is where the Moongate Garden is), Freer and Sackler Galleries (in a nutshell: Whistler, Leyland, and Asian art), Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, and Renwick Gallery.

In the Hirshhorn Scupture Garden

The Burghers of Calais by Rodin in the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden

Looking at the fountain in the center of the Freer Gallery

Smithsonian Castle viewed from my bench in the Moongate Garden

The Moongate Garden

Lessons I've already learned so far:
CVS does not have a public bathroom
McDonald's does have a public bathroom and the museums
Most museums and galleries open at 10 but the Castle opens at 9 and has free wi-fi
Traffic lights don't really apply to pedestrians; if the way is clear, you go
Try to get a map of the National Mall before you realize you've almost walked by it completely
Asian art is really cool

My second day in DC was a lot less uneventful in terms of sightseeing.  I did the laundry, bought groceries, vacuumed our apartment (for the sole purpose of passing out on the floor in a nap later in the afternoon), vacuumed the common area on our floor and swept the laundry room (I did those rooms in addition to our apartment because 1)I was the only one around and 2)I like to walk around without shoes on when I'm home and I didn't like continuously getting things stuck to my feet), finished Hunger Games and started Catching Fire, took an hour and a half walk in which I got several awesome blisters on my feet and still didn't find my way to the French Embassy, made dinner, went and got a milkshake with Cody at Johnny Rockets, and watched some Studio C skits.

Now with day three, I'll be working on research in two hours, I'm anticipating reading and possibly writing.  I've contacted a friend who worked at a temp agency last year when she was in DC and hoping maybe I can get some leads for that.  I just don't think I can sit around all day.  I mean, if it doesn't work out, I'll just have to be creative...and that wouldn't hurt too much for me to practice that.

No idea what to title this...

I did stick to my goal of running four miles this morning. I tried to not push myself too hard since I haven't run more than 2-3 miles in seven months, but I did better than I thought. 48 minutes for four miles.  I cleaned, did a bunch of stuff for school, had a picnic in the park, finished Fire Arrow, watched The Little Traitor (delightful movie--funny, sad, cute; loved it!), made pierogies for dinner, and talked with Cody. Overall, a pretty good day, though my grandma's email made me a sad.  Not looking forward to the looooong Sunday tomorrow, but church will be good, and the CES fireside, and doing Facetime with Cody.

The First Two Days

Yesterday morning I dropped Cody off at the airport for his flight to DC since his internship there starts next week.  Then after napping for fifty minutes, I went to school.  After some of the craziness that has existed earlier this week, yesterday was a very nice break.  My students painted, tutored kindergarteners, worked on revising their multigenre autobiographies, and participated in a fifth grade wax museum.  I began working on research again. Exercise also entered my life again.  After taking a break off to do the elimination diet, I decided I should start exercising again, especially since my back has begun feeling a lot better since going to the chiropractor (I still get headaches though).  I subjected myself to an intense ten minutes of an arm workout and five minutes of an ab workout.  Ugh! It was so hard! I work up sore this morning.

Today was a good day at school. I bought some things for school next year--still no name tags, after ten minutes of internal debate at the Utah-Idaho Supply store--and did a speed workout for about 25 minutes.  I got to talk with Cody and that was wonderful.  I love that we keep up some of our traditions on the phone. It makes it seem not as bad to have him on the other side of the country.

I just finished a really good book and started it's sequel.  The book I just finished is called, Hero's Song by Edith Pattou. The sequel that I began tonight is called Fire Arrow.  Apparently they're based in some Irish myths and legends.  I love that they're different than other fantasy books I've read.  However, when I discovered that they're of Irish origin it made me think that I have a thing for Irish legends and myths because this same time last year I got sucked into a series of books that were based off of Irish myths and history.  I guess that just means I need to visit Ireland one day.

Tomorrow my goal is to go for a four mile run (avoiding the traffic and busy-ness of the Utah City Marathon), clean, and work on some things for school next year. Oh yeah, I'm also planning on watching Little Traitor so that Cody and I can talk about it together, because he's going to watch it this weekend too.

Felt like an update...

Cody and I found out last week that he had been selected by OFAC for his summer internship.  He accepted the internship yesterday after prayer and discussion with his program leader.  Now he knows where he'll be working!

I've been chugging away at school. This time of year I feel like I have less patience and have been trying to be aware of that as I interact with others at work, especially my students.  They are getting ready for a fifth grade only writing test at the end of the month and I've been trying to maintain my patience with the students who can write well but don't like the topic so they don't write anything during our practice times.

January was an eventful month with my last two great-grandmas passing away within two weeks of each other.  I got to see my parents twice and spend a bunch of time with them and my sister and her family.  And oddly enough, today is the four year anniversary of the funeral of my Great Grandma Yates.

I've begun reading The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. It was a treat to see my students eyes when they saw I was reading a book---for fun!--that was over 1200 pages. They thought I was crazy.

I realized this morning as I stood outside my classroom door greeting everyone that I am grateful to not teach sixth grade because there were two couples holding hands walking down the hallway.  Oh young love! How it never works out and they don't even know.  I'm glad I don't have to deal with that kind of drama in my class.

My work on my crochet blanket is coming along nicely (thought I should update on that since that was my last post).  Cody and I have begun exercising using some free apps I got on my iPad and it's been good but hard--especially to do abs straight for ten minutes. We've only done that twice.  Well, I'll be watching the State of the Union address and trying to be an informed and good citizen, especially since I missed the Inauguration on the 20th.

Trying to be healthy

The past month and a half I've been taking a deeper look at my nutrition and overall health. Cody and I started walking about four times a week which has been so fun for us, in addition to our Sunday strolls. We've been in the habit of eating fruits and vegetables since we started cooking together fourteen months ago.  I also started taking a multi-vitamin a few weeks ago.

And yet my problem of almost ridiculous tiredness persists, as does my problem with headaches.

I went to the doctor on Tuesday for a general check-up exam and to discuss my headaches with him.  He recommended having a routine blood-check since I had never had one and it would be good to check for diabetes, anemia, etc.  The overall doctor's visit was rather negative and I'll be looking for a different doctor because he made me feel incompetent, but I did leave feeling like what I had been trying to do to have a healthy life was working, but that there were still some things that I should try.

While the doctor's seemingly only answer to how to help my headaches was to take medicine for them (and if it gets to that point in frequency and/or severity, I'll do it), I feel like there is still more that I want to try before getting to that point.

After the new year for health insurance starts on September 1 I'm going to try and see a chiropractor which will hopefully help with my cracky body and headaches.  I think that a lot of my headaches are caused by the tension that my body is in a lot of the time.  And perhaps that is why I am sleepy a lot of the time too; I'm not getting the best possible rest at night because of the fight that happens between my muscles and bones when I'm sleeping.

I also started reading French Women Don't Get Fat a book that I first became aware of my junior year of high school when my French teacher, Kristin Lee, was reading it.  I was intrigued but stayed away from it because I didn't want people to think that I thought I was fat (which I don't, by the way).  I decided to get over those worries and checked the book out from the local library because my friend, Dana, said that it changed the way that she looks at food, cooking, and eating.  While I think I'm an average healthy cooker and consumer, it can always get better.

As I started reading the book this morning, I've really enjoyed it. It is written in prose and starts with the author sharing her adolescent experience when she gained 15 pounds on an exchange student experience in Weston, Massachusetts and how horrified she was when she came back to France a year later and her eating habits led her to gain another ten pounds in three months.  She shares some of the "old French tricks" that her family doctor shared with her: balancing pleasure and need.

I know that I don't need to worry about losing 35 pounds at all, but I'm excited to start looking at more healthy ways to cook, eat, and to view myself.  She focuses on equilibrium (which I'm a proponent for, especially since my body has pretty good techniques for trying to keep me balanced) and not on weight;  it's about how you feel in your clothes and your overall self-image.  Of course, weighing yourself every few weeks is fine, but it should be confirming what you already feel about yourself by looking in the mirror and seeing your body change.

I hope that as I try to research less sugar, less buttery, more vegetable-y, more fruity, and more serving-size portions that some of my fatigue problem will lessen or leave completely.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Planning for school...

I've been doing a lot of planning and creating the past few weeks. I've made a class website and gave my class blog a facelift and a new purpose. I'm really excited by it. I think it looks pretty good, too.


I've also been thinking about how I want to start out the school year to help alleviate some of the issues I had this past year (i.e. students who don't know how to solve their own silly drama problems), introduce the different subject areas, incorporate art history/criticism/creation into the school year, French Club plans, finding cool ways to have current events be a part in my classroom, teaching about the election process, etc etc etc.




I've been looking into Whole Brain Teaching more in depth (since I have more time this summer to plan than last summer).  I've been trying to think of ways to mesh it with also having my students come up with rules...I haven't come up with a great way to do that yet, but I'm sure that I'll come up with something as I'm drifting off to sleep.




I really love teaching.  I feel like that's one of the few things that I can really feel competent about. I like a bunch of small things, but I feel like I can teach kids and interact with kids (especially awesome 5th graders) really well.  At least Cody can keep me informed on the rest of the world or else I would be stuck in the 5th grade curriculum all the time. Though, if I had to be stuck in any one grade, I think I would always pick 5th grade.  It's way too fun.


Oh yeah, I started rereading Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone...I was waiting for Cody to finish The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson and needed to do something.

Day 32: Legitimately Lost & Fully Exercised

After class today, Paris, Rachel and I went to the flea market. I was trying to find the same place where we'd gone last time so that I could get some postcards that had been used already and use those for a lesson plan...alas, we never did find that part of the flea market. We were there for about an hour and then continued on with our lives.

I decided to just go back to the Vesinet. However, on the RER back to the Vesinet I decided to stop at La Defense stop so that I could see it. Here are some of my pictures:

(La Defense statue)

(The Grand Arch)

Then I hopped back on the RER and again decided to not get off at Le Vesinet-Le Pecq, but to instead get off at Le Vesinet-Centre, hoping to pop in at a book store, see if they had the new Marie-Anne book by Anne-Marie Desplat-Duc. However this is where the theme of my day starts:

I get off at the station. I follow the people. Do I look at the map of the area? Nope--it's le Vesinet-Centre! It's the station just before my station, I probably ran past this place on my run three weeks ago; I don't need to see the map. Hmmm...yeah. I should have looked at the map.

Rather than "popping in" to a bookshop, I ended up getting seriously and legitimately lost. I was in some random neighborhoods in le Vesinet. I did see some lovely houses though.

As you can see by looking the map, the black X is where the bookshop was (though I didn't find that out until several hours later) and the green X is where Nannick's house is. And as you can see by looking at my path (there was a bit more meandering in the neighborhoods that is not reflected on this map), I had absolutely no sense of direction and where I was going. I crossed the Seine. TWICE. I crossed it once because the street signs in the neighborhood were now saying "Le Pecq" and I remembered that when we went through le Pecq with Nannick last week we had to cross a bridge to leave le Vesinet to go through le Pecq. Ha. Yeah...

Instead of the 1.8 miles from the Vesinet-Centre stop to the Vesinet-Pecq stop, it took me about 4.5 miles.

Just above the point where I first crossed the Seine was a big sign that said "Vesinet" with an arrow pointing in the direction behind me. Did I see it? Of course not! Who looks up? Granted, it was raining by this point, but still...

So I crossed the Seine once, walked a little bit on the other side, finally found a map of le Pecq and saw that I was on the wrong side. So I crossed back over the Seine, and noticed that on my right was a store--Leader Price. I needed to stop at Leader Price to get some ingredients for a salad and since I was passing by now, it would save me a trip of going to the one by where Nannick lives when I returned. I figured I couldn't be too far away since I was in the Vesinet now. Then I entered the store and realized it was the store by Nannick's that Grace and I have gone to twice. Ha. Wow, I had no idea it was just down the street from the bridge over the Seine. I'm so observant.

I bought my food, returned to Nannick's, ate some lunch, then headed out again, this time hoping to find a bookstore. Here is a map of this journey, because yes, again, I had no idea where I was going:

(Black X: Nannick's house; Green X: Bookshop; Two Blue X's: the 2 RER stations, the one by the black X is the Vesinet-Pecq stop, the one by the green X is the Vesinet-Centre. So yes, I was so close the first time I got off the RER only I went in the total wrong direction. And yes, I should have just taken the RER to get from Nannick's to the bookshop. Instead of a 1.5 mile walk to a bookshop, it was 4 1/4 miles)

I walked and walked and kept thinking--there's a McDonalds, there must be a bookstore nearby...there's a Carrefour, there must be a bookstore nearby...Nope. However, I did see two rather strange things on my way to where I turned around and on my way back that I took a picture of:

(Yes, that is a real peacock. And yes, it is really in someone's front yard. In fact, there was another one on the front porch)

(I kind of wished I could have bought this car for Jacob; he would love to drive a car like this)

(This is there sign that basically means: Watch out there are kids here because there is a school. However, what it says is: Be careful, 500 children. I think that is hilarious.)

So then I decided to just walk the way that I took a run a couple weeks ago--straight down Boulevard Carnot. I'd run by some restaurants which meant some kind of a downtown, right? Of course! I walked and walked...I ended up following an older lady when I got closer to the "downtown" part of the Vesinet because she looked like she knew where she was going. And what do you know? She pretty much led me to the bookshop!

I ended up getting some of Moliere's plays in French because the new book by Desplat-Duc wasn't there. I also got two of the Petit Nicholas books. I paid and left the bookshop fully intending to walk back down Boulevard Carnot. But again! I am directionally challenged here without mountains to guide me. Instead I turned away from that street (without knowing it) and then I turned and what did I see? The Vesinet-Centre RER station. ha. If I had just gone to the other side of the RER station when I had first gotten off four hours previously.

So what did I learn today?

1. Open my eyes and read signs, even if they are behind me, if I have no idea where I am

2. Look at maps before exiting an never-before-visited RER or Metro station

3. It's a good thing I brought my tennis shoes to France

4. Even though I prayed to find the bookshop when I first got off at the Vesinet-Centre RER station (and then proceeded to get lost...twice), my prayer was answered because I did make it to the bookshop in the Vesinet before it closed.

And that was my exciting day of becoming lost and walking 8 miles in the Vesinet and the Pecq. :)

Day 31: Flâneuse

Being a flâneuse means that I am a loiterer or an idler, which in some situations may be a bad thing; in this case, it is not because it shows that I am taking in the city and this experience.

Instead of sitting through 362 yesterday, I read my book Des Colombes du Roi Soleil: Olympe Comedienne. I really wasn't feeling like I could sit through class again (I took 362 last spring, so technically every day when I've gone to class it has been to sit through a class that I've already taken; I don't have to do any homework or tests, but I need to be there most of the time so that they know I'm safe). It was a good book! It is at a 4-6 grade level, which is perfect for me because that's about where I'm at with my French reading--if I'm going to be reading with ease and quickly, like I have been with the past two books I've read by Anne Marie Desplat-Duc. I can read and comprehend harder and more complex texts, but for enjoyment purposes, it's nice to read children's/young adult books.

After our interviews with Drs. LeBras or Erickson, I went with Paris and Rachel to the catacombes. At least, that was our intention. However when we arrived we were met with this sign:

My hope of going through the catacombes has been buried because we leave Monday morning and it won't open before then. By this time it was about 3:30, a lot of day left, so I hopped on the RER, didn't stop at the Vesinet-Pecq stop and went to visit Saint-Germain-en-Laye since Dave and Leslie had told us they enjoyed it there (Dave is the bishop of the Paris ward). It was a really cute place. I wandered around the city, taking some pictures, bought a gelato, some guy asked me where a certain boulangerie was and I had to tell him I didn't know--but the fact that he'd asked me made me feel more part of the woodwork of Paris, rather than just as a tourist.

(Bust of the bishop of the Saint Germain en Laye parish; he died for France during WWII)

(Close up of the words on the bust; in English it says: "Put God first in your life")

(Cool castle/church building just by the RER station in Saint-Germain-en-Laye)

(It was a gorgeous day!)

(Sometimes I pretend I'm a photographer...I like doors, shutters, and gates in France)
(Blue door)
(I thought this door looked quite classy)

(The facade of a building)

I returned to the Vesinet and then left an hour or so later to go with Grace, Judy, Katherine, Mathilde, Eloise, and Theo to eat dinner at a Chinese restaurant. I ordered something I've never had before.

(Maison crabe farcie)

Day 29: Books, Dress, Graves, Flowers and Dinner

Today after class I went with Grace, Ryan and Judy to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant; it was my third time going there. After eating, Ryan and I stopped at a patisserie on the way back to the Institute (to use the bathrooms) and I bought a beignet framboise. So good! It's like a huge raspberry filled doughnut, only better. I wasn't able to get a picture because I ate it.

This mini-adventure was followed by decision to hop on the metro and see where it went. It ended in Marie-des-Lilas. A more urban neighborhood part of Paris, though on the outskirts of Zone 1 (maybe 2...). I was able to buy a cute dress for 12 euro, 1 book (also for 12 euro...) and was able to enjoy a local cemetery.

After enjoying Marie-des-Lilas, and seeing that it was about to start raining, the Metro was again sought and this time the end destination was the Anatole France stop (because I've wanted to go there ever since I saw it the fourth day I was here). The city where Anatole France is located is so pretty! It's still in the city, there are still buildings and such, but there was a beautiful public park that was really well kept up, with a water play place for kids to play attached to it. I also stopped at a book store and bought three more books...

Since I had so many books and a dress, I came back to the Vesinet, dropped off my stuff and then headed back into the city for our group dinner. What did I have to eat? The pictures are below and it was all delicious.

(Entree: Escargots; actually quite good. Not terribly filling, but they didn't taste gross)

(Plat: Tartiflette avec sa salade verte; all I could see at this point

was that there was cheese on top)

(Come to find out there is also ham and potato and some kind of special sauce; delicious)

(As you can notice, I really enjoyed it. No, I did not lick the plate/bowl; I used

my bread to get most of the sauce left over)

(Dessert: crepe au chocolat et sa chantilly; basically a crepe with chocolate and whipped cream. It was good, I enjoyed it)