Unexpected Abscence

Hello to all my followers! I am blogging from my hospital bed this evening while I drink my dinner and wait to be taken down the hall at 11:30 p.m. for some fancy test.

I started feeling sick on Tuesday evening after dinner. I thought I just was coming down with whatever the kids had. They were only out for 24hours, so I didn't think it was going to be a big deal. As the night progressed and the pain in my stomach wouldn't subside, I called for a sub. I am the type of teacher who even when I don't feel well, I drag myself out of bed and type up super detailed lessons. Not this time. My kiddies got to do worksheets, still educationally appropriate, but not my first choice. I was in a ton of pain and was not about to go to school to type stuff up and lay out everything.

Nope, not this time. Instead, my husband and I headed for the hospital around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. I got right in and we started the long process of trying to figure out what was wrong. Thank goodness he was there for me because he really advocates for me when I am incapable of doing it for myself. Which is really odd to me because I am a type a personality all day long. You would think that I could speak up and ask for what I deserve, but, that's for another day.

I suffer from Crohn's disease. I haven't truly "suffered" like others with this disease have, but now is my turn. I knew that I had a stricture where my large and small intestine meet, but through a CAT scan it turns out that I have a functional blockage there. I was eating all the stuff that people with my condition shouldn't eat: vegetables, salads, kettle corn. I'm sorry, but this time of year calls for a good batch of kettle corn. And another disclaimer, we (Crohn's patients) can eat vegetables, they just have to be super cooked. It really stinks because you want to be so healthy and eat good food, but your body just can't process it very well. That's what happened to me. I was eating food that my body couldn't process.

Here I lay dreaming of all the "bad" foods that I want to eat as soon as I'm able. The doctors want me to go to a low fiber diet again, so that led me to think of all the fun food I could consume. The list in no particular order: cheese puffs- I'm dying for some of these! Next, cupcakes. I could really go for some of those fabulous Georgetown Cupcakes. Seriously, so good. I'm craving a strawberry or red velvet one! Also, pasta, macaroni and cheese (kraft from the box), oh and McDonald's McFlurry with Oreo cookies. Also, thanks to briefly flipping through the channels on tv, I saw that Adam guy who takes on all those food challenges from the travel channel. It was that episode where he goes to this donut shop where they make crazy donuts. There is a voodoo doll one, and some other really yummy ones. Those donuts looked a-maz-ing. Totally on the list. Here are a few pis to make this post a little more interesting. I wish you all good health this school year so you don't have to eat up sick leave that you have been saving up for seven years for when you have a baby one day like I have. Told you, totally type a! Who does that you're wondering? Me. If you ever want to know more, just ask away. I'll be here awhile. :)






At the height of my pain on Wednesday morning. I hammed it for my husband. I wasn't feeling as awful as it may look in that pic.




Dinner for the evening. Notice it is nothing from my list :(

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Morning Edition

When I was younger I remember riding around town with my parents. Back in my day (1980/90's), children did not have the luxury of listening to their own music or watching favorite t.v. shows or movies. Nope! The whole family listened to whatever the grownups in the car wanted. Many times, that meant NPR for my sister and I. What kind of an adult listened to this stuff and LIKED it?! I remember thinking to myself that this constant talk was unbearable. That would never be me.

Flashforward to present: I am 31 years old and I drive to work listening to NPR. Yes, the very same NPR that my parents listened to, biggest shocker - I LOVE it! In my "old age" I need a break from constant pop beats. I don't live in California, so that song doesn't really apply to me. Also, when did Mick Jagger become a necessary lyric in a song? For reals? Don't get me wrong, I do belt out  listen to pop songs on the way home. I'm only 31, still need to relax a little. ;)

A few days ago I happened to be listening to NPR and heard an awesome song about eponyms. I have shown this video clip to my students twice now and they beg me to "play it again!" Bless them for geeking out over a good song about nouns. Today as they were working, I could hear one student humming the chorus. I love when my students get so into a lesson that it sticks with them. They may not know how to tell us that they appreciate us on a daily basis, but I will take unbridled enthusiasm any day. Enjoy!

Science Websites & Videos

Sorry about the delay in this post, but I was EXHAUSTED yesterday. I came home, heated up leftovers for my husband and I, fed the dog, and promptly fell asleep at 6:30 p.m. This is the first time that this excessive tiredness has occurred this year, so I must be doing something right! Here are a few of my favorite websites and videos (in no particular order).

Let's start with this super awesome video for teaching elements of the periodic table. My students LOVE this video. I print out the lyrics for the kids to follow along with. This video is great! The band, They Might Be Giants, does a great job writing other science songs and videos. It's a really catchy song that no one minds having stuck in their heads.

 Now for cells...click on the picture to be taken to a website where students can interact with plant and animal cells. Each structure in the cell is explained and there are games for students to play as well.