When will I be stronger?
3 years ago
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Practically Perfect in Every Way
I recently had some inspiration where my career is concerned.
A little girl I work with goes to a daycare that treats her very poorly. She has Angelman's Syndrome - she is non-verbal and spends most of her day in a wheelchair. Except at her daycare - there she is put into a 6 by 6 pen. The thought of this sweet (and yes, occasionally challenging) little girl in a pen breaks my heart. I literally well up with tears every time I talk about it.
It turns out that daycare for kids with special needs are in short supply. In fact, most daycares in the area will not even accept a child diagnosed with Autism or Intellectual Disability .
My idea is to create a daycare facility that caters to children with special needs. A place where no child, no matter what their challenges, would be put into a pen. A place where employees would be trained in positive reinforcement, basic behavior intervention and prevention strategies, and communication with verbal and non verbal clients. We would provide a place for clients to work with their private agencies if necessary.
I think it's a really great idea. I think there's a need for it, and I think I could probably be good at running that sort of business. I think we'd probably be successful pretty quickly... Now I just have to figure out how to get started!
Ugh just thinking about it makes my head hurt! But I think it's too good of an idea just to let go because I don't know how to get started. There are books for everything - I just have to find some to help me!
Oh by the way - I'm going to call my daycare "Practically Perfect in Every Way! A special place for special people"
A little girl I work with goes to a daycare that treats her very poorly. She has Angelman's Syndrome - she is non-verbal and spends most of her day in a wheelchair. Except at her daycare - there she is put into a 6 by 6 pen. The thought of this sweet (and yes, occasionally challenging) little girl in a pen breaks my heart. I literally well up with tears every time I talk about it.
It turns out that daycare for kids with special needs are in short supply. In fact, most daycares in the area will not even accept a child diagnosed with Autism or Intellectual Disability .
My idea is to create a daycare facility that caters to children with special needs. A place where no child, no matter what their challenges, would be put into a pen. A place where employees would be trained in positive reinforcement, basic behavior intervention and prevention strategies, and communication with verbal and non verbal clients. We would provide a place for clients to work with their private agencies if necessary.
I think it's a really great idea. I think there's a need for it, and I think I could probably be good at running that sort of business. I think we'd probably be successful pretty quickly... Now I just have to figure out how to get started!
Ugh just thinking about it makes my head hurt! But I think it's too good of an idea just to let go because I don't know how to get started. There are books for everything - I just have to find some to help me!
Oh by the way - I'm going to call my daycare "Practically Perfect in Every Way! A special place for special people"
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Bat$#@! crazy!!
Okay I just really love these little guys! My pseudo-Dad used to call me "Batgirl". :-)
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Running; my arch nemesis
So for as long as I can remember I've had asthma. When I was younger it put me in the hospital a few times. It kept me home from school and often out of sports and other activities. In my adult life it will seemingly go away, and then come back with a vengeance.
Recently I made a decision to get healthy. I started eating better (again), and started exercising with purpose. I started with an elliptical, a stationary bike... anything but that dreaded treadmill. For some reason running has always been my serious nemesis (in that it has always been an asthma trigger). But ya know what? I don't think that I'm going to let asthma beat me. My body is getting in better shape, and I don't want to be left out of all the fun anymore! 5k's and fun runs and (gulp!) half marathons!
I've started running on the treadmill. It really slows me down with my cardio workout, and it's a little embarrassing how little I can run before I have to stop (about 3 minutes) ... But every journey starts with a single step, right? Actually this journey has started with several steps. I've got some new asthma medication. And I've done a bunch of research on running WITH asthma.
I've found some encouraging stuff in my research. People always say running is majorly mental, and there was always a secret little whisper in the back of my mind that told me I just wasn't trying hard enough - that I was probably just a big wimp. But it turns out running really is a major trigger for asthma. It's related to the temperature and moisture in the air that you suck down when you run. So I'm not just a wimp - I've actually been battling REAL problems when I try to run. Knowing that seriously helps me with some of my mental roadblocks about running.
So here's the bottom line; IT CAN BE DONE. It's just a little tougher (which really, is just another reason to do it... and feel like a bad ass about it later).
It'll probably take me longer (and be harder) than I'd like... I still feel a little left out when my studly friends go running and I know that I'm just not there yet. But I also know that I can probably get there. And I'm pretty sure my gal pals will be happy to run with me, whenever I'm ready. Until then I head to the gym - for half an hour of elliptical warm up, and then 10-15 mins of the best treadmill action I can muster!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
The countdown...
So now that Christmas has come and gone, the wedding day ticker has begun in my head. 136 days until I get to stand on a dock in Cozumel and join my life to Bobby's forever.
This morning I started looking over checklists and trying to figure out what's left to do (and what money is left to spend)! All through the Christmas season people at parties would ask me how the wedding planning was going. My standard replay was, "I have my groom, my dress, and my plane tickets... That's all I really need, right?" HA! There's still so much left to do!
Let's see... I'm putting off getting my dress altered until REALLY close to the wedding because I've been losing weight and I don't intend to stop losing anytime soon. I've also got to find shoes and accessories.
We need to get my girls into the shop and get their dresses ordered.We need to get Bobby and his best man (if he would hurry up and ASK him to be his best man) into a Men's Warehouse or somewhere like that to pick out something nice (but not a tux!) for them to wear.
We have to find a photographer that is willing to work for free, or for the trade of a cheap place to stay in Coz.
We have to finalize the food and cake preparations.
We have to figure out the beauty situation. Go to a fancy salon at one of the resorts? Go to a local salon?
Bobby has promised to put together a music list for the wedding and reception. I've gotta check in with him about that. Oh, we also need to take a dance lesson or two.
I have to write some vows that are both meaningful and fun.
Ummmm.... What else? Am I forgetting anything?
Along with the wedding prep, I also find myself daydreaming (and planning) about babies. Uh oh. ;)
This morning I started looking over checklists and trying to figure out what's left to do (and what money is left to spend)! All through the Christmas season people at parties would ask me how the wedding planning was going. My standard replay was, "I have my groom, my dress, and my plane tickets... That's all I really need, right?" HA! There's still so much left to do!
Let's see... I'm putting off getting my dress altered until REALLY close to the wedding because I've been losing weight and I don't intend to stop losing anytime soon. I've also got to find shoes and accessories.
We need to get my girls into the shop and get their dresses ordered.We need to get Bobby and his best man (if he would hurry up and ASK him to be his best man) into a Men's Warehouse or somewhere like that to pick out something nice (but not a tux!) for them to wear.
We have to find a photographer that is willing to work for free, or for the trade of a cheap place to stay in Coz.
We have to finalize the food and cake preparations.
We have to figure out the beauty situation. Go to a fancy salon at one of the resorts? Go to a local salon?
Bobby has promised to put together a music list for the wedding and reception. I've gotta check in with him about that. Oh, we also need to take a dance lesson or two.
I have to write some vows that are both meaningful and fun.
Ummmm.... What else? Am I forgetting anything?
Along with the wedding prep, I also find myself daydreaming (and planning) about babies. Uh oh. ;)
Monday, December 6, 2010
Two! Count em, TWO!!
This Friday I have a wedding to go to. I'm excited about the wedding but I've been freaking out because I have NOTHING nice enough to wear to an evening wedding. I borrowed a few dresses from my mom, one I was pretty sure would fit (snuggly) and one that I thought was going to depress me. But guess what!?!? Not only did it not depress me, it looked GOOD on me! It is TWO dress sizes smaller than I was when I started working out!
So I headed over to Macy's and rewarded myself with some sexy shoes to go with the dress!
As a side note, I put on some slacks on my way to Macy's because I needed to wash all of my blue jeans... I think their sizing must be some quirk of their brand - but they are size NINES and that made me feel super awesome!
So I headed over to Macy's and rewarded myself with some sexy shoes to go with the dress!
As a side note, I put on some slacks on my way to Macy's because I needed to wash all of my blue jeans... I think their sizing must be some quirk of their brand - but they are size NINES and that made me feel super awesome!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Size matters
I know this girl (let's call her Sherry)... As long as I've known her she has been my size or bigger. But she carries herself completely differently than I do. With an amazing confidence that I can't match on my best days. Admittedly she is an above-average looking girl (in fact a plus size model at one point) - but I just don't understand it! I see pictures of her and I think, "She's way bigger than me!" and then I think, "She still looks so pretty!". (I have to say that Sherry and I have not been what I'd call "friends" for several years, so the first thought is always a little smug, and the second is a bit begrudging.)
I've been on the hefty side of healthy my entire adult life. At times I've just given up and let myself go. At other times (like now) I've put a lot of effort towards slimming myself down.
Either way I always sort of end up feeling like the "fat friend", or I talk myself out of a cute little outfit because I feel like a silly fat girl just fooling herself. That's not to say I completely lack confidence. I feel at least a little cute a lot of the time. But... I want to know how a girl like Sherry (who is probably 5 or 6 sizes bigger than me at this point) can still walk around like she expects to be the prettiest girl in the room. And how I can still feel envious of her when I look at her (because of her confidence).
Lately I am working my butt off (hopefully literally) at the gym. Partly this is to slim myself down, and partly it is because it makes me feel healthy and good. As a side effect it seems to give me a boost in confidence (even when I haven't seen any actual physical changes). I guess I will never be that uber-confident girl that walks around waiting for doors to be opened for her and drinks to be bought... But I am hoping to be the healthy girl that feels good about herself - and can buy that cute little outfit and go out feeling confident and sexy!
I've been on the hefty side of healthy my entire adult life. At times I've just given up and let myself go. At other times (like now) I've put a lot of effort towards slimming myself down.
Either way I always sort of end up feeling like the "fat friend", or I talk myself out of a cute little outfit because I feel like a silly fat girl just fooling herself. That's not to say I completely lack confidence. I feel at least a little cute a lot of the time. But... I want to know how a girl like Sherry (who is probably 5 or 6 sizes bigger than me at this point) can still walk around like she expects to be the prettiest girl in the room. And how I can still feel envious of her when I look at her (because of her confidence).
Lately I am working my butt off (hopefully literally) at the gym. Partly this is to slim myself down, and partly it is because it makes me feel healthy and good. As a side effect it seems to give me a boost in confidence (even when I haven't seen any actual physical changes). I guess I will never be that uber-confident girl that walks around waiting for doors to be opened for her and drinks to be bought... But I am hoping to be the healthy girl that feels good about herself - and can buy that cute little outfit and go out feeling confident and sexy!
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