Daughter

I love being one of a very supportive mummy.

That is all.

Yep, more about school...

I went in to school for 4 hours today. Got one day planned.

The new prescribed curriculum was meant to make it easier on us.

It does not.

I am exceedingly grateful that the 'what' is sitting there for us. I am. There are resources that I would just never have found.

But compositing the classes for secondary is a cow.

And time consuming.

But I'm ready for tomorrow!

Exhaustion

<p>Exhaustion sucks. I did 4 days of work this week and feel as tired as I did after a full year of work. Gonna beat the attrition rate but don't think I'll do this forever. Too emotionally draining.

Nervous breakdowns are common.

Australia Day

I know that millions of people are celebrating today. And I know that people enjoy it.

I don't.

For a few reasons:

- we are celebrating the attempt to annihilate and entire race of people in the space of 100 years.

- we choose dodgy recipients of the Australian of the Year. Geoffrey Rush is a great dude and spent hours with us at school in the year after Shine, but really? Up against the people who really have done things for Australian like saving wildlife etc a person who just raises the Australian profile through his job smacks of not thinking and wanting a famous person because you're condescending to the public thinking they won't 'get' someone they don't already know.

- we celebrate through Bogan. Australia is NOT all about drinking and beating up foreigners... but if you don't you're 'unaustralian'. Come on already. Just because I don't drink and the traditional barbecue is not something I would jump at a chance to attend doesn't mean I can't claim my citizenship.
- We might think getting so drunk that you can't naked it to work tomorrow is fun, but trust me, the rest of the world doesn't. Why do you think Amsterdam has banned foreigners from partaking? You're not fun when you start drinking yesterday and won't stop until midnight tonight!

I tend to hibernate on this day.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Watermelon

I have a shirt that is slightly a watermelon/Rockmelon colour... But it's a lovely colour and I feel good in myself.

Which is needed tonight when my subjects are likely to change again tomorrow.

Changes

I know changes occur. I know that. And, really, I'm not too bothered by the changes this week. But I am.

My timetable has changed. No big deal. Except I'm teaching more primary classes per week than secondary.

So much for being secondary curriculum coordinator.

Or the co senior school specialist.

I'm the person who's versatile enough to be mucked around.

But I am looking forward to the challenge of Prep afternoon sport.

4 year olds people!

My training is for 12-17 year olds. Surely they're the same right?

Internet

Haven't had the  internet at home for few days. Frustrating.

Called the Telco and the nice helpful Indian man helped me get it working again.

Hope it's permanent!

Quick one

Major changes today. Not really stressed about it, but I think the first time I'm in a class with 7 year olds I might have a "wtf am I doing here?" moment.

I'm a high school teachers people! What do I do with 7 year olds?

Day two

I don't want this blog to turn into a blow by blow of each day, so it won't.

I wanted to post today about how I'm not solely in charge, or on paper and how that's actually ok. I've still got lots of plans that I am gonna implement and I think they will help. I do. I just have to get the others on board.

One of my new teachers is actually a veteran teacher but so scared about stepping into a totally new subject I've spent hours object on her planning but not mine. And you know what? I'm happy to do it. It means I'm gonna be at work for hours on the weekend to be ready, but that's ok.

And I'd appreciate if the photocopier was working!

Back again

Today was the first pupil free day for the year. The first anything at work for me. Which I'm very grateful for.

My air conditioning is making a funny noise as a side note...

There seems to have been a bit of over stepping on behalf of an old team member. Turns out I'm not as needed as I was told last year. Really trying to look at as a weight that's been lifted, and really it has - I mean, now I can really concentrate on teaching.

But I like being in charge...

Not really. Can I have a role where I can tell people how a subject is to be run without the responsibility if it gets mucked up? No? Aw, shucks.

Last Day

It's the last day of holidays today. (OK, tomorrow technically, but I've got a 6 hour drive to get home, and a filling to be done on my back right molar, so that doesn't feel like holiday stuff).

I'm going to do some chores today too though. I have to go to Medicare, and then buy some tarps. My dining suite is sitting on my front verandah and I need to get something to cover. Not that I don't think the damage has already been done after 6 months of western Queensland sun and rain. But I'll buy the tarps and take them home.

I also have three loads of washing to do so that I don't have to do washing tomorrow when I get back to W. But it's raining. So, I'm gonna load it all into my car and look for a laundromat to get it dry.

The joys of being in Brisbane instead of a tiny little western town!

Oh, and I may just get that school work done...

Maybe.

Turning 30

Not me. Yet. That's in June - I'm sure I'll post about it throughout the year!

My friend had her kid-friendly party today. It was really fun being with my friends and their kidlets; all 5 of them (plus another assorted 4 who I don't know). I love 5 of those children. I really do. (And they make me clucky!)

What hit me today, was that just over 3 years ago, not one of those children was in existence. Some of them may have been conceived, but they weren't really with us. And three of them are less than a year old.

It's phenomenal isn't it? You don't exist, then you do, then eventually you don't again.

I haven't really planned a kid-friendly birthday for me, but I may change my ideas; it is just under 6 months away. And what I have planned, I want to do, but I don't think it'd be fun without anyone else. :)

But that's fine 'cause as I said, I'm 29 for just under another 6 months!

EDSCO

I went to EDSCO for the first time ever yesterday. Wow. The amount of education resources that are in that store! I spent way way way way too much. Ooops.

My only complaint about educational resources is that it's all for primary! There's not much for secondary. Which I guess in the 'olden days' of preach and teach/chalk and talk where you could just talk at them for 70 minutes and have the write stuff down was ok. But now when it's got to be interesting and engaging, we need the bright coloured resources as well!


That is all.

Girl's night

 I love my BFF (which, I think she'd hate to have that label, but it's just the easiest way to describe it) and her husband and her son. I do. They are part of my family. They truly are.

Anyways, this holidays, I wanted some girl time. Without the men. I love them, but sometimes us girls just need to get together and chat.

So we did!

It was great. We had dinner out and gossiped. Yes, gossip. Oh well. We talked over major life decisions and (I hope) I helped.

Then we went and saw Hugo. I loved this movie. It was so sweet and, I must admit, the ending surprised me. Not because there was any major twist, no. Just because I was expecting one thing and it wasn't the ending. If I hadn't been pre-empting it, I wouldn't have been surprised.

Then we stood in the carpark for another 20 minutes chatting.

I have missed comfy relationships. It was good for the soul.

Thank you S.

Professional reading

I should be writing our school's Whole School Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Plan (OK, I should have been writing this document since the 10th December) but I thought my time could be spent better buying books over the internet.

It's all teaching related, so it counts right?

**I only have two more pages of the WSCARP (That someone at school was calling the ACRAP) but I'm trying to meld the Australian Curriculum: History and the QSA's Essential Learnings for SOSE together. Turns out we need about three years to cover it all!

Oxygen

Is not over-rated. Trust me. I've been struggling to really breathe since November - November, people! That's almost three months. Really yawning was the only thing that was helping. Yawning. A lot.

I haven't been able to do the washing up, drive to the shops, even shower without getting exhausted. I saw a doctor who saw "Panic Attacks" on my patient record, and said, 'yeah, you're panic will do that'. But I knew it was different. Knew it. In my bones.

I demanded a series of blood tests, and the doctor was going away. So, I went to another doctor to get the results. He didn't read my file. And thank Michael and the Angels he hadn't. I went through the symptoms and he put me straight in for an exercise stress echo, which came back clean - good heart -, a CT angiogram, which also came back clean - good lungs, and tests for all different types of pneumonia.

I asked the doctor if it could be asthma, but he said no. Apparently, I wasn't wheezing. But then all the blood tests, except the infection markers, came back totally clean. So he gave me a puffer anyway.

"Give it a go for a week. If it doesn't work, then you'll need to go to a respiratory specialist. There's nothing more I can test for."

So, I gave it a go.

Wow. I can breathe. Breathing; totally underrated.

I got home without needing to yawn. I walked the 30m or so from the street to my front house. And I could still breathe by the end of it.

I feel really good!

All of these investigations were totally worth missing my course and holiday for. I feel confident and able to go back to the middle of no where now that I can breathe!

The Wall

I seem to have hit the metaphorical wall in relation to self-improvement.

I need to power down and take a day and then start again tomorrow!

Last week

It's the last week of my holidays. I should be in Tasmania at a course, but because of my health, doctors told me I couldn't go. And that's OK. I'm much happier staying at home and getting well than going away and getting worse.

On my agenda this week is:

1. Season 8 of Smallville.
2. Lesson Plans for term 1.
3. Meditation.
4. Getting well.

What's on yours?

Clear Results

1. No diabetes, thyroid problems, Barma Forest, Ross River, Rheumatoid Athritis
2. No cardiomyopathy
3. No pulmonary emboli

Testing now for 'exotic' virusses, like legionairres and pertussis. I had pertussis in 2010, so I would think that that would suck if I got it again straight away!

A couple of them would need some people to be told about the infection. :( But that wouldn't be nearly as embarrassing as telling all the mummas that for the second summer holidays in a row, I've put their little cherubs in danger!

Smallville

I am powering through Smallville. I'm on season 6.
My mother is also powering through Smallville. She's on season 8.

I'm watching both.

I am hopelessly confused.

That is all.

Holiday

I had a holiday booked in for Tasmania starting at 5:30am tomorrow morning. Last week I had a blood test because of how I've been feeling. The doctor today, a totally new one I've never seen, heard my symptoms and looked at the blood results and said that instead of the holiday, I need an exercise cardio echo.

So, this afternoon has been spent changing flights ($120 alteration fees), cancelling booked accommodation and hire cars.

Now, most people would be upset about this. I'm not. I'm happy - I want to be well, so if this is the test I need to be able to do that, then I'm all for it.

Yes, I've lost a few hundred dollars, which sucks, but I can afford it all. My panic attacks are mainly about my heart stopping, so if I have this test, on top of the Halter Monitor which gave me the all clear a few years ago, the blood tests from last week which rule out lots of virusses and diabetes, and haemachromatosis and low iron and all the natural remedies and work I have been doing, then I can finally f***ing move on!

Passage of time

I met my cousin's youngest for the first time today. She was gorgeous. Very tall, but gorgeous. I have met the elder one, but he was 2 (He's now 10!). He's also quite tall.  I remember being babysat by their mum.

Yesterday, I had a New Year's Day celebration with friends and their bubbas. CJ is so much bigger now - 12 months and he has grown up so much. M is talking and is actively seeking 'adult' things. H is crawling comfortably and S is trying to sit up. It's phenomenal.

It's insane, the passage of time. You really see it in children don't you?

If I stay at my school ten more years, I will see the 2011 prep (kindergarten/reception) kids at the end of their schooling at our school, in year 10.

Even with the passage of time in a normal secondary school you can really really really see the passage of time in the way the kids grow up and age.