Sorry

No dorky pictures to be seen yet. And it's not Sunday. I fail in many ways. :(

Mike and I went up to the mountains and camped Friday night. Yes, in a tent and everything. (aaaaand the crosses off #19 on the list.) My friend Juliet is going to a journalism/film school she needed hours. Being Juliet (believe me, if you know her it makes sense) she decided to make a movie. I was cast in a main role. Mike got to be a zombie. Hahaha! The movie will be totally cheesy and belong in utter geekdom, but we had fun. I *might* post the youtube video if it ever gets uploaded. In related news, I completely forgot to put on sunscreen and the top of my chest is burned sooooo badly.

I'm still holding hope for this being our month. I'm not really having any symptoms but I didn't have any the first time either. So, it's just waiting and seeing. I think I'm going to test Friday. That will be 12dpo (days past ovulation) and I just am so impatient I can't wait until Sunday. (yes, slap me for being an early tester). The FRER (First Response pregnancy test) is supposed to be 93% accurate at 12dpo and that's good enough for me. ;)

Wish me luck! Tell me people, are you early testers or do you have willpower? Seriously, this 2ww (2 week wait) is killing me.

TaaDaaah!!!

I have officially sent in my grant application! Hooray and wahoo!!! I'm very happy with myself. Now for the waiting game. I don't know when they'll be choosing who will get the grant. I also do not know if more than one grant will be awarded. Guess I'll just be obsessively checking my e-mail.

Thank you so much to all of you that offered help and suggestions of so many games. Thank you to Duck who proofread (should that be two words? oh well, it's staying that way for now) my essay last night on the spur of the moment at 10:00p.m. (yes, I am a complete and utter procratinator.) I think it was pretty good. In case you're wondering (which I'm sure you aren't but I want a place to refer to to it), here's the essay. (most of the games that you've never heard of came from my friend Zap who has the most extensive knowledge of really great board games of anyone I've ever met)

Walt Disney once said, “I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained.” This quote should be taken, printed, and placed in every classroom. With the amount of time students are stuck in the classroom today, it’s a wonder they haven’t completely lost all sense of imagination and wonder. Every moment is scheduled. Tests must be passed, scores must be raised, and recess is a thing of the past. Playing a simple board game could be the one time in a student’s day that allows him or her to unwind and use a part of his or her brain that is collecting dust from disuse.
With the benefit of the grant, six-hundred students would have the opportunity to engage their brain. In an after school club, students in first through fifth grade would learn to use cooperation, flexibility, dexterity, spatial reasoning as well as a multitude of other abilities. These skills, which are so difficult to teach through standard educational practices, come easily in the form of games. Students would be exposed to the familiar as well as the unknown. All types of games are available that are educational as well as entertaining.
Even the youngest school age children can learn good sportsmanship and friendly competition with games such as Memory, Chutes and Ladders, and Candy Land. Older children can learn these basics in games such as Sorry, Life, and Trouble. Students can learn to work together in groups to achieve a common goal in games like Terra. Guess Who and Cartegena will teach them to think ahead and use strategy. Games like Blokus and That’s My Fish entertain while children learn spatial reasoning. Fine motor skills and dexterity come into play in Dicecapades, Don’t Break the Ice, Pitchcar, and Jenga. Cranium Jr, Apples to Apples Jr, and Pictionary all help students to use critical thinking and problem solving skills.
In the end, an educator can’t go wrong if they follow Mr. Disney’s advice. By starting a game club at the elementary level, you set a child up for a lifetime of learning as entertainment as opposed to hoping to be entertained while learning.

I'll be sure to keep you all updated if I find out anything. ::fingers crossed::

Please help me internetland!

So, I have been trying to work on my 101 in 1001 list. #63 is "Apply for a grant." And, I have succeeded in finding a grant to apply for. Go me! It's a small one but one that I really would like. I could get $500 to start a game club at my school. This seems like so much fun. But I need help. I need to get a list together of games that I would buy with the money.

Can you please help me out? I would like to expose the kids to games they may have never seen. Remember, these games are for elementary school kids between the ages of 6-10. So, no need for Hi-Ho Cherry-O. Likewise, intense and time consuming games would be out as well. This will most likely be an after school club that would meet for an hour once a week.

So, do you play games? What are your favorite games? Anything great that no one has ever heard of? Come on people, I need suggestions! I'll be grateful for anything you decide to share.

My 101 in 1001

I saw this on a few other blogs and wanted to do it. Everyone needs goals and this makes them small, manageable ones. Plus, it's a list. And you know my feelings about those. ;D

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?:
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities. I believe the original site for the project was here.

Start: Monday, July 14, 2008
End: Monday, April 11, 2011 (wow, that seems like such a long way away)

1.Think of 101 things to do in 1001 days finished 7/14/08 ;)
2. Frame wedding picture from Evan
3. Frame other pictures
4. Hang pictures in the house
5. Travel outside the U.S.
6. Paint the main living areas of the house
7. Finish the Japanese CD’s
8. Watch all of the Bleach series
9. Learn to sew
10. Sew a costume
11. Take some dance classes
12. Keep my car clean for at least one month
13. Enroll in a master’s program
14. Get pregnant and have a baby Bridget was born 6/6/09
15. Have a party with more than 6 people in attendance
16. Landscape the backyard
17. Attend a new church
18. Feel comfortable with myself at the beach or by a pool
19. Go tent camping completed 9/20/08
20. Knit a pair of socks
21. Knit a sweater
22. Learn to knit cables
23. See a show on Broadway
24. Go to the ballet
25. Exercise 3x/week for at least one month
26. Go to the Gilroy Garlic Festival
27. Do a wine tour
28. Visit the Smithsonian
29. Audition for a show
30. Take an ASL class
31. Make a scrapbook
32. Build a sandcastle
33. Try a new fruit or veggie Two new melons- Orange Flesh and Chinese
34. Try at least three new types of cuisine
35. Read at least 10 more books from the book list
36. Sing karaoke
37. Draw on the sidewalk with chalk
38. Do cartwheels in the park
39. Swing on the swings
40. Get a tarot reading
41. Make a piece of jewelry
42. Tutor
43. Volunteer somewhere Foster and worked Pug-O-Rama for SNPR October 08
44. Vote
45. Get professional pics taken again
46. Make a house cleaning schedule/plan
47. Follow the plan for at least one month
48. Change my name with the school district
49. Renew teaching licence
50. Get stocking pattern from Annie
51. Learn to make stockings
52. Blog everyday for one monthstarted Nov
53. Learn to crochet something cool
54. Frame my degree and teaching licence
55. Bring bags of clothes to donation bins
56. Get a stamp for classroom books
57. Organize classroom with bins and labels
58. Be more consistant with lesson planning
59. Make holiday binders
60. Cook 10 new recipes
61. Bake bread
62. Read a non-fiction book
63. Apply for a grant Done! 9/3/08
64. Learn CPR
65. Have a picnic in the park
66. Take a walk in the rain
67. Find/create a tattoo design
68. Go to Midnight Mass
69. Carve a pumpkin Halloween 09!
70. Dye easter eggs
71. Get a new jewelry box and organize jewelry
72. Send out holiday cards by Dec. 5th
73. Attend a sporting event (pro or semi-pro)
74. Subscribe to 2 magazines
75. Reduce debt by 30% (excluding mortgage)
76. Get a pedicure
77. Get a facial
78. Send a secret in to PostSecret
79. Learn to drive a stick shift
80. Build a snowman
81. Make a snowangel
82. Bake a pie from scratch
83. Go to the Utah Shakespearean Festival
84. Go to the Bellagio Conservatory each time they change the exhibit
85. Eat at four new (to me) restaurants in town
86. Go fruit picking
87. See a movie in IMAX Done! Dark Knight was great. :)
88. Go horseback riding
89. Take a cooking class
90. Organize the pantry
91. Start a new family tradition Mike and I have starting having a family breakfast and going to the library every Sunday morning.
92. Follow weight watchers every day for at least one month
93. Do a 26 things project
94. Participate in Show and Tell
95. Eat only home prepared meals for two weeks
96. Plant and keep alive an herb garden (can be potted)
97. Hang storage shelves in garage Done!
98. Get a new couch
99. Take the dog for a walk every day for a month
100. Have a game night with friends
101. Have a class pet Bruise the Beta is very content :)

Wish me luck! I'll keep this updated as I go. I'll probably put it in my sidebar as well.