Flo's Place

Content by Mitch Osborne

The other day while I was looking into cable packages on www.expertsatellite.com, I received an email from a friend of mine who is getting married. The last couple of times that I saw her, I mentioned a few ideas that my sister used for her wedding a couple of years ago. My sister also planned her own wedding to try and cut back on some of the cost. I don’t envy her because she is trying to plan a similarly sized wedding in a six-month time period, whereas my sister had almost a year and a half to plan hers. She is also planning it in a city that she is not familiar with and that is also a four-hour drive from where we live. Anyway, I figured she could use all the help she can get. Since she seemed to like the ideas that I mentioned to her I told her I’d be happy to send her some pictures from my sister’s wedding. Hers is going to take place the same time of year and the feel she is trying to achieve seemed similar. I have multiple hundreds of pictures from my sister’s wedding, so now I just have to choose which ones to send!

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3 weeks ago I had all the time in the world and a list of things to do. Today I have no time left but I still have the to-do list. WTF????? I did take some time for me this break and I did do things I wanted to do and not things I felt I had to do. So overall I’m happy with the break, I just wish it was a couple of weeks longer

Monday it’s back to school. Tomorrow we are redoing the kitchen counters and Sunday I will spend getting ready to face the new semester. I’ve done a bunch of planning and organizing so I’m good there, I just need to be mentally prepared.

I also want to make a “script” of changes for home room and chemistry class. I have a whole presentation for pre-alg but I don’t need to do that for the others. But I do need to know exactly what I want and what I need to say. I also want to have a written record that I can refer to so I don’t forget what I’ve said. That happens.

Today though, I have errands to run. I need to go get my paycheck, then run to the bank, then run and pick up some things…..I know the day will be over before I know it. Yikes!!!!!

Okay, well, I have to start with a workout so I’m off.

It’s here. Interesting year ahead. This is the year the Mayan calendar ends. Could be the end of the world… This is also a year where there is a lot of solar activity, flares and stuff, expected. Could be the end of communication on earth…. There is a lot of things that could happen this year but we won’t know until it does. There really isn’t anyway to predict accurately what might happen, we just have to wait and see.

For the past few months we have been having issues with one of our neighbors. I’m not exactly sure what’s behind it. I’m not sure exactly what started it, but it’s not good. Last night as I was lying in bed listening to the fireworks, I decided to just confront them. I’m going to talk to the woman and tell her that I don’t know exactly what’s going on but how can we end it. We have both been doing these passive-aggressive things and that is just not my style. I am much more a take the bull by the horns kind of person. Now I just have to figure out the best time to do this. Those two are so weird and I want to approach her at a good time. So that is my first new years resolution, get this settled.

Other than that I think it will be a quiet day. We have upgrades we are starting on the house tomorrow, but today we will take it easy. I may even get off the computer and out of this office today. I may be a bum and read/watch TV all day. I don’t know…What I do know is that 2012 will be an interesting year.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Slim-Fast. All opinions are 100% mine.

and with that comes all those resolutions.  I personally don’t like resolutions, I prefer to look at them as my goals for the year.  I also like to be very specific. I don’t like to say “I want to get in better shape,” I prefer to say “I want to run a marathon”  or something like that.  I like to be specific and have a clear goal in mind.  I have found that having a clear, specific goal really helps.  For years I have said I’m going to lose weight.  And in general I have, but then I’ve gained it back and had to start all over the next year. So over the years I have gained and lost a lot of weight using a lot of different methods. This year I plan on being extremely specific about my weight loss. As much as I hate living by the number on the scale, it really is the best indicator of success as far as weight loss goes.  

Now, on the other end of this “goal”  is the plan to get there.  I am currently a Weight Watcher and as much as I like them it can be a little difficult sometimes to stick to the plan.  I’m a teacher and there are days when I don’t have a free minute to prepare something good to eat. The cafeteria at school sometimes has some decent stuff but mostly not. So I need something that is ready to go, easy to carry, healthy and nutritious.  I have been really looking at Slim-Fast.  Now I’ll be very honest here, I tried it years ago and did not like their shakes at all. Not one bit.  But last semester one of the teachers frequently had one for lunch.  I asked her about them one day and she said that she really liked them. She would carry one with her so if she ever got hungry and couldn’t eat she would have something.  But the point is she said the shakes tasted really good.  That made me think, hmmmm…maybe they’ve changed their shakes and I should reconsider Slim-Fast.  So I did. 

What I found was really interesting to me.  They have this 3-2-1 plan that sounds like it would fit my lifestyle, at least during the school year, just perfectly.  So, what is 3-2-1??  Well, you have 3 snacks a day like a Slim Fast bar or fruits or nuts.  2 Slim Fast shakes or meal bars a day, and the shakes contain 10 grams of protein – 10!!!!  Then you have 1 500 calorie meal a day.  See, 3-2-1, easy. This would work so perfectly for the school year.  I like to workout in the morning so I could get my workout and then eat a snack or drink a shake on the way to school.  I usually have 5 minutes between classes so grabbing a snack or shake during one of those breaks would be perfect. For lunch I could have a shake while I’m correcting papers or meeting with students or other teachers.   A snack on the way home and a nice dinner with the husband.  Hmm, this seems to be something that would work for me.  I just did the math for WW. I’m allowed 26 points.  Shakes are about 6 and the bars appear to be about 5.  That’s 10-12 points for the 2 part of 3-2-1 and the 3 can be their bars or fruits or nuts. Dinner would be around 500 calories or ~10ish points (really rough and I mean really rough estimate is 50 calories per point).  This would totally fit in with the WW program but do I really need both?  Hmmm….thoughts to ponder. 

New Year’s is right around the corner so I need to get my plan set.  I will definitely have to check out the Slim Fast line. It’s available everywhere, Walmart, Target, Safeway, Amazon, and even at the Facebook store – which if you got there you can get a discount for the 14 or 30 day plan. You should go like their Facebook page now.  2012 could definitely be the year for me….

I am currently on Christmas break and while to anyone who has a 9-5 job having breaks off may sound cool, but I would beg to differ.  Generally by the time a break rolls around you are so burnt out you are giving As to anyone just so you don’t have to see them next year.  You are also generally snapping at anyone who asks you what will be on the final when they are holding the study guide in their hands. UGH!!!  It is extremely taxing.  Also, unless you are one of those teachers who have their lesson plans laminated (anyone who does that should not be a teacher) you are using your breaks to prep for the coming semester or year. So while a break sounds great, it’s a lot of work.  For this break I am grading finals from last semester and thinking about revamping the way I teach Chemistry.

I really want to make use of the available technology to teach Chemistry. Currently I do very little in terms of technology. I’m really thinking about “flipping” my classroom.  That’s the latest in current trends for teaching. Standard teaching methods are you lecture during class providing instruction, then assign them homework, maybe allow for a little practice the following day. This takes days to teach something and fails in the delivery. Students don’t like to listen to you talk for 30-40 minutes. They want to do things.  By “flipping” the class they will be viewing the “lecture” or instruction at night or on their own time and in class we will be reviewing and practicing.

During finals I gave them a study guide to work on.  The vast majority of the students really worked on these guides and got into figuring out the correct answers.  I so enjoyed watching them work, I really hadn’t seen them work that hard all semester.  I’ve been doing a little investigating and I think I could pull off a modified flipped classroom this coming semester without an  exorbitant amount of work.  There are lots of videos out there so I wouldn’t have to worry about making them for this semester.  Over the summer I could put some together if I wanted to.

I would need to put in some work on the details; notes to take while watching (which would mean me watching all the videos), quizzes when they enter class, a schedule for grading, assessments and tests. It’s not a walk in the park but definitely doable.

Something to think about and consider over the next day or so. I think I need to get my finals graded first.

This post brought to you by LG DoublePlay™. All opinions are 100% mine.

I never thought I would see the day when I would say my Evo is getting old.  But it seriously is.  I’ve had it almost 2 years now and looking at all the new phones, my Evo is getting old.

One of the things that I’m really looking at is replacing the Evo with something a little smaller.  And a little faster. I have a tablet that I absolute adore and I really only use my phone when I don’t want to carry the tablet.  So I’m looking around.  I do send lots of texts, probably 4-10 a day. I know that’s not a lot to some but to me it is.  I also am on Facebook all the time.  That’s the only I communicate with some people at all.  So I need a phone that does all that.

So I’ve been looking that the LG DoublePlay.  It has a couple of good features that I like.  First, it has a slide out QWERTY keyboard or an on screen on.  Love that for those quick texts, you don’t have to open the whole thing. Second, it allows you to do more than 1 thing at a time!!  On my Evo I keep getting this message that I have the maximum number of pages open.  UGH!!!!  So that’s cool.  Third, it has a 5 megapixal camera and a HD video. Hello!!  Cool or what??? Finally, it runs the new Gingerbread OS.  Android just keeps getting better and better and I think Gingerbread is way better than the one I’m running.

So considering I use my phone for social networking much more than for actually phoning people, all these other things are super important.  How do you use your phone?  How much social networking do you do?  How would the LG DoublePlay change the way you text or use your social networks?  Leave the info in a comment.  I’m curious as to what others think.  Then head over to T-Mobile (the only place you can get the DoublePlay) and check on out for yourself.  This just might be my Christmas present to me
LG DoublePlay™

Another semester draws to a close.  Today was the last day of classes and there is testing for the next 3 days.  Friday afternoon is our Christmas party and then that’s it.  Pau for 3 weeks.  Just like that.

When I started teaching my first semester was brutal. I was exhausted and spent a large part of the time petrified over what I was doing.  But by the second semester things started to settle down and I started to develop some routines and define my teaching style. The second year, last year, was good. I felt I was in the groove of teaching and most definitely getting the hang of it. I got to enjoy things and really get into the fun of teaching. I felt I was getting the hand of things.

But this year started out strange. I had a tough class and a job I didn’t want – junior class adviser. I also had some students I was not looking forward to. And things were tough. Really tough. I spent a long time angry. Really, really angry. I was a bitch to the students and was constantly snapping at people. At the same time, I was not following through with anything. I was literally thrashing around trying to figure out how to stop this feeling and how to make teaching like it was last year. It was terrible and I still found myself constantly angry. At everything.  I ended up quitting my part time job at Walgreen’s and things started to look up. Things gradually got better as the semester went on and this week things were really looking up. I actually enjoyed this last cycle. They had a study guide to work on and they were focused and busy. I had them make a sheet of notes for the final and they worked diligently on it and I think they really learned something.  I am now greatly looking forward to the break and getting back on track for next semester.  Spring is going to be awesome….

I am completely addicted to Pinterest.  I go there everyday and just cruise around for hours.  I love it. There are so many, many ideas on there.  I have an extremely creative side that I haven’t used in a long, long time. Well, it’s time to brush off my creativity and put it to good use.  And I’m starting today.

This monstrosity has been with us for years. Years I tell you!! YEARS!!!!! It used to be stained wood. Then Hubby decided to paint it. Badly. And an ugly color. I now have it in my computer room and I hate it. HATE IT!!!

But in my journeys around Pinterest, I have found some really good ideas for it. It is useful for holding the TV and some other miscellaneous crap, it’s just ugly. So I’m going to try some stuff on it and see what happens. If it comes out nice awesome and if it doesn’t – oh well!!! It can’t be any worse than it looks now…

A before and after post to follow later.

I’ve come to the realization that most people are jerks and it’s very rarely you get decent neighbors.  We live down a small, private lane and there are only 3 houses here. We are the middle house.  The house to our right is fine, those people are busy and have lives and we rarely interact with them.  The people to the left are a completely different story.

When we first moved in there was the owners daughter, her boyfriend and their baby living there.  That was fine.  They were fine. We hardly saw them and rarely interacted with them.  Then the daughter and boyfriend moved out and the owner and her boyfriend moved in. Ever since then it’s been a bit of a nightmare.  She is okay, just kind of annoying. He on the other hand is a complete and total asshole.  He has pissed the neighbors above us off so much they got a restraining order against him.  Last night he started yelling at my husband for no apparent reason. Started calling him a Flip (for filipino which he’s not) and saying he was gonna kick his ass and kill our dog.  Really??  Really??  I took on a convicted murderer who was dealing drugs and he thinks he can scare us???  Wrong!!!

So I’m starting my passive aggressive tactics.  Playing really loud, obnoxious music.  Playing the TV really loud. Stuff like that.  He has no idea who he pissed off.