“Spell Words Correctly”

August 1, 2011

Today’s Bit of Advice….

“Spell Words Correctly”

This advice may sound a bit preachy or snobbish (or, more likely, hypocritical since I do have a close relationship with the automatic spell check and correct feature of my word processer).  I believe that there is a strong connection between an individual’s ability to spell words correctly and the perceived overall intelligence and wisdom of said individual.  You could have a very high IQ yet your inability to spell words correctly will lead others to believe that you are under-educated and they may not take you seriously.

For example:  I was just reading an essay about a woman who was cleaning her house.  She mentioned that she had spent the morning cleaning her cubbords and draws.  Whether you like it or not, you’ve created an image of this woman in your mind based on her ability to spell correctly.  (And if you still haven’t figured out what she was cleaning, re-read those words and say them out loud).

But is it really a spelling issue?  Perhaps it is a lifestyle issue.  Growing up, this woman’s family may have always pronounced the words as “cubbords” and “draws”.  We’ve just experienced an entire generation of children for whom spelling words correctly was not enforced.  The Whole Language Movement didn’t stress spelling as strongly as others aspects of language development.  Maybe the woman was just doing what she was taught.

It may be wrong of me but I use spelling errors as a guide in shopping for a deal.  When I was in the market to buy a good, used band instrument for our son I went to Craigslist and searched for a “saxaphone”.  If you don’t know how to spell it, you might also not know exactly what the value of the item really is. 

While poking around Craigslist I found many other items of interest like:
• Popozon chairs
• Armwars
• Steros
• A Shower Enclosurey

There are common spelling mistakes that many of us make from time to time like its vs. it’s, and effect vs. affect.   But adults really should know how to properly use accept vs. except, advice vs. advise, who’s vs. whose, then vs. than, etc.   

Two mistakes I often see that drive me really nuts are passed vs. past and quiet vs. quite.  I always cringe when I read “My grandma past away on Saturday.”  Or “I couldn’t get the kids to quite down.” 

I’m complaining about spelling errors but I have to admit that sometimes children’s spelling errors can be quite cute.   They spell words exactly the way they sound.  I was eating lunch in the staff room at school one day when a teacher brought in a paper written by a 3rd grade student.  The assignment dealt with foods that we eat at different meals.  The student had included “paskete” as a dinner food.  The teacher could not decipher the word and asked the other teachers at the table to give it a shot.  Took a few minutes but we got it.  Can you?

Hope you enjoyed the read! 

"Warn people and do 15 minutes"

July 21, 2011

Today’s Bits of Advice…

1.       “Warn people before you take a blog break – They might miss you.”

2.       “Do what you can for 15 minutes.”

I don’t usually give a double bit of advice.  I do have a lot of advice but I write my extra advice in a list to use in the event I have writer’s block – haha!  But today called for a little extra advice because it has been so long since I’ve taken the time to write.   This has been a strange summer “vacation” for me and I’m still having trouble getting settled into any type of routine.  Summer seemed to come on too quickly without they typical end of the school year wind-down.  I just wasn’t ready for this!  And my blogging has fallen by the wayside as I’ve tried to figure out what I’m doing.

I knew it had been more than a week since I had added a bit of advice but, honestly, I didn’t think anyone had noticed.  I really don’t know how many people read my blog but my guess would be three.  Maybe four on a good day.  Tonight, a friend mentioned to me that she has been checking daily for the next blog entry and hadn’t found any in quite a while.   Wow!  Maybe I have five or six followers. So, in honor of Mary (don’t all my friends like to see their name mentioned at least once here?), I recommend to all my blogging friends that you send out a warning before you take a blog break. Don’t leave people hanging, wondering when the next great word of wisdom will arrive.  Let your friends know they can go on vacation without worry that they’ll miss something.  J

After Mary mentioned that she had been looking for a new nugget of advice I asked her what she thought I should write about.  She didn’t have to think too long.  Quickly she came up with “Tell me how to get my kids to clean up their rooms”.  So, Mary, my advice is “tell them to do what they can for 15 minutes”.  Sometimes the project looks too big and it’s easier to pretend the mess doesn’t exist (as if that’s really possible!).  But spending 15 minutes on a small part of the problem and seeing the results is a good start.  It makes the next 15 minutes seem possible.  And, after spending a few of these 15 minutes chunks of time on the mess, the rest just gets easier.

We’ve lived this advice in our home this week.  Our daughter decided this would be a good week to “tidy up” her bedroom.  Apparently she was not fazed by the fact that temps are in the upper 90’s and the heat index is hovering around 110F!  Our upstairs rooms are NOT pleasant in that kind of weather.  She started with her closet, moved to the bookcase and clothing armoire, and ended up with the under bed mess.  Instead of working on one small area, she tackled large spaces that were impossible to complete in short bursts of effort.  By the end of the day, she had everything pulled out on her floor, could not get to the bed, and had nowhere to sleep.  She was not happy and could not figure out how to recover from this new problem.  Today, we implemented the 15 minute principle and are slowly putting the room back together (with the help of a window AC unit!).  The room is not finished but it is on its way.  Remembering to only pull out what you can complete in a reasonable amount of time is such good advice to bringing about a successful outcome on this or any other challenging problem.

So that’s my advice for the day.  For the week.  Oh heck, my advice for half a month.  I’m sure I’ll get on a better schedule soon!

Hope you enjoyed the read.

“Shop With Your Eyes”

July 7, 2011

Today’s Bit of Advice…

“Shop With Your Eyes”

My children are able to quote many of my bits of advice despite the fact that they are rarely able to follow the advice without many, many reminders.  The one I’ve ingrained most into their heads over the last few days is “Shop With Your Eyes.”  There is a second half to that quote that I don’t always add since the first half seems to be enough: “Not with your hands”.

Seems that we cannot get through any store without the kids stopping every 18 inches to touch the merchandise.  It really doesn’t matter what the store sells -grocery store, drug store, Target, Walmart, hardware store, furniture store.  They have to feel the fabrics, smell the items, pick up things, sit on sofas, and see if you can flush display toilets.  And on and on.

I remind and remind that we need to shop with our eyes and only use our hands when necessary to check the price, size, or comfort of items we actually intend to purchase.  This habit of shopping with our eyes makes running errands incredibly time consuming.  Today we had to pick up four items at Target yet it took over 30 minutes to get out of the store.  I had children checking out bikinis, carrying toys through the store with the hope that Mom would buy them, reading Wii game boxes, sniffing toothpaste options and the like.  This doesn’t even include what happens in the checkout line with all the candy, gum, and toy selections right up against our cart.  That’s touch city!

Shop with your eyes, not your hands.

For adults the same advice is actually quite helpful.  Have you ever noticed how much easier it is buying something once you’ve touched it?  It’s as if you start to own the item in your mind just by picking it up off the shelf or rack.  I can go in a store with the intention of only buying one item and then fill a cart just because I started touching things.

Since I’ve been doling out the “shop with your eyes” advice to the kids, I have had more pressure to model the same behavior myself.  It really does help me keep my money in my wallet.  I look for deals and still buy some spontaneously but it is much easier to remember what I went to the store to buy this way.

Shop with your eyes, not your hands.

Try it.  I bet you’ll find that it works.  And think of all the great deals you can get with all the money you save!

I’m off to the Farmer’s Market this afternoon.  What is the chance I’m not going to pick up some fruits and vegetables to check them for their wonderful smell? Or the cheese bread that I’ll have to touch?  LOL – sometimes you have to shop with your hands (and nose) anyway!

Hope you enjoyed the read.

“Mix It Up Now and Then”

June 29, 2011

Today’s Bit of Advice….

“Mix It Up Now and Then”

I don’t like change.  I think I’ve said it before but my dislike is so strong that I should probably repeat it regularly.  Some people thrive on change but I love stability, predictability, and calm.  Change doesn’t often bring those things.

But, sometimes change brings about good things.  My girls never wear socks with their puddle boots.  Why?  Don’t ask me – I’m only the lady who told them to put the socks on but they don’t like to listen to that direction.  One girl started getting blisters on her foot from the boots and kept complaining to me about the discomfort.  I suggested (again) (for the 17^th time) “why don’t you try putting on some socks with those boots?”  She did and the boots became much more comfortable.  She’ll probably still use the boots with her tender bare feet now and I expect to see her mix it up with socks as well.

On the flip side, I always wear socks with my sneakers.  Who in their right mind would wear sneakers without them?  Really?  But I wanted to get a quick walk in last night before the thunderstorms arrived and I didn’t want to lose a single second grabbing my socks (after all, it probably would have taken at least 10 seconds to go all the way upstairs to get them!).  Instead I shoved my bare feet into my sneakers and laced them up.  Wow!  I couldn’t get over the comfort of those shoes!  I was able to walk for quite a while in them and they stayed comfy the whole time.  I guess I should have tried going naked-footed sooner!  Good thing I mixed it up!

Change in the workplace brings both good and bad.  My sister (who loves to find herself mentioned in my blog!) just found out that her school principal is leaving for a new job.  She will miss him as he was a good administrator and friend.  But she is happy that he will be moving to a great new position.  While there is probably some anxiety in her school about who his replacement will be, a new administrator can bring renewed motivation and excitement to a school, as well as new ideas that promote great successes.  Keeping things mixed up is a good thing.

As a teacher, I have found that teaching the same courses or programs year after year can be very dulling.  Adding new assignments, new students, and new age levels stimulates the creativity and teaching style.  I will be adding two new age groupings to my course load in the fall and I think it will be very exciting.  My husband (who probably doesn’t love to find himself mentioned in my blog!) will be adding three new age groupings to his load.  He is more apprehensive about his course changes but I think they will work out well for him and he’ll do a great job.  Adding these new students to our positions will be very stimulating to our teaching style.  It’s good to mix things up now and then.

It’s just so easy in life for things to get stale.  To do the same things over and over.   To wear the same seven outfits.  To ask the barber for the same haircut for twenty years.   To keep relationships as they are and not progress to new levels of commitment (hee, hee – that reference is for someone else I know!).  But I promise that mixing things up brings rewards greater than the comfort of same-ness.

Really!  Mix it up now and then!  You’ll like it.

Hope you enjoyed the read.

“Don’t Give Up"

June 20, 2011

Today’s Bit of Advice…

“Don’t Give Up”

I’ll admit it – I’ve been too busy this spring.  Busy to the point of exhaustion, mental fatigue, housework dysfunction and the like.  In agreeing to work on a few projects, I found that they carried additional responsibilities.  I found that others who were to play a role in completing the projects didn’t carry their share.  I found that I was constantly dealing with the fallout related to people who weren’t doing what they should.  And I was still supposed to be a good wife and mother.  Boy, do I need to learn to drink coffee!

There have been a few days in the past several weeks when I just wanted to throw in the towel and give up.  It seemed that I would never be able to get everything done, or done the way I should, or done the way others thought I should.

But I didn’t give up.   And I’m glad I didn’t.

The laundry and dishes have built up and I see dust all over but I use the mantra “Just do it for 15 minutes” and there is always a big improvement.  Certain tasks seem like they will take much longer but 15 minutes is enough to make a big dent.  Don’t give up.

Some of my projects seem overwhelming in size.  As a procrastinating perfectionist, it is easy for me to avoid starting a project that appears to be too stressful.  But I try to jump in where I can, get a start, and let the rest happen.  Don’t give up.

Friday was my daughter’s kindergarten graduation.  Earlier in the year, the teacher asked if a parent would make a slideshow/PowerPoint to play at the graduation.  Nobody stepped up which means I stepped up.  Even though I had never made a PowerPoint, I figured it would be good practice.  How hard could it be to make a 10 minute slideshow?  Well, it ended up taking hours of work to create.  I thought 10 minutes – they wanted 30 minutes.  I couldn’t get music to work in PowerPoint so I switched it to MovieMaker and had to learn to use that software.  I tried to burn copies for parents and it was too big.  Finally got it onto DVD’s for them but the DVD wouldn’t play in a DVD player or on the computer at school. Ugh.  The graduation was looming and I still hadn’t figured out how to play the slideshow.  Finally, the morning of the graduation arrived and I went to school very early to make sure my computer and slideshow would work and it did.  I’m glad I didn’t give up.

Except, when the time for the slideshow actually arrived, it didn’t work. Ten minutes before the show is to begin and I’ve got nothing.  I went into fight mode and tried every trick in my repertoire.   Changed cords, prayed, changed computers, prayed, tried thumb drives, tried the DVD again, prayed, enlisted the help of a friend from the audience, prayed.  Nothing.  Talk about wanting to give up.  But I didn’t.  We brought in another projector and a tiny screen.  The parents could see the pictures.  A little.  They could hear the music.  Barely.  But we didn’t give up.

Finally we found a teacher who knew what the problem was.  While we went to another room for the awarding of the diplomas, she was able to get the slideshow running properly and we all went back to the theater at the end to see the show.  And it was wonderful.  Don’t give up.

But this bit of advice really held true for me last Wednesday.  I have been dealing with a particularly vexing problem for about eight months.  I’ve tried everything in my power to fix the problem and make things better.  There has been this brick wall in the way of making change happen.  At times, I have felt that there was such a slim chance of fixing the problem that it might be easier to learn to live with it.  But I’ve prayed on it over and over.  I’ve asked God for a specific resolution – one that I didn’t think anyone would else would think of.  And, on Wednesday, I got the news that my resolution to the problem was going to happen.  The resolution I didn’t tell anyone but God about.  Wow!  I am so glad that I didn’t give up.

No matter what the problem is or how thick the brick wall, don’t give up.   You can do it – maybe not the way you think you should or the way others thing you should, but you can do it.

Hope you enjoyed the read.

"You Must Keep Reading To Find the Advice"

My grandmother kept a sealed envelope in her desk with the instructions “read it after I’m dead”.  For years, we knew about the letter and wondered about its secret contents.  When she died in February 2000, the envelope was opened and the contents revealed.  I don’t remember now what the note said but I do remember thinking it was awfully unimportant.

So you think today’s Bit of Advice is about how to write a farewell letter, don’t you?

Nope.

In my desk at school I keep a small bag with a mascara, some face powder, and a deodorant.  Why?  Every once in a while I find myself in such a rush in the morning that I forget a key piece of my morning routine.  I can get by without eating breakfast but I must have on mascara.  I had to teach one time with two mismatched shoes on but I must have on deodorant.  And the powder is just a habit thing.  I’m naked without it.  There are some things I just need.

So you think today’s Bit of Advice is about being prepared, don’t you?

Nope.

Every fall when the weather starts to chill and the gray clouds of November take on a whitish, snowy tinge we make our family trip to the basement.  We pull out every winter coat, boot, and snowpant we own and line them up on the floor in size order.  Each child has the instruction to find the coat they want to wear to school and church.  Next, find the coat you want to wear outside to play in the snow.  Lastly, find the one you will wear when the others are wet or get left behind somewhere.  Then we move to snowpants.  Find the pair you want to wear here at home.  Find the pair you want to keep at school for playing there.  And lastly to the boots where each child has to find two pair that fit and will be good in the snow.  Sometimes a child has to wear something just a hair too big or too small but we always find enough gear for everyone (and enough gear to outfit another family of seven at least!).

So you think today’s Bit of Advice is about being hoarding, don’t you?

Nope.

Our State Farm Insurance agent, a good friend of the family, gave us a red vinyl pouch to keep in the glove compartment of the car with our registration and insurance information.  Fortunately we usually only have to remove it from the car twice a year when the new insurance cards arrive in the mail and not with any regular frequency on the side of the road while blue and red lights flash in the rearview mirror.  A few years ago, I had the idea to add some important phone numbers to the red pouch just in case we needed them while traveling (of course, this was before cell phones where we could store the numbers).  I also added a list of Thruway rest areas by mile marker number since we no longer get a toll ticket with the info thanks to EZPass.   And finally I added a $20 bill.  Just in case.  Just because.  And it’s still there.

So you think today’s Bit of Advice is about being thinking ahead, don’t you?

No.

Today’s Bit of Advice is…….

“Always write a backup blog in advance”

Because you never know when the day will come when you won’t have time to write one.  All of my adoring fans wait with bated breath for the next missal and I don’t want to disappoint.  So this blog (and maybe a few others) was written in advance with the notation “open and use as needed”.  I may or may not ever need it but I’ll be awfully glad I have it if the day comes.

And, I guess, if you are reading it the day came.

Hope you enjoyed the read.

“Pay a Visit”

June 6, 2011

Today’s Bit of Advice….

“Pay a Visit”

We didn’t go very many places when I was a child.  We went to church and the grocery store.  Saturdays was religion class and the Laundromat.  Sometimes my dad went to the hardware store and would take me along.   Once in a blue moon, we would go to a restaurant!  Pizza Hut was near the top of my list.  And then there was the family drive where we seemed to drive aimlessly looking at the countryside – I still love a drive to this day.

The best part of a drive in the country was when it ended with “paying a visit”.  My parents didn’t talk about it out loud (or at least loud enough for me to hear) but the car just seemed to drive itself to the home of family friends.  We’d pull in the driveway, pile out of the car, and go ring the doorbell.  There was always joy and excitement on the face of our friends.  They’d welcome us into their home, find some snacks and drinks, usually pull out some playing cards, and we’d stay until it was time to go.  Kids went to the backyard or basement and found things to do.  If we stayed very late, we might be put to bed in the parents’ bedroom and then carried to the car later.

As much as I loved “paying a visit”, I remember even more fondly the times when another family would pay us a visit at our home.   The sound of a car pulling into the driveway and doors slamming would send us running to the windows to see who had dropped in and we’d get ready to entertain.

Those visits didn’t require us to do anything fancy.  You could serve popcorn and Kool-Aid and still get smiles.  Entertainment for adults involved cards, or horseshoes, or (gasp) Jarts!  Kids played Operation, or MouseTrap, or Don’t Break the Ice.  We didn’t watch TV or play video games.

In today’s culture, people stay very busy and don’t have extended time at home without a plan.  It isn’t considered appropriate to ring someone’s doorbell without calling ahead and making a plan.  If you know someone will be coming over, you plan special snacks and drinks, clean the house, prep the kids, and make everything just so.  Even neighbors stick to themselves and have lost the spontaneity of “paying a visit”.

But I’ve never been much for following the rules (well, some of them anyway).  Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I still believe in “paying a visit” and I love when someone pays us a visit too.  Over the weekend, we dropped in on friends both Saturday and Sunday evening.  We didn’t call ahead or warn but we know each family well enough to be assured of a joyful reception.  Neither house was perfect but both were warm and welcoming.  We stayed longer than expected both times and the children were no worse for wear from a few missed hours of sleep.  We left both visits feeling refreshed and happy.

Trust me when I tell you to “pay a visit” sometime soon.  Let’s teach a new generation about the joy of dropping in.  It’s a good idea!

Hope you enjoyed the read.