Time Shifting and Adjusting

Inevitably, you will need to make adjustments to your plans and your time management habits. As you encounter time troubles, keep in mind that some are predictable, some are not; some are controllable, some are not. For those that are not controllable, keep your cool and get back on track as soon as possible. For time troubles that you can control, and particularly those that occur predictably, deal with them directly and forcefully so that they don't prevent you from achieving your goals. Examine the following list of troubles: the tips and strategies associated with each one can help you shift your time back to your goals.

Procrastination

You're not alone. According to O'Brien (2002) up to 40% of university students experience procrastination as a problem. Also, Taraban et. al. (1999) reported that students tended to mass their practice (that is, do most of the work in marathon sessions) near academic deadlines and failed to make appropriate use of various study aids and supports at appropriate times (i.e., earlier in the term). But why do you procrastinate on tasks related to goals you want to achieve? Burka and Yuen (1983) argue that procrastination often emerges as a means of distancing oneself from stressful activities. For instance, Son and Metcalf (2000) report people allocate more time to the judged-easy task than to judged-difficult tasks. Burka and Yuen (1983) indicate that dealing with the underlying stressful aspects of the activities can assist in reducing the extent of procrastination. Here's one practical application. If you're overwhelmed by the volume of work on your to-do list, you might benefit from making a "one-item list": re-write the top item from your list at the top of a blank page and work the task to completion, then repeat.

Getting Started

It can be difficult to start working. Most of the time, however, not starting seems to be related to fear of poor results or negative evaluations than it is to the actual difficulty of the work. Aim to subdivide tasks into small steps and convince yourself that to get started all you need is 10 full minutes working on a task. Often, the 10 minutes will elapse and you'll be right into the swing of things, prepared to continue on productively.

Motivation

Sometimes you just don't feel motivated to do your school work. It might help to realize that for many people motivation isn't a prerequisite to action…it is a result of it! Try working for a short time and see if you can "get into it." If your motivation problem seems more substantial, it might help to realize that when you aren't motivated to do school work, you aren't actually out of motivation…you're just motivated to do something else.

Line-ups

You'll spend a lot of your time waiting in lines. At the library check-out, waiting for the bus, waiting for the light to turn green at an intersection, buying tickets, and even waiting for the professor to arrive at class… you find yourself just waiting. If you carried around a book or some photocopied readings you could be actively using time that would otherwise escape you. Tape cassettes of your lectures are ideal ways to fill times like these, and the review will profoundly aid your recall come exam time.

Commuting

North Americans spend between 1 and 2 hours commuting from home to work or school every day. If you commute, you will probably find 5 to 10 hours of your week taken up in a car, bus or subway. In one year, your commute works out to between 250 and 500 hours; over the course of 4 or 5 years, your commuting time equates to attending all of the required lectures in every course of a 4-year university degree. The challenge is to use that time for something productive. One common example is to read on the bus or subway. Even 5 minutes and a couple of pages work out to hours and books. If you happen to be driving, don't read - that's dangerous. But, study anyway. Tape your professor's lecture or yourself reading. You will be amazed at how much you can learn in these small blocks of time. The key to commuting time is, simply, use it or lose it.

Between Classes

Take a look at your lecture schedule. Do you have a couple 1-hour or 2-hour blocks of time between classes? What are you doing with that time? Don't excuse wasted time with the worn out justification that you had only one or two hours and couldn't really get into anything. Do something useful with the time. To make the most of the time between classes, find a spot on campus where you can work comfortably and without interruption. And remember, not every minute of time needs to go to schoolwork.

Thursday, October 25, 2007 11:49:19 AM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Some of you know that Sheena is my daughter & I love her dearly. Yes, I'm the Mom she's talking about & also the wife of Bill Keen. Knowing what she's been through I'm extremely proud of  how far she's come. From day 1 (& I've given birth to her) our relationship has not been an easy one. We are both stubborn people & very passionate about our beliefs. There have been numerous conflicts that have been detrimental to our relationship. These detrimental parts of our relationship have also been a connecting point for us. We have grown to respect each other's beliefs, views, & opinions. Yes, she does come to me for advice, but I also go to her for advice as well.

Now, having said this I feel the need to make known my views & beliefs about the hot topic of GLBT organizations on CHRISTIAN campuses as people have been asking me questions about this controversy for the last few days. I am an alumnus of Lourdes College & have continued to be part of the Lourdes community. I currently work in TRiO SSS as a professional tutor. I have been asked about my stance on homosexuality from some of the students that I've worked with, especially once they know that Sheena is my daughter.  In fact, I’ve been asked about by beliefs on this issue before Sheena became a student. These questions have been brought to the forefront this week. So, for all those who are still curious, here goes nothing! Please remember one thing, I'm not judging anyone. That's God's job! I believe that the Bible is totally against homosexuality, fornication, adultery, etc. A sin is a sin is a sin. No, I don't believe that a Christian college should have a GLBT organization. Do I condemn homosexuals? OF COURSE NOT! Jesus wants us to love one another. He didn't say we had to agree with each other, just love one another. We need to meet each other where we are at just like He did. I don't hate the individual; I hate the sin or act. As human beings we sin on a daily basis. We must learn to forgive ourselves & each other. That's just part of loving each other. I also believe that homosexuality is a choice, whether it’s consciously or unconsciously.

I had someone ask me this afternoon if my beliefs interfere with my ability to work with the extremely diverse population of TRiO. I was a bit taken aback at first as this person has known me for 5 years now. This person knows my views on homosexuality, God, etc. & knows how close I am to Sheena. Let me reassure everyone that while I may not agree with another person’s lifestyle, religious beliefs, views, or values I don’t let that interfere with my tutoring. I don’t push my views, beliefs, morals, or opinions on anyone. If asked about them I will talk about them with the inquiring party. While I may not agree having a GLBT organization on this campus, my position will not interfere with my tutoring/working with ANY student. If anyone feels this is not the case, let me know because while we may differ on certain things it all comes down to respecting each other as individuals & I strive to respect every individual. We hall have to live in this world together. This campus is diverse, heck this whole world is diverse & that is what makes life interesting as well as challenging. I respect the faculty, staff, & students of Lourdes College even if I may not agree with them. I remember some very heated debates in my religion classes, but in the end we agreed to disagree because we realized that no one human being has all the answers. Sometimes I really think that God may just be chuckling a bit to Himself as we come into conflict with each other & then I think maybe He is feeling a bit sad for us because we just don’t get the big picture.

I know I’ve said quite a bit so far, but please bear with me a little longer. I do have to say one more thing. While I don’t agree with my daughter’s lifestyle or having a GLBT group on campus I do value & love my daughter dearly. We treat her girlfriend as part of our family; in fact, we consider her our daughter also. Those of you who know us or have seen us together on campus for any event will know this to be true. We don’t hide it or put on a “show” of  family cohesion. We’re a family & are there for each other know matter how our beliefs & values may differ. This is what should be happening on Lourdes campus.

I’m so proud of Sheena, for she has truly shown grace under pressure as well as being professional & respectful of other people. If this isn’t an illustration of Christianity, I don’t know what is.

Thursday, October 18, 2007 8:10:36 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Taking Action

Once you have set your goals, figured out where your time is currently spent and decided on a plan that will help you to reach your goals, the next step is to take action. Now you must do the tasks that converge on your goals. By producing a plan, you have written down your decisions about how to spend your time so that you don't have to get stuck deciding whether to do tasks that have nothing to do with your goals. As you begin working on the tasks, keep your focus on doing the best you can to execute what you have set out for yourself. Stay very clear on the fact that the plan is an ideal and that in action you will not execute it perfectly. Some things will take longer than you planned. Some new tasks will emerge. There will be enticing distractions that may take your attention away from your work, but you can diminish the impact of distractions if you remember that the tasks listed on your plan lead you to goals you have chosen for yourself. The main thing is to do the very best you can to follow the plan and monitor your progress so that you can learn from your good and bad experiences along the way.

Thursday, October 18, 2007 11:29:51 AM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Planning

You have probably used various kinds of planning tools before, including a daily or weekly planner, a month-at-a-glance planner, and so on. In this section, we introduce four planning tools and the thinking strategies that go along with each one: a Monthly Planner, a Weekly Objectives List, a Weekly Planner and a Time Log. It is important to keep in mind that the purpose of scheduling is not to enslave you to your planner, but rather to record your decisions about when certain things should happen.

The Monthly Planner

The monthly planner can be used as a time-bound memory aid, tracking major deadlines and exam dates, appointments, important anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, vacations and so on. But, you can get more out of the monthly planner if you use it to record interim deadlines and forecast upcoming busy periods as final deadlines approach. A properly completed monthly planner will indicate upcoming busy periods, show whether there is room in the plan for new tasks, and help you assess whether you are on target to achieve your goals. Let's say for example that you had an upcoming exam in your Introductory Microeconomics class. Start by entering the date of the exam so you don't forget it. Next, think of the tasks that comprise the goal of doing well in the exam, think about how long each step of the task should take, and enter a series of interim deadlines for each step between the start of your preparation for the exam and the exam date itself. Use these interim deadlines as milestones to indicate the progress of your study. (If you're prone to breaking your own interim deadlines, it can help to reinforce these by making appointments with a peer, an instructor, or a teaching assistant.)

Weekly Objectives List

If your current approach to time management is governed by to-do lists, then you'll be interested in the weekly objectives list. Think of the weekly objectives list as a muscle-bound to-do list. In essence, the weekly objective list is a to-do list with additional features to further decompose tasks into smaller units and to record time estimates for the task. Let's say for example that one of your goals for the year was to maintain your honours standing and that you had a series of exams coming up including one for first year Introductory Microeconomics (see below). You might set an objective to score a B+ or A grade on the exam and list this on your objectives list. Your next step would then be to consider a variety of study activities that would prepare you well for the examination. You might begin by entering your first activity, "complete readings and review lecture notes", in the activities column. Once you have entered your activity it is important to assign it a time estimate, in this case we've assigned this activity a three hour block of time. This block of time reflects an important principle in time estimating; when estimating time you might want to add time to the amount of time you think it will take you to complete the task. Try applying a factor of 1.5 to 2.0 to the estimate and refine your estimates from there on the basis of your experience with similar tasks. This is important because we tend to estimate without considering possible difficulties or interruptions. Once you have entered the first activity for study, you would continue with the others you have in mind. The final two columns on the form allow you to track whether or not you have scheduled and completed the activities you have listed. Your next step is to carry the listed activities, along with their associated time estimates, to your weekly planner to be scheduled.

The Weekly Planner

Take a look at your weekly planner. What do you have written in it? Likely, you list lecture times, tutorial times, laboratory times, times for extracurricular activities, and various other appointments. If this sounds like your schedule then you are probably under-using another very versatile time management tool because many of the most important tasks (homework activities which move you toward your goals) are left out of the picture. The implication of this should be clear: If it isn't on the schedule it won't get done.

Stepping from the weekly objectives list to the weekly planner is easy. Using the time estimates for the activities on the weekly objectives list as guides find a block of time of appropriate duration in your schedule. Then write in the activities one at a time in priority order until you have either scheduled all of your activities or you have run out of time spaces. A good idea here, if it seems you'll run out of time spaces, is to start scheduling the most important activities first. For instance, consider the following activity: "Complete readings and review notes." This activity might take 3 hours and could be placed almost anywhere in the week where you have time and where you'll likely be able to work. You might schedule three one-hour blocks, two 90 minute blocks or one three-hour block, depending on your preferences. The key her is to associate the specific task to specific times, avoiding making a schedule where the tasks are too closely scheduled or where important activities are assigned to unrealistic work times.

Construct a plan for each week, following the rhythm of your courses that meet weekly. To help make planning a routine activity, pick a regular day each week to schedule. Even with unexpected occurrences that can impact your schedule you assist yourself in making decisions that are governed by your desire to reach your goals. Without using a schedule you may be governed by your moment-to-moment moods which may lead you to make time decisions that take you away from your goals. Once your week is planned you will experience clarity of focus, your tendency to be distracted will be reduced and you will be certain of your reasons for doing the things you had planned. Committing yourself to a plan you've made represents a renewal of your motivation for the goals and tends to increase your time on task.

How much time is enough?

The time you spend on task has some relationship to the quality of work you end up producing. A good gauge to follow is to perform 2-3 hours of school work outside class for every hour of class time. Yes, this means for a full-time student with a 15 hour of class per week load the recommendation is to do between 30 and 45 hours of homework each week. Yes, that's a big jump, especially if you breezed through high school or previous years of university on less. This estimate simply reflects the time it actually takes to learn effectively at university (ISR, 1995a; ISR, 1995b). But this number shouldn't mean that you completely forego time for yourself. It is important to have some personal time. Even though you may work a part-time job (and doing so isn't necessarily counter-productive to success at school (ISR, 1995d)), you'll need to take some time for yourself and for recreation each week. A starting guideline might be something like 10% of your week, or 17 hours. What is more important than these specific targets is that you spend enough time on school work to ensure that you're successful and that you spend enough time outside of school to ensure that you have a healthy balance in your life. Keep in mind that using a planner in the way we're describing is a learned skill that will take time and patience to master. Keep your focus not on making the perfect plan or on executing every plan flawlessly, but on learning from your good and bad experiences and using this knowledge to improve subsequent plans.

Thursday, October 11, 2007 9:46:37 AM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Time Awareness & Time Tracking

It will help you manage your time well if you know where your time actually gets spent. One very helpful way of determining your actual usage of time is to track your time. The process here is like making a schedule, but it works in reverse. Instead of writing things in that you are planning to do, time logging is a process of writing down the things that you have already done. Doing this is sort of a get-to-know-yourself exercise because this procedure will highlight many of your habits that you might selectively ignore currently. For instance, some people find that every time they plan to do math homework they end up watching television. Other people just can't seem to follow their schedule until the week before finals. Whatever your time habits, time tracking will help you adjust and fine-tune your time management practices. Having accurate information about your time usage patterns can serve as another important point of reference for self-monitoring. A few ways to track your time follow:

Strategy #1: Time Tracking is fairly straightforward. At the end of every hour jot yourself a quick note about how you actually spent your time for that hour. The note needn't be long; one sentence or less should suffice. If how you spent your time doesn't match an already planned activity, simply enter a comment as to what you really did during that time. This way you will be able to review patterns that emerge in your use of time and make adjustments to improve your productivity.

Strategy #2: Some people find it helpful to modify the planning page to facilitate tracking time. The modifications are easy enough: make two columns on your paper for each day of the week. In one column, write down the plan you are trying to follow; in the second column, make notes on what you actually did with your time. The side-by-side comparison is very telling and an excellent way to figure our where you're not using time in the way you intend.

Strategy #3: Another effective way to make changes and get results from your time management strategies is to summarize your time use by time category such as: sleep, study, work, travel and so on. Before doing the summary, estimate the amount of time that you think you spend on the various activities listed on the form below and enter these in the "expected" row of the summary sheet. Feel free to add any additional categories that might be helpful. Then log your time for one week on an hour by hour basis. When the week is over summarize your time by category for each day, add up the values for all seven days of the week, and write the totals in the "actual" row of the summary sheet.

Summarizing your time use allows you to understand how much time you really spend in the various areas of your life. Take a look at the example form to the right; it is a sample that we have used in many workshops with students. It is almost certain that you will see a notable difference between the number of hours you expected to use in certain categories and the actual number of hours you spend. If you find that you spend more time in one area than you wanted, and less in another, the weekly summary of time use clearly indicates which activities to reduce to find the extra time you want for that neglected area of your life.

However you choose to understand the differences between your expected use of time and your actual use of time, your focus should be on trying to detect and adjust patterns in your own real use of time that spell trouble for you reaching your goals. (For those of you freaked out by knowing exactly where you spend your time because it only seems to reinforce your sense of time pressure, read chapter 15 of Ralph Keyes' book Timelock: How life got so hectic and what you can do about it.)

Here's something to think about: Various published resources and informal studies report that, in Canada and the United States, fully half of the 168 hours available in a week (that is, on average 84 of those hours) are used up for the "basics", including sleeping, eating, washing and beautifying, and commuting from home to school and to work. (Robinson and Godbey, 1997) How do your own numbers compare? How will you spend the remaining 84 hours per week?

Thursday, October 04, 2007 10:02:25 AM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Introduction

You need to manage time effectively if you're going to be successful. All other things being held constant, better time management skills can improve your grades, help you keep stress in check, and help you be competitive in the career you undertake following your college education (Gardner, Lathers, and Zulu, 2000; Macon et. al., 1990; ISR, 1995). The purpose of this document is to teach you how to manage your time to improve your academic and personal performance. It refers to research on academic self-regulation research and discusses time management strategies to help you adjust how you think about time, improve your awareness of how you use time, and make change for peak performance.

The Time Management Cycle

Time management "systems" often fail because they are born of perfectionism and unrealistic expectations. For instance, some people don't initiate a time management approach until they're already falling behind in their work; they undertake time management as a means of catching up. Their initial plans tend to cram in everything they have to do without appropriate regard for the time required. The unrealistic plans that emerge from "catch-up time management" amount to little more than an expression of renewed motivation for change but without the structure to support it. Those trying to follow crammed schedules often fall seriously behind their intended pace and abandon the plan altogether, resulting in continued time trouble. Some conclude somehow that these strategies of planning don't work for them. But, what is important isn't being perfect, it is making and using a plan that helps you accomplish your goals.

One of your best options for time management systems is to begin using a cyclical system early in the academic year. Usually the system begins with the process of goal setting to establish a context for managing time. The next phase of the system involves tracking time and developing an awareness for where you spend your time. The third phase of the cycle is plan making, and this could include making to-do lists, weekly plans, monthly plans and longer-range plans. The fourth phase of the system is self-monitoring your action. Self monitoring involves paying attention to how well you are working your plan, how accurately you have planned, how well you have forecasted for various events and so on. The ideas for self-monitoring come from important research on student academic self-regulation which emphasizes the importance of adaptation in student success (see Zimmerman, 1998; Butler, 1998, and Bookers, 1995). The final phase of the cycle is time shifting and adjusting (i.e., changing where you spend your time to better match your intended use of time) in which you make corrections to the system before starting the cycle again at goal setting. Taken together, these phases permit you to initialize a process of gradual, performance-based improvement in time management skill. Everybody wants the "quick fix", but the complexity of changes involved in really getting a grip on your time management process will take some time to move through. Resist the urge to cast aside strategies that don't promise instant results; like it or not, change takes time.

Goal Setting

What are your goals? Really, what are your goals? It might help to divide your goals into time frames (immediate goals, short-mid-term goals, long-range goals) but you don't absolutely have to do so for the exercise to be useful. And, you don't have to have firm answers to those gripping questions about what you want to be or do when you're done at college to make this work; your goals are likely to shift and change over time anyway. All you need to do right now is think of a handful of goals to get started. Write down a list of goals now before reading further.

Take a look at your list of goals. How many of the tasks you intend to do today contribute to accomplishing the goals you have set for yourself? Are you actively working on these goals? Are you putting any of them off for a later time? What would you have to change in your life to make it possible to work on these goals?

Sub-dividing Goals into manageable pieces

Once you have a set of goals, it is useful to decompose the goals into manageable steps or sub-goals. Decomposing your goals makes it possible to tackle them one small step at a time and to reduce procrastination. Consider for instance the goal of obtaining your degree. This goal can be broken down into four sub-goals. Each sub-goal is the successful completion of one year of your program. These sub-goals can be further broken down into individual courses within each year. The courses can be broken down into tests, exams, term papers and such within the course, or into the 15 weeks of classes in each term. Each week can be further subdivided into days, and each day can be thought of in terms of the hours and minutes you'll spend in your classes and doing homework for today. While it may seem challenging to take in the whole scope of that convergent goal, thinking of your goals in this way helps to reinforce the idea that there is a connected path linking what actions you take today and the successful completion of your goals. Seeing these connections can help you monitor your own progress and detect whether you are on track or not. Take some time now to think through the goals you've set and to break them down into their smaller constituent parts.

Thursday, September 27, 2007 11:16:10 AM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Introduction

You need to manage time effectively if you're going to be successful. All other things being held constant, better time management skills can improve your grades, help you keep stress in check, and help you be competitive in the career you undertake following your university education (Gardner, Lathers, and Zulu, 2000; Macon et. al., 1990; ISR, 1995). The purpose of this document is to teach you how to manage your time to improve your academic and personal performance. It refers to research on academic self-regulation research and discusses time management strategies to help you adjust how you think about time, improve your awareness of how you use time, and make change for peak performance.

The Time Management Cycle

Time management "systems" often fail because they are born of perfectionism and unrealistic expectations. For instance, some people don't initiate a time management approach until they're already falling behind in their work; they undertake time management as a means of catching up. Their initial plans tend to cram in everything they have to do without appropriate regard for the time required. The unrealistic plans that emerge from "catch-up time management" amount to little more than an expression of renewed motivation for change but without the structure to support it. Those trying to follow crammed schedules often fall seriously behind their intended pace and abandon the plan altogether, resulting in continued time trouble. Some conclude somehow that these strategies of planning don't work for them. But, what is important isn't being perfect, it is making and using a plan that helps you accomplish your goals.

One of your best options for time management systems is to begin using a cyclical system early in the academic year. Usually the system begins with the process of goal setting to establish a context for managing time. The next phase of the system involves tracking time and developing an awareness for where you spend your time. The third phase of the cycle is plan making, and this could include making to-do lists, weekly plans, monthly plans and longer-range plans. The fourth phase of the system is self-monitoring your action. Self monitoring involves paying attention to how well you are working your plan, how accurately you have planned, how well you have forecasted for various events and so on. The ideas for self-monitoring come from important research on student academic self-regulation which emphasizes the importance of adaptation in student success (see Zimmerman, 1998; Butler, 1998, and Bookers, 1995). The final phase of the cycle is time shifting and adjusting (i.e., changing where you spend your time to better match your intended use of time) in which you make corrections to the system before starting the cycle again at goal setting. Taken together, these phases permit you to initialize a process of gradual, performance-based improvement in time management skill. Everybody wants the "quick fix", but the complexity of changes involved in really getting a grip on your time management process will take some time to move through. Resist the urge to cast aside strategies that don't promise instant results; like it or not, change takes time.

Thursday, September 20, 2007 1:01:36 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Back in the Saddle

The parenting saddle that is! It has been a hectic summer for our family with funerals, weddings, and court hearings (all of which were out of town). Bill & I have gotten custody of our two grandchildren, Arianna & Will. They are 5 & 6 yrs respectfully. Now, Bill & I have had discussions over the past 2 yrs regarding taking in the kids. We talked about everything from how Bill’s illness is going to affect his being able to care for them to me going crazy taking care of Bill, 2 small kids, & 2 poodles (they’re not just dogs after all), tutoring, & going to grad school. Of course, talking about it is not the same as doing it. On August 16th, we picked up Arianna & Will with all their belongings (we had to rent a trailer) & went back to the hotel in Louisville, KY. As precious as these two kids are I was so happy to get them to sleep that night.

We have fought most of the red tape that one has to tear through when working with different state agencies. That in itself is mind boggling! The kids are both in school (YEAH!) & love it!

My main problem over the last few weeks is poor time management skills. Bill & I have been spoiled as far as being able to what we want when we want as all of our kids are grown up & on their own. To borrow a phrase form T.D. Jakes; “It’s time to get repositioned We’re slowly coming out of this whirlwind of becoming an instant family. Here are a few things I’ve learned so far:

·   I must first walk the poodles in the morning, THEN take a shower, & THEN get the kids up for the day.

·   Oops! I must also pack their lunches before they wake up. This is to avoid them saying. “But, Grams! I want this, & this, & this, & this, & this….in my lunch!”  My immediate answer to this is, “Where’s my darn coffee!”

·   We pick out what we’re going to wear the night before (Yes, even Grams). This saves several minutes of indecision in the mornings.

·   I must work on my papers, assignments, pay bills, etc. either while they’re in school (& I’m not tutoring in TRiO) or in the wee small hours of the morning. Hey, Tom! You’re up & awake then; I’ll call & bug you.

·   Bill & I must find some quiet time alone. At the moment, he wakes me up in the middle of the night because he can’t sleep & just starts talking to me as if I’m wide awake. WHERE IS MY DARN COFFEE!

·   Bill needs to learn to “tune out” the kids. Is this just a mothering instinct? I’ve been able to tune them out when they’re playing, etc. When things get out of hand between them I jump in. After all, one must pick their battles.

·   I’ve learned that Sponge Bob, Veggie Tales, Spiderman, Dora, & Diego are their favorite shows.

·   I’ve learned to ignore, “I want that!” every time a commercial comes on. Do these people think I’m made of money? We’re on a fixed income & I’m a poor grad student after all.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not complaining about raising our grandchildren. I love them so very much. Things will get easier (that is until their teenage years). I find that I have a bit more patience then I did raising my own kids. As with everything Bill & I go threw, we find the humor in it all. You have to in order to remain halfway sane. Here’s to a new & exciting chapter in our lives. As Will would say, “LET’S ROCK & ROLL, BABY!”

  Will & Arianna

 ...& Bill thought that he could sneak out of this picture!

Wednesday, September 05, 2007 9:53:15 AM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [1] | 

Chuckles is an extremely vocal & enthusiastic duck that has been visiting our pond for the last 3 years. That is until this summer. We’ve been busy with family issues this summer & it took me a while to notice that he wasn’t around anymore.

He would greet me bright & early every morning with a robust chuckle as I walked the dogs. I would shout “Good Morning, Chuckles!” no matter how bad I felt at the time. My husband began to greet Chuckles each time he heard Chuckles’ voice. When Bill heard Chuckles’ it brought a smile & a little laugh; no matter how sick or depressed he was. Chuckles had the same affect on me, no matter how exhausted or disappointed I was. He was the one duck that Iris didn’t chase. We came to view Chuckles as a blessing from God. He was always there even when things were at its worst. It was God’s reminder that He is close by & that things aren’t as bad as they seem to be. 

I was feeling rather sad about this realization this morning as I walked the dogs. Then I heard something that had a faint ring of Chuckles’ laugh. I knew it wasn’t Chuckles has the “quack” wasn’t quite the same. I’ve named this new friend Heckle as his laugh is a bit on the ornery side. Could Heckles be one of Chuckles’ offspring? I believe so!

We must cherish our blessings no matter how small they are. Wake up each morning thanking the LORD for specific things, big or small. It doesn’t matter. Everything about you is important to the LORD!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007 1:41:24 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [1] | 

You missed out on tons of fun if you didn't go to the Alumni Social Sunday (July 29th)! It was my daughter's (Sheena) idea to get the tickets & participate in this event. I was worried that my guide dog, Iris, would be a bit stressed out over the whole ordeal. But, once she found out that she would get her picture taken & see friends, faculty, & staff from Lourdes she was one happy camper! Oh, I forgot! She wanted me to tell everyone that the food was just fabulous! Aarf!

I agree with Iris. It was wonderful to talk with faculty, staff, students, & alumni who I have haven't seen in a while. I fact, Iris assisted me with that very thing. She would notice someone that we knew, such as Sister Shannon & lead me to them to a short visit. What a pup!

It was such a joy to see everyone enjoying themselves! Sister Shannon did a wonderful rendition of the National Anthem. The kids were able to run the bases after the Mudhens won the game. There was even a boy out there running bases with his assistance dog. The fireworks display was fabulous; much better than I had expected.

I would encourage all Lourdes College alumni to go to these events. You'll have a good time, I promise!

Here's Muddy!

Muddy with my husband, Bill

Muddy cheering the crowd on!

My nephew, Keith

My soon to be sister-in-law, Inga

This is Iris. She didn't understand why she couldn't go on the field & chase after the ball with the guys. She also wanted to chase after a cat that wondered on to the field!

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 12:53:56 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [3] | 

....when it works!!!!

I'm visually impaired & rely heavily on adaptive techology for everything from mundane things such as paying bills to completing assignments & papers for Grad school. At the moment I just want to shoot my computer system & unplug from the rest of the world! Did you ever have one of those days where everything went wrong or wasn't working? I know you have!!!

My printer has died, my talking scientific calculator in on the fritz, & my accounting software has some bugs in it today. I need to finish a reserch paper; however, MSWord is acting up. I figured this as a sign that I should just unplug from everything & turn off any tech gaget that talks, buzzes, or rings.

We rely on techology for almost everything these days. This does make me wonder what we would do if all our technology just went on the fritz. I know we would probably be in the dark ages again. I wonder how we would handle it though. I for one would probalby use it has a time to pray & contemplate my relationship with the LORD while the rest of the world was in caos.

For now, I think I'll just turn everything off, relax, & smell the ......

Tuesday, July 24, 2007 10:13:21 AM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] |