Search Results for: blog focus on progress not failure

Failure: The Best Option

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Failure. A painful word. Something we try desperately to avoid. A potentiality that accompanies all great risks and all great successes. There is something to be envied in those who do not fear failure. There is something great about those who fear nothing and proceed with great ideas regardless of the risk ahead. I often think that it is this fearlessness that leads to success. My greatest successes came from situations where I didn’t gauge the risk at all, or gauged it incorrectly. Sometimes I simply didn’t care. I was motivated by something far greater than failure could ever threaten. … Continue reading →

Learning from the Mistakes of Others

We all make mistakes. Some of us make a lot more than others. But this is okay, because we learn from them … or at least, we try to learn from them, right? I know I tend to run into the same brick wall a few times before I really “get it,” but then I shake it off, make a mental note, and try to do better next time. That’s what life is about—having experiences, becoming stronger because of them, and moving on. But we don’t really need to make every mistake in the book in order to learn, do … Continue reading →

Repetition

Wash, dry, fold. Wash, dry, fold. Shop, cook, clean. Shop, cook, clean. Put toys away, vacuum, dust. Put toys away, vacuum, dust. It’s this monotony of motherhood that drives most to the brink of… well; you fill in the blank because to some, the endless repetition of parenthood is not as hard to swallow as it is for others. I tend to place myself in the latter group, namely because I waited so late in life to get married and start a family. By the time I gave birth to my daughter I was well aware of what I was … Continue reading →

No homeschooler left behind act (according to me)

After taking a look at the No Child Left Behind Act, I decided to re-write a No homeschooler left behind act. Here is a summary of the NCLB Act No Child Left Behind requires all public schools administer a state-wide standardized test annually to all students. Schools which receive Title I funding must make Adequate Yearly Progress in test scores (e.g. each year, its fifth graders must do better on standardized tests than the previous years). If a Title I school fails to make Adequate Yearly Progress, it is put on a list of “failing schools” published in the local … Continue reading →

Planning for a VBAC Delivery

If you have had one previous c section, you may be interested in trying for a vaginal birth with your next baby. You may be worried about your ability to have a successful birth, especially if you didn’t labor with the first baby or labor didn’t progress. There are things you can do to boost your confidence and help ensure a successful VBAC delivery. There is good reason to be optimistic about your VBAC. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology estimates that nearly 80 percent of women who do attempt a VBAC birth are able to have a successful … Continue reading →

The Fitness Week in Review for Jan 27-Feb 2

We’ve negotiated a smooth segue from January to February. For most of us, January is a month of transition, we’re recovering from the holidays, we’re going back to school, we’re going back to work, we’re getting started on new work out programs and new goals. February is different though. February means the New Year isn’t just arrived, it’s here, we’re in it, we’re down in the shallow end and we’re starting to really wade out into the year. It’s been an interesting week here for me and as I described in a blog I wrote late yesterday, I’m waiting on … Continue reading →

Four Roadblocks to Learning

Is your child struggling with school? Does he or she seem to be drowning in work without making much progress? Sometimes the real cause of a child’s failure to thrive academically is simply the teaching methods employed at school. Here are four “roadblocks” which can interfere with a child’s ability to learn effectively. As you analyze your child’s progress, watch for these barriers: 1. World of Worksheets. Chances are, if you examine an average classroom at a random time of the day, you’ll see children sitting at desks completing worksheets. Worksheets seem to come tumbling down from the ceiling, filling … Continue reading →

Just How Open Should We Be with Our Special Needs Kids?

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Recently I took my two stepdaughters to the doctor for a dosage check on their ADHD medication. (They each take 30 mg. of adderall daily.) Before the physician entered the room, the nurse began entering information into the computer. Height, weight, blood pressure, etc. The girls, ages twelve and nine, gleefully teased each other and fought over the cushioned examination seat. When the pediatrician finally came into the room, he had a lot of questions. What were the behaviors I saw when the girls were off their medication? What behaviors did I see while they were on it? Was it … Continue reading →

Some Tips to Get Fit

Welcome to January! As stated in earlier blogs, this is the month when fitness sales and memberships skyrocket as everyone starts to make good on their New Year’s resolutions. So here are a few tips to help you get started if you’ve made a resolution to improve your fitness this year. · Get a physical before you decide to hit the gym and get physical. This is important because if there are some physical exercises you should avoid due to any current health conditions, you need to know this. · Do it right, learn the right techniques – A lot … Continue reading →