Sunday, December 30, 2012
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Day 21 - The finish line!
Thank you for keeping up for 21 days! Ben has been consistent all this time, and this has given me an opportunity to be consistent, with clear expectations and rules all the time. I will give an update once school starts, and we will know! This habit is being put to a test during the holidays...
I not only managed to walk 3 miles yesterday, but went out with the entire group of adults and kids. One group turned back in qtr mile, another stopped after a mile and some (and got driven back home with the first group that returned with a car!) . Some of us, walked 3 miles. It was such joy!
Merry Christmas to you! May heaven's choices blessings and peace and joy surround you and your family this season and all seasons to come!
Welcome to Day 21 - Living Abundantly
"Every moment of every day, I live my life abundantly."
So Hum
I am.
Stay tuned for another season with another topic in the new year! Needless to say I have totally enjoyed writing this season of the blog, and I hope you have enjoyed reading them...
I not only managed to walk 3 miles yesterday, but went out with the entire group of adults and kids. One group turned back in qtr mile, another stopped after a mile and some (and got driven back home with the first group that returned with a car!) . Some of us, walked 3 miles. It was such joy!
Merry Christmas to you! May heaven's choices blessings and peace and joy surround you and your family this season and all seasons to come!
Meditation Moment
Welcome to Day 21 - Living Abundantly
Our centering thought for today is:
Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:
Monday, December 24, 2012
Day 19 & 20 - Keeping on
There is something to be said about keeping on keeping on... I walked 6 miles on Sunday, with my brother who is visiting. Dragged him along I should say... shot down every excuse in the book about why I should take a break from walking, and kept on!
My biggest fear is about being an irresponsible host, and going for a walk when there is work to be done in the house. But taking that time out for myself is the best thing I ever did. I was more energized to come back and appreciated the little things even more.
Welcome to Day 19 - Living Love
"Today, I remember to love everything and everyone I come in contact with."
Sat, Chit, Ananda
Existence, Consciousness, Bliss
My biggest fear is about being an irresponsible host, and going for a walk when there is work to be done in the house. But taking that time out for myself is the best thing I ever did. I was more energized to come back and appreciated the little things even more.
Report for the day
Ben did do his daily works, and I had him write me another paragraph on a random topic. School is closed for the holidays, and I am inventing things for him to do. More he writes, I hope, more his confidence in writing, and he is able to note that writing is not as hard as it looks. So when I start him to write essays, one introduction, two paragraphs with details and one for conclusion, it takes not more than 15-20 minutes to complete. The focus is to articulate the thoughts and convey the message...Meditation moment
Welcome to Day 19 - Living Love
Our centering thought for today is:
Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Day 18 - a note to remember...
Those who have seen me, know I have a notebook with me always. Just to note anything that comes to my mind. Could be from a book I am reading at the moment, a quote that I come across down to a shopping list.. just something to jot down. Even a moment that stops me in my track.
I have tried to instill this as a homework book for my son, writing anything that is worth remembering. Any formula that he comes across, definitions, difficult words and the meanings, vocabulary words... pretests. It is fun to go over the book at the end of the year, especially studying for the final exams, as we can go through the whole year in one book. Sometimes, we even have notes on the apple paragraph writing techniques when we worked on some essay or another.
The most fun thing we see sometimes is notes I write to Ben on the notebook, and his sometimes furious or funny responses. Seems like he writes so well (even sarcastically, can't imagine where that comes from) when he is passionate about what he writes. I found one such instance, and asked his how come he writes so fluently when he is angry. We finally distilled it to, one, he knows what he is writing about, and two, he is just in the moment and flowing, and three, he has a list of points he is covering. So we devised, a similar strategy for a sample paragraph test. He had watched a video on Fri for science on some volcanoes. I said, Ben please write a paragraph, and I got the not-so-surprising rolling of the eyes response. I insisted, that he find his 8-10 keywords and then attempt the paragraph, and not fill the sentences with repetitions or drivel... I got the paragraph in under 5 minutes!
Not so great news from my side though. Very cold and blustery conditions have stopped me from walking, and gearing up for the holidays, and organizing the swim team's holiday party didn't give me any time to walk. I hope to make up for this during the weekend, it will take an unusual amount of will power to go for a walk when all the family is over... please send me your positive thoughts while I keep the path!
"I celebrate my unity with all life, knowing we are all one."
Tat Tvam Asi
I see the other in myself and myself in others.
I have tried to instill this as a homework book for my son, writing anything that is worth remembering. Any formula that he comes across, definitions, difficult words and the meanings, vocabulary words... pretests. It is fun to go over the book at the end of the year, especially studying for the final exams, as we can go through the whole year in one book. Sometimes, we even have notes on the apple paragraph writing techniques when we worked on some essay or another.
Report for the day
The most fun thing we see sometimes is notes I write to Ben on the notebook, and his sometimes furious or funny responses. Seems like he writes so well (even sarcastically, can't imagine where that comes from) when he is passionate about what he writes. I found one such instance, and asked his how come he writes so fluently when he is angry. We finally distilled it to, one, he knows what he is writing about, and two, he is just in the moment and flowing, and three, he has a list of points he is covering. So we devised, a similar strategy for a sample paragraph test. He had watched a video on Fri for science on some volcanoes. I said, Ben please write a paragraph, and I got the not-so-surprising rolling of the eyes response. I insisted, that he find his 8-10 keywords and then attempt the paragraph, and not fill the sentences with repetitions or drivel... I got the paragraph in under 5 minutes!
Not so great news from my side though. Very cold and blustery conditions have stopped me from walking, and gearing up for the holidays, and organizing the swim team's holiday party didn't give me any time to walk. I hope to make up for this during the weekend, it will take an unusual amount of will power to go for a walk when all the family is over... please send me your positive thoughts while I keep the path!
Meditation Moment
Welcome to Day 18 - Living Unity
Our centering thought for today is:
Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:
Friday, December 21, 2012
Day 17 - When you see something....
Do something... My kids could probably tell you that I have a cleaning disease. What I have is not so much a disease, as something that compels me to clean up everything and and everywhere..all the time, all day. I just can't sit down and watch TV if there is even a folded pile of laundry in front of me. I will at least throw it in a basket and keep it behind the couch, so I can't see it. Some things I can be completely oblivious to, as my spouse can attest. Different degrees of sensitivity...
The popular slogan in New York subways is "if you see something, say something", and I have modified to my own purposes for "if you see something, do something". The usual suspect is the shoe stand as we call it back home, or the shoe shelf. People walk in, throw the shoes around. I would like it picked up and stashed. You see, the shoe shelf is right behind the front door, and shoes left on the mat, are likely to prevent the door from being opened fully. Guess who is walking in the door with an armful of groceries, and cannot get the door to open fully, while also skillfully manipulating the screen door? You are right, it is me. If that is not a trigger for me to go off the deep end, I don't know what is...
So why all this talk about the shoe stand, you ask? Well, it is about clutter overall. I recently read an article on yahoo that talks about clutter and that it takes up space not only in the house but also in the mind, as some sort of emotional baggage. Yikes! Not liking that part at all. Once I pick up the shoes, and de-clutter that space, I take a deep breath, and feel like all is well (yes, like that popular song)... Have I emptied some emotional garbage while I cleaned ? I don't know for sure, but it sure makes me feel good!
I did an hour of yoga/stretching to some awesome David Lanz music. I did my walk (although on the treadmill, 3.5 miles this time), with some Shakira to help me through the rough patches... Hey, I am taking all the help I can get! After 62 minutes (yes, I am watching it the whole time), I just cannot continue on the treadmill. Outdoors is a whole another thing, I can walk for 2 hours and not get antsy. It is a far cry from when I could only walk one mile, so I am just keeping on keeping on...
"I move through my days light-hearted and carefree, knowing all is well."
Sat, Chit, Ananda
Existence, Consciousness, Bliss
De-cluttering the mind space
The popular slogan in New York subways is "if you see something, say something", and I have modified to my own purposes for "if you see something, do something". The usual suspect is the shoe stand as we call it back home, or the shoe shelf. People walk in, throw the shoes around. I would like it picked up and stashed. You see, the shoe shelf is right behind the front door, and shoes left on the mat, are likely to prevent the door from being opened fully. Guess who is walking in the door with an armful of groceries, and cannot get the door to open fully, while also skillfully manipulating the screen door? You are right, it is me. If that is not a trigger for me to go off the deep end, I don't know what is...
So why all this talk about the shoe stand, you ask? Well, it is about clutter overall. I recently read an article on yahoo that talks about clutter and that it takes up space not only in the house but also in the mind, as some sort of emotional baggage. Yikes! Not liking that part at all. Once I pick up the shoes, and de-clutter that space, I take a deep breath, and feel like all is well (yes, like that popular song)... Have I emptied some emotional garbage while I cleaned ? I don't know for sure, but it sure makes me feel good!
Report for the day
The final worksheet for Math before the test... And Ben did awesome. He improvised the underlining, and instead drew out the objects and marked the height etc. I did not want to discourage that, but at the back of my head, I felt like we have to get a process down pat, before improvising. But that is definitely for another day. He was stumped with one question though, where the area was part rectangle and part semicircle. All I did was mark the 4 sides of the rectangle, before I heard the familiar, Aah! I got it, the radius is 4 he says, and is off like a rabbit, and has the answer in his head, before I looked up! The little pieces when they click, it is nothing short of wonderful...I did an hour of yoga/stretching to some awesome David Lanz music. I did my walk (although on the treadmill, 3.5 miles this time), with some Shakira to help me through the rough patches... Hey, I am taking all the help I can get! After 62 minutes (yes, I am watching it the whole time), I just cannot continue on the treadmill. Outdoors is a whole another thing, I can walk for 2 hours and not get antsy. It is a far cry from when I could only walk one mile, so I am just keeping on keeping on...
Meditation Moment
Welcome to Day 17 - Living Carefree
Our centering thought for today is:
Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:
Link to article I mentioned earlier
Why clutter matters and decluttering is difficult | Spaces - Yahoo! Homes
"I feel like if I could just get rid of all this clutter, I could go on to do great things," I say as I am pouring out my heart to Jennifer Hunter, a perfect stranger who happens to be a professional organizer. "Maybe that's why you keep the clutter," she says, without any hesitation. [...]
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Day 16 - I don't want to say ....
I told you so, but I told you so... Turns out Ben was the only one in his class to get a 100 on his homework... So he says Mom, this thing about reading and underlining keywords, really works. Most of the kids in the class got half the problems wrong!
I walked my five miles in some cold blustery but sunny day, hey you can't have it all. I am finding that it does not get easy even after 2 weeks of trudging. My first mile is difficult as ever, and miles 3 to 4 are the hardest, when I just want to walk back home. I try a lot of things during this time to take my mind off the aching. I call and talk to friends, or try to find a real good song with a good rhythm (think metronome) to walk to, or just the plain old Come on Shobs! Whatever it takes, whatever it takes...
Welcome to Day 16 - Living Gratefully
"Today, I remember to be grateful."
Om Vardhanam Namah
I nourish the universe, and the universe nourishes me.
Geometry
Well, the topic for this math chapter is just surface area and volume of solids. I said Ben, anyone who knows the formula can work out the answer. So they make it difficult by talking about soup cans (cylinders), and ice cream cones (albeit in winter, for cones), and here's my favourite, when you double the length of a cube, how much does its volume increase? The obvious answer is 2, but the real answer (and the correct one) is 8... And they had thrown in some feet and inches mixed in, for some conversions too... Mines! I said, Ben, be a minesweeper, sweep for mines first (some of you from the Windows 3.1 era , will appreciate the term)... and then underline the base/height/area/volume values, how many answers (look for multiple answer questions), and then methodically take the thing apart... so hope this sticks!Report for the day
Today's homework, was a vastly improved attempt, and I only found one mistake (feet and inches mixed in), so I was glad. He had done the rough work in a separate paper, and left it floating about. I had him staple together with the work, and write out question numbers near the rough work, so we could connect them later on. I am sure there is a test coming on Friday, before the school closes for the winter break.I walked my five miles in some cold blustery but sunny day, hey you can't have it all. I am finding that it does not get easy even after 2 weeks of trudging. My first mile is difficult as ever, and miles 3 to 4 are the hardest, when I just want to walk back home. I try a lot of things during this time to take my mind off the aching. I call and talk to friends, or try to find a real good song with a good rhythm (think metronome) to walk to, or just the plain old Come on Shobs! Whatever it takes, whatever it takes...
Meditation Moment
Welcome to Day 16 - Living Gratefully
Our centering thought for today is:
Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Day 15 - A thing of beauty...
I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I have heard this quote from my mother growing up... A thing of beauty is joy forever. She said this even as she was sweeping the house or folding the clothes... she would step back, and admire the work of her hands. To me, folding clothes is the worst chore in the world, and I did not enjoy stepping back and looking at it, much less admiring it. When does the quest for perfection change from a source of joy to utter consternation?
To the children, much sooner than adults I would think. Much as I hate to admit it, I do enjoy the fruits of my labor, especially a clean kitchen and house. I actually sit on the floor, and breathe it all in. I know my stompers come in at 3:30, and it is goodbye to clean counters, and a hello to crumbs and tracks of mud!
A very proud moment for me, when Ben performed his clarinet with the Symphonic band for the winter concert. Amazing job by children who are still in middle school.
Math homework however was a different story. He has completed it without any prompts, and brought it to me for correction, which is what this habit forming is about anyway. I just wanted him to take it a step further, and do it right the first time. I kept up with my harping about underlining keywords, and writing intermediate steps, so the teacher knows the thought process. He does a lot of work mentally, and they are grading the intermediate steps too. I insist on talking out the problem, and writing it out for someone who doesn't even know math (that should be the assumption).
I totally enjoyed my walk, albeit in cold and drizzly and cloudy weather. The sun peeked out for about a second, and my heart sang out! Loved it.
"As I live in present moment awareness, I live the magic of synchrodestiny."
Aham Brahmasmi
The core of my being is the ultimate reality, the root and ground of the universe, the source of all that exists.
To the children, much sooner than adults I would think. Much as I hate to admit it, I do enjoy the fruits of my labor, especially a clean kitchen and house. I actually sit on the floor, and breathe it all in. I know my stompers come in at 3:30, and it is goodbye to clean counters, and a hello to crumbs and tracks of mud!
Teaching how to take joy in work
While some may argue that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, there is still a beauty that appeals universally... And a sense of satisfaction to a job well done, that no one can take away. This is what I am trying to articulate to the children. The most common response is 'why?'... No one cares anyway. No one is watching. Why does it matter? No one gets graded on this.... It is an uphill battle.
Report for the day
A very proud moment for me, when Ben performed his clarinet with the Symphonic band for the winter concert. Amazing job by children who are still in middle school.
Math homework however was a different story. He has completed it without any prompts, and brought it to me for correction, which is what this habit forming is about anyway. I just wanted him to take it a step further, and do it right the first time. I kept up with my harping about underlining keywords, and writing intermediate steps, so the teacher knows the thought process. He does a lot of work mentally, and they are grading the intermediate steps too. I insist on talking out the problem, and writing it out for someone who doesn't even know math (that should be the assumption).
I totally enjoyed my walk, albeit in cold and drizzly and cloudy weather. The sun peeked out for about a second, and my heart sang out! Loved it.
Meditation moment
Our centering thought for today is:
Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:
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