Still walking

Keeping up with the walking. Not 5 miles but at least 2 miles 5-6 days a week ...

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!

Meditation Moment

Welcome to Day 21 - Living Abundantly

Our centering thought for today is:

"Every moment of every day, I live my life abundantly."

Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:

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...

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.

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, I remember to love everything and everyone I come in contact with."

Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:

Sat, Chit, Ananda
Existence, Consciousness, Bliss

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.

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:

"I celebrate my unity with all life, knowing we are all one."

Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:

Tat Tvam Asi
I see the other in myself and myself in others.

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...

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:

"I move through my days light-hearted and carefree, knowing all is well."

Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:

Sat, Chit, Ananda
Existence, Consciousness, Bliss

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. [...]

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!

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, I remember to be grateful."

Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:

Om Vardhanam Namah
I nourish the universe, and the universe nourishes me.

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!

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:

"As I live in present moment awareness, I live the magic of synchrodestiny."

Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:

Aham Brahmasmi
The core of my being is the ultimate reality, the root and ground of the universe, the source of all that exists.

Day 14 - Rain stopped play

I am so thankful that in December that it is raining and not snowing! Not a speck of snow on the ground... it did snow a while ago, a few inches, but that since has been washed away. I heard some birds singing this morning, and thought to myself, are they saying the same thing? Or could it be they think spring is on the way! or better still, do they know something I don't ??

Report for the day

The children and I went to volunteer at the food pantry in our church today. Couple of hours of bagging veges and fruits, and carrying out trash. I had to man the toys counter, and had so much pleasure handing out the donated gifts to the children who came, and wishing them a happy holiday season.

Ben did sit on the pews later on and complete his homework. Between the Xmas shopping at the huge open mall and the volunteer work, I figure I have walked about 3 miles.

Meditation Moment

Welcome to Day 14 - Abundance and the Law of Dharma

Our centering thought for today is:

"There is a way I can fulfill my true purpose in life."

Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:

Om Varunam Namah
My life is in harmony with cosmic law.

Day 12&13 - Law of averages

The aftermath

Ben and I watched the live memorial service on the iPad, and had a moment to grieve together, and learn to lean on each other in times of utter helplessness. I think it is important for children to understand that no matter how much they think parents are in control, they are not, and that it is OK. It is even OK to not have any questions or answers at all.

Words fail me when I think of the atrocity committed against the innocent. I hope that in time, this wound too shall heal, with deep scars surely, but heal it will...

Back to grading

I went over the grading formula with my son this morning, taking a sample set of homework, classwork and test grades and averaging them by category, and then applying the rule from most teachers for the final grades. 70% tests, 20% classwork and 10% homework. His eyes were round like saucers when he saw the average/final grades recalculating, and the importance of not getting grades with lot of change, but get them more on an even keel. I have saved the XL, and know I will have to reinforce the idea sometime next month, but I think it was a revelation for him.

More to the point though, I said, let's just focus on the process, and results will always follow... Keeping the backpack free of papers (handle each paper once, toss or file), use the planner to plan the homework and projects, breaking down large tasks and assigning due dates for each. Planning the day/evening, following up, being accountable, not making excuses... that sort of thing breeds success I told him. And don't forget the all important to-do list. However you maintain it, create one first.

Report for the day

Ben and I checked the grades online today, with no fear of what we will find, because of how consistent we have been on all homework, projects and tests. Predictably, there were no surprises. He did have questions on why the 98 in Math didn't bring up his grade as much as he would have liked, which led me to the XL lesson above. I even taught him to do simple formula in XL. Always looking for the teachable moment...  

I walked 3 miles yesterday with a dear friend. Today, I did not walk. Praying and meditating a lot, and today's meditation really touched me.

Our centering thought for today is:

"As I let go of the need to arrange my life, the universe brings abundant good to me."

Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:

Om Anandham Namah
My actions are blissfully free from attachment to outcome.

Day 11 - Dealing with tragedy

With a heavy heart, I post this blog. I hugged my children a few extra times, and prayed for the children and adults who didn't come home from school today... Puts my whole issue with missed homework in perspective...

Our centering thought for today is:

"As I elevate my abundance consciousness, I do my part to heal the world."

Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:

So Hum
I am.

Day 10 - Half time

Yay! we made it to the halfway mark. And since the holidays are around the corner, no more big projects are being assigned, just a lot of tests coming up...

One element that needs excellent management skills is time, and it is a challenge for me. If there are appointments in the morning hours, then usually all the housework gets done before 10am, and I am good to go. And get my walk in. On off days, I just don't know where time goes... and before I know it, it is time for the walk, and get ready for the kids when they walk in. Then it is driving around for activities... It is true that time stretches when you have work or shrinks when you don't have work.

Report for the day

With my son, I am noticing that the more activities he has to do, the better he is managing his time and work. Some days it took him 2 hours to do homework, but days like today when he had one hour at home before leaving for Tae Kwon Do and PTA basketball, he knew he wasn't going to come back home before 8:30pm. So all homework was done and checked before we left the house. Is that counter-intuitive that the less time you have to do the homework, the faster you get it done? It is not that different from my experiences at home. Perhaps I need to keep this kid busier than he is now!

One new thing we did today, was meditate together. I loved the synergy. Hope we can do this again... Just so happened that my daughter took a late bus home, and Ben and I had a good hour to ourselves. I took that time, to explain the So Hum meditation to him, and we just listened to soft music, and closed our eyes and focused on our breathing for 10 minutes (with a timer of course).

Welcome to Day 10 - Abundance and the Law of Karma

Our centering thought for today is:

"Today, I make great choices, because they are made with full awareness."

Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:

Om Kriyam Namah
My actions are aligned with cosmic law.
Ben just ran downstairs and told me he saw a shooting star from his window. I guess the Geminid meteor shower show is on the great black heavenly screen... happy watching!!

Day 9 – A rose by any other name

Some of who know my early childhood, know that I was homeschooled by my mom till I completed my fourth grade. We lived in the suburbs of Oman at the time, and all around the schools were Arabic medium schools. My mom, armed with her Bachelors in English Literature and a healthy zeal for learning, went about teaching us the subjects and also a lesson in how to learn. I appreciate my mom for teaching me the nuances of the spoken and written English language. As far back as second grade, I remember my mother asking me to read Shakespeare’s sonnets/portions of plays and asking me to interpret them. I didn’t get them at all. She was not disappointed; she asked me to read again and again and attempt to understand the author. With a dictionary in hand, I did attempt though. I don’t remember how much I was able to grasp or if I finished the work, but I have never been “afraid” of reading something or having any student work intimidate me.  The more you read, the more you understand.

Writing as an art form

Writing requires that the thoughts be well organized either on paper or in the mind. So to write any essay, I have asked Ben to start working on the topic as a top down, where we start with what are we going to talk about in the essay or an article. Start a new page for every topic that we will cover. Always the first topic is introduction and the last one is the conclusion, then we are talking no more than 2 or 3 relevant topics in the middle. In each of the pages, I ask him to write the points for the topic, so we can string them along into sentences to make the paragraphs. One page per paragraph, to write sample sentences, add more, breakout another topic, add citations, and ask more questions.

One key point for each sentence, is to ask why or what. For e.g., he said, child labor is cheap. So naturally I asked why. He said kids are paid less, so I said, why.  Kids are paid less than adults, because that is just how it is. I said good. We have to write it out.

With this in mind, the 4 paragraphs for the social studies project is the introduction of the article. The issue is child labor, and then we talk about the reformer and what she discovered, what did she do, what law was passed, and how did the passing of the law help with the issue. Was that the final solution or more followed?

The rose

What about the rose? Glad you asked. This is the topic or the heading for the article. It has to be relevant obviously to the article, though short has to pull in the reader’s interest, and it also ties in several pieces of the article together. In this case Shakespeare and the art of choosing a title.

Report for the day

The muckraker project is still underway, we are doing the final formatting of the newspaper. I have kept up with my schedule of walking, and meditation. I just picked up another book to read called “10 mindful minutes”, more on that later!

Welcome to Day 9 - Abundance and the Law of Giving

Our centering thought for today is:

"Today, and everyday, I give that which I want to receive."

Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:

Om Vardhanam Namah

I nourish the universe, and the universe nourishes me.

Day 8 - Basket case

No, it is not what you think, I have not lost my marbles, any of it actually, nor has Ben. Simply I wanted to make the case for a basket, you know, the one made with pliable wood...It is a humble implement of multiple uses, and actually looks good at any setting, and any room...

Case of the basket

Back to the case of the basket as relates to homework, sometimes I feel the setting is important also when work is being done. Just finding pencils all sharpened, or erasers on hand, can make a difficult work a little more palatable. Oh the joy of finding a pen that writes when you have a phone in one hand and looking for a piece of paper, any paper even printed receipts to note that all important phone number... how frustrating must it be to constantly look for a pencil then? Not that my son may notice that he does it so often or even remember for next time. It might just not register... like the dust under his chair that I noticed today (his table is upstairs, and I don't go upto his room too often for fear of a heart attack). I have many many plants in the house, and in winter, they don't like the setting too much. It is too cold in the house, and not enough sunlight, and so they shed a lot of leaves... so Ben has been stomping the leaves up and down the house and all around the table... didn't faze at all. I took one look at them and ran to my vacuum cleaner... need I say more?

So back to the basket, I helped him organize two large baskets. One for all his implements. Several boxes of them in fact... all his pencils, Hero pen from India (I had to pay 10$ for an ink bottle in Staples!), and a box of crayons and color pencils, some art paper (for those hazy moments, when he just wants to draw and let out steam). Another basket has paper. In two folders. One is a do now, another is a do later. All the do now is homework for now. The do later is the projects being worked on. I tell him to write the name of the project on the folder and due date. When it is handed in, we cross out the project and write in the next one (most likely, two or three projects are being worked on at the same time). This way all the papers for the project are at least in one spot, and cleanup is a cinch (see how I always come back to cleaning up! like my kids say, Mom, you have a cleaning disease :)))

Report for the day

All homework is completed, and the fracking project is starting to look good. I asked him more questions when I looked it over, and he is scouring the articles once again to answer my questions. All editing is now being done on the computer. His teacher has asked him to correct how he has cited his sources. I guess they are taking this project quite as seriously as I did... 

My personal journey is continuing with the walks (5 miles) and meditation. I find it very calming, the walk. Today I chanced upon the brook just as the sun was hitting it at an angle. Had to stop and savor the moment. Just the clear sky and brown leaves on the ground, babbling brook, frigid air and quietness all around... 

Deepak Chopra's Day 8 - Abundance and the Law of Pure Potentiality

Our centering thought for today is:

"Through the Law of Pure Potentiality, I can create anything, anytime, anywhere."

Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:

Om Bhavam Namah
I am absolute existence. I am a field of all possibilities.

Day 7 - Redo Redo

Sometimes, after completing a work, when I look back at it, I want to redo it completely. Well, we did just that on that fracking project after the first draft was handed in. When I looked at the notes behind the work, and the second paragraph that talked about renewable source of energy vs non-renewable, I liked the argument, but it just didn't fit in with what the essay was about. Again, the question was what? What are we talking about? Are we continuing to talk about the same subject or have we veered from it?

Back to the drawing board

We printed out all the articles this time, not just read on the iPad. For each article I had Ben scan the article one paragraph at a time, and write out the what (or the apple) for each of the paragraphs. Once we got that done, we knew what our second and third paragraphs was going to be for the essay, and we also had a persuasive argument for the conclusion. I had asked him one more question. I know we are fracking for non-renewable energy... is there another method of extraction without fracking? is fracking the enemy or what we are fracking for the enemy? That got him thinking even more and he was reading and getting more articles to help him with the answer...

As usual I am the last to know

After he rewrote the essay first draft, I asked him so what is the feedback from the teacher for what you had already taken in? He says, she wants this like a thesis... aha! the method I had taught him was what I had used myself for my MBA thesis... so I was right on track, except I didn't know if he needed that level of work. Turns out, he did need that level of work... And I am sure he just "forgot" to mention it to me, knowing I will extract work from him :) 

Report for the day

He finished all the other homework, had me scan and approve it. He also made sure to do all the little ones first before attacking the work above. So I think what I talked about making a list and prioritizing has stuck. I know I have to reinforce it many more times.

As for me, I have a confession. I didn't walk the 2 miles on Sunday :( To say I was exhausted is an understatement. I did however walk 5 miles today, and meditate. I am slightly changing the format, so I can give full credit to Mr. Deepak Chopra for the 21-day free meditation series.

Welcome to Day 7 - Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire

Our centering thought for today is:

"I use my conscious intention to manifest my dreams."
Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:

Sat, Chit, Ananda
Existence, Consciousness, Bliss
A week has gone by, I thank you all for the readership, comments, and encouragement!

Day 5&6 - The sock hunt

Special memory for special activities

Ever wonder why your kid starts searching for the basketball socks one whole day before the first day of practice, but has no recollection of instructions about homework given just five minutes ago? If so, welcome to my life! Ben loves sports, so anything to do with his team or practice, he has his stuff organized and ready to go a whole day in advance, including water bottles in the fridge, and putting a reminder in his dad's phone...

Break it down (no, that is not a song)

One of the first things I look for when some task is given, is to break it into manageable pieces, rearrange and jumble the pieces, so I can multitask if possible, and then finish it. I do not like work hanging over my head... case in point, the dishes. Don't want to go over that again, but you get my drift.

I think this is an important skill to be learned, and I waste no time teaching and showing this to my kids. With the homework getting more and more complicated, it takes skill to manage time and resources, and get all the moving parts together. One project that we had done last month, was tracking the moon for 30 days. He needed to get at least 14 moon observations in, answer questions about his experience, get 10 facts about the moon, and prepare the whole thing as a booklet. It was a long project. But as you can imagine, we ended up finishing most of the other questions on the day before the project was due! Not a pleasant experience at all.

The homework coming up for ELA is the fracking (hydraulic fracturing) one. The other more interesting one is Social studies to come up with the front page of a 1900s newspaper, when a particular law(solution) is passed for a social/economic issue (problem). He has to pick a reformer (muckraker) for the issue. At first I let him have the first go at the job, reminding him to break up the job, prioritize and then start work. Some five hours later, he said he was still researching the issue. Had lots of notes and articles, but no direction and no subheadings, and certainly no paper. And some simple homework from other subjects which should take no more than 10 minutes each were all not attended to. *rolling eyes again*, trying not to lose temper. I had Ben make a list of things to do, and had him order them. He had completed all the little homework and the introduction to the paper in about 45 minutes. *sigh* He could have had at least 2 hours of playing Xbox if he had planned his work!

Report for the weekend

The ELA draft is complete on fracking, a whole essay. The muckraker project is mostly complete. Needs some more polishing over the week.
As for me, I walked 3 miles on the treadmill yesterday, could not do more at all. I reached my limits. Today I have been on my feet setting up and running the concession stand and backup cafeteria duties for the meet. Worked from about 6 am to 2.30 pm, including some serious cleanup. I am counting that as 3 miles, and will walk another 2 before I call it a day today.

Day 5 Mantra: Sat Chit Ananda {Existence, Consciousness, Bliss}
Centering thought: Today, I embrace my potential to be, do and have, whatever I can dream
Day 6 Mantra: Ram Ram Ram {Everything I desire is within me}
Centering Thought: Everything I desire is within me

Bliss, now!

Day 4 - What?

Say what?

Yea, say what? Most common expression I have heard in the city. But this is not about that at all. It is the most common question, and holds sometimes elusive answers. For instance, while writing an introduction paragraph or the introduction sentence to a paragraph, the central theme should be the answer to the question what. In my humble opinion of course.

One of the most influential articles I have read on how to organize and write a paragraph, is an article entitled How to write an apple. One of Ben's fifth grade teachers talked about it in open house, and I had to take a copy from him. Corny as it sounds, I go back to it time and again, and talk about it to both my children all the time. Take an apple for example. Think of some words that describe it. Put the words into sentences. Add in words that show and not tell (adjectives), so you get three or four descriptive sentences. Then imagine the paragraph as a gift wrapped box. The container is the introduction sentence. You put in the three or four descriptive sentences about the subject. Then put a bow on it (which is the conclusion). There you have it, a paragraph!

Writing an apple or something like it

One of the homework assignments (you know I had to get here eventually), was to write a paragraph on hydraulic fracturing using an article from the LA Times. I had him complete the work, and then read it. And read it again. Scanned a third time, to see what this thing was about. I didn't have a definitive answer. So of course, I proceeded to ask not so smart questions at it.
"Is this about gardening?"
"No."
"Is this some medical procedure?"
"No"
"Is this about trucks?"
"No! Mom, don't you know anything about drilling for oil?"

Well, we are getting somewhere aren't we? So I said, "But your article doesn't say anything about drilling. It talks about different types of fracturing, and who invented what and when, but nowhere does it state in the beginning what this is all about." I got his attention. He said but everyone knows what this is about. I said not me! Possibly I could put those together, but not the average person. I said always assume the reader doesn't know what you are talking about and start there. Just a small introduction is good. Or a question to pull in the interest... So we reworked the paragraph, around the questions he already had, and most of the answers he already had, and moved around the sentences, and came up with what was a nice article. Then my question was why are we discussing this? and not about the phases of the moon for example. It is also interesting to note that this was an English assignment and not a science one. So he says, well some politicians are pushing for it and it is not "good" for the planet. Where? I don't know. Why? I don't know. I know I have more work to do on this subject, so stay tuned!

I totally enjoyed the football game last night, which completely served as an inspiration for the previous post. If you don't know about Peyton Manning, please read up on him. He is the ultimate comeback athlete, again, in my humble opinion. Ben thinks so too.

Report for the day

Ben has completed all his assignments, and got them checked by me. We actually logged into parent portal this evening, with a lot less dread than usual, and it was all good. No bad news since we drew the proverbial line in the sand on Dec 4... 

Aham Brahmasmi and From this moment on I invite unlimited abundance into my life kept me going. As much as I have asked for abundance, the real treat is to see my Odyssey loaded to the brim with the shopping for a concession stand for a swim meet this Sunday! I counted my walking in BJs and Walmart for 3 hours as a 2 mile trek, and completed another 3 on the treadmill... 

Day 3 - Fumbling at the 1 yd line

A small lesson in football (American one)

In football, the bigger objective is to get a touchdown, where the ball gets either carried in or thrown into the end zone and someone hopefully catches it... more often than not, it is in the red zone (20 yds and closer to the end zone) that the defense really tightens up, and very often, the offense gets stopped at the 1 yard line (or worse lose the ball to the opposite team - called a fumble). They then opt to kick a field goal... As you can probably tell, I am a great football fan (Go Giants!), but there is a principle here... which I talked to my son about yesterday...

He hates it when I use football analogies, and accuses me of ruining the game for him, because now football reminds him of school or homework or both! I don't mind, and chug along, we are both passionate about football... He was finishing up some daily homework and I asked him if all the work is complete. He said yes, and showed me the papers... all done, but not arranged by date to hand in. I asked him, can you please arrange them, so it is easy to grade, and also automatically check for any missing work. He sighed and whined and said he was tired, and wanted to get to bed early. I insisted (as you probably would have guessed by now). I said I am going to time it and show you, that it is not as hard as it looks nor takes as long as you think it is going to take. It took him 3 minutes (plus the 5 minute lecture). I asked him how he felt when he saw the work, all neat and prepped. He said it made him feel good. I said, how hard is it really, to put in that 3 minutes of work, after you have already spent a few hours doing the work, just to finish it up, nice and neat? Why leave your touchdown and settle for a field goal after reaching the 1 yard line? or worse, miss something real important with carelessness and fumble the ball away? It is the mental fatigue that sets in when the job is done... pushing through that is the difference maker.

Graphs that talk

He walked home into an empty house today as I had not returned from my walk. He couldn't wait the 10 minutes it took me to get home, and called right away and said breathlessly...mom, guess what I scored on the algebra test? I said, since you called me, I would venture a centum (he says what? I said that is what we called a full score in India), he says nope, >95 and <100, so I guessed 98 and I was right! He was so happy! I was happy for him, that he was happy, and he was feeling good about it. He said Mom, I drew the graph and waited for it to talk to me like you said it would, and then answered the questions... I asked did it talk to you? he said yes, and guess what I was listening this time.... it is a beautiful thing...

Report for the day

Many of the homework done today, had to be repeatedly corrected till I was satisfied, and he was fully happy with them too... I said again, please let's not do all the work, and not take it all the way. It is such wasted effort, and you won't be happy with the results. I don't think we will hit the law of diminishing returns any time soon, so it is ok to expect better for more effort at least while in eighth grade!

My mantra for today Sat Chit Ananda (Existence, Consciousness, Bliss) was totally on point as was the centering thought, I focus on what I want to attract into my life. I am on the board for our local swim club that my daughter swims in, and the board meeting took 5 hours today. I barely made the 5 mile walk, but I was determined, for at least the blog, I had to finish it, and I did!

Day 2 - Attacking the dishes

Focused and attacking the dishes

I woke up and attacked the dishes as soon as I had the chance, because I was not going to allow them to give me grief when I stepped off for my walk early this morning. I had too many errands to do, and I couldn't get to the walk after lunch like I had been doing... And as I was walking, it struck me, why it mattered that the dishes were done or not done before I left the house. And, I didn't like this answer that came to my head... it is because I didn't want to hear my mothers voice admonishing me about the dishes... wow, where did that come from? It didn't come from somewhere, it has always been there I realized with a sigh. I have always done things to avoid the voice, or to make the voice happy... (or go away rather, either way, same thing)... what does my voice sound like in my kids heads? yikes!

Which leads me to think two things... I can always justify my yelling saying, well I turned out OK even though my mom yelled all the time (that is purely my recollection, she might remember differently), or I can venture out of that and say, well, that is all I know to do, I haven't been taught differently, I didn't have a role model exactly, where do I start? How do I go about this? Do I pick up a "how to raise your child" book? what author? from which country? do they have the same culture? do I really want an Indian parenting book... but I am raising my kids in the states, are there better parents in the states? do I want to read a book by some psychologist and determine how to raise my kids without yelling... does timeouts really work after all? I don't know, I have never been consistent with that. This parenting man, it is hard! How can I be and say and do the same thing over and over without losing patience? to teach and to mentor and to coach and cheer and most of all be the driver, all without giving in to that tiny trigger and release...

Day 2 report 

For today though I am content, I didn't have another tirade. Homework list is made, and we are getting through another day of getting all the homework done. It is already 8:30 and we just got home, the kids straight from school. Wednesdays are long days, so I am just going to remember the kids have had long days, and just will be slower.

Would you know it, the first question out of my kid's mouth when he saw me was... Mom, did you get that walk in... Yes, and I walked 4 miles, and did the second day of meditation in the series... The centering thought for today is I create my personal abundance from an infinite source, and I used the mantra Aham Brahmasmi {The core of my being is the ultimate reality). As I thought of what I want for my personal abundance, it occurred to me that I needed patience , and right now, might I add...

Day 1 - The Epiphany

The Epiphany

The day started out as normal as it can for a busy mother of two middle school children, with chores and more chores and a bank rec. Then I said, I need a walk and get away from this mess, and so with a sinkful of dishes looking at me balefully, I firmly said Goodbye, and walked out the door. Glorious 55F weather in December... this is a godsend. I went for a brisk walk to the Earl Reservoir and back... Now it was time to tackle that sink and stove... Before I knew it, the kids are home.

And then... drum roll please, I do the dreaded login to the Parent portal of my son's school grades system. Lo and behold to not much of a surprise really, there is another missed homework and a further plummeting of an important ELA grade. I launch into my usual tirade (I don't know how the kids handle it) and go down the whole path of the dangers of not doing a homework, all the way to a possible homeless life. I am stretching the truth, I am sure my kids know it too, but I think I am making a point.... after expending all the precious energy from the brisk walk, I slink into my room for a quick shower before all the activities that are already planned and part of my Tue evening....

Wham! It hits me... this kid is making a choice to not do one homework, and risks getting yelled at, lectured, losing the phone, TV time, and I don't know what else, for what is essentially a 8-10 minute homework. It does not make sense. How many times have we been through this cycle? I dare not count, I am afraid of the answer. When will I ever want something different, and also get it? Starts with character (or so I think) which I know develops out of habits. What does that make me?  A habitual yeller ( I am sure there is no word like that, but I am inventing one for me). Don't I make the choice to react the same way for the same reason, over and over again? Possibly my son has bad habits when it comes to some homework!!!! wow, a simple explanation and right under my nose! How could I have missed that? When was the last time I taught him to create a new habit? have I even discussed that with him... Need I say this, ok, as a confession, NO, is the answer...

With an idea, my mind races... is it not great to start a 21 day journey with my son and start with one habit? Sure it is... The way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time for 21 days!!
(You must have been wondering what all the elephant nonsense was about anyway! It is just another name for a seemingly impossible task.)

Day 1 of the habit blog is born!

I decided to have the conversation with my son with less of a lecture, and more of a team thing. I know I have a lot of things I would like to add as new habits, and so does he. More importantly I chose a couple of things he does in a very responsible way, like getting to school on time. In the last 4 years that he has been walking to the bus stop, he has never once missed the bus. This year due to Symphonic Band, he evens makes a 6:25 bus, without even waking me up. Showered, dressed, cereal for breakfast, lunch packed, and off to school. That is impressive to me for a 13 year old. So I pointed this out to him, and said, see, you are showing responsible behaviour, we are just going to stretch it to homework, everyday, 21 days!

My end of the bargain is a 10 minute meditation and walking at least 2 miles a day, and he is my police. You know he is going to do a good job...

Report for the day

* I have thankfully already walked 5 miles today, so my first part of the bargain is a cinch. For the second part however, I am needing to find a time and place to make it a regular part of my life. I picked up the abundance 21 day meditation series by Deepak Chopra, I have all the notes from it. The centering thought is Today, I behold all the abundance that surrounds me. I use the Sanskrit mantra So Hum and meditate to some soft music for 10 minutes.

* As I am writing this blog, Ben is still doing his homework. He finished all the written work, and is now preparing for a math test tomorrow. So I call that a job well done... 

Check back tomorrow for Day 2 of our first journey!