Chromium 6 Tragedy

This morning as I was fixing *yankees see bottom for term dictionary* myself a nice, refreshing glass of water, I was reminded of the most personally devastating news story from the past few weeks. The Environmental Working Group released a study listing 31 major cities whose tap water is contaminated with high levels of Chromium 6...the same chemical element featured in the movie Erin Brockovich. You know, the movie about the water that gave everybody cancer! Apparently this colorless, odorless Chromium 6 increases the risk of lung cancer as well as kidney and intestine problems. And although you may be thinking, "I don't live in one of those big cities"...let's be real, if 31 out of the 35 cities tested had the problem...image how many more smaller towns and cities who were not tested also have issues. I'm guessing many, many do! This is a very personally upsetting issue for me because in the 9th grade I stopped drinking soft drinks cold turkey. You know what that leaves...water...tap water.

And I've drunk a whole lot of it in the last 11 years!! (Oh goodness, was 9th grade really that long ago??) I've always thought of it as my one redeeming health quality. I may eat a few more sweets than I should...but at least I just drink water, right?!! Well, throw that one out the window. I always thought bottled water and filters were just for the fancy folks, and I'm a good 'ol girl who isn't too "elitist" for tap water. Well no more my friends. I'm about to drop the big bucks on a water filtration system, and maybe you should too! I'm not trying to get all crazy and jump to conclusions...in my heart I still want to turn on that tap and get my free water fix...but perhaps I need to heed the warnings this time. I mean, we are all a little too fabulous to be taken out by bad water! At least if I go down by sweets, I go down with a smile on my face!

*For those of my Yankee friends, the word "fixing" is a multi-purpose southern word that means you are or are going to do something. For example: I'm fixin' to go see my grandfather. Or I need to fix my hair before I go out. Or I fixed myself some chicken and dumplins' for lunch. Get it? 

Next Step: Applique

In my quest to conquer all things embroidery, the next step is Applique. This is the really cute stuff you see little kids wearing with pretty fabrics inside the lines of embroidery...here's a visual from two shirts my cousin has made:

This is going to be a challenge for many reasons.

#1: It takes a lot of slow, tedious work with patience. Now, if you know me very well at all, you know I am all about speed and efficiency. I tend to beat speed records for most anything I do. Things that don't have or don't need to have a speed record...I create a race for. So having to work slowly and carefully will be painful but quite refining for me! It is likely that I'll mess up more than a few garments before I learn the hard way that I really must take my time. 

#2: I've never actually seen the applique process done. For most tasks, I'm a very visual learner. If I see you do something, I can replicate it pretty quickly. I watch...then I do. It's a pretty easy set up for me...really helped in math growing up. But in this case, I've only heard what to do. Big difference. My sweet cousin,who made the shirts featured above, gave me a tutorial and quick pep talk on the steps to applique at our family Christmas. But now I must put the steps into action. This could be my next great masterpiece or my next colossal disaster. I'm guessing it'll probably be a little bit of both. 

Here's to a new embroidery adventure! Hancock fabrics, here I come!!

Hodgepodge of Embroidery Goodness

Today I got to each lunch with some of my favorite teacher friends from Walhalla. How I love them so! They were so good to me during my first two years of teaching, and I'll forever remember my time there with fondness. They always made me feel like I belonged and was one of them...even though I was a total teaching newbie who was brand new to their community. They spoiled me and now every other school I ever work for has a high standard to live up to! Anywho...one of my friends brought her two precious twin daughters wearing the dresses I embroidered for them a while back.

(Refresher pic)

It totally warmed my heart! It also relieved some of my embroidery fears to see something I've made has actually held up and been done right! Hallelujah!

In other news, here are some promised pics of other items I've made in the past few weeks, enjoy...and let me know if you want anything!

A Duke inspired Santa hat for my sweetie...aka Uncle Jarred. Pardon the creepy Puerto Rican stache, I promise he shaves! 

I'm now dabbling in baby bibs. Turns out they're pretty fun!

A swaddling baby sleeping bag thingy (I'll learn the real name before I have a kid, but I know they are all the rage these days for safety!)

A few decorate serving towels for a dear friend who runs her own catering company called salivate. If you have an event in the Charlotte area, I can hook you up! She's fabulous!

Make up bag

A few hand towels for my aunt who works with deaf children. I was super excited to find this embroidery design since sign language has a special place in my heart! (Sorry for the hoop marks in the picture, they come out)

All of this is only a fraction of the embroidery that's been taking place in the past week. I may or may not have accused my mom and sister of forcing me to work in my "embroidery sweatshop" as I made Christmas gifts.  Haha But each item has been made with love! I absolutely know that the way I show love to others is through gifts, so I'm thankful for the way embroidery is helping me love others!

Happy New Year!

Hope you've had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family! I know I have! Embroidery gift photos to come soon, but for now, enjoy a special video from Jarred and I...and Happy New Year a few days early!

Have I mentioned one of the reasons I love Jarred is that he is willing to be silly with me?! We have so much fun! I can only imagine when we have kids!!

Adding to My Embroidery Repertoire!

 Jarred and I are finally home for Christmas, hooray! I don't know about any other teachers out there, but the last week of school almost killed me! Between concerts and holiday parties, I think I limped to the finished line with visions of SC dancing in my head to keep me moving. But now we are home sweet home, and I finally have time for some fun new embroidery projects! Here are a few new things I've done lately, expanding my repertoire and honing my skills: 

A make-up/accessories bag for Jarred's sister, filled with lots of nail polish, chap stick and other fun treats for Christmas.

Personalized pillowcases for my favorite little boys! They are just to the age where they recognize and love seeing their names on things, so hopefully they'll like these! (Don't worry, I also bought age appropriate toys, dvds, etc. for Christmas gifts as well...I don't want to become known as Lame Aunt Shug!)

My friend Sarah Nell, famous for helping me scale "My Everest," bought several pashminas to have embroidered with "Auburn" for the National Championship game in a few weeks. She's going to add a stick-on AU symbol to compliment the embroidery as well. I'm inspired to make Clemson and Carolina ones now!

Sarah Nell is also a lovely model!

 I'll close with a screw up...they're pretty common! I mentioned once before that I made stocking caps for my students' Christmas gifts. I have 7 kids, but I made at least 10 hats! Here's one example of why: 

Oh well, now I have more stocking caps to sleep in since Jarred and I are anti-heating bill!

Holiday Hits

As I've been embroidering for Christmas, my mind has wondered to creating the perfect Christmas music playlist for my singing pleasure. I've often been told that I have the voice of an angel...oh wait, that's not something I've been told but just something I made up. Regardless, I love to belt out a Christmas hit in the company of my own empty home. So here are my playlists so far, broken into genres and ranked...because everybody loves a countdown! And I dare say Jarred and I even fell in love over countdown lists!

Top 7 True Meaning of Christmas Carols (I tried to do a top 5, but let's be honest, there are too many great ones): 
7. Joy To the World 
6. Angels We Have Heard on High (This is Jarred's personal fave. The group Third Day has a nice version of this and a few others on their Christmas album)
5. The First Noel (one of the few songs I can play really well on the piano)
4. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
3. What Child is This 
2. O Come All Ye Faithful (Celine has a pretty solid version that kicks in with a choir, and that's always a great thing)
1. O Holy Night versions by Martina McBride (whose entire Christmas album you should own) and N*Sync (don't hate, it's a'cappella and those harmonies are hot)

Top 5 Nostalgic Old School Songs for a fire and Christmas tree (aka the most boring of the 3 lists):
5. Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer (This gets the 5 spot solely in honor of my dad, it's always been one of his favorites)
4. White Christmas (doesn't it give you the warm fuzzies)
3. I'll be Home for Christmas (new meaning now that I'm far away!)
2. The Christmas Song aka Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (again, you just can't beat Martina, buy her album)

And my personal favorite list to sing while embroidering, or showering, or driving, or cooking, or at any given moment of any given day, YEAR round:

Top 5 Diva Style Holiday Hits:
5. Do You Hear What I Hear by Martina (have you googled the album yet? Seriously, don't you have any respect for my musical tastes?)
4. Love Has Come by Amy Grant (one of my favorite songs to belt out from my childhood... her song "Emmanuel" is also good times)
3. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays by N*Sync (If you are in denial about the legitness of this song, you need to check yourself!)
2. Oh Santa! by the one and only MARIAH! (this is a newbie song this year, but I'm not going to lie, it is darn catchy and you will not be able to get it out of your head.) 
1. All I Want for Christmas Is You clearly by Mariah, the queen of Christmas. I'm going to pull a Kanye and say "This is the greatest secular Christmas song of ALL TIME!!"

Almost cracking the lists this year was the surprisingly good version of O Come, O Come Emmanuel by Jessica Simpson. Her music is normally WAY too breathy for my taste, but this song makes a comeback. Good for you Jessica! Good for you!

Hokay...go start downloading and enjoy singing your way to the 25th! I know I will! Merry Christmas...and HAPPPY HOLIDAYYYYYYYSSSSS!! (N*Sync fans, I know you just sang that!)

Victory!

Yes, that's right, VICTORY...I've made it to the top of "My Everest!" Two large towels, two small towels, and a wash cloth...FINISHED!

I'm so thankful to Sarah Nell for getting me to do this. Now I know that my sweet machine, Kalinda, is totally capable of far more than I realized! How dare I doubt her! In other embroidery news, I've been making stocking caps for the kids I babysit and teach. Such a grandma, I know!

I've also been working on special little gifts for the babies at the pregnancy resource center. If you'd like to help sponsor an item, burp cloths and diaper covers are $4 each. Blankets are also available for $15. Email me if you're interested. Thanks to Ms.Walsh, the Burch girls, Courtney and Erin for providing items so far!

Some little cards have also been purchased from good 'ol Vistaprint to accompany each gift:

Good times. Now my embroidery focus is shifting into all out Christmas gift towels mode. I've strategically been putting these off. Rather than getting Christmas shopping and gift making done early like some enjoy, I tend to favor saving everything to the last minute so I can feel the rush of Christmas craziness. I work well under pressure, so bring it!!

Origin of the name "Big Girl"

It's come to my attention that some people have never heard the story behind why my friends and I are called "Big Girls." It all started back in high school when a certain well known friend of mine began taunting me by singing a rap song with the lyrics, "Go big girl what chu go'n do" over and over again. Thanks to the wonders of YouTube, I've just discovered this song and video for the first time...how it didn't hit billboard #1 I'll never know: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GwVketMa44 Gotta love "Black Dave."

Anyway. this friend happened to be really into making fun of his female friends at the time (we have since forgiven him), but instead of letting ourselves feel bad about his comments, we decided to own them. We formed the BIG Girl club complete with officers and club meetings. A typical meeting included watching N*Sync concerts on vhs and drinking "bubbly," aka Welch's Sparkling Grape juice, after school on any given day. Good times. The nickname "Big Girl" totally stuck and I've been calling my friends Big Girls ever since. So if I've ever offended you or caught you off guard by saying something along the lines of, "get it Big Girl," please know that it is a term of endearment. I love all my BG's! 

Here also, for your reading pleasure, is a poem of sorts that I penned some years ago based on my story. I can't remember exactly when I wrote it, but it's meant to be an inspirational/self-esteem type story for children. I am a teacher after all. And don't be too impressed by the sick rhymes. Haha 

Big Girl Personality

 Once upon a time, back in 1997

There was a funny looking girl, came straight out of heaven

In her class at school, they thought she was a fool

All the other children were small, but she was so tall!

Not to mention the long arms and even longer feet

                She said they were flippers for her swim meet!

She acted silly and goosy

wanted be just like Lucy.

As she got older, she continued to tower

                Over all the other kids, who below her cowered.

But once they got to know her, they realized she was quite funny

                One time she even took home the classroom bunny

She didn’t know what to name it, so what did she do…

                Named it Tabitha Snowball Jaworski Chung Lu!!!

Now middle school walked in, and this is when the fun begins…

Sally Sue had a crush, turned her heart to mush!

                Everyday to her friends she would gush and gush.

That Jonnie is cute and he’s gonna be mine

                Just wait, you’ll see, give it time.

And time it took, for him to even look.

Fast forward to high school and this is when it really gets cool

Sally Sue was still tall and of course still silly

                Many her friends thought she was crazy witty

She would still smile at her man, she was his number one fan

But that Jonnie was mean, a down right cruel little bean

And one day he turned to her and chanted:

                “Go, Go BIG girl what chu go’n do

                  Go, Go BIG girl what chu go’n do”

Over and over again he taunted,

                “Go, Go BIG girl what chu go’n do

                  Go, Go BIG girl what chu go’n do?

Well I know what you’re thinking, Sally Sue must have cried

                If someone called me big, why I’d rather have died.

But no, Sally Sue isn’t like all the rest

                That was just adversity, a challenge, a test

There was no sense in being angry, or embarrassed, or down

                He was only a boy, trying to be the class clown.

It’s not who she was nor who she ever would be

Sure she was tall, and had BIG feet

                But there was more to her than he could defeat.

It wasn’t just looks that made her big,

                It was the personality inside people could also dig.

After one deep breath and a glance towards the sky

                She looked straight at him and simply replied:

“It’s true what you say, I’m a BIG girl today!

I got a BIG smile, stretches half a mile!

I got BIG feet, good for my swim meet.

I’m tall and I’m classy, and sometimes I’m sassy!

When it comes to laughs, Oh you’ll see

                All the joy inside, fills the BIG girl heart in ME!

So I’m not intimidated by you, or the chants that you do

It’s true what you say, I AM a BIG girl today!”

Do you see the lesson? Can you tell what it all means?

If you’re large or small, does not matter at all

It’s about spunk, not the junk in your trunk!

Be who you are and like what you see, It’s all about having BIG girl personality!!

You were made by a BIG God who had a big plan in mind.

He made you unique, and it’s Him you should seek

He’ll show you the way to walk and play

And grow into who you are, a hugable, lovable, BIG girl star!  

Haha. I'm obviously not a professional poet, but I can thank my dad for what rhyming skills I do have. I'm also probably not as funny as I mentioned in the poem, but you know, have to embellish a little for publication! So many young people have self-esteem issues these days. It's my prayer that they all begin to see themselves through the eyes of the Lord Most High, as ones who are "fearfully and wonderfully" made.

And now you know why this blog is about the adventures of a "Big Girl."

My Everest

As I've gotten to know my embroidery machine over the past few months, we've had quite the love/hate relationship. Kalinda, as she is now called, has helped me create some beautiful pieces, but she has her faults too. You see, Kalinda can only do 4 inches of embroidery space. And while that may sounds like a lot, it's not. It's not at all. So if I ever want to write a really long name, or monogram something large, I'm somewhat out of luck. This has caused much friction between Kalinda and I. It seems that Kalinda is a lovely, wonderful, tasty cheesecake. But what I want is Jello...and Kalinda is never gonna be Jello. (Who gets the reference??) All of this came into play for what is now known as "My Everest."

 When I first got Kalinda, one of my friends up here in Boston...Shoutout to Sarah Nell...asked me if I would monogram some towels for her sister-in-law's Christmas present. "Oh yes, yes!" I said far to quickly. Because at that point I didn't fully realize what that size embroidery would involve. Normally I just have to "hoop" the item I am embroidering one time, then type what I want it to say into my handy dandy computer program, and then WHAM, done. For kitchen sized towels, it's just that beautiful and easy. But to do a large towel with a normal size monogram, it required rehooping the towel three times and trying to measure each minute aspect just right so the spacing of letters would turn out okay. Perhaps this doesn't sound hard to you, but for me it was SOOO difficult. In my cold, Boston, December apartment with no heat on...I was sweating! Literally! The first towel I tried started out okay for the first two letters, but by the third letter, disaster struck and it was ruined.

Why C? Why did you have to scoot over so far...WHY?!?

So I drove to the store and bought purple towel #2. Another hour and towel later, I made an acceptable large towel. Hallelujah! But more problems came. For the large towel I used a font I downloaded letter by letter rather than the embroidery website I use for most writing. What this means is that on the smaller hand towels, which are usually easy,...I had to hoop 3 times and space the letters again. NOOOOOOOOOOO. *soft sobbing began* But another hour later, here is the result:

Are they perfect? No. Are they as good as they are going to get without me jumping off a cliff? YES. Did I make it successfully to the top of my Everett this time? Not yet. She also gave me a set of green towels to do. So for now I'll suck some oxygen from my mask and keep on climbing.

P.S. Sarah Nell, don't feel bad! This is all for the best. You're pushing my embroidery skills to new heights, where I was too afraid to go on my own. So for that, I thank you.

Maximizing Brain Function during Tests! Eeek!

Warning, nerd post #3! This post is for all the teachers, college students, parents or anyone affiliated with test taking...read this to give your brain or your students' brains the best chance of successful functioning! Because let's face it, some of us need all the help we can get!! David A. Sousa outlines these steps for preparing the brain before a test in his book "How the Brain Learns" which I HIGHLY recommend. Buy it for your teacher friends this Christmas!

First Sousa explains there are two things brain cells consume as fuel...oxygen and glucose. These steps help make more of both of those things available for the brain during stressful test taking.

1) Quick exercise: Get your students up for about two minutes of jumping jacks or calf raises before they start the test. These movements will increase blood flood and move more oxygen up to the brain. If you're a college student, get creative with how you explain your sudden need to exercise before the exam to all your classmates. Or recreate the Rocky scene as you run up the stairs to class...preferably in a sweat suit with matching sweat band, but that's just me. Parents, forward this blog post to your child's teachers...trust me, they are willing to try anything to get standardized test scores up!

Everyone loves a visual! : )

2) Eat some fruit: It is an excellent source of glucose and will give those brain cells some energy! Glucose helps increase recall from both long-term memory and working memory significantly. Obviously this is very important for success on a test! Sousa suggests raisins for convenience in the classroom, but other fruit work too. However, fruit juices don't quite have the same effect. They have more fructose than glucose, so bypass those.

Mmm...mmm...my brain is working better already!

3) Wash that fruit down with some water. This is key because water will help the glucose get into students' bloodstream faster. We want hydrated brains!

Do these steps with about 5 minutes until testing...and you should be good to go for about a 30 minute test. If you're taking (or giving) a longer test than that, take a break to repeat the steps.

Well there you have it..."How the Brain Learns" by David A. Sousa...I'm telling you, it's some good stuff!

The Case for Musical Instruments

While I was sure no one except my parents and Jarred would read my last nerd post, apparently some others out there enjoy random factoids too. So enjoy nerd post #2, and pass it along to any music teachers you know...it will make them quite happy!:

Over the years I'm sure you've seen many "Baby Einstein" commercials promising that your child is going to be a genius if you just blast Mozart to them in the womb...and in their crib...and in the car...and in their sleep, etc.

Well maybe I'm exaggerating the commercials a bit, but you've no doubt heard this notion that listening to classical music will make you smarter. Unfortunately that's not entirely true. To some extent it is, and listening to that genre of music will certainly do no harm...except perhaps bore you, but the original research that introduced the "Mozart Effect" has been somewhat glamorized and misrepresented. Here are the facts taken from the book I am currently reading and highly recommend, "How The Brain Learns" by David A. Sousa:

Studies have shown that passive listening to Mozart can, in fact, stimulate the parts of the brain responsible for spatial tasks, memory recall, visual imagery tasks, concentration, and attention based tasks. It can also make working more efficient when it's played as background music (which is why many classrooms use it). But these benefits of listening seem to be short term. 

If you want to see long term, permanent changes in the brain, creating music is the way to go. As it turns out, there is some pretty awesome research out there supporting strings programs in schools across socioeconomic backgrounds. Parts of the brain are actually larger in musicians than non-musicians. And get this, studies show that this is not from birth, it is the direct result of learning to play music. Clearly some people are born with natural tendencies to be better musicians than others, but all people seem to benefit from learning to play instruments. Here's how it breaks down directly for schooling subjects:

Math: fMRI studies show that the same parts of the brain are used for mathematical processing that are used during musical training. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Reading music involves counting, sequences, patterns, geometry, ratios, proportions, etc.

Reading: Written music uses very different symbols than our written language. However, reading each of them involves both comprehension and decoding in similar ways. It's also been discovered that by age 4 and 5, children who have had some musical training have better phonological awareness and more developed reading skills.

Attention principals, superintendents, and politicians (specifically you politicians who are creating education law but don't really know anything about education) since tests scores are so important, I hope music programs are too you as well! A wealth of studies show a strong correlation between creating music and higher standardized testing scores. Let's get those children creating music!!

Help a Big Girl out!

As Christmas approaches, I'm making a lot of kitchen towels. They've kind of become my specialty...aka the easiest thing to make because the towels I use come out consistently pretty well and are easy to hoop. That's not to say there aren't glitches, because more often than not I still find a random stitch out of place or some unexplainable mistake somewhere in the embroidery. But in time...in time. So here are my latest towels, a Christmas gift for one of my mom's friends. 

In production...

And Voila! (I've still got to wash the hooping line from the Kiss the Cook towel, but we all know I'm far to impatient to wait and post pictures)

But now I need you to help a Big Girl out. Because I'm making lots of kitchen towels, I need some fresh and fun ideas for what to say on them. Obviously I've got the standards going on, "The Walters," "Kiss the Cook," etc. But I'd love to hear your ideas!! Either leave a comment here or on facebook. Many brains coming together will produce far more than just my little pea on its own.

Thanks!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Well the Holiday Season has officially kicked off. I trust each of you ate enough turkey to stuff yourself and make you think about changing into maternity pants like Joey on Friends. Jarred and I's Thanksgiving weekend was full of time well spent with family, Black Friday shopping, and of course one or two adventures/ near disasters (I use these terms interchangeably, of course) ...about par for the course I'd say! Here's how it all started:

We were riding the 40ish minute T ride to the airport to catch our afternoon flight home. Because of how hectic the airport can be the day before Thanksgiving, we made sure to leave a little earlier than normal and therefore made it safely to the airport without incident, bopping merrily along. However, it was at precisely this moment, when things were running far too smoothly, I realized I left our train tickets at home. Yes that's right, TRAIN tickets. No, no, not for the ride down...that was a plane, but for the ride back up to Boston. Sunday flights after Thanksgiving are outrageously expensive and quite out of our price range. Thus we chose the next logical choice, a train. Back in the spring I tried a similar Amtrak adventure which turned into a bus riding catastrophe, leaving me with a $115 Amtrak credit and thankful to be alive. Although I nearly swore off the idea of trying Amtrak again, $115 goes a long way in helping us see our families for Thanksgiving. Except that the tickets I bought with said credit and which could not be reproduced were now back at the apartment with the busy airport and ticking clock staring me in the face! I threw Jarred his plane ticket, told him to wish me luck, and made a run for it. Visions of Home Alone and Supermarket Sweep blurred together in my head. I quickly found a taxi with a Russian mobster to drive me home, got home, ransacked the house for the tickets (leaving it in quite the dizzying disarray for when we came back), got back in the taxi and told the mobster to step on it. Praise the Lord I made it back to the airport with time to spare, a security line that was non-existent...shocking for Thanksgiving weekend, and a phone that had not been called by my mother...who quite possibly would not have made it through had she known what was happening in the previous hour. It was what some might call, A Thanksgiving Miracle!


P.S.
I'd also like to report that when the Amtrak leg of our journey arrived, it was quite a pleasant experience!! I highly recommend it with a friend, sleeping eye mask, computer and a few Redbox movies! Just ride it all the way to your destination, don't try to stop and change to a bus...totally not worth the money. But that story, my friend, will have to wait for another day.

The Night the Lights went out in Boston...

We'll it didn't take long for me to have another embroidery mishap! My 2nd favorite Reba song has come back to haunt me. However, the lights didn't go out metaphorically for me, they went out literally! Last night, mid-embroidery, the room went dark! NOOOOOoooooo!! Apparently the TV, plus lights, plus computers plugged in, plus space heater roaring, plus embroidery machine equals a little too much for the fuse box. Needless to say, the embroidery project was ruined!!! Good thing I had a back up apron. Overly dramatic pictures were soon to follow. Gotta make up for this disaster somehow! : )

Luckily, as I said, I had a back up apron. So all is well in the embroidery world again. And now I have a Christmas present for a sweet teacher friend, Miss Bartlett, who loves to bake for her class of 2nd graders. Oh how I miss being the beneficiary of her baking fun!

A Southern Girl + MIT + Brain Research

Warning: I'm going all smart-like on you in this post. My adventures tend to be made up of 50% random childlike behaviors (i.e. rollerblading, baton twirling, etc.), 30% craftiness (i.e. sewing and embroidery), and 20% nerdiness (i.e. this post). Watch out and prepare to learn some cool facts!! I promise you'll come away smarter and teachers will especially enjoy!

What does a southern girl + MIT + brain research equal...a super excited ME who is a lifelong learner and simply must share the cool things she's learned. Yes, it's true...many who know me know that I'm one of those nerds who loves school. I was completely distraught why my masters degree program ended. I LOVE soaking up every bit of knowledge I can to make me a better teacher. My latest teaching job is with a program called Arrowsmith. In a nutshell, our program uses the concept of neuroplasticity to increase the learning capacity of our students. Now don't freak out, I know that was a big word, neuroplasticity, but all it means is this: our brains can change. We are not "stuck" with whatever intelligence we are born with. People's "IQ" can actually be altered. It may sound crazy, but it's quite true and really provides a lot of hope for struggling students out there. Kids at our school do cognitive exercises to strengthen the parts of their brains that are weaker...ultimately leading them to become capable of learning more.

So my latest adventure, this past weekend, was attending a conference called "Learning and the Brain" at MIT. It was a conference in the new field of Mind, Brain and Education which marries neuroscience to education so we can be more effective teachers! HOORAY!! Here's some of the interesting tidbits I learned or had reinforced...I think you'll find them very interesting too! If not, humor me!

Tidbit #1: A person's intelligence is NOT fixed  (obviously this was not new to me from the conference because of my job, but the following benefit of it is). Studies show that students who think their intelligence can't change tend to give up on tasks and in school. If its tough, they think it will always be tough and there is no hope for school to get better. However, if kids do understand that their brain can change and they aren't just stuck with what they've got, they tend to persevere and work harder . It can make a huge difference in behavior and performance. So if your a teacher or a parent, make sure your kids know their brain can change!!

Tidbit #2: The reason there are more boys than girls with learning disabilities:
Think back to good 'ol high school biology (shoutout to Mrs. Pam Williams), boys become boys because the have an X and a Y chromosome. Girl become girls because they have two X chromosomes. As it turns out, many learning disabilities are located on the X chromosome. Since girls have two X's, if one has a mutation for a learning disability, the other X can sort of override the issue. Unfortunately for boys, they don't have two X's...so if the one X they have has a mutation for learning disability, they are most likely going to have the disability. It's also the reason more men than women are color blind as well as is responsible for "male pattern baldness." Sorry guys, gotta hate that Y-chromosome.

**It should also be noted that there is a disproportionately large percentage of boys in remedial reading classes. They tend to be overly-identified because of issues other than true disability like behavior or high energy. In that same breath it should be noted that girls are under-identified and sometimes don't receive the services they need because they are compliant and often read fluently...hiding real comprehension issues.**



Tidbit #3: Have you ever wondered why REM sleep is such a big deal?? We hear about how we miss out on it if we don't have enough hours of sleep, but who really cares, right? No dreams for the night but that's no biggie. Well, it's actually kind of a big deal, especially for students who don't get enough sleep to have REM cycles. During that REM time, our memory is consolidating or coding information learned during the day from our working memory to long term memory. So when it students don't get enough sleep, it's hard for their brains to store the information they've learned. Scary!!

Tidbit #4: Ever heard that we only use 10% of our brains?? I know I have. But it's completely untrue. People don't use only 10% of their brains...they use all of it!! I learned this when I started work with the Arrowsmith program, but I fear that many people still hold this misconception. It lingers from a misquote or misinterpretation of research from way back when.

And finally, Tidbit #5: Labeling people as right-brained or left-brained is a little out of control. While the two different sides of the brain have some different functions, the brain is quite connected and interdependent. Brain imaging technology shows that most processes such as language processing or spatial ability have factors in both hemispheres of the brain.

If you're a nerd and/or teacher and actually like reading this stuff, keep reading below. If not...I promise I'll be back to acting childish and embroidering for my next post! : )

One of the presenters, David A. Sousa, an author and consultant in Educational Neuroscience, talked about 6 factors that produce ADHD-like behavior...but aren't really ADHD. As you probably know, more and more kids are getting misdiagnosed for this. Here are his 6 factors that produce hyperactive behavior:

1) Diet. 3 things in particular that cause problems: caffeine, aspartame (which is actually snuck into some children's vitamins to make them taste better), and food preservatives. The hyperactivity from caffeine can also ultimately lead to depression. Sad.

2) Sleep Deprivation: The average high school kids gets only 5-6 hours a night. The lack of sleep leads to irritability as well as hyperactivity. It also reduces the amount of REM time...which if you read the tidbits...you know is bad for long term memory! Eeek!

3) Stress. Stress releases a hormone called Cortisol, this results in hyperactive behavior.

4) "Pain in the butt syndrome"...now this theory of his isn't so scientific, but true. Some kids are simply not taught the rules of behavior. These days, many kids spend far more time with technology than they do with their families. In fact, one recent survey found kids spend 18 times more time connecting to the outside world than they do connecting with their parents and families. On average, the survey found kids spent only 47 minutes a week engaging in meaningful conversation with family. These days we don't spend time around the dinner table, we're too busy! But the consequences are grave.

5) School induced ADHD (he was running out of time so he didn't go through this much...but I think he meant that kids get so bored they freak out)

6) Environmental Factors (drugs, heavy metals, etc) and actual physical disorders such as OCD, dyslexia, etc.

Goodness gracious. That's about all I have to say at this point!! I also heard some controversial new information about why teachers shouldn't waste time teaching to "learning styles"...but that will simply have to wait for another day.

The Great Stocking Search of 2010

On Sunday night I posted a facebook album of items for sale. There are only a couple of items in the album so far, but one picture is of three super cute stockings I made for my friend Brandi...see below:

Under the picture I wrote..."If you're interested in stockings, let me know. I'm not sure if I can find these exact ones again, but we could certainly probably find some that you'd like." Well...there was some interest (because let's face it...they're super cute), but unfortunately I can't find any more of them...ANYWHERE. They were originally bought at TJ Maxx...but when I went back, they were gone. I have since combed every TJ Maxx and Marshalls in the state of Massachusetts!! Well not every one, but practically. And zilch, zippo, notta. Thus The Great Stocking Search of 2010 commenced...

About 15 stores and 11 stockings later...I have options, and a girl needs options! But I still haven't quite found exactly what I'm looking for. But take heart friends! I haven't lost hope yet. There's still 49 more states,  about 1,000 more TJ Maxx locations, and in the words of the late, great Scarlet O'Hara, "tomorrow is another day!!"

Gift Options

I've spoken to the wonderful staff at the pregnancy resource center, and we're ready to begin! (If you're currently thinking to yourself...Huh?...check the last post, and it'll help you out!) Normally, I'll get an email at the first of the month with the initial and/or first name of any babies due in the coming month. Then I'll make a few of the items listed below and deliver the gifts to the center in time for the births. Currently there are 4 precious little babies who were just born and need a little something special!! So for these babies, and the future babies, here are the gift options you can choose from if you feel led to sponsor a baby or a few items:

Burp Cloths $4 each

Diaper Covers $4

(Obviously I didn't take this picture, but I've ordered these diaper covers online from a wholesaler)

 Blue and pink blankets for $17 each

If you'd like to help out, email me at maryellen.callura@gmail.com, and I'll send you my address. Simply send a check for whatever items you'd like to make possible for a special little one. Accompanying each gift will be a hand written card letting the mom know that both she and her baby have been prayed for. If you'd like to write your own note, include it in the mail with your check, and I'll add it to your gift.

You'll never know how much it means to me that so many of you have reached out and offered to help me in this ministry. It's so close to my heart, and I truly hope each and every gift will bring a smile to these struggling mothers' faces. Who knows what one gift and a few prayers from someone who loves Jesus will do. 

A Little Something Special

Since taking on my fun new embroidery hobby, I've often thought about ways I can use my new machine as a ministry. I know that making things for people brightens my day, but I also wanted to figure out how I could serve the Lord with my skills (minimal as they are). As I considered options, my thoughts drifted to the smallest, most special people in all the world and the scared moms who are giving birth to them, the women who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant and terrified by their options. I decided to approach a local crisis pregnancy center with an idea. It was a long shot that they would respond favoribly, but to my delight and surprise they did! So here's the deal:

I'm partnering with a local Pregnancy Resource Center here in Boston to make special gifts for the moms and new babies they serve. The women who seek out help from this center are often scared and confused. It's likely that many of them feel alone, are quite scared about their future, and perhaps have little money. These moms have many physical needs, and the resource center does their best to help them. But they also need to know that they are loved. All babies are miracles and gifts from the Lord, but these babies in particular. When their moms were faced with a tough and scary decision, they chose life. Because of the law, they were presented information about abortion and could have ended their pregnancy before their babies even had a chance to live, but instead they choose to give their baby a chance. To support these women and help celebrate their new little one, I'll be making personalized burp cloths, blankets, and more for them. It's just a little something special to help them feel loved.

The reason I'm sharing this with you is, I'd love for you to join me in loving these moms and babies if you feel led. Because of confidentiality we'll never meet these moms, know their names or know anything about them. All I'll be given is the first name or initials of each new little miracle. Then I'll embroider something special and drop it off at the resource center. You can help in two ways if you'd like. 1)You could sponser a baby. In the coming days, I'll post example pictures of the receiving blankets, burp cloths, bibs, etc. that you could help give. I'll post the price of materials for each item, and you can email me if you'd like to donate the money to sponser an item for a baby. We are talking from $2-$20ish depending on the item. AND/OR 2) Pray for the moms and babies who will receive these special gifts. They likely have a tough road ahead of them and prayer is powerful!

I can't wait to begin this journey...pictures and more info to come soon!!

Megabus...Mega Adventure

Today's whirlwind day trip started at a quite dark 4:30 am. While I usually reserve the honor of being awake at this ridiculous hour for one special day a year, Black Friday, my lifelong desire to being in a tv audience warranted such a wake up. By 5:30 Jarred and I were at the bus station to catch the MegaBus to NYC. In the northeast we have lots of cheap and fabulous bus options for traveling between Boston, NYC, Philly, D.C., etc. Today we took the double decker MegaBus complete with WiFi to make the 4 hour bus ride slightly less miserable. Below are a few pics and some commentary from our journey:

Well this one isn't technically from our journey, but is an example of the megabus.

Found the studios!

First in line...Jarred was not happy about this at first. He is quoted as saying we looked like "bumpkins" getting there that early. Haha

Tickets in hand! #1 and #2! 

No cameras were allowed in the studio so the next pictures were taken afterwards. On the show they featured a Southern cookbook called, "Dadgum, That's Good!" After the show, we got to taste all the yumminess...and it was truly quite yummy! Low Country Boil, Fried Turkey and my very first fried Oreos!

It's was truly an amazing experience. We loved every part of seeing how a tv show runs. And to top the day off, Bass Pro Shops had a mini Santa's workshop outside of the studios. Free pic with Santa!!

Redemption

I'm officially back up on my sewing feet again! After my crushing purple dress disaster, I headed back to Target and bought two more dresses. They didn't have purple ones in the right size, so I switched to red for a charming holiday theme. Below are the results...along with a picture that perfectly sums up how I felt immediately following the original failure. The pic was actually taken at the train station when I had to wave goodbye to my sweet friend Meghan this past weekend, but I think it's all too appropriate for my sewing flub.

And here are the lovely dress. While the perfectionist in me still isn't satisfied, they turned out pretty well.

Can't you just see little Santa hats on the girls now! So cute!

And I also started making a few holiday kitchen towels, here's what I have so far:

Anybody want some? Email me if you do because I'd love to have a reason to make more! maryellen.callura@gmail.com I'm going to make a few green ones this evening...we'll see how it goes!

Also...get excited...Jarred and I are going to be on National TV this weekend!!  Watch "Huckabee" Sunday night on Fox News. We'll be in the audience. If you're conservative, you'll love it. If your liberal, suck it up because you love me, and I told you to! Can't wait to tell you all about it!