I hate being sick

I have had what I believe to be a head cold for the past three days.  I tried to tough it out and go work and stuff, but yesterday I seriously felt like death so I came home early.  I slept and slept and slept and this morning I feel a thousand times better, but unfortuately still not 100%.  I hate to start spring break feeling bad, but looks like that is going to happen.

I decided to stop going to the official weigh ins at weight watchers we really can't afford the extra $50 or so dollars a week.  I am still counting points, I'm just not paying to get weighed anymore.  Josh is helping to keep my accountable and he has really taken a liking to my WW Power Foods cookbook so we eat out of it a lot.  The scale is not moving very fast...maybe a lb a week, but my clothes feel so different now!  I wore my skinny jeans yesterday and I didn't feel as if they were glued to my skin.  They were perfect!  I have to wear a belt with most of my other pants and my shirts are feeling a little looser around the bottom and in the arms (though not so much in the bust area.

I attended a conducting workshop this past week with a fellow conducting student.  It was part of a music conference that took place in Monroe, LA.  It was kind of a bust.  I didn't take anything positive away from the experience and I wish I had not spent my money to attend.  I was encouraged to simply beat time and not do anything too expressive because it may be too confusing to the ensemble.  While at home we are encouraged to rely on the ensemble to keep time so that we can use our gestures to encourage a more musical performance.  The clinician was obviously from a completely different school of thought, and while he is a highly respected educator, I disagree with his philosophy on conducting in a huge way.  The Friday after spring break SFA is hosting Dr. Kevin Sedatole for a conducting symposium and I am very excited to learn from him!  I get to conduct the 5th movement of Lincolnshire Posy (Lord Melbourne) for the symposium concert and then I am going to do the 2nd movement (Horkstow Grange) for the actual symposium.  I know that I will get a ton of valuable information that will help make me the type of conductor that I want to be!!

Aaden and Noah have entered a new and exciting stage.  They want to choose their own clothing.  This is fine, but they remember enough of what they have to actually tell us what shirt they want to wear.  This only becomes a problem when they want to wear Elmo several days in row as we only own one Elmo shirt each.  Most days we are able to sway them into wearing Woody and Buzz or Mickey Mouse, but on the days we can't change their minds we are faced with a complete and utter meltdown that typically throws our entire morning schedule for a loop.  If anyone has any suggestions on how to remedy this I will gladly accept them.  Our boys are generally very well behaved so unfortunately I feel a bit ill-prepared when they do have a breakdown.  We do swat, never on bare skin, and never for more than just a shock, however, I don't think that is the appropriate response to a tantrum.  I do a lot of whispering in their ear and talking quietly while they are looking in my eyes, and this works, but I can't get close enough to them for a long enough time when they are in throes of a tantrum.  Usually we just wait it out, ignore it, but when we are on a specific time frame in the morning it becomes an issue to just ride it out.  I feel like a bad parent for not knowing the answer!!  All thoughts and ideas are welcomed.

Until Next Time...

PS:  If you look to the right you will notice a widget for my March for Babies fundraiser.  We will be marching again to help raise money in hopes that one day all babies will be born strong, healthy, and full term!  If you are feeling generous, feel free to click the appropriate place on my widget to sponsor our march!  Just take a look at Aaden and Noah to be sure the money is going to a worthy cause.  Without funding provided before they were born we may be without one or both of them.  I am thankful everyday for the march of dimes!!