The workshop today was so much fun.  As a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Fellow, I’m part of a group that goes to monthly workshops.  Previous workshops have covered physics, astronomy, and math/technology integration.  The topic for today was my favorite…ecology!  We were given a bin full of tools/resources and sent off into the park for open inquiry to create our own lab.  After four hours, my group went rock hopping in the stream, caught and identified several macroinvertebrates (including a giant crayfish), and edited a video on our netbook taken from the flipcam we were given.  YAY SCIENCE!  I just wish we had the time, resources, and freedom to conduct such investigations with our kids.

After watching a very inspiring Biggest Loser last night, I knew there was no other option but to go to the gym after work today.  I packed my gym clothes with me so I had no excuses.  I chose to do 15 minute cardio circuits.  First was a little over a mile run on a 2.5 incline on the treadmill, then cross training on the elliptical (backwards and forwards), followed by a stair stepper type machine (really not sure what it was?), and finished with cycling.  I monitored my heart rate the whole time and for 60 minutes my heart rate was between 155-175.  I felt it, too!

Volunteering went well, though it was next to impossible to find the motivation to go since I was already home.  I had to rush to cook dinner and eat before heading back out.  (Normally I stay after school late on the days that I volunteer so I don’t even consider staying home.)  Homeless children generally lack structure and stability so they can be highly reactive.  I’m never quite sure what is going to send them over the edge.  We had a St. Patrick’s theme and did mostly crafts and low-key games.  Anyway, the kids were much less aggressive than previous weeks so it was a pleasant end to a great day.  

Food Diary:

B: Pure Protein bar (no Otis Spunkmeyer muffin)

L: Chicken salad w/ lettuce and tomato on, wheat, apple, (no chips)

D: whole wheat spaghetti, Ragu spaghetti sauce w/ 93% lean ground beef, tossed salad w/ cucumber

S: 2 cookies (let’s be realistic here…I’ve finally come to terms that a lifestyle change will always involve dessert for this girl)

Tomorrow’s Agenda: Grad school meeting in the a.m., teach, take two of my girls out for dinner (behavior incentive they earned), Grey’s and Private Practice