Tuesday, September 2, 2008


I know it has been a while since i have written any fine messages or random thoughts on my good old ME MARGARET blog. My summer went way too fast and i am not too sure where it really did go, or how well spent it was. I am now on my 2ND week of teaching Kindergarten. For those of you that know me outside of Blog spot you know that teaching kindergarten has been one of my dreams for many years. I am having the time of my life. In true Jeddah style i will now make a top 10 list of my favorite kindergarten moments so far.
10.- Going up to my classroom the weekend before school ( shout out to Dad who dragged us along all through our formative years to help him do the same thing) to unpack new supplies and organize important things like markers and construction paper.
9.- THE AMAZING MAPS STAR GAVE ME to decorate my classroom. The kids love them
8.- Spending 75$ on Legos products for my manipulatives center. Did you know ladies they now make pink and purple legos? Where were those when i was younger and forced to make my Lego house with the "boy" colors?
7.-Coloring posters for our reading charts and class centers. We all know I love to color. LOVE IT
6.- Cleaning out the closets and finding amazing books and toys and games to add to the classroom wonderment, also buying more books at the D.I. for our class. Who gives away Dr. Seuss? seriously?
5.-The 1st day of school
4.-How excited the children are everyday to hear me read "James and the Giant Peach"
3.- Show and tell day. every Tuesday. Don't worry, i bring something to show and tell too
2.- When one of the boys in my class asked me "if Robots had Robot wieners, because if so, his friend just had his robot kick the other robot toy in the robot wiener". that was word for word by the way.
1.- Working with each child individually to start to read. There is nothing like that.

THE VIOLA SWAMP of FOOD

I used to think that healthy food alternatives and substitutes were like Miss Viola Swamp; cold, empty and harsh. Low calorie foods, and whole wheat substitutes always seemed like they'd taste like newspaper and bark to me.I really made no effort to seek them out in the preparation of my meals, nor even considered them. Then in the past year or two, with my awakening to eating better and living better i had no choice but to give them a fair chance. Here is a list of my favorite low calorie alternative foods, that get me through the day, and that help me be in it to win it. In all honestly some of these foods i prefer to their high in calorie and fat counter parts.

1. TURKEY- it comes in all shapes and sizes, just like beef. Turkey dogs, sausages, ground turkey meat, bacon, pepperoni and more. When i was a kid my parents went on this short lived health kick, and they started to buy turkey bacon. It has less fat, and still has the great protein. I really liked it. I actually prefer turkey bacon to the real stuff. I use it in my green chili breakfast burritos on top of my New Mexico Tortilla Company whole wheat tortillas. I use turkey pepperoni on my pita bread pizzas, you can use so much more for less fat and calories on top of that pizza!

2.Granny's Delight Wheat and Fiber bread- So yummy! It makes great toast! I love this bread. Who am i kidding i love all bread. This bread is great and high in fiber. I use it for toast mostly with some "I Can't Believe Its Not Butter" spray on top and a teaspoon of raspberry jam. YUM! Hold on, i am gonna go make some now.

3. Dove Dark Chocolate Bars- 110 calories, 3 grams of fiber. This chocolate bar really hits the spot. I love to eat it while munching on some pretzel sticks. Its a great movie watching treat.

4. Jiffy Pop Healthy Pop Popcorn. So good, i love to pop a bag and sprinkle a small amount of season salt and pepper on it, and then go watch "So You Think You Can Dance", or late night "Monarch of the Glen" reruns.

5. Egg Beaters/Egg Whites- Egg beaters and other egg substitutes are made from egg whites and cook and feel and taste just like real eggs. I love them because you can have more for less fat and calories. I also include them in my breakfast burritos, on top of the turkey bacon, and some green chili salsa. Wow maybe i shouldn't be writing about food while i am hungry. I wish my toast would hurry up.

These are my favorite friendly substitutes while i continue on this slow but steady road of healthy living and weight loss. Some of you may wonder, "But Jeddah, aren't their days where all you want is Dion's Pepperoni Pizza dipped in vats of ranch dressing? i mean come on, you can't substitute Dion's Pizza!?!?!" and that's when i say; "That's why i moved to Utah. It would take 8-10 hours of driving to enable myself, so by Moab i would have talked myself out of it and turned around."

I find that when i have a PMA (positive mental attitude) about these great healthy choices, then they all taste less and less like the wanted ads from the Deseret Morning News, and more like some good flavors. EXCEPT LOW CALORIE CHEESE. i am sorry that's where i draw the line. If cheese can't bubble in the oven like God intended, then its not worth it. I'll cut calories somewhere else.

ESTHER WILLIAMS ONLY WISHES!

A few weeks ago a friend of mine mentioned an article about Mariah Carey in a fashion magazine. In the article she talked about how she used water aerobics to lose weight and that she loved it. We laughed, but then found ourselves looking up class info on line. Now here i am 2 weeks later, weak in the knees from hard workouts, and actually looking forward to putting on a swimsuit.
I used to think water aerobics was for old ladies who have fallen and can't get up.When we got to our 1st class we were the youngest people in it by far, by decades! I thought it would come easy, but those little old ladies schooled me for an entire 60 minutes. Not only did they keep up and work out faster and more consistent than us newbies but they also maintained looks of pure intimidation and force without even splashing their faces or getting their hair wet. People i am here to say that water aerobics is hard work. Every time i get out of that pool i feel like i have ran a marathon, or been run over by the Oldsmobile Cutlass that these mean old ladies drive to get to class. I love it. I over came my swimsuit in public fears and go twice a week. It is so much fun! We have great tunes ranging from Michael Jackson (pre-awkwardness) to 70's Rock. We do a combination of cardio workouts and aerobic moves, using the water resistance to tighten the work out and push harder. We stretch and do yoga and pilate moves to warm up and cool down.I go with a few friends. I am not lying when i say the older women who look like innocent organists from church, leave us in the kiddie pool when it comes to the exercises. I look forward to every Tuesday and Thursday lately. The bonus features of my class include the giant purple water slide we go down in the recreational pool after every workout, and the very entertaining Gay Men's Swim Team that meets in the pool after us, and cheers us on!

COWBOY UP

Dozens of people gather every year for the sacred ritual of celebrating the new spring season, Idaho style. The Branding of the new calves. This tradition dates back to pioneer times. This year i was able to for the 1st time participate in the wonderment.

My Uncle owns and runs a cattle ranch in Southern Idaho. This ranch had been in our family for decades, it is the same homestead where my mother grew up. About ten years ago they expanded and purchased land in a warmer climate for the cattle in the winter. My friends Ingrid and Mandy and i ventured there this past weekend to witness and assist in the celebration.

The boys who roped were friends of my younger cousin. She asked them to come help. We met them the night before branding at the bonfire that was ablaze when we arrived. These boys friendly, funny, charming, and cowboys were all about 20 years old. We sat around the fire with them talking and laughing and flirting for a few hours. As fun as flirting with inebriated cowboys who spit chew in the fire can be, we soon retired to the barn (our sleeping quarters) for bed. We set up a tent in a stall in the barn, to keep out the mice that we saw running around as we laid down straw. In the stall down from us was a calf and cow who kept us company through the night. It was freezing cold, and the drunk cowboys wouldn't leave us alone once they hit they "i love you" and "what is the meaning of life" phases of drunkenness. They slept in sleeping bags on the straw, worried that the mice would climb in their boots in the night.

There were about 300 calves that needed to be branded, injected with hormones, and medications. They first rounded up the cattle mommies and babies into the corral, we watched from a few yards behind the cattle on a 4 wheeler. Then they separated the calves and put them in a corral. Then the cowboys roped and pulled calves 2 at a time past us, as the men branded and we took turns giving the cows their shots. It was fascinating to watch, a little hard at 1st to give a cow a shot, while it was groaning or yelling or i don't know how to describe the noises these calves were making.

We did this for most of the day Saturday. We stopped for lunch and to reapply sunscreen. Saturday afternoon Ingrid and Mandy and i took a quick trip to town, which consisted of 1 stop sign and 2 blocks of houses, a school and an LDS church. We found rusty old playground equipment at the park and played around for a while before heading back to the ranch. By 5pm we were all finished and settled around the trailer for dinner. The dreamy roping cowboys packed up their horses and left. We gathered around the fire pit, doused it with lighter fluid and burned tumble weeds and old phone polls. My uncle told us scary ghost stories from when he drives truck cross the western states to deliver cattle. Most of you know i am easily afraid of the dark and have an overactive imagination. These haunted highway stories didn't help. We slept on couches warm inside a trailer, with the curtains closed.

This was the most fun i have had in a long time, it was great to see my family, and to get down and dirty with the cattle. As a child i spent most of my summers in Idaho playing on the ranch. Now that i am older, it feels great to go and see and participate in a tradition that has been in my family for generations. It is also a great pleasure to meet new cowboys, and shamelessly flirt with them. This weekend it was my turn to cowboy up.

In honor of the You Tube awards

In honor of the awards recently given on YouTube i would like to showcase some of my favorites.

The best comedy video:

Most Creative:



And best eyewitness video

These are just a few of the winners i checked out, but i had to cut myself off from the computer and walk away before hours slipped away.

I found a man's take on TWILIGHT

TWILIGHT FANS check out this funny blog about the books. His other posts are very funny too, there in one entirely about edward cullen. check it out.
http://mormonhusbands.blogspot.com/2008/02/twilight-series-for-dummies-and-totally.html

boys

Am i broken? I can't tell anymore if i like a boy or just like their attention. And when they give me special singled out attention i can no longer just go with the flow and enjoy it. I have this unhealthy need to categorize the attention they give me right away into categories in my mind, friend, meaningless flirting, or potential romance. why do i do that? is it a self preservation mechanism? What do i do? How did i get this way? I think it comes from being a "back burner" girl for so long i can't just let things be. I did let things be and i got burned and used. Back burner girl is the worst position to hold, the friend the cuddle buddy the shoulder to cry on, the entertainer, the listener, supporter and best friend. till someone "better" comes along. One too many times for me and now i am a little bitter and leery to trust. What do i do? Matt and Liz say be forward, upfront and to the point. This approach makes the most sense to me. Being forward lately has saved me a lot of time and drama i think. I don't want to hang in the "gray zone" of are we friends? or more? for too long. I don't play hard to get very well. I say what i think. But if i am forward "Date me, Choose Me, Love me!" (sorry couldn't help quoting Grey's anatomy) then doesn't that break the sacred rules presented in the "He's Just Not That Into You" book? If they really are interested won't they tell me? Lately i assume rejection right when the fun attention starts. This could easily mess up the possibility of good things even happening. Assuming rejection means i shut down and leave these boys alone having assumed things that probably haven't even been decided, or are just starting.
And there is Star's theory. All girls are cheap and easy when it comes to boy attention. Am i won over just by a flirting moment, a call to talk, a good night of laughing? Are these boys even what i want, or am i enchanted by the rare attention? A friend told me that any boy is lucky to hang out with me, and not me feeling lucky and waiting to hang out with him. I think we as girls quickly forget we are catches too. I know i do. I somehow always leave the ball in the boy's court. When i really play any sport involving a ball i am a ball hog. Ask my friends from 2nd grade and Four Square. So why do i let the boys have it when dating?
I am having a Carrie Bradshaw type blog today questioning myself and my relationship patterns. i don't really now how i got here or why i feel all these things. All i know is that since i have moved here i have felt that i have been standing right in front of amazing boys waving my hands frantically pointing to myself saying "something fun and wonderful is right here" and i remain invisible. I look at a few of my friends, and i can see them waving frantically too, also unseen. Not frantic to get married and have lots of babies just yet, but ready and willing to try a healthy adult relationship for once. There is no one to blame for all these feelings and thoughts, no one but maybe myself and my attitude. Am i once bitten twice shy? Or is this a deeper emotional dysfunction brewing?