Thanksgiving

It's just around the corner! What are you cooking up for guests? Me? I'm taking the four of us to Michael V's for Thanksgiving Dinner. All we can eat, no cooking and no cleanup!

Since all our relatives are on the coast, we don't make a big deal about holidays. However, a friend of mine posted this cute little goodie on her Facebook page and I thought I'd share it with those of you who are having company. This little treat looks fun to make and yummy to eat!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Carpal Tunnel - 2nd Update

I can say that this new keyboard has been a huge help with my carpal tunnel issues. It took me about a week to get my speed close to my old speed and even yet, I'm not quite as fluent. However, I get faster every day. I'm probably up to 45 wpm now.

As far as pain, it's MUCH BETTER! Not all gone by any means. I still have problems at night with numbness; however, I just learned from my doctor, that thyroid increases problems with carpal tunnel. I had my thyroid removed in January this year. She said that this could be aggravating the issue. We are still working on getting the medicine adjusted. So the good news is, this problem should go away with time. Maybe I will get a full night's sleep sometime in the near future!

Biology Class - Cells

We are just about finished our unit on cells and cell function. It's been a tough one! I don't remember half this stuff from high school - maybe because we hadn't discovered it yet - after all, it's been a few years! LOL!

To help them learn the parts of the cell, I had the students create cell models using icing and candy. We used tootsie rolls for mitochondrion, gummy worms for ER, and icing for for cytoplasm. Here's a photo of our end product:

Cell model made of candy.

I gave the kids a zip bag to carry their "cells" home, but most of them ate them while we were in class. Ooooh - tummy ache!

The vocabulary words for this unit were difficult, so I divided the kids up in teams and had them match the word with the definition using paper strips. That was fun!

Vocabulary matching game.

Today, we're going to review using a jeopardy game; then have our test on the unit. Next up: DNA

Carpal Tunnel UPdate

I went to the doctor and got some braces for my arms as a temporary fix until my keyboard got here. Yesterday, my keyboard came. Oh wow! It's going to take a while to get used to it. My speed went from 70+ wpm to 10! Today, I think I got it up to 20. I can tell it's going to help once I get used to it. I'll keep you posted.

National Novel Writing Month for Kids

National Novel Writing Month

Write a novel in a month? That's the idea of the creators of National Novel Writing Month for Kids. The idea is to encourage the kids to write by keeping track of the number of words written and offering a certificate of achievement as incentive.

Each person sets a goal of so many words (depending on age level) that they expect to write for their novel. Then, they keep track of their words on the website. At the end of the month, they are awarded a certificate IF they write the required number of words. Create Space offers all the winners five free copies of their work for free.

I've pitched this idea to the kids in my class. Let's see how many take me up on it!

By the way, if you're interested, there is an adult version (age 13 and up) of this competition: National Novel Writing Month. I haven't read through all the rules yet, but it appears that the word count is set for 50,000 words. That's a lot of words in one month! The website describes it as follows: "National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000-word (approximately 175-page) novel by 11:59:59 PM on November 30." No editing allowed - just write the words! The winners get certificates. No pressure, just fun.

I'm going to try it, but I'm not sure I'll be able to finish because of my carpal tunnel issues. But, hey, I can try! 

Carpal Tunnel Pain - Time for Help!

I broke down and gave up quite a few of my dollars to buy an ergonomic keyboard and mouse. Carpal tunnel is giving me a really hard time lately, but I don't have time for nor do I want to have surgery. In the meantime, I've been doctoring myself with way too much Advil. Not good for the kidneys!

So, I ordered an Kinesis Advantage Pro keyboard and an Evoluent Mouse.

Evoluent Vertical Mouse

Kinesis Advantage Pro Keyboard

From what I've read, these are both highly recommended for Carpal Tunnel pain; however, there is a 2-4 week adjustment period to get used to the new key placement. I figure with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, this should give me some time to practice and not have huge deadlines on me.

I'll keep you posted on my progress, both in adjusting to the new keyboard and pain relief.

Life Changes Things

Life changes. Every year that I get older, it seems as if I have a new adjustment to make. Now that I'm working and being Bill's chauffeur, it seems I am having to adjust my writing schedule to accommodate it. For the past two years, I've enjoyed writing for Oklahoma Living Magazine, but, unfortunately, this type of writing requires me to travel and interview people. I don't have the time to do that now that I'm tutoring, except for in the summer. Because of that, I was forced to give up some of the assignments that I had for the upcoming year - a big disappointment.

However, as I sat thinking about it and feeling sorry for myself, I said, "Self, what other kind of writing could you do at home in the middle of the night and in between your other responsibilities?" I realized that I could write on spec about topics that I can research at home - no travel or interviewing. I could also work on my mystery and/or children's books that have been sitting in my files. So, that's what I've decided to do.

First, I sent off some queries for magazine articles I could write at home in the middle of the night. I got four assignments!

Next, I pitched an idea to the kids in my writing class about an extra assignment - writing the novel. If any of them take me up on it, we'll form an online critique group and work on our stories together. We're going to use the book, "Seize the Story: A Handbook for Teens Who Like to Write" by Victoria Hanley. We'll work through this chapter by chapter throughout the school year. We'll critique each other and I'll help them learn about the publishing business (as much as I know) and maybe even take them to some writer's workshops.

So, the bottom line is this:

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” -Maria Robinson

Tulsa Council of the Blind

Logo of person with white cane.

As many of you know, my husband Bill is legally blind. He began losing his vision in 2006 after a visit to get contacts. We visited eye specialists from here to the East coast in search of answer to why he was losing his vision, but no one seems to know. The specialists at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD, finally decided it was probably genetic or an autoimmune disease. He said this is the standard answer when they can't figure it out.

We were both hoping the vision loss was temporary; but, after consultation with doctors from Dean McGee, John Hopkins and Mayo Clinic, we finally had to accept the fact that, barring a miracle from God, he would probably not regain his sight.

In the meantime, we were both struggling to adapt to these changes. Bill was struggling with his lost of independence. No more could he get in the car and go somewhere. He has to depend on me to drive him. I was struggling with a change of roles. Bill had always been the one who went out to work. He loves being with people and want to go, go, go. In contrast, I enjoy working at home alone and only like to go out on special occasions. It was the perfect marriage. He enjoyed going out and I enjoyed staying home. We were both happy. But now, our roles had reversed. How would I be able to take care of all the things that Bill used to take care of? How would Bill be able to adjust to staying home and being dependent on others? This was a scary time for both of us and we didn't know where to turn for help. The doctors only worked on a diagnosis; they gave no advice on where to get emotional support.

In desperation, I began searching the Internet for blind support groups and only found one: National Federation of the Blind. We went to a meeting and quickly wished we hadn't gone. The leader of the group told us in no uncertain terms that if we came there because "Oh, I'm a poor little blind person and I need help, you've come to the wrong place." Both of us wanted to slide under the table and disappear. We stayed for the meeting, but were so glad to go home. That was definitely not the help we were looking for. We went home and prayed for help from somewhere else.

Finally, after searching the Internet some more, I ran across a small posting from a person who ran a support group in Tulsa called the Tulsa Council of the Blind. We went to the meeting and found just what we were looking for. They were helpful, supportive and caring. They told us where to go for more help and who to contact. This was the breakthrough we had been looking for. From there, Bill has been able to get help from the VA, the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation, and more. Emotionally, we have both learned to adapt and are making progress in getting back to a new normal.

I said all that to say this: I have just finished creating a website for Tulsa Council of the Blind. My goal is that this website will not only make easier for someone to find this organization, but that it also will help others get the help they need when going through a transition such as ours.

With the help of the staff, I have including information about the organization and its services, as well as links to other websites with helpful information for both the visually impaired as well as for the family and friends of the visually impaired. While on the site, you'll learn interesting facts about the blind, gain knowledge about the causes of blindness, discover resources for helping the blind gain confidence and independence, and even find educational resources for parents of school-age children who are blind or visually impaired.

If you know anyone who is losing their vision, please send them to the Tulsa Council of the Blind website.  And if you have a website or blog or Facebook page, please link to the website so that others can find it. Don't let them go through this alone!

UPDATE: Sept 21, 2012. I just received a nice note from the new president of NFB apologizing for the treatment we received at the NFB meeting. It's nice to know that someone cares enough to reach out and make it right.

UPDATE: Oct 20, 2019. I no longer maintain the Tulsa Council of the Blind website.

Rose State Short Course with William Bernhardt!

Rose State College is offering a two-day short course on writing September 15 to 16 at a remarkably low rate.  This weekend conference will feature more than twenty speakers from all across the nation, including major bestselling authors like Phillip Margolin.  The people at Rose know that times are tough for those in the artistic community, so they've made the short course available for only only $99, the lowest conference registration fee I've seen anywhere.  And for teachers and students, it's only $39.  (For students at Rose State, it's free.)

That price includes programming for the serious professional writer, one-on-one meetings with agents, editors, and writers, the Saturday night program/awards ceremony, food/drink at the Saturday evening reception/booksigning, and all contest entries.

Rose State sponsors five contest categories: fiction (short stories or novel segments), nonfiction, memoir, poetry, and writing for children. You can enter every category, if you want, at no additional cost. This is the first year Rose has held this program, so there may be a chance to get into a contest that isn't inundated with entries yet.  The winners in each category will receive cash prizes that start at $100 for first place, so you could walk away with more money in your pocket than you paid for the conference.

Register for the conference one of three ways: 

By Phone with a credit card by calling 405 733 7392.

In Person at Rose State College, Community Learning Center, 6420 SE 15th Street, Midwest City OK 73110.

By Mail by sending your name, address, phone, and email address with payment to: Rose State College, Community Learning Center, 6420 SE 15th Street, Midwest City OK 73110. Please make checks payable to:  Rose State College.

And after registering, send your contest entries to this address: Contests, Rose State Short Course, Community Learning Center, 6420 SE 15th Street, Midwest City OK 73110.

You can find more details about the short course and the contest submission guidelines at the Rose State website: http://www.rose.edu/writing-short-course or at Bernhardt's website: http://www.williambernhardt.com/rose_state.php. If you have any questions about the seminars, just shoot him an email (willbern@gmail.com) or call (405 683 2881).

Manda Panda helps me tutor!

Panda Bear

This week, for my tutoring lesson, I decided to create something special for my student to read. I bought some panda-themed paper and wrote her a letter from "Manda Panda" using words she knew or was learning. I put the letter in an envelope, addressed it to the young lady and placed a pretend stamp on it. She was so amazed that Manda Panda knew her address and couldn't wait to read the letter! This is a fun way to get your reluctant reader to practice reading.


One warning - don't give your child the letter until after the lesson! Once she read the letter, she lost her motivation!

Tutoring

I started tutoring in the month of June and LOVE IT! I've been working with a woman who is re-entering the workforce and needs to learn how to run a computer. We set up her new computer, got her email running, got her on the Internet and Facebook, and now we’re learning about Windows 7.

I’m also working with a young lady on her algebra skills. She needs to pass the EOI test to graduate high school. I’ve had to brush up on algebra, as I haven’t had it for five years, but it’s coming back!

I’m also working with a very young girl who is learning to read. It was so exciting to see her read her very first book! That was special, indeed!

I am so excited that I’m getting to use my interests and skills to teach instead of working in an office! 

Rob's Ranch is online!

You can read my latest article about Rob's Ranch on the Oklahoma Living magazine website.

Click on the digital magazine and scroll to page 12: Rob's Ranch: Where Hope Begins.   

Exchange Students

This month, I'm working on an article about exchange students in Oklahoma. I loved this assignment! I got to interview students from China, Italy, Spain and Montenegro. It was so fun hearing about their adventures in the United States and learning something about their culture at the same time.

They shared some of the fun things they did, what they learned here and how they interacted with their host families. You won't want to miss this one! Look for this article in Oklahoma Living Magazine in August 2012.

April Writing Project

In April, I traveled to Purcell, Oklahoma, to interview the staff and residents of Rob's Ranch for an article that will be published in June issue of Oklahoma Living Magazine.

I was really impressed with this organization. They provide a long-term treatment program for men with alcohol and drug addiction. If you know someone who needs help, I highly recommend this organization.

I'll post a link to the article when it's available.

New Article

My latest article, Retirement: Time to Ham it Up, was published in the May 2012 issue of Oklahoma Living Magazine.

You can read the entire issue on the company's website (May 2012 issue, page 30-31) or just my story on my website. 

What Books Do At Night!

Learning more about writing picture books

I started a class on picture book writing this week. The eight-week class is given by Anastasia Suen.

I'm hoping to learn how to fix my manuscripts so they will finally get published!