Summer Days

Hi everyone, It has been a few months since I wrote my blog.  Have had some surprises, as often happens in life.  Still working toward my Health Administration degree.  I have been down to visit my son, once with my daught for five days, then by myself for eight days.  It is wonderful to go and stay with them.  I love seeing them so happy and working on their lives together.  My son just got his second car ever, a suburu, which he has wanted forever.  He doesn't let anyone sit in the driver's seat.  He really appreciates the car. It isn't brand new, still, it is new to him! :-) 
I am preparing for surgery this coming week, and all is ok, except for this cold I came home with, after going for pretesting for the surgery.  May have to postpone.  I will leave you all with a quote;
"People often say that motivation doesn't last.  Well neither does bathing---that's why we recommend it daily."  Zig Ziglar

My Son has moved out!

With the wedding 13 days away, my son has moved into their new apartment.  Never in a million years did I think I would be one of those moms that cried.  I held it together while moving and remembering things when he was young.  Now I have a test in health administration and two DB(discussion boards) to do and I keep tearing up!!  Our dogs keep walking around where his new furniture was downstairs and walking in and out of his bedroom.  Funny, how emotions work.  I would have sworn I was ready for him to be on his own at 22.  Hate when these emotions fool you and sneak up on you.  Seriously, the wedding is going to be so much fun.  I'm the mother of the groom!

Wedding Day Fast Approaching

My son's wedding day is fast approaching.  It is a bitter sweet time.  I am gaining a daughter and my son is moving hours away.  Funny how things go, it seemed so far away, now it seems too close.  His new father-in-law to be has just passed away, and that certainly is unpleasant and sad.  Ashley's mom will be doing everything to stay busy.  They will be close by her, so they can help her through this difficult transition.  Life must go on, because we are all still living and have responsibilities.  Feels like "muddle through"  describes the day to day process, right now.  School is hard this term with the emotional roller coaster I am on.  My son, my only boy between two girls.  I remember when he was born, it seems like yesterday.  Our wedding dance song we have chosen is, "In My Life", by the Beatles.  The words speak volumes of emotion and feeling and we both chose that one out of all of the choices.  He is packed and moving as I write this.  I love him and want the very best for him always.  Love you Dylan and Ashley, my new daughter.  Enjoy the adventure and appreciate all the little things that add up to your life together. 

Helping others learn!

From doing a scientific paper, the advice I would give is , start with setting up a time line and really work hard to follow it as closely as possible.  This will definitely help in completing the paper with as little difficulty and stress as possible.  Also, be sure to pick your topic and start looking for sources and information for that topic as soon as possible.  Even if you make changes, getting a thought in your mind and meditating on it will help you work through to get a firm decision on the topic and sources. 
I feel that I am getting better at APA citing everytime I have to do a paper!.  I know that I will be using my writing skills frequently in the Health Administration field, so I would really like to get my skills of clear communication toned and ready to use.  In the beginning I did not understand why we needed Composition 1 & 2 .  Now I am so glad and appreciative for everything I have learned and will continue to learn.  Thanks for all the comments on the discussion board.  My hope is for everyone to succed in all your endeavors and dreams. It was fun and I hope to see everyone in other classes.  Stay safe, healthy, and happy.  I will leave with a quote, "You may not be able to control the events that occur during the day, especially those events that are unexpected and challenging.  But, you definitely have a choice whether you are going to allow these events to ruin your day, and how you are going to face these challenges."  ~Barry Gottlieb~

Parting is such sweet sorrow!!

We are at the end of my third term, and it is bitter sweet for me.  I have loved my professors and the learning process.  Everytime another term starts, I sigh and think about getting the work done well, and on time.  With my sons wedding coming quickly, March 4, 2011, I am stressing about completing my work.  I remember to stop and think, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." ~Theodore Roosevelt.  I have done well through out my adventure at Kaplan and know that I will continue to do well with hard work and focus.  Thanks to all the new people I have met and talked with through the discussion boards and blogging.  My hope is for all to accomplish your dreams and to pursue yur goals to the best of your abilities. Until we meet again, Be happy, safe, and prosperous.  Skie

"To blog or "not to blog"

I have to say, that when we first started the blogging process I was hesitant and not sure I even wanted to do it.  I forced myself to, just push forward with it as it was required to maintain my grades.  I find it hard to converse openly with people I do not know, except through writing.  I appreciate the words of Thomas Jefferson, "When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on."  That is how I have felt this last semester with blogging and writing.  I also feel that Zig Ziglar hit the mark when he said, "Failure is an event, not a person.  So regardless of what happens to you along the way, you must keep on going and doing the right thing in the right way.  Then the event becomes a reality of a changed life."  This helps me to keep on putting one foot in front of the other to finish this journey I have started with Kaplan.  I think that I may keep blogging after we  are done with this term to help me keep growing.  Everything I have learned and have done on this journey has made me a better person. 

Peer Reviews

Peer reviews make me more nervous when I am giving them than when I am receiving them.  I appreciate any and all suggestions others may have.  I find peer review very helpful in helping me improve and produce a better, more informative, orderly paper.  Any peer reviews I have received from classmtes, the wring center, or professors, have been extremely helpful in assisting me to improve in my writing.  I have never felt bad yet, about any reviews I have received to date.  Peer reviews are meant to help ones improve on their development of their paper along with their grammar and organizational skills.  I usually read and reread my papers outloud, numerous times, and still need to make revisions.  Usually, after a review, I reread my paper outloud, going over the suggestions, and find that to be an "Aha" moment, and thinking, "Why did I not catch that?"  I usually laugh at myself, make adjustments, and know that no one is perfect, no matter how hard we try to be.  My research paper on nutrition and nutrients, before and after surgery, has been very enlightening.  I never realized the different forms nutrition can take in the process of giving them to a person.  Such as by food, vitamins, liquid, through different avenues, with various results.  When you think of nutrition and nutrients, a picture of good health comes to mind, and yet it can cause issues and be detrimental to a body as well.  I appreciate learning and taking all this knowledge, from writing to health and application in our everyday life. 

Tragically sad end to the year!

The saying goes, "God doesn't give you more than you can bear".  I know he knows what is best, yet in the last 8 weeks I have had 3 deaths of people very close to me.  the most recent, today, is that of a 19 year old that felt he had no other options but to leave this world. :-{ :-{ :-{.  My heart is breaking for the fact that he felt so alone he wanted to leave, and for his mom, who I know loved him unconditionally, and for all his friends and acquaintances that will miss his polite smile and kind words. I really have enjoyed my year through all lifes' hiccups, and happy times, yet, now, I want it to end and go fast, because it is so covered with such sadness.  There is always such emptyiness when someone leaves this world.  I always think I might run into the person around each corner, or on the phone.  I am not able to take one more death right now.  Death is part of life, though, at this moment, all I can see is death and dark and sooooo much sadness that I want it gone. Be safe, enjoy your family to the fullest. Remember, "All the gold in the world cannot buy back either the little delights of the day or the big pleasures that happen without announcement or a plan.  You simply have to be there."  ~ Lance Wubbels ~ 

"Life.. isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain."

The quote follows the last month or so.  I am doing my best to learn to dance in the rain, and get my homework and everything else done.  I have unfortunately had another passing of a very, very close friend this past Friday.  Out of the three deaths in the past 2 months, two were quite unexpected.  Someone said to me," that you know we are getting older when we hear death more than birth."  The only thing I do know is, that time flies, and "learning to dance in the rain is certainly more exciting than waiting for the storm to pass."
I am behind in my rough draft and am having a hard time getting into my MML Practice for Math.  Hopefully I can get my brain stimulated to get moving on my paper and get my math finished.  My ideas  may be influential in later research for Health and wellness.  Nutrition plays a part in living everyday, it effects our bodies for the good, or for the not so good.  No matter what our backround, age, or financial status, there are ways to improve nutrition and help the body be ready for elective surgery, for an illness, or for an emergency.   There is more than just the physical aspect of surgery to think about before and after surgery, there is also the emotional aspect of surgery on the body and how that may tie into the overall healing process.  Here's to an emotionally calmer week, taking a group of kids and adults to the Camden Aquarium.  Yeah and fun, fun, fun.

"Lower Back pain is excruciating when you are doing homework and typing at the computer.  It is so hard to get up and down, and walk after sitting for any length of time.  I have a few herniated disks in my neck and lower back, so when I do not exercise regularly, things get tight!  With a family death and homework, and taking care of someone with ALS, I have missed a few weeks of exercise. Gotta get back to it within next few days, after excruciating pain has subsided.  Lol! 
Working on my paper this week is fun for me.  I enjoy brainstorming and freewriting the most out of all the choices.  I have attempted "listing" also, and find that enjoyable.  I did do clustering and bubbling and do not like it as much as the other three, as it does not help me feel that my thoughts or information are in order.  I also appreciate outlining for the very fact that things are in order.  Lol, guess you can tell that I appreciate things orderly.  I am running behind with my writing and preperation for my paper because of family errands and because of the emotional pressure of the death.  This will pass as a quote comes to mind by Dan Green, "Your ability to keep your fire burning in the midst of a storm is paramount to becoming a champion."  Also the quote by Evan Esar, "Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration, and inspiration."  Have a great week everyone, with lots of positive and joyous thoughts.

This week of Unit 4 I will discuss plagiarism with the need to cite the sources we use properly. 
When I started Composition I and started talking about plagiarism, I became so overwhelmed with the thought of doing it by accident.  I do not ever want to take someone elses' words for my own, as I simply appreciate the depth, meaning and feeling that go into creating thoughts with meaning and words.  I use a "Quote Journal" for keeping quotes, authors, and the date I wrote them.  An example is, "The first, and perhaps most important of all, rituals is to define and reflect each day on a vision and mission anchored to ones' deepest values.  This ritual powerfully fuels motivation, passion, and focus by drawing on targeted thinking, visualization, and mental rehersal." ~ Jim Loehr, LGE ~(2010, March 19). 
Above is an example of someone elses' words, and I would be stealing them as my own if I did not place them in quotes and then identify the author.  As students and business people, we must continually work on our own thoughts and ideas for writing.  Each university has their own particular style guidelines that they follow, such as APA, MLA, and Bluebook.  It is important that you know which one your university is following by simply asking your professor.  Citing information correctly involves showing information about books, articles, and other sources (Carlson, et al., 2010, p125-126).  This is to show credit to the original author and to provide the reader with information to do their own research if they choose (Carlson, et al., 2010).  There are two types of citation, in-text citation, which can vary with the type of style you are using to write, and full citation, which has all the information that is needed to research the information personally, and is written on a resource page (Carlson, et al., 2010).
Source:  Carlson, S., Martinez, D., VanDam, K. (2010).  "Basic Citation Guidelines".  The Kaplan Guide To Successful Writing (pp121-142).  New York, NY:  Kaplan Publishing.

Brainstorming for The Necessity/Importance of Proper Nutrition

The first topic in narrowing down specifics with, "The necessity/importance of proper nutrition" has to do with young children.  Some of the articles that I found were; Dreyer, J. (98, December).  Young cancer patients need good nutrition.  New York Amsterdam News, 89(51), 20.  This article covers tumors in children and that proper nutrition is important to children feeling better.  Another article was; Cooke, L. (2007, August).  The Importance of exposure for healthy eating in childhood:  a review.  Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietietics, 20(4), 294-301.  doi:  10.1111/j.1365-277X.2007.00804.x.  This article concerned itself with childrens' preferences as compared with their eating habits.  Another article was; Burkman, M. A., Streng, K., Wolfe, P. (2000, March).  The Science of Nutrition.  Educational Leadership, 57(6), 1.  This article deals with how nutrition plays a part in learning, and achieving, along with the well-being of students.

Another topic for, "The necessity/importance of proper nutrition", has to do with eating right for health and wellness.   One of the topics listed was; Arthur, N., Ewashen, C., Russell-Mayhew, S., (2007, march).  Targeting Students, Teachers and Parents in a Wellness-Based prevention Program in Schools.  Eating Disorders, 15(2), 159-181.  doi:  10.1080/10640260701190709.  This article deals with elementary and junior high students with well-ness based eating plans for attitude and body image.  The next article I looked at was, Eating With Health in Mind.  American School Board Journal, (2007, April).  194, 12.  This focused on improving students' diets and eating habits to help them in school.  Another article I checked out was; Hubbard, G. T., Rhyne-Winkler, M. C., (94, January).  Eating attitudes and behavior:  A school counseling program.  School Counselor, 41(3), 195.  This article forcused on preventing and finding eating disorders in children and providing information for healthy eating.

I have really enjoyed being an online student because of the flexibility of the classes and the homework.  I do not feel like there is total anonymity because we discuss our opinions with each other during seminar and on the discussion board.  I have always enjoyed doing research and all that it entails.  I feel very priviledged to be going to school at this time in my life.

I do not know about being part of a larger writing community or have a clue about being closer with my class.  I do know that time is short and that there are times it would be nice to be able to get together with fellow classmates and discuss a project.  I am constantly helping others, so I work around that and my family when it comes to schoolwork.  I do appreciate the feedback from the discussion boards and look forward to those boards every week.  Other than that, I really do not see the blog as something I will continue with after I am done with classes.  I appreciate other peoples thoughts and yet do not necessarily have to voice my own.

Hello all,  It has been a rough ending to this week as my mother in-law passed suddenly on black friday.  She was shopping and doing what she liked doing so that part wasn't so bad.  Having hard time wrapping my mind around school, and am determined to get what needs to be done, done.  Tommorrow will be long as we will go to the funeral home.  Time is so very short, it is just over a year since my mom passed and my dad a couple years before that.  I am reminded of a quote from Denis Waitley, "View change as the one constant in your life.  Welcome it.  Expect it.  Anticipate it."  Anticipating how one will feel and handle something can be surprising!  I will post again for my topic and thesis statement.

Hi to all my Comp II classmates.  I have to be honest and say I really do not feel comfortable with blogging and yet, "here I am!"  I have used option 2 to setup other classmates blogs in my reading list.  Here's to all of our hard work and effort in this term.