as most of you are aware I have 3 kids.
2 of the 3 are my step sons. they've lived with us full time for over 10 years now. I was 19 when they moved in with us.
they've had zero contact from their birth mother in over 7 years.
i'll be honest, things aren't plain sailing being a step-parent, there's still a lot of association of the "evil step-mother" from fairytales.
it also doesn't help when your step-kids upbringing has been less than ideal.
i have my own opinions about their mother but i'll keep those to myself, but lets just say she was never really a stable member of their family, in any sense of the word.
we've got through a lot over these past 10 years, it's been a long LONG slog, the situations we've faced have sent me into mental breakdown on more than one occasion, they weren't angel children to put it mildly, and the "one day they'll realise" that people were so fond of telling me was of little comfort.
BUT, we kept with it, and now I can very proudly say that they may be pains in the arse, who eat me out of house and home, never stop needing new clothes, never stop needing nagged to do their washing, keep their rooms tidy, take a shower and to "turn that bloody computer down!!" but they're MY pains in the arse!!
Duncan's just passed all of his standards and intermediates and i couldn't be prouder!!! he gets his brains from me, ya know ;)
Kieren has finally found his feet at school and is enjoying going to his ATC which has really helped give him focus and ambition.
and ya know what, they may not be angels, but at least they're not those boys who hang about the streets causing trouble or going out getting girls pregnant!
considering the less than ideal first few years they both had, I am bloody proud of the both of them, and it goes to show it might take a while (read "years and years") but having a crap start in life doesn't have to set in stone the path you'll continue on in life.
the reason behind this post is because today we were supposed to be attend the boys great grandparents diamond wedding anniversary party, their gran and papa are the only members of that side of the family we still have contact with. their gran and papa pretty much raised them before they came to live with us.
last night we found out that their mother would be at the event and a WHOLE load of bad memories came back to the fore. regardless of how it would be delt with, i couldn't see a happy outcome of going to the party. i really didn't sleep last night and had horrid stomach cramps over the worry of the situation, not for myself, but for the psychological damage this could potentially have on the boys.
i always knew that one day they'd maybe want to try and contact their mother, but i want that to be in their own time and on their terms and i felt if we took them to the party knowing she would be there that they wouldn't really have a choice in the matter.
long story short we left it to the boys to decide if they wanted to go, knowing their mother would be there, or to leave it and we'd arrange to take the gran and papa out for a meal next week - they opted for the latter. Duncan has essentially said he wants nothing to do with her. he's now even refering to her by her given name!
we've never made excuses for her when they've asked questions, but at the same time we've never bad mouthed her to them either, we've always said we'd let them make up their own minds.
and now they have. and to be quite honest, i think it's for the best. i'm not saying she's a bad person, but she was never really a positive influence in their lives. we've got through a lot these past 10 years and i really don't want to drag the past back to the present, they're settled now, they're happy.
and at the end of the day, that's all a parent wants for their child.
Friday 5 August 2011
Sunday 17 July 2011
"mummy, when are you going to get another baby out of your belly?"
this has been a question that Caelan (7) has been asking me a lot lately.
at first i thought possibly a few of his classmates were expecting brothers or sisters soon, but Caelan says not.
then i thought maybe because they'd been doing a topic on 'welcoming a new baby'
but no.
it transpires his reason for asking this is a little more selfish.
at present all the boys have chores to do, they clean their own rooms and en-suite and assist in keeping the family living areas tidy, the older 2 do their own washing and take turns in emptying and stacking the dishwasher. Duncan also has a paper round.
so out it came the other day in the car as to exactly why it is Caelan is after having a baby brother or sister...
he's clicked onto the fact that within the next handful of years both boys will be moving out...
"and when the boys move out i'll have to do ALL the chores ALL BY MYSELF!" he says is exhasperation, throwing his arms in the air "AND i'll have to get a paper round! and that's just not fair!"
"we wont make you do both the boys chores, that wouldn't be fair.... and you don't HAVE to get a paper round, darling" i tell him
"yes I do" he replies " because i'll need to save up for a house and a car"
well... that'd be some paper round if he thinks he's gonna be able to save for a house and car from it, but at least it means he appreciates that you gotta work to get what you want, that stuff doesn't just drop in your lap.
i don't think he'll be getting his wish for a baby sibling... not any time soon anyway!
at first i thought possibly a few of his classmates were expecting brothers or sisters soon, but Caelan says not.
then i thought maybe because they'd been doing a topic on 'welcoming a new baby'
but no.
it transpires his reason for asking this is a little more selfish.
at present all the boys have chores to do, they clean their own rooms and en-suite and assist in keeping the family living areas tidy, the older 2 do their own washing and take turns in emptying and stacking the dishwasher. Duncan also has a paper round.
so out it came the other day in the car as to exactly why it is Caelan is after having a baby brother or sister...
he's clicked onto the fact that within the next handful of years both boys will be moving out...
"and when the boys move out i'll have to do ALL the chores ALL BY MYSELF!" he says is exhasperation, throwing his arms in the air "AND i'll have to get a paper round! and that's just not fair!"
"we wont make you do both the boys chores, that wouldn't be fair.... and you don't HAVE to get a paper round, darling" i tell him
"yes I do" he replies " because i'll need to save up for a house and a car"
well... that'd be some paper round if he thinks he's gonna be able to save for a house and car from it, but at least it means he appreciates that you gotta work to get what you want, that stuff doesn't just drop in your lap.
i don't think he'll be getting his wish for a baby sibling... not any time soon anyway!
Friday 15 July 2011
why I love Zumba Fitness!
as I write this I am onto my 3rd glass of wine, and to say I'm a cheap date is a huge understatement.... so i may well look back at this in the morning and go "oh dear god" - either at the content or at the spelling lol
OK so why I love Zumba
first and foremost I've met some absolutely fanstastic people through Zumba, both as a participant and as an instructor, there are some truely inspirational people out there and i now have to pleasure to say I know them, some I am even able to call my friends.
it gives you a real all natural buzz!
if I'm feeling totally rubbish either physically or emtionally, I know if I can summon up the enegry to get my arse to a Zumba class then those feelings quickly become a distant memory :) i'm not saying if you really are physically exhausted or if you're ill you should push through, you gotta listen to your body and rest when you need to - but if you're just generally feeling 'blah' or a bit 'meh' and are tempted to reach for that chocolate bar then get your backside to a Zumba class and those feelings of 'blah' and 'meh' totally go away :)
Zumba has got me through some hard times this past year, it's been my escape from all my stresses and worries, it's been my hour of the day where nothing has been a concern but following a mad pair of feet on a stage in front of me.
generally speaking Zumba instructors are nuts (and yes i include myself in that!), so you will have a giggle if nothing else :P
you lose inches!
notice I say inches and not weight, although more than likely you will lose weight too - I've been doing Zumba for a year and a half now and I've actually only lost about 6lb but I have dropped 3 dress sizes!! In Zumba you both burn fat and build muscle - but remember, muscle weighs more than fat so it is quite possible to actually gain weight and still lose the inches! go by your measuring tape and how your clothes fit, NOT by what your scales say!
when I started Zumba around my hips/bum I was a whopping 49" at the widest and 46" at narrowest - i am now, at the last i measured, 41" at the widest and 37" at the narrowest :) I went into my old work last week, I've not been there in 2 years, and the first thing one of my old colleagues said when she saw me was "you've lost half your arse!!" - nope, not lost it, left it at Zumba!
i am battling against a couple of hormone imbalance conditions which make it really hard for me to lose weight, even slogging it out at Zumba 4 times a week my loss has been slow, but boy has it been fun!! i have loved every single sweaty moment of it!
you get a confidence boost!
In Zumba it doesn't matter if you've danced all your life or of you've never danced a day in your life, on the Zumba dance floor everyone is equal, as long as you are moving and you are having fun that is all that matters. Zumba routines are specially choreographed so that ANYONE can follow them. everyone can Zumba because however you move is PERFECT :) and PLEASE believe me when I say that no-one is watching or judging you, everyone is far too busy following the instructor to care what anyone else is doing!
Zumba opens up exercise to everyone!
whether you're a fitness nut or completely new to any form of exercise there is a Zumba Fitness class for you! from chair Gold classes for those with very limited mobility through to the body sculpting Zumba Toning, there is a class for everyone to get their grove on to the rhythms we have come to know and love :) I have recently taken some classes for people with learning disabilities and the classes were just fab!
you do NOT need to know how to dance to know how to Zumba!! just follow your instructor and let the music move you! honestly the best advice i can give to any Zumba newbies is to just relax and let the music guide you, a lot of the steps and rhythms are very natural once you let go :) i tend to find i am more likely to trip over my own feet if i am trying too hard, just relax and let the music move you!
you'll find classes will vary from instructor to instructor- uniqueness is celebrated and encouraged both with students and instructors, but i 100% believe that there is a class and instructor out there for everyone!
it opens you up to a whole new world of music and dance!
i had never even heard of Reggaeton, Cumbia or Axe before I started going to Zumba classes, let alone knowing how to move to these rhythms! my music pallet is now so much wider... even if I don't understand what's being said in the music (be assured that Zumba music is clean both in language and in topic no matter what language it's being sung in!)
all in all, I love Zumba! I have loved Zumba from the first class I went to well over a year ago, I love the change it has made to my life, it has boosted my confidence, I've dropped 3 dress sizes, I've made new friends, not to mention the fact I am now fitter than I probably have ever been in my life :)
ZUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMBA!!!!
Sunday 10 July 2011
Fun Club charity class
OK so I did the charity class yesterday for the Fun Club - not as many people turned up as we'd have liked but i was quite happy with the class size for the size of the hall. it meant they all had a good amount of room to move and also meant i could work on the floor and not on the stage (the notion of being up on a stage still rather freaks me out!)
when i initially got there there was no-one around, had a wee wander about in my neon get-up, attracted a few odd looks.... but nope - no doors open, nothing... odd considering it was 2:15 and we were meant to have the hall from 2pm was beginning to think I'd got the address wrong!
so sat about for a while until I saw Paula, phew! relief! was at least at the right place!
she'd been there since 2 and had gone in search of someone to open the doors. eventually at about 2:25 someone turned up.
so off we went in and set up, i got some Zumbatomic tunes going for the kids while we adults had a good chin wag.
had a few familiar faces show up - Sanna (from uni) and her hubby, Lynseyann and Sharon from Lyna's class. was great to have them there for support but at the same time absolutely terrifying lol
we didn't get going until about 3:20, they wanted to hold off a bit to ensure we got as many people through the door as possible.
the class went really well! had a real mix of participants, young-uns to the 'not-quite-so-young-anymore-but-still-young-at-heart', all fitness levels. my 2 oldest participants up the back were brilliant, gave it what they could and laughed their way through the entire class! i even had FOUR men in the class! yes, you read that right FOUR!! lol
i had read on one of the Zumba instructors' forums about needing to give 150% to get your participants to give 75% and let me tell you this - that is EXHAUSTING! by the 4th song in I was already beginning to feel it and was seriously beginning to wonder if i'd make the end of the class, especially as i still had a good few high energy songs to come! but you pull it from somewhere... not sure where... the enegry of the participants keeps you going i guess, especially when you do give it a bit of welly and you see them laugh at what a prat I must have looked hehe :)
and on the 6th song in - I blanked - and of all songs to blank on - Me Gusta! FFS.... *rolls eyes at self* *facepalm* etc etc, it was only a couple of seconds, but for me it felt like half the song, I was really beginning to panic and nervously announced "i can't remember the steps!" to which i got a lot of laughs (thankfully!), but once the intro had passed it all clicked in and off we went.
all the participants were great, loved seeing all their wee confused faces when the steps got a little more complicated and even more the look of satisfaction when they got it. they really were a good crowd, it was a pleasure to instruct to them!
at the end I had quite a few come up and speak to me which was lovely, it's always great to get feedback especially when you're still pretty new to instructing - this was only my 4th class!
- had comments of 'working muscles i didn't know existed', others asking about classes, participants who'd never been to a Zumba class before saying they'd enjoyed it, i even had a lovely message through FB from one of the participants saying how she'd been to a class before and had been put off of Zumba from it but came to the class to support the cause, and that she enjoyed so much ('converted'!!) that she wants to give it a go again :)
i totally believe there is an instructor out there for everyone, it's just a case of trying out different ones until you find one whose style you like- Zumba is all about being yourself, showing your own unique flair, and that goes for instructors as well as participants.
I have been moved to near tears, absolutely genuinely blown away by the comments i've been recieving, I am SO happy people enjoyed the class! I always get so so so incredibly nervous before a class, these comments really do mean ever so much to me.
all in all between the class, the raffle and the "guess how many sweeties in the jar" £134 was raised for the Fun Club which will go towards a trip for the kids to legoland next year - Well Done everyone!!
when i initially got there there was no-one around, had a wee wander about in my neon get-up, attracted a few odd looks.... but nope - no doors open, nothing... odd considering it was 2:15 and we were meant to have the hall from 2pm was beginning to think I'd got the address wrong!
so sat about for a while until I saw Paula, phew! relief! was at least at the right place!
she'd been there since 2 and had gone in search of someone to open the doors. eventually at about 2:25 someone turned up.
so off we went in and set up, i got some Zumbatomic tunes going for the kids while we adults had a good chin wag.
had a few familiar faces show up - Sanna (from uni) and her hubby, Lynseyann and Sharon from Lyna's class. was great to have them there for support but at the same time absolutely terrifying lol
we didn't get going until about 3:20, they wanted to hold off a bit to ensure we got as many people through the door as possible.
the class went really well! had a real mix of participants, young-uns to the 'not-quite-so-young-anymore-but-still-young-at-heart', all fitness levels. my 2 oldest participants up the back were brilliant, gave it what they could and laughed their way through the entire class! i even had FOUR men in the class! yes, you read that right FOUR!! lol
i had read on one of the Zumba instructors' forums about needing to give 150% to get your participants to give 75% and let me tell you this - that is EXHAUSTING! by the 4th song in I was already beginning to feel it and was seriously beginning to wonder if i'd make the end of the class, especially as i still had a good few high energy songs to come! but you pull it from somewhere... not sure where... the enegry of the participants keeps you going i guess, especially when you do give it a bit of welly and you see them laugh at what a prat I must have looked hehe :)
and on the 6th song in - I blanked - and of all songs to blank on - Me Gusta! FFS.... *rolls eyes at self* *facepalm* etc etc, it was only a couple of seconds, but for me it felt like half the song, I was really beginning to panic and nervously announced "i can't remember the steps!" to which i got a lot of laughs (thankfully!), but once the intro had passed it all clicked in and off we went.
all the participants were great, loved seeing all their wee confused faces when the steps got a little more complicated and even more the look of satisfaction when they got it. they really were a good crowd, it was a pleasure to instruct to them!
at the end I had quite a few come up and speak to me which was lovely, it's always great to get feedback especially when you're still pretty new to instructing - this was only my 4th class!
- had comments of 'working muscles i didn't know existed', others asking about classes, participants who'd never been to a Zumba class before saying they'd enjoyed it, i even had a lovely message through FB from one of the participants saying how she'd been to a class before and had been put off of Zumba from it but came to the class to support the cause, and that she enjoyed so much ('converted'!!) that she wants to give it a go again :)
i totally believe there is an instructor out there for everyone, it's just a case of trying out different ones until you find one whose style you like- Zumba is all about being yourself, showing your own unique flair, and that goes for instructors as well as participants.
I have been moved to near tears, absolutely genuinely blown away by the comments i've been recieving, I am SO happy people enjoyed the class! I always get so so so incredibly nervous before a class, these comments really do mean ever so much to me.
all in all between the class, the raffle and the "guess how many sweeties in the jar" £134 was raised for the Fun Club which will go towards a trip for the kids to legoland next year - Well Done everyone!!
Saturday 2 July 2011
life was simple once upon a time, a long time ago...
today we were through in Livingston for Paul's work's family fun day, they're a big american company so they really go for all that sort of stuff, it was good, but not anything to write home about.
on the way back we did a tour of houses the boys have lived in, including through in Livingston, Wishaw and Stonehouse.
Caelan was born when we lived in Stonehouse, I loved living there, the village is wonderful, but we were rapidly outgrowing our small 3 bed semi and there wasn't anything more local that suited our requirements that we could afford.
we had a massive back garden, it really was huge, we had a good 4m x 7m decking outside the back door and that didn't even put a dent into the garden.
i regailed Caelan with stories of water fights we would have in the garden (usually me trapping Kieren in the top corner and attacking him with the hose!!), how we spent SO much time out there playing with the dog, with the tents....
and then Caelan said "why do we not do that now? life is boring now, all i do is go to school, come home and go on my computer or watch tv"
of course that's not his life every day... but unfortunately that is his life for a lot of it...
life was a lot simpler back then, I had a 9-5 nursery job which was only a couple of miles away, Paul worked from home, the boys attended a wee school just 200m down the road... we didn't have anything that ate into our precious family time.
now if i'm not at uni/on placement, i'm studying, or travelling, and if i'm not doing any of those then i'm usually sitting with my brain oozing out of my ears really not in any functionable state to do anything other than drool.
it's suddenly made me feel very guilty for wanting to better myself, which i know is stupid, but it was so saddening to hear him say what he did. i have realised that things have changed a LOT over recent years, and me being in Uni has been accounted for a lot of that, but i guess i never realised quite how he actually felt about it all.
really given any choice in the matter i'd be a stay at home mum, i'd go out volunteering during the day but always be there for my kids when they left school, i'd be there to do activities with them, to teach them life skills they wont learn in the classroom, i'd be there to play with them and have spontaneous water fights. instead i'm never in, and when i am i'm so tired all i manage to do is tell them to give me some peace.
god i feel guilty right now.
on the way back we did a tour of houses the boys have lived in, including through in Livingston, Wishaw and Stonehouse.
Caelan was born when we lived in Stonehouse, I loved living there, the village is wonderful, but we were rapidly outgrowing our small 3 bed semi and there wasn't anything more local that suited our requirements that we could afford.
we had a massive back garden, it really was huge, we had a good 4m x 7m decking outside the back door and that didn't even put a dent into the garden.
i regailed Caelan with stories of water fights we would have in the garden (usually me trapping Kieren in the top corner and attacking him with the hose!!), how we spent SO much time out there playing with the dog, with the tents....
and then Caelan said "why do we not do that now? life is boring now, all i do is go to school, come home and go on my computer or watch tv"
of course that's not his life every day... but unfortunately that is his life for a lot of it...
life was a lot simpler back then, I had a 9-5 nursery job which was only a couple of miles away, Paul worked from home, the boys attended a wee school just 200m down the road... we didn't have anything that ate into our precious family time.
now if i'm not at uni/on placement, i'm studying, or travelling, and if i'm not doing any of those then i'm usually sitting with my brain oozing out of my ears really not in any functionable state to do anything other than drool.
it's suddenly made me feel very guilty for wanting to better myself, which i know is stupid, but it was so saddening to hear him say what he did. i have realised that things have changed a LOT over recent years, and me being in Uni has been accounted for a lot of that, but i guess i never realised quite how he actually felt about it all.
really given any choice in the matter i'd be a stay at home mum, i'd go out volunteering during the day but always be there for my kids when they left school, i'd be there to do activities with them, to teach them life skills they wont learn in the classroom, i'd be there to play with them and have spontaneous water fights. instead i'm never in, and when i am i'm so tired all i manage to do is tell them to give me some peace.
god i feel guilty right now.
Friday 1 July 2011
when exhaustion hits...
i've pretty much been on the go solidly since the beginning of semester B/trimester2 - ie, new year.
we never really got a proper holiday between semesters B and C as we had to take our uni holidays when the schools were off, which meant most of us had our 'holiday' in dribs and drabs in the middle of placement, and so as a result, it wasn't really a holiday as we still had placement and uni work to worry about.
add to that my sems B and C overlapped by a week as i got an extension for my sem B essays...
i'm now 1 week into my final placement of 2nd yearand I am absolutely done in and have no idea how i am going to make it to the end of 2nd year. i just need to get through this placement- 5 more weeks, 1 more essay, and that'll be 2nd year over and done with.
but at the mo I just don't know if i'll make it.
shattered doesn't even come close. I have completely and totally burnt out.
as if i wasn't burnt out from uni, Caelan's not been well lately either, 2 nights this past week he's been up most of the night throwing up and yet come the daytime he's been fine.
last night i managed to kick paul out of bed to deal with him, considering i dealt with Caelan last time, plus paul was working from home today - but still, i woke up whenever it was Caelan started being sick (i didn't look at the clock) and never really got properly back to sleep.
placement is going good, i'm back with the team i was with for my 1st placement of 1st year, same mentor too, but now my mentor is based in the Girvan end of south ayrshire... so most of my day is spent in the car, it's about 20 miles into town to get to the CLDT base, and then anywhere between 20 and 35 miles down to wherever we're going that day... so most days i'm travelling between 80 and 100 miles.
and today i had to traipse into uni to hand in my essay (we had to hand it in electronically too, so quite why we need to hand in a paper copy too i dunno), so again today i was on the road well over 100 miles.
only saving grace is that because i'm solely based with the community team and not with a family, only 40 miles of most of my days is my petrol, the rest is the nurse's. if i were placed in a family of my mentor's caseload all the miles would be mine.
that's glasgow caledonian logic for ya, place me in a relatively near-by team (20 miles away is near-by by rural scotland standards!) but in a sub-team which covers many many miles away.
i've got a charity Zumba class next weekend and i'm not sure where i'm gonna find the time to practice for it.
as it is i've had to cancel going to a Zumbathon this sunday as i'm going to a family event thing at Paul's work on saturday and I NEED at least 1 day to really just try and rest and re-gather my energy.
my bedroom looks like a chinese laundry, clothes get as far as coming out the tumble but then get dumped back in the big washbaskets waiting for me to gather up the enegry to sort and fold it all. - there's about 4 of them now and i'm trying to ignore them in the hope they'll sort themselves....
we never really got a proper holiday between semesters B and C as we had to take our uni holidays when the schools were off, which meant most of us had our 'holiday' in dribs and drabs in the middle of placement, and so as a result, it wasn't really a holiday as we still had placement and uni work to worry about.
add to that my sems B and C overlapped by a week as i got an extension for my sem B essays...
i'm now 1 week into my final placement of 2nd yearand I am absolutely done in and have no idea how i am going to make it to the end of 2nd year. i just need to get through this placement- 5 more weeks, 1 more essay, and that'll be 2nd year over and done with.
but at the mo I just don't know if i'll make it.
shattered doesn't even come close. I have completely and totally burnt out.
as if i wasn't burnt out from uni, Caelan's not been well lately either, 2 nights this past week he's been up most of the night throwing up and yet come the daytime he's been fine.
last night i managed to kick paul out of bed to deal with him, considering i dealt with Caelan last time, plus paul was working from home today - but still, i woke up whenever it was Caelan started being sick (i didn't look at the clock) and never really got properly back to sleep.
placement is going good, i'm back with the team i was with for my 1st placement of 1st year, same mentor too, but now my mentor is based in the Girvan end of south ayrshire... so most of my day is spent in the car, it's about 20 miles into town to get to the CLDT base, and then anywhere between 20 and 35 miles down to wherever we're going that day... so most days i'm travelling between 80 and 100 miles.
and today i had to traipse into uni to hand in my essay (we had to hand it in electronically too, so quite why we need to hand in a paper copy too i dunno), so again today i was on the road well over 100 miles.
only saving grace is that because i'm solely based with the community team and not with a family, only 40 miles of most of my days is my petrol, the rest is the nurse's. if i were placed in a family of my mentor's caseload all the miles would be mine.
that's glasgow caledonian logic for ya, place me in a relatively near-by team (20 miles away is near-by by rural scotland standards!) but in a sub-team which covers many many miles away.
i've got a charity Zumba class next weekend and i'm not sure where i'm gonna find the time to practice for it.
as it is i've had to cancel going to a Zumbathon this sunday as i'm going to a family event thing at Paul's work on saturday and I NEED at least 1 day to really just try and rest and re-gather my energy.
my bedroom looks like a chinese laundry, clothes get as far as coming out the tumble but then get dumped back in the big washbaskets waiting for me to gather up the enegry to sort and fold it all. - there's about 4 of them now and i'm trying to ignore them in the hope they'll sort themselves....
Friday 24 June 2011
2 classes, 1 day
it was a busy Zumba day for me again yesterday.
i had a half hour demo at the north ayrshire learning disability awareness week celebrations, it was lucky i got there early as it transpired that my slot had been moved forwards and i hadn't been told!
so i walked into the Volunteers Rooms in irvine and OMG - it was SO busy, loads of stalls and LOADS of people!
spotted loads of familiar faces, nursing staff, carers, clients... it was one of those days where i saw loads of faces I knew and struggled to place a few of them. it was nice to catch up with some of the nurses i'd worked with last year, even had one ask about where i was going for my year long 3rd year placement and if i'd consider going back to the north team. chatted to a few service users i'd got to know from my 10 weeks with the north team too, most of them recognised me but couldn't recall where they knew me from.
anyways, we got started with the Zumba, had about 20 starting out, wide variety of ages but generally ability level was a lot higher than tuesday's class so routines were yet again modified to suit the needs of the group.
yet again, some real characters started to stand out, mainly males I must say!! i think I've probably had more men taking part in these 2 classes than most instructors get in a year!! there was a small group of young male service users who i spent an afternoon with while on placement last year who joined in after the first couple of routines despite being all shy initially when i'd asked if they were gonna join in, they really got into it which was a great laugh. it's interesting how i've found from these 2 classes how it's actually been the guys who have really got into it!
about half way through during a water break i got approached by a woman who asked me to find her after i was done so that we could talk putting on some Zumba classes, i assume she must have been from a day services - unfortunately come the end i couldn't track her down, i hope she manages to get my contacts through one channel or another...
so we finished the half hour slot and the physio department took over the floor to do some games, i had a couple of the service user participants come up and chat to me about Zumba, one already goes to 3 different classes and raved about how much she loves it, she even showed me her entry into the artwork competition which was Zumba based! :)
then got approached by a woman who turned out to be Paula, the lady I'm doing the charity class for in july, I had seen her daughter running about (her long flame red hair makes her difficult to miss!) but didn't know she was there herself, so it was nice to put a face to the name. am really looking forward to doing that charity class :)
on the way out I caught up with Lisa, who I'm at Uni with, who had been doing massages all day and looked shattered - i think in general we're all just hitting exhaustion stage now and cannot wait for our holidays in 6 weeks.
then ran into a guy (support worker) who i knew i knew from somewhere but couldn't for love nor money work out where from, he came up to me and pretty much said the same thing - we are both student nurses but in different years... on different branches... at different unis.... so it evidently wasn't that... we ended up backtracking our careers and it transpired we worked at Daldorch (a residential school run by the national autistic society) at the same time, which would be why i found it so hard placing him considering i've not worked there in 4 years, plus i'm pretty sure he worked in a different unit, so knew him as a face in passing but didn't actually know him.
that's one of the benefits and downfalls of having been in so many community placements - you certainly 'get your face known' which is obvs a good thing, esp when it comes to future jobs, but it gets to the stage you know so many people in passing....
I went and picked Caelan up from school in my Zumba attire, which attracted a few odd looks.
I covered a standard class in the evening for Gillian (Zumba Ayr), only 6 people turned up but to be honest i wasn't really expecting a huge turnout, according to Gillian it's never usually a huge class and between those going to see take that, those who decided not to go considering it was a cover instructor and those who made the most of the sun... but it was a reasonable class, had a range from those pretty much brand new to Zumba to one who had evidently been going for a long time, but i'd say most of the participants fell into the first category so i kept things quite simple and added more empahsis and flavour slowly throughout the routines, letting them get the hang of the basics before adding the umph, the lady who'd evidently been going a while just gave it welly throughout once she knew what step went where, which was fine by me.
this was my first hour long class, so this one for me was the real test, especially so as it was my 2nd class of the day added to the fact i wasn't feeling all that well.
i survived the class, managed to get it pretty much bang on to the hour and everyone left sweaty and smiling, so i think i did OK.
i had one of the ladies stay and speak to me at the end, saying how it was only her 3rd class and how she finds it easier to follow when the instructor is facing the same way as them, which I agreed that some routines are a lot easier to follow trickier leg moves when the instructor is facing the same way. i did the whole of baila, menea y goza facing the same direction as the class, as well as stand by me as i knew the legs would be easier to follow in the same facing. she said she's still at that stage where her legs get in quite a muddle but that it's probably just a case of practice - i told her of the number of times i've tripped over my own feet, landed myself on my backside etc when having '2 left feet' days.... i ended up doing a fair stint of the static stretch along side this lady as she was having difficulty working out what leg went where and what leg bent and where you put your weight to get the optimal stretch out of the muscle, which she said she really appreciated.
it made me realise that despite my deep hatred of mirrors, they do serve a purpose - it would have been nice to have faced the same way as the class so that it was easier for them to follow my moves but still be able to see what they were doing - i felt i needed wing mirrors or something!!
i did remember to cue for the most part again too - though for some reason I struggled more with the cuing for this 2nd class.
it does make me laugh, both classes I did cinco letras, both i started off doing the legs very slowly and when i said "shall we take it up a level, go a bit faster?" there was this nervous laughter, but they all managed.
come the end of the day to say i was sore was an understatement, i didn't get a great sleep last night either due to the ache in my legs, but after a day of relative rest they're already feeling a bit better. wine is helping too.
i had a half hour demo at the north ayrshire learning disability awareness week celebrations, it was lucky i got there early as it transpired that my slot had been moved forwards and i hadn't been told!
so i walked into the Volunteers Rooms in irvine and OMG - it was SO busy, loads of stalls and LOADS of people!
spotted loads of familiar faces, nursing staff, carers, clients... it was one of those days where i saw loads of faces I knew and struggled to place a few of them. it was nice to catch up with some of the nurses i'd worked with last year, even had one ask about where i was going for my year long 3rd year placement and if i'd consider going back to the north team. chatted to a few service users i'd got to know from my 10 weeks with the north team too, most of them recognised me but couldn't recall where they knew me from.
anyways, we got started with the Zumba, had about 20 starting out, wide variety of ages but generally ability level was a lot higher than tuesday's class so routines were yet again modified to suit the needs of the group.
yet again, some real characters started to stand out, mainly males I must say!! i think I've probably had more men taking part in these 2 classes than most instructors get in a year!! there was a small group of young male service users who i spent an afternoon with while on placement last year who joined in after the first couple of routines despite being all shy initially when i'd asked if they were gonna join in, they really got into it which was a great laugh. it's interesting how i've found from these 2 classes how it's actually been the guys who have really got into it!
about half way through during a water break i got approached by a woman who asked me to find her after i was done so that we could talk putting on some Zumba classes, i assume she must have been from a day services - unfortunately come the end i couldn't track her down, i hope she manages to get my contacts through one channel or another...
so we finished the half hour slot and the physio department took over the floor to do some games, i had a couple of the service user participants come up and chat to me about Zumba, one already goes to 3 different classes and raved about how much she loves it, she even showed me her entry into the artwork competition which was Zumba based! :)
then got approached by a woman who turned out to be Paula, the lady I'm doing the charity class for in july, I had seen her daughter running about (her long flame red hair makes her difficult to miss!) but didn't know she was there herself, so it was nice to put a face to the name. am really looking forward to doing that charity class :)
on the way out I caught up with Lisa, who I'm at Uni with, who had been doing massages all day and looked shattered - i think in general we're all just hitting exhaustion stage now and cannot wait for our holidays in 6 weeks.
then ran into a guy (support worker) who i knew i knew from somewhere but couldn't for love nor money work out where from, he came up to me and pretty much said the same thing - we are both student nurses but in different years... on different branches... at different unis.... so it evidently wasn't that... we ended up backtracking our careers and it transpired we worked at Daldorch (a residential school run by the national autistic society) at the same time, which would be why i found it so hard placing him considering i've not worked there in 4 years, plus i'm pretty sure he worked in a different unit, so knew him as a face in passing but didn't actually know him.
that's one of the benefits and downfalls of having been in so many community placements - you certainly 'get your face known' which is obvs a good thing, esp when it comes to future jobs, but it gets to the stage you know so many people in passing....
I went and picked Caelan up from school in my Zumba attire, which attracted a few odd looks.
I covered a standard class in the evening for Gillian (Zumba Ayr), only 6 people turned up but to be honest i wasn't really expecting a huge turnout, according to Gillian it's never usually a huge class and between those going to see take that, those who decided not to go considering it was a cover instructor and those who made the most of the sun... but it was a reasonable class, had a range from those pretty much brand new to Zumba to one who had evidently been going for a long time, but i'd say most of the participants fell into the first category so i kept things quite simple and added more empahsis and flavour slowly throughout the routines, letting them get the hang of the basics before adding the umph, the lady who'd evidently been going a while just gave it welly throughout once she knew what step went where, which was fine by me.
this was my first hour long class, so this one for me was the real test, especially so as it was my 2nd class of the day added to the fact i wasn't feeling all that well.
i survived the class, managed to get it pretty much bang on to the hour and everyone left sweaty and smiling, so i think i did OK.
i had one of the ladies stay and speak to me at the end, saying how it was only her 3rd class and how she finds it easier to follow when the instructor is facing the same way as them, which I agreed that some routines are a lot easier to follow trickier leg moves when the instructor is facing the same way. i did the whole of baila, menea y goza facing the same direction as the class, as well as stand by me as i knew the legs would be easier to follow in the same facing. she said she's still at that stage where her legs get in quite a muddle but that it's probably just a case of practice - i told her of the number of times i've tripped over my own feet, landed myself on my backside etc when having '2 left feet' days.... i ended up doing a fair stint of the static stretch along side this lady as she was having difficulty working out what leg went where and what leg bent and where you put your weight to get the optimal stretch out of the muscle, which she said she really appreciated.
it made me realise that despite my deep hatred of mirrors, they do serve a purpose - it would have been nice to have faced the same way as the class so that it was easier for them to follow my moves but still be able to see what they were doing - i felt i needed wing mirrors or something!!
i did remember to cue for the most part again too - though for some reason I struggled more with the cuing for this 2nd class.
it does make me laugh, both classes I did cinco letras, both i started off doing the legs very slowly and when i said "shall we take it up a level, go a bit faster?" there was this nervous laughter, but they all managed.
come the end of the day to say i was sore was an understatement, i didn't get a great sleep last night either due to the ache in my legs, but after a day of relative rest they're already feeling a bit better. wine is helping too.
Tuesday 21 June 2011
my first EVER class
it's been quite a long time coming, but today I taught my first class
my first class was for staff and service users of a learning disability day service as a part of learning disability week celebrations.
to say I was nervous about my first class could possibly be the understatement of the millenium, i was absolutely BRICKING it.
practice practice practice, that's pretty much all i've done for the past 2 weeks - if you fail to prepare then you prepare to fail and all that jazz. my playlist had changed about 27 times since i got asked to do these classes, there was even a last second substitution last night after a lightblub moment during Lyna's class.
so I arrived at the venue at about 9:45am, class to start at 10, was nervous as hell but once i was in there, said hello to some of the service users and staff and started setting up they all just went away. there ended up being about 20 service users and 10 staff.
i got some background music playing and within seconds half of the service users were out on the floor dancing along, I kinda knew then that most of them were pretty up for this and that in itself eased my nerves a lot. others came up to me and started talking about samba and salsa dancing, evidently it's something they've been talking about at the day services.
just before we started i was approached by the day services manager asking if it was OK to get some photos taken, kinda felt like a celeb for 30 seconds while i posed with the class!
so once the photo session was over with we got started, explained quickly a little about Zumba, how they're not there to learn how to dance so it doesn't matter if they go the other way to me, however they move is perfect etc that they're there to move to the music and to have some fun. brief safety rundown etc and away we went.
it became obvious within about the first 10 seconds of the limbering section of the warm-up that although most were fairly unrestricted physically, cognitive ability level was lower than I had prepared for, so already the old grey matter was planning ahead for the rest of the routines of the class and the modifications i'd need to make. I wouldn't say I needed to take it to Gold level, but for the vast majority of routines they were kept at absolute basic steps level with limited additions of directional changes etc, i deliberately chose routines that had fewer longer sections so the same movement could be repeated over and over, and for the most part i'd say that worked well with this population group.
I was quite surprised as to the routines they found easier to deal with, it ended up being the routines i was sure they'd manage no problem that i ended up having to modify. eg Pegate they managed with minimal modifications to the original routine, yet Do You Dig It was taken right right down to absolute basics only.
my last minute substitution, Para No Verte Mas, ended up probably being the most popular track, I had a wee girl in a wheelchair with obviously quite profound disabilities dancing her wee heart out to this track in particular, it was a sight that would make your heart melt!
i need to remember to add more arms in on the belly dance track for those less able with the legs...
clapping
clapping was a big thing in this class, they all loved a good clap along to the beat and was something those who didn't want to take part in the actual class even joined in with, so ended up putting clapping in anywhere i could!
cardio got to a reasonable level, I certainly worked up a good sweat anyway, but i didn't want to push them too hard - these are people who are generally used to pretty sedate lifestyles, I didn't want to push them too hard and a) scare them off from potentially wanting to go to classes on a regular basis or b) end up having them dying on the dancefloor!!
I remembered to talk to the class- giving praise and words of encouragement, I even remembered to cue (well, for the most part anyway!).
some would possibly say the amount of praise i was throwing out verged on condesending, but I meant every single last word of it. I really do feel they all did fantastically well considering none of them had ever been to a Zumba class before and i was ever so proud of every single one of them for taking part, for showing their ability and unique flair! and believe me, these guys had flair!!
when class was over I had the vast majority of service users approach me and told me how much they enjoyed it, they even presented me with a little gift to say thank you which I was totally not expecting! i did my little speech to say thank you and announced that this was my first ever class, that they made it really special for me and that i'd always remember it for being the most amazing experience. i later had staff approach me and say they were surprised to hear that was my first shot at teaching - so phew, i must have actually done reasonably ok!!
to be honest, i didn't really even care if I was crap (well I did, but...) the point was the service users enjoyed it, and that's what the day was about for me, it wasn't about me trying to prove my abilities to myself or anyone else, it was about encouraging movement (ie exercise) in a population which has a shockingly high rate of obesity due to needless sedentry lifestyles, this was to prove they CAN do it if given the oppertunity to do so.
it was probably the best first class you could wish for, working with a population group who don't judge you, who aren't there with the mindset of being there to get fit, burn calories etc, they're just there to move to the music and have a good time. true exercise in disguise!
i approached the wee girl in the wheelchair and asked her if she had enjoyed it, said that i'd spotted her joining in and how well she did, she didn't have any verbal communication but her face said everything. this was evidently a young woman who loved her music and loved a good boogie and coming to class opened up a whole new world of music to her.
after class we broke for lunch, went down the street for a roll and caught up with the learning disability nurses who i've not seen since my first placement of 1st year (i go back to them next week, I can't wait!).
I was grinning like a loon for probably about 7 hours after the class finished.
then the adrenaline wore off and i crashed- big time... ended up taking to my bed at 5pm and sleeping for 2 hours!
all in all it was an absolutely fantastic experience and i whole heartedly encourage other instructors to approach their local learning disability services about classes.
i learned a lot from today from my wee first class guinea pigs, some modifications to make for my next class on thursday, but i think what i mainly took from today is how completely and totally sure I am that working with people with learning disabilities is just the BEST work in the world, whether it being Zumba or nursing - this it is for me. totally.
my first class was for staff and service users of a learning disability day service as a part of learning disability week celebrations.
to say I was nervous about my first class could possibly be the understatement of the millenium, i was absolutely BRICKING it.
practice practice practice, that's pretty much all i've done for the past 2 weeks - if you fail to prepare then you prepare to fail and all that jazz. my playlist had changed about 27 times since i got asked to do these classes, there was even a last second substitution last night after a lightblub moment during Lyna's class.
so I arrived at the venue at about 9:45am, class to start at 10, was nervous as hell but once i was in there, said hello to some of the service users and staff and started setting up they all just went away. there ended up being about 20 service users and 10 staff.
i got some background music playing and within seconds half of the service users were out on the floor dancing along, I kinda knew then that most of them were pretty up for this and that in itself eased my nerves a lot. others came up to me and started talking about samba and salsa dancing, evidently it's something they've been talking about at the day services.
just before we started i was approached by the day services manager asking if it was OK to get some photos taken, kinda felt like a celeb for 30 seconds while i posed with the class!
so once the photo session was over with we got started, explained quickly a little about Zumba, how they're not there to learn how to dance so it doesn't matter if they go the other way to me, however they move is perfect etc that they're there to move to the music and to have some fun. brief safety rundown etc and away we went.
it became obvious within about the first 10 seconds of the limbering section of the warm-up that although most were fairly unrestricted physically, cognitive ability level was lower than I had prepared for, so already the old grey matter was planning ahead for the rest of the routines of the class and the modifications i'd need to make. I wouldn't say I needed to take it to Gold level, but for the vast majority of routines they were kept at absolute basic steps level with limited additions of directional changes etc, i deliberately chose routines that had fewer longer sections so the same movement could be repeated over and over, and for the most part i'd say that worked well with this population group.
I was quite surprised as to the routines they found easier to deal with, it ended up being the routines i was sure they'd manage no problem that i ended up having to modify. eg Pegate they managed with minimal modifications to the original routine, yet Do You Dig It was taken right right down to absolute basics only.
my last minute substitution, Para No Verte Mas, ended up probably being the most popular track, I had a wee girl in a wheelchair with obviously quite profound disabilities dancing her wee heart out to this track in particular, it was a sight that would make your heart melt!
i need to remember to add more arms in on the belly dance track for those less able with the legs...
clapping
clapping was a big thing in this class, they all loved a good clap along to the beat and was something those who didn't want to take part in the actual class even joined in with, so ended up putting clapping in anywhere i could!
cardio got to a reasonable level, I certainly worked up a good sweat anyway, but i didn't want to push them too hard - these are people who are generally used to pretty sedate lifestyles, I didn't want to push them too hard and a) scare them off from potentially wanting to go to classes on a regular basis or b) end up having them dying on the dancefloor!!
I remembered to talk to the class- giving praise and words of encouragement, I even remembered to cue (well, for the most part anyway!).
some would possibly say the amount of praise i was throwing out verged on condesending, but I meant every single last word of it. I really do feel they all did fantastically well considering none of them had ever been to a Zumba class before and i was ever so proud of every single one of them for taking part, for showing their ability and unique flair! and believe me, these guys had flair!!
when class was over I had the vast majority of service users approach me and told me how much they enjoyed it, they even presented me with a little gift to say thank you which I was totally not expecting! i did my little speech to say thank you and announced that this was my first ever class, that they made it really special for me and that i'd always remember it for being the most amazing experience. i later had staff approach me and say they were surprised to hear that was my first shot at teaching - so phew, i must have actually done reasonably ok!!
to be honest, i didn't really even care if I was crap (well I did, but...) the point was the service users enjoyed it, and that's what the day was about for me, it wasn't about me trying to prove my abilities to myself or anyone else, it was about encouraging movement (ie exercise) in a population which has a shockingly high rate of obesity due to needless sedentry lifestyles, this was to prove they CAN do it if given the oppertunity to do so.
it was probably the best first class you could wish for, working with a population group who don't judge you, who aren't there with the mindset of being there to get fit, burn calories etc, they're just there to move to the music and have a good time. true exercise in disguise!
i approached the wee girl in the wheelchair and asked her if she had enjoyed it, said that i'd spotted her joining in and how well she did, she didn't have any verbal communication but her face said everything. this was evidently a young woman who loved her music and loved a good boogie and coming to class opened up a whole new world of music to her.
after class we broke for lunch, went down the street for a roll and caught up with the learning disability nurses who i've not seen since my first placement of 1st year (i go back to them next week, I can't wait!).
I was grinning like a loon for probably about 7 hours after the class finished.
then the adrenaline wore off and i crashed- big time... ended up taking to my bed at 5pm and sleeping for 2 hours!
all in all it was an absolutely fantastic experience and i whole heartedly encourage other instructors to approach their local learning disability services about classes.
i learned a lot from today from my wee first class guinea pigs, some modifications to make for my next class on thursday, but i think what i mainly took from today is how completely and totally sure I am that working with people with learning disabilities is just the BEST work in the world, whether it being Zumba or nursing - this it is for me. totally.
Tuesday 10 May 2011
ZIN Day - Glasgow - 07/05/11
Well I though considering a few of my friends have posted to their blogs about Saturday, I would too! It is a day I’ll never forget but already the smaller details are beginning to fade…
My day started bright and early…. Well less of the bright and more of the early really, 4:30am! Quick shower and dressed and out the door for 5:40 (yes an hour and 10 is ‘quick’ for that time of the morning!!) – slight detour into Prestwick to pick up two fellow ZINs, Mary and Gillian, and then off up into Glasgow!
I’d already done the route and found the venue the day before, which Lyna gave me a bit of a ribbing for, but when it’s THAT early on a Saturday morning, the last thing I wanted was to get lost! So we arrived and parked at just about 7am, arriving about 20mins earlier than I anticipated. Got to the venue and there were already 3 people in the queue ahead of us, so we stood around and stood around and stood around some more waiting for 7:30 to arrive when registration was due to open, 7:30 came and went and we were still standing there – Donna came out to say there was a slight delay, the Zumbawear shop hadn’t finished setting up… from the queue we could see all the people involved in organising and running the day posing away in front of the Zumbawear poster (yes you lot were spotted!!!)… anyway about 10 to 8 we finally got let through.
Got registered and my neon pink wristband and went to stand in line, held place while Mary and Gillian went off to raid the shop. Mary came back with my ZIN day t-shirt which I then started to cut up while standing in line, it wasn’t a great job- scissors were just the standard ones I happened to have still sitting in my bag from Lyna’s birthday and working off your lap isn’t the best table… but managed to get something semi-decent from it.
Then we got let in.
This really is the only part of the day where I have a grumble to share. Behind the registration desk was a sign saying “please queue here” so that’s where we queued, only to get into the hall to find ALL the doors had been opened and people who had come in well over an hour after us had got into the hall before us! Not chuffed to put it mildly…
Anyway, we still got reasonably close to the front.
After a wee while of standing around things began, THE Tanya B came out and said her big hello, sending all the ZINs wild and off we launched into the Masterclass – the atmosphere in the room was nothing short of electric!
For those not in ‘the know’ Tanya is one of THE master instructors from America- she’s on most of the publicly available DVDs, she’s one of the founding members really, having worked with Beto from back when Zumba was in its infancy, working incredibly hard to make Zumba the name it is today, so THAT’S why her being in Glasgow was such a big deal and instructors were using their elbows to get close to the stage! (they weren’t really, we are all civilised people, but it probably wasn’t far off it! Lol)
During the class both Lyna and Mary got shots up on stage with Tanya, Mary told me afterwards she was so scared she spent most of the time trying not to throw up!! lol
After the masterclass we had a wee break and cue change of t-shirt #1! I cut up my top a little more and while I was doing this I was approached by a lady asking if I’d mind cutting her top, unlike my top, which was massively too big and needed taking in, hers was too small and she wanted it loosened off, so took the scissors to her top and the end result was reasonable.
We had a wee info session with the head people from Zumba home office- where they’ve come from and where they’re going, a pep-talk and a real grounding from Tanya, that woman really is an inspiration to us all! Lyna also got a wee shot up on the stage to spread the word about the Zumba Jammers, who they are, what they do etc etc
Then we had a break for lunch, I am not sure how much of a lunch break Tanya got as there was a queue about 100 people long to get their photo taken with her!
I took a wee wander into the Zumbawear shop, not really intent on buying anything but interested to see what some of the new range looked like ‘in the flesh’ – while in the shop I got pounced on by Lyna who I think was trying to exact revenge on me for embarrassing her on her birthday during class lol she showed us her ‘zip-up all the way to above your head’ hooded vest-top/windbreaker type thing and had a wee dance around the shop, yes I can certify the woman really is as bonkers as she is in class!
Bumped into the woman I’d cut the top for in the shop as she was showing it off to the Zumbawear people (who asked me how I did the designs! Lol), I was approached again by another lady asking me to do her top too! We ended up having a wee t-shirt cutting workshop going! I cut a top for Mary too.
Next on the schedule was refresher session in warm-ups and cool-downs, which there is a hell of a lot more to than you really would ever think as you take part in class, cue changes of tops #2 and #3! Our ZES (Zumba Educational Specialist- the instructor who trains the instructors) Donna took the stage with Tanya for part of both of these to demonstrate different ways of going about warm-ups and cool-downs, she really got the crowd going, it was amazing to see and hear the support for her, we’re really proud of our own!!
The warm-up session was hard going, by the time we got to the 3rd stage of the warm-up a lot of us were beginning to flag, there were a lot of comments about being exhausted and being ready to go home…. Mary and I had both brought changes of clothes with the thought of possibly going out afterwards, but by this time we knew we’d be calling it day when the event finished.
Then Mo took the stage!
Words cannot describe this man, seriously!!!
A lot of people were unsure about the African dance session of the day, had heard a lot of people saying about leaving before it, but I think all in all it ended up being the crowd favourite! Considering most of us had been on the go for about 12hrs come this point, and a lot of us were totally exhausted, the way he got everyone moving…. It was unbelievable! Even more so considering he never uttered a single word throughout the entire class.
And then… the day ended. And what a day it was! Well worth getting up at 4:30 for! I made 3 new friends thanks to ZIN day, I refreshed some of my skills and knowledge, got a wee confidence boost, I taught people how to customise their tops and I burned about 2 million calories from dancing my ar$e off for hours!
Gillian went off to her party and Mary and I headed back to Ayrshire. Had a phonecall from Lyna when I got in, but it didn’t last long… was so tired I was actually struggling to get comprehensible sentences out, which gained a few chuckles. My brain knew what it wanted to say but my mouth was just like “stuff this, too much like hard work” lol
But probably most importantly from ZIN day, I realised how lucky I am to be a part of this mad family we call Zumba! mad as all the members may be, I wouldn't swap it for the world!
Saturday 30 April 2011
my first bash instructing...
...didn't exactly go brilliantly!
but to be fair, I was taken rather unawares. was dancing along to 'zumba he zumba ha' with everyone else when Lyna came over from the centre about 20 seconds into it, said "middle!" and i got thrown into the centre to lead the rest of the routine!
tell ya this now- it was scary! you think you know a routine but my mind just went totally blank! thankfully though it's a routine we've been doing for a few weeks so even when i had a complete mind blank moment 90% of the class just carried on. I kept looking back at Lyna (out of habit or desperation I don't know, lol) but was just told "i'm following you"- i really was on my own - it's a good job I can laugh at myself...
along with the mind blanks i totally forgot about cueing, which Lyna quite subtly reminded me of by yelling "which way are we going?!" Lol cueing isn't something you ever have to worry about as a participant and i discovered that the 'cue before you do' can be hard when you cannae remember what move comes next! lol
all in all, i didn't do great... my friends said i did fine but i know they're just saying that, BUT it was my first time and it's all a learning process, i got chucked in at the deep end and lived to tell the tale. learned to swim much the same way and i ended up being pretty good at that so there may be hope for me yet!
but OMG.... what a buzz!! we were in the gym so it was HOT in there, but come end of the class I think I could have easily gone on a few more routines!
but to be fair, I was taken rather unawares. was dancing along to 'zumba he zumba ha' with everyone else when Lyna came over from the centre about 20 seconds into it, said "middle!" and i got thrown into the centre to lead the rest of the routine!
tell ya this now- it was scary! you think you know a routine but my mind just went totally blank! thankfully though it's a routine we've been doing for a few weeks so even when i had a complete mind blank moment 90% of the class just carried on. I kept looking back at Lyna (out of habit or desperation I don't know, lol) but was just told "i'm following you"- i really was on my own - it's a good job I can laugh at myself...
along with the mind blanks i totally forgot about cueing, which Lyna quite subtly reminded me of by yelling "which way are we going?!" Lol cueing isn't something you ever have to worry about as a participant and i discovered that the 'cue before you do' can be hard when you cannae remember what move comes next! lol
all in all, i didn't do great... my friends said i did fine but i know they're just saying that, BUT it was my first time and it's all a learning process, i got chucked in at the deep end and lived to tell the tale. learned to swim much the same way and i ended up being pretty good at that so there may be hope for me yet!
but OMG.... what a buzz!! we were in the gym so it was HOT in there, but come end of the class I think I could have easily gone on a few more routines!
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Tuesday 22 March 2011
when you're so tired you could cry...
it's been a while since I've been at that stage, but last night I was there.
Caelan's not well - he came to me yesterday morning saying his throat was sore - not a usual complaint of his - and as soon as he lifted his head I could see his glands bulging from his neck. i suffered from tonsillitis frequently as a kid so this instantly got alarm bells ringing... but it was odd that apart from the sore throat he wasn't actually ill
but i decided to err on the side of caution and phoned my placement to say I wouldn't be in and got him an emergency doctors appointment. doctor confirmed that it's a pretty nasty case of tonsillitis and he's now on a 10 day course of antibiotics.
I went off to Zumba last night with him munching away quite happily to some cheesy pasta- the next time I saw him it was quite a different sight!
it was about 11:30 and I was just about dozing off when I heard him yelling from his room that he'd been sick, went through and what a sorry sight my wee boy was- white as a sheet, drenched with sweat, shivvering... the works
I delt with Caelan while Paul stripped the bed, gave him some more calpol and ibuprofen and we cuddled up on the sofa for a while.... well I say a while - until nearly 3am! my god kids TV is rubbish at that time of night...
I started really struggling to stay awake and so once one of the absolutely awful programmes had finished I hiked us both back to our beds, I felt horrible for it, he was wanting to stay with me, but I needed to sleep and I wasn't going to get any on the sofa. of course as soon as I got him into his bed he started being sick again.... anyway, got him sorted and settled and he went to sleep pretty quickly...
until just gone 5am when I woke to him yelling he'd been sick again- went through to him and he asked about going downstairs with me, again I felt absolutely horrible for it but I had to say no, I was so tired I could have cried, I was pretty much falling asleep on my feet!
I have some vague recollection of Paul coming through at that point as it wasn't far off the time he'd be getting up anyway, so he gave Caelan some more calpol and resettled him.
of course despite falling back into bed I never really got back to sleep, brain on over-drive of the checklist for the morning of all the people I needed to call - I'm on placement at the moment so it's a bit of a bugger, but the plus side is that because I'm on in placement within a school they fully appreciate the fact that kids get sick and when they're sick the best place for them is at home.
I guess I'm quite lucky, apart from when he had pneumonia when he was 14mths old (which landed him in hospital for a couple of days) he's never really been REALLY ill, not to the extent where he's just cuddling into my side feeling totally sorry for himself and me feeling awful wishing there was something more I could do, but as I told him I know what it feels like to have tonsillitis, I know how awful he feels, but there isn't really anything more I can do, we just have to wait for the medicine to start working - the wee boy is being an absoulte star patient, he's only complained a couple of times, other than that he's just been lying on the sofa, sipping water, watching TV, taking his medicine and just getting on with getting better.
and he is still being an absolute sweetheart - it's my birthday on thursday and he got quite upset that we wouldn't be able to go out for a birthday meal because he's ill, of course at his age your birthday is just about the most important day of the year, and he just can't understand why I said not to worry, we'll just have it on another day when he's better.... i'm quite happy to postpone my birthday and stay 28 for a few extra days ;)
Caelan's not well - he came to me yesterday morning saying his throat was sore - not a usual complaint of his - and as soon as he lifted his head I could see his glands bulging from his neck. i suffered from tonsillitis frequently as a kid so this instantly got alarm bells ringing... but it was odd that apart from the sore throat he wasn't actually ill
but i decided to err on the side of caution and phoned my placement to say I wouldn't be in and got him an emergency doctors appointment. doctor confirmed that it's a pretty nasty case of tonsillitis and he's now on a 10 day course of antibiotics.
I went off to Zumba last night with him munching away quite happily to some cheesy pasta- the next time I saw him it was quite a different sight!
it was about 11:30 and I was just about dozing off when I heard him yelling from his room that he'd been sick, went through and what a sorry sight my wee boy was- white as a sheet, drenched with sweat, shivvering... the works
I delt with Caelan while Paul stripped the bed, gave him some more calpol and ibuprofen and we cuddled up on the sofa for a while.... well I say a while - until nearly 3am! my god kids TV is rubbish at that time of night...
I started really struggling to stay awake and so once one of the absolutely awful programmes had finished I hiked us both back to our beds, I felt horrible for it, he was wanting to stay with me, but I needed to sleep and I wasn't going to get any on the sofa. of course as soon as I got him into his bed he started being sick again.... anyway, got him sorted and settled and he went to sleep pretty quickly...
until just gone 5am when I woke to him yelling he'd been sick again- went through to him and he asked about going downstairs with me, again I felt absolutely horrible for it but I had to say no, I was so tired I could have cried, I was pretty much falling asleep on my feet!
I have some vague recollection of Paul coming through at that point as it wasn't far off the time he'd be getting up anyway, so he gave Caelan some more calpol and resettled him.
of course despite falling back into bed I never really got back to sleep, brain on over-drive of the checklist for the morning of all the people I needed to call - I'm on placement at the moment so it's a bit of a bugger, but the plus side is that because I'm on in placement within a school they fully appreciate the fact that kids get sick and when they're sick the best place for them is at home.
I guess I'm quite lucky, apart from when he had pneumonia when he was 14mths old (which landed him in hospital for a couple of days) he's never really been REALLY ill, not to the extent where he's just cuddling into my side feeling totally sorry for himself and me feeling awful wishing there was something more I could do, but as I told him I know what it feels like to have tonsillitis, I know how awful he feels, but there isn't really anything more I can do, we just have to wait for the medicine to start working - the wee boy is being an absoulte star patient, he's only complained a couple of times, other than that he's just been lying on the sofa, sipping water, watching TV, taking his medicine and just getting on with getting better.
and he is still being an absolute sweetheart - it's my birthday on thursday and he got quite upset that we wouldn't be able to go out for a birthday meal because he's ill, of course at his age your birthday is just about the most important day of the year, and he just can't understand why I said not to worry, we'll just have it on another day when he's better.... i'm quite happy to postpone my birthday and stay 28 for a few extra days ;)
Monday 14 March 2011
*$&"^%("&$^£*£ SNAKE!!!
that frigging snake of ours has given me a few extra greys today.
i was already pretty harassed this morning as the stuff i put in the tumble with the intent of wearing today hadn't dried, and it seemed every 3 seconds i had a boy banging on the door asking for something... then Kieren came to the door
"the snake's escaped"
i'm standing there doing my make-up, in nothing but a towelling dressing gown and hair up in a towel turban!
so i dash down the stairs asking where he saw the snake - "next to the photos"... in our living room that really doesn't narrow it down any.
I spot him hanging off of one of the photos on the wall next to the TV just in time to see him disappear behind the unit.
some of the units behind the TV have no back in order for the cables to get from dvd player, sky box etc to the TV... but of course those on ground level all have their backs.
eventually it was just a case of removing the ferret from the room, shutting the dogs out, plugging the gap under the door and just dealing with it when i got back from placement.
it was quite funny going into placement, when people asked the usual "how are you today" to explain about the escaped snake - cue many horrified looks and questions of "are you SURE it's not in your bag?!" lol
i had expected on getting home to have to search for ages before finding him - and was pleasantly surprised to find him within about 3 seconds of being in the room - he was just about to clamber into one of the toy draws.
so back he went into his viv and a jammed on of the lamps up against the door.
2hrs later i hear an odd noise, look up and see the snake half way out of his viv! he's evidently discovered the weak spots on the door and now has the strength to wedge himself into the gap and prise it open!
so now he's safely secured away in the travel carrier we use for the ferret, it has a lot of ventilation holes but none are big enough for him to get his head out of, let alone his body... so that's going to be his home until we get new locks for the viv!
he is still trying to get out but he's not gonna manage it.... i hope!
lol we had enough people weary enough about coming into our house with our unusual collection of pets.... i think there's gonna be a fair few more now who will point blank refuse to come anywhere near our house with there being a chance of having a snake wandering about freely!!
i was already pretty harassed this morning as the stuff i put in the tumble with the intent of wearing today hadn't dried, and it seemed every 3 seconds i had a boy banging on the door asking for something... then Kieren came to the door
"the snake's escaped"
i'm standing there doing my make-up, in nothing but a towelling dressing gown and hair up in a towel turban!
so i dash down the stairs asking where he saw the snake - "next to the photos"... in our living room that really doesn't narrow it down any.
I spot him hanging off of one of the photos on the wall next to the TV just in time to see him disappear behind the unit.
some of the units behind the TV have no back in order for the cables to get from dvd player, sky box etc to the TV... but of course those on ground level all have their backs.
eventually it was just a case of removing the ferret from the room, shutting the dogs out, plugging the gap under the door and just dealing with it when i got back from placement.
it was quite funny going into placement, when people asked the usual "how are you today" to explain about the escaped snake - cue many horrified looks and questions of "are you SURE it's not in your bag?!" lol
i had expected on getting home to have to search for ages before finding him - and was pleasantly surprised to find him within about 3 seconds of being in the room - he was just about to clamber into one of the toy draws.
so back he went into his viv and a jammed on of the lamps up against the door.
2hrs later i hear an odd noise, look up and see the snake half way out of his viv! he's evidently discovered the weak spots on the door and now has the strength to wedge himself into the gap and prise it open!
so now he's safely secured away in the travel carrier we use for the ferret, it has a lot of ventilation holes but none are big enough for him to get his head out of, let alone his body... so that's going to be his home until we get new locks for the viv!
he is still trying to get out but he's not gonna manage it.... i hope!
lol we had enough people weary enough about coming into our house with our unusual collection of pets.... i think there's gonna be a fair few more now who will point blank refuse to come anywhere near our house with there being a chance of having a snake wandering about freely!!
Wednesday 9 March 2011
when it's been one of those days!
and boy has it been one of those days!!
woke up to snow
car wouldn't start
had to foot it quick-style to get C to school
it was hailing really heavily
I was 10 mins late for placement
because I have a curtosy phone I didn't have the school's number to let them know
went straight into a PE lesson
go hit in the face with a basketball
straight into a drama class
kis in class very hyper and not even listening let alone doing anything asked of them
3pm it was chucking it down
was soaked before i got anywhere near creche
walking down the highstreet a car hit a puddle and splashed me up the legs
picked C up from creche after he'd only been in 20 mins
text from D asking to get picked up - despite the fact he saw us leaving on foot.
it continued to rain the whole way home
soaked to the bone and frozen solid by the time we got in the door
still no first aid certificate in post
boys come in and instantly start with all the questions
so now i am gradually thawing out.
I had intended on going to both the regular and toning zumba classes tonight but not going to be able to make the regular class now as I have to wait for P to get home with the new battery for my car... ho hum... don't think i'd have had the energy anyway after the day i've had!
so my day has been pretty crap... hopefully it will end on a better note!
woke up to snow
car wouldn't start
had to foot it quick-style to get C to school
it was hailing really heavily
I was 10 mins late for placement
because I have a curtosy phone I didn't have the school's number to let them know
went straight into a PE lesson
go hit in the face with a basketball
straight into a drama class
kis in class very hyper and not even listening let alone doing anything asked of them
3pm it was chucking it down
was soaked before i got anywhere near creche
walking down the highstreet a car hit a puddle and splashed me up the legs
picked C up from creche after he'd only been in 20 mins
text from D asking to get picked up - despite the fact he saw us leaving on foot.
it continued to rain the whole way home
soaked to the bone and frozen solid by the time we got in the door
still no first aid certificate in post
boys come in and instantly start with all the questions
so now i am gradually thawing out.
I had intended on going to both the regular and toning zumba classes tonight but not going to be able to make the regular class now as I have to wait for P to get home with the new battery for my car... ho hum... don't think i'd have had the energy anyway after the day i've had!
so my day has been pretty crap... hopefully it will end on a better note!
Saturday 5 March 2011
do you ever have a reoccuring theme in your dreams?
i do, and it's an odd one too.
a loose tooth at the back of my mouth... hanging on by a thread most of the time
i've lost track of the number of dreams i've had where this has made appearance.
it's odd - coz i don't have any lose teeth, and considering adult teeth have roots and aren't like baby teeth that are held in by the gum- why would it be hanging out just by a thread?
last night I was in a dream about a Zumba training ('big surprise!' i hear you say, but this is the first dream I can ever remember having about Zumba) it made yet another appearance.
i got fed up with it and yanked it out!
a loose tooth at the back of my mouth... hanging on by a thread most of the time
i've lost track of the number of dreams i've had where this has made appearance.
it's odd - coz i don't have any lose teeth, and considering adult teeth have roots and aren't like baby teeth that are held in by the gum- why would it be hanging out just by a thread?
last night I was in a dream about a Zumba training ('big surprise!' i hear you say, but this is the first dream I can ever remember having about Zumba) it made yet another appearance.
i got fed up with it and yanked it out!
Sunday 27 February 2011
another thing ticked off the list
that's me passed my 1st aid! whoop whoop! that now means that a) my insurance will be valid, and b) if something were to happen to you in one of my classes then you now stand a slightly higher chance of making it out alive
soft tissue damage and fractures this morning, lots of gory pictures and videos of bones snapping... even i cringed! let me deal with the injury once it's happened... but good god i don't wanna see it happen!!
i got well and truely tied up today - i was the 'lucky one' who ended up being the casualty in the deomstration of an open fracture and needed to have my legs splinted together, it was bloody uncomfortable even with both legs intact - i can't even imagine how painful it would be to have that done to you with one of your bones snapped in half!
we had a wee practice session in CPR and recovery position again after lunch, nerves really started to kick in, i was actually sitting there shaking with nerves which is totally stupid coz i KNOW this stuff.
i was last to go for assessment - it was basic DRABC with a resus dummy and then recovery position on a fellow class member - turned out unless you do something that would make the situation worse you got passed - pretty much the same as the basic nursing skills, they don't expect you to be perfect but expect you to be able to demonstrate basic understanding and skills and recognise if you go wrong.
as it turned out I didn't go wrong once, did both perfectly! i think going last really helped, seeing everyone else pass and got a few hints and tips of what happened ie you need to talk the assessor through the steps of what you're doing and that it's not about speed, it's about getting it right, so just to take a deep breath and relax- it's not like there's really a life on the line!
the assessor even mentioned to me about the oppertunity of volunteering with St Andrews - so i take that as a good sign!
now i need to wait for my certificate to come through so i can send off for my insurance... hope it wont be too long, he said "your certificate will be with you in due course", which usually means that it has to process through a few people first.... great
soft tissue damage and fractures this morning, lots of gory pictures and videos of bones snapping... even i cringed! let me deal with the injury once it's happened... but good god i don't wanna see it happen!!
i got well and truely tied up today - i was the 'lucky one' who ended up being the casualty in the deomstration of an open fracture and needed to have my legs splinted together, it was bloody uncomfortable even with both legs intact - i can't even imagine how painful it would be to have that done to you with one of your bones snapped in half!
we had a wee practice session in CPR and recovery position again after lunch, nerves really started to kick in, i was actually sitting there shaking with nerves which is totally stupid coz i KNOW this stuff.
i was last to go for assessment - it was basic DRABC with a resus dummy and then recovery position on a fellow class member - turned out unless you do something that would make the situation worse you got passed - pretty much the same as the basic nursing skills, they don't expect you to be perfect but expect you to be able to demonstrate basic understanding and skills and recognise if you go wrong.
as it turned out I didn't go wrong once, did both perfectly! i think going last really helped, seeing everyone else pass and got a few hints and tips of what happened ie you need to talk the assessor through the steps of what you're doing and that it's not about speed, it's about getting it right, so just to take a deep breath and relax- it's not like there's really a life on the line!
the assessor even mentioned to me about the oppertunity of volunteering with St Andrews - so i take that as a good sign!
now i need to wait for my certificate to come through so i can send off for my insurance... hope it wont be too long, he said "your certificate will be with you in due course", which usually means that it has to process through a few people first.... great
Saturday 26 February 2011
first aid day 1
i was up at Hampden football ground today for the first day of my sports injuries first aid.
i got lost getting there, but then that's why i always leave an extra half hour early, coz i can pretty much guarantee you i'll get lost at some point in any new trip (despite having a satnav! lol)
i dunno what i was expecting, but the place is stunning! i mean 'me feeling totally out of place by how posh and expensive looking the whole place is' stunning!
we were up on the 6th floor, very posh meeting rooms and offices.
there's only 10 of us on the course, wide range of professions, some like me needing it for insurance purposes, others just there to gain knowledge for their own benefit.
we started with some theory and some group work - then onto the practical stuff of CPR. i was pretty confident in my CPR skills but just couldn't get the chest to inflate, neither could my partner - we're both quite worried at this point that we just can't get it, assessor then came along and tried and also couldn't get it to inflate- so took the whole thing apart and put it back together again and it worked a treat, phew! faith in my abilities was restored! lol
we then moved on to "head to toe" assessment -which basically entails getting very familiar with someone you only met 2 hours previously- this course certainly isn't for people who are shy about touching or being touched!! have to say it didn't bother me in the slightest, i can put my professional head on and just get on with it, but for others... they were a bit more hesitant and i can totally understand why.
we then did recovery position - that's something that's changed slightly since i last did it, we also did recovery position for someone with a spinal injury, which is a task and a half and something which is really hard to get right.
choking was next, got to wear a funky vest and give (and recieve!) back slaps and abdominal thrusts.
wounds was good fun - lots of gory pictures - and we got to play about with bandages (cue the jokes about being tied up!) - it was really interesting to learn the new techniques and how to improvise when you are limited to a first aid kit.
it was also really interesting to learn what you can and can't do as a first aider, some of it is completely backwards... but then that's UK legislation in general really.. there's always that one rule where you think "why?!"
obviously there was more to the day than this, a lot of theory, about 20 pages of notes taken, but those were the highlights.
looking forward to tomorrow, i think we're gonna cover breaks and soft tissue damage - we're also getting formally assessed in CPR and recovery position.... we do get assessed in all the other aspects, but those are informal and take place while we're doing the practicals, as long as your technique isn't horribly wrong you pass, whereas with CPR and recovery position there's a bit more at stake and so they want to make sure you can achieve a certain level independantly before passing you.
have to say I am really glad i chose to go on this course now, i have really really enjoyed it so far and already feel loads more confident about being able to cope should anything go wrong in a class.
bring on tomorrow!!
i got lost getting there, but then that's why i always leave an extra half hour early, coz i can pretty much guarantee you i'll get lost at some point in any new trip (despite having a satnav! lol)
i dunno what i was expecting, but the place is stunning! i mean 'me feeling totally out of place by how posh and expensive looking the whole place is' stunning!
we were up on the 6th floor, very posh meeting rooms and offices.
there's only 10 of us on the course, wide range of professions, some like me needing it for insurance purposes, others just there to gain knowledge for their own benefit.
we started with some theory and some group work - then onto the practical stuff of CPR. i was pretty confident in my CPR skills but just couldn't get the chest to inflate, neither could my partner - we're both quite worried at this point that we just can't get it, assessor then came along and tried and also couldn't get it to inflate- so took the whole thing apart and put it back together again and it worked a treat, phew! faith in my abilities was restored! lol
we then moved on to "head to toe" assessment -which basically entails getting very familiar with someone you only met 2 hours previously- this course certainly isn't for people who are shy about touching or being touched!! have to say it didn't bother me in the slightest, i can put my professional head on and just get on with it, but for others... they were a bit more hesitant and i can totally understand why.
we then did recovery position - that's something that's changed slightly since i last did it, we also did recovery position for someone with a spinal injury, which is a task and a half and something which is really hard to get right.
choking was next, got to wear a funky vest and give (and recieve!) back slaps and abdominal thrusts.
wounds was good fun - lots of gory pictures - and we got to play about with bandages (cue the jokes about being tied up!) - it was really interesting to learn the new techniques and how to improvise when you are limited to a first aid kit.
it was also really interesting to learn what you can and can't do as a first aider, some of it is completely backwards... but then that's UK legislation in general really.. there's always that one rule where you think "why?!"
obviously there was more to the day than this, a lot of theory, about 20 pages of notes taken, but those were the highlights.
looking forward to tomorrow, i think we're gonna cover breaks and soft tissue damage - we're also getting formally assessed in CPR and recovery position.... we do get assessed in all the other aspects, but those are informal and take place while we're doing the practicals, as long as your technique isn't horribly wrong you pass, whereas with CPR and recovery position there's a bit more at stake and so they want to make sure you can achieve a certain level independantly before passing you.
have to say I am really glad i chose to go on this course now, i have really really enjoyed it so far and already feel loads more confident about being able to cope should anything go wrong in a class.
bring on tomorrow!!
Friday 25 February 2011
I am car-less!
ok so after the car played about yesterday i was anticipating it maybe giving me a bit of problem today.
what i was not expecting was for the damn thing to refuse to start!! turn the key and it chuggs and couple of times then dies.
i am absolutely beyond fed up with this car - we've had it about 7ish months and it's just been one problem after the other, it's cost us an arm and a leg in repairs just these past 3 months alone!
it's a fab wee car to drive, i love having power steering, i love having a fan with more functioning settings than 'off' or 'on full blast', i love having a heater that doesn't take half an hour to heat up, I love being able to go from 0-60 in seconds rather than minutes...
but I miss my micra, I miss the reliability, I miss being confident in parking, i miss wing mirrors that aren't those daft magnifying things, i miss being able to see to the end of the bonnet, i miss things rarely ever going wrong with it and when stuff did go wrong it was cheap to repair - 10 years we've had the micra and it's probably cost us less in repairs in all that time than what the modus has cost us in 7 months!
of course i only discovered the car refusing the start as I was packing Caelan in to take him to school... so we had to foot it- which is somethig i really wasn't enthralled with considering the hurt from toning on weds is starting to kick in...
i was also planning on going into town today to take my phone in for repair (touchscreen not working) and to pick up some joggies for this weekend and some more smartish tops for starting placement next week, i was even considering going to the lunchtime Zumba class... but without a car there'd be no way i'd get back in time. plus Caelan wanted school dinner today but I could only find enough money for D and K so I had to give D my last remaining fiver and give C D's coins.
i was really planning on a relatively chilled day today.... best laid plans, eh?
I am away most of this weekend, I'm up at Hampden Park for sports injuries first aid training.
that's another thing which has annoyed me lately... i am a 2nd year student nurse and to have got past 1st year i needed to show competence in CPR etc for the NMC to allow me to progress to 2nd year... but when it comes to insurance for Zumba, it means nothing - i need an actual 1st aid certificate - and while I do actually have an emergency 1st aid, it runs out in about 2 weeks.
so i figured if i *have* to do a 1st aid course (insurance companies don't specify which, but all the courses cover basic life support), I may as well do one where I'll learn something new - and since the sports injuries course was only £6 more than the emergency course, i figured, why not? learn more about the things I'll be of more chance to encounter- bone and soft tissue damage, rather than burns, scalds, poisioning etc
it's a 2 day course (12hrs in total, vs only 4hrs for the emergency course) so it's gonna be a long weekend, but it should be interesting... i hope!
and of course after this i'm gonna have to get a first aid kit to take to classes.... gosh so much to think about...
what i was not expecting was for the damn thing to refuse to start!! turn the key and it chuggs and couple of times then dies.
i am absolutely beyond fed up with this car - we've had it about 7ish months and it's just been one problem after the other, it's cost us an arm and a leg in repairs just these past 3 months alone!
it's a fab wee car to drive, i love having power steering, i love having a fan with more functioning settings than 'off' or 'on full blast', i love having a heater that doesn't take half an hour to heat up, I love being able to go from 0-60 in seconds rather than minutes...
but I miss my micra, I miss the reliability, I miss being confident in parking, i miss wing mirrors that aren't those daft magnifying things, i miss being able to see to the end of the bonnet, i miss things rarely ever going wrong with it and when stuff did go wrong it was cheap to repair - 10 years we've had the micra and it's probably cost us less in repairs in all that time than what the modus has cost us in 7 months!
of course i only discovered the car refusing the start as I was packing Caelan in to take him to school... so we had to foot it- which is somethig i really wasn't enthralled with considering the hurt from toning on weds is starting to kick in...
i was also planning on going into town today to take my phone in for repair (touchscreen not working) and to pick up some joggies for this weekend and some more smartish tops for starting placement next week, i was even considering going to the lunchtime Zumba class... but without a car there'd be no way i'd get back in time. plus Caelan wanted school dinner today but I could only find enough money for D and K so I had to give D my last remaining fiver and give C D's coins.
i was really planning on a relatively chilled day today.... best laid plans, eh?
I am away most of this weekend, I'm up at Hampden Park for sports injuries first aid training.
that's another thing which has annoyed me lately... i am a 2nd year student nurse and to have got past 1st year i needed to show competence in CPR etc for the NMC to allow me to progress to 2nd year... but when it comes to insurance for Zumba, it means nothing - i need an actual 1st aid certificate - and while I do actually have an emergency 1st aid, it runs out in about 2 weeks.
so i figured if i *have* to do a 1st aid course (insurance companies don't specify which, but all the courses cover basic life support), I may as well do one where I'll learn something new - and since the sports injuries course was only £6 more than the emergency course, i figured, why not? learn more about the things I'll be of more chance to encounter- bone and soft tissue damage, rather than burns, scalds, poisioning etc
it's a 2 day course (12hrs in total, vs only 4hrs for the emergency course) so it's gonna be a long weekend, but it should be interesting... i hope!
and of course after this i'm gonna have to get a first aid kit to take to classes.... gosh so much to think about...
Thursday 24 February 2011
pretty cheesed off today...
today started off quite well, i woke not feeling too sore after zumba toning last night, I'd had a reasonable sleep (as reasonable as you can get for 5hrs) so i felt semi-refreshed, Caelan wasn't too much of a hassle this morning, got to uni with minimal traffic...
today we were meant to be in 9:30-4, so Caelan got booked into creche for both before and afterschool care. we started at 9:30 with the tutor who will be taking us next semester and then our present tutor came, classmates asked how long the day would run as our timetable just said preparation for practice - which usually means our placement documents get handed out, which obviously shouldn't take an entire day, he said we'd be done by lunchtime- 1pm absolute latest!
now I know this must seem like a good thing to most people, getting an unexpected early finish - but we are now paying out for childcare we don't need! and childcare aint cheap!!
i have to give the creche 7 days notice to cancel his place and this has happened SO many times now, where we were meant to be in a full day but he only kept us in half (and by the tone of it, he never intended on keeping us to the end in the first place), where it's been decided with a day's notice that the next day would be done online...
tutor ended up getting quite wound up with us this morning in reflection of our last PBL, which we presented yesterday. it was a poster presentation, never been done before by us or any other group so we all agreed we'd give it a go. we'd be mixed groups between campus and highlander students, so it would be all web based communication etc etc etc
well... he made it quite clear what he had expected us to do and what we thought we were meant to do were 2 completely different things- though even after his hour long rant I am still really none the wiser as to what it was exactly he'd been expecting out of it. TBH I started getting vey fed up by about 20mins in and really had to hold myself back from just telling him to take a chill pill and walking out.
on the way home the M77 was horrifically busy - i have no idea what the hold up was but usually lunch time on a weekday it's pretty quiet, even going INTO glasgow let alone going out!
then got onto the A76 and got stuck behind one of those HUGE quarry dumper trucks on a flat bed truck going at max 14mph, tho coz it's quite hilly a lot of the time we were crawling along at a snail's pace. i swear for most of it i could probably have walked faster! and of course it was only once i had passed the last option turn-off of an alternative route that i got stuck in it.
1hr30mins into the journey home, a trip that usually during the day takes me 50mins, i was only in Mauchline. we must have sat there for nearly 10mins while the police made sure the roads were clear for the truck to get through. thankfully once we got out the other side of mauchline i was then able to nip down one of the country roads out into the back of Catrine and into Auchinleck (there were quite a few police cars at the academy today, after the air-rifle shottings yesterday) otherwise i think i'd still be stuck behind the thing now! and of course because of our unexpected half day I didn't have lunch - so I was sitting in the car starving (i don't eat brekkie)
nipped into tesco on the way home, parked and the car felt slightly funny as i was turning it off but didn't think much of it.... until i set back for home and parked in our drive - turned the key to turn the car off - nothing, car engine still going... "hum" i think "maybe i've not turned it all the way" so turned it again with the same result. took the key OUT of the ignition - car continued to run! ended up deliberately having to stall it to get it to shut off!
stoopid technology....
today we were meant to be in 9:30-4, so Caelan got booked into creche for both before and afterschool care. we started at 9:30 with the tutor who will be taking us next semester and then our present tutor came, classmates asked how long the day would run as our timetable just said preparation for practice - which usually means our placement documents get handed out, which obviously shouldn't take an entire day, he said we'd be done by lunchtime- 1pm absolute latest!
now I know this must seem like a good thing to most people, getting an unexpected early finish - but we are now paying out for childcare we don't need! and childcare aint cheap!!
i have to give the creche 7 days notice to cancel his place and this has happened SO many times now, where we were meant to be in a full day but he only kept us in half (and by the tone of it, he never intended on keeping us to the end in the first place), where it's been decided with a day's notice that the next day would be done online...
tutor ended up getting quite wound up with us this morning in reflection of our last PBL, which we presented yesterday. it was a poster presentation, never been done before by us or any other group so we all agreed we'd give it a go. we'd be mixed groups between campus and highlander students, so it would be all web based communication etc etc etc
well... he made it quite clear what he had expected us to do and what we thought we were meant to do were 2 completely different things- though even after his hour long rant I am still really none the wiser as to what it was exactly he'd been expecting out of it. TBH I started getting vey fed up by about 20mins in and really had to hold myself back from just telling him to take a chill pill and walking out.
on the way home the M77 was horrifically busy - i have no idea what the hold up was but usually lunch time on a weekday it's pretty quiet, even going INTO glasgow let alone going out!
then got onto the A76 and got stuck behind one of those HUGE quarry dumper trucks on a flat bed truck going at max 14mph, tho coz it's quite hilly a lot of the time we were crawling along at a snail's pace. i swear for most of it i could probably have walked faster! and of course it was only once i had passed the last option turn-off of an alternative route that i got stuck in it.
1hr30mins into the journey home, a trip that usually during the day takes me 50mins, i was only in Mauchline. we must have sat there for nearly 10mins while the police made sure the roads were clear for the truck to get through. thankfully once we got out the other side of mauchline i was then able to nip down one of the country roads out into the back of Catrine and into Auchinleck (there were quite a few police cars at the academy today, after the air-rifle shottings yesterday) otherwise i think i'd still be stuck behind the thing now! and of course because of our unexpected half day I didn't have lunch - so I was sitting in the car starving (i don't eat brekkie)
nipped into tesco on the way home, parked and the car felt slightly funny as i was turning it off but didn't think much of it.... until i set back for home and parked in our drive - turned the key to turn the car off - nothing, car engine still going... "hum" i think "maybe i've not turned it all the way" so turned it again with the same result. took the key OUT of the ignition - car continued to run! ended up deliberately having to stall it to get it to shut off!
stoopid technology....
Monday 14 February 2011
Zumba GOLD!
wow - what an eventful few days!
as I write this I am at my parents house in London, and the reason I am back in London can be explained with just 1 word - ZUMBA!
yesterday I qualifed as a Zumba Gold instructor!
I travelled down to London on friday after picking Caelan up from school, the journey was pretty un-eventful... apart from taking the wrong slip road about half way down and not realising until about 25 miles down the road that nothing looked at all familiar - it also added about an hour to the journey - but after my SatNav throwing some tantrums at me I eventually got back onto the right road and we arrived at just before midnight, so we still made reasonable time.
Saturday I didn't do much apart from chat to mum... just a normal lazy saturday... well, up until about 11pm anyway
I'd been in bed trying to get to sleep for about an hour, I turned over and felt this almighty pain shoot through my hip, through my glute and down into my left thigh.
I just couldn't believe it, I've had minimal issues with my hip injury for probably the best part of 10 years and the night before my training course it decides that that is the right time to throw a tantrum at me! I've been doing Zumba multiple times a week for 10 months now and never had an issue, but rolling over in bed was enough to make it go!!
I guess one plus side was that it was Gold training, the whole point of Gold is that's all about modifications for people with mobility issues etc - if it had been the high energy B2 I really am not sure if I'd have survived the day.
thankfully because I've had this issue with my hip since i was 15 I am quite aware of my limitations, so apart from it just being sore in general it really didn't hamper me too much.
the training was amazingly good fun, our ZES, Sirin, is a typical ZES - completely bonkers!! we had a blast and ended up with quite a few running jokes throughout the day. it was also quite an emotional day, there's so much more to the psychology and physiology of why we do Gold than you would ever think.
I met loads of wonderful instructors, swapped contact details with a few too- my Zumba family is ever expanding!
so got back to my parents last night still buzzing from the day, and as i was getting changed for bed I bent over to pick my clothes off the floor and I managed to pull a muscle in my other leg! yes I am actually falling apart! but fortunately because it's just a pulled muscle I can do stuff to ease the pain, whereas with my bursitis there is not really much I can do - though fortunately it is already feeling a lot better. climbing stairs is the only thing that I am really having any issue with, dad is enjoying making quips about needing to get me a stair lift... cheers dad.
we drive back up to scotland tomorrow - as long as I don't have to climb any stairs I'll be fine!
as I write this I am at my parents house in London, and the reason I am back in London can be explained with just 1 word - ZUMBA!
yesterday I qualifed as a Zumba Gold instructor!
I travelled down to London on friday after picking Caelan up from school, the journey was pretty un-eventful... apart from taking the wrong slip road about half way down and not realising until about 25 miles down the road that nothing looked at all familiar - it also added about an hour to the journey - but after my SatNav throwing some tantrums at me I eventually got back onto the right road and we arrived at just before midnight, so we still made reasonable time.
Saturday I didn't do much apart from chat to mum... just a normal lazy saturday... well, up until about 11pm anyway
I'd been in bed trying to get to sleep for about an hour, I turned over and felt this almighty pain shoot through my hip, through my glute and down into my left thigh.
I just couldn't believe it, I've had minimal issues with my hip injury for probably the best part of 10 years and the night before my training course it decides that that is the right time to throw a tantrum at me! I've been doing Zumba multiple times a week for 10 months now and never had an issue, but rolling over in bed was enough to make it go!!
I guess one plus side was that it was Gold training, the whole point of Gold is that's all about modifications for people with mobility issues etc - if it had been the high energy B2 I really am not sure if I'd have survived the day.
thankfully because I've had this issue with my hip since i was 15 I am quite aware of my limitations, so apart from it just being sore in general it really didn't hamper me too much.
the training was amazingly good fun, our ZES, Sirin, is a typical ZES - completely bonkers!! we had a blast and ended up with quite a few running jokes throughout the day. it was also quite an emotional day, there's so much more to the psychology and physiology of why we do Gold than you would ever think.
I met loads of wonderful instructors, swapped contact details with a few too- my Zumba family is ever expanding!
so got back to my parents last night still buzzing from the day, and as i was getting changed for bed I bent over to pick my clothes off the floor and I managed to pull a muscle in my other leg! yes I am actually falling apart! but fortunately because it's just a pulled muscle I can do stuff to ease the pain, whereas with my bursitis there is not really much I can do - though fortunately it is already feeling a lot better. climbing stairs is the only thing that I am really having any issue with, dad is enjoying making quips about needing to get me a stair lift... cheers dad.
we drive back up to scotland tomorrow - as long as I don't have to climb any stairs I'll be fine!
Thursday 10 February 2011
Zumba Toning!
well I thought considering I wrote a post to describe my first Zumba class, i'd also write one about my first Toning class.
it's quite hard to explain really, in some ways it's quite similar to standard Zumba, but in others it's very different.
the basic steps are the same, but you use weights (zumba toning sticks - think dumb-bells crossed with maracas!) within the routines and the routines are specifically geared towards toning rather than fat burning, so the tracks are slightly slower paced.
I haven't been to a class in over 3 weeks, I've not even had chance to break out my DVDs or the xbox game - first Caelan was ill, then I was ill and then i had to spend a week and a half catching up on all the uni work i'd missed being ill... it's quite annoying considering i did so well over x-mas and new year, ate well, kept active etc etc
anyway- needless to say I wasn't on top form... ha, that's putting it lightly - i haven't felt so uncoordinated in a LONG time, and at some points i really did start to struggle.
there is a brilliant atmosphere in the class (maybe it's to do with the fact that the class is just solely the hardcore Zumba nutjobs?!) there always is anyway, but again, in the toning class it's the same but different to the standard Zumba class. it's hard to describe, you just have to be there to feel it I guess.
the class is a straight through, very quick stops for water but that's it - it's a pretty intense class and I can really see now why Lyna wants us to have been attending for a good few months before going on toning... of course knowing the basic steps doesn't make you immune from suffering from occasion bouts of "2-left-feet-itis" - like I did last night! it's a good job i know how to laugh at myself....
class finished and I was sore, tired and sweaty but i was buzzing!
by the time i got home my arms were pretty sore and my legs had turned to jelly which made getting up and down the stairs fun, I didn't sleep too great, I generally ached all over. in hindsight i should have taken some paracetamol... or a glass or 2 of wine!!
this morning my legs hurt - hell who am I kidding I hurt all over, but it was my legs that felt it the most - i still just fall to sitting coz my hamstrings are just SO sore and one of my university friends, Mary, took great delight in my pain today in class! but tonight, it's my glutes that are feeling it - yesterday I wouldn't have said there was anything specifically in the routines that worked the glutes, but evidently there was... it's quite weird thought how there's such a delayed reaction.
it's quite hard to explain really, in some ways it's quite similar to standard Zumba, but in others it's very different.
the basic steps are the same, but you use weights (zumba toning sticks - think dumb-bells crossed with maracas!) within the routines and the routines are specifically geared towards toning rather than fat burning, so the tracks are slightly slower paced.
I haven't been to a class in over 3 weeks, I've not even had chance to break out my DVDs or the xbox game - first Caelan was ill, then I was ill and then i had to spend a week and a half catching up on all the uni work i'd missed being ill... it's quite annoying considering i did so well over x-mas and new year, ate well, kept active etc etc
anyway- needless to say I wasn't on top form... ha, that's putting it lightly - i haven't felt so uncoordinated in a LONG time, and at some points i really did start to struggle.
there is a brilliant atmosphere in the class (maybe it's to do with the fact that the class is just solely the hardcore Zumba nutjobs?!) there always is anyway, but again, in the toning class it's the same but different to the standard Zumba class. it's hard to describe, you just have to be there to feel it I guess.
the class is a straight through, very quick stops for water but that's it - it's a pretty intense class and I can really see now why Lyna wants us to have been attending for a good few months before going on toning... of course knowing the basic steps doesn't make you immune from suffering from occasion bouts of "2-left-feet-itis" - like I did last night! it's a good job i know how to laugh at myself....
class finished and I was sore, tired and sweaty but i was buzzing!
by the time i got home my arms were pretty sore and my legs had turned to jelly which made getting up and down the stairs fun, I didn't sleep too great, I generally ached all over. in hindsight i should have taken some paracetamol... or a glass or 2 of wine!!
this morning my legs hurt - hell who am I kidding I hurt all over, but it was my legs that felt it the most - i still just fall to sitting coz my hamstrings are just SO sore and one of my university friends, Mary, took great delight in my pain today in class! but tonight, it's my glutes that are feeling it - yesterday I wouldn't have said there was anything specifically in the routines that worked the glutes, but evidently there was... it's quite weird thought how there's such a delayed reaction.
not that i am complaining (Well I am, coz it's bloody sore, but you know what I mean!) - not like my glutes couldn't use a little working... and they say "no pain, no gain"... well I hope 'they' are right - coz I'd hate to think I'm putting myself through this for nothing! lol
all in all, i loved it! i can't wait for my next class, and the fact I'm coming up from London especially in time to be able attend should speak volumes!
all in all, i loved it! i can't wait for my next class, and the fact I'm coming up from London especially in time to be able attend should speak volumes!
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