Never ever comment on the size of someone else's body parts!

Last week after skipping my workout on Monday I got the motivational kick that I needed to never skip again!

Experiment
by Eleanor Jewett

I sat down in a puddle,
     And shall I tell you why?
I did it so that I should know
     How far the drops could fly!

After reading the above poem we (unnamed small group reading class) began to discuss it.

Ms. Susong:  "Would you sit in a puddle on purpose?"
Student 1:  "No, because people would think I had peed in my pants!"
Ms. S:  "That would be embarassing."
Student 2:  "I would and the water would really splash high."
Ms. S:  "I think that's what the poet meant when she wrote the drops could fly."
Student 1 looks at Ms. S. and says:  "You should sit in one because you have a big ______."  He then drew the shape of my butt in the air with his hands.
Student 2:  "Yea.  It would make a huge splash!"
Ms. S:   "It is not polite to comment on the size of people's body parts.  It could hurt someone's feelings. Now let's get back to the poem.  What rhyming words did you hear in the poem?"

Thanks Student 1 for keeping me motivated to do millions and millions more squats and lunges to decrease the size of my butt (pictured below)!

Poetic Push-ups and a Google Search Gone Wrong

Have you ever seen more perfect  push-up partners than Kay and Barbara?

National Poetry Month comes to the real world every April, but it's making an early visit to BW in response to poetry analysis being added to the upcoming STAAR Reading test (formerly known as TAKS). Thanks a million TEA!

On this rainy Saturday morning I thought I'd post a fun poem about doing push-ups, but my google search led me instead to all kinds of push-up bras.  Victoria's Secret has one called Angels Air Push-up.  Of course we all know that underwire DOES NOT feel like angel air!

Following another rabbit trail, I discovered a rare book of poetry entitled Two Hundred Push-ups at the YMCA. I am sure this is where the perfect push-up poem is hiding!  For a mere $150 we could own our very own copy.  Alas, our meager teacher fitness dues alone cannot finance such a purchase. Perhaps we should pen a verse of our own?

Here's a stanza of inspiration from Rich Tola, Fat Burning Workout blogger:

Believe you can tighten
Believe you can win
Cause who better than you
Conquers that battle within

See you all Monday in the gym after a fun filled day of parent conferences. :)

Book Talk

Talking about books while exercising makes the workout more fun or less painful or something!  Sue, Donna, Kay, Denise, and Angela, what are you reading now?

Lynda is reading about her ancestors.
Dawn's family is from the same area.

Dee is reading this book and trying some of the recipes .

Jean is reading Hugo right now.
Trisha read it over the holidays.
Dee and Danna would like to read it soon.

Lynda and Dawn are reading this biography right now.
Dee read it over the holidays.  We enjoy using Apple products, but
are glad we didn't have to deal with Steve Jobs in person.

Barbara is reading this right now and
highly recommends it!

Trisha read this over the holidays.
Dee read it with her 5th graders
in the Fall.  It's a  must read.

Danna is reading about Taoist monks.   

Nancy is enjoying book two of the Game of Thrones fantasy series.

He Who Shall Not Be Named

Dawn is stylin' in her new workout garb!

The scintillating conversation of the week is about the SAG Awards.  No, we are not talking about saggy body parts!  It's the Screen Actors Guild picks for the best performances and movies for this year.  Danna is a member of SAG and got a ballot.  We gave unsolicited advice on the movies we had seen.  Everyone liked The Help.  The Descendants got mixed reviews.  Of course we know she WILL NOT be voting for HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED.  He's nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries.

"Nice arms!"

The gang working glutes and triceps ... what multitaskers!

 Someday over the rainbow on a hot summer day in Austin when in desperation we are wearing spaghetti straps,  someone will notice our toned triceps and ask, "How did you get such nice arms?"

We will grin and reply, "Body by Danna!" Join us on Mondays and Fridays in the Bryker Woods gym.

Welcome to the fun Denise!

Panther Derby

Yes, it's true!  Trisha and Lynda will be playing their rookie game in the Texas Rollergirls against the Lonestar Rollergirls next month.  If you haven't had the cultural experience of attending a game, I highly recommend it.  Everyone should go once! 

Dee was disqualified at try-outs due to taking too long to put on her skates.

Nancy's gracefulness on skates led to the Rollergirls coach recommendation that she try out for the Olympic figure skating team. 

We can't wait until the skates come back to Bryker Woods next year!

12 in 2012!

I am excited to report that including Danna our numbers are up to 12, which is just perfect to kick off the year 2012.  Welcome Donna!  Welcome back to Sue!  Angela is back after a December hiatus.  Dawn is back after her short trip to Galveston over the holidays.  Barbara is back now that she has Casey safely married off.  (Ending a sentence with a preposition is wrong, right?) She even demonstrated the much talked about dance from the wedding.  Go Barbara! Lynda is back to keep us out of trouble, especially since TROUBLE is back. :)

Angela and Lynda show good form working their glutes or are they napping? Lynda's former husband Dan wondered if this was a kegel exercise?  Hmmm...perhaps a discussion for Monday's session? See you there at 3:45.