Finally Friday!

This week has gone by too freaking slow.  I'm so happy it's Friday...and after today I can go back to sleeping in until 8 and doing stuff I wanna do during the day.  Like sort my teaching stuff, or go swimming, or lay on the couch all day and watch trashy TV, or go to the gym.

Today is my last day of teaching camp classes.  I've enjoyed it.  It's been fun.  But I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to do it - knowing I'd have to get up at the butt crack of dawn.

It didn't help that I slept like crap last night.  I was still wide awake at midnight - and my alarm was going off at 5:30. 

I slept like crap because I got an email right before I went to bed last night.  An email I probably wasn't supposed to see, and shouldn't have looked at before going to bed.  Can't go in to any details - but let's just say it was enough to get my mind racing.  A racing mind equals a non-sleeping mind. 

So, now, I'm all tired and a little cranky and my mind is STILL racing with images started by that email.

Yesterday was an exhausting day at camp.  I got to teach a class of 6 year olds.  You all know how much I love 6 year olds, right? That's kindergarten age.  They make my heart rate increase, my head start spinning, and my palms sweaty.  If there was or is a phobia or kindergarten kids - I have it.  Yes, even being a teacher.  Kindergarten children scare the bejeezus out of me... because they are very hard to settle down, have way too much energy, and have the attention span of a gnat.  And I was supposed to teach them about the importance of hydration FOR NINETY MINUTES!

But, I learned something I was very shocked to learn.  There are several six year olds that can't last five minutes doing physical activity.  Seriously.  The one class that I thought would knock my socks off in terms of the exercise segment of the class didn't.  What.  The.  Freak?

I also learned that the skinnier a child, the less energy they have.  No joke.  The one girl that down right refused to do any more than a couple of jumping jacks before crying that she was too tired was about as big around as my thigh.  She was so lethargic.  No amount of encouragement or support could get her to do anything.  I even got down and did sit-ups with her.  I knocked out ten in the time it took her to do three.. and then she was done.  She just couldn't do anymore.

Then, I remembered that I'd seen that trend throughout the week.  The really skinny kids had a really tough time doing any form of physical activity.  The kids that ran circles around me weren't skinny.  They weren't overweight.  They had some meat on their bones.  And then I realized - Duh, Joanna....I know that skinny doesn't mean healthy.

I'm still overweight - big time - but I know that I don't want to be skinny.  And by skinny I mean bones showing.  I don't want my ribs to stick out of my sides.  I don't want a collarbone big enough to hang clothes off of.  I want curves.  I want meat.  I just don't want handfuls of it.  If I can do more sit-ups and even push-ups than a six year old... I haven't lost all hope.  I can still do way more now than I could two years ago when I was hovering around 300lbs.

Today, I have the other group of children that make me very nervous.  The 11 and 12 year olds.  That's 6th/7th grade level.  That's where there's a lot of attitude, not wanting to do stuff cause it's too embarrassing, and I better find a way to bring Justin Bieber in to the conversation - or I'll lose the girls 5 minutes in.  But, it's also probably the most crucial age to get my message across to.  Their bodies are changing, they are starting that level where girls are obsessed with body image and boys are dreaming of playing professional sports.  And there's Facebook, video games, and cell phones to compete with.

I really have to buckle down today and do what I can to imprint some form of wisdom on these kids.  It will be tough, but I think I can do it.
 
Well, it's time to go.

Till next time. ;)