Reading Notes: Bible Women, Part B

This set of stories was even more captivating than the last! I was shocked as I read these stories because I did not realize how dark some of the subjects in the Bible could be. Firstly, I did not realize that the bible referenced witchcraft, but I did like the story of the Witch of Endor because seeing a person of power and prestige (King Saul) needing to disguise himself is fun. Continuing on, I did not realize that King David was such a savage.  He is a character that just keeps getting worse, even when you think he can't get any worse. This was an interesting aspect to the story because it kept the story taking unexpected turns. King David was so very evil, but this made for a captivating story. The story of Esther was incredible in that true love prevailed over evil. The Bible is straightforward in its storytelling, but there are some vague aspects to it, too. I like this about the Bible, but I think it would be difficult to find that happy medium. The story of Susanna truly captivated me. It reminded me of a modern day situation. This is what I especially liked about it. I could literally see the headlines in our current media matching this biblical story. I want to do a story where Susanna's trial leads to a feminist march. It could be a huge media story, all over the news an social media. Daniel could actually be a man who is a feminist who leads to the finding of her innocence. She would not be tried for death, of course, but her attackers could almost escape their punishment. There could be a misogynistic judge who takes the men's side in a he-said/she-said trial. This could be a very fun story to write.

                                      Susanna and the Elders, painting by Sisto Badalocchio

Stories of Women from the Bible, link to online source

Feedback Thoughts

     I have to give feedback often, considering I am a cheer coach, and it is literally my job to give my kids feedback. However, I am not so used to receiving feedback anymore. When I was an athlete in high school I was good at taking constructive criticism, but I actually think I have gotten worse at it. The four articles on feedback I read were all incredibly useful and gave me insightful tips.
     Let's focus on receiving feedback first since that seems to be my weak point. I read 5 Tips for Taking Feedback Like a Champ which helped me realize the importance of mastering feedback reception. Tips 2 and 3 were the most helpful for me. Tip 2 reminded me that having rom for improvement is a good thing because it means I am still able to get better, while tip 3 reminded me to not take feedback so personally, meaning I need to take feedback for what it is and not attribute it to my character in general. The article Silence the Critical Vices in Your Head had a story in it that resonated with me. The man in the story focused on his workers negative feedback more than the positive, which got him down and hindered him from doing his best work. Like many people, I often only focus on the negative, instead of giving thought to the positive. I need to keep in mind all the positive feedback I receive and not give so much importance to the negative feedback.
    

   Feedback Cats, petswelcome

     Although I see myself as good at giving feedback, I actually found the articles I read on this topic even more helpful than the previous two. I read 7 Key Characteristics of Better Learning Feedback which explained how an important part of giving feedback is making it revolve around a goal, which I had not really considered before. I think this will be useful for me in giving feedback as I need to consider what a person's goal might be and then give useful feedback to achieve that goal. The most helpful article I read though was The Difference Between Praise That Promotes Narcissism vs. Healthy Self-Esteem. It explained how praise needs to be centered around the work a person did for the accomplishment instead of a general character trait. I found this particularly useful because I can use this advice in how I praise my daughter to create a hard-working citizen.

Week 2 Storytelling: Sister Wives

"Asher."
"Here."
"Benjamin."
"Here."
"Dan."                                                                                  
"Here."
"Dinah."
"Here!"
"Gad."
"Here."
"Issachar."
"Here."                                                                                 
"Jospeh."
"Here."
"Levi."          
"Here."
"Naphtali."
"Here."
"Reuben."
"Here."
"Simeon."
"Here."
"Zebulun."
"Here."

Jacob's Flight by von Carolsfield, mythfolklore

"Wow. That took much longer than expected. When I took this job, I did not realize how many children I was taking on. Your father just instructed me to take care of his children. Who knew he had thirteen of them!" Jacob's children watched their teacher silently as she recovered from her surprise.
"Well, we don't all have the same mom," Asher said bluntly.
"Asher!"  Benjamin exclaimed. "That's not really 'first day' information."
"You only say that because Dad loved your Mom, Ben. The rest of us think our moms should get some recognition too," Judah stated from the back of the room."
"At least your mom is still alive!" Joseph blurted out.
"Oh, shut UP, Joseph!" Dinah said with an exasperated tone. The kids all began bickering at once. The volume in the room grew louder and louder. Ms. Carolyn knew she needed to gain control over the kids before they got out of hand. She was an experienced caretaker, but she had never worked with a family with thirteen children before.
"ENOUGH!" Ms. Carolyn shouted. The room grew still and silent as the children stared at Ms. Carolyn. All twenty-six eyes were opened wide, shocked by their caretakers outburst.
"Excuse us, Ms. Carolyn," Reuben, the oldest, apologized on the behalf of himself and his siblings. "It's just, our family is a bit complicated. It may be better if we explain this to you." Ms. Carolyn immediately regretted taking on this job. But Rebekah (Jacob's mother) had been a great friend to her. She wanted to return the favor by helping Rebekah's son, but she was not aware of how complicated Jacob's family was.
"Okay. Maybe I should get some background information. What was your name again, son?"
"I'm Reuben. I'm the oldest of us all. My mother is Leah. Our mother gave our father seven children, six sons-"
"And one daughter," Dinah interrupted.
"I see. Wow! Seven children. Sounds like a hero." Ms. Carolyn said.
"Pft... You want to know who a hero is?" Joseph asked. Before Ms. Carolyn could answer, Joseph continued, "Our mother, Rachel."
"Both Rachel and Leah will be remembered as great women, Joe," Issachar pointed out to ease the tension.
"Excuse me... what about our mother?" Naphtali questioned, Dan nodding in agreement behind him.
"And ours!" Gad and Asher exclaimed in unison.
"Okay, wait one minute kids," Ms. Carolyn said in her calmest voice. Things were really getting interesting now. She was extremely curious but did not want to see to eager to learn more. "Reuben. Since you are the oldest child, I would like you to explain this all to me." Her statement was met with groans and eye rolls, but Reuben began.
"Let's see. Our father, Jacob, worked for Leah, my mother's, father. He was given my mother in turn for seven years work. As I said, she gave birth to seven of us: Me, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah."
"Ahem," Asher cleared his throat obnoxiously.
"Since Asher seems to have something to say, I will let him speak now." Reuben stated calmly.
"That was very respectful of you, Reuben," Ms. Carolyn said. "Go on," she instructed Asher.
"My mother, Zilpah, was Leah's handmaid. Leah gave our mother to our Dad to wife," Asher explained.
"Leah claimed us as her own," Gad added.
"But that doesn't change the fact that Zilpah is our Mom," Asher spat. Ms. Carolyn knew she needed to change the subject.
"Dan! I haven't heard much from you. Why don't you tell me your story?"
"Oh. Well, my mother is Bilhah. Rachel's handmaid. Rachel was barren, so she gave my mother to our father to bear children-which are me and Naphtali." Naphtali waved to Ms. Carolyn. She smiled in response. "So where are Rachel's children?" Ms. Carolyn inquired.
"Right here!" Joseph and Benjamin said in unison. "Dad waited fourteen years to make our mom his wife. He loved her so dearly. He was always the one she wanted, but her father kept her away from our dad in order to get more work out of him. She passed when she gave birth to Ben. Everyone got quiet. Dinah looked down, ashamed of her outburst earlier. She grabbed Joseph's hand.
"I am sorry for your loss," Ms. Carolyn said. "All of you." The children looked at each other and smiled. "You all seem like a wonderful family. I am looking forward to caring for you all," she expressed with genuine enthusiasm.

Bibliography: Stories of Women (Rachel and Leah) from the Bible, link to online source.

Author's Note: When I read the story of Leah from the Bible, I was immediately intrigued. In addition to this though, I was extremely confused. There were so many children and so many mothers and so many weird names that I could not keep track of who belonged to who. I figured others had had the same problem as me, and so I decided to write a story in which all of those relationships are expressed clearly. The Bible stories I enjoyed most these past two units were those with dialogue, so I knew that had to be an important part of my story. I kept the relationships all the same, but I was able to do some character development with the children that was not at all there in the Bible stories I read. The jealousy among the women though, especially between Leah and Rachel, which I feel I expressed through the children's comments. In reality, the family really was quite broken and the children did not end up interacting as family, but I decided to take a lighter, more positive approach with my story where the children realize that no matter what, they are still one, big family.

Reading Notes: Adam and Eve, Part B

This set of stories was not as captivating as the women of the Bible stories. They were less captivating in my opinion. I found Adam and Eve in these stories too whiny. They had a hard time accepting the punishment for their actions, which was frustrating for me. The stories were very dark and more depressing than I would have liked. There was so much grief and desperation with little hope. This bothered me due to the fact that I like to see the Bible as quite inspirational, building hope. In addition to all this, God seemed meaner than I'd like to see Him. Although he was merciful, it was not to the extent I would have expected. His punishments were harsh, and I feel like the whole forgiveness lesson cold have been taken advantage of here. All that being said, these issues I found with the stories helped me come up with alternatives for my own story. I would like to write a story where Adam and Eve overcome the hardships they are facing. I would like to see them learn how to cope with their punishments a bit better. I would also like to see them take more accountability for their mistakes. Although there were some things I did not like about these stories, there were some good qualities as well. I enjoyed the dialogue between Adam and Eve, and I also appreciated the love story aspect between the two. Eve was so upset by Adam's suffering that she did not want to live without him. This helped the story seem less distant and more relatable. I also realize that although God seemed quite "mean," his actions were necessary to teach Adam and Eve a lesson. Therefore, it was important that God have this quality in order to use these stories as a teaching tool for those who read it.

Adam and Eve by Masaccio, mythfolklore

The Forgotten Book of Eden, edited by Rutherford H. Platt, Jr.

Reading Notes: Bible women, Part A

     I really loved the story of Sarah because her story portrays her as "real". Her unintentional laugh when hearing of her bearing a child in her old age is classic. I would like to use that in my story, showing each character's "realness," with little details like Sarah's laugh. It is always interesting to see a character's internal thoughts, and it is fun to have the characters express them, especially by accident. This makes the character more relatable and more likeable even, in my opinion anyway.
     The story of Rachel and Leah fascinates me. The jealousy between the two women is something that I can include in my story. Jealous women are automatically entertaining. Who doesn't love some drama? I would love to include some sassy dialogue between the two women in my story. It could especially be entertaining if the women were trying to mask their jealousy but just could not seem to tame it in their conversation.
     Leah's story seems so ridiculous to me, which means it will be a really fun one to write about! I want to have all of Jacob's offspring explaining their relation to each other to a visitor who does not know them. The children could do their best at explaining who shared just a dad and who shared both parents. The only girl could be a very fun character to play with, considering she has only brothers and a lot of them at that. They could also explain their different mothers' jealousy toward each other but from an innocent child's point-of-view. Perhaps I could have both the children and the mothers attempting to explain the connections. The children would explain parts of the story their way, and then the mothers would have to interject, explaining the story with more accuracy but also with less innocence.

 Jacob's Flight by von Carolsfield, mythfolklore

Stories of Women (Sarah, Rachel, and Leah) from the Bible, link to online source.

Growth Mindset

Live Life the Kitten Away, growthmindsetmemes

I had never heard about this concept before, but I absolutely love it! To some degree, I already live by it, but I had never thought about incorporating it into other aspects of my life, like my relationships and motherhood. I am a very determined student and don't let challenge or failure get in my way, but I do get more discouraged by those two things in other aspects of my life. I could even apply this concept to things like diet and exercise. I generally pick things up quickly, so when something does not come naturally enough, my first instinct is to just give up. I rarely follow this instinct, but I would like to change my whole mindset so this thought does not even come to mind. If I welcome the challenge, I will not feel a need to run from it. I am very interested in learning more about the growth mindset and how to implement it in my daily life. I am more excited about my classes this semester than I have ever been before (mainly because I have finished all prerequisites and am onto electives), but I am excited to face each day with more enthusiasm and effort with the help of the growth mindset.

Time Strategies

Sweet Brown Knows the Struggle, MemeCenter

I used to be very good at time management, but since having Brianna, I feel like I always end up doing things at the last minute. I want that to change this semester though. I think that it will be very important for me to set aside specific blocks of time each day to work on my assignments. I am already on the right track with this class as we chose specific days to do our work, but I need something even more specific. I need specific hours to set aside for myself. This is advice that I took from the article "10 Entrepreneurs Share Their Secrets to Staying Focused". I am also going to try to take the advice from this article that explains the value of uninterrupted work. I really need to make this change in my study habits because trying to do school work while an eight month old is trying to help me is not working. I need to plan to do my work while Brianna is sleeping. The article "The Psychology of Checklists" was also helpful for me in that it shed light on why I get so much satisfaction from making and completing checklists. I will continue to use my lists, but I may look for an app that aids in my list-making to make it more convenient.

Reading Options

Bible Women
I am a Christian woman, but I am not proud to say that I really do not know many bible stories. I always love to hear bible stories for this reason. Plus I am particularly interested in the stories about women in the Bible because they teach me how to become a better Christian woman.

                                                     Genesis, UnearthingtheSpud

Adam and Eve
The creation story is fascinating to me. I am a science girl at heart, so the creation story always confuses me. I think it would be awesome to hear more details about the story and maybe these stories will answer some questions that I have in my head.

Congo
First of all, I saw 'fetishes' and 'magical powers', and I was already intrigued by this unit. How could one not be? I am particularly interested in Africa ever since I took a Globalizing Africa class my freshman year. It changed my perspective on the whole country and showed me how truly complex and dynamic it is. I have no idea what the stories could even possibly be like, but I really want to find out.

                                              Dancers in the Congo, Our-Africa

Inuit (Eskimo)
I think Eskimos are super cool, mainly because I am a big baby when it comes to the cold, so I don't know how they can live in that weather! In addition to this though, I am also super interested in paranormal activity. These stories sound awesome, and the fact that they are from the perspective of shamans makes them even cooler!

                                         Eskimo Shaman by Anne Wertheim, fineartamerica

Storybook Favorites

FRIENDS: The One with All the Stories

                                                 FRIENDS, The One with All the Stories

The title was what caught my attention with this storybook. Friends has been my absolute favorite show since I was a young kid, so it definitely drew me in. I love the idea of Friends spinoff stories!The introduction made the storybook seem less appealing, but I think that is due to me being a Friends fanatic. I would have liked it if the style of writing had matched the script style of Friends, but it seemed to have a fairytale-like style instead. Also, it seemed pretty long to me, but I didn't need the information about the characters because I already knew what they were like. The design of the intro page was fine; but I think the picture could have depicted the storybook better. I do really like the overall design of the storybook though. It is very easy to navigate, and it uses a nice font. The title page is really cute. I would like to use pictures the way they are used here, breaking up the story and peaking the reader's interest on the home page.


Characters of Christmas

                                             Christmas Vacation, Characters of Christmas

I LOVE Christmas, so again, the title drew me in. I absolutely loved the video on the introduction page. That was a very cute idea, and I would like to incorporate a video in mine if possible. The picture at the bottom was also great, and I liked the inclusion of a video and a picture on the intro page together. The first person point of view in the intro was very intriguing to me, and something I would like to make work with mine. The overall design was lacking though; I want to use a larger font for the title and the links leading to my stories. the idea of using classic songs as the inspiration for the storybook was awesome.

Mean Girls Morals

                                                       Cady Heron, Mean Girls Morals

The title was interesting to me because I love the movie. After looking at my top three storybooks, I think that I favor pop culture references. There is no labelled intro, which was a little frustrating, but the titles of the stories are so clever! I do think more pictures could have been used in the stories, so I will try to include ample pictures in mine. I want to try to mimic the catchy titles in mine, too. Like the previous story, the font for the title and links were too small for me on this one, so I will avoid that.

Introduction to a New Momma

Hi guys! My name is Lillie Martin. I am a pre-nursing major, minoring in Spanish and psychology. So why am I in this class? Well, my big brother told me that it was awesome, and... I would have to agree. I haven't really done any creative writing since high school, so I forgot how much I like it! Anyways, some stuff about me. I am a junior. I work as a waitress at a small mom and pop restaurant in Edmond called Colby's Grill, and I am also a tumbling coach at a cheer gym here in Norman called Oklahoma Twisters. I was actually a cheerleader from the time I was in about 2nd grade until I graduated high school, although I am not generally what you would think of as the "cheerleader" type. I am doing life a little backwards right now, but hey, I'm lovin' it! I had a beautiful baby girl in May (on Mother's Day to be exact), and she is the most amazing little human on the face of this Earth. She just recently learned how to walk, and she is only 8 months old! She is our little busy body- that's for sure! My fiancé, her dad and my high school sweetheart, and I are getting married on February 9th, and I could not be more excited! My life took a shocking, yet extremely rewarding turn, but I am still planning on pursuing the same goals I have had since high school. A few of them just came a little sooner than expected. :) I will find out in April if I am accepted into OU's nursing program-fingers crossed! Once I become an RN, I would like to work in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. I have wanted to pursue this career since I was a child, ever since I learned what the NICU was from an episode of Grey's Anatomy. My interest in this career has further grown as my sister works in the NICU at OU's Children's Hospital, and my daughter had her own little NICU stay for a week after she was born. Eventually, I would like to become a nurse practitioner and maybe even open my own practice. I am very passionate about my family and my career, and I can't wait to see what the future holds! Also, after creating this blog I realized that I'm actually worse at the whole tech-y thing than I thought.. So bear with me!

Family picture after seeing Santa... Brianna played with his beard.

What is the secret password? Our little one is ornery.

My wonderful fiancé (Tray) and I

Brianna Lee loves grocery shopping!

Week 1 Story: The Tortoise and the Hare

   
                                                                                 

     Tortoise was taking a leisurely stroll through the woods one day when he overheard Hare bragging about his lightning speed.
     "Who wants to race? Anyone? No one? Eh. I'm not surprised. No animal could ever beat me in a race." Tortoise rolled his eyes as he creeped by the woodland animals gathered around Hare. "What was that Tort-y?" Tortoise HATED that nickname, but he kept creeping along. Don't pay him any attention, Tortoise. He is not even worth it. "Ohhhh Tort-y Tort? Not gonna join the party?"
     "DON'T CALL ME THAT, HARE!!" Ohh man. I snapped.
     "Okay Tort-y. I'll make you a deal. You. Me. The East Trail. From the Old Oak to the edge of the creek by Mystic bridge. If you can beat me, I will never call you that again. But if you lose... I will make sure to greet you with that nickname every day. You will never win. Do NOT take that deal.
     "Deal!" What? What is wrong with you, Tortoise? Hare cackled.
     "I'll see you at sunrise, Tort-y," Hare said as he hopped away, still cackling. The woods were silent. Fox broke the silence.
     "Uhhhhh, Tort.. Why did you do that? I lost to Hare two weeks ago. He wouldn't quit making 'What does the Fox say?' jokes. I was so angry, and not even my adrenaline could win that race." Before Tortoise could even respond, Doe piped in.
     "You're doomed, Tortoise. I think you should just back out now. Save your dignity." Tortoise took a deep breath to calm down.
     "Look guys. I appreciate the advice, but I will not take this anymore. It's time we stand up against Hare. He's a bully. He doesn't run us." The woodland animals whispered among themselves as Tortoise crept away.
     Woodpecker spoke aloud, shaking his head and saying, "He's a fool..." The other animals nodded in agreement before heading back to their homes, ready to get some sleep before the race in the morning. Tortoise tossed and turned. He could not fall asleep to save his life. He was too nervous about the race. Meanwhile, Hare was fast asleep, dreaming of crossing the finish line in record time.
     The sun was rising. The animals began to arrive at the Old Oak. Hare was hopping around, warming up for the race. "Little Tort-y probably won't even show," Hare announced.
     "I'm over here you cocky fool," Tortoise said from the other side of the trunk of the Old Oak.
     "Oh yay! I am so glad you showed, Tort-y! This should be fun," Hare exclaimed as he flashed an evil smile. Let's do this Tortoise! Show 'em what you're made of! Hare interrupted Tortoise's personal pep talk. "Okay, who shall send us off? Fox? Doe?"
     "I'll do it!" Squirrel squeaked from the tree branch.
     "Fantastic! I love the enthusiasm Nutty!" Hare smiled up at Squirrel as he rolled his eyes. Hare and Tortoise lined up at the sticks that Doe had put together.
     "On your marks... Get set..." CRACK. Squirrel snapped a tree branch to commence the race.
Hare was off. He disappeared over the hill in a matter of seconds. Tortoise gave his best effort to get a quick start but to no avail. Who am I kidding? This was a huge mistake.
     "Pssst." Squirrel interrupted Tortoise's pity party. "Head left," Squirrel whispered from atop the branch. Tortoise looked at Squirrel skeptically. What is he talking about? Squirrel widened his eyes so Tortoise would get the hint. I know I will lose if I run straight... Soo... I guess listening to the crazy squirrel is better than accepting defeat. So Tortoise headed left.
     Hare was bounding through the woods, full speed ahead. He was almost halfway to the finish. Hahahaha! I am the quickest of them all! Hare encouraged himself as he sped ahead.
     A few meters after Tortoise changed directions, he realized that the crazy squirrel wasn't so crazy at all. He heard running water near the bushes, but there was no water in sight. Then it hit him. It rained three days ago. The water levels of the creek were rising last I saw. Tortoise followed his suspicions and walked toward the noise. Then he saw it. A TRIBUTARY! When the creek overflows, it creates tributaries branching off of it. This one led straight to the bridge.  He darted (slowly) toward the water and slunk in.
    Hare approached the finish line. The animals were crowding the line as they awaited the winner's arrival. Hare stopped just short of the edge of the creek  as he called to the crowd. "I am the winner! I am the quickest! You all should just stop trying! I run this neck of the woods. There is no one quicker."
     "You sure about that? Hare-y?" Hare snapped his neck toward the voice behind him. It can't be. Hare was in disbelief. "I... You... Cheater! You cheated!"
     "The rules clearly stated that the race would commence at the Old Oak and end at Mystic Bridge. The path of the race was at the discretion of the participant," Tortoise smirked as he winked at Squirrel, sitting on the rail of the bridge. The woodland animals laughed and cheered. "Quick minds beat quick feet any day... Hare-y."

Author's Note: The original story begins with Hare bragging about his speed, but the tortoise confidently challenges him to a race. Hare quickly accepts, thinking it will be an easy win, but the story ends with tortoise winning the race due to his persistence and slow and steady pace. Hare's cockiness gets the best of him as he lolly-gags and falls asleep during the race, allowing Tortoise to win. In the original story, Tortoise is confident, but I wanted to give him a nervous personality to make the victory even sweeter when he conquered his bully. I maintained Hare as the antagonist, but I exaggerated his bullying to create a greater desire for Tortoise to win. I understand the lesson being taught by Aesop's original fable, but let's face it. Slow and steady does not always win the race. I wanted to teach another lesson with my story, one that encourages critical thinking and teamwork as Squirrel and Tortoise collaborated, as well as discourages bullying and cockiness.

Bibliography: The Hare and the Tortoise from The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs. Web Source.

Image: Tortoise beats the Hare, OvationPress

Favorite Place- Checotah, OK

Memories are what make a place a favorite. When asked about my favorite place, I immediately consider different places I have been and the memories that come with them. I feel that this is a common response to the question. Therefore, my favorite place is the place where I have some of my fondest memories: Checotah, Oklahoma. Carrie Underwood put this town on the map when she won American Idol, but like Carrie, my parents were also born and raised there. I spent nearly every important holiday there as a child, as well as time during summer break. My siblings and I would chant "Checotah, Checotah" from the time we saw the water tower until we crossed the railroad tracks to arrive at Ma's (our grandma's) house . There was always an adventure to stumble upon in Checotah. There is beauty in its historic buildings downtown and the open fields with cows and horses and barns and hay bales. A visitor is always greeted with a smile, and even the animals are friendly. It may not be exciting or exotic, but its simplicity will win you over. Visit Katy Café (named after the Katy Railroad) for delicious home-style cooking or Sharpe's department store to get the best deal on designer jeans one can find. Explore the creek for fossils, ride some horses, and jump some hay bales. You can have the time of your life in this little small town.

                                                                           

Welcome Sign- All About Town

Beauty in Unexpected Places

The Katy Railroad (Missouri- Kansas- Texas Railroad)- CarrTracks

Four-wheeler on the Farm

Comment Wall

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