Honesty and Integrity

Honesty is defined as:

1. moral uprightness: the quality, condition, or characteristic of being fair, truthful, and morally upright
2. truthfulness: truthfulness, candor, or sincerity

Integrity is defined as:

1. possession of firm principles: the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards
2. completeness: the state of being complete or undivided
3. wholeness: the state of being sound or undamaged

I believe if you honor these two words then you'll be good in the world.  I try to tea qch my kids that having integrity may be the most important characteristic they ever have. It's something, that once you lose, you most likely will never have again (at least as far as other people are concerned).

My middle son came home today and said that one of his friends has been paying him to do his homework.  We explained to him that this is cheating and that he was hurting his friend by doing this.  My son didn't seem to think it was cheating at first, I guess he assumed cheating as if his friend was copying off his homework.  We explained that he wasn't helping his friend because when it came to test time his friend wouldn't do well because he didn't do his homework and learn the content.

I'm proud of my son for telling me, he didn't get in trouble. We just told him it stopped today because it could result in him getting failing grades.  He said "Well, *myfriend*, is in a different class." We told him teachers talk and his would find out and punishment would result.

My middle son is honest about 95% of the time. I'm sure he stretches the truth or gives us an "I don't know" once in a while. He will tell the truth even when it could possibly get him in trouble. He learned quickly in life that the trouble is less when you tell the truth then it is when you lie.  At times I've had to leave the room to laugh because I was shocked he would admit to something he did wrong. For example: one time my youngest son was crying after I had sent them all to bed. I went and asked why was he crying. My middle son chirped up "because I hit him." I had to step away so that I could give discpline without cracking up.  You kind of had to been there. The way he said it, so frankly, was funny.

Anyway, I hope he keeps coming to me with stuff like this. I think he was probably bothered by it and needed his dad and I to affirm that it was wrong and he needed to quit.  Parents make good fall guys and I'll gladly take the blame when it comes to someone trying to get my kiddies to do something that affects their integrity and keeps them from being honest.  They are free to say "I can't because my mom won't let me." when it comes to situations like this.

Monday, Monday

Woohoo it's Monday! I woke up today so it's going to be a great day! Right?

Trying my best to remain optimistic this week, the more positive I think the more positive I feel and the more I get done. Also the better my mood and if I'm in a good mood I eat less junk food.
On the agenda today is Microbiology, lecture then lab, then fitness class. My nutrition class was canceled due to an emergency in the professor's family so I get to get home before 8pm. Which gives me time to study Organic Chemistry. Yay, carbon chains, Sn1 and Sn2 reactions, Steriochemistry. Got to remember which atom likes to do it from behind...dirty little things those atoms.
Kind of curious how my Micro lab is going to go. The class lasts about 2 hours, it takes the TA about 30 minutes or more to lecture the exercises and demonstrate what she needs to us. Normally done in an hour and a half.  However, today we're suppose to do 3 different exercises and a skills test (Gram stains...look at the pretty colors...). One of these is going to take almost an hour to complete (between mixing the agar and autoclaving the medium and using the autoclave).  The other two are just smearing the cultures on plates of selective mediums...that won't take but a minute.  I guess as long as we can get the long exercise all in the autoclave at once then do the cultures and the skills test maybe we can get it all done quickly. I hope.
Somehow I get the feeling it's not going to be that organized.

Sunday Posting

Sorry I've not blogged lately, life's been busy. However this morning is already blessed as I got up a 7am to find all four of the kiddies already up and getting ready for church.
Today's  verse is: Psalm 145:8

 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.


I chose this song today because I woke up singing it today.

In Memory of...

Alice Garrison 1/1934-2/2012

My hubby's grandmother passed away at 12am this morning (or last night whichever you prefer). She was a sweet woman and such a good role model for me and my children.  She loved her family with all her being. Always willing to help and forgive slights no matter how big or small. Her love was greater then that.  She truly had unconditional love for others.
She was a talented writer, artist, crafter. She loved to create.  She enjoyed spending time with family and friends; playing a card game or just sitting around visiting.
She was strong in her faith and well loved at her church. She was one of those Christians that you knew by looking at her, she always glowed.  Even at her worse moments she had an inner peace that calmed.
I love you Grandma Duke and will miss you greatly. You were always so supportive of my education and proud of me.

Blessed be the Lord, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.
The Lord is their strength, And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.
Save Your people, And bless Your inheritance; 
Shepherd them also, And bear them up forever.
Psalm 28: 6-9

Sunday Posting

Sorry I haven't posted all last week, I'm fighting a cold turned to bronchitis and so have been trying to heal myself while trying to keep up with school work.  I also did taxes and filled out my FAFSA this week, taxes look good the financial aid not really.  It said that I may be all tapped out for student loans and so I'll be relying on grants to finish out my undergrad degree.  So I definitely need to step up on the job hunting front. I have a ton of online apps filled out, just time to do some footwork I guess.
So for this week I'm praying that I get better soon and grateful that I'm not as sick as I could be, that I can find part-time work and/or scholarships. I'm thankful for all I do have and know God will provide a way for me to finish, He didn't see me this far to see everything fail now.  I'm also praying that maybe, just maybe, I can find a way into my Hubby's heart in to letting me get a new doggy.  I'm wanting one for a running partner and the ones I have don't fit that particular bill.  I have two lap dogs (chihuahua/poodle mixes) that we all just adore, one outdoor doggy(german shepherd/akita mix) who lets us know everytime anything happens and is just as playful as you'd want her to be.  However our big girl is afraid to be on the street.  She loves to be on the leash and will let you walk her around the yard and up and down the driveway as much as you want.  She'll even walk down the street a few (about 20) feet before she just freaks out and panics.  This happens sooner if she sees a neighbor or a car. Then she hauls tail to the house and won't stop or calm down till she reaches the front door.  I can get her to stop if I stop, as long as she doesn't slip her collar, but she's very worked up and wants to get moving again.  I hate stressing her out and think it would be better to just let her stay in the yard and get another dog that hopefully I can run with.   I really want to get a job first, because another medium to large size dog means more feed and stuff. I don't want money to be a problem.  Hubby said I would have to get rid of two of the ones we have now if I wanted another, not about to do that. I love my girls. If it's meant to happen it will, if not then I'm not going to push it.
So here is this weeks bible quote:

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Sunday Posting

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" Matthew 7:7

Semester So Far..

  So here we are on the second week of Spring 2012 semester (first full week).  I'm finding that I'm going to have to really motivate myself to stay on top of Organic Chem as it is already trying swamp me.  The professor lectures so fast and doesn't like to repeat what he has said. Today I only wrote 5 1/2 pages of notes starting with ethane ( which has 2 tetrahedral carbon atoms connected together by a sigma bond) going through forming ethyl groups to over to line angle drawing, then a brief stent in nomenclature of hydrocarbons (of which I only caught a small portion of what he said), back to removing Hydrogen atoms and replacing them with other atoms. He went over Systematic name rules in 2 seconds then on to methyl groups.  I wrote half a page on what he kept saying about boiling points. He mentions boiling points a lot, so I'm hoping it's on the exam because I got that. A brief mention of Heat of Combustion and Potential Energies.  Also, he mentioned that by now we should be able to recognize the longest carbon chain and all substituents. Huh? I don't recall hearing the word substituent before today. Yes in Gen Chem at some point we spent 5 minutes going over carbon chains for a lab session. Gen Chem was mostly gasses, energies, heat, and all that jazz.  I can count carbon though so hopefully that goes well. We also spent a good amount of time attaching Bromine in a couple different spots on butane molecule to make 2-bromobutane and a couple other butyl molecules. A little bit about some isomers and cycloalkanes and cyclohexane and we were through for today.  I went to Walmart this afternoon and bought a recorder.  Definitely a need as many of my notes are incomplete because I just couldn't write fast enough.
  A&P 2 is easy enough so far. We're just moving into the circulatory system and all things blood.  This class isn't as fast paced and so I don't see any problems keeping up in here as long as I remember to take time to study.
    Microbiology is pretty much like A&P as in it's not as fast-paced. We did have a pop quiz on Monday and so I was very glad I reviewed the chapter and power point Sunday night.  All of his questions came straight from the powerpoint and so I'm probably over learning stuff. Oh well, I'm sure it will apply some where to another class on down the road. Usually does.
   Micro. lab was simple this week, too. I'm hoping my lab partner remembers to go by and check our bacteria growth this week like she said she would. Next week is my turn.  I really have a hard time relying on people so I'm itching to go and check it as well. Plus watching cultures grow is really cool.
  My Community Nutrition class is going to be very informative I think.  It's a hybrid course and mostly self-led.  We don't meet every week (which is great because I dislike being on campus that late). Our first two assignments are to make and cost out a menu plan using the usda website and to read a consumer book on nutrition (preferably community nutrition).  I've got a couple ideas I'm thinking of just have to narrow it down.
  So just going to have to make sure I stay on top of things. So far I'm doing okay, but a ton of room for improvement.