Health as a Vegan

Being fierce in every aspect of my life; my career, my relationships, and my health. They are all areas that I focus my energy into. You have to realize that acting on the thoughts I have, are what makes my life fierce. If I didn't attempt the goals and dreams I have for myself I would just stay stagnate. I'm always looking for opportunities to grow in my life and become better.

So recently I have been focusing on my health, mental and physical. What we fuel our bodies with have to be good and nutritious. The food we choose to eat will help make us feel better about ourselves, and also help when we work out.

After Thanksgiving of 2018 I watched a documentary, "What the Health" on Netflix and it really opened my eyes to how food is made and how fake it really is. I haven't eaten meat products since then. Besides the reason of genetically being prone to heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cancer, I decided to take my nutrition into my own hands. Ultimately I have the power of what I put in my body, and the idea of that control is empowering. The idea that won me over, off the documentary, was our physical make up and bone structure. Our jaws were not made to chew meat but on plants. It just clicked and it all made sense to me.

But how?
How was I going to give up my favorites?
Believe me there are things that I still miss; the Panda Express orange chicken, bejing beef, and how about, beef tacos and burgers. I will say those are so tasty...but I have to remind myself of the long term effects, and how I feel now.  Now, I have the energy to do more, I don't get sick, and my acne is gone.
There is one thing I am attempting now. I would love to have weightless with this diet. Now I don't use diet in a way to make it seem like I am doing for short term. I mean diet, as my everyday food intake. I must cut out the oils and chips that I eat. Yes, there is healthy fat, but I do, I admit, eat the bad fat. So, starting today I chose to make meal plans based off a weightless plan. Here is what I will start doing:

For Breakfast:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup berries
• 1 banana
• 1tbs chia seeds

For Lunch:

• 2 Cups lettuce/spinach
• 1 cup diced veggies
• 1.5 cups beans or lentils or chickpeas 
• 2 tbs vinaigrette 

Snack:

• 8 walnuts
• .75 cups steamed peas

Dinner: (Options)

• Slow cooker mashed potatoes and cranberry mushroom sauce
• Minestrone
• Quick garden veggie soup
• Falafel bowl 
• Kale and quinoa salad
• Roasted potatoes with asparagus
• Quinoa and rosasted veggie salad
• Chickpea lettuce wraps
• Roasted butternut squash, kale, couscous 

I will update you with pictures and if it will help. Let me know if you have any meal ideas or questions 😊

-Ashley

Fierce Women✨👑

Fierce Women

I put my name in a bubble today and made a web of words around it that I want to represent me. These were the words I came up with today: unstoppable, hot, self-motivated, positive, healthy, smart, inspiring, and role model.

Each word has a lot of meaning behind it and would/will take a lot of work to achieve. Some of those things I feel are accomplished, and others need a lot of work.

Unstoppable- to me this means that nothing can get in the way of what I want. Not feelings, obstacles, sickness, attitudes. When people look at me they will think that nothing can bring me down.
Hot- this has to mean that I've reached my dream weight, and could possibly be comfortable to post a bikini pic on Instagram. I know it sounds weird, shallow maybe?, but I have a dream of it.
Self-Motivated: I want to have a drive, an inner hustle, that pushes me to be great. I don't want to have to look at others to "want" I want to strive for it because I want it. I want to wake up in the morning and just go get it!
Positive: I want to remain positive even through the hard times.
Healthy: I want to have a healthy lifestyle without trying. i just want it to be naturally healthy.
Smart: I want to be book smart, street smart, and I'm not at the moment. I feel like i skip by and never take the time to digest knowledge. I want the vocabulary to flow from my lips into everyday life. I want to read more, about topics that don't really relate to my life or fantasy life. so that I can have in depth conversations about things that are bigger than me.
Inspiring: I want to have an influence on young people. I want them to want what I have...not in a pompous way, but in a way that will make them strive to be better themselves. I want to have an impact of young girls, in how they view themselves. I want them to know they are fierce.
Role Model: I want to be someone they can look up to. Not just their teacher, but someone who fought for them and for herself.

I want to create an organization for young women called, Fierce Women. My idea is to have a group of women who travel with me to schools in Charlotte. Holding "pep-rallys" and assemblies for girls. Building them up, having fun with them, talking to them about real world issues like: self-esteem, sex, bullying, rape culture, poise, make-up tutorials, working, sisterhood, and being fierce. What it means to be a woman in the world. It may not be for everyone, but it is something to get girls excited about being a girl. We have so many labels and we never praise what it means to be proud of who we are. I want logos and shirts and clubs to come out of this pep talk.
Let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas about this club/public speaking events! Thanks.

Some writing

What we have is today.
Think about it as one chance.
Please, now, don't look at this as some stupid essay.
Just please listen to what I hear every weekday.

Na, well maybe I'll put it into scenarios.
With little boys and girls, that hoot and holler.
The cheerios
who'd ya know, its the
the light skin, dark skin, white skin, kids.

It's you, the faces right here
in front of me.
gosh the things I overhear
you all so unaware

that I've been there.

I know the trials you walk,
the hallways you walk down.
I know the way the you talk
makes you feel like maybe you're stuck in a coocoo clock.

coocoo this, coocoo that,
no one gets you, you think
not even know that what your teacher is about to spat
is so much deeper than the democrats,

and republicans fighting over democracy,
fighting for equal opportunity,
no I'm fighting another battle you see,
just to have students realize consistency

love comes from all around us,
but how do you teach the girl that she is valuable
Tv, Social media, music, just clouding and their brains' so malleable
these minds of the fainted heart, the search for people to trust.

The First Chapters

A Millennial Girl's Immersion of Culture

Chapter 1
The Red Sea & Nejran - 1998

Poem about Spokane

Spokane, WA

The grey, far away sky, encompassed over the Little Spokane River,
sun hidden away behind the clouds, and the crisp air cut through lungs.

Dry twigs, grass, and bushes,
brown as the dirt they grew from,
were dried up, cold, and hibernating.

The frosted rains came and went,
joining the ice capped falls of the dam.
Water flowing,
bisecting two land masses.

In the beginning of December
the sky stayed cloudy all the time and Washington
rarely saw the warmth of the sun.
When the clouds drew back,
shimmers of sun would illuminate the river,
sparkle off the white snow,
and feature the brown dirt lining the roads.
Everything surviving winter.

Small Group Work

Small Group Work - What it looks like in my class:

Over the past month I have been experimenting with small group work in my classes. Small groupings to assist with students who are low readers. Today I categorized my groups as follows:

Group 1: Character analysis of their literature circles:
Students will write:
Book:
Author:
Character:                                      Direct Characterization                 Indirect Characterization
(name of character)                  the writer makes direct statements                     author expresses                                                                                                                                          through action

Group 2: Study Vocabulary Words

Group 3: A Long Walk to Water: Writing Prompt
              (Students will write how the Excerpt 2 relates to Salva's story in, ALWTW)

Group 4: Small Group reading with Ms. Durrance
               We will read a small short story, and examine it. Answer comprehension questions based on                the story.

The students will rotate every 20 minutes.
If someone where to take this idea, it would probably last two days. Because I have a 120 minutes with each class it only takes up one day. I liked this experience today.

Imprints on a Teacher's Heart

Realizing I had not said the Pledge of Allegiance in five years.
When I taught my first lesson and the class applauded.
When the girl who I thought didn't like me,
brought me coffee in the morning.

When the student gives me a school picture.
When the students say I'm a great teacher.

When the friends in class, end up punching each other.
When I let the seniors dance in class, because they were about to graduate.

The first day as a teacher hearing, "she looks mean."

When the thirteen year old girl
in the second row, is 6 foot
and sized me up by yelling at me.
When a girl threw a book at me because I took her phone.

When the boy travels across the world
on winter break and brings pictures to share.

When the boy moves to Germany in the middle of the year,
and says that he will miss me as a teacher.

When the girl taught the class for one period
and everyone listened to her.

When the substitute wrote a note saying how bad my students were.

When the student who failed over and over again,
came to class with a positive, motivating attitude.

That first field trip.
That first winter market place.
The time someone threw a computer at me.
That first school with a dress code.
The kid who threw up in my class.

All the homemade cards.
The conversations during an election year.
The struggles of students home life.
The way I can see how young girls look up to me.

Always wondering if I'm really making an impact.
Getting a note letting me know,
I'm a light in her day.