A bunch of topics

Today I'm going to write about a bunch of things.  A bunch is more than a few and less than a lot.  Think of a bunch of flowers.
Sales
The next couple of weeks is a good time of year for sales.  Many stores keep marking items down and down and you can often find things for 70% off.
 Winners is one of these places.  You can get very good prices on winter clothes and shoes for the whole family.
Michael's is an arts and crafts store.  Last week they had grab bags of Christmas things such as ribbon, decorations and bags.  Each grab bag was a plastic bag that was full.  Grab bags are surprise bags because you don't kowo what is in them.  I got a lot of ribbon for next year, some ornaments and a few small baskets.
You can probably find winter boots and coats for at least 50% off.  You can buy very nice things for your children and save a lot of money.  Why not pick up a hat, scarf or gloves for yourself for next winter.
Getting Outside
The weather this month has been varied.  We have had some very cold days and some very nice ones.  Make sure you go outside for a walk or to let your kids play if it is nice.  On really cold days children have to stay in but you can remind them that it will be nicer in a few days.  If it is too cold to go outside, you can always study English.
TV, computers, smart phones
These objects are all part of our lives in the 21st century and children start using them when they are only a few months old.  My granddaughters are 2 1/2 and 1 year old and they both like to watch TV and play with their mom's iphone and ipad.  When they call they use FaceTime or Skype and I love seeing them and talking to them.  My older granddaughter was cooking me some soup today in her toy kitchen using her toy pot.

Charlotte doesn't walk but this is how she travels

Mia is enjoying something sweet

These devices are wonderful and I love all of them but their use should be controlled.  Children should only use anything with a screen for about an hour a day.  Some experts think this is too much.  When kids are watching TV their minds are not very active.  They should spend most of thier time reading books, playing with toys, going outside or playing with other children or Mom and Dad.  The other reason is  that when children are  sitting and watching TV or playing games they are not being active.  Childhood obesity is a very serious problem in North America today.  It causes Diabetes, Heart Disease and many other serious conditions.  When my children were in elementary and junior high school, we belonged to the YMCA and they went for judo, swimming, gymnastics and other events.  My older son joined the Leaders in Training group and met a lot of other kids.  They had events and he even went to Newfoundland with his group.  I have never been there.  Kids who spend a lot of time in front of screens miss out many things in life.

Hello to my new class and welcome to my blog.
If you read some of the old posts, you can find out a lot about me but let me tell you about myself
I was born in Lethbridge, Alberta but I grew up in Calgary where I lived until 1979.
At that time my husband and I moved to Edmonton so I could study at the Universityof Alberta.  I did a Masters degree in Library Science.  With that degree I could work in or manage a library.
I worked at the AVC (NorQuest's old name) library from July 1981 until February 1985.  After I had my first baby in 1983 I didn't want to work full time any more, so I quit that job and started teaching ESL in the evening.  I did that for about 10 years. 
Then I started to teach ESL at Westmount.  So I've been at NorQuest for more than 30 years.
I usually teach half time with a partner and I like that a lot.  I really like working with Marilyn.  We make a good team.
If you read my blog you can make a comment.  You might find some of my older posts interesting too.