Menu Plan Monday

Here is my menu for this week

Monday

B - Fruit & Soy Yoghurt

L - Salad with Tofu

D - Mexican Pasta

Tuesday

B - Muffin with banana and honey

T - Tabouli Salad with Veggies

D - Mum's

Wednesday

B - Oats with fruit

L - Muffin with lentil patty

D - Grandma's

Thursady

M - Muffin with cream cheese and tomato

L - Pumkin Soup & Salad

D - Veggie Stir-fry with Brown Rice and Tofu

Friday

B - GF museli & Soy Yoghurt

L - Salad sandwhich with mayo

D - Leftovers

Saturday

B - Pancakes

L - Salad and lentil Soup

D - Tofu Fajitas

Sunday 

B - Scrambled tofu with veggies

L - Lentil Salad

D - Veggie Pizza with vegan cheese

Baking

Apricot & walnut Slice

Prune and Apple Slice

Practicum Teaching

It is now my second day on prac teaching. Unfortunatley, most of the staff are away to day so i am oberserving classess that I would not normally teach, as well as subjects, but it is nice to see how other departments work.

Today, being Friday, we had a department morning tea. Aparently there are a whole lot of people who belong to the Arts department that only show up for morning tea! I think that I will be hosting the morning tea before I leave , so i will make something nice. Myabe cheese and biscuits (this was very popular today), a savoury roulade with smoked salmon and friands and proper coffee and tea - from pots. I will do some more reconnaisance next Friday.

The classess I have observed so far are a year 3 boys class - which doesn't apply directly to my course, a year 7 girls class - that didn't have the correct teacher, so i went along anyway and ended up teaching the class. I didn't get any feedback from the supervising teacher, but the girls said that I did a good job and that they hope I get the job - I don't think they really understand what pract is but it was nice of them to say.

I have also been to a year 10 class. We were going through their ecams. I was thinking to myself that I must have used to be able to do this! I will have to revise my concepts of music and I'm currently planning some classes on Romatic music for when we finish going through their exams. It seems that I will never be able to keep all the knowledge in my head at the same time!

The teachers at the school I am at are very nice. I do already so some private tutpring at he school so already knew that but I can imagine if you didn't get on with the people you have been assigned to it would be hard. I'm glad that it is just music staff where I am as I know that it would have been hrad work trying to mesh with all of the people at the morning tea.

For my Romantic lessons I am hoping to find some brass music as a lot of the students in the class are very good brass players. There is also a pianist so he should be right at home. Myabe I will through something else in there that none of them would have come across in their music lessons to push them a bit further. I will have to find a meldoy dictation and a sight singing example. I am also hoping to use the Chinese Dance from Fantasia (Tchaikovsky).

The Weather

It is getting frightening where I am.

All my pots on the balcony have been blown over.  I can't see 2 metres past the balcony.  The windows are rattling and the wind is a high-pitches shriek!  The sea is white, I cannot see any blue.

How long can this go on for?  I will post some photos of it when I finish my assignment.

AMEB clarinet exam theory 5th grade

I have decided due to the lack of discussion about AMEB pieces and the theory that students mist now about them I will post all the theory papers that I have written out for my students.  

If you have any corrections or more information to add about composers etc.  please make a comment and I will adjust the parts necessary.

I am posting the pages up as screen shots as I do not know how to set up a wen page where these could be viewed but I will try to learn one day.  If anyone knows of an easy way let me know as I think the clarity would be better.

Two Spanish Dances

Ambiguity - James Rae

Carnival of Venice - Walton

A New Morning

I love waking up in Autumn when the air is crisp.  Just like it is now.  I can't hear anyone over at the beach and there are no cars driving past.  There are a few surfers out braving the brisk air in steamers but there really isn't any surf.

I can hear a Magpie somewhere and the only other sound that is coming through the kitchen window is the small waves breaking gently.

Last night was a melt-down.   I miss the Beau (this is the longest we have sent apart since we first got together a few years ago) and felt lonely and after making enough dirty martinis for four - which  I drank all of - and watching Mad Men - which is lovely but ultimately depressing - I had a cry and went to bed with a cup of tea.

When the world shows you a serene day full of promise and potential, then it all seems like it's going to be ok again, even if it is going to take awhile.

Budgeting

As mentioned in my previous post, money is becomg a hige factor for me.  I have avioded commenting on the recession etc because I felt that eeryone else was covering it enough.  However I feel that know, that I am on-my-own financially, so to speak, I am ready to have a good think about it.

With my work, I don't get paid regulary.  Yes, i am a tecaher but most of my work os ocntract work, meabing that I only get paid after the invioce has been issued and the client finds funds to pay me.  Some of the work I do, is paid in cash, but I only get paid if the students comes to their lesson - eg. if they are sick, on holidays, public oliday, the school has a sport day - no pay.  This happens quite reguralry which is part of the reason for trying to set up a full timetable.

So this week apart from menu planning all my meals I am going to pu in place the following strategies:

1. Change my Foxtel subscription to remove it from the second bedroom (saving $20) and change the packages around so I am only paying for the channels I watch (saving $20) so my Foxtel bill will hopefully be reduced by $40/month.
2. Write out a shopping list to match my menu plan.  Go through everything to double check I don't already have it  - how many cans of coconut cream do  really need?
3. Not buy coffee out this week.  I only have a short black so can easily make that at home with the French Press.
4. No magazines - this was actually one of my New Year resolution.  Oops.
5. No go out for lunch or dinner - apart from anything the Beau has planned when I go an visit him on campus this weekend.
6. Always take the snack with me on my menu plan so I don't have to be hungry and buy something - or eat crappy food.
7. Look at others expenses I can get rid of.

The Australian Government has recently given everyone a $900 stimulus package to help the economy (Australian).  I have received mine but not yet put it to anything.  I am in four minds about this!

1. Pay off some of my last remaining credit card debt.
2. Put it to my Superannuation
3. Spend it on locally produced goods and services as it was intended
4. Keep if for a rainy day.

Menu Plan Monday

Here is the menu plan for this week.  It began yesterday but is only being posted now as Mondays are suer busy with work this term.  

I am now scheduling breakfast, lunch and dinner into my menu plan because the Beau is away studying and I have to budget very tightly (as he isn't paid while studying) and really want to cut down on the amount of food waste.  Hence the reason there are lots of repeat items.  

The whole menu is vegetarian (apart from one prawn dish).  Most recipes are from Anne Symple - Symply Too Good.  If you are interested in a recipe let me know and I'll post it - I'll also try to take pictures.

Monday

B - Gluten Free (GF) muesli (homemade) and soy yoghurt plus peaches in mango syrup.  Tea

L - Wrap with salad and tofu.  Kiwi fruit.

D - Vegetarian chilli with polenta.  Berry Dream for sweets

S - Snack Bar (eg. LEDA fruit bar) and cup of soy milk.

Tuesday

B - Gluten Free (GF) muesli (homemade) and soy yoghurt plus mandarin.  Tea

L - Warp with cheese and salad.  Peaches in mango.  Raw Almonds

D - Roast veggie pasts.  Berry Dream.

S - Pear and Prune Loaf, Soy Milk, 2 crisp-breads with peanut butter

Wednesday

B - Oats and toast.  Tea

L - Curry (leftover from last week and frozen) and Brown Rice.  Peaches in mango syrup.

D - Mum's

S - Soy yoghurt.  Milk.  Apple and Prune Loaf

Thursday

B - Gluten Free (GF) muesli (homemade) and soy yoghurt plus mandarin.  Tea

L - Roast vegetable pastry (bought from Farmer's Market and frozen).  Apple

D - Stir-fry with tofu and Asian greens.  Apple and Prune loaf

S - Soy milk.  2 crisp-bread with tomato and melted cheese

Friday 

B - Toast with baked beans, tomato and mushrooms.  Apple. Tea

L - 4 crisp-bread with melted cheese.  Salad with dressing.  Mandarin

D - Prawns in satay sauce with brown rice.  Salad.

S - Raw Almonds.  Soy yogurt.  Soy milk.

Saturday

B - Gluten Free (GF) muesli (homemade) and soy yoghurt plus peaches in mango syrup.  Tea

L - Cheese and salad wrap.  Mandarin.

D - Will be away from home (visiting Beau)

S - Soy milk.  Crisp-bread with vegemite and cheese.

Sunday - will be away breakfast and lunch but will try to have something similar too:

B - Bircher muesli.  Apple

L - Wrap with curried egg, avocado, parmesan and lettuce with dressing

D - Roast vegetable pastry (bought from Farmer's Market and frozen).  Salad and baked potato.

S - Soy milk.  Apple and Prune Loaf.  Mandarin.

Assignments

Why is it always the way - when I have something to write about I can't because of how muh other stuff is going on?

Well to get it out off my head - I'm going to note down what I would like to write about:

• Easter Show Jam entry
• Mad Men 
• My Birthday
• The Beau leaving for 6 months of study
• Finance
• Maggie Beer and Simon Bryant  - "the Cook and the Chef"
• Farmer's Market
• Walk the Line
• Cleaning/Organizing/Procrastinating

There - almost done!