Thursday, December 29, 2011

It's Okay

Happy Thursday! Winter break is only halfway over...and i've already read two books, cleaned the house, returned all of my items that didn't fit from Christmas, and spent too many hours lounging in bed. What am I going to do with myself for 6 more days?! :) 

Today, I'm linking up with Neely for It's Okay Thursday!
It's okay...
....to spend a ridiculous amount of time curled up in bed reading a book
...to go shopping multiple times in one week just because you CAN
...to be ridiculously excited about my J Crew purchases that are supposed to be delivered today
...to also be really excited about my print that I won from A Girl in Pearls through Mrs. Monologues' Holiday giveaways!!
...to become impatient about certain things
...to really wish people would stop asking you about those certain things because then it makes you even MORE impatient
...to think irrationally for a few hours about giving your cat away after he chews things BRAND NEW CHRISTMAS PRESENTS up.

I'm off to shower and find yet another new book to read...I hope everyone is enjoying the last few days of 2011. Here's to 2012!

Friday, December 23, 2011

Here comes Santa Clause, Here comes Santa Clause...

Hello, bloggy friends! I'm sorry i've been so slack lately. School was NUTS after Thanksgiving, with trying to squeeze the last few units in, benchmark testing, and holiday celebrations.

Now that I've finally gotten a break, I'm sick again. I started feeling icky on Wednesday night after I got home from school [hit me like a truck], and yesterday I woke up feeling like there were knives in my throat. I wrapped a few presents, had a lunch date with boyfriend, finished my shopping, and by that time...i was finished. I came home to find white spots forming in my throat and my temperature up to 99.5. Great. I finished wrapping our presents and proceeded to spend the rest of the evening wrapped up in the blanket and whining not doing anything. Thankfully, I have antibiotics from two weeks ago when they THOUGHT I had strep...but it turned out not to be. Guess they knew it would come back with a vengance!

Today I'm feeling a little better, thanks to the miracle of medicine. I'm going to shower and have lunch with boyfriend (poor thing has to work today), and then hopefully get the house cleaned before we head out of town to see his mom for the night. Tomorrow, we'll come back into town in time to get showers and head to my mom's. We always have a crazy busy few days during Christmas...this year, we've decided to hold off on exchanging presents until Christmas day after everything else is finished and calmed down. It was boyfriends idea, and I love the fact that he thinks that it should be a private time for us. :)

I need to shower...lots to do! I hope you enjoy your holiday as much as we will!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Sometimes and Always...

Today, I'm linking up with Megan from Mackey Madness for Sometimes and Always. I love her blog, and I'm so glad she finally made this a link up! :) So...here goes nothin'!

Sometimes: I want to lay in bed for hours after my alarm goes off.
Always: I get out of bed and go to work anyway.

Sometimes: I consider not taking a shower and using dry shampoo instead.
Always: I get up anyway and take a shower because I won't wake up if I don't.

Sometimes: I want to quit my job and be lazy at home.
Always: I thank God for providing me with an awesome opportunity to give underprivileged children an education.


Sometimes: I want to take a sick day, knowing that I have a terrible cold/cough.
Always: I realize that a sick day is more work than it's worth.

Sometimes: I feel like my temper gets the best of me when my students are misbehaving.
Always: I reflect and think about how I could have changed my behavior so that in turn, theirs might have changed as well.


Sometimes: I feel like punting my cat across the yard after he chews things up.
Always: I just shake my head and say "you better be glad I love you".

Sometimes: I want to be married already.
Always: I end up super glad we are enjoying our time as boyfriend and girlfriend. 
[I swear, I could stare at that handsome man all day...doesn't matter what his title is. ;)]

****

...can you tell I'm a little overwhelmed and really ready for Christmas break? I'll be so thankful for a few weeks off!

There are less than two weeks until Christmas...and I'm really excited! Boyfrind and I get to *hopefully* squeeze in visits with all three families this year (his mom, my mom, my dad), and we both have the week between Christmas and New Years off. It will be really nice to have some uninterrupted time together.

Friday, November 25, 2011

ABC's of me!

I've seen a couple of people (namely Ashley and Laura) do this, and I figured since I'm procrastinating on writing lesson plans and trying to enjoy my relaxing weekend, I'd particiapte too!

The ABC's of me!
A. AREA CODE: 919

B. BED SIZE: Queen

C. CHORE YOU HATE: Folding laundry. I'm a pro at washing them and putting them in the dryer, but I'll leave them in the dryer for DAYS and turn the dryer on multiple times before I actually fold them.

D. DOG'S NAME: Gatsby. Technically, he's boyfriend's dog, but I claim his as mine :)

E. ESSENTIAL "START THE DAY" coffee. I can't be okay without it. I've been drinking 2 cups a day now that we're on vacation for a few days.

F. FAVORITE COLORS: pink. 

G. GOLD OR SILVER: silver, definitely. Even if it's white gold...it still looks silver!

H. HEIGHT: 5'3"

I. INSTRUMENTS YOU PLAY: i TRIED to play the piano for a little while...yeah, that didn't really work out for me.

J. JOB: third grade teacher.

K. KIDS: ...I teach 23 of them every week!

L. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: boyfriend and I live in a 3 bedroom house that he owns.

M. MOM'S NAME: Penny

N. NICKNAME: ...I don't really have any.

O. OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAY: none, thank goodness! Was almost admitted for kidney stones when I was 17, but luckily I got out of it.

P. PET PEEVE: Dirty dishes in the sink. An unmade bed. Rude children.

Q. QUOTE FROM A MOVIE: too many to count...

R. RIGHTY OR LEFTY: Righty

S. SIBLINGS: One younger sissy who looks the same age as me...and she's only 14 (almost 15...only a few more weeks)!

T. TIME YOU WAKE UP: During the week my alarm is set for 6:25. I'm usually at school by 7:30.  Assembly's are on Mon and Wed, so I don't have to be in the gym until 8. Every other day they're in my room at 7:45.

U. UNDERWEAR: Victoria's Secret. I just took advantage of the 7 for 25 sale or whatever it was. yeahhhh.

V. VEGGIE YOU DISLIKE. I hate brussel sprouts and spinach. Most others are okay with me. Except sweet potatoes. Are those a vegetable?

W. WAYS/REASONS YOU ARE LATE: Either the dog poops on the floor while boyfriend is out of town, my Keurig isn't working, I decide to stop at Starbucks, I'm depending on boyfriend (who will be late for our own wedding) or traffic gets me.

X. XRAYS YOU'VE HAD: Teeth, kidneys.

Y. YUMMY FOOD YOU MAKE: I'm pretty good at baking. Otherwise, I'm not so great. I make some pretty mean cinnamon rolls and chicken pot pie.

Z. ZOO ANIMALS YOU LIKE: girafffes!!!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

It's Okay...Turkey Style

Happy Turkey Day, everyone! This year I'm thankful to have many, MANY blessings in my life, including a wonderful family, an incredible boyfriend, and a great job. We're taking a break from all the food for a while, so I thought I'd link up with Neely for It's Okay Thursday!

It's okay to eat entirely too much and not feel guilty about it.

It's okay to leave jewelry magazines laying around the house just so boyfriend will get the hint...

....and it's also okay to purposely flip through those magazines when he's in the room so you can start a conversation about what kind of rings you like.

It's okay to scrub your entire house spotless just because your mom is coming to stay while you're out of town.

It's okay to feel extremely, extremely blessed.

It's okay to NOT want to go back to work on Monday.

It's okay to not think about lesson plans, workshop plans, or anything school related for a few days.

and finally...

It's okay to care less about black Friday and think that people are NUTS for going out shopping. I'll pay a few more dollars to not wait in those lines, thank you.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

What I'm loving

Today is Wednesday, and I'm on Thanksgiving break...so why not link up with Jamie for What I'm Loving Wednesday?!

I'm loving that we're headed to the beach in a few hours to spend time with my family!

I'm loving that this week was a one day week...much needed.

I'm loving this beautiful weather we're having!

I'm loving that my mom is wonderful, and graciously agreed to stay at our house with the pets this weekend so we don't have to board them.

I'm loving that I got a few Christmas to decorate the house with...this will be our first Christmas living together, so I'm trying to convince boyfriend to go all out!
Our first piece of Christmas :)

I'm loving that boyfriend is such a trooper and helped me clean the house last night/this morning so my OCD will be satisfied.

And just like every other day and for every day to come,
I'm loving my sweet, wonderful, amazing boyfriend

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Lack of Motivation and headaches.

I've lost my motivation...the ending of Daylight Savings Time has made me bonkers, and I've been going to bed at 8:45 every night for the last week. It's been a pretty lazy few weeks here in our home...

Boyfriend went on a business trip at the end of October, so I was alone in our house for the first time overnight. He was gone for four nights, and I was pretty sick/stressed/tired while he was gone. Once he got home, everything went back to normal! Funny how those things work...

Our Halloween was pretty low key. We went to my aunt and uncle's for dinner (my uncle makes the best chili), and I got to hold Riley girl.

A few weeks ago, boyfriend accomplished a big feat--he paid off his student loans! I took him out for sushi to celebrate, and then we went to Trader Joe's to grocery shop. A wonderful date night. :)

This week I have been struggling with headaches EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. I'm not sure if it's sinuses or my eyes or what, but I'm getting tired of it. They started last Friday and haven't stopped. My worst one was last Saturday--we were supposed to go out with friends to watch football, but my head hurt pretty bad, so I stayed while boyfriend went out. I went most of the day today without one for the first time, but in the last hour or so, I've started to feel one coming on. Usually it lets up when I wear my glasses, but I have them on right now and it's getting worse. If they don't get better this week I'm going to call my doctor!

That's pretty much it around here...this week is a full week at school, and then the next week is a ONE day week before Thanksgiving! We'll be heading to the beach Wednesday-Sunday to be with my family. I'm pretty excited! Knowing what is just around the corner, I'm sure this week will drag by...oh man.

Time to take some medicine and try to kick this headache! Toodles.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

What I love!

It's been a while since I linked up with Jamie for What I love Wednesday...and since I'm loving a lot today I thought I'd share!


Today I'm loving...

...that boyfriend comes home from his business trip in about 5 hours! I've missed him the last 4 days.
...that all of my parent/teacher conferences are finished.
...that tomorrow is a half day and we have no school Friday (i'm doing a happy dance as we speak)!!!
....this gorgeous weather we're having

and I absolutely love the fact that my new baby cousin, Riley Quinn, was born on Monday after her mommy was in labor for 16 hours!

Welcome to the family, Riley! :)

What are YOU loving today?

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Struggles...

Help!

I'm having a teacher struggle here. I love to let my kids be creative and have fun....however, in our school system (not a public one), it is frowned upon to have the students draw and color. It is said that drawing and coloring is not higher order, and they should be using higher order thinking skills.

Today, they were working on their book reports and creating a new book cover for their books. In my mind, this is a way for them to show me that they comprehend the book that they are reading, as well as having them do something besides just sitting in their seats and writing. I had someone in upper management observe me, and the activity was not liked because they were drawing and coloring.

In college, we were taught that letting students show their comprehension in other ways (i.e, learning styles) was a great way to make a lesson different and interesting. I suppose I need suggestions on how to make my lessons more creative without letting them draw and color.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

It's Okay

Today is Thursday...which means I'm linking up with Neely for It's Okay Thursday!

It's okay...
...to be irrationally excited about girls' night tomorrow night
...to drool over THIS hunk that you have floor seats for tomorrow night
(that's Luke Bryan, by the way)

...to wear the same shirt tomorrow night that you're wearing today because you'll be around different people
...to want to wear the new boots you bought last weekend because they're really cute, even though they hurt like WOAH
...to plan NOT to go into work this weekend because you have better things to do
...to just want to spend time with boyfriend all evening and not grade papers
...to not make your lesson plans for tutoring until about 5 minutes before your group arrives
...to be annoyed with the cheerleading practice that is going on RIGHT outside of your door
...and to leave earlier than you probably should because of said cheer practice

:)
life. is. good

Thursday, October 6, 2011

It's Okay Thursday

Finally, a minute to breathe...so of course, you know I'm linking up with Neely for It's Okay Thursday!


It's okay...
...to order pizza for dinner because you have nothing else to eat in the house
...to be WAY too excited about the new Target that just opened yesterday because it's 5 minutes away from your house.
...to go to said Target just because it was the first day it was open....not because you needed anything.
...to spend WAY too much money at said Target.
...to be ridiculously excited about a long weekend.
...and to look forward to a day trip to the beach.
...and to be selfish about not wanting to go for the whole weekend because you want time to yourself [sorry, dad].
...to want to go to bed at 8pm.
...to be rebellious and NOT copy things for tomorrow because conferences ran late today and you are ready to go home.
...to NOT want to give your sister's sweatshirt back to her.
...to already be sad about boyfriend going out of town for 3 nights, even though it's 2.5 weeks away.
...to skip grading tonight because you got home late, even though progress reports go home tomorrow.

yep. It's all okay. Life is good.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Neglect

poor little bloggy. I'm so sorry that I've neglected you lately. I've been incredibly busy!

Work has practically taken over my entire life...teaching is a job that can be done 24 hours a day and STILL not be done. Every day I'm at school by 7:15, and don't leave until at least 4:30. Sometimes it's been as late at 6. I come home and continue to work more...whether it be grading, analyzing data, or planning lessons. Sometimes we decide to cook dinner, sometimes we don't. By the time 9 or 9:30 rolls around and bedtime comes, I'm exhausted. I'm usually at school either one or both days during the weekend, which takes time away from boyfriend and my family. But it's all worth it. 

One day last week, a student came to my desk right before she walked out the door and said (unprompted)
"Thank you for helping me with my math today".
 It put everything into perspective and made me realize why I do what I do.

When I'm not at school, we've been filling our weekends with friends and family. My cousin is about to have a little girl in a few weeks, and we attended a baby shower for her in September. We've also been to a few birthday parties, and found time to hang out with friends and watch football. 
Fall has finally arrived here in the south, bringing cooler temperatures this week. I'm enjoying every minute of it! This weekend it hasn't gotten out of the 60's. We've had the windows open during the day, and the heat on during the night. I've been curled up in my sweatpants and sweatshirt all weekend, and we've drank more coffee than usual. I'm welcoming fall with open arms! I'm hoping that we will be able to get up to the mountains for a day soon to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway and admire the leaves, like we did last year.



This morning, I decided that it was time to give the house a deep cleaning. I started by cleaning the kitchen, moved to the the bedroom and the bathrooms, and ended by vacuuming. I even convinced boyfriend to get rid of a few piles of papers so that I could move some of my things that are [still] in boxes to the gym and out of the living room. I feel accomplished! This evening, we're probably going to head to my mom's for dinner and to hang out...but for now, I think i'll go take a shower and enjoy this beautiful fall day (and football). 

Toodles!


Sunday, September 18, 2011

The Simple Things...

The simple things make a weekend wonderful...and make the week ahead not look so bad.

...a dinner (or two) with friends
...a trip to Target (or two)
...a clean house
...clean sheets
...meeting new neighbors
...spending time with boyfriend
...snuggling with kitty
...not making breakfast until noon on Sunday


Happy Sunday, friends!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

10 years ago today...

I was in 8th grade at Carrington Middle School. The bell rang and we were switching classes...I remember hearing buzz in the hallway about something bad happening.

I remember walking into class and watching the TV, not really sure what was going on.
I remember the teachers making us turn the TV off.
I remember parents calling, and students leaving school early.
I remember lots of students and teachers crying.
I remember going home, and not being able to take my eyes off of the TV.
I remember going to church that night...and praying for all of the innocent victims.
I remember thinking...who would do something like this? And praying for them, too.

Where were you ten years ago, when the world stood still?

Now, ten years later...it still hurts. Even though I wasn't personally involved, I couldn't watch the memorial on TV. I cried as soon as I turned it on and tried to watch it. I have a knot in the pit of my stomach and this feeling of panic. So many lives lost....so, so many innocent lives lost. So many families affected.

Say a prayer today.

Friday, September 2, 2011

C-R-A-Z-Y

This week has been a crazy one...and that's an understatement. Let's recap.

Tuesday:
-gym class. One comes back with a bloody nose (non injury related), one comes back with a twisted ankle. The nose stops bleeding, the ankle heals by recess.

Thursday:
-reading time. One curls up in the corner and howls as she is crying; 10 minutes later another one almost throws a chair in a fit of rage, and then proceeds to throw a tantrum. I have to almost physically drag him down the hallway to another teacher's room. Both children recover and go home happy.

TODAY:
-bathroom break. Girls discover a sweater stuffed in a toilet. I tell them just to leave it; I will have someone take care of it. Student comes out of the bathroom crying. Said sweater is hers. It was put in the toilet sometime between 8am when she accidentally left it there and 10am when we arrived at the bathroom. Tears are shed, but student is fine by 11am. Note written to mom.
-recess. Student A is running up the stairs on the equipment, student B accidentally runs into her, knocking her over and DIRECTLY INTO the equipment, causing her to bleed profusely from the eye. She is scared out of her mind, and therefore screaming at the top of her lungs. The injury is compressed, all hands involved are thoroughly washed, student A sent to office, where she is sent to the hospital by ambulance to get stitches. Mom comes to retrieve glasses. Student C (who had nothing to do with the incident) emotionally distraught, but eventually recovers. No update yet, will call tomorrow.

Yes, in fact, I WILL be going to bed early tonight.

And I shall leave you with a few of my favorite quotes from this week...

"I tried to draw you but I didn't have a blonde crayon so I used peach instead!"

"I know why sharks are called sharks...because they have shark teeth!"

"Can I be your wingman? You know...walk around with you and read while you do stuff?"

...and that's why I love third grade.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Oh hey, little bloggy.

Let's just suffice to say that I've been very busy. Very, VERY busy. I'm making a solid attempt to be much more organized and on top of things this year, so it's caused me to have some late nights at work, as well as some late nights on the couch planning. Hopefully I will find a time to write a big catch-up post (because, well, we all survived an earthquake AND a hurricane last week here on the East Coast) later this week. Until then, enjoy your week!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Teacher Talk Tuesday

It's time for Teacher Talk Tuesday! Once again I'm linking up with this blog for Teacher Week 2011.



Although I'm fairly new at this whole teaching thing, I can say that I was better prepared to start my first full year than I would have been, had I not been blessed with a great opportunity. That extra four months worth of work was definitely worth it! A few important lessons I learned in my first four months (and a few even in the first six days of this year)...

Communicate, communicate, communicate.
   Parents are much more open to "bad" phone calls once they've had a few good ones first. I send out a weekly newsletter, send a weekly email to my parents, and am required to make at least 3 good phone calls a week. I can already tell a difference in the communication with my parents from last year to this year!

Pick your battles.
  You have to learn to pick your battles. That was the biggest lesson I learned in my four months in fifth grade. Who cares if little Johnny wants to lay on the floor to read out of his book, if he's still doing his work, LET HIM DO IT! I was way too controlling with my kids the first year and it made my job that much harder. Let them do things for you. Let them clean the classroom. It's okay if someone needs to sharpen their pencil, let them do it.

Routines and procedures are KEY.
   This is something that I've picked up on this year. If you establish and practice those routines and procedures in the first few weeks, they'll remember them and follow them for the rest of the year. If they aren't tight in the first few weeks, then the class will slowly unravel in your hands...I speak from experience.

Wear comfortable shoes.
  ...this one is pretty self explanatory. I still struggle with heel pain, because I have very flat feet. I'm a sucker for cute shoes.

When you have the opportunity, use the bathroom!
  You don't wanna get stuck with a bladder infection or be doing the "ants in my pants" dance like I have so many times...I've started going right before school, during specials, and right after school. Makes for a happier teacher!

Always take time for you.
  I quickly learned in my first four months that teaching is a stressful job. I found myself trying to balance a full time job for the first time in my life with being a girlfriend and a sister/daughter. Try staying at school until 7pm and then coming home to cook dinner. Not fun. The number one thing that I did (and will still continue to do) to destress was leave school as soon as I was allowed one day a week--and I did something for myself. There are 6 more days in the week that you can stay at school as long as you need to. If you take time for yourself, you'll have time to take care of everything else, too.

And just a few random pieces of advice....

Always keep band aids handy.

If you depend on caffeine, make sure you always have extra.

Sharpen pencils before the day starts and let kids switch them out during the day if you can't stand the sound of a pencil sharpener while you're teaching.

Remember to take attendance...and make friends with the people in the office and the custodians! They come in handy in times of need.

Your grade level partners, veteran teachers, and the internet can be your best friends for resources and ideas. Collaborating is always a great option!

That's all I can think of at the moment. Stay tuned for Where It All Goes Down Wednesday...where I'll finally share the before and after pictures of my room!


Monday, August 22, 2011

Meet The Teacher Monday!

We all know how much I looooove link up parties...so here I am linking up with a bunch of awesome teachers from this blog for 2011 Teacher Week! Today is Meet the Teacher Monday.


Tell Us a Little Something About you...
Well, let's see. I'm Katie, and I'm a 23 year old third grade teacher. I have lived in North Carolina for all 23 (and a half, this week) of the years that I have been alive, and all of them have been spent less than an hour away from home. Where is home, you ask? Good 'ole Durham, North Carolina. Bull City, baby! Yes, I am a huge Duke Fan. :) 
I spent my college years in Greensboro, where I attended UNCG. I moved home in July 2010 and spent my last semester (yes, it took me forever 4.5 years to finish college...blegh) commuting back and forth between Greensboro and Durham. Not a fun time, let me tell you. However, I would have to get used to a long drive...but I'll save that saga for the next question. 
I have the best significant other in the whole wide world, and he is known affectionately as boyfriend (how original) on this blog. We have a golden retriever and a fat, lazy, insane darling tabby cat. The combination of those two makes for fun times at our house! We currently live in Cary, NC. In my spare time I love reading, spending too much money at Target and the Limited, and catching up on blogs.

 Now I feel like I'm writing a dating ad..let's move on.

How Long Have You Been Teaching?
I am currently beginning my first FULL year of teaching this year. Because I graduated in December, I could only teach for half the year last year. Boy, are those jobs hard to come by! Luckily, I moved in with boyfriend right after graduation, and was offered a job at the school were I completed my student teaching. However...that job was in Graham. Yes, Graham. For those of you who are not familiar with North Carolina, Graham is about 45 minutes west of Cary. Every.single.stinking.day for 4 monhts I drive 45 minutes to work and 45 minutes home from work. Sometimes it was an hour or more for me to get home due to 5:00 traffic. After school (and my contract) ended, I decided it was time to move closer to home.
I'm currently employed with National Heritage Academies as a third grade teacher in Raleigh, NC, and I only have a 20 minute drive to and from work now! Hooray!

You Might Not Know...
I considered not pursuing a career in teaching (or even going to college, for that matter). 
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a teacher. I played school with my cousins when I was younger, as well as my barbies and stuffed animals. When my little sister came along in 1996, she became the victim of my teaching ways.

When it came time to go to college, I wasn't ready. I had a MAJOR panic attack the night before I was to move into my dorm room, and I told my mom I didn't want to leave. I refused to pack. I stayed up until about 3am the night before I left for college, regretting every letter of intent I had signed and every student loan that I had taken out. I was a momma's girl, who had never been away from her mom or sister for more than 3 or 4 days at a time, getting ready to leave for college. NO WAY, JOSE. 

...I guess we all know how that one turned out. My mother would have died had I decided not to go to college. And here we are, 6 years later. I don't regret my decision to get my college degree for one second.

What are you most looking forward to this school year?
School actually started last week for us! I attended a New Teacher Orientation in Michigan in the first week of August, professional development started the following week, and then school started last Tuesday. I've been a busy busy bee! Now that I've met my babies, I'm looking forward to getting lots of feedback from my dean and my principal, and getting to embark on a new journey with my babies. Learning new routines and procedures is exciting for me!

What do you need to improve?
The number one thing I need to work on right now is my classroom management. During my internships and student teaching, classroom management was a breeze. Now that I'm out on my own, it's not as easy as I thought it was. Turns out, a class behaves much better when there are two teachers in the room than they do when there is only one! My first class basically ran the show. The biggest lesson that I learned in my first half year of teaching was to go in and set rules and expectations! I'm working on that this year, and my little third grade babies are wonderful so far, after only 5 days!

I also have a weird habit of not being able to hold eye contact for very long. I have a very irrational theory and explanation for this. I'm currently trying to rid myself of this fear.

What teaching supplies can you *not* live without?
Last year and throughout my internship/student teaching experience, I relied heavily on my SMARTboard.  Now that I teach in a charter school, I have to live without the luxury of having one. I'm hoping that I can figure out how to use that projector thing that is currently accumulating dust on top of my cabinets....

I LOVE love love index cards. Crazy, I know. I can't function without them. I might have a slight obsession. I use index cards for EVERYTHING. Word wall words, exit tickets, notes to parents, notes to me...anything.

I keep a stash of caffeine and/or Monster Energy drinks in my illegal inherited refrigerator. I know they aren't really school supplies, but I can't function without them.

Clorox wipes are a must, especially now that we eat lunch in our classroom. I might be a neat freak.

I don't know what I would do without my mini paper cutter. It saves gobs and gobs of time!!! Do yourself a favor and go buy one. You're welcome.

That's me in a nutshell! 
Stay tuned for teacher talk Tuesday, where I remember the horrors joys of my first half year of teaching and give advice to those fresh newbie teachers, although I haven't quite achieved veteran status myself. 

Sunday, August 21, 2011

I love Sunday.

Yep. Sunday might be my favorite day of the week. Don't get me wrong, I love Saturday. But sometimes [like yesterday] my Saturdays are filled with errands, shopping, spending time with my family, or working on lesson plans. But Sunday...oh, Sunday.

Every Sunday is pancake Sunday in our house. Unless we're out of town. We always, always, always make chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. And then the griddle sits on the counter for days hours afterward, because on Sundays I don't feel the need to do the dishes immediately.

Sunday is a lazy day. Unless I have a ton of work to do and lesson plans to write (where I will end up at work), Sunday is a day to lounge around with my sweatpants and no makeup on, and catch up on blogs, read a book, spend an unhealthy amount of time on Facebook, or do other random things that would otherwise be considered taboo on the weekdays.


Sunday is a day that we don't ever rarely ever make any plans. You might find us snuggled up in bed together, watching tv together, or in separate rooms doing separate things. However, Sunday is OUR day. Whether it be our day together or our day to do things for us as separate people, it is still OUR day. Unless something really important comes up (like a baby shower, shopping with sissy, or falling behind on planning).

Sunday is sometimes a cleaning day...if I'm feeling motivated enough. Today, I have done two loads of laundry, run the dishwasher, and I might just go make up the bed. Cleaning up on Sunday means less time spent concentrating on cleaning during the week.

Here's to a fabulous Sunday. What is YOUR favorite day of the week?

Thursday, August 18, 2011

It's Okay Thursday

Today, I'm linking  up with Neely and Amber for It's Okay Thursday...I feel this is more than appropriate for the first week of school!!! I'll update all about my first "real" week this weekend :)


It's okay...
...that I took a nap and then went to bed at 9pm last night
... that my fried chicken wasn't really fried tonight
...to cry during Big Brother
...to buy wine at the drug store
...to relish in the fact that my drive to and from work is less than 20 minutes
...that I am overly excited about Friday
...to be jealous of your boyfriend who is having no trouble sleeping at night
[and it's okay...]
...to be dependent on Monster energy drinks the first week of school because of that lack of sleep (even though you've been to bed on time every night)
...to plan a weekend filled with NOTHING
...to fill up the dishwasher as full as you can get it because you're too lazy to wash dishes
...to watch an unhealthy amount of Reality TV every week

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Busy Busy Bee

There has been a definite lack of posting on my part in the last week...and I apologize!! I have been working like crazy in my classroom trying to get it ready for the new babies, and I'm nowhere near done. They come on TUESDAY!! I'm going to have to go up there tomorrow and get some major work done. I have most of the day Monday to work and then open house is Monday night from 4-6.

I can't believe it's all happened so fast. I'll find some time soon to post before and after pictures. Most of my classroom is all set up as of now...I just have to work on leveling books, plans, and logistics for the first week, which seems to be a very daunting task!!! I'm very overwhelmed right now. Hopefully everything will magically come together in the next two days...otherwise I feel I might be in trouble!

I'll update as soon as I get some time to breathe!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

What I'm loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday, folks!
This will actually be the first Wednesday in a few weeks that I have been able to sit down and catch a breath...I'm busy working on my classroom this week. We were supposed to have Lexile training ALL day today, but we got a nice surprise when it ended at lunch and we were given the rest of the day to work in our rooms. Unfortunately, I didn't bring any of my things with me from home, but I've been working on what I can. Hence, why I have time to sit here and blog.
 I'll post pictures and updates as soon as I can get home this afternoon! Anyway, today is Wednesday...and you know what that means! I'm linking up for What I love Wednesday.

I'm loving that I'm getting so much done in my classroom
I'm loving that today is Wednesday...this week is flying by!
I'm loving that in less than a week, I get to meet my new babies and start my first full year of teaching
I'm loving that I'm blessed to have a great circle of friends and family
and as always...
I'm loving my incredible Mr. Boyfriend!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Fill in the Blank Friday

Oh hey, again. 
Here I am, still waiting in the airport. To pass the time, I'm going to link up with Lauren again today to play Fill In the Blank Friday!

[photo credit to Caroline]

1.   My go to outfit for a dress-up occasion like a wedding is
my little black dress; either the one from Forever 21 or the one I wore in my best friend's wedding.

2.  This week has been
absolutely crazy. 
I'm exhausted, but it was well worth spending the week in Michigan learning all the new and wonderful things that I'm going to use in my classroom. I can't wait to meet my new babies!

3.  When it's dinnertime and I'm feeling lazy I'll usually eat  
pb&j. 
yeah, we're awesome.
4.  My favorite pair of shoes is
my black rainbows and my gold sandals from Target.

5.  A random item that I own that is completely unnecessary, but that I could never part with is
the fleece blanket that my mom bought for me.
It is giant. And both kitty and I love it.

6.  My favorite person is
Don't make me choose just one.
That's mean.
I love boyfriend, mom, and sissy all the same.
But in different ways.

7.  If I were going to write my own blank it would say
The one thing I miss most when I am traveling is: home cooked meals.

True Life!

I'm linking up with Mrs. Monologues and Fabulous but Evil for their new True Life series!

I consider myself a general blogger. I started this blog to get my thoughts out for when I was frustrated, and to keep people updated on what's going on in our wonderful life! :) 

Since I've recently gotten my first full year teaching job, I'm hoping to network with teachers and share ideas. Being a first year teacher is difficult...and sometimes I feel as if I'm trying to reinvent the wheel, when really there are other ideas out there that I could be using. I'm hoping to make this year in the classroom more successful and less stressful than last year! I'm on my way home from my New Teacher Orientation in Michigan with National Heritage Academies, and I couldn't be more excited to start the year off on the right foot! 

It's almost time to board my airplane...I don't think I've ever missed North Carolina more in my entire life!! See you soon, Raleigh!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Away from home...again

I know, I know...I just got home from Missouri on Tuesday morning, and now I'm off to New Teacher orientation this week in Grand Rapids. Hopefully i'll be able to update DURING my travels this time since i'll be in a hotel instead of an RV, like we were last week.

I just thought about the fact that I will have spent time in 5 different states this month alone...that ties the amount that I had been to in my entire life.

Just last year, I took my first trip off of the East Coast, when I went to Las Vegas to get drunk and gamble babysit. Before that, I had traveled to Florida when I was in the 9th grade and we took a family trip to Disney World. Outside of that, I had never traveled outside of North Carolina, South Carolina, or Virginia. Then I went to DC in 2007/2008 (and back again this April), but that's still not going very far.

This month alone I will have spent time in four new states:
Missouri
Illinois
New Jersey
Michigan

So that now takes the number of states that I have visited to a whopping measly 9, if you include North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Florida, and Nevada.

Last year when I got home from Vegas, I realized that there was more out there than the good 'ole south. Growing up, we never had money to do any big traveling, but I loved going to the beach for vacation. I guess I was naive. Don't get me wrong, I still love being able to travel only 2 hours to get to the beach. However, I now realize that there is much much more out there for me to discover. I'm really excited about the opportunity that I have been given with my new company and I am going to embrace the chance to travel alone for the first time! :)

Toodles!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Fill In The Blank...

Alright, friends. I'm playing along with Lauren again today and doing a fill in the blank Friday :)
[photo credit from Jessica's blog]

1.   My favorite color is 
pink
 Hands down. It's ridiculous the absurd amount of pink that is in my life.


2.  My travel destination of choice is
the beach. 
There's something magical about waking up to the salty air and the smell of the ocean.

3.  My favorite  food is
I don't have a favorite. 
It changes from week to week.
I'm a fatty not picky. 
Right now it's popcorn and/or frozen yogurt.
Weird.

4.  My happy place is   
the public library. 
If I ever run away, that's where you'll find me.
Probably not a good idea for me to reveal that, if I don't want to be found.
Don't judge me. I'm a nerd. I like books.

5.  My favorite saying is    
"Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend it's whole life believing that it is stupid"--Albert Einstein
Pretty smart, dude.

6. My dirty little secret is 
I could spend hours upon hours in Barnes and Noble.    
In fact, I've done that twice in the last week
...rather than doing productive things.

7.  Something friends might say about me is that I
hmm...I don't know. 
They probably think that I'm weird.
But I'm okay with that.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Good News!

I can now officially announce the great news...I just accepted an offer to teach 3rd grade at a charter school in Raleigh! I am so incredibly excited to take on this new and exciting opportunity and to start my first full year of teaching! I get to go to Grand Rapids, MI for training next week and have to wait until the next week to start setting up my room; school starts on August 18.

I'm so excited to meet my new babies and guide them through their third grade year :)

Life. Is. Good.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

My first adventure to the midwest

Last Friday, I hopped on a plane with boyfriend and his brother and headed to Missouri for a long weekend. We arrived in St Louis on Friday afternoon, where his dad picked us up from the airport. From there, we went to pick up the RV that we were staying in (it was in Illinois). After picking up the RV, we headed back to Missouri to go to Sam's club. To my surprise, they sell liquor in Sam's club!! We don't have anything that neat here in good 'ol NC. We then met up with his grandparents and headed to our final destination, the RV campground.

The weekend was full of time with family, extreme heat, a birthday party, swimming, Harry Potter 3 with boyfriend, Captain America, and lots of sweating. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend...even if I didn't get to take a real shower and wore NO makeup all weekend. Shocking, I know.

On Monday, boyfriend's brother had a flight early early in the morning, so boyfriend and I headed into Saint Louis with his dad to visit the arch. I've never been there, so it was really cool to explore downtown and get to visit the arch. In the visitor's center I got my mom and sissy a prize (a tradition when I go out of town), we watched a movie on Lewis and Clark, and visited the museum of Westward Expansion. It was pretty fun, but I was very ready to come home. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 5:40, so we decided to have a late lunch before going to the airport...and that's when it came.

*vrrrrrrrrr*...boyfriend's phone rings. He ignores it. *vrrrrrrrrrrrr*. Boyfriend's phone rings again. Answers the phone. Thinks that it might be the airport. SURPRISE, your fight has been delayed until 8:15. CRAP! Get in the car and head to the airport anyway. Arrive at the airport. Find out flight has been cancelled. Panic ensues. Try to find another flight. End up flying with another carrier through Chicago. Flight doesn't leave until 8:00. Wait in airport. Wait some more. Consider walking. Fly to Chicago. Arrive in Chicago and run to connecting flight. Fly to RDU. Flight lands at 12:30am, 4 hours after originally scheduled. Arrive home at 1am. SLEEP. Boyfriend has to work Tuesday.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was our ridiculous route back to NC on Monday night. Now I shall share some pictures from our adventure.







Exciting, right? =)

Wednesday

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Here's what I'm loving today

I'm loving that I'm back home from Missouri, where I get to take a real shower!

I'm loving that everything is falling into place right now (more on that later)

I'm loving that the extreme heat seems to have finally disappeared, although it's still in the 90's.

I'm loving that the skirt I just bought two weeks ago is falling off of me because I've been losing weight!

and as always...

I'm loving that amazing boyfriend of mine

link up with us and tell what you're loving today :)


Updates...

LOTS and LOTS to update you on...but it will have to be later tonight because I'm headed out for a meeting here in about an hour. I'm just excited for some opportunities that we have been given. I feel truly, truly blessed to be exactly where I need to be right now in my life. A year ago I had no clue that this is where I would be today...but I'm loving every single moment of every single day and I'm thankful for every single person in my life.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Day 4 and a long weekend

Finished day 4 of Couch to 5k today...I also started week 2. I'm running for 90 seconds and then walking for 2 minutes. Here are my stats:


Day 5:
Total Workout Time: 30 minutes
Calories Burned: 190
Total Miles: 1.97

We leave today to go to Missouri for a long weekend...I get to meet boyfriend's grandparents! I'm pretty excited. Our flight leaves in a few hours and I won't be taking my laptop. Hopefully I'll have a bunch of pictures to update you with when we come home Monday!

Toodles and love.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Where I come from, rain is a good thing!

Let me preface this by saying the heat has been unbearable this week.

It hit 100 today.
It's going to be 101 tomorrow;
102 Friday and Saturday.

Our air conditioning decided to rebel today and it has been 80 degrees inside all day...then I decided to turn the stove on and cook dinner. At it's highest I believe it nearly burst into flames got to 83 inside the house. 


Thankfully, it's finally raining here! Random storms have been popping up all over the radar all day, but none around here. I was watching Jeopardy about 15 minutes ago and heard the first clap of thunder...and then the wind started blowing and I knew we weren't in Kansas anymore we were preparing for a storm! Hallelujah. 


That is all.