TpT Tuesday

I hope you're having a terrific Tuesday!  

It's amazing how for it being summer I have been super busy over the past few days...  My weekends have been packed with weddings, showers, and birthday parties, so it's been a fun start to the summer.

I had a lot of extra time during my weekdays last week since my brother was away at camp, so I put in a lot of time on some new Teacher Pay Teachers products.  I don't know about any of you who are also on there, but it's sometimes a little overwhelming to see all of the amazing people on there and their fabulous and creative products.  I'm starting off slow and with some basics for the classroom and we'll just see how it goes from there!  

I have been making some classroom items in a cute bright pink, green, and blue polka dot design.  I'm still working on making more to go with this theme, but here's what I've got so far...

PS ~ I was having some issues with linking when I wrote this post (and was too lazy to try to change everything again), so if the image links aren't working here's the link to my store!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Third-Grade-Rock-Star

TpT Tuesday

One of my goals for the summer is to really get my Teachers Pay Teachers store rolling with new products.  This totally took a backseat to the absolute craziness that was the second semester of the school year, but now that summer is here I'm motivated again to get things up and going.  

I don't want to blast you all with products all the time since I know there are quite a few of you out there that aren't teachers and could care less about products for the classroom.  So, I'm going to try to do a TpT Tuesday post each week to feature new things I've posted in my store.  We'll see how this goes, but for right now that's my plan!

Click here to download your signs for FREE!

If you like FREE stuff, check out these cute photo signs for the first, 100th, and last day of school!  Even if you're not a teacher, these are cute for you photo crazy parents out there.  Click the picture above to download it!

I've also created signs in other color schemes that also include grade level specific signs that you can find 

here and here.  

I had some similar signs for my students this year and I took their pictures on the first day of school and then sent the photos home with their final report cards.  It was fun to see how much they'd changed and grown since the beginning of the year!

I'm trying to create some items theme items as well, so here's one that will (hopefully) be the first of many in this color scheme and theme...

Click here for the binder covers pack!

I'm all about starting off the year organized, so I'm trying to make things that are not only cute, but will keep things in order!

Have a great Tuesday!

To Do Tuesday

Has anyone else started feeling super duper busy with the beginning of school coming up?  I somehow ended up skipping last week's post, so I won't really go over my previous goals.  I spent much of last week working on my classroom and was scheduled for A LOT of hours at my part-time job.  

School starts exactly a week from today.  I'm going in for a meeting and to work on my classroom today, but I "officially" go back tomorrow.  My classroom is 90% done, but what's left to do now is the less visible stuff...  Labeling my new storage tubs, reorganizing my classroom library, and trying to figure out how the heck I'm going to make room for 6 more desks!  (This will be my biggest class ever!)

• Tackle my school to do list.  This list is literally 3 pages long!  It's a lot of little things that I need to get done by next Tuesday when school starts.  This will be the biggest time suck in the next week,
• Complete 10 miles in my workouts.  I set another 50 mile goal for August and as of right now I am only 5 miles in.  It's going to be more of a challenge this month with school starting, but once school actually starts next week and I get on a regular schedule, it should be easier to get in the rest of my miles.

I'll leave you today with some random You Tube goodness.  Two wonderful videos I've recently fallen in love with.

"Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots

"Hopeless Wanderer" by Mumford & Sons

(Watch for my celeb crush!)

What's on your back to school to do list?

HAPPY TUESDAY!!!

9 Desk Essentials

As I prepare for the upcoming school year, one thing on my to do list is to make sure that I have my own personal desk essentials in order.  Now, we're not talking staples and markers here...  I like to have a couple small bags of necessities for everyday needs or when I pull a long night with conferences or whatever!  

9 Desk Essentials 

1. Lip Balm / Lip Color - This is probably my most used essential.  I like to keep something moisturizing, but with a little bit of neutral color on hand to use throughout the day.  
2. Powder - My skin tends to get kind of gross and oily especially on hot school days.  I've found keeping an extra powder at school is great for easy touch-ups to keep me from looking completely disgusting.
3. Deodorant - This is just a good one to have on hand. 'Nuff said.
4. Body Spray - There are times when I just feel gross after being outside or whatever and a few spritzes of body spray are just what I need to not feel quite so stinky!
5. Hand Lotion - This one is especially necessary during winter!  I also recommend getting the anti-bac lotion from Bath & Body Works to help you fight germs and stay moisturized.
6. Toothbrush & Toothpaste - Sometimes I just feel the need to take a moment to brush my teeth...  This is a total essential during conference week when I wolf down a quick dinner and then have to sit down and talk to parents afterwards!
7. Mascara - Mascara is one makeup item (other than foundation) that I feel like I have to have to look awake and like "me."  I always end up with tons of minis, so these are perfect for stashing away on those days I'm running late or need a little makeup pick-me-up.
8. Nail File - ...Because sometimes you have a nail emergency.
9. Feminine Products - I think this one is pretty obvious, but having a stash on hand has saved me when I forget to refill what I normally try to keep in my purse.  (I keep these in a separate bag in case I need to make a trip to the restroom...  That way I don't have to take everything with me!)

I seem to have an abundance of cosmetic bags around (mostly freebies), but if you're looking for cute bags I recommend checking out Thirty-One or Target for great buys!

What are your desk essentials?

Fashion Friday: First Week

School starts in less than 2 weeks! I really have a hard time coming to terms with the fact that my summer vacation is pretty much over.  Wednesday starts 3 straight days of meetings, which is probably one of my least favorite parts of going back to school.  *sigh*

First Week of School 

I've been trying to come up with some outfit ideas for the beginning of the year.  Outfit planning really speeds up the getting ready process, so I try to lay out my clothes or have a close idea for what I am going to wear ready the night before.  When I feel stuck in a style rut, I turn to my Pinterest boards or Polyvore and look for ideas on how to combine items I already have in my closet.

Our first week of school is only 4 days and Friday is a jeans and t-shirt day.  Monday night is Open House, though, so I need to have a nicer outfit ready that I can change into at school since I don't want to drive home in between.  

I came up with these outfits almost all of which are items I own (or dupes of what I own).  Comfy is pretty much the trend here since I'll be pretty active and will have to be outside for recess and busy duties.  I don't know if I'll actually wear these exact outfits, but they're a starting point!  (The striped dress is one that I tried on last weekend at Target, but didn't purchase...  I'm thinking I'll go back for it, though, because it's perfect for school!)

What will you be wearing back to school?  
Do you style and plan outfits ahead of time?

3 things to get excited about in the month of August...

A new month is upon us! 

August is always an interesting month filled with lots of activity.  It's that month were I go from my lazy summer days back to regularly scheduled teaching.  

I may have squealed when I saw this!

1. College Football - There's a reason this is #1 on my list!  I love love LOVE college football season!  I love watching my wonderful K-State Wildcats play (and kick butt), but I also just love turning on ESPN on Saturdays and having it on all day long.  Even if I'm not watching the games, I just love hearing that as background noise.  It's probably my favorite sign that fall is on the way!  Let's get another BIG XII Championship, Wildcats!
2. Back to School Shopping - Sometimes I wonder if I part of the reason I became a teacher was so that I could further justify back to school shopping into my adult life.  I got seriously excited when I saw Target's school supply department a few weeks ago.  And, of course, I have to have a new outfit (or 10) for the first day(s) of school.  
3. Meeting My New Students - Don't get me wrong, I loved my kiddos from last year, but I have been reassured that this new group of students coming up into 3rd grade will be a much easier bunch.  I know that my class will be a bit larger this year, but I've been told by the 2nd grade teachers that they're a nice group of kids.  I'm excited to meet them and start new adventures with them!

What are you excited about this month?

Seven Year Itch

I have to admit, I think I'm going through a "seven year itch" thing with my job right now...  I've been in the same classroom, teaching the same grade level going on seven years now!  I really don't think that if you'd asked me back in August of 2007 if I'd still be here in August of 2013 I would have said yes.  My school is on the complete opposite side of town from where I live and as a youngster fresh out of college I was eager to just get offered a job, let alone a job in my ideal grade level.  I told myself I'd give it a year or 2 and then maybe look for something closer.  Then, I told myself I'd wait until my principal retired and give it another year...  And now I'm on year 3 with our "new" principal (who is a former 3rd grade teacher colleague) and I'm still around.  

Part of me is starting to feel a bit restless...  I blame this on the fact that several close teacher friends are making school and grade level moves this year and are all excited about these new opportunities.  New schools, new grade levels, new people...  There's part of me that loves the idea of new adventures and opportunities, but another (stronger) part of me that loves consistency and the comfort of what's familiar.  I do truly love the people I work with and the families at my school and the sense of familiarity that comes with being a part of our school "family."  

One of my favorite parts of my job is that even if I am in the same grade level and the same classroom, I do get a fresh start each year.  I get to meet and teach a brand new group of students and I have the freedom to change things from year to year.  I don't have the same boring ongoing job each day and I'm not obligated to do everything exactly the same as I've done in the past.  

So, will this itch go away?  We'll see...  I'm not saying I'm ready for a big change, but I'm ready for some new, little changes along the way this school year.  Who knows what the future will bring?!?  I guess I'll just have to wait and see! :)

Back to the... Classroom!

My summer break is officially seeing it's ending and this past week I decided I needed to make a trip to school and get a little work done in my classroom.  I'm totally the type that goes in super early and then takes the last few days before I go back for relaxation and fitting in appointments.  

I made a point this year to take some "before" pictures of my classroom.  I'm allowed to keep a decent number of things up on my walls, so that helps in some ways.

The first thing my brother and I noticed when we walked in?  Yup, this saw!  It was just laying on the table in the middle of my classroom.  #thatsnotsupposedtobethere

The other thing I noticed?  This gaping hole in my ceiling!  I'm guessing they're working on replacing the ceiling tiles that got wet last year and the job just didn't quite get completed.

This is the view from the door.  Nothing spectacular...  Just a lot of work ahead staring back at me!

This area is what was my classroom library.  It's been my library corner for 6 years, but I've decided to change things up!  I'm hoping my new ideas will work out the way I want them to.

And my corner of the classroom...  What a mess!  

Stay tuned for the "after" photos!  I assure you they'll be much better than these!

Life Lately and School Shopping

The past couple weeks have been super busy, so blogging hasn't happened as much as I would have liked.  The past 2 weeks consisted of the second year of a Common Core math workshop that I'm participating in at a local university.  Sitting in class from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. isn't exactly my idea of a fun time, but I got a lot of good ideas (plus free credit hours and stipend money).  

Super not fun math...

The next 2 weeks are pretty much the end of my summer vacation...  This summer seems to have totally flown by!  I can't believe that we'll be back to school in less than a month now!  My to do list for school is growing everyday, so I'll be busy getting those things checked off in the weeks to come.  

Target's school supply section!

Remember my post a while back about my $100 school budget for this year?  Our local teacher store did their annual 20% off everything sale this weekend, so I stopped in to get a few essentials.  I'm really trying to stick to my budget and not go overboard with school spending this year.  Up to this point, I'd spent $13 of my $100 budget.  I hit the sale with my budget in mind and tried to stick to only purchasing things that I knew I needed.  

I spent a total of $30 on these items, so I feel like I'm still doing pretty well with my budget.   If you can't tell, I really like the Poppin' Patterns collection from CTP!

My new classroom loot!

I also spent $10 on a HUGE packet of organization materials and forms on Teachers Pay Teachers.  It's got a lot of great forms took the place to needing to purchase a separate gradebook.  There are so many awesome options on TpT, so if you're needing that kind of stuff I highly recommend doing a search on there!

Current Total:  $53

Remaining Budget:  $47

I've been looking at classroom door decor ideas and have a trip to Hobby Lobby on the agenda for the near future.  I'm also thinking I may purchase new fabric for my classroom bulletin boards.  I've had the same dark denim on my boards since my first year of teaching, so I figure after 6 years it might be time for some change.  Any remaining money will probably go towards little things like goodie bags for open house and other classroom treats.

Have you been doing any back to school shopping yet?  

What have you purchased for yourself or your classroom?

Fashion Friday: I Don't Do Pencil Skirts

I Don't Do Pencil Skirts 

I follow a few fashion bloggers who are fellow teachers.  All of these girls have wonderful style that I love (I wouldn't follow them otherwise), but a common item I see in many outfits is pencil skirts.

I don't do pencil skirts.

My body was not made for pencil skirts.  These hips and this waist just don't fit that silhouette.  I've given them multiple tries at multiple stores and, not matter what, I can never find one that fits me the right way.  Too big in one place and too small in another...  Welcome to my life shopping for pencil skirts.

In all honesty, I don't think I'd really fit in at my school wearing one anyway.  We've got very fashionable teachers, but I can't actually think of one time I've seen a pencil skirt in our hallways.  Out staff dresses nice, but not super dressy or formal.  My style as a teacher is dressy, but cute and comfortable.  I need to be able to sit on the floor with the kids, walk around, and be outside without having to fuss with my outfit.

Here are my wardrobe essentials:

Comfy tees for layering - Tees don't have just be casual wear.  I wear colorful tees all the time and layer the with other items or dress them up with accessories.  Never underestimate a good tee!

Lightweight sweaters - I'm obsessed with J.Crew's Tippi and Charley sweaters and we all know that I'm a cardigan addict.  Not only can these polish up a look, but they're also essential when you have very little control over the temperature of your classroom!

Comfy, go-with-anything skirts - Skirts are a great alternative to pants, especially when it's still 100 degrees and you're outside for recess duty!  To keep it school appropriate, go for skirts that fall at the knee or below.  (This is where being short has some definite advantages!)

Flat shoes - When you're on your feet all day and walking all over carpet and tile floors, comfortable flat shoes are a must!  Simple black flats are a must and TOMS can be a super comfortable and cute way to add some fun to an outfit.

Black skinnies - I've found myself wearing my skinnies a lot more than my wider-legged black pants.  They're more slimming and just as comfortable.  Once again, make sure they're not skin tight or if they are on the tight side, pair them with a longer top (or a too short dress).

Denim jacket / vest - I wear a denim jacket at least once a week on average...  It's just an easy outfit topper and it's also perfect for those days when you're not feeling so hot and want to be a little more covered up.  I recently invested in a denim vest and a light wash denim jacket to give me a little more variety.

Colorful pants - This is a trend I'm working on getting into more.  Colored khakis (and even colored denim) are a fun way to break away from the usual black, khaki, or gray pants.

Fun accessories - Accessories can totally make an outfit! I have plenty of super plain outfits that take on a completely different look when I top it off with some cute accessories.  I've been loving statement necklaces and they're the perfect way to dress up some basics.

I hope that gives some of you some ideas for things that you can pick up for your own teacher (or whatever) wardrobe during the back to school sales!

What are your work wardrobe essentials?

The $100 Challenge

Each year our PTA gives (reimburses) the teachers $100 for classroom supplies.  I always tell myself that I am going to stick to this $100 budget and then find myself spending almost twice as much.  This year, though, I'm taking on the challenge of actually sticking to my $100 budget so that I don't shell out any of my own money.  

Back when I started teaching I was dropping about $100 a month on books, supplies, and resources for my classroom.  I can't imagine spending that much on school stuff now, but I guess at that point in my life that was where my money needed to go. 

I thought I'd share my school purchases as I go and share my running tally of where my $100 budget has gone.  I have a few specific essentials to pick up, but I have the majority of my budget to spend on whatever I find over the next couple months.

My first purchase was 3 of the "Who Was..." biographies.  I never go to Wal-Mart, but went there with a friend and happened upon a Scholastic book display.  I have quite a few of these bios already and really like them (my kids last year called them the "big head books"), so I was excited to find ones on Dr. Seuss, Walt Disney, and Neil Armstrong.  These are perfect for my reading units and fit my need for more non-fiction teacher real alouds.  These were $4.24 each, so I little discounted from the $4.99 cover price.

Current Total:  $13

Remaining Budget:  $87

I'll keep you updated on my budget and purchases as the summer goes on!

What would you buy with $100 for your classroom?!?

Classroom Sneak Peek: Table Organization

I promised I'd get some more school related posts on the blog, so here's a little one for ya!  Instead of doing a big post of classroom pics, I thought it would be fun to give you some sneak peeks at various things around my classroom.

Today I wanted to share my new table organization system.  It's something I've thought about for the past few years, but just this year got around to.

The desks in my classroom are grouped into 4 or 5 with one of these little plastic bins in the middle.  My awesome custodians fulfilled my request to get all of my desks raised or lowered to the same height so that the tubs can rest evenly in the middle.

The tubs have 3 sections that I created labels for.  There's a place for hand sanitizer, another for pencils, the largest for dry erase markers and erasers.  (BTW, we're using baby socks as erasers this year and they work like a charm!  Sooooooo much better than the junky erasers that came with the boards.)

This system has worked out really well and has eliminated the need for students to get up all the time for supplies or sanitizer.  I was a little worried at first, but it's been a great storage and organization solution.  

I got these tubs at Michael's and Target.  I wanted different colors (and colors that go with my bright color scheme), so I had to mix and match, but thankfully they're all basically the same style and size.  It took a few trips to the stores to get different colors, but it all worked out!

The tub above is a little different because it's for our "teacher table" where I work with small groups of kids.  This one hold supplies for the students and I to use during work station time.  I try to have it all there so that there's no wasted time getting up and getting supplies during our work time together.

And finally, a peek into my classroom.  I wanted to show the desk setup and how the tubs sit in the middle.  

I'm hoping to get a few more sneak peek posts up in the next few weeks.  Remembering to take my camera to school will definitely help that out!  We're in the middle of conference week, but the kids are off tomorrow and I have a lot of free time due to the fact that I only have 2 conferences scheduled.  Maybe I can fit in some picture taking time! ; )

I'm a Winner (and a Slacker)

I've gotta apologize for being such a slacker with my blogging lately.  The beginning of the school year has kinda kicked my butt.  I've been really working on staying on top of everything this school year, so I feel like I've been putting in some extra hours after school so that I don't have a whole lot left to do outside of school.  It's been really nice to rarely worry about doing any extra work at home.  We started our after school tutoring a few weeks ago.  It's Monday through Thursday and adds an extra hour to my work day.  The extra pay is nice and I really have a nice group of kids for it (about 10 each day), but the extra hour really wears me out at times.  I've also missed several days of school for various meetings and trainings, so that's added to my time commitments as well.  I sometimes with I was in a career where it was easy to be gone.  (It's more work to not be at school than to be there!)   One top of that have been literacy consultant observations, meetings, observations for the math grant that I participated in over the summer, and conferences this week.  *whew!*

I've got a few blog posts planned for the coming days and weeks, but it's just going to be a matter of sitting down and writing them.  I feel like I've totally neglected what is blog truly is--  a blog for teachers!  I love posting about clothes, makeup, and shopping as well, but I do want to try to get back into writing more posts related to teaching and provide resources for other teachers.

Now, onto why I'm a winner!

My friend Andi over at Just Another Smith was doing a necklace giveaway and I was her winner!  It's a gorgeous purple and of course I ended up wearing it the day after it arrived in the mail!  I've actually known her since we were babies in the church nursery and it's been super fun being blogging buddies with her.  She posts her outfits each day and I love her style.  We actually own a lot of the same items, but she's got a super creative eye for pairing things up and always comes up with wonderful outfits!  Go over and check out her blog at Just Another Smith.  Go.  Now!

I snapped this pic the day it came in the mail a few weeks ago, but I've actually rocked this necklace a few times since then.  I love the fact that it's purple.  I told someone the other day it's my classy K-State necklace.  I've actually not been a huge purple fan outside of my K-State t-shirt collection until the last couple years.  I'm now finding myself drawn to all sorts of beautiful purple items that don't have a giant Powercat on them!

Well, that's it for now, but be sure to check back tomorrow for a post about some organization in my classroom and a few new sneak peeks into my room!

EBEW: Back to School (and a few other random things)

Okay, humor me for a moment.  

I always love checking out Everybody, Everywear, but I've never participated...  Here's why:

1.  It's on Tuesdays and Tuesday is a dress down day at my school.  I am hardly fashionable on Tuesdays.

2.  I don't think to take outfit photos before EBEW Tuesdays.

3.  I don't have anyone to take outfit photos for me and I don't have a tripod.  This isn't an outfit of the day blog, so I don't really care much to take outfit pics since I can't seen to get very good self-in-the-mirror photos.

Please forgive the horrid little collage I threw together.  Like I said, I'm not an outfit blogger, so this is totally not my thing.  Plus, these were taken after work so I feel like my hair is a mess and I was running late this morning so my makeup is on the minimal side.  I actually did about 6 outfits and 20+ pics, but I wasn't very happy with the outcome.  I salvaged these 3 with some crappy editing with Publisher.  

Regardless, I wanted to participate in this month's EBEW because the theme is Back to School.  I thought this would be a great opportunity to style my new navy blazer

I love style trends, but I'm also a fan of really classic looks.  I've really never been a fan of blazers on myself, but these from AE are the most flattering and most reasonably priced ones I've found.  I grabbed this one in navy a few weeks ago and am very happy with my purchase.  It's been to warm to wear, but I'm happy that I went on and bought it while they still had my size.

I styled my blazer in 2 casual ways with my super dark jeans from Old Navy.  These are the Diva jeans that were from the $15 promo a month or so ago.  I haven't worn (and liked) ON jeans since high school, but these are a winner.  

For the first look I paired my jeans and blazer with a gray graphic tee from Gap.  (Buy it here.)  I lived in graphic tees in high school, so this one totally reminds me of all of those Gap, AE, and Abercrombie tees that filled my closet back in the day.  This is just my updated version of my go-to high school look.

The second look is paired with a fun little plaid shirt from AE that I bought last year.  Button-downs are a very rare purchase for me.  This one not only fit, but was a super cute red, navy, black, and ivory plaid!  Once again, this kind of reminds me of something I'd have worn back in high school, just a little updated!

My final look is a slightly cuter take on the college tee.  I have a whole dresser drawer full of K-State tees (seriously!) and this one is more form fitting and a little retro style.  It's perfect to pair with a cardigan, some cute jeans, and some fun accessories for a slightly dressier game day look!  

***

I thought I'd leave you today with a little look into my bedroom and my perfume collection.  This is so totally not everything, but I did recently rotate my perfumes and body sprays that I keep out.  I traded out my more summery scents for a few fall / year-round fragrances.  

This little side table was about $30 a Kohls a few years ago and has been quite the traveler.  It was an entryway table for a while, then served as a similar purpose in my basement, and has now migrated into my bedroom.  

I have to admit, I need to decorate above this table a bit more, but I haven't figured out what would look right.  

I keep my sprays on this tray from Pottery Barn and it's the perfect spot for me to grab one and spritz on my way out in the morning.    

Here's what currently in rotation:

Lucky You by Lucky Brand

Heavenly by Victoria's Secret

Wildbloom by Banana Republic

Ralph by Ralph Lauren (an all-time fave)

Aerie Botanicals Apricot + Sugar Cane

Be Enchanted from Bath & Body Works

Leaves from Bath & Body Works

I added a couple of these because they're almost out, so I want to go on and finish them off.  I have quite the perfume collection, but a lot of them are nearly empty.  I'm going to try to polish off a few bottles and may use my Birchbox points for the new Viva la Juicy La Fleur in a couple months!

I hope you all have a great Tuesday!  I promise one of these days I'll get back to posting more teaching and school related things.  I've been so busy with other school stuff that I kinda of forget to take pics to do some of those posts.  One of these days...

Let me know what your fall style / back to school style is and if you have any must-have perfumes for fall!  

5 Quick Tips for Prepping for a Sub

It's pretty much an unavoidable fact that at some point in the school year, you'll probably miss a day...  Or 10.  I feel like one of the biggest disadvantages to our job as teachers is that it usually takes more effort to be gone than to be there.  I rarely have to take sick days, but with some of the added responsibilities I've taken on in my building I have a lot of required meetings to attend.  This month alone I'm missing 4 1/2 days of school!

In prepping for my own absences I started thinking about what I do to try to make being gone a little less stressful.  I'm not saying these things are anything spectacular (in all honesty I feel like it should be common sense), but they're good tips / reminders to hopefully ease any stress that comes with having to be gone.

1. Have super detailed lesson plans - My daily plans aren't really detailed, but they are enough that in an emergency a sub could get by.  For when I know I'll be gone, my plans go through everything step by step with all of my procedures.  My lesson plans for a single day usually run 3 or 4 pages long minimum.  )If it's my regular sub who knows my routines a bit better they're a teensy bit shorter.)  Subs really appreciate when you're detailed.  If they have downtime, tell them what papers it is okay to grade or if there are any other classroom jobs they can work on.  
2. Tell the kids (and parents) if you know you'll be gone - I try to put any known absences on my calendar in my parent newsletter each week.  I also tell the kids when I'll be gone.  This is especially important for some kids (such as kids with autism who cling to consistency) so that they know what they're walking into in the morning.  
3. Warn the sub of any potential problems or "hot spots" - During my first year I had a student with major behavior issues.  I spent time typing a page-long summary of how to handle him, prevent a blow-up, and diffuse a situation.  So of course I wasn't happy to be called into the principal's office after being gone one day to be told that student had a horrible day with the sub.  My principal asked if I'd given the sub any warning and I was able to provide her with the page-long summary...  The sub didn't even bother to read it and it was stapled to my lesson plans!  Needless to say, that sub got negative feedback and was not invited back.  Even better, my butt was covered!  Even if a child isn't a problem, it's better to give them a warning of any potential issues and how they should be handled.
4. Over plan / provide extra time activities - I try to schedule things out pretty strictly, but there are also those times that things go faster than usual.  I always give a few ideas for time fillers...  An extra read aloud book, extra independent reading time, math flashcards with partners, etc.  
5. Meet with your sub in your classroom beforehand (if possible) - Even if your sub has been in your room before, it's sometimes helpful to go over things with them in person.  This is also helpful if you use technology in your classroom and you want the sub to use these things as well.  

I can't say those are all of my tips for making an absence go smoothly, but it's a good start.  

Do you have any other suggestions or tips for having a substitute in your classroom?

School Year Diet and Exercise Tips

The beginning of the school year usually wipes out my energy.  In preparing for school to start and getting into the swing of things, I usually allow myself a little more freedom when it comes to eating healthy and working out.  By the time school starts to settle down a bit and my routine gets established I try to get back into my normal diet and workout routine.

Here are a few of the ways I try to balance a (somewhat) healthy lifestyle during the craziness of the school year:

• Pack lunch the night before - Thankfully, my school is kind of in the middle of nowhere and running out to grab food isn't much of an option.  I try to plan my lunch the night before, drinks and all, so it's ready for me to grab on the way out in the morning.  If I'm taking a frozen meal, I will just toss that in in the morning.
• Cut back on the pop - This is one I'm really working on...  I'm trying to cut it down to one can a day.  I've found I more crave the carbonation over just the actual soda, so I've been trying to buy more sparkling flavored water to satisfy the craving.  I usually drink my pop in the morning for the caffeine and then (flavored) water the rest of the day.
• Pack a snack - I'm really bad about eating breakfast, but I do pack a small snack to enjoy when my kids go to specials mid-morning.  I'm a huge fan of Special K Fruit Crisps because they taste a lot like Pop Tarts and they're only 100 calories per pack!  I also try to pack another small snack like this for the afternoon.  This is especially nice if I plan to go workout after school.
• Schedule workouts - I try to put my workouts on my calendar so that I view them as appointments and not just something optional.  I find this particularly easy with my Monday night Zumba class since it's a regular thing.  I also star the days when I workout.  I somehow find it fulfilling to look back and see how many days I went to the gym.  Find a time that works for you and try to make it a habit.  It can be hard, but I find a feel a lot better when I make this a priority.  
• Track things - I like using The Daily Plate on livestrong.com to track my calories and workouts when I feel like I need a little extra accountability.  I don't do this all the time, but usually every few months when I feel like I need to get back on track.  Usually a few weeks of tracking helps me get into good habits again.  
• Plan dinner ahead - Since I only have to worry about feeding myself, making dinner is sometimes a hard thing to do after a long day of work.  When I first started living on my own I ate out waaaaaay too much which was not only expensive, but also not good for my waistline.  I try to plan potential meals out each week and then let myself choose from those meals each day.  It still allows me the freedom to eat what I'm feeling like, but I'm still sticking to a plan of sorts.  I throw together a lot of single serving salads for dinner, especially if I eat dinner before my workout.  I try to keep some variety on hand so that I do have a little freedom depending on what sounds good...  Some nights I have a real meal and other nights I may just eat a bag of veggies.  

So, there you go...  It's nothing earth shattering, but just kind of the plan I follow to stay on track with my diet and exercise during the school year.  I'm not super strict with myself, but I do try to make decent decisions.

Do you have any tips for maintaining a good diet and exercise routine during the school year?  I'd love to hear your tips and how to stay in shape during the busy school year!

One Week Down

I think the past week has been one of the most exhausting weeks ever.  Ever.  I really enjoy my new class, but they are definitely a high maintenance group.  I know the beginning of the year is full of establishing routines and procedures, but I feel like it's taking a little more effort with these kids.  They're so excited about everything we do that listening and following directions isn't their first instinct.  It's kind of wearing me out, but the fact that the really do mean well and are excited about learning somehow makes it a little less annoying.  I really can't blame them for being eager about learning...  That's what we want, right?  :)

I decided today that I needed to make a point to make some "me time" today.  

Here's what my last few weeknights have looked like:

1. Work on random stuff at school until 5:30 or 6.  Get home around 6 or later.
2. "Cook" dinner.  And by that I mean eat some Special K bars or pop a bag of veggie steamers in the microwave.  
3. Turn on some old reruns I've DVR'ed.
4. Eat.
5. Nap for an hour or so.
6. Wake up and catch up on Google Reader.
7. Get ready for bed.
8. Go back to sleep.

I managed to make it out of school before 5 p.m., swing by the grocery store, and was home before 5:30!  I made myself a real meal for dinner, watched "Dance Moms" (total guilty pleasure), took a short nap, and then went for an hour-long workout.  I think my lack of exercise has been part of the reason I've been so tired, so I'm hoping to get that back on my priority list.  

Is anyone else feeling overwhelmed and exhausted right now?  I  know this is the way the beginning of school can be, but I'm sooooo over it.  I'm ready to get into our routines and have things rolling smoothly.  Anyway, I'd love to hear how some of the rest of you make time for yourself in the craziness of the beginning of the school year.  

Happy Thursday!

Sneak Peek Into My Classroom

I haven't take a full tour's worth of pics of my classroom yet, but I did manage to snap a pic before our open house last week!  This is the view from the door as you're walking into the room.  I really like the way my classroom turned out this year and this picture doesn't even show my favorite parts!  Anyway, hopefully one of these days I'll actually remember to take real pictures so that I can do a full blog post "tour."  Until then, this will just have to be your teaser!

First Day of School!

I survived the first day of school!  

Prepping for school has made life absolutely insane the last few days, so blogging has taken a temporary backseat since my "downtime" is focused on doing more school stuff or taking a nap!

Overall, my first day went really well.  My class consists of 12 boys and only 5 girls!  It's going to be quite an adventure, but I seem to have a lot of really neat kids in there.  They're definitely full of energy and a lot of enthusiasm!  

I'm hoping to get more blogging done this weekend...  I have my new Birchbox to review and new classroom pictures to share!  I'm super pleased with the way my room turned out this year, so I'm eager to share the pictures with you!

Have any of the rest of you started school yet?  How's the school year going?!?

Happy Wednesday (almost Thursday!)

Just Checking In...

Do you ever have one of those days when you just suddenly find yourself in a bad mood, but don't have one single reason for it?  It's just a few little things that have bugged you?  

Yeah, me too.  Today was one of those days.

Okay bear with me...

It was my first day back to "work" and by that I mean I sat in a training of sorts all day.  I really try to keep a positive attitude about things like this, but I really feel as thought I got nothing out of it.  I felt like it was Common Sense Teaching 101.  I'd have preferred this time to be in my building working on my classroom preparations or in a more relevant building inservice, but that just wasn't that case.  And now I face two more days of the same thing...  *sigh*

Then I went back to school to work on things for a bit and was faced with some minor drama.  Nothing horrible, but rather just having to hear about other people's petty grievances.  I'll just leave it at that.  Once again, I try not to let that stuff get to me, but for some reason today it did.  *sighs again*

My nonfiction books didn't fit onto my shelf like I'd hoped.  Back to the drawing board.  *groans*

It was also a low self-esteem day for me...  I'm not really sure why.  Maybe it was coming back from summer and not having anything exciting to share.  I feel like with the exception of about 1 week of my summer, it was really quite dull.  *blah*

You still with me?

Like I said, nothing particularly bad happened today, just nothing particularly good either.  

Ironically, I was able to have a text venting session with another teacher friend who lives a few hours away.  It was actually quite therapeutic to chat with her about not wanting to be in inservices and just wanting the school year to get started or for summer to be a little bit longer!  LOL

Anyway, tomorrow is a new day and I hope that it's better than today.  I'm going try to get some good sleep and start my day with a positive attitude.  (Plus, Gap's Friends & Family sale starts tomorrow and I've saved a special budget for that, so that's bound to cheer me up!)

Source: someecards.com via Conolley on Pinterest

So, to those of you starting back to work this week, I feel your pain.  Keep a positive attitude, drink some caffeine, and plug through!  I'm here with ya!