Teaching, Running, & Colds

We made it through another week and that is always a plus in my book!  The kiddos are starting to settle in and we are bumping right along!  With the help of some awesome people, my classroom is also not looking quite so bare-bone-ish:

I have some very cool painted signs that really spruce it up!

You can't see it, but my sweet tea cup is totally on my desk...addicted!

I am not sure if it is allergies or a cold, but my head is so congested and my nose is running like crazy!  Oh and I basically sneeze every three minutes...anyone have any cold/allergy medicine recommendations?

Saturday I went to a professional development class up at Oklahoma University called Ipadpalooza and it was out of this world! I learned sooooo much about what to do with the iPads in class that my mind was literally blown! I think I am actually still processing all of that information.  I am going to try one new thing that I learned yesterday to implement in my classroom this year, and then add another next year, and so on.  Now I just have to figure out which one I am going to implement...

I bought these adorable new Nike sneakers around the Fourth of July, but haven't worn them because of being home, then moving, then unpacking the house, and I literally just found them again!  I really need to finish unpacking my clothes from the RV...

They have this cool lace-type pattern on them with slight pops of a neon yellow!  And they make me look so much more tan than I actually am :)

I have been having a really hard time getting motivated to run lately, Phil and I have been lifting at the gym for the past 5 weeks and I really love it!  I never thought I would actually like lifting weights ( I was under the misconception that it would bulk me up...false!), but I really love getting stronger.  We do a cardio warm-up, but instead of jumping on the treadmill and getting a few miles in, I have been hitting the Stair Stepper and getting my butt kicked.  Maybe once it cools off I will pick my running back up, but right now, I am really into getting stronger and more toned with the weights.

Phil surprised me with flowers on Thursday:

I was having a bit of a frustrating day and he walked in the house with these and two sweet teas...he really is amazing <3

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!! :)

Is anyone else trying new exercise moves and want to share?

Linking up with Bianca! 

School, Hugs, & Gym Time

The first full week of school is done! And Week #2 is ready to start tomorrow! It has been a crazy week!  Apparently in Middle School, kiddos still hug the teacher; I didn't know that (my high schoolers weren't super big into hugs) so I was very surprised when I received many First Day of School Hugs, Monday Hugs, End of the Day Hugs, Open House Hugs, Friday Hugs, etc.  Hugs on hugs on hugs.

Along with the hugs, you get the thugs...or the students who think they run the hard life, can Netflix and Chill, and all that business.   Well, their attitude is no match for my own and they realized who actually ran the classroom...its me.  Plus, they look kind of cute when they act all tough, I didn't tell them that so I didn't ruin all of their "street cred", but let's face it, they are 11 years old, cute is all they can manage at this point.

This was an adorable card I received on Friday...they really can be so stinking cute!  It made me feel so good!  I also hung it up on my filing cabinet so I can look at it whenever I need a boost.

I also appreciate that he spelled my last name correctly :)

Max has also been adjusting to this new work schedule:

Life is ruff...

But he was a good boy for the groomer and scored a brand new bandana!  Look at that handsome little bud!

Phil and I had joined a gym that is literally across the street about a month ago and have been religiously hitting it 5-6 times per week.  I was a little hesitant at first about the two of us being gym partners, you never can tell about your spouse until you're both lifting weights, but it has actually been awesome!  We lift each other up, keep each other motivated, and it is a nice hobby that we have together :)

That being said, sometimes I do make him take selfies with me at the gym...I can't help it, he's cute!

I love that he humors me!

Last week was intense with our gym routine, I had gotten out of Teacher Shape: standing all day, pacing all day, knowing all of the answers to all of the questions, and being responsible.  Whew! Definitely an adjustment compared to summer break!  But, we did it and I feel ready to hit it again this week!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!  May your caffeine be strong and your attitude high! :)

Linking up with Bianca!

Reflections, Musings, & Thoughts

As summer comes to a rapid close, I always like to reflect on summer: what I've done, what I forgot to do, and what I will miss most.  I do not sit still very well, or at all really, so I am very excited for school to start; too much summer is not a good thing!  Unfortunately for Phil, I also cannot sit still for very long over the summer either...this usually ends up with us going on a sweet tea run at various points in the day (addiction still holding strong)

Phil and I actually got to spend the entire summer together!  This is a concept that was completely unheard of!!  In our almost five years together, we have finally managed to do summer fun activities: we went hiking, walking, boating, on rides, spent our first Fourth of July together, moved into a house, enjoyed the RV, played corn hole, etc.  It was so awesome!  With that, I also made him take a crazy amount of pictures with me!  He was such a good sport:

With school starting for me and his training coming to an end, I find myself a little sad to let all of this time together shift, but such is life and life is actually pretty awesome.  He will go to his new unit in October and the crazy long work days and the questions of deployment will start again, but this summer has been what we have both needed: a chance to relax and enjoy being together!

And enjoy our energetic, high strung, crazy dog!  

I feel rested, relaxed and ready to take on the Middle Schoolers this Friday (yikes!) and am excited to see what comes next!  Life after all, really is the most incredible ride.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!! Phil and I are celebrating our 2 year Wedding Anniversary next month and he will (in theory) be here to celebrate with me this time!  

Does anyone have any suggestions on good anniversary gifts????  Help would be greatly appreciated! 

Linking up with Bianca! 

School, School, & School

HOLY CANNOLI SCHOOL STARTS IN A WEEK!!!!!!

When did this happen? How did this happen?  Where did summer go?  And oh my goodness am I excited!!!!

It is finally here: the prepping, the decorating, and the First Day of School Dreams have come back into my life like thunder.  One minute I'm looking at new vacuums (as per move), and the next I am figuring out how in the world to decorate my classroom.

I have always shared a classroom and relied on my partner to take the reins on that particular facet of education; it has never ever been a strength of mine.  I look at Pinterest and am out-gunned on all of those designs.  It really is fortunate that I am a Middle/High School teacher and not Elementary...

*Any of my Elementary friends want to visit me in Oklahoma and decorate my room, I will love you forever and shower you with sweet tea, chocolate and puppy snuggles*

Since I am a perky person, I went with the neon dots my friend and I had used in our room about two years ago to give it a little pop of color:

I have a lot of cork-board space!  As well as shelves, cabinets, and cupboards...I am sure I will find stuff to store in there eventually.

I dragged a friend to help me put up all of those dots as well as to put up some fabric boarders.  Due to my amazing (eye roll) photography skills, I have no photos of the boarders...oops!

This gem also came in the mail so I have been placing my bookmarks, sticky notes, and date dots getting it all ready for the first day!  I absolutely LOVE Erin Condren planners!

Check them out at her website! https://www.erincondren.com

I do believe the only one who is NOT excited about school starting is Max, he now has to get up early again and everyone knows how he feels about that...

(that is a photo of him at my parents house this summer, but he is feeling the same way now, trust me!)

I hope everyone is having a great week and has awesome plans for the weekend! :)

If anyone has some extra classroom ideas, please let me know :) I love buying school supplies and decorating supplies, so don't be shy!