I can’t believe it’s already Thursday, and I can’t believe August is almost over!
It’s the last Thursday of the month, so I’m linking up with Patty and Holly for Monthly Musings.
This month’s topic is “summer’s end/back to school.”
1. Do you meal plan? Any family friendly recipes to share?
I do meal plan every week. I always write down our activities and appointments for the week on our fridge calendar notepad. Then, I figure out what we’ll have for dinner and make my grocery list.
I try to at least do one slow cooker meal a week, and this one is delish, and it makes a ton. It’s so easy, that we have it at least once a month.
Truly, we get to Friday and Saturday nights, and always chat back and forth about where we should go eat or carry out. I really might try cooking on one of those nights, and then save myself some time during the week and order out. Most weeks of volleyball season, Hadley has three games. That can be hard for meal planning.
2. What are your back to school traditions?
When the kids were in elementary school, we always went school supply shopping and would get their back to school haircuts on the same day. We’d usually go to Chick-fil-A for lunch while we were out.
I always did the back to school breakfast the morning of the first day of school. When they moved to middle school, we did back to school “brinner.”
This year, we went to IHOP for our back to school dinner!
Of course, I always take their picture on the first day of school. It’s hard to believe we’ve had this same chalkboard for ten years.
3. Where do you do your best shopping for kids clothes and supplies?
As the kids have gotten older, we don’t buy as many back to school clothes. Target used to be the best place to buy them during the elementary years.
This year, Hayden didn’t buy anything new, but we finally relented and let us buy him a new pair of Crocs. He’d had the other ones since 6th (or 7th?) grade, and as you can see in the pic above, they are pretty worn out. (Check out his left Croc’s toes! haha)
As far as school supplies go, Walmart is always where we find the best deals.
As for me: (haha!)
4. How do you transition your wardrobe for fall?
I share this answer every time, but I love to wear a cardigan in the fall and spring months, often over a dress. My favorite cardigan is from Amazon, and I have it in three colors!
5. Any end of summer trips planned?
We don’t have any trips planned. Soon, Hadley and I are headed to Tennessee for a volleyball tournament, but that’s about it.
6. Do schools in your area start before or after Labor Day?
We start school before Labor Day. I wish we’d keep it simple, and have summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day. That would be so amazing.
We always start the second Wednesday in August, but teachers go back before that. One year, we didn’t start back until the third week of August, and that was so nice.
When I grew up, I think we mostly started after Labor Day. Of course, I don’t think we got a week long fall break or a week for spring break either.
7. What are your Labor Day plans?
I’m not sure what we’ll do. I always appreciate the three day weekend at the start of the school year.
Maybe we’ll hit up the pool or grill out.
8. White after Labor Day? Yes or no?
Sure! To me, as long as the temps feel like summer, I will wear my favorite white pants.
9. Pumpkin spice…as soon as it comes out or wait until fall?
I used to love pumpkin spice lattes, but I haven’t really gotten them in quite some time.
I put a dash of pumpkin spice in my coffee at home once the weather turns cooler.
I also tend to get a “London Fog” from Starbucks in the fall months.
Last year, I got a pumpkin spice cold foam from Starbucks, and it was good.
10. Best life hacks for back to school?
Prep early. I like to knock out the school supply shopping and haircuts in late July….and then be in denial that the start of school is around the corner.
How was your weekend? Ours was really good, and I really enjoyed having Friday off. I needed that extra time to get my life together and plan for the week ahead. Friday was filled with downtime and running errands.
On Saturday, we were super busy because Hayden had a cross country meet, and Hadley had a volleyball tournament. While it was a busy day, I always enjoy watching my kids do what they love to do.
Yesterday, I went to the mall with Hadley, and she *finally* found a pair of jeans. We’d been on the hunt for a while. Then, I had grocery pick up and time at home prepping for the week ahead. We capped off the weekend, enjoying cookie cake for my nephew Wyatt’s birthday!
I’m ready to tackle the week ahead.
Since it’s the last Monday of the month, I’m sharing some of my favorite memes.
Many of this month’s memes are school related, and I feel them deeply!
This month, when I went back to school on August 5th, I really could relate to this one:
Without even reading the caption, I immediately said, “Red!” The answer of “Danger” really made me chuckle.
I feel like the only time we really write checks are for sports and back to school fees!
Even in high school, on Sunday nights I’m asking if their Chromebooks are charged, back packs packed and so on.
Y’all, this one is very much me. I rarely do the automatic car wash, and when I do, I’m sweating until my car is officially on the track!
Tell me you teach high school without telling me you teach high school:
One thing about back to school, is that I do need to go to bed at a decent time. My morning time still gives me quiet time, but if everyone goes to bed a bit before me, I get that quiet time too.
Almost daily…haha
This is a real issue for me. haha!
Can you relate to any of this month’s memes? I hope you have a great start to your week.
Excuse me while I go tackle a full five days with students! At least there’s a three day weekend ahead!
This post is a little late thanks to a long week and a late Thursday night.
As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.
My favorites this week are pretty short and sweet.
We had lots of fun at the Royals/Reds baseball game last weekend. The Royals won 13-1!
Hadley has had three volleyball games this week, and they’ve been fun to watch. The first two were home games, and last night’s game was an away game.
Hadley had some great serves last night.
We also got her photos for the season, and they turned out great.
Travis and I went to a concert last night, and it was a good time. Larry Fleet is such a great musician. He’s like if Luke Combs and Chris Stapleton had a brother 😂
So, I was out on a school night…but not really…because another favorite is that we don’t have school today. ☺️
Favorite Kid Quote:
Last weekend, Hadley asked how old I am and guessed 41 and then 42. When I told her that I’m 44, she said, “Dang, girllll! What moisturizer do you use?” haha #favoritechild?
What are your plans for the weekend? Hayden has his first cross country race, and Hadley has a volleyball tournament. I’m going to take today to get caught up life and planning accordingly for another busy week next week.
How has your week been? So far, we’ve had a good one but with a couple of late night! Today is like my Friday since we don’t have school tomorrow.
Anyway, with back to school, that means I’m actually putting on a decent outfit, applying makeup and not wearing my hair in a bun!
I captured my outfits from the past week or so, and I’m linking up with Kellyann and Jill to share those today.
On the first day of school, I wore one of my favorite dresses. The “Everyday” dress from SSYS which I paired with my favorite strappy Target sandals.
The second day of school is when I forgot to set my alarm, but I still pulled myself together. I wore this flowy floral dress and my big buckle Birks.
I also wore this dress to church on Sunday.
I forgot to snap a pic on Friday, but I wore jeans and school shirt. As soon as I came home, I threw on leggings and a sweatshirt before we went to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings.
Saturday morning, I was in my pjs until 11:00, and then I worked out. After that, I showered and put on this flowy guazy dress, my Air Maxes and a KC hat for our time in Cinci at Top Golf and the KC/Reds game.
Hayden said, “MOM! That’s not a baseball outfit!” But…this dress is light weight and got me through the afternoon and evening in the hot and muggy weather.
Sunday, when I went to run errands with Hadley, I wore my typical “momiform” of leggings and over-sized t-shirt. This is another one from SSYS, and it feels like butter.
Instead of wearing a ball cap like usual, I did throw on a headband to look a little more put together.
On Monday, we were to wear pink to school, and I wore one of my fave Amazon shirts, with white jeans and my Birks.
Shew! Tuesday was a long day, and I felt cute and comfy from 7:30 AM to 8:30 PM that I was at school. I had school, a meeting after school and then Hadley’s volleyball game, so it was quite the day.
I wore another SSYS dress with my other Target strappy sandals and fave Amazon cardigan (that I have in three colors!).
Yesterday, I had a hair appointment after school, so, again, I knew it was going to be a long day and I wanted to be comfy. I wore these joggers with the same black SSYS top from Sunday and sandals.
So, that’s what I’ve been wearing. I really liked everything I wore this past week. Which outfit is your favorite?
As the school year is under way and a little different for me this year, I’m sharing my schedule for the year.
Amy shared her schedule last week, and I always enjoy seeing other teachers’ schedules, routines, and lessons.
My school’s hours are 8:25-3:15. We are to be in our classroom by 7:55, and we can leave by 3:25.
I’ve been in this district for eight years, and this time frame works for me. I don’t have to start my day too early, but I can also get to a 3:45 or 4:00 appointment if I have one. At my previous school, I had to be there by 8:25 (but I lived 30 minutes away), and school was out at 3:50 (and we had to stay until 4:05). It was usually 5:00 before I got home after staying for a bit after school, driving the 30 minutes and then picking up my kids).
Anyway, I appreciate the 8:00-3:30 schedule.
My Schedule:
Here is my schedule for the year:
1st hour – co-teach – English 1. This means I have a smaller class of around twenty and half of them have IEPs (individual education plans). My co-teacher is a special education teacher who helps me provide those students their accommodations. Ironically, this is my first time in 23 years having a co-teach class. So far, I’m really enjoying it!
2nd hour – MTSS (multi-tiered system of support). The past few years, my whole day was MTSS. This is where I help in other English teachers’ classrooms, work with small group or individual students. Tier 1 instruction is what happens in the classroom. Tiers 2 and 3 are the help that I provide re-teaching and providing more direct instruction with smaller groups.
Hall duty – After second hour, I head to my designated spot in the building and then have “tardy cart” duty. After the bell rings, I scan student IDs and print out a tardy slip to class.
3rd hour – Planning (The past few years, with the MTSS hours, I didn’t have a designated planning period. I’m happy to have a scheduled time to plan, prep, and grade)
Advisory – Advisory is 30 minutes long, and I share an Advisory with another teacher. He’s the math version of me with co-teach Algebra 1 classes and then a couple of MTSS hours. In Advisory, we cover financial literacy, social emotional learning and other odds and ends.
4th -This is my other MTSS hour. This is also a common hour I have with other MTSS teachers, so we can meet, look at data, plan small groups and more. We also have lunch during 4th hour.
5th – Advanced English 1. I teach the same curriculum as with my co-teach classes, but in a more rigorous way and we usually move at a quicker pace. This is my biggest class with 30 students. (This is the class I have quite a few of my kids’ friends in it…so far, that’s only a little bit weird! haha)
6th- co-teach – English 1 – same as my 1st hour and with the same co-teacher.
The Kids:
The kids have had a great first few days of school. They’ve navigated their schedule, the lunchroom and the halls with 2,000 students with great success.
Our school has six classes, plus Advisory. So, freshmen take four core classes and then have two electives.
This year:
They are both taking Advanced English 1 (they are in the same class again this year), Advanced Biology and Government.
Hadley is taking Spanish 1 and Life Essentials as her electives.
Hayden is taking Spanish 2 and Weight Management as his electives.
For math, Hayden is in Algebra 1 and Hadley is taking Advanced Geometry.
I’ve seen them a couple of times in the hall and love hearing, “Hi, Hadley’s (or Hayden’s) mom!” when I see their friends out and about too.
I’m grateful we’ve all had a great start to the school year.
It was a great weekend filled with some fun, a little bit of downtime, and a lot of productivity!
My weekend started off with some “me” time as I had my monthly facial right after school. I had my usual combo of dermaplane and chemical peel. I started the weekend with a fresh face!
Then, we had some family time for dinner. (Not so) fun fact about me is that I struggle with Friday night dinners. I never know what sounds good or I’m just indifferent about what we have for carry out or restaurant choice if we go out and eat. Hayden suggested Buffalo Wild Wings (fun fact about my kids: they LOVE wings!), and while that’s not my favorite, I knew it’s one of the kids’ faves, so the decision was made.
When Hadley got home from practice, we headed to BWW and enjoyed our dinner out.
The Royals vs Reds baseball game was on one of the big televisions, so we watched that too.
I was the only one who didn’t get wings. 😉
Both Saturday and Sunday mornings were slow which is just what I needed. I will probably be setting an alarm most Saturday mornings during cross country season, so I loved sleeping in a bit both mornings.
Saturday morning, I made myself some toast, sipped my coffee, watched the news and then an episode of Real Housewives OC. Then, I worked out before getting ready for the rest of the day.
We wanted to go to one of the Royals games when they were in Cinci playing the Reds. We decided on the Saturday evening game which meant we had a little extra time to go to Top Golf.
The kids and Travis played, and I just hung out. We ordered a few appetizers, and we were there about an hour and a half. Hayden’s been playing lots of golf this summer, so it was fun seeing how much farther he can hit the ball. Hadley had a great time too, and she has a pretty good swing!
Due to traffic, we were a little late to the game. Travis let Hayden and me out of the car, and we got to our seats right as the second inning was starting. Travis and Hadley joined us after the second inning after they parked the car.
Thanks to a work connection, Travis was able to get us seats right behind the Reds dug out.
It was quite the game, and the Royals dominated the whole time.
We were able to see some of our favorite players like Bobby Witt, Jr. and Salvy was playing 1st base, so he was close to us.
To get on the road before it was too late, we did leave after the 7th inning stretch. Since the score was 13-0, we felt okay leaving a little early. One of the Reds players hit a home run right as we were leaving. The final score was 13-1. It was still 10:30 before we got home, so it was good that we went ahead and left.
On the drive home, I was scrolling “X” and saw a highlight of Dorian Blanco’s grand slam…and spotted Trav and the kids in the video. I’m behind the guy in front of Hayden 😂
We had a really great afternoon and evening, and I’m glad we carved out the time to go to the game.
Sunday, I dragged my feet with my grocery order, but once I picked up my order, I did a little meal prep for the week. I should do this more often, but I tend to meal prep more on Mondays since Monday night dinner is usually leftovers.
Anyway, we have a very busy week, so I even went ahead and made tomorrow night’s dinner. I think I’ve made thisChicken Parm Casserole before, and we should even have leftovers for Tuesday.
I also hard boiled eggs (I still LOVE my egg cooker!), cut up fruit, and prepped a couple of lunches. Like Amy suggests…what I can I do to help “future me?”
I hope you’ve been having a great weekend. We’ve had a great one so far.
I wanted to write one more Summer Sunday post to recap our summer!
Every summer seems busier and busier. Last summer, I was bummed that we didn’t get to take a family vacation because all the schedules seemed to overlap. I’m grateful that we prioritized that this summer, and also had downtime too.
Here are some highlights from this summer:
1. Pool time
Pool time is the best. This is the second summer, the kids were there more than me, but I still made time to go a couple times a week when I could. I always enjoy reading at the pool.
2. Camps
Hadley always looks forward to camp, and she had a blast at Young Life camp. Hayden attend this second running camp, and he really enjoyed himself too.
3. Olympic Trials – Eugene, Oregon
Of course, heading to Eugene, Oregon for the Olympics track trials was the highlight of our summer. We had the best time, and obviously, we enjoyed watching the Olympics even more because we’d seen so many of the athletes in person.
4. PNW – Oregon and Washington
After Eugene, we had some downtime on the Oregon coast before going to Olympic National Park and then finished our trip in Seattle. Truly, it was a trip to remember!
5. KC
The kids and I went to KC in early June to see family. We had lots of downtime, but we did go to the Royals game which was so fun. I went back to KC in early July to help my dad after his knee surgery.
6. Activities
We joined Trav at Churchill Downs for some races while Hadley was at camp. It’s fun to doing something like this on a Friday in the summer.
One thing I love about summer is the kids stay busy but have time to have fun doing things like hang with friends at the pool, play pickle ball, and ride their bikes to get ice cream. Hadley played in a sand volleyball tournament which she loved. Hayden ran a 10k on the 4th of July, and played basketball.
Hayden’s basketball team won the league summer tournament last week!
I know they do these activities often, but all of these are more laid back which is nice.
7. Lake time
Both kids had so much fun at the lake with friends throughout the summer. I always loved going to the Lake of the Ozarks when I was a kid, so I love that they get to have fun with their friends at the lake too.
8. Summer Reading
Well, unfortunately, August is going to be the month my summer reading comes to a screeching halt. I have read quite a few of the books from my summer reading list, and I’m hoping to finish at least one book in August.
9. Birthdays (Trav and Trav’s Mom)
July is full of birthdays including Trav and his mom. We celebrated Trav by going out to dinner when I got back from KC in early July. Travis and his siblings threw a party for their mom a couple of weeks ago which was a nice get together (and all of the cousins were in town!)
10. Olympics
I loved being home for the first week of the Olympics and watching the events in real time! The week I went back to school was when track started, so I tried to stay off social media and watch those events in the prime time coverage.
All of the athletes are so amazing!
It was another busy, but great summer!
June was busier than July, but once mid-July hit, the kids either had early morning or later practices. Welcome to high school athletics, I guess.
There are always things I wish we’d gotten to do. I’ve been wanting to see the movie Twisters, and it just hasn’t happened. I wish I’d gotten to the pool more, but I went when I could. It’s still open for a few more weeks, so I know we’ll get there a few more times.
Well, we made it to the end of the first week of school! The first morning was easy breezy (but filled with excitement and nerves), but then I forgot to set my alarm Wednesday night. Yesterday morning, Travis and I both woke up at 7:00…and I am supposed to leave for school at 7:30. I was in a mad dash to get out the door, but I made it in time. That being said, it just sets my whole day off in the wrong direction when I don’t get to ease into the day. I felt “off” and frazzled all day!
Anyway, as always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Today’s favorites include back to school pics and a few fun things the kids did before going back to school on Wednesday.
Open House was a great success on Monday night. I met about fifteen students, and enjoyed the evening at school.
Since I have a few classes this year, I did have to set up my room a bit differently, but I think it’s good to go for the year.
At the end of Open House, Hadley came to my room after volleyball practice, and then we went home and picked up Travis and Hayden. We went to IHOP for our “back to school breakfast.” Through the years, I’ve tried to make such a big deal about going back to school in order to get the kids excited (myself, too) about going back to school.
I loved the back to school breakfasts in elementary and then the back to school “brinner” in middle school, but I was ok with throwing this “curve ball” and suggesting IHOP. The kids ask to go there all the time, and we don’t go often, so I thought it would be a good decision for dinner.
It was just us and one other lady in the restaurant. Who can beat that?
I got the French toast, and it was delicious.
The kids had one more day to enjoy summer on Tuesday. Hadley slept until noon, Hayden had early cross country practice, and then they just hung out most of the day.
Wednesday morning we were all up and at ’em pretty early. They let me snap their pics, per tradition, before I left. If they can catch a ride with a friend, they gain an extra thirty minutes, so I understand if they don’t want to ride with me. (I’m sure they will some mornings). So, Hadley has been riding with a friend, and Travis has dropped Hayden off. The bus is an option, but it leaves pretty early, and I’m sure Hadley will avoid it at all costs! 😉
The morning light was hitting just right!
My freshmen:
One more for good measure!
…well, one more with mom too. Year 23 sure looks different for me!
Truly, so far the best part of the past two days, besides meeting my students, has been seeing my own kids enter my classroom at the end of the day. They are mostly tired and in need of a snack, but I love ending my school day seeing them (and giving them a ride home)!
End of summer fun:
Hadley has had such a wonderful Young Life leader during her middle school years. The leader’s name is also Hadley, and she organized a back to school send off for this great group of girls! A few of them are headed to another school, but most of them are at school with Hadley. That being said, the leader stays with the next group of middle school girls. I know they will still see her, and she’s made quite the impact on them.
Meanwhile…Hayden and friends went to Kings Island and rode all the rides.
On Saturday morning, Hayden ran his first high school race. It was just a 5k fundraiser for the cross country team, but he ran a great race!
Favorite Kid Quote(s):
It’s been a bit since I’ve shared a favorite kid quote, and both kids said something funny this week:
On Saturday, Travis and Hayden went to Louisville for the afternoon. As Hayden told me goodbye, he hugged me and said, “Maybe you can go to the spa and get your toes done.” 😂
Not sure where that came from!
Then, Tuesday night, Hadley caught me with a few tears and asked what was wrong. I said I couldn’t believe they were going to high school, and without missing a beat, she said, “Girl, I can’t believe it either.” haha!
Favorite Mom Meme:
Homer is always happy to see me!
Weekly Recap:
It was hard finding a blogging groove this week with all the back to school things, but I did write a couple of posts:
Well, first on my agenda is to not set an alarm for Saturday and sleep in a bit. We are going to the Reds/Royals game in Cinci, and I’m looking forward to that.
I hope to have one more “Summer Sunday” post on Sunday sharing the highlights over our summer.
Since the start of the school year has been a bit different the past couple of years, I thought it would be fun to capture what I’ve been up to as a teacher leading up to the first day of school. I’m always curious what others do at work and how they spend their time.
*Warning* this post did turn into more of a *long* diary of sorts! The English teacher in me loves to write.
Anyway…summer break is over…
To start the school year, we have professional development. We are required to get 24 hours of PD in a school year.
Before 2022, we always met with our departments for six hours one day the week before school started. Then, the Monday before school starts, we have six hours of professional development at school. The Tuesday before students arrive, we have a long faculty meeting and a couple of hours to work in our rooms. That meant, we had to do the other twelve hours of the required 24 hours of PD on our own either in the summer or throughout the year which is my preferred method.
I like choosing my PD in the summer rather than being told which sessions I have to go to. Also, we’ve moved to coming in seven school days before the students to get contract days in as well as 24 hours of PD. Some of this shift did happen because a couple of years ago, we moved to a week long fall break, so that’s three days teachers have to now work ahead of time. Of course, I understand having to work our contract days, but I would prefer for those to be sprinkled in throughout the year. I feel like I lose a week of summer now.
So – here’s how I’ve spent the past seven school days…before the students have arrived:
Monday, August 5th:
We did six hours of professional development at my school. Typically, we’re in groups, and we rotate through six hours of sessions. We do get an hour for lunch. This year, the English department is getting new textbooks, so instead of rotating through sessions in the morning, we met as a department with two district instructional coaches who led us through the new curriculum. We did end up having about an hour in our PLCs (professional learning communities) to start planning. I met with my English 1 people to map out unit 1.
After an hour for lunch, we did rotate through three sessions in the afternoon. We were finished at 3:30. I did go work in my room for about thirty minutes, and then left at 4:00 to go home.
Tuesday, August 6th:
We were supposed to have a convocation at Rupp Arena, but a couple of weeks ago we found out that it was cancelled.
A little back story – We had a convocation a couple of years ago, and that’s not my favorite way to start the year. We had to meet at school, ride buses to Rupp, and sit through the three hour convocation. Then, we got back on the buses, ate lunch at school, and had three hours of PD at school.
Last year, they did three days of district PD at the Central Bank Convention Center which is connected to Rupp. I will spare you the details, but it came with a lot of issues too. Parking was a disaster, sessions were over-crowded, and more.
Anyway, because of the previous two years when we wished we’d just been given a work day in our classrooms, teachers in our district have been up in arms after seeing this convocation on the calendar. Eventually, the news did a report after an open records request, and the findings included the fact that the district was spending over $25,000 on the speaker and it also costs to rent Rupp. The district instead gave us a work day in our rooms. (Sorry – that was a long back story)
So, last Tuesday, we worked in our rooms from 8:30-3:30. With no meetings scheduled, it was amazing! I got my room in order and started working on things like my syllabus. I also had time to meet with the district technology person for help with Canvas which is our platform for assigning work.
And…our principals grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, and teachers brought sides and dessert. We all got to hang out for an hour during lunch. It was a really thoughtful idea, and it was a great work day.
*Look at the charcuterie board our foods teacher made:
So cute!
We do still have to make up six hours of professional development since we had a work day instead of PD. Our admin has planned to add PD to our faculty meetings throughout the year.
Wednesday, August 7th:
This day was another professional development day at school. BUT…our school was being used as a “hub” for professional development sessions for para educators in our district. So, our admin had to “pivot” and we had three different PD sessions via Zoom. It felt like 2020 all over again, but I appreciated being at home in the morning.
Then, after lunch, we were to find somewhere to meet with our PLCs to work for three hours. My group met at the public library from 1:00-4:00. We pretty much finished planning out all of unit 1 which was a huge accomplishment.
Thursday, August 8th:
This was another professional development day, and this time, everyone in the district went to different hubs. We signed up for sessions online at our assigned hub. All elementary teachers went to one school, middle school to another, and so on. Some hubs were even more specific for intervention or world language. I did go to the intervention hub. We had five sessions with an hour and a half for lunch in the middle of the day. I actually got a lot out of this day, and now have 18 of the 24 hours that are required for the year.
Once I got home, I took the kids and a couple of their friends to school to walk their schedules. It was neat seeing them find their way.
Friday, August 9th:
We had a work day in our classrooms with no meetings scheduled. Yay!
It was the new teacher orientation in the morning, and I had to stop by at my assigned time to share about academic resources and intervention opportunities for students.
Then, I used the rest of the day to continue working on curriculum, figuring out Canvas, printing things like our bell schedule and phone list. I also just continued to get organized and get a handle on my emails. I had almost 100 unread…& now I’m down to five. 😂
Monday, August 12th:
We always have Open House after Labor Day, but this year we have a new principal this year. He scheduled Open House for last night. Since we were going to be at school until 7:30, he scheduled our day to start at 11! So, we arrived at school, had catered lunch, and then had a faculty meeting that lasted a couple of hours. The rest of the time, we could work in our room, and then Open House was from 5:30-7:30. I really liked having our day structured like this, and I was able to meet quite a few students last night.
Tuesday, August 13th:
Today, is one more work day in our rooms. I am meeting with my PLC for an hour just to keep working on lessons for the new units using our new textbooks, and then I’m meeting with my co-teacher to take a look at what we will have the students work on this week, I definitely plan on leaving by 3:30, and soaking in the last little bit of free time before school starts tomorrow!
We always start the school year on a Wednesday which means we have a three day week with students. Then, the following week, the students don’t have school on Friday, so it’s a four day week. I always think this is such a great way to ease into the school year.
We did find out that we can use “flex” time on that Friday which means as long as we fill out the form with what we work on outside of our contract hours, we can stay home that day. Usually we don’t have that option, so I appreciate that opportunity.
I will say with working all these days before the students arrive, I’m always ready for the students to walk through the door!
This year will look different for me. I will have a few classes this year which I haven’t had since 2019. I have two co-teach classes, one advanced class, and then two hours of intervention. I’m excited to have students again, but it will be interesting to navigate as I have some of my kids’ friends in my classes!
With tomorrow being the first day of school, I doubt I will have time for a blog post. Hopefully, I will be back on Thursday.
I hope you had a great weekend. Ours was good overall. Yesterday, we went to church and out to lunch which was nice. Then we picked up groceries. I took a nice long walk since the weather was beautiful and then I read for a bit. I’m a little worried that I’m only going to read one book in August…but what’s a girl to do? I just haven’t had as much time.
I try to keep it positive, but of course there are some things I don’t love doing. Since I don’t love doing these things, I tend to put them off. I wish I wasn’t this way, but I am!
Here are some of my least favorite activities.
1. Laundry
I’m good about starting laundry and putting it in the dryer, but it’s the putting it away that takes three to five business days.
For the kids, I always lay their dry clothes out on their bed, and then they have to put them up. So, they can’t get into their bed until they put up their clothes. (or, at least they shouldn’t! haha)
2. Packing and Unpacking
I dread packing for a trip, and I always wait until the night before or even the morning of a trip. Everyone else will be packed, but I’m always the last one…and I’m usually the one with the biggest suitcase.
Kind of like laundry, sometimes unpacking a suitcase takes three to five business days too!
That being said, I always unpack everything else, and the kids always put their stuff away pretty much as soon as we get home. For whatever reason, I just don’t mind my suitcase on the floor until I can get to it.
3. Calling to schedule an appointment
I don’t know why, but calling to schedule an appointment is one of my least favorite things to do. Some appointments I schedule for the next year before I even leave the doctor’s office. I appreciate it if I can schedule an appointment online.
4. Changing bed sheets
Changing bed sheets is like an Olympic event, which I mentioned in last week’s Hodgepodge post.
I wash the sheets on all three beds often, and then I also wash the quilts and bedspreads at least once a month. It just takes a lot of cycles of laundry and sometimes multiple spins through the dryer to get the comforters dry.
5. Assemble things
I don’t love putting things together. Thankfully, Travis is handy enough to put together furniture and whatever else we need. Just last night, he put together a cart for my classroom.
I’m not sure why he’s laughing when I asked him to put the cart together…almost two weeks ago and he finally got to it last night. (& I was just kidding when I was being bossy) 😂
Those are just a few things that are my least favorite activities. What’s one of your least favorite activities?
Next month we’re discussing finding peace in your day. We’d love for you to link up with us!
I hope you have a great week. The kids have two more days of summer, and I’m sure they will be soaking up every last minute of it.
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