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Monday Meals

Posted on September 18, 2023September 17, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Monday!

How was your weekend? Overall, ours was pretty good. Now, I’m ready to tackle this week! We only have two more weeks until fall break which is so hard to believe.

It’s been a minnnnute…since I’ve shared a Monday Meals post, so that’s what I’m doing today.

I swear, I feel like I spend a good portion of my life meal planning, ordering groceries, putting away groceries, and cooking dinner. Sometimes, I don’t feel very inspired or feel like I’m in a rut when planning meals for the fam.

I usually consult other blogs and Pinterest first for meal ideas as well as some of my recipe books and recipe box as secondary sources.

When I’m really stuck for ideas, I usually ask the kids what they would like for dinner. Hadley suggested Shay’s Easy Enchilada Skillet recently, so we had that.

I tend to try to follow a system of cooking something Sunday for leftovers Monday. Taco Tuesday. If I’m lucky, I will cook something Wednesday with leftovers for Thursday. I do think it’s easier to get two or three meals out of fall and winter recipes since we eat more soups and casseroles then.

I used to always plan meals Sunday-Thursday, but now I just plan Sunday-Wednesday and hope we have leftovers for Thursday. If we don’t have leftovers, I will do something quick like pork loin and Bob Evans mashed potatoes or breakfast for dinner. In the winter, we’ll have tomato soup and grilled cheese sometimes.

Last Thursday, we ended up having sheet pan nachos because Travis wasn’t home for dinner, and I wanted to make something quick and easy.

Anyway, in case you are in a cooking rut, I’m sharing what we’ve eaten recently and what we’re eating this week:

Last week we had:

Sunday – Crockpot Crack Chicken and waffle fries. I’ve made this many times, and it’s a family favorite. The recipe says it can be a dip, and I can definitely see that being true. The kids had their chicken on buns, but this time, for me, I put the chicken in a tortilla and rolled it up and ate it that way. I think that’s my preference now. I was able to take tortillas for lunch a couple of days too.

Monday – Crockpot Cheese Tortellini and Sausage soup. It’s another family favorite that hits the spot.

Tuesday – I tried a new recipe: Meatball Bombs. We had green beans and fruit too. These were a little sloppy to make, but they were a hit. I used one and a half cans of biscuits in order to make a few more for leftovers. Also, the meatballs I had were smaller, so I cut up two to put in each biscuit.

Travis has been super busy with work, so I’ve been doing most of the parenting things…I decided to give myself a little “break,” and we had dinner on paper plates.

Not an Earth shattering tip, but it was just nice to not have to clean dishes after dinner.

Wednesday- We just had leftovers from the previous nights.

Thursday- I made Sheet Pan Nachos. I don’t know why, but the kids love the fact that I just put the sheet pan on the table, and they just eat from there. Actually, I guess now I can see why that’s fun for them 😉 Again, another night with minimal dishes to clean.

This week we’re having:

Sunday: I made Million Dollar Spaghetti and green beans as a side dish.

Monday: leftover spaghetti and bagged salad

Tuesday: I had extra meatballs from last week’s dinner, so I decided to try this new recipe: Meatball and Tortellini Soup and biscuits.

Wednesday: I’m making Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken and rice. This has been a “go to” recipe for me years because it makes a ton. We have an extra busy week of evenings, so I wanted to use the slow cooker as much as possible and not worry about cooking on Thursday….and I bet I will have enough leftovers for lunch one day too.

Thursday: Wednesday leftovers.

Looking ahead, I think next week, I’m going to make Pumpkin Sausage Penne Pasta. I always look forward to this dish!

…and Bev’s Simple Chicken Pasta Soup.

It’s nice to already have a few ideas for next week!

What’s your “go to” meal?

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#175}

Posted on September 15, 2023September 14, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

I hope you’ve had a great week!

As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Like last week, I’m sharing my photos for Erika and Shay‘s September Photo Challenge.

Here are some favorites from the week:

September 8: In your town

Friday night lights were happening last Friday. We went to my school’s Homecoming football game. The weather felt like fall, so that was definitely a favorite.

September 9: Nature

Nothing says “cross country meet” like tons of hay bales!

Hayden had his first 4k race of the season, and placed 3rd. The weather was perfect for running…or so I’ve been told 😉

September 10: Letter A

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was going to share for this one, but after putting out my fall decorations, I had to make a trip to Michael’s. I saw my favorite Ashland light up pumpkin (I have two!)…and they were on sale.

September 11: Thankful for

My slow cooker, so dinner would be ready after all our evening activities.

September 12: Leaves

I’m loving how my mantle turned out this year!

September 13: 5 things

I shared this pic from the weekend. After Hayden’s cross country meet, he and I went to Hobby Lobby (he was thrilled…haha)…but then he spotted a Crumbl Cookie, so I said we could stop in there.

We got six total cookies, but five different flavors. They were pretty good.

September 14: Window view

I snapped this pic right before I headed out to bus duty.

Other Faves:

Long story short, Hayden’s friend was playing in the middle school regional golf tournament, and he needed a few more kids to make the foursome.

Hayden had fun on Sunday playing nine holes in the tournament.

I really showed restraint at Hobby Lobby, but I came home with a few pumpkins and a new fall coffee mug.

On Wednesday, Hadley and crew showed up and showed out in pink for 8th grade night for a couple of her friends who play basketball. Hayden and his friends were there too…some of them even wore pink!

Favorite Mom Meme:

The other night at dinner, Hayden inhaled a bowl of soup and went back for more. On his way to the stove, he grabbed a granola bar out of the cabinet and ate it before heading back to the table with another bowl of soup.

These kids stay hungry!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

I love this sweet moment from 2012.

What I wouldn’t give to go back in time for a bit…

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week. I wrote about a little bit of everything!

What are your weekend plans? Hayden has a race, and there’s a home UK game. I hope to enjoy some downtime, have some time to read, and cross some things off my to do list.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Trader Joes

Trader Joe’s Lately

Posted on September 14, 2023September 13, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

I haven’t shared a Trader Joe’s run in a while, and of course they have lots of fall goodies out.

After school on Friday, Hadley and I made a quick trip to Trader Joe’s, and here’s what we picked up.

Hadley’s Faves:

The real reason Hadley went with me…so she could pick up some of her faves: Shells and White Cheddar Mac and Cheese, Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter cups, Chili and Lime Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips, and burritos.

Hayden’s Fave:

Hayden will eat quite a few things from Trader Joe’s, but this favorite is this thinly sliced sourdough bread. He uses it for his grilled cheeses and his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

He started being picky about his bread after I started buying this. It’s his favorite.

For me:

Shay shared about these egg bites, and I wanted to give them a try. I took one of each flavor for lunch yesterday, and they are DELISH. I will probably stock up on these when I go to Trader Joe’s.

I soooo badly want to be an overnight oats girlie…but I have trouble finding flavors I like…and I struggle with the texture. I haven’t tried this vanilla flavor yet…have you?

Seasonal:

Trader Joe’s continues to have my favorite seasonal candles. The Honeycrisp Apple and Vanilla Pumpkin are soooo good.

The Apple Cider hand soap is fun too!

I picked up one of these pumpkin cheesecakes last year, and we all loved it. When Hadley saw it, she persuaded me to pick another one up.

The Pumpkin Brioche Twist bread is so good. Hadley usually has a slice for breakfast, and I have a slice as an after school snack. We toast it and put butter or pumpkin cream cheese on it.

Has anyone tried the Pumpkin Overnight Oats? Asking for a friend! haha

Apple Cider Donuts…my absolute favorite fall find. These don’t last long around my house… They are Hayden’s favorite too. Hadley prefers the ones from the orchard where we get our pumpkins, but I think these hit the spot too.

I’m hoping the next time I go that they have all their cute pumpkins out front! I always love decorating my front porch….and Hadley’s hoping they will have pumpkin bagels and pumpkin cream cheese!

Everyday Life, Let's look

Let’s Look

Posted on September 13, 2023September 12, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hey, hey! It’s Wednesday!

Today, I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for Let’s Look.

So far this year, we’ve looked at…

Scheduling/organizing a busy family in January
What’s in your medicine cabinet in February
Favorite Amazon finds in March
I skipped April because we had pet peeves as a topic for May’s Not Just a Mom post, so I saved those ideas for that post.
Around May’s link up, I shared a “Day in the Life” post, so that ended up including most of my morning routine.
Best travel tips in June.
No post for me in July.
In August, I discussed worst habits in a blog challenge post.

This month, we are looking at…our evening routine.

I captured a pretty “routine” evening on Monday. Here’s what it looked like:

Most afternoons, I pick up the kids up from school and we head home.

I planned soup for dinner, so I put that in the slow cooker as soon as we got home. I made one of our favorites…Sausage and Cheese Tortellini Soup.

Then, I checked in on the kids as they were working on homework. Hadley was working on Algebra…

…which reminded me of this meme that I saw recently…haha

So far, the kids are in a pretty good groove with juggling activities and homework. Hadley has had more homework this year than Hayden has. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it…but they are in the SAME Language Arts class…and they are currently seated in alphabetical order….which is unfortunate for Hadley…haha

In 6th grade, they didn’t have any classes together, and last year they had one semester of PE together. This is the first core class they’ve had together. Oh to be a fly on that wall…

Right now, with most of their activities being in the evening, they usually have a couple of hours after school to relax, have a snack and do homework before heading to cross country or volleyball practice.

Hadley usually chooses to jump right into the homework, whereas, Hayden usually watches a show and has a snack before doing his work. This year, I’ve really tried to let them manage their time…until they show me I need to manage it for them…So far, so good.

Anyway, I change out of my school clothes as soon as I can.

Monday’s outfit was actually pretty comfy…

…but it was time to change into my workout clothes.

I checked in again on the kids, filled up my water bottle and headed to the basement to get a workout in.

I’d hoped to get in some kind of morning workout groove, but it hasn’t happened. I usually get up on Friday mornings, but otherwise, I’ve had at least an hour after school to get a workout in before taking the kids wherever they need to be.

Once the school volleyball season starts, I will probably have to go straight from school to games, so I may have to incorporate more morning workouts then.

Anyway, I’m almost finished with the Sure Thing program, and I’ve been loving it.

Then, I spent a few minutes working on Tuesday’s blog post. I’ve had a hard time getting in a writing groove since school started. While I’ve been posting regularly, I’ve just had to find pockets of time to write in order to make that happen.

So, I had about fifteen minutes between my workout and taking Hadley to volleyball, so I worked on the post then.

I dropped Hadley off and ran a couple of errands. I don’t really love evening errands, but her volleyball nights are the same time that Travis is with Hayden at cross country practice. Since Hadley’s volleyball is only for an hour, I usually run an errand or two nearby.

On Monday, I took a couple of books back to the library, and stopped by Walgreens before…

…heading back to watch the last twenty minutes of her practice.

Once we got home, we all sat down for dinner together. We kept it simple with just the soup, but it was a good meal…even though we didn’t eat until late.

After dinner, Travis and I cleaned up the kitchen while the kids finished up their homework.

Then, it was shower and skincare routine time.

After my shower, I watched tv until about 10:00…and I enjoyed some ice cream. I felt like I really deserved the ice cream 😉

We all headed to bed around 10:00. Travis was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow….even though he thought he was going to finish watching the football game. haha

I read every night before bed…sometimes it’s just for a few minutes, but Monday night I actually read for about thirty minutes.

That’s a look at a pretty typical evening routine for me.

Dinner prep, workout, blogging, chaffeuring kids around, dinner, shower, read, good night!

Right now, I feel like the afternoons/evenings fly by!

Books and Shows

TV Tuesday

Posted on September 12, 2023September 12, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

WordPress shares daily writing prompts, and they often catch my attention.

A few weeks ago, the prompt was “What TV shows did you watch as a kid?”

When I saw this prompt, literally the flood gates of my childhood opened up immediately.

Here are a few tv shows I remember watching through the years…

Most mornings when we would get ready for school, The Mickey Mouse Club and Kids, Inc. were on the Disney Channel.

TGIF Friday nights on ABC included Full House and Family Matters. I also loved Growing Pains and The Hogan Family. I don’t remember if they were on Friday nights or not.

I have fond memories of Saturday mornings watching Saved by the Bell and California Dreams.

My first crushes were definitely Kirk Cameron, Jason Bateman, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar.

Other shows I remember watching include: Alf, Hey Dude, Kate & Allie, and Clarissa Explains it All.

Late middle school into high school, like most teens in America, I watched Party of Five, 90210, and Melrose Place. I guess I watched those shows into my college years.

I’m not sure when I started watching Golden Girls, but they are still my favorite to this day. Designing Women is another top tier show for me. I still watch those reruns on Hulu too.

I even remember watching reruns of I Love Lucy, the Mary Tyler Moore Show, and the Dick Van Dyke show and loving those shows. I think I’m an “old soul” when it comes to my tv shows.

A show I’d forgotten about but rediscovered this summer is 227. As soon as I heard the opening song, I remembered every word. I loved watching some of those episodes on Hulu this summer.

I sent my brother a text asking him what shows he remembers from our childhood, and he said, “Where do I begin?” haha

My brother is three years younger than me, and he remembers the most random things from when we were younger. I wondered if we’d have any of the same favorite shows, and the two he said that I said as well were Hey Dude and Clarissa.

He also said: Salute Your Shorts, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Muppet Babies, Dark Wing Duck and Duck Tales.

I just knew he’d say Duck Tales.

Anyway, this was a fun stroll down memory lane.

What about you… What are some tv shows you remember watching from your childhood?

Not Just a Mom

Posted on September 11, 2023September 11, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

It’s already the second Monday of the month, so I’m co-hosting with some of my favorite bloggers for our monthly link up.

Before I get to the post. Today is 9/11.

It’s hard to believe so many years have passed since this unbelievably difficult day in our history. Like most, I will never forget where I was when I heard the news and how scared and uncertain I felt.

Never forget.

This year, we’ve discussed:

Introductions in January
House rules in February
Day in the life (weekend edition) in March
Cleaning hacks in April
Pet peeves in May
How we became a mom in June
Top 5 favorite family activities in July
What’s in my handbag in August

This month’s topic is hobbies.

Well, at this current stage of my life, I feel like my #1 hobby is shuttling my kids wherever they need to be…haha

But really, I do try to carve out time to do a few things that I enjoy.

I’d say that reading is something that I try to do every single day. Some days, I have a half hour to read and other days I might only have ten minutes, but I still try to read when I can…and I always travel with books and my Kindle.

I really enjoy cooking and baking. Even better is that Hadley likes to bake too. She’s a pretty independent baker, and we also bake together.

Of course, this blog is a hobby. I can’t believe I’ve been blogging for four years.

I really enjoy writing these posts and engaging with my readers. Some days, it’s hard to find the time to get posts written, but I usually get them finished some way, somehow. Writing is a good way for me to be creative and express myself….and have so many memories in one spot!

I’m not sure if it’s really a hobby for me, but walking/working out are another part of my routine most days. Admittedly, I’m not in tip top shape, but a good workout or walk is good for my mental health…and physical health too, I suppose.

I’d say my real #1 hobby is watching my kids’ activities. They keep us on the go quite a bit, but there’s nowhere I’d rather be than cheering them on.

So, those are a few of my hobbies. I can’t wait to see what others share.

What about you? What’s your favorite hobby?

Next month, our topic is…money saving tips. Oh boy…maybe I should have Travis be a guest blogger. haha

Thanks so much for reading.

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#174}

Posted on September 8, 2023September 8, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

TGIF! Why do the shorter weeks always feel longer? It was a good week, but it just felt never ending.

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week:

I’m taking a different approach to this week’s Friday Favorites post.

This week, I’ve joined in with Erika and Shay for their photo challenge on Instagram.

So far, I’ve remembered to share the daily photo. Here’s a look at the week:

September 1: The letter “F”

Well, September 1st was Friday, and we had some Friday night FUN.

Hayden went to the trampoline park with friends for a friend’s birthday. Hadley headed to the UK volleyball game, so Travis and I went out to dinner downtown before joining her and our friends at the volleyball game.

It was definitely a fun night.

September 2: Selfie

I snapped a sweaty selfie after Hayden’s cross country meet! I was wearing my favorite Fabletics leggings and SSYS workout tank.

September 3: Your view

Well, on Sunday, I had a few errands to run, and I went into Bath and Body Works. My view was of all the “wonderfall” fall candles. I bought a couple, of course!

September 4: Monday

Monday was Labor Day, and I was able to spend a couple hours at the pool. I read for a bit and chatted with my mom friends. Our pool stays open one weekend past Labor Day, so maybe we will get there one more time this weekend before it closes for the year.

September 5: Football

My mom got me this Chiefs flag, and I decided to put it out this week in honor of the Chiefs first game last night.

September 6: Smile

Hadley and I went to get froyo with good friends after her volleyball clinic on Wednesday. It’s always good to see them, and of course froyo makes me smile.

September 7: View

On Sunday, when I was out running errands, I stopped in Michael’s and saw this “Boo”sign. Of course, it’s for Halloween, but I snagged it for Hadley’s room. It’s kind of a running joke, but when I get annoyed about asking her to do something, she says, “boo”…but in a funny way.

I surprised her with this lit up in her room, and now it’s my view every night when I go in to tell her goodnight.

Hopefully, I can keep up with the photo challenge the rest of the month.

Favorite Outfit:

I shared recent outfits this week, but then wore this one yesterday. I got lots of compliments on it at school. It was a comfy but cute outfit for a Thursday at school.

Favorite Mom Meme:

This one applies, but I guess I have to give the kids credit…they did earn some money this summer…and they do go a few places on their bikes. haha

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

Football season is back, and I always love this football memory before we headed to a UK game when the kids were little.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week in case you missed one:

Prime Purchases

Teacher Talk: Classroom Tour

WIWW

Thursday Thoughts: True Colors

Not Just a Mom:

We have our monthly Not Just a Mom link up on Monday.

We are talking about hobbies! If you have a blog, we’d love to have you join us.

What are your weekend plans?

Of course, Hayden has cross country and there’s a home UK football game tomorrow. I’m not sure our plans, but we might be able to go.

I’m kind of itching to put out some fall decorations, but I will probably wait until next week.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Thursday Thoughts: True Colors

Posted on September 7, 2023September 6, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

In one of the professional development sessions I attended at the start of the school year, we had to take a personality assessment.

Through the years, I’ve had administrators ask us to take various ones as a way for them to better understand their staff and as a prompt for us to take time for self-reflection.

Of course, you know I’ve taken the Enneagram test, and am a 5w6, and I think many of those characteristics hold true for me.

We were asked to take the True Colors personality test. After answering a series of questions, you find out “your” color.

Color Characteristics:

Blue (Feeler)– emotionally driven, seeks harmony in groups, enthusiastic, creative, sympathetic
Green (Thinker)– logically driven, independent thinker, focused, efficient, analytical
Gold (Planner)– loyalty driven, respects rules and authority, responsible, organized, appreciative
Orange (Doer)– short-term driven, welcomes change and variety, adventurous, competitive, impulsive

Any guesses what color I am?

GOLD!…by a landslide.

I kind of thought I’d have a bit more green but I’m not surprised that I’m not orange or blue.

One of my school friends tends to run late, and she says, “It’s because I’m orange!” and we all just laugh.

Anyway, I do think it’s interesting to see other people’s results. Kind of like love languages and Enneagram types, I don’t hold a ton of stock in them, but I do think you can know people better when you understand their personality type too.

So…what color are you?

Amazon, Clothes

WIWW

Posted on September 6, 2023September 5, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

A couple of weeks ago, I enjoyed sharing the outfits I’d been wearing recently, so I’m trying to remember to snap a pic when I can.

The outfits I’m sharing today are a mix of school and weekend.

We went to Nashville for a birthday party a couple of weeks ago, and I snagged this dress from Amazon. It was an impulse buy, but I really like it. It comes in a variety of colors, and it has pockets!

This outfit is brought to you by Amazon…and really –they are Amazon purchases from quite a while ago. I know I’ve had the dress, cardigan, and sandals for at least two years.

This outfit includes same cardigan, different color. Same sandals as above as well. I picked up this floral dress at Walmart last spring.

I always get so many compliments when I wear this floral Old Navy dress. I remember when I bought it, I was on the fence about it, but I’m glad I kept it. I did cut the tassels off because I hate tassels.

I always joke that I feel like I’m going to a fiesta when I wear it, but it’s a great dress for school. I’m wearing my favorite Amazon sandals from last summer, but they aren’t in stock anymore.

Friday, I wore these jeans to school and then changed out of my school t-shirt and put on my favorite Amazon cap sleeve sweater to go to the UK volleyball game.

For Hayden’s cross country meet, I wore my one of my pairs of Fabletics leggings, my SSYS workout tank, and New Balance tennis shoes.

I wore this outfit to school last Wednesday. The top is SSYS, and I’ve had my white denim jeans forever.

I wore this outfit to school yesterday. Amazon joggers and sandals and a denim shirt that I got at Target a few years ago.

Looking back at these outfits, I did a good job shopping my closet. The only new item is the first dress. Also, for me, “sandal season” lasts through September. I’m always bummed when I have to put away all my cute sandals!

Thanks for reading!

{This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Thanks for supporting my blog.}

School

Teacher Talk Tuesday: Classroom Tour

Posted on September 5, 2023September 5, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

How was your Labor Day weekend? Ours was good. We had a mix of down time, busy time, friend/family time, pool time and more.

Now that I feel like I’m in the groove this school year, I thought I’d show you around my classroom.

I shared some back to school photos a few weeks ago, but today I’m honing in on my Top 10 things in my classroom.

I always want my classroom to feel warm and welcoming.

Since I do intervention, I actually don’t need this many tables, but students are able to spread out when they are in my room. Sometimes, I’m helping a couple of students and other times, I might have 12-15 students for small group instruction.

I like for the room to be colorful and cheery. The natural sunlight from the windows help brighten the room. Often times, I don’t even turn on the overhead lights because I have so much daylight thanks to the windows, and I have a few lamps around my classroom.

Whatever classroom I’ve been in, I always have a corner for my area…that way students know to stay in front of my desk. haha

My area is behind the desk, and they get the rest of the room.

The “Save Time …See it my way” poster I’ve had on my desk for all 22 years I’ve taught.

1. Desk

On my desk, I have a few pictures, my desk calendar, supplies and important folders.

2. Computer area

When I moved into this classroom a couple of years ago, I decided to use a table for my computer. In my former classroom, I had the computer on the desk, and I like to have more space this way.

I have two crates under this table that hold a few books and binders I need for reference as well as some extra school supplies.

I also have a stack of lesson plan books through the years. I never want to throw them away at the end of the year. Are there any other teachers reading this post that feel the same way?

3. Teacher planner

While I don’t need a planner to plan out my lessons like I used to, I still use one to pencil in which students I’m helping, which classrooms I need to visit as well as meetings. This is my third year using a Happy Planner, and I really love it.

4. Flat panel

I just got this flat panel at the end of last school year, so I’m still figuring it out. I did go to a professional development last week to learn a few tricks. Like with most technology, the kids can probably teach me quicker than me just messing around with it.

5. Posters

I have posters all throughout my room. Honestly, they don’t change much through the years.

I have fun quotes and motivational posters as well as a few literary ones.

As an English teacher, of course I have reading reminders and proofreading marks…

The three questions I’ve had posted in my room for years. They were shared at a PD years ago, and they are good reminders for students and myself when questioning students.

6. Supplies

Admittedly, I don’t need as many supplies as elementary school teachers do, and honestly, I probably have more than most high school teachers do.

I just re-stock when supplies are on sale in July and August, so I have mostly what students might need.

At the front of my room, I have highlighters, markers, scissors, glue sticks, index cards and more.

7. Pencil boxes

Quite a few years ago, I put one pencil box on every table. These boxes have a couple of pencils, a few highlighters, some markers, colored pencils and crayons.

That way, once students are seated, they have most of what they need right in front of them.

Honestly, this helped more when I had classes of over thirty students and wanted them to stay seated. That’s not as big of a deal now since I work with so few students at a time, but I still like for them to mostly have what they need right in front of them.

8. Books

I have a variety of reading materials and resources for students. I’ve used the Timed Reading books with all levels of learners. They provide good practice with reading comprehension.

The National Geographic books are good visuals for students and are shorter texts that aren’t overwhelming.

The Bluford series books are high interest books for struggling readers.

Through the years, I’ve read them with classes or let students read them individually.

9. My bookshelf

Over five years ago, my neighbor had this bookshelf sitting out on the curb, and I snagged it for my classroom.

On top, I have some family photos, a little plant, some teacher items given to me through the years, and my new candle warmer.

The top shelf holds the textbooks, both teacher and student editions, that I use daily as well as some extra supplies.

The bottom shelf holds a few more knick knacks, photos, and books.

10. Comfy chair

This comfy chair is a favorite spot for students. It’s just an extra spot to sit, but they have to be working or reading in order to sit in it. No phones allowed. It’s for learning, not lounging. 😃

I always feel better once my room is put back together after summer break. I love when students come in and say, “Ms. White, your room is so cute!”

I want it to be comfortable for the students but also for myself since I’m there seven hours a day.

Speaking of my classroom…off to school I go! At least it’s a four day week this week. Thanks for stopping by.