Well, we made it through the first few days of school…and I made it through my first full week.
It has been a great start, but to say I’m ready for the weekend is an understatement.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Today’s favorites are the first day of school pics…
We had horrible weather on Wednesday morning. We had torrential rains, thunder, lightning, and flash flooding in some areas. That meant our traditional first day of school photos had to be postponed, but I did get this pic of the kids before I left for school…
…and Hadley suggested a selfie of the three of us to send to Travis. He’d been out of town for a few days, and was flying home that morning.
Hadley is my 1st block peer tutor on our “A” days (since we have block scheduling). Isn’t she cute?! (BTW- her first day of school top and sandals are Amazon. Her top is a new purchase, but she got the sandals in the spring and has worn them quite a few times. She rates both a 10/10!)
I saw this our on school library door…such a sweet sentiment.
The weather was cooperating after school, but our front porch wasn’t, so we moved to the backyard for photos. (We have brick front steps, and some of them were crumbling, so those were getting fixed which means we had yellow caution tape up the couple of days they were being worked on)
First day of kindergarten for comparison!
All smiles to be finished with the first day of school. haha
Per (high school years) tradition, we went to IHop for dinner. Honestly, it was raining really hard, and we were tired, but we rallied to make this happen…plus, I didn’t feel like cooking!
In all the years of first day of school for the kids, I really think that’s the first time we’ve had a rainy first day. Oh well, the pics happened eventually.
Favorite Mom Meme:
It’s cliche, but it’s so true. Where is the time going?!
What are your weekend plans? For starters, I plan on not setting an alarm…and I hope to finish the book I’m reading! Also, I hope to get caught up on my blog reading and responding to comments on my blog. Please bear with me as I get back into my school routine!
Well, this post is the first Teacher Talk of the 2026-2027 school year.
I often get asked, “When you are going back to school?” followed by, “Wow, that seems early…” when I respond…to which I agree!
If you’ve ever wondered what teachers do before the students arrive, here’s a peek into the first days back to school as a teacher.
Friday, July 24th: We had a professional development day on that Friday. This is the second year we’ve had a July PD day, but the trade off is that if we attended the July day, we didn’t have to work yesterday. Honestly, I kind of like it because in late July, I’m already thinking about school anyway, and after that PD day, I have a few things I can work on as I please.
My school is starting a Freshman Academy, and I’m in that academy. So, the PD was to see how other schools run their Freshman Academies.
Monday, July 27th: A couple of weeks ago, I didn’t have a work day, but Hadley was available, so she and I went to my room to get it set up. The good news is that only took about an hour. I always feel so much better when my room is put back together.
Tuesday, August 4th: Last Tuesday was a work day. Y’all, I always look at the teacher calendar when it gets put out, and I swear that day wasn’t on the original one sent in the spring. I thought our first day was Wednesday, August 5th. Thank goodness, I read an email with “important dates” the week prior.
That being said, that Tuesday was pretty chill, and since my classroom was put together already, I didn’t feel bad chatting with friends for a bit as well as having some quiet time in my classroom. I mostly got the room looking how I wanted it to look, organized my supplies, made sure my IFP/smart board was working, printed a few things, and made some copies.
Wednesday, August 5th: This was our first district “HUB” day and 6 hours of PD (out of the 24 we need in a year). Various levels or specialties go to assigned locations for the day. So, all the high school teachers went to one of the high schools from 8:00-4:00 with an hour and a half lunch on our own. Prior to the PD, we had to sign up for four 90 minute sessions.
Thursday, August 6th: This was a school PD day with 6 more hours of learning. We rotated through four 45 minute morning sessions, and then we did the same in the afternoon. Honestly, this day felt longer than the day before…and some of the sessions could have been longer while other could have been shorter.
One of our sessions as to assess our “color.” I’d done this years ago…I was a “gold” (planner) then, and I’m still one today. That being said, I’m pretty sure the last time I took this, I scored higher on gold…and this actually doesn’t shock me. I’ve “eased” up a bit through the years in regards to some of my “gold” tendencies.
Friday, August 7th: This evening was Open House, so we didn’t have to be at school until noon since we were working until 7:30. At noon, we had a cookout, and our principals grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. I brought two pans of Betty Crocker “Brookies,” and I had many people stop me and tell me how delish they were. All I did was follow the recipe, but I appreciate the compliment.
After eating lunch with my department, I worked in my room. I worked on my first day of school slides, made more copies, looked at curriculum, made my Open House slide and handout, etc.
Open House was a hit…I wasn’t sure what to expect, but honestly, I didn’t sit down the entire evening. Of course, having freshmen, I expected there to be lots of students come meet teachers, but we’d already had a freshman orientation, and with Open House being on a Friday night, I didn’t expect to be so busy. I got home around 8:00 and I was beat!
Monday, August 10th – You might recall above how I mentioned that if I went to the July PD, I didn’t have to work on this day. Well, we had a 1:00 Freshman Academy meeting, and since this is something new that’s being implemented, I didn’t feel like I should miss. That being said, I arrived at 12:30 and worked in my room for a bit. The meeting was from 1-2, and then I finished my “classroom scavenger hunt” worksheet and made those copies since the building was pretty sparse. I can count those few hours I was at school towards my flex time that I’ll most likely need later in the year.
At our meeting, the Youth Resource Coordinator gave us “freshman survival kits” which included some pens, markers, candy, etc…it was a sweet sentiment.
Tuesday, August 11th: Today, there’s an 8:00 breakfast potluck followed by a faculty meeting from 9-12. Then, we can work in our rooms the rest of the day. I’ll make sure my Google slides are ready to go, copies have been made, my white board is updated and all the other last minutes things we do before the students arrive.
Tomorrow – Wednesday, August 12th – Students arrive for the first day of school! I’m as ready as I’ll ever be for year 25…and my kids’ junior year!
Let me know if you have any questions! When does school start in your area?
Well, I’ve almost made it through my first week of school, and I’m definitely feeling TGIF.
It’s been good to get back in a routine and see my friends and colleagues, but those early alarms have been quite the reality.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week…
I was so busy getting back to school this week that I didn’t realize that Tuesday was my 7th blogiversary for Show Me and Sweet Tea. This is still a fun hobby for me, and I can’t believe I’ve been at it for seven years.
(If you’re somewhat new here or have forgotten, the blog has it’s name due to my Missouri roots in the “Show Me” state and then is there anything more southern than sweet tea which highlights my moving to Kentucky, where Travis was born and raised.)
I don’t know if he misses me, but I already miss my breakfast buddy now that I’m back to school. Homer is my sidekick most of the day in the summer.
Hadley and friends went to the Chris Stapleton concert in Cincinnati on Saturday night. Her outfit is linked in Monday’s Prime Purchasespost.
Despite the rain delay, they had a great time.
There was a strong line of storms, so Stapleton’s 9:00 start time was pushed to past 10:00. She sent me this pic, and said he was worth the wait!
Stapleton is from Kentucky, and Trav and I went to his concert at Kroger Field here in Lexington a few years ago, and he was amazing.
My mom was in town, and one of her specialties is making these cookies and icing, and then the kids decorate them. They had a good time doing so, and the cookies were delish.
I’ve mentioned that Hayden has been coaching a 5th grade basketball team this summer. We all made it to the last game of the season. His team has come a long way as have his coaching skills. I think it’s been a fun summer for all.
At dinner on Sunday, I gave him the “You are Special” red plate to celebrate his first season coaching basketball.
Hadley and I went to Walmart for some school supplies, and then we went to Target. Well, this tumbler “found” me, and it’s perfect for my “to go” iced coffee.
A quiet classroom to get work done is always a favorite. Many of my favorite school supplies are linked in my Amazon Storefront.
Speaking of school supplies, the first thing I did on Tuesday was organize the school supplies that I’d purchased. Then, I took some time to put everything away and label the tubs for my supplies.
I have some secret snack storage in my classroom for my teens, and I told Hadley she had a $50 budget to get us restocked. She sent me this pic from Kroger, and proudly told me she spent $44. I’m not sure why she didn’t get a shopping cart. haha
Favorite Mom Meme:
Wow…this one is so true!
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:
With school starting next week, you know I always love a trip down memory lane.
Here the kids are on the first day of kindergarten. Now they will be juniors.
Share Our Lives:
Monday is the second Monday of the month, so we have our Share Our Lives link up. This month’s topic is favorite current music. We’d love to have you join us.
Weekly Recap:
Here are my posts from the week in case you missed one:
I hope you have a lovely summer weekend. I have to keep reminding myself just because we’re going back to school doesn’t mean all the summer fun has to end!
How is your week going? The storms on Tuesday weren’t as bad as predicted in our area, so that was a sigh of relief. Yesterday and today have fall like temps in the upper 70’s to low 80’s with no humidity. I could take this type of weather year round!
In Monday’s post, I shared a few school supplies I’ve picked up for myself so far, and today I’m sharing some other faves.
As a high school teacher, I don’t really have to buy much to start the school year…especially compared to elementary teachers. I always buy a planner, pens, calendar, and then freshen up some supplies like markers and pencils.
Admittedly, last year, I purchased quite a few things because I moved to a much bigger room, and had to start over in some respects, and just wanted to freshen up some supplies after a few years.
This year, so far, I’ve purchased:
This “clipfolio” that has the clip board on the outside and then dividers and a notepad on the inside as well as the pens at Aldi.
This is the planner I’m going to try this school year…
The past few years, I’ve gotten my desk calendar at Target, and that’s where I found one again this year. It’s literally been this same pattern the past few years, and it works for me.
I went to link the rest of these supplies, and realized I can just link my “School Faves” list from my Amazon Storefront…everything is already linked there.
I reordered these numbers again this year. I put them on my tables, and use the numbers to assign seats. They stayed on just fine…except for when students peeled them off…hence why some numbers need replaced.
This clock was a fun addition to my classroom last year.
I’m not sure how I lived without my rolling podium before last year. I even rolled it out into the hall for my hall duty when needed.
I purchased these binders the past couple of years. Two years ago, I used one for each of the four English 1 units, and then last year, I did the same for the four English 2 units I teach.
The binders have definitely helped keep me organized.
Of course, with binders, you need dividers!
These scallop magnetic borders were perfect for my whiteboard. I used them as a way to divide up my really big whiteboard into sections for announcements, different classes, etc.
I used these magnetic whiteboard strips in a variety of ways but mostly for my different classes.
Our blocks on certain days are by color, and I used the corresponding colors for my whiteboard.
With students using Chromebooks, I have a few of these power strips in my classroom.
In my new room, I have two bulletin boards, and I needed something to add to one of them. Are you even an English teacher if you don’t have parts of speech posters?
I have a file holder on my desk where I keep rosters, seating charts, meeting notes, etc. For those things, I like to have sturdier folders…but of course they have to be cute. This set fits the bill.
One of the best things I bought for my classroom last year was this mesh organizer. It comes in a variety of colors, and I purchased two of them. Since I have six classes, I needed six trays, and I use those trays to hold the papers for each class that I’m going to use for instruction.
One of my friends had these light covers in her room, and I added them to mine. Since my room has windows, I actually only turn on half of my lights most of the time, so these covers keep them somewhat dim.
These are another fave purchase. I have no clue where my paperclips go, but I love how colorful these are.
Last spring, I lost one of my two board erasers, and I decided to buy these magnetic ones. This purchase is definitely another fave. These aren’t going anywhere!
I’ve had the same lunch tote for years. After a couple of years of use that included some spills, it was time for a new one. So, I purchased the exact same one again. I also take this tote when we go on road trips…it’s perfect for snacks. I event take it into hotel rooms if we stay overnight just because it’s easy to carry and bring a few snacks in with us.
My Storefront has some other school supplies linked, but these are some of my faves and most frequently used.
It’s time to start thinking about school sooner rather than later…
{This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.Thanks for supporting my blog.}
TGIF! Well, this morning my alarm clock is going off one more time as a faculty meeting stands between me and summer break. Yesterday, I cleaned out my room and prepped it for summer, then my school’s graduation was in the afternoon. It was a nice ceremony as always, and it’s hard to believe I will have two graduates in two more years!
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.
This post will be short and sweet because your girl is tired, and the only favorite I need at the moment is that…
I wrangled the kids for the last day of school photos in the afternoon…
Truth be told, their summer started a bit earlier than mine thanks to some early finals and exemptions…Hayden did have two finals on Wednesday, but Hadley’s last final was Monday.
Anyway, the last day of school photo tradition had to continue no matter what…
First day of sophomore year…
I joked that we were “marked safe” from sophomore year because truly it felt like a marathon there at the end and we were surviving more than thriving. But, we made it to the finish line.
I was so bitter about being in school in June that I refused to put my June date on the board…Monday-Wednesday this week were known as June 32nd, 33rd, and 34th. haha
Being in school in June should never be an option. I know we had a crazy January/February with two weeks off due to the weather. My frustration is that we left five NTI days on the table that we could have used. I knew once the end of the year got pushed to June, attendance would be spotty…for students and for teachers. We had so many teachers that were out the last three days because they were doing AP grading, there were kids out because families had planned vacations and so on. By Wednesday, I had maybe ten students in every class. We give final exams the last few days, but students can take them early and some teachers give them early. Anyway, I hope we have a better plan for next year.
I know many areas of the country have school into June, but I believe they go back later. I will be back to school on August 5th, and I just know that will be here before I know it.
Favorite Mom Meme:
Ugh!
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:
This sweet memory from 2012 popped up on Facebook, and I love it so much. These kids are all still friends, and the other set of boy/girl twins just graduated high school last week! Hadley is still really good friends with the other little girl; I’m friends with both of their moms. We don’t all see each other like we used to when we taught in the same building, but I love that we’ve watched the kids grow up together.
Share Our Lives:
Monday is the second Monday of the month, so I’m co-hosting the Share Our Lives link up with some of my favorite bloggers.
This month’s topic is…emojis used most often. This will be a fun post to read…I love to use an emoji!
I hope you have the best summer weekend. I’m looking forward to not setting an alarm, enjoying the sunshine, and getting my life together after the end of the school year busyness.
Well, yesterday’s snow day was just what I needed to (finally) get a few things crossed off my list. I was able to order the last few gifts, wrap gifts, and work on some things for school.
Now, at the end of this four day week, we’ll be on winter break!
Since the first semester is wrapping up, I thought it would be fun to take a look back on the semester.
I always feel like first semester flies by, and this one was no different. Overall, it was a really great semester too!
New classroom:
I started the year by moving classrooms. I’d been in my previous room for about six years, and it was in an entirely different part of the school building. It was a bit of an adjustment moving rooms, but I have a really spacious room that I’ve made my own.
Classes:
Last year, I only had three classes of English 1, and then I had a couple of intervention hours. This year, I’m back full time, and I’m teaching English 1 and English 2.
I had such a great co-teach situation last year that I requested co-teach English 1 again this year. I have a different co-teacher this year, and she’s been wonderful to work with as well. Co-teach classes mean many students in the class have an IEP (individualized education plan), so they receive additional support from myself and my co-teacher. Half of one of my classes has IEPs while the other co-teach class only has a few. So, even those two classes tend to work at different paces; it’s ok though…I just make adjustments: reteach/add enrichment when needed.
I also have two Advanced English 1 classes, and I really enjoy those students as well. I have a few of my kids’ friends in those classes, and I think it’s always more odd for me than for them. haha!
My other two classes are English 2, sophomores (and a few freshmen who took English 1 in 8th grade). I hadn’t taught English 2 in a few years, and we have a new curriculum, so it has been a bit of an adjustment for me as I plan lessons. That being said, I enjoyed teaching both units this semester, and the kids have been great.
I don’t want to jinx it, but when I tell you I really love my schedule and my students, it’s just a great feeling to have a good year…and no classes that take all my energy. I honestly think I’ve only written one referral this entire semester…and it was for a student who didn’t return from our class restroom break.
I don’t know if I’ve gotten lucky with a good year, if it’s experience that makes things easier, or if we’re seeing kids who weren’t as affected by the Covid years. This year’s freshmen had a full fifth grade year in the classroom, so they wrapped up their elementary school experience rather routinely.
Block Scheduling:
One of the biggest changes this year is that we moved from a traditional six class day to block scheduling with four classes a day. So, we have an “A” day and a “B” day with ninety minute classes. I really love block scheduling, and wish we’d moved to it sooner.
I thought with block scheduling there might be one day that I prefer over the other, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
It’s so nice to have a big chunk of time with students, and I haven’t had any issues with planning lessons for a larger amount of time. I thought I’d have to be more intentional when planning my lessons, but we’ve gotten through the curriculum, and every class period has had a variety of learning opportunities with whole group and independent instruction.
I’ve always heard (there’s actually math and numbers to it) that with block scheduling even though you see students for a longer amount of time, you see them for less minutes in a semester. Around fall break, I felt that. I felt like we should have been further in the curriculum, but by the end of the semester, everything evened out.
Tech/phones:
In my October Teacher Talkpost, I shared about the new house bill that banned phones during instructional time. I honestly didn’t even have to be too strict about it. I guess as a school we were probably more cohesive with our expectations, so that helped. I’ve been surprised that I really have had zero issues with students being on their phones when they shouldn’t be. Again, I hope I’m not jinxing it, but I do appreciate that we had a great first semester without issues in regards to technology.
Looking back, this semester really was all about change…and it’s been good changes. New classroom, new schedule, new rules, and new students/courses. I hope second semester is just as good as the first one.
Even with it being a great first semester, I’m ready for a break! Four more days!
One thing that really has changed in my twenty-four years as an educator is how technology affects student learning.
Today, I’m sharing a bit about some of the procedures I’m using this year to ensure students are giving me their full attention. haha!
Kentucky has a new law, House Bill 208, that requires school districts to create policies that ban student cell phone use during instructional time.
In recent years, cell phones have been a constant battle. I will say that middle schools have always been somewhat strict about phones, so teaching ninth graders, they come into high school with the expectations that phones should be put away. So, as a teacher, if I’m strict with my expectations, they know that they shouldn’t be on them. It really hasn’t been a huge issue for me through the years, but I’ve had to be strict about it.
I appreciate that now there’s a law and a school wide policy. Last year, one of Hayden’s teachers started using pencil boxes at her tables for students to put their phones in during instruction. That way, the phones are nearby in case they need them, but they are put away. This year, my school gave every teacher an over the door calculator pouch, but I started using bins that I got at the Dollar Tree to start the school year.
Honestly, these have worked fine. I have one for every two rows, and students place them in there before the bellringer to start class. Again, I have freshman four of my six classes, so they are used to limited phone use thanks to middle school.
With my two English 2 (sophomore) classes, I told them that I will treat them with more trust and responsibility, and their phones shouldn’t be out. Truly, I figured there would be a honeymoon period and then I’d have to have them use the bins. Well, we’re in week 10 of school, and it’s truly been the easiest start to the year in terms of not having to fight with students about technology. As a teacher, I’m good about sticking to my expectations, and I think they know that by now.
My previous district was smaller, and students were 1:1 with technology my last few years there. My current district is much bigger, so I never thought we’d be 1:1 with students and computers. Well, of course, Covid changed all that. Chromebooks are so beneficial in regards to learning. I post everything on Canvas, so students know what we are working on. I still do some assignments on paper, but I actually prefer grading online. I’d say 75% of what students submit is on Canvas and the other 25% is on paper.
We have Go Guardian that we set up at the start of the year, and it blocks what students have access to during class. On my end, I can see what is on their screens at all times, and the sessions are recorded. So, for example, if I think a student cheated, I can go back and view the session to see what screens they were on during that time. It really has eliminated students being on random websites when they should be learning.
Technology is a blessing and a curse, that’s for sure! I tell the students we’re trying to teach them how to use technology responsibly since it will always be a part of their lives.
Where did this week go?…but also…TGIF! We had a good but busy week. I feel like we’ve finally gotten into a school and evening routine which feels nice. Of course, this is just in time for us to have one more week and then a week off for fall break! I’m not complaining, but after that week, we’ll have to get back into a routine again.
Anyway, as always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are a few faves from the week:
Last week, I went to Bath and Body and picked up a few fall things…three hand soaps and one candle. See, I can show restraint in Bath and Body! haha!
One of my favorite seasonal things to do is to swap out the hand soaps in the bathroom and in the kitchen. I only purchased one candle, because I have quite the fall candle stockpile in my hall closet.
I also purchased a set of three candles from Trader Joe’s, and they’ve quickly become a favorite as well.
Last week, I had a dermatology appointment. It had been over two years since I made a skin check appointment. The PA had no concerns, and I was happy to cross this off the list. I did joke with her that they should just team up with a gynecologist, so we can get two awkward appointments over with at one time!
Last weekend, I spent time in Tennessee with Hadley and the volleyball team. They had a fun weekend of volleyball, but they also were able to hit up the indoor water park. I had fun with some of the moms, and I also enjoyed a bit of downtime at the hotel.
The girls were 5-2 on the weekend and the runner up in the silver bracket. Overall, they played well, and I feel like they found their groove.
The weather was pretty and the views were pretty too. I got a walk in on Saturday morning before the games.
The kids’ school pics were available to download this past week, and they turned out sooo good! I asked Hayden to wear something besides a t-shirt, and he obliged!
Hello! Another Tuesday, and I’m talking about school. Can you tell that the first few weeks of school are time and energy consuming?
Now that we have our first few days under our belt, students are already starting to get to know me a bit as well as my expectations and routines in my classroom. Today, I’m sharing about the first few days of school activities.
Quite a few years ago, I developed a Google Slides presentation that has almost forty slides on it. The slides are anything from our bell schedule to my email address to the units of study for the year and more. This presentation is actually a great “crutch” as I’m getting back in the swing of teaching after a couple of months off in the summer.
I always over plan, and this presentation is one that will take two to three class periods, even with our new block schedule ninety minute periods! That being said, it’s filled with info, routines, literacy strategies and get to know you activities.
Sharing the syllabus is important, but it’s also redundant and boring for the students (and the teacher!), I’m sure.
I’m the queen of literacy strategies, and one of my favorites is “text coding” which is an active reading strategy.
As we read through the almost three page syllabus, I have them follow along and mark up the syllabus as we go. They highlight our NTI Google Meet link, star the unit they think sounds the most interesting, circle our grading category percentages and more. This method keeps them involved and teaches them a strategy we’ll use often.
My classroom scavenger hunt is one of my favorite activities. I give them a worksheet with fifteen questions, and they wander around the room to find the answers. Of course, the purpose is to get them acquainted with the room, and I love seeing them work together to find some of the tougher answers.
We start every class period with some kind of bellringer. They vary from vocab to grammar to quote analysis and more. The start of the year is the perfect time to show them the variety of bellringers they’ll do, and what the expectations are for each one.
I give them a worksheet, and we move through each type of bellringer. Some bellringers take longer and others, and the kids get the hang of how to complete each one as we work together before they work independently.
What’s the start of the year without a “four corners” get to know you activity. I have a few slides of these, and I choose different ones for different classes just to give myself a variety too.
I love to join their groups and see what they have to say. Of course, it’s awkward a first, but I have them figure out whose birthday is next, and that person shares first and so on. With having longer class periods, I do plan on incorporating these a bit more into our class time to give the kids a time to stretch their legs and move around a bit.
And on the fourth day of school, I was really itching to start learning names. They spent a few minutes yesterday (and my other classes will do this today) making a quick table tent with their names, class period, and a favorite.
My example:
I wait a couple of days, but eventually, we do this dice rolling get to know you as I take attendance. I’ll do this with my students Wednesday and Thursday this week. I like to let them get settled in the class before I “force” them to do too many get to know you things.
I have foam dice, and as I take attendance, they roll the dice and tell the class something based on the number they roll.
Unless you are a teacher, one thing you might not know is how much our rosters change within the first week of school. So, I wait to do this note card activity until I know my classes have settled. As the slide says, I use these note cards throughout the year to call on students or put students in groups.
I use different colored note cards for each class, students write their name on one side and then a Haiku (which I now have corrected the misspell on this slide! ugh) on the other side…anyway, the Haiku is a good reminder for them about poetry and syllables, and I get to learn a little something about them.
My example that I share with them:
Anyway, the first few days are some of my faves because I don’t have to plan much, it’s ok not to have a learning target on the board, and I enjoy getting to know the students.
They received their textbooks yesterday (and today), and later this week, they’ll do a “text walk,” where they flip through their textbook to answer questions. This gets them acquainted with this resource we’ll be using all year and refreshes their memory on how to use text features like table of contents, foot notes, the index and more!
Anyway, I think the year is off to a pretty good start!
I can honestly say that even though the first two days back to school have been great, I’m also very happy to say, “TGIF!” Your girl is Tired…with a capital T! I’m very much looking forward to this weekend.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
I’m keeping it short and sweet this week and just sharing our back to school traditions and photos.
Last week, the stars aligned, and we could actually have dinner together. We took advantage of that opportunity and headed to IHOP for dinner. This is the second year we’ve done this, and while the kids still had a few days left of summer, I appreciated the tradition.
This week, the night before school started, I baked a Krusteaz cinnamon coffee cake for the kids to have for breakfast on Wednesday morning.
I thought these plates and napkins were so cute. I picked them up at Target or Michael’s…I can’t remember now.
These kids are really growing up! All set for their sophomore year…
I appreciate the first day of school smiles.
And, we always take one more pic without the signs.
I actually saw both kids a couple of times on the first day because my room is a little more centrally located now.
One of my friends from my former school is now at my school, and she’s my classroom neighbor…and Hayden is actually in her class. Anyway, she snapped our picture after school which I really appreciated.
One thing about block scheduling is that I realized I now have two first days of school. I was ready to roll yesterday to meet my other classes.
Hopefully, we’ll all have a great year.
Favorite Mom Meme:
WHY can I relate to this one so much? haha
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:
With it being back to school, of course I’m sharing first day of school pics through the years…
I hope you have a great weekend. I’m looking forward to not setting an alarm and hopefully doing what it takes to feel like I have my life together next week!
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