Tag: sophomore

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids, School

Friday Favorites {#302}: Last Day of School

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

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!

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week:

Monthly Moments: May 2026
Hello, June
Prime Purchases
Summer Reading 2026

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.

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids, School

Friday Favorites {#274}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

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!

Hadley “understood” the assignment too!

A couple of weeks ago, I shared Hadley’s volleyball pics….

…and Hayden his pics last week! My boy is growing up!

We had breakfast out one morning at one of our favorite places. Not the best food pic, but it hit the spot!

Other than that, this week has just been about school, sports and family time.

Favorite Mom Meme:

How many times do you all go to Chick-fila-A in a week?!

Weekly Recap:

After taking a few days off from blogging, I bounced back with a couple of posts this week:

Trader Joe’s
Thursday Thoughts

I hope you have a great weekend! It’s so hot here, our pool decided to stay open for yet another weekend! I’m ready for some fall temps, for sure!

Posted in Friday Favorites, School

Friday Favorites {#271}: Back to School

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

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…

Kindergarten, sixth grade and ninth grade.

Time flies!

Weekly Recap:

I had a few posts this week:

Share Our Lives
Teacher Talk Tuesday: classroom
Throwback Thursday: Hayden’s day

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!