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NOOOOOOO!!!! You Can't Make Me Go Back!!

Ok, sooooo... my title may be a bit "dramatic" about going back to school. Juuuusta bit. FINE! There are *some* that may say that I am dramatic (WHHAAATTT??!!! Meeeee??).  I like to call it.... "expressive". There was that one time when I was at the grocery store all stressed out trying to buy last minute food for a party and the bag boy told my best friend that I was, quote, fun to watch, unquote. Allllrighty little boy, just stick to bagging the groceries, mmmmkaaay?

 But I'm serious. I'm not even ready to go back.

I'm seeing all these happy posters at Target and Walmart and to be honest.... I ain't NEVER seen a kid smile like that while thinking of going back to school! The image I have is of parents skipping down the store back to school aisles while their kids follow sadly behind.  Don't know if you've seen this old Staples commercial but I absolutely LOVE it!



I'm looking on Instagram and all these teaching blogs...and man, am I the ONLY one who feels like I am not ready to go back?? These AWESOME teachers have their rooms all cutesyfied and colorful and mine? Well... my school begins in 2 weeks and so, maybe I haven't gone to school at all. Just maybe. Don't freak out though. I'm going in on Monday. I'm just trying the squeeeeeeze all the summer out of these next 2 weeks. Ya see, I used to be like this parent in this commercial, but ever since my kids got a bit older.. they are just plain FUN to have around! AND to top it all off, their school doesn't even start for another month!!! Not only do I have to find places for them, but I have to miss out on all the fun of watching them explore and play and grow and relax without running on the hamster wheel of "Hurry! Hurry! Do homework, go to practice, eat dinner... faster, faster, FASTER! Get dressed...lunches? Backpacks? Sign WHAT?? Due WHEN??!!" I hate this rushing life. Right about now is when homeschooling looks REAL good to me. Just sayin'.  Don't get me wrong, I DO love my job! I feel that I am called to teach and this job is perfect for who I am. I am excited to try new things and implement the common core this year (NO State Testing for 2nd grade!!!! Wooohoooo!!). I'm excited about organizing my classroom (before the kids come in and mess it up. KIIIIDDING. Kidding.). I'm looking forward to seeing my coworkers (I LOVE my friends!) and meeting my new kids and seeing my old ones. Man, I do miss them! BUT I am allowed to not wish away summer so quickly. Just trying to find a happy balance here.

I'm setting up my class next week and I've been getting MANY wonderful ideas from teacher blogs and Pinterest. We'll see how much I get done before I rush home to play with the kiddos. :)


Blessings,

IIIIIII'm Baaaaack!!! AND A New Item on TPT!!!!!

Ok, I'm back! I took an unintentional break these past few weeks. My life has literally been on hold since I was trying to finish up my latest TPT unit. More on that in a bit.

A quick overview of what I have been up to in the past few weeks.

1. We went on a 10 day road trip driving up the CA coast, camping at different spots. It was FUN but exhausting!! We had LONG drives and my kids did awesome. Karis, my littlest little decided to potty train herself the week before we left. I tried to get her to pee in her pull up on our long drives, but she refused. So our 8 hour drives turned into 10 hours for fear of her exploding or getting a UTI.

2. This week we were suppose to go away and celebrate our 12 yr wedding anniversary.... BUT our house was literally a DISASTER after our road trip.... not to mention that our garage makeover still needed to be...well, made over. So we decided to have a staycation instead. Our families took our kids and we worked on the house in the daytime and went out at night. For the last 2 days, we actually went beach camping with our best friends...KIDLESS!!! I love my kids, but come on???  IT.WAS. AWESOME!  We did whatever we wanted... which meant we played games in the RV, watched funny You Tube videos,  and stayed up until 1am. Crazy, I know. We are totally party animals. It actually was SO fun being a bit irresponsible.

3. I already had my first school meeting earlier this week. BOOOO!!! It was with just a couple of teachers as we prepared to train our staff on Thinking Maps. Although it was at one of my favorite places, Panera... I couldn't help but die a bit inside knowing that school begins in 2 weeks!!! I'm wearing black everyday as a sign of mourning.

4. My husband is AMAZING!! If you think that you've got the best guy...I'm really sorry to break it to you. You don't. I have him. :)  Seriously, he has been working in the garage nonstop to put on the finishing touches to our garage makeover without any help from me. I, on the other hand, have had my face in the computer screen for hours just plugging away at my new TPT unit... which brings me to my next thing.... (drum roll pleeeeeease.....)

TADAAAA!!!! My latest TPT unit!!!



Since our district is adopting the common core standards this year, I've been searching around for quality resources that align our ELA Houghton Mifflin curriculum with the new standards. When I did not find anything that fit my needs, I decided to create my own. Well, about 251 slides later, not only am I crossed eyed and cannot see straight, but I am FINALLY finished with this unit! I'd be lying to you if I told you that I didn't tear up a bit after uploading it onto TPT. It seriously was a labor of love. I neglected all my household duties (and maybe a little of my mommy/wifey duties, too) to complete this unit. If you know of any 2nd grade teachers who use Houghton Mifflin, I'd appreciate it if you send them my way. They can check out my previews below. Trust me, they won't be sorry. :)

















So, I may now join the real world again. I plan on creating the rest of the themes for our curriculum...sometime in the near future. Just not right now. I need to sleep, eat, and talk to live people. I'm serious, I was a freak trying to get this done. LOL.

Anyways, that is what I've been up to these past few weeks. You?

Blessings,