Goodbye Kindergarten, Goodbye 2nd Grade...Hello Summer + A Winner!

We had our last day of school on Thursday!
 Every year on the first day of school & last day of school, I take a photo of the girls.
It is so fun to see how they change during the school year.

Claire first day & last day of  Kindergarten:

 Claire grew so much in Kindergarten! 

She learned to read this year & made new friends.

Her teacher described her as a sensitive soul & friend to all.

I can't believe she will be a 1st grader this Fall. She is excited about being a big kid & getting to have the same recess & lunch as her sister next year!

 Kate on the 1st & last day of 2nd Grade:

Kate looks SO much older than she did just 9 months ago.
2nd grade was an amazing year for Kate.
She had the same teacher as she did in Kindergarten & we LOVE her.
This year has been magical for Kate.
2 of her best friends were in her class and Kate's love of reading exploded 10 fold.
The night before the last day of school, there were a lot of tears at bedtime tonight from my sweet Kate.
She was crying because it was going to be the last day of school.
Quote from Kate "I wish I had a time machine so I could travel back in time to the first day of 2nd grade and do the whole year all over again. I'm going to miss my class and teacher so much. I don't want it to be over"
I saw this and thought it was so true:

I also get emotional the last few days of school.
I always get a little teary thinking about how much my kids have learned and how much they have grown (physically, academically & socially)
I feel so fortunate to live in a town that has such a great school district and that my kids love school so much they cry at the end of the school year.

I was also sad to see my group of students off.
This year was a GREAT group of 7th graders.
After 11 years of teaching, it was one of my best groups yet.
I wasn't even counting down the days until summer because it really was a nice group.

But, now that it's summer, those students are a distant memory ;)

I love having summer off to spend each day with my 3 crazy kids.
We have some fun things planned for this summer, can't wait to share them with you!

******************
The winner of the $100 Visa Gift Card is:
Julie

Leave me a comment or email me to claim your prize!

Happy Summer!!!!!

Back to School Resolutions {2014}

I haven't posted my Back to School Resolutions in a few years, so I thought I would post some of my Back to School Resolutions to help keep myself accountable!

School started exactly 1 month ago, and it has been a crazy busy month!
 

I think setting some goals/resolutions will help me be a better mom, wife & teacher this school year!

The beginning of the School year always feels like a fresh start, so now is a great time to set some goals! 

Here is what I have:

1.  Be in bed at 10:30 each night. I was going to say 10:00 but I am being realistic, it usually closer to 11:00 than 10:00. I have gotten much better. In years past, I was rarely in bed by midnight on school nights.

The next few resolutions #2 through #7 are taken from my "Not So Manic Monday" post {HERE}

2. Lay out my outfit & jewelry each night so that the mornings aren't so rushed.

3. Make & pack my lunch the night before (on days that I eat lunch at school)

4. Make coffee at night & use the automatic timer in the morning (Kevin always does this, thank you Kevin!)

5. Meal plan on Sundays so that I have our dinners figured out for the week.

6. Lay out the kids clothes/backpacks/lunches each night before bed.

7. On Sundays, I want to finish laundry & house cleaning for the week so that I start the week with a clean house.

I do pretty well with 2 through 7 during the first part of the week, but as the week goes on, sometimes things get CRAZY and by Thursday things feel chaotic & disorganized. I am
As a working mom with 3 kids, I need to keep myself organized so that our home can run as smoothly as possible, but trust me, things get crazy at times! 

My back to School Resolution for 2 through 7 is to keep this up during the whole entire week, not just the first part of the week!

8.  Shower at night so that mornings aren't so rushed. 

I don't know what it is about our house, but mornings are just nuts! If I shower at night right before bed then it somehow makes the morning go more smoothly.

I am NOT a morning person. At all. Waking up before 7am is painful for me. I am a night owl. No matter how early I go to bed, I just can't wake up early. Nor do I want to! Ha! Hats off to you early risers. I am not one of them. I would rather stay up until 1 or 2 am getting things done than wake up early. 

9.  Leave for school by 7:45 am  

(I only live 1 minute from my school and school starts at 8:15, so I want to be better about leaving earlier so I have time in the morning to chill/check school emails in my classroom before students arrive)

10. Make sure I am eating properly.

I don't know what it is with the first month or so of school, but I always forget to eat breakfast. I keep boxes of Luna bars in my desk at school, but I get so busy that I forget to eat them until 10 or 11. Then I get so busy picking up Claire at noon and Luke after that, then we get home around 1 and I put him down for a nap & get Claire her snack and the next thing I know it's almost 2 and I haven't had lunch yet. I need to get better at eating breakfast earlier and having healthy snacks accesible so that even if I don't have lunch until later I am not starving & hangry! Anybody else this way?!?

11. Stay on top of my grading.

Again, I do well with this the first month or so of school and then it starts to pile up. I have a rule that I won't bring any grading home. I like to keep my school stuff at school so that when I am home I can be present with my kids & help them with their homework, etc. That is the balance of working part time. I only teach in the morning because I want that time with my kids in the afternoon, so I want to be able to keep all school stuff at school. But this year, now that Claire is done at 12:15, I don't have as much time at school to prep & grade since I have to pick her up on most days. This first month of school I have been working like a crazy lady while I am at school trying to get things graded & prepped for the next day before I leave.

12. Get my email (school and personal) under control.

My email is a disaster. I won't even tell you how many emails I have in my inbox. I just can't keep up with email. I will do well with it & then I get behind on it. Ahhhhh!!! I am good with my school email because I have a rule that I will email parents/students back within 12-24 hours, but my personal email needs some serious help. Anyone have tips for staying on top of email?

13. Have a homework system in place for the girls.

Both girls have homework this year. They are so tired when they get home from school, but at the same time, they still need to get their homework done & not save it until the evening.

I am thinking that I will have Claire do hers while Luke is napping (and while Kate is still at school) and then after we pick up Kate at 3, we will have a snack and then I will make her start her homework. I just need to figure out how to keep Claire & Luke occupied & out of her way so they don't distract her. Tips anyone?!?

14. Help out in Claire's class or go on a field trip.

Last year I was able volunteer in Kate's class 2 times each month with math tiles because it was in the afternoon and Claire was in afternoon TK last year and my sister watched Luke while I helped out in Kate's classroom. This year, I am also able to help in Kate's classroom 2 times a month with math tiles because it's in the afternoon and my mother in law is able to watch Claire & Luke. But, I feel bad for Claire because she is in morning Kindergarten and goes the same hours that I teach. Therefore, I am not able to help out in her class this year. She REALLY wants me to help out and she knows that I help out in Kate's class, so I am trying to figure out what to do about this since she feels left out. The girls LOVE it when I help out & I think is it so fun.  I am planning on taking a day off this year to go on one of her field trips and maybe I need to take a day off to help out in her class as well.  #workingmomproblems

15. Enjoy the School Year.

I always start out the year with a pretty good attitude .But, as the school year goes on, I get tired and the kids get tired. By the Spring, I am counting DOWN for Summer. I want to try and keep my positive attitude for the whole year. I do enjoy teaching and I do feel I am called to teach, but sometimes, it is hard. Really hard. Dealing with 130 middle schoolers each day isn't the easiest job there is...and on top of that, I am teaching them math....which everybody loves....hahaha! I am naturally a positive person, so I want to keep that up even when things get rough!

 Anyone else have Back to School Resolutions?

I would also love to hear YOUR tips about staying organized during the School year!

Hello, Kindergarten! Hello, 2nd Grade!

I am in serious denial that Summer is over and that School has started.

I am pretty sure that was the fastest Summer of my life.

It is always bittersweet when Summer ends.

On one hand, I am so sad that our lazy days of sleeping in, lounging around in our pj's, swimming, no schedule & staying up late are over.

But on the other hand, I do crave routine and structure, so part of me is like, "Bring it on School Year!" 

Plus, I love the beginning of school anticipation.....finding out your teacher, shopping for new school supplies & outfits and getting back into a nice routine. 

The end of summer also means that FALL is almost here!!!!! My favorite time of year!!!!

Speaking of anticipation about finding out teachers, I was SO anxious about finding out who my girls teachers were going to be.

I found out at the end of last school year that the teacher who Kate had for Kindergarten 2 years ago was going to be teaching 2nd grade this year. Kate absolutely ADORED her in Kindergarten and we loved her! As soon as I heard she was going to be a 2nd grade teacher I immediately started praying that is who Kate would get this year. I didn't know anything about the other 2nd grade teachers, but I knew we wanted Mrs. W again! 

We didn't find out teachers until last Friday, so all Friday morning I was at meetings at my school and I was counting down the minutes until the Elementary School posted the teachers.

I may or may not have screamed with excitement when I saw that Kate got Mrs. W again.

I also may or may not have gotten a little teary eyed because I was so happy & relived!

Then I checked Claire's teacher and it wasn't the one that she was hoping to get, so I knew she was going to be dissapointed.

Sure enough when I got home and told the girls who their teachers were, Kate was screaming, jumping on the couch and just so excited.

Claire on the other hand was pretty bummed out. She had tears of sadness and it made it worse that Kate was so excited. Ack. So hard. I gave Claire a little pep talk and told her 2 of her best buddies were in her class and that made her cheer up a bit.

Monday morning rolled around and both girls were so excited about the 1st Day of School.

 Kate was just beyond excited. She also has 2 of her best friends in her class and she told me that this was going to be the best school year EVER! I can't believe she is going to be in 2nd grade. That is total big kid status...and a long day at school...8:30 until 3:00! Her class has 18 boys and 7 girls (last year it had 17 boys and 7 girls) I have a feeling they put Kate in the boy heavy classes because she is a really good listener and can stay on task. Her teacher is a Saint for having to deal with all those boys!

And, did you notice?!?!?!
KATE IS WEARING JEANS!!!!
This is life changing. Seriously.
Both my girls have refused to wear jeans for the past 3 years.
They have said they aren't comfortable & they will only wear "soft" pants like leggings.
This meant they would only wear skirts, dresses & leggings.
It made buying clothes for them so hard.
But, when we went Back to School shopping,  Kate wanted to try on these crop jeans, and she loved them.  We got these ones. We bought her white, light denim and dark denim.
Claire also decided that she wanted some. So I bought her 3 pair also!
I can't tell you how happy this makes me!
 #it'sthelittlethings

And, here is Claire Bear....our Kindergartner.

 It's so crazy to me that I was SOOOOO emotional about Kate going to Kindergarten.

I remember crying the night before she started Kinder and crying that morning

Of course, I was only 2 weeks post partum when Kate went to Kindergarten, so my emotions were on overload.

With Claire going to Kindergarten, it has felt totally different.

I think that is because she was in Transitional Kindergarten last year....at the same school and they did a lot of the same things that Kindergarten did. 

So this year, it doesn't feel like such a big deal...she is at the same school for the same amount of time.

Also, I think it isn't as emotional when it isn't your first kid you are sending off to Kinder.

I was so scared with Kate, but now I know that Kinder isn't a scary thing. 

It is an awesome thing.

The school is amazing and so are the teachers.

I didn't even give it a 2nd thought that Claire was going to Kindergarten.

At our school, the parents stay for the first hour on the first day. Since I also had my first day of school, Kevin went with Claire. I had a little "working mom" guilt that I was missing it, but Claire is such a Daddy's Girl that I knew she would rather have him there.

I didn't think Claire would be nervous at all for Kindergarten.

Let's just say I was WRONG.

She had tears on the first day when the parents had to leave.

She had some tears yesterday as well.

It puts a pit in my stomach that she isn't so thrilled about school.

She didn't have tears today, so I am praying that continues.

I was not anticipating this from her AT ALL. 

#momfail

Despite the tears, I still hope & pray it will be a great school year for both my girls!

First Day of School + Back to School Feast 2013

Last week we all went back to school.

I am not going to lie, the past week has kicked my butt.

New schedule at school, new Common Core curriculum, a modified block schedule & different pick up times for the girls.

Lots of planning, lots of driving around. Phew!

But, I am taking each day one day at a time!

Kate really wanted these cat shoes. I gave in. They gave her blisters. Lovely.

She was so excited about getting a real backpack.


Kevin had the great idea to take MY picture of the 1st day of school.
Why do the kids get all the 1st day photos? ;)

My dress // My shoes

This year marks my 10th year of teaching!!!! Can't believe it's been that long!

Both girls got really awesome teachers. I am thrilled. They are loving school so far.

We are a week into school and so far, so good.
Both girls love going to school and look forward to it each day.

 Ever since Kate started preschool, we have done a Back to School Feast to kick off the school year.
This is one of my favorite traditions!
Back to School Feast {2010}
Back to School Feast {2011}
Back to School Feast {2012}

We pick a theme for the year for the kids to focus on.

This year, our theme is:
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

The girls each wear crowns during dinner.

 This year, I used these felt crowns that the girls got from their friend Maddie's party a few years ago.

I found this adorable printable {here} that I downloaded for free.

The girls love Breakfast for Dinner, so I served foods that had FRUIT in them to go along with our theme.

The table outside:

Place settings were apples with our names stamped on library cards:

ABC flashcards as "bunting"

The food. YUM. So good.

Dessert was Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins for the kids:

I made Mixed Berry Cobblers in mason jars for Kevin & I:

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. YUM.

Our Back to School Feast is one of my favorite traditions.
My hope & prayer for my girls this school year is that they do have the Fruit of the Spirit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control"  Galatians 5:22-23
I pray that they show love to fellow classmates.
I pray they show up each day to school with joy, ready to learn.
I pray they have patience with homework.
I pray they show kindness & goodness to their classmates & teachers.
I pray they show gentleness to kids who are mean to them.
 I pray they have self-control in class and stay on task and not be distracted.

Actually my hope is that I also have the Fruit of the Spirit this school year....with my students, with my students parents, with my co-workers, with my kiddos and with husband.
There is a reason I teach in the public school system, I know I am here for a reason and I pray I can be the fruit of the Spirit to those around me.

Happy Back to School, Friends!
Hope your new school year is going smoothly!

Back 2 School with Kohls + A Winner!

Like I mentioned in this giveaway post, I am working with Kohl's on their #KohlsBack2School promotion.

Disclaimer: I received a Kohl’s gift card for myself and one to give away in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own. No other compensation was received.

Kohl's sent me a fun gift box with a gift card, a pizza cutter (we have Pizza Friday every week, perfect!) a coffee mug, a candle & a garlic chopper! Thank you Kohls! Your gifts were perfect!

Before I announce the winner of the $50 Kohl's Giftcard, I thought I would show you some of what I got with at Kohl's with the giftcard they sent me.

Let's start with the girls!

I got Kate these converse. Kohls was one of the only places that had purple converse. Kate has been asking for years! So glad we finally found some!

 This skirt:

This skirt:

 

And, This top:

 Here are some things I got for Claire:

This skirt:

 

This outfit:

What I love about all the skirts I got the girls is that they are "scooters" which means they have built in shorts underneath. My girls wear skirts/scooters almost everyday! The jumping bean ones hold up so well. 

 I also got 4 pairs of  these leggings in different colors that the girls can share (they wear the same size leggings) and my girls refuse to wear jeans in the winter, so we just add leggings to their skirts/dresses.

Here is what I got for myself:

I am really into pencil skirts right now, so I got this skirt in both the light gray & charcoal gray:

This LC shirt:

This LC Tank:

  Thanks, Kohls for having me be a part of #KohlsBack2School Campaign!

Kohl’s has great styles, great prices, and great quality. I love that you can get anything there...clothes, shoes, home items, luggage & more!
If you are getting ready to go back to school shopping for the kids, make sure to check out Kohl’s!

And if you are as big of a fan as I am, you can follow Kohl’s on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They are a huge company, but they do interact so let Kohl’s know what you love about them!

 

Congrats to Britni, the winner of the $50 Kohl's Giftcard!

 Leave a comment with  your email so I can get you your gift card.

 Kohls is so awesome that they wanted to give you a discount code!

Use this code at Kohls.com for 10% off your purchase:

BTSMOMTEN 

This code CAN be combined with other department specific codes, but not other site-wide codes! 

Hooray for Back to School Shopping!

 (And, if you shop at Kohl's now until September 2nd, you will get $10 in Kohls Cash for every $50 you spend!)

Are your kids Back to School yet?

This is our fist week back and it is kicking my booty!

I.AM.SO.TIRED.

It's been a great week! 

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The September Pin-Spired Linky is actually going to go up tomorrow (since the 1st falls over Labor Day Weekend, we thought we would post it Friday instead!) 

Link up your Pinterest Inspired Outfits with me, Sheaffer & Shay

Hope you will join us!

Twas the Night Before the 1st Day of School

Twas the Night Before the 1st Day of School and all through the house,

not a creature was stirring (expect for me).

But, I'm too anxious, nervous, excited and tired to rhyme or write a poem.

 I'm a Math Teacher. I don't write poetry.

Sorry ;)

In less than 8 hours we have a our 1st day of School.

And, I can't sleep.

I have the 1st Day of School Jitters/Excitement.

10 years into this teaching gig and they don't go away.

 In fact, I was that kid that never slept the night before the First Day of School because I was just too excited.  That is because I think it’s some kind of holiday!  Like Christmas, you have all new things to play with; new supplies to work with, new folders and binders to organize, new books to read, new shoes, new clothes, new teachers, new classmates, new stuff to learn!  Yes, I was that student (and now I am that teacher) It is one of the reasons I became a teacher; I LOVE SCHOOL.

And, I am on both sides of the spectrum this year.

I have 1st day jitters for myself and also have them for my girls.

Will my students like me? Will they respond to my classroom management?

Will my girls listen to their teachers? Will they make new friends?

So much excitement & anticipation.

The girls have picked out their "1st Day of School Outfits"

They are hanging in their rooms (just like I used to do as a kid)

 Who am I kidding? I still do this with my clothes.

 My outfit is picked out & hanging up as well.

Lunches are packed.

 Coffee is made & on automatic timer for the morning.

My alarm is set.

My back up alarm is set.

My back up back up alarm is set.

(Totally paranoid. I have had way too many showing up for school nightmares)

 We met the girls' teachers this afternoon and I could not be more thrilled with them.

They are both awesome. I am feeling great about this school year for them.

My classroom is ready-ish. 

Can you ever really be ready for 135 7th graders? Ha!

 I have spent almost everyday the past 10 days at school either setting up my room or going to meetings.

I have a fun new First Day of School Activity that I am looking forward to doing with my classes.

I've never done a 1st Day activity like this, hoping it goes well!

I have some really fun ideas planned for my classes this year.

 My brain is on A-D-D overload. 

I can't stop thinking about things to do with my classes. My brain won't turn off.

It is going to be a big year of change at my school.

We are switching to a modified block schedule.

We created an Advisory period for every student & teacher.

We are implementing the new Common Core Standards, so almost everything we have done in years past is getting re-vamped. 

I don't do so well with change, but I am actually really, really excited about some of these changes.

Especially the change in my schedule. I dropped a class and I am teaching 1 less class than I have in years past.

I am excited to be done earlier in the day and be around more for my kids.

I will be able to pick up both girls from school each day...something I haven't ever been able to do.

It's going to be a good year.

I enter my 10th year of teaching tomorrow.

(Didn't I just graduate college? Where does time go?) 

To all my teacher friends....Good Luck!

To all my friends dropping off their kids at school....Your kids will be taken care of!

2013-2014 School Year....Bring it On!

All I Need to Know In Life I learned in Kindergarten

What a crazy last few days.....school ended, I hosted the End of School breakfast at my house on Friday for the 65 teachers at my school, we went out of town for a wedding (more on that later) and celebrated Father's Day! PHEW!

I am so happy the school year is FINALLY over.
I didn't know if I would survive.

I really can't believe Kate is done with Kindergarten. 

I remember the first day SO clearly.

I had just give birth to Luke 2 weeks before school started & I was a ball of emotion.

10 months later, on the last day of school, I was still a ball of emotion. 

I am so proud of my girl. 

What a huge year this was for Kate.

She learned to read. 

She made new friends.

She listened to her teacher.
She started speech once a week.
She met or exceeded all the Kindergarten standards.
She lost her first tooth (at school)
She completed her year of Kindergarten with grace & dignity.

With her awesome teacher the last day of school.

I was so nervous those first few weeks of school.
She didn't know anyone in her class.
Her friends were in the other Kinder class.
The 3rd week of school, she would come home from school & her snack was still in her lunch bag (Kindergarten doesn't eat lunch at school, just a snack)
For a week straight, each day, her snack was there, untouched. 
I asked her about it & she said she "wasn't hungry"
I had been giving her one of her favorite treats...a chocolate pudding cup.
I was so confused on why she wasn't eating it.
Finally, after a week of this, she finally told me that a boy in her class had put "bricks on her heart"
I asked why & she said because the week before when she ate her pudding cup, she had some chocolate on her lip and a boy in her class said to her,
"I am not going to be friends with you because you are messy & have chocolate on your face."
That's why she hadn't been eating her snack.
My heart sank.
I told her that what that boy said to her was not kind and that is why it's so important to chose our words wisely so that we don't put bricks on people's hearts.
Later that night I cried as I thought about my sweet Kate.
I realized at that moment she learned a life lesson in kindergarten......that people can be a$$holes.  Really, it's true. All you really need to know in life can be learned in Kindergarten, or rather from a pudding cup.

Everyday I say to my girls, "It's nice to be nice"
My hope & prayer for them in school is not that they get straight A's, but that they are nice people.
Good grades can only take you so far in life.
But being a nice person to those around you, showing them Christ's love and treating others how you want to be treated?
 That will take you FAR.

 Her teacher gave out awards to each student on the last day of school.

 Kate was awarded "Ms. Friendly" and her teacher said that Kate showed up each day of school with a loving glow surrounding her.

I was so proud when Kate got Ms. Friendly from her Kindergarten teacher.

She persevered & over came someone being unkind to her and made sure she was still a friend to all...each day she showed up at school.

The last day of school, I got to spend the last hour at school with Kate while they had their awards presentation & a slideshow of the year. Myself (and most of the moms) just stood in the back of the classroom with tears streaming down our faces. I couldn't stop crying. 

It was such a special & incredible year. 

Kate's teacher was amazing & it was a good group of kiddos.

I will remember this year of school forever. 

It was truly Awe-some.

Goodbye School Year....HELLO SUMMER!!!!