The First 6 weeks.

If you are not a teacher you probably don't realize this, but classes have personalities. Obviously individual 8th graders have personalities, but each period I teach has its own distinct personality, as well as the 8th grade class as whole (all 300+ of them). The first 2 weeks back to school is the "honeymoon period." Everybody is happy to be back, and excited to see each other, and every student is going to make it the best year ever.

Then reality kicks in. And everyone is back into the reality of school.

This is week 6 of the school year, and the end of the grading period. I can honestly say I am loving this school year. After my mom died last year at the beginning of the year, I just felt like I was just trying to catch up. Then things were always just a bit off. The year before the 8th grade class was kind of stinkers, and the year before that, both my uncle and my grandma passed away. This year, I haven't had any personal tragedies, and as a whole, this 8th grade class is super fun. Each of my 4 8th grade health classes has really strong leaders, and they are leading the students in a good way. We are having some pretty intelligent discussions, and they all pretty much understand the when it's okay to be funny/goofy and when they need to buckle down and get after it.

My leadership class is also a ton of fun. I am super lucky to be able to start my morning with a group of hand picked awesome kids. Yes, there is tons of extra work with being an activities director but I think it is worth it to hand pick a class and not have official standards to teach :)

My leadership class had a mini reflection assignment around the Fable of the Porcupine. I showed them pictures of baby porcupines because they are the cutest things ever.

Trust me, every minute of every day isn't sunshine and unicorns, I teach middle school after all, but overall things are going fantastic so far!

Other reasons why this year is going so well:
*I have a student teacher. He is really good too. Unfortunately in middle school, half the battle is if the kids like you, and let me tell you... they think he is the bees knees :) He also is pretty good in front of the class as well. He has been teaching 1-2 periods a day since the second day of school.

* Did you just see that last one? My student teacher is doing about 1/2 of my job :)

*Craig's "new" job. Last spring he left his job at the paper (where he was working 50-60 hours a week) and took a part time job with the state of Oregon. He is home around 3ish every day, and has Fridays off. I love seeing him more often and he is way less stressed out. All of that makes a much happier home life.

*I am taking care of me. This is huge! I am at the gym 4-5 times a week, I am watching what I am eating, and when I was sick, I stayed home. I need to be healthy & happy in order to be my best in the classroom.

How is everything going with you?

Year End Review: My Favorite Posts of the Year

Dear 2012,
You were not my favorite. But, I do have some highlights. These are my favorite posts from this past year:

January

My 30 Before 30 Wrap Up

I like this one because it gave a nice over view of what I accomplished. However, looking back at it there are a ton of things I still haven't done. (Like all of them that are not crossed out.)

February

Ghosts of Valentines Past

The one where I recap all of the awesome Valentine's Days I have had.
(Yes, that's my bathroom ceiling circa 2007)

March

I was quite the DIYer in March. I can't pick my favorite...

Throw Pillows

Conquering Spray Paint

Reupholstering a settee

April

The Doppleganger Post

I also found the Mister's doppleganger. Spoiler alert: its Naomi Campbell

May 

A Letter to the Class of 2016

Any post that Tupac makes an appearance in needs to be on a best of list.

June
In June I recapped our wedding and called it Wedding Week. I love looking back at those posts. My favorite? The one looking at our ceremony.


July
My Oregon Bucket List


August
My Vacation Recap

I'll be honest, I don't love reading about other people's vacations. Mostly I just scroll down and look at the pictures. I don't feel bad if you do that to this post.

September
My Classroom Tour

September was a rough month for me, but I really do like this post about my classroom. Mostly because it has truly never been this clean since!

October
The Mister got his own post!

November
This was a tough one. I actually really like a couple of my posts. So... My top 2 from November
What Would You Do? Parent Teacher Conference Edition
I took a look at my 90's crushes and what they look like today

And honorable mention goes to my love of Bernadette's style

December

Well, I really like this post. It was fun to go back through the year and look at what I was doing and what I wrote. But, besides for this post:

We Reached

This was probably the biggest thing I have ever coordinated in my career. I am so proud of my students and what they were able to do.

What are your favorite posts of 2012? I'd love to check them out!

 

What's the 411

 Sometimes I get caught up reading about all of these great ladies in the blog world, but I end up not really knowing the people behind the blogs. So this fun little link-up has us answering some of the questions, that most people in real life probably know about us. 





1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed?
I started this little blog about 10 months ago. I had been reading blogs for quite awhile and decided to give it a go. I really enjoy having a place to write about our daily stuff, as well as the fun projects  and yummy recipes I try. It's been fun getting to know other bloggers and being apart of this community.
2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study?
I did both my undergrad and graduate programs at Western Oregon University. My BA is in Health and PE Education, and my Masters is in Health Education.

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3. Where have you traveled?

1. In 2004, I spent 2 weeks visiting my BFF in Guatemala when she was in the Peace Corps. 2. Then in 2006, I flew to Germany during the World Cup. (I also went to Amsterdam and Belgium while I was over there) 3. The Mister's family brought his family to Disney World about a year after we started dating. It was such a fun family vacation. 4. Last summer (and in less than a month!) we were in Kauai. 

I spent a summer in Maine as a camp counselor. The Mister and I have also been to California a few times since we have been together.

 4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?
The Mister and I have played the lottery exactly one time. That was when the jackpot was something like $650 billion. We talked a lot about what we would do. Our main answers: pay off the house/my school loans, donate a ton to my school, take my mom on a vacation, take ourselves on a fancy vacation, quit our jobs, give our house to a family we know and then buy a better house in a better fancier place. Then we didn't even match one number on our lottery ticket and we pouted.
5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?
People smoking around me, people texting when we are hanging out, and bad drivers (you know, other than me)
6. What is your favorite movie?
The Mister makes fun of my movie choices all the time. Apparently I really like only "semi-good" movies. Some of my top choices are:

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7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea?
I am NOT a wine drinker, but I really enjoy craft beers. I like going beer tasting the way some people go wine tasting. I also really like cold water and Diet Coke, with lime.
8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?
Sewing, cooking, reading. I must be 83.
9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?
um, Target. Is this a real question?

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10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present.
I try not to let too many things bother me now, I mean I teach middle school. The most recent thing was during my first year teaching at my current school. The band was selling these long beef jerky sticks and an 8th grade boy had one through his belt loop. I remember yelling out in class, "Tobias, get the beef stick out of your pants." So much laughing. From everyone.
11. What day would you love to relive again?
Our wedding. Any day in Kauai.
12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you?
My life is pretty mundane, so it would be a pretty boring movie. But obviously Reese Witherspoon would play me.

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Or if we were going by my dopplegangers, it would be Nick Nolte. :(

13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?
My first job was selling fancy kids clothes at the mall. Then I moved on to work at Spencer Gifts for two years. Before college I was a waitress at a Mongolian Buffet (which I loved.) During college I was an RA and then I worked at Target for a couple years before I started teaching.
14. Show us a picture from high school or college.
 I would love to, but I honestly don't have any digital pictures from back in the day. I should actually scan some so that I have a copy in case something terrible happens (like a fire or flood or Zombies) Here is one of the oldest I have. Its from Guatemala, which is 8 years ago.

I'm making tortillas.

15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?
I'd love to go to Spain. Or Paris. Or take out a globe, spin it and point. That sounds like a good place.
16. Show us the most current picture of you or you and your family.

Us at the beach a couple weeks ago.

17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now?
Happy. With a little or two. (Depending on how the first one goes...) Teaching. Maybe in a different school? Living somewhere in the valley. Maybe here? Maybe in a bigger house? 


So, what do I need to know about you? 

30 before 30- How did I do?

I turned 30 on Christmas day, so I guess my time limit is up for finishing my 30 before 30 list. Not to give away the ending or anything, but if this was a class assignment, I would probably get an F. Actually, I would give  "redo" since I don't really give F's in my classes. When I wrote my list, I didn't really put a lot of thought into it. Add that to the fact I gave myself a little over 4 months to get it all done, I sort of set myself up for that grade. Anywho... here we go:

1. Vegas with my hubby! I still owe you all a post on this trip. So fun!

2. Finish another 1/2 Marathon Holiday Half December 11, 2011
3. Sew something that I am not embarrassed of- I never got around to posting about this, and now it seems a little weird to, but I made some Christmas pillows for our couch. They turned out cute though. Trust me on this
4. Reupholster something   Love my office chair!
5. Create a gallery wall- fail
6. Frame & display wedding pictures- fail. ( I almost tried to say I did it, because I printed and framed a couple pictures for my mother in law for Christmas.)
7. Lose some weight.- I think this is a fail. I haven't been on the scale in a while. But, I have decided I should figure out another way to measure a health goal. A friend of mine set a goal for hours working out for 2012, last year her goal was to finish 500 miles. These are great ways to measure this type of goal, without being a slave to the scale.
8. Go vegan for a week- Check
9. Cook a new recipe once a week- I did pretty good at this and it was fun
10. Let people know about this little blog and get some followers
11. Continue blogging 4-7 posts a week- Again I did pretty good, until this last couple of weeks.
12. Clean out the spare room (formally wedding room, now disaster room) Check It has now began to morph into a craft/sewing room
13. Paint the hall and bedroom- fail
14. Get a make-over and buy some of those products- fail
15. Send Christmas cards- Woop woop! This was my first year ever sending Christmas cards. I really wish I would have done it last year for our first married Christmas.
16. No fast food for a month Check
17. Take a necklace I inherited from my gramma in to have some links added- fail. I was really mad at myself for this because I wanted to wear it in Vegas.
18. Do something from my pinterest boards- done like 9 times over
19. Get a massage- so I bought a Groupon. Does that count?
20. Do a version of Stephanie O'Dea's Daily 7- nope
21. Meal plan for three weeks straight and follow the plan! Much to the Mister's dismay, I heart meal planning.
22. Go see a movie by myself- I really meant to. I went to the Blockbuster kiosk and rented a couple movies to watch by myself.
23. Have my eyes checked. - Again, I should get this done
24. Get a new work ID (with my married name)- I filled out the paperwork, I even went into the office for it, but I never sent it in. Fail
25. Take a cooking class- This one I actually have a good reason for: there was never a class I wanted to take. I still really want to do this, and am still looking up the classes.
26. Send birthday cards in the mail, even to people I see regularly: I did okay at this. I give myself 75% credit.
27. Stay a week ahead at work: yes I did.
28. Floss: Funniest quote from our Vegas getaway: "You can't take a vacation from flossing." As the mister throws a package of floss at me in our hotel.
29. Put 10% in savings from each paycheck- yup
30. Roast a whole chicken- nope.

So there you have it. I'm working on a new set of goals right now for 2012. Many of my uncompleted goals are going on that new list.

How do you keep yourself accountable for goals?

#8 Go Vegan For a Week- A Recap

I am done with my week of eating vegan, so I thought I would share some of my thoughts on my little challenge.

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First off, I am no expert. I did this for a week. That is nothing. If I were going to continue this, I would do a lot more research.

1. There are tons of really yummy looking vegan recipes/blogs out there. Hungry Hungry Hippie, Vegan Stoner, and Oh, She Glows were three that I will turn to again for more recipes.
2. I felt like I was eating a lot and not really getting full. I probably wasn't getting enough protein.
3. I really didn't like eating different meals than the Mister. He would try my vegan food, and then make something for himself. I have always thought of dinner time as family time, and even though we don't have any littles right now, I don't want to be in a habit of everyone eating different things.
4. It kind of put a small damper on social stuff. Food is social. Going out to dinner/coffee/happy hour is a social thing. I turned down a couple of social invites because I was unsure about what I would/could eat. I did end up going out twice in the week, and had to think really hard about what I would get before I went into the restaurant. Again, I only did this for a week. If this was a full life style change, this would get easier.
5. I became really aware about what I was eating. I was surprised about all of the milk in foods.
6. It completely cut down on my snacking, which is a good thing. AND the snacks I did end up eating were mostly fruits and veggies.
7. For the most part, this is a really healthy lifestyle, but there are a couple things that have a hard time grasping. The first is that honey in my tea is a no go, but technically I can have all the high fructose corn syrup and Diet Coke I want. That seems weird. It also is weird that Oreos are vegan-- sort of. Google it and you decide.

Probably one of the most asked questions I get from my friends/co-workers is will I continue? Well, no. But, I will continue making some of the vegan recipes that I had this week, and I will also try more recipes from the blogs.

Have you ever tried a diet or big change in your eating habits? Do you have different eating habits than your hubby/significant other? How does that work in your household?

1 Year Since I Do...

We got married in June 2010. It has been a year filled with ups and downs. Like really low downs. Those had nothing to do with the Mister or being married by the way. Looking back, it wasn't a great year. I wish I could say it was it was all unicorns and glitter but I can't. This will also be pretty one-sided. I am the one who is blogging.

June 2010: We became Mister and Mrs. on the 26th. On the 29th I was back in classes working on my grad program. The Mister was back at work.

July- I was still in class, the Mister was still at work. I was also training for my first (and only!) marathon. Yup. That was July 2010.

August- We finally go on our honeymoon! Yeah! We spent a week in San Diego with a quick trip up to Disney. Lots of time at the beach :) We also learned some lessons about travel and how we like to do it (or me specifically)  At the end of August it was time for cheerleading and work to start for me.

September- I ran the Women's Half Marathon in Eugene with Kimberly. Fun, but we didn't get medals. Boo. School starts. This year I am on a cart after 3 years of having my own classroom. This is a hard transition for me. The school year ended on a sour note, and coming back the morale is low in the building. Boo.

October- I completed my first (and only!) marathon, the Portland Marathon on 10-10-10. It was a rush of emotions. I didn't get the time I wanted, but it was by far the hardest thing I have ever done. 6 hours in the rain and cold is no fun. Actually I liked the first 13 miles, second half I could do with out. On the way up to Portland I received a message the my uncle was in the hospital and had been diagnosed with the same cancer my dad had. I decided I would call the day after the race. Then I get a call the day of the race that he had passed away. Shocking. Heartbroken. I am happy he was able to come down to the wedding, but guilty I didn't spend more time with him. My mom and I fly down to Southern California for the memorial service.

November- I decide to quit coaching cheerleading. This has not been a fun year, many of my girls are brats and their parents are even worse. Then I decide I will finish out the year. Then I get fired from it. Boo. We spend Thanksgiving with the Coleman's, which was, as usual, delightful.

December- Our first married Christmas! We decorate, buy presents etc. We spend Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas morning by ourselves. Then we drive over to the Mister's parents and then uncles place for two more celebrations, including BINGO and a cake walk.

January- After months of yuckiness at work, the state releases the budget for the next school year. This is not good. Now we all are waiting to hear if we have a job or not, and where it might be.

February- I have a minor surgery on my wrist that was a pretty rough recovery. Our first married Valentine's day is laid back. I am still recovering from surgery.

March- I can't think of much that happened here. Lucy is really good about writing things down on a calendar so she knows everything that has happened and when it did. I should be better at that. I do know that during spring break-ish time the Mister and I went to the coast during a huge wind storm. Much needed fun.

April- Last term of grad school starts!!! Yippie! One class is a doozie, but I knew that going into it. The other class is the final in a series of three classes that is my ending project. I am just about finished with that project so I'm not too worried about it.

May- Time to worry. My project is returned to me with MAJOR revisions. Pretty much I am asked to rewrite a huge chunk of it. This is not what I had in mind. More bad news. My Grandma dies. This is rough, but not completely unexpected. She was 91, and had fallen in early spring. The Mister and I fly down to Southern California for the memorial over Mother's Day weekend. This was much harder then I had expected. It had been 10 years since I had been in her house, and not much had changed, but everything is different.

June- My project is completed and approved so I get to graduate! You may now call me "Master." Things are looking good for me on the job front, although there has been major shakeups in the building. It is a tough way to end the year, but I am thankful for my job. I even found out that I am off the cart next year and get a room, albeit in the portables outside. The Mister and I decide to take Gus Dog to Newport with us to celebrate our first anniversary.

The rest of the summer- In July, The Mister and I go to Kauai, which was Uh.Maze.Ing. When we get back I decide to get my booty into gear and do some painting in our house to FINALLY cover up some of the stencils we moved into (2 1/2 years ago). So far year 2 is good :)