Guilt

The five letter word that has haunted me so much lately.

Mom guilt. 

Wife guilt. 

Teacher guilt. 

I've basically had some sort of form of guilt from the moment we came home with Hadley. I couldn't carry her, barely take care of her or myself for a few weeks from complications I had after her delivery. Thank goodness for my husband! Then I went back to work and the guilt hit me even harder. I feel terrible that I don't get to spend my days with my beautiful daughter (but I'm very thankful she's in wonderful care). I feel sad knowing I spend the day with other children and I can't my own. I feel frustrated because I know I'm not give my 100% at work or at home. 

My family has always been my top priority but work came shortly behind. Before having children, J and I had each other, grad school (for a few years), and work to attend to on a daily basis. I would stay at school until 5:00 or later each evening and go in every Sunday. I could plan ahead and have exciting lessons. I knew what I wanted to do and would be able to act quickly on my feet if I needed to change something. Now I leave work at 3:45 (the latest). I'm always behind. I bring things home but sometimes it doesn't get touched for a week. I try to go in on the weekends but it is so much harder. I'm lucky to know what I'm doing for the day, let alone the entire week. I'm not the teacher I used to be and that is okay. But it still leaves me feeling guilty.

It's also hard for me not having those extra evening times with Josh. Lately it's been more difficult because he's finishing his thesis. And the time we do have together, we'd rather spend it as a family. But we also know how important it is to have couple time. But when?

There's just not enough time. 

I can't be 100% mom + 100% teacher + 100% wife. It doesn't equal out.

It’s okay to feel the guilt, as long as you aren’t living the guilt. Guilt isn’t there for you to dwell on, it isn’t there to dictate your life. -Jennifer Green @ Life in the Green House

A few weeks ago, Jennifer had a post all about the guilt of a working mom. I had actually be talking about my guilt with Josh weeks before her post. It was something that was constantly nagging at me in the back of my mind. Then she shared this great post with us and I felt a little better. We all go through guilt in some shape or form. Mom guilt is a big thing that got to me when I went back to work in January because that's when it really set in and hit me. Now I've transistioned to teacher guilt. I've become so overwhelmed with what I need to do becuase I missed the first half of the year. But, like Jennifer said, there's no need to dwell on the guilt. 

If I'm doing what's best for me and my family then everything else will fall in to place.

Update on life

Busy is an understatement of what our life has been lately. Now that life has begun in full swing, it is crazy! I can't even describe it. My mind is constantly going a mile a minute and over all I'm just tired!

I wanted to do an update to what is going on in our lives since this blog is to document our life.

• Josh has to turn his thesis in in three weeks! I am so excited and so proud of him. We are both ready for this journey to be over. After he turns it in, he will have to defend it, and then he will graduate in May! This all means that he doesn't get home until 7:30-8:00 pm every night. He also works on it every Sunday. We eat dinner then collapse and do it all over the next day. We pray that a new degree will lead to a new job. Then he will start on his doctorate this fall! And so it begins again...
  
  
• Hadley is growing daily! I will post her 5 month update next week right after she turns 5 months! I cannot believe how fast time is flying. While I want her to stay this age, I'm so excited to be with her this summer and really watch her take everything in!
  
  
• I'm back at work and learning how to balance being a working mom. It's crazy! I'm so glad we prep as much as we can on the weekends but honestly it's still hard. I bring work home every night and try to go in on Saturday mornings. But I still don't feel caught up. I'm sure by the time summer rolls around I'll feel like I've got my act together again. Until then, I have a lot of work to do and just not enough time in the day to do it all.
  
  
• Our home is back on the market. We will not be taking it off until we sell it. We have no idea where we are going to move but we are ready.
  
  
• Oliver and Wembley are doing great! Wembley is still such a little sh*t and was locked in Hadley's room for three hours earlier this week...while she was sleeping. Of course I panic because I don't want him to hurt her, but luckily he is scared to death of her so would never jump in the crib. I finally went in her room to adjust her heating vent and he comes out meowing like crazy; almost yelling at me. Oh that cat! Oliver is still having a hard time adjusting to not being the main baby. We still give him so much attention and he's snuggled in our bed each night. But he gets upset when I hold Hadley and can't have him on my lap as well. But do worries, he totally tries to join us.
  
  
• Meal planning is still going very well! I need to get back on the ball and share on my Tasty Tuesdays. We were thrown a curve ball a few weeks ago. Josh has had a lot of stomach problems for over a year and I've been telling him that he needs to see the doctor because my instinct has always been a gluten problem. While he has not been tested yet, he has taken gluten out of his diet almost completely. Already he has done so much better. He hasn't been sick and feels better overall. This has changed how we eat. We've talked about how gluten free is a lifestyle change and, whether or not he has a gluten allergy or not, we know that it is a healthier choice.
  
  
• I haven't shared on here yet, and don't want to say a lot about it, but I'm still not recovered from my delivery with Hadley. I have an appointment with a surgeon on Friday so any prayers you could send my way would be very much appreciated. I'm hoping everything will heal on its own and surgery is not needed but whatever happens is for a reason.

Five on Friday!

{one}

Today I'm celebrating five years of marriage with this guy. It's been a crazy five years full of amazing times and crazy times, but I have to say that this year has been the best. I've loved watching Josh become such a loving daddy to Miss Hadley. Best way to spend five years together.

{two}

The first week back to school is an exhausting one! I might know every day we have off from now until May. I also may know that there are 86 school days left per the countdown in the cafeteria. So excited to spend the summer with my girl!

{three}

This year I decided to order a May Designs Planner. I've used Erin Condren in the past, which I love, but they're so big and bulky, not to mention pricey. I can't do that right now with everything that comes with a baby. So, I decided to give May Books a whirl. I love it so far! They're very affordable (no more than you would pay for a nice one at Target), super light weight, smaller, thinner, and still give you plenty of room to write in it. My favorite part? You can pick out your own design and monogram it!

{four}

My parents got Hadley this book for Christmas. It's the cutest thing ever! We read it every night. I cannot wait until she actually understands it!

{five}

Who says science isn't fun? This is a picture from a laser light show the kids had at school today. It was pretty neat! There were just in awe at what lasers could do. I even learned a lot too (I don't teach science)!

So What?!

So what if...

• I made my two weeks of sub plans for language arts the night before school started. I don't have to make them but they highly suggest two weeks worth.

• I plan on unpacking my entire hospital bag this week because I can't remember what I packed. It will drive me crazy if I don't do this.

• I wear long pants so I don't have to see my feet and legs swell. I will put them up when I get home from school. Until then, out of sight out of mind.

• I'm praying I make it until Saturday because Emily and I are going to get a pedicure. Not only do I need one (really) but I'm so excited to relax and for someone to rub my feet. It will be heaven!

• I made it through my goal of getting through the first day of school and now I don't care when she comes. Every day I'm at school is a bonus but I won't freak out about leaving school now that the first day over {however no promises about not freaking out about labor}

• My doctor hasn't asked me about how we want to go about labor/delivery. As in what our plan is. Is this normal? Should I tell her what we want?

• My feet and legs are huge when I come home from school. I seriously told a coworker that I feel like a troll with large square feet.

• I could handle this pregnancy for another week but I'm okay with being in labor tomorrow. Trying to go with the flow!

• I ate potato soup for lunch Tuesday and Wednesday. We had a lot left over and it was easy...even though it was 80+ outside!

So What Wednesday

So what if...

• School starts next week therefore the blog will be slacking this week and next week. Sorry!

• No baby yet, but we are slowly getting there (check out the update tomorrow).

• I made spaghetti squash last night and it did not go well. At least it was free and organic! {Thank you mom and dad's "farm"}

• I'm planning on working up until my due date. Yes, you heard that right. Did you gasp in horror? Because I feel like people all around me think I'm completely crazy.

• It has been extremely hard getting back into the "School Mode". I'm thinking this is because I know I'll be there for a week or two then home with my sweet girl!

• I'm freaking out a bit about Miss H. Our life is going to change...forever. And while I'm so thankful and so thrilled a part of me is terrified.

• Oliver came to school with me yesterday. He actually did really well and stayed in the classroom. His favorite thing to do is to run through the halls (on the weekends).

• I slacked on teacher week. I definitely wasn't as prepared as I thought I was. I'll slowly update...maybe.

• I was really sad The Bachelorette wasn't on Monday night. I was kind of boring at times but the ending was great--definitely my favorite final rose ceremony--ever!

Teacher Week!

This week I'm participating in Teacher Week 13!

Check out Blog Hoppin' to link up and find more teachers who are participating!

Today is talking all about me. Something I hate to do. So here are some basic facts about me as a teacher.

• I am going into my sixth year of teaching at the same elementary school

• I taught 4th grade for four years then moved up to 5th grade

• This is my second year teaching 5th grade (if you didn't do the math)

• We departmentalize in my school = LOVE!! I don't think I would be able to keep one classroom of kiddos all day.

• While in 4th grade, my first year I taught two (out of four) math classes and language arts to my homeroom. The three years after that I taught social studies to all four classes and language arts to my homeroom.

• Now in 5th I teach all four social studies classes and my homeroom language arts

• I don't really have a preference between 4th and 5th grade. They both have positives and negatives

• I am not a fan of the 5th grade common core social studies standards. I loved the old standards and am very disappointed with the new ones. I also think that they expect 4th graders to learn way to much with the common core social studies standards. Just my opinion. Keep it simple!

• I have my masters in education administration and have my admin license. Will I ever use it? I don't know. I always planned on it but the administration role today has changed drastically from when I started my masters just four short years ago. 

• I never wanted to teach in an elementary school. Now, I don't want to leave.

• I big puffy heart my school. I can't even explain it. My coworkers are my second family and we have quite a big school (3-4 teachers in each grade level K-5 plus specials, intervention, etc).

• I feel very blessed to have a job that I enjoy going to daily and that I get to watch my students grow

Late Night Brain Dump

Ever since I got back into my classroom my mind has been going a mile a minute. I feel like my house is a mess and my classroom is a mess. Basically my life is a big mess! Not in a bad way just in a crazy way! I have so much on my mind right now that I can't keep up with myself or really have a normal conversation. Basically my mind thinks like this...

All of my desks need to rearranged. Why do I have 31 desks? How many students are in the other classes? I wish we knew our schedule. I wonder if we will have special in the morning? Do we have planning every day? I haven't even started sub plans. I need to bring home my planner from last year and plan. My mom is coming over tomorrow to finish the nursery. Is it too dark in there with the curtains? What else do I want to hang on the walls? I wish the room was a little wider. Could we fit a small table by the crib? I don't want it to be over crowded. I really like how my classroom is set up this year. Hopefully it can stay that way. I can't believe I'll only be in school for two weeks. Last night I had a dream my water broke at the district convocation. I hope that doesn't happen. I really don't like our district meetings. I need to see if my car can get fixed during the meeting. Hopefully Sophia can pick me up. I should also get it cleaned out before H. And I need to take it over to the fire station to get the car seat checked.

Seriously.

I feel like I have to apologize to people to have conversations with me because I can't stay on topic or remember anything! If I don't tell someone or write it down, I'm in trouble. I'm hoping after tomorrow, when my mom helps me finish hanging pictures in the nursery, I will feel better. We have a few other things to do but after this weekend the house should be ready to go.

Then that leaves me and the classroom. The big part of moving desks finally was finished today. Now I just have to make two weeks of sub plans and organize, organize, organize!!!

Hopefully my brain can calm down this week and next and I can finish up to prepare for school. I can't believe it's almost time to go back...but I will only be there 2+ weeks until H comes!

More than anything I can't help but think how thankful we are. I think about it every day and thank God for everything we have, our furbabies, our sweet girl, and pray for a safe and healthy baby/delivery/recovery.

So What?

Today I'm saying so what if...

• My house is a complete disaster. Especially upstairs. We are getting to carpet in Hadley's room today so everything is in our room or the spare room.

• The spare room is covered with baby stuff. Seriously. I have a hard time getting in. Guess what I'll be doing over the next few days?!

• I'm a teeny bit sad to give up some cabinet space for bottles and bibs. Cabinet space is limited in our home and I have a lot of platters and bowls. Haven't quite figured out what I'm going to do with it yet.

• I'm having the most difficult time ever finding a glider we want. $500 is a lot of money and I want to make sure I love it and get a good discount.

• I start back at school in about three weeks and I've done nothing this summer to prepare. Oh and I still don't have a sub.

• If the new content standards totally suck. I hate the 5th grade socialstudies commoncore and don't even want to look at them. Thank you Ohio...oh wait, you haven't told us what we need to teach yet so never mind. {sorry if you totally don't get this}

• If we're going to the fair and Jazz and Rib Fest this weekend. That might mean funnel cakes, french fries and I really hope roasted corn. I'll just have to do extra  loads of laundry and sprint up and down the steps (not going outside in 100+ weather).

Letters on a Tuesday

Dear Department Stores (Target, Walmart, Staples, etc),

Just because it is mid-July does not mean it is time to pull out the school supplies. I love school supplies and trust me I get very excited when they do come out. But it's July 9th. Not even the middle of the month. I don't care what kind of special deals you have--save it. There should be a rule; no school supplies until August 1st. As a teacher I would like to enjoy my summer a little longer than a month without thinking about what I need for the next school year.


Dear Experian,

We signed up with you to get our credit scores and check on my student loans. After a month, I cancelled my subscription however you told me that I had until the end of July to check my score. I've been on there once since then however you've charged me $19.99 three times since we spoke. After I called you again you told me that I was charged when I clicked "okay". Not possible. I'm sucking it up and paying (mainly because I couldn't understand what you were saying in the other country you are located in) but you will never have my business again.


Dear Student Loans,

Nothing has changed with us in the past two years, therefore I still despise you.


Dear Weather,

I appreciate the daily rain showers, I really do. It reminds me of Florida and makes me feel less guilty about napping. However, your humidity is out of control. I hope that you do not lie and the weathermen are correct when they are telling us that it will be in the low 80s will low humidity this weekend. That would be fabulous!


Dear House,

You didn't sell. I'm kind of disappointed but I know it's for a reason. Please be good to us for the next several months until we put you up for sale again. Then come February or March I want you to be amazing and sell very quickly. For now, if you could just expand a little, we'd appreciate it!


Dear J,

Thank you for dealing with my "nesting mode". I know I'm crazy and have to have things done now and everything perfect but I really cannot help it. I hope the articles about nesting I sent you help you understand. I'm definitely not meaning you are the problem--the mess is the problem (and 2 things out on the counter = mess for me right now). Thank you for working so hard for us lately!

Kids say the darnest (baby) things!

Since I told my students I was expecting I've heard some of the weirdest and funniest comments. I thought I'd take a blog post to write them all down so I never forget them. Remember, these kids are 10 and 11 years old. I love them dearly but sometimes they just need to think...or many they really do have their heads in the clouds. :o)

• One boy asked me if I had to be in the hospital for 9 months. He has four siblings. I told him I was pretty sure not many people would have kids if we had to be in the hospital that long.
  
  
• The same boy asked me if I had the baby yet (I was about 20 weeks). Did I miss school?
  
  
• A girl asked if I was going to be grumpy like her 4th grade teacher was last year when she was pregnant. I told her I only to her {the girl}. Sarcasm.
  
  
• One of the boys in my class asked if I was going to leave them. I told him no, I wouldn't have the baby until August. He told me that one of his 4th grade teachers left them last year. I told her it was because she had a baby in January. He swore up and down she did not have a baby and she just didn't like them. For real?
  
  
• I've had several comments, "your stomach/belly is growing". My comment back is usually, "yes, the baby is growing".
  
  
• A boy pointed to my stomach and asked, "is that the baby?" I said, "No, it's my puppy." Everyone in the class was silent. Finally one of the smarter girls said, "Yes! That's her baby! Duh!"
  
  
• Another boy asked if I was having a baby because he was getting worried my stomach was growing. Seriously? Your class talks about it weekly. We're on week 25 and you're just now asking?
  

What are some of the funniest/weirdest comments you have ever hear from kids or even adults while pregnant?

Busy Busy: Brain Dump

We have been so busy around here. I was actually looking forward for things to slow down at the end of the school year but I was totally wrong. I guess it makes the days and week feel faster and that's okay.

• We have 8 days of school left. EIGHT. Where did this year go? Holy cow! This is my second year with this group of kiddos (I looped up) and I feel like I've had them forever. I'm going to be so sad to see them go (for real) but it does feel like the year that never has ended.
  
• I will suddenly become very panicked knowing that when I go back to school in the fall I will have days or weeks until Hadley's arrival. CRAZY!!!
  
• Our house is up for sale. This is stressful in itself. It's hard not being able to move furniture and left heavy objects. I really try not to.
  
• It's weird not knowing where we will be in a month. Will be still be in this home? Will we find a new home? I hate not knowing. But I've been praying a lot that whatever happens will be what is supposed to happen for us. If we don't sell then we need to stay where we are and it's for a reason. If we do sell, then I hope we find a great home for our new addition.
  
• J will be 30 in eight days. I'm pretty excited for his birthday celebration this weekend (pictures to come).
  
• Wednesday is field day. It's supposed to rain. Thursday is 5th grade picnic. It's supposed to rain. This means I have to find something entertaining for my class to do :( #movieday
  
• One of my good friends (shout out to Abby) is due with her baby very soon. My other good friend is having her shower in just a few weeks. It's baby central around here!
  
  Now just to make it through the next 8 days and home free! Summer vacay here I come!

Hello May!

I'm so happy May is finally here. April was a long month! Testing for school is officially over. The kids took their test yesterday and I'm so thankful we are finished. I'm so proud of all the hard work they have done. Now if I could get them to remember we still have 22 days of school left, that would be great!

Things to look forward to in May:

Visiting my cousins

Teacher Day at Chick-fil-a

My first (kinda) Mother's Day 

Hadley's baby shower at school with my coworkers!

Two PD days at school

5th Grade Talent Show

J camping--excited for him even though I'll miss him

Sister's 19th birthday!

Memorial Day

5th Grade picnic

Last day of school--bittersweet!

J's 30th birthday!!!!

What are you looking forward to this May?

Spring? Break

Today is officially my last weekday of spring break. I'm not going to lie--I'm sad. I've loved being home. Even though I definitely would not consider it a spring break (more like winter), it was a break nonetheless and I'm happy about that!

I wish I were here...

Thankfully I was able to get quite a bit done while home. Not everything was crossed off my list but a good portion has been. It will definitely help knowing that somethings have been accomplished when I go back on Monday. The biggest things on my "to do" list were to clean out the soon-to-be nursery. I got a lot of things packed up but a lot still needs to be done...including all new carpet! I was able to hang up a lot of Hadley's new clothes I've been buying for her lately or that friends have purchased for us. Love having cute little clothes in the closet!

We have decided to put our house up for sale in April. It was a big decision but we would like to have a little more living space. It difficult with teaching piano lessons and your living space/dining room all in the same area. We are looking at this as a test. If it sells then that is great. If not, then it wasn't meant to be and we will survive here. We are just so thankful to have a nice home and we don't want to be too picky. If it wasn't for piano, we would probably stay. So getting rooms cleaned out and deciding what furniture needs to go in storage has been a big "to-do" item.

Overall I just going to miss being home. I love my job and so thankful to have a teaching job but I think it's just been a long, overwhelming year. May 31st cannot get her soon enough! It's also been very nice to stay at home with sweet Oliver and Wembley...and take a nap during the day!

I will definitely be enjoying these last few days then it's back to the grind with my lovely 5th graders!

High/Low Fridays

When we were in elementary and middle school my parents used to play a game with us every night at the dinner table called, high/low. We would have to tell the high of our day, or the best thing about it, and the low of our day, or the worst part about it. We could never have just a low but definitely could have just a high.This was one of our favorite things to do and really promoted sharing around the dinner table.

This year I decided to incorporate it into my classroom. This is the second year I've had this group of  kids and we already know each other pretty well. But it is nice to have more bonding time.

Every Friday the kids walk in excited to play high/low, even though we play it at the very end of the day. They think about their highs and lows all day and now are much better at knowing exactly what they want to say (unlike the beginning of the year when each kid took 10 minutes to think of something). We clear out the desks, sit in a circle, and go around saying our highs and lows. Sometimes we will even add in a "what we are looking forward to this weekend".

It's been such a wonderful bonding experience. We've had so many laughs and even some tears. But it just brings us closer together. We do have a few rules, which most follow.

Rule #1: Wait your turn
Rule #2: Do not comment on others high/low  {this is the hardest to follow but very important}
Rule #3: Be polite
Rule #4: Highs and lows must be appropriate  {we're talking 5th graders here- ya never know!}
Rule #5: You must say at least one high

I look forward to Fridays and sharing our highs and lows for the week. Some are as simple as, "I did well on my math test" or "we don't have school Monday". And others really touch you such as, "I got to see my mom for the first time in six months"...tears!!

I'm so thankful my kids are able to share their experiences with each other and with me. This class is very special to me since this is my second year with them. I know I'm going to be a hot mess saying goodbye to them but I'll always remember our high/low Fridays and I hope that they can remember the same.

Word Vomit.

I really didn't know what else to call this post. It's just a bunch of thoughts and randomness...but makes perfect sense to me.

We have been super busy. Like sometimes I don't even know what I did when I had grad school work on top of all this. Then I think about if we had a child! Everyone does it. We could too.

I'm "touring" the United States with my students. This week we are studying the Midwest. Boring. I'm trying to make it exciting and show video clips but really...who wants to learn about farm land? Not this city girl. I'm definitely learning a lot on these "trips" and over all, the kids really enjoyed them. We've been known to make posters for specific cities, learn how to make bread like the colonists, and even dance the Charleston {my favorite}.

My cat is a sh*t. There are really no other words. If you ignore him in the evening (because we actually have work to do) he will get on the counter and knock everything off. So not only do I have to clean the counter again but I have to pick up the mess and put any dishes back in the dishwasher. He also learned how to unlock the child proof locks. Note to self: Ikea childproof locks are not cat proof.

Because we are "touring" the U.S. I spend at least two hours a night working on a presentation for my classes for the next day. Guess what I'll be working on all break?!

My parents are selling sold their house. They start moving December 26.

Winter break starts in FIVE school days. Yes, five. Then it's working on presentations and packing. :) But it's so nice to be home.

My cat J's cat also gets in the tree and knocks down the ornaments, ribbon, and takes out all of the twirly twigs that are on the lower half.

I've been doing a great job at cooking. I'm excited that I'm keeping up with meal planning. Thank the Lord for CrockPots!

Over my short Thanksgiving break three of my friends (both high school and college) told me they were expecting. Seriously. Something is in the water.

I really want an Elf. I told Oliver to write Santa for one but he won't. I told him that if we had an Elf then I would leave a  trail of treats for him every day. I also told him the Elf would bring bananas. He didn't seemed too amused.

Speaking of Elves. When one of my piano students told me about his elf I almost said that I needed to get Oliver one of those...woah buddy. I'm glad I stopped myself at "I need to" and finished it with "get Oliver to write a letter to Santa". Close call!

For the southern ladies

If you didn't already know, I am a 5th grade teacher. We departmentalize (aka switch classes) so I teach Social Studies to all four 5th grade classes. In Social Studies, we learn all about the different regions of the United States. We are slowing "touring" them and  looking at important and/or interesting places in each region. Before we went on Thanksgiving break, we started the Southeast Region. We have visited Everglades National Park, Kennedy Space Center, and Disney World! We will finish up the region this week.

This is where I need your help...

I want to do a little presentation all about Southern dialect/sayings and traditions. I know some information--all of my dad's family {and J's family} are from the south but none of them are living there anymore--but I'd love to have more.

{link}

Here are a few things I want to know from you...

1)  What are some daily words you use that are only heard of in the south? {"buggy", "picture made", "Don't be ugly", etc}

2)  What traditions do you have in the south that are not found anywhere else? {Pickle in the tree?}

3)  Best part about living in the south? {aside from the nice weather}


Thank you so much for your help! I will let you know how it goes!! :)

Fall Fashion

Even though we've been in school for a while now, I always struggle with my back to school style. I feel like when school starts I'm just trying to survive the newness of everything and the warm weather. But once fall kicks in, it's a whole new world. I can actually think about the new trends without worrying about being so hot. {Note: I'm always cold but when it's still hot outside and I'm at school I get super warm.}

Here are some great fall outfits that I hope to incorporate into my teaching wardrobe! 

Teaching-orange by buckeyebritt featuring cotton knit tops

LOFT cotton knit top / LOFT boot cut pants / LOFT high heel pumps / LOFT boho jewelry

Teaching-Green by buckeyebritt featuring clip earrings

Worthington / Jones New York / Ballet shoes / Kate Spade clip earrings

Teacher-pink by buckeyebritt featuring tory burch

LOFT blouse / LOFT plaid pants / Tory Burch ballet flat / Tory Burch

Teacher-polkadot by buckeyebritt featuring h&m jackets

H&M polka dot chiffon blouse, $41 / H&M jacket, $49 / H&M , $41 / H&M bow flat, $13 / Stella & Dot studded jewelry

Teacher-Red by buckeyebritt featuring gold filled earrings

Ruffle top / Black top / Ann Taylor tall pants / Rocket Dog shoes / Gold filled earrings

What are you wearing this fall??

Friday Letters

Say what? Two posts in one week? What is going on?? I may or may not be putting off grading some papers.

Dear Oliver,

Must you chase Wembley around the house every night? What is the deal? As soon as I get home it starts. You're running all around the house chasing each other and acting like you have no manners. I know we taught you better than that! You also seriously have to stop getting stuck the cat house. What happens if you get stuck and I'm not home? Figure that one out!

Dear 5th grade,

I still feel like I'm living Groundhog Day. Some days are worse than others. My students are also getting to know me too well. Yesterday one of them figured out the enrollment key to my new website. Yes, it was 'oliver' but seriously? I also have another student who routinely calls me "mom". Yes, he did this a few times last year, but now we're on a daily basis. It definitely makes me laugh because he turns bright red! I do love looping with them and knowing them so well.


Dear J,

I am so excited that you will be graduating in May from grad school! I'm so proud of all the work that you have been doing in school, at home, and at work. I don't know how you are ready to start your doctorate degree but I know you will be amazing!


Dear JCPenny,

I never was a huge fan of yours but recently you have been my bff. I love your new prices and everything I try on seems to fit perfectly. I even managed to find jeans that fit my legs, behind, and were not huge in the waste. That is what I call a miracle! Keep up the great work!

Happy Friday! I'm super thankful that it's finally the weekend!!

Slacking...

I've totally been slacking in the blog world not just with posting but with reading too {enter major sad face here}. I have about 8473809475 things on my plate and by the time I get home, pick things up, finish school work (at home), make dinner, I'm ready to crash.

I don't have a lot of updates but here a few things that I'm excited to share!

1) We got new carpet!! I've never been so excited! I will be sure to post pics of it as well has the hundreds of other pictures I've been meaning to post. I love it and it just makes our house feel so much cleaner (J thinks I'm crazy).

2) We got a new dishwasher!! We are just in full force around here! It's so nice to have a new dishwasher that works properly...and is black. Now we just have to replace the fridge to match (it's still white and we want stainless) but we're not in a huge hurry.

3) IT'S SEPTEMBER!!! This is amazing! Now if the weather could take the hint, we'd be all set! I adore the fall and am even more excited for October!

4) My sister is officially a college student and is going to rushing! I'm super shocked (I never saw her joining a sorority--never) but I'm very excited for her! I wish my sorority was at her college, but unfortunately it is not. There are other great ones for her to join.

5) This past weekend was the best long weekend ever. It seriously felt like 5 days rather than 3. We got so much done! We cleaned out the basement, cleaned the house really well, put up fall decorations, and worked in my classroom for a bit. I wish every weekend was a long weekend!

Goals for this weekend: update blog and post pics! Let's see if I can do it!

Groundhog Day

Today, well this year, I'm calling Groundhog Day.

Source: imdb.com via Nadia on Pinterest

Last year I taught 4th grade and then moved up to 5th grade this year. This switch has given me year two with the same kiddos. Therefore groundhog day. Yes, I have a different homeroom class but I know every kid (except for the few new ones) because we departmentalize in 4th and 5th grade. I'm so excited to see the kids again and hope that my homeroom, especially those few who had me as a homeroom teacher last year, are excited to have me again!

As always I have first day of school jitters! This year I'm not worried about the kids but more of the new curriculum. I also have to make sure I have everything in order, outfit ironed and ready to wear, lunch packed, and breakfast easily accessible to grab and go!

Good luck to all the teachers who are starting school this in the upcoming weeks! Classroom pictures will be posted to my teacher blog very soon. Promise!!