Sparkle 2013 - Day 2

I brought home my class pets for the Thanksgiving break so they wouldn't freeze in my classroom.  We have two hermit crabs - George and Captain America.  Sparkle apparently thought K's Sebastian toys needed to go in the crab tank as well  ;)

Sparkle is back!

Our scout elf made her return from the North Pole yesterday.  K was more than excited to see her!  As soon as Christmas decorations starting popping up in stores (you know, right before Halloween) she started to ask when Sparkle would come back to our house.  I kept telling her the day after Thanksgiving, which in 5 year old time is a million years away.  So to say K was happy to see her yesterday morning is an understatement.

I posted the first picture of Sparkle this year on Facebook to share with my family that is literally spread out across the globe and for my friends.  I put a caption about how I didn't want to hear how creepy the elf was, or how bad of a mother I was for "lying" to my child, or that it was all a bit over the top.  Last year, several comments were made - most in a passive aggressive way (posting right after I posted a picture, about how as a mother they would NEVER even dream of having an elf).  I tend to take things like that more personally than I should...I wish I didn't, but I do.  Hey, we all have our flaws.  All that said, I have decided to post my Sparkle pictures here on my blog so that I'm not so annoying on Facebook.  :)

Side soapbox here: why do we all feel like our way is better?  I've seen so many people posting about this and that and how their way is THE way.  Whether it's decorating before or after Thanksgiving, having your kids believe in Santa, if you have an elf or not, shop on Black Friday or stay home, etc. etc. etc.  Who cares???  Everyone should do what is best for their family!!!  Do what makes you and your family happy and forget what everyone else thinks!  (I'm trying so hard to take my own advice here friends!)

Stepping off...

So, back to Sparkle.  My friend Leigh Anne and I were texting on Thanksgiving and she asked me if Sparkle was going to be hosting a North Pole breakfast.

A what?

Let me just hop on over to Pinterest for a second....

Oh crap.  That's a North Pole breakfast.

Well, heck yeah Sparkle is going to do that!  Why?  Because I didn't know about it and now I do, and I am so up for that challenge.  I'm sure there is a support group out there for me somewhere.

So I went to pull out all those random Christmas cups, plates, etc. that students have given me over the years, and before I knew it my table was ready for a North Pole breakfast.  Well, all expect for the actual food.  K-cup hot chocolate - check.  Anything else?  Nope.  And this was Thanksgiving y'all.  And right as all the stores were opening up for Black Friday.  Yeah....panic mode set in because I am not going to fight Black Friday crowds for breakfast foods.

Lucky for me, but not so lucky for him, my husband's boss had called and asked him to run several reports....on Thanksgiving.  Yeah - he was pumped let me tell you.  (I know, I know, he has a job and I'm very thankful for that, but I just wanted him to have a break for one day!)  So Cody had not left for his traditional hunting trip just yet, and I did the "Honey I love you so much would you please just do this one tiny thing for me before you leave" face and he totally fell for it.  I love that man more than he will ever know.  So one trip to the convenient store later, I had doughnuts...okay, maybe two trips because apparently I failed to communicate that I wanted BOTH chocolate and powdered doughnuts instead of one or the other.  I'm telling you - I married a saint y'all.

So a few cut chocolate chips and lots of senseless pretzel breaking later, I had Rudolph and Frosty doughnuts.  Whip up a little letter on the computer - print - cut - finished.

North Pole breakfast - BAM!

K woke up the next morning singing, "Where is Sparkle, where is Sparkle?  I don't know, I don't know!"  That right there made it all so very worth it.  Well, that and her face when she saw everything!

Sparkle also brought K her new Christmas pajamas and some matching ones for Caroline which she was so excited about!

Yep, that's her tongue sticking out folks.  She's one classy gal.  Also gotta love that bed head look she has going for her!  ;)

So there you have it folks.  Sparkle is back and going strong in our house!  In a world where kids grow up way too quickly, I'm happy that we can have a little bit of Christmas magic in our house again this year.

Catching up

I swear I feel like the catching up part of my life never stops...but surprisingly I'm okay with it right now.

Let me explain.

I have TONS - y'all - TONS of housework to do.  I haven't been to the grocery store in two weeks for a real good old fashion stock up on everything for the week trip.  I have paper from school I need to file sitting neatly in my "To File" folder.  I have pictures to print.  I have cards to write and send.  Cooking?  Well..... we'll get back to that.  I did mention my house is pretty much a wreck right?

But dad gum it, I really think that this is the best school year I've ever had in the making.

My class is amazing.  I love the parents of my kiddos.  I seriously keep waiting for something bad to happen, but it just doesn't.  Trust me, it's nothing I did or am doing.  I just have a great mix of kids this year.

K's school is hands down amazing.  I was so worried about switching her schools this year, but I LOVE her new school.  She has made some pretty awesome friends and her teacher is nothing short of phenomenal.   I also cannot tell you how wonderful it is with her being less than five minutes from both my school and our house.  We have so much more time together now and I love every single second of it.

These moments - with my family and with my class are moments I can't get back.  Why should I stress over the little things when the little things WILL ALWAYS BE THERE.  It's so crazy that it took me until now to realize that as soon as I finishing cleaning it's time to clean again.  Or that when I finish one thing on my to-do list a bagillion others suddenly show up.  I'd rather spend time reading with my kid or dancing around like a goob with my husband just to make K laugh.  THAT is what living is for.

I'm not sure I'll ever truly catch up on what "they" say is important, but my goodness right now life is good.  :)

Goodbye Summer!

Tomorrow I officially start back to work and K starts her new school.  This summer was by far the best one I've had since becoming a teacher and it all boiled down to priorities. 

I let some things go and made some more important.  Basically it meant more family time and less worrying about school.  In fact, I didn't go to anything school related (workshops, my classroom, etc.) until August.  I've never done that before - even before I had Kaitlyn.  But that decision allowed me to focus on my precious family and I don't regret a single second of it.

This summer I was able to get our new house unpacked (mostly...there is still that pesky garage).  I was also able to spend some time decorating and updating.  There is still so much of that to do!

We took our first BIG vacation as a family and had a blast!!!

K and I did some local things like Sea Life with my mom who retired last year.  

I took a road trip with a wonderful friend and K to see some of my college friends and one of their new babies.

K and I spent hours at home doing "art projects", cooking, playing, giggling, and just being together. 

I loved every single second of this summer and it taught me to pay more attention to my family because they need me and I need them. 

I know my students need me 100% of the day when I'm there and that's exactly what they'll get.  And I can't do my job the way I do without doing outside work.  But I'm making a promise to myself that I will try not to do any work for school once I pick up K from her school until after she goes to bed.  She needs me to be Mom once I'm home - not Mrs. Bush first.  I know there will be meetings and what not every now and then where I will have no choice to "work" while I have her with me, but gone are the days of coming home and getting right to work on my classroom stuff. 

My family deserves it. 

Happy new school year to all my friends out!

Liebster Award

So because I have been nominated for this twice now, I think I should probably actually do it.  I swear I'm the worst blogger ever!  I'm trying to get better!  ;)

As you may know, the Liebster Award is for up and coming blogs that have less than 200 followers. So what is a Liebster, you ask? Liebster is a German word that means sweetest, kindest, dearest, cute, endearing, etc. Such a thoughtful award! Here are the rules to accept this award:

[1] Link back to the person that nominated you.

[2] Answer the questions from your nominator.

[3] Share 11 random facts about yourself.

[4] Nominate 5 more blogs with less than 200 followers.

[5] Pose questions for your nominees

Thanks to Simply Swarbrick for nominating me! 

Here are the questions I was given to answer:

1. Why do you blog?

     I started blogging because I wanted to keep a history of happenings in my family.  I've always loved looking back on family pictures and videos and blogging helps me to remember things that I might not have unless I wrote them down.  I also blog sometimes as a form of therapy.  When someone is on my mind or heart sometimes the only thing I know to do is write about it.  

2. What is your go to dinner recipe?

     My go to?  Well - when I'm in a hurry and want something that everyone will eat we have brinner!  :)  Breakfast for dinner - with breakfast burritos, pancakes, cinnamon rolls - any of those or a combo of some!  Always a winner at my house!

3. How do you unwind after a long day?

     Snuggling with my daughter.  Talking to her about anything makes me calmer.  She has such a pure heart right now and I wish I could shield it from ever being broken.  Her joyful outlook helps me to put things back into perspective.   

4. What is your favorite blog post you've written?

     Hmmm...that's a tough one.  Probably this one.  It's kind of my soapbox.  Shaming children is still shaming children - even if you use cute clipart.  

5. What tips do you have for preparing for the week? (at work or at home)

     Pray.  Pray.  And pray some more.  Honestly - I feel like when I talk to God and hand things over to Him, things just seem to go better.  I just wish I remembered to do that in the little things like planning.  :)  Sunday nights my husband and I talk in bed about everything the week coming up holds and how we can help each other.  We started that last year and it helps so much!  We also use an app on our phone called Cozi which helps us know what all we have planned.  

  

6. If you were given $20 to spend on anything, what would you spend it on?

     Right now I'd probably go buy some really cute pens and pencils because those always make me happy in my classroom.  I always feel a bit guilty spending more on the cute ones, but they make me happier!

7. What does your perfect Saturday look like?

     Sleeping in and then having breakfast with my family.  Maybe hitting up an estate sale or antique store.  A fun lunch or dinner out.  Then just hanging out with my family either at home, shopping, or another fun activity.  I also really like when Cody takes K somewhere and I have at least an hour to myself.  I usually read, watch tv, or get on the computer and I just recharge.  I also love to shop at night by myself after K is in bed.  The crowds are gone and I can get some me time.  :)

8. Which season is your favorite and why?

     Fall - no question.  I love when the weather starts cooling off, but isn't too cold.  I love the smells and colors.  I love the holidays that are in Fall.  I seriously just love everything about Fall.  

9. What do you splurge on?

     Depends...I consider myself to be pretty thrifty, but every now and then I let myself splurge on things.  My most recent splurge was my Silhouette Cameo.  Truth be told though, most of splurges are on things for my daughter.  :)

10. Where would be your dream vacation spot be?

     I love history so I would love to go back to Europe and explore it more now that I'm older.  (I went when I was 15)  I also want to go to Australia and hold a koala.  

11. What do you pack for lunch during the week?

     I try to make enough dinner so that I have leftovers, but when that doesn't happen my most common go to meal is marinated mozzarella with cut up tomatoes and an avocado.  Sounds fancy, but trust me it's not.  It's super easy and quick to fix because you don't cut the avocado until lunch.  

11 random facts about me are:

1.  I can fold my tongue.  It really freaks my students out.  ;)

2.  My middle name is the same as my mom's, but she added an e at the end.  I've always thought that was interesting that she didn't give me the exact same one.  Her middle name is Ann and mine is Anne.

3.  I make up music videos that go along with my life in my head for songs I really like.

4.  I will ALWAYS fight for what I think is best for my students.  I like to consider myself a fairly easy to get along with person, but if you mess with my kids you will see Mama Bear come out.  Just ask my old vice principal when she told me my kindergarteners were going to have their individual pictures after lunch....on spaghetti day. 

5.  I am deathly afraid of roaches.  

6.  In high school I was in show choir and I loved it.  I would totally be in an adult one if things like that existed.  

7.  I will not eat seafood.  Anything that has lived in the water will not be going into my mouth.  I'm weird, I know.  And I went to college in Louisiana y'all.  It's not like I wasn't exposed to the good stuff.  

8.  I am such a chicken when it comes to needles and blood.  When I was pregnant I passed out more than once when they had to take my blood.  Just typing about it makes me a little light headed.  

9.  When I was little I thought for the longest time I was going to be an archaeologist.  I especially want to be one that got to work in Egypt.  

10.  I love a good montage.  Even if I don't know that people that it is about I love them, and have been known to cry at really sappy ones.  

11.  I am a firm believer that naps can cure a lot of problems.  

I nominate these great bloggers for this award:

1. Nicole at In my Daughters' Eyes

2. Natalie at Normal to Natalie

3. Robin at Our Grateful Life

4. Cindy at Three Hits and a Missus

5.  Lindsey at The Norrises...no relation to Chuck

And your questions are...

1.  What is one of your favorite family traditions?

2.  What is the best memory you have from elementary school?

3.  What is the worst memory you have from elementary school?

4.  If you could do anything in your life and you knew you couldn't fail at it, what would you do?

5.  What tends to be your soapbox?

6.  What do you do for fun?

7.  If you could have an endless supply of something in your life, other than money, what would it be.  And it has to be something you can touch - so no answers like love, honestly, etc.  :)

8.  What is your guilty pleasure tv show?

9.  What is something you want to improve?

10.  Do you have a question that you secretly cringe at any time someone asks you?

11.  What three words would you use to describe yourself?

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Here we go again with my second What I'm Loving Wednesday!  

I'm still REALLY loving my Silhouette Cameo.  Y'all - this thing is incredible!  I was so hesitant about using the print and cut feature, but man oh man it's amazing!  Check it out!

 

I printed these ADORABLE letters for my classroom using the Silhouette program and then loaded it back into the cutter.  

Do you see what it did?  SO COOL!  One of the Ps didn't cut all the way around, but when I went back to look at what I did in the program, I noticed that I didn't have the cut line all the way around it, so it was my fault.  It's a tad bit fuzzy on the top because my inpatient self ripped it from the paper instead of cutting it.  But look how much time it saved me by cutting out the rest.  I'm so in love with this thing!

I'm also apparently loving chevron a little more than I realized.  I started packing some stuff yesterday to take up to school and my bag looked like a chevron convention.

Hopefully it will go well with my zebra/jungle stuff that I'm going to slowly be weeding out I think.  I want to keep the zebra pattern (Still love that!), but less of the monkeys and what not.  I'm still not sure.  When I think I don't want it anymore, I go up to school and love it again.  We'll see what happens this year.

I'm also loving K's new school and teacher already!  It is going to be hard for them to match the love we felt from her old school, but I've heard nothing but great things and I'm ready to see what all K has in store this year!  We have Meet the Teacher tomorrow night and K begins on Monday.  She will even have homework this year!  (Have I mentioned lately I can't believe she will be 5 next month!)  Oooo - I should probably get started on her birthday party.....hmmmm...

Here she is with a letter she got in the mail from her new teacher.  :)

Lastly, I'm loving my class list!!!  It's so exciting to put names and faces to the kiddos that will be in our room this year!  It's going to be an awesome year again!  AND I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE MY FORMER STUDENTS!!!  One of the things I missed so much when I made the switch to a new school was not being able to visit with former students.  That was always one of my favorite parts of my job.  This year I get to do that again and I can't wait to hear all about their summers! 

Let Them Be Little

I wasn't going to go shopping this weekend.  It is tax free weekend here in Texas and to me the crowds just aren't worth it.  But for some crazy reason I ventured out tonight with K because she does, in fact, need school clothes, and I just had that shopping bug.  I headed over to Kohls because it was 8:00 (yes, I was the mom that took my 4 year old out at 8:00 - judge if you must but it's still summer!)  and I figured most of the crowds would be gone.

I was right, but something much, much worse happened.

I discovered that K no longer needs the T in her clothing size.

That's right folks - she moved up to the "big little girl" clothes.

I HATE IT.

I hate it as in I'm in complete denial that my kid will be turning 5 next month.  I used to teach 5 year olds.  There is no way my daughter is that old.

So tonight after the horrible and shocking revelation, K and I ventured forth into uncharted water for us and scoped out the big girl section.

I HATE IT.

When did companies start trying to make kids look like adults?  And some not so classy ones at that!

Y'all.  I about had a heart attack.

We went from this:

to this:

Can you believe that?  My little girl is NOT - I repeat NOT - ready for dresses like that.  

And we wonder why girls are making questionable choices so much younger these days.  I know, I know, they aren't THAT bad, but it's little step by little step my friends.  These to me do not need to be on a 4 year old.  

I did manage to find one little girl looking dress and a few shirts, but I'm going to have to find some other stores to do some more shopping at because this seriously broke my heart.