Working on Me

Welcome to my revamped blog! :) I decided to combine two major parts of my life into one place in hopes to be able to keep up a little better. First, I'm sure you noticed that this is not just a teaching blog anymore. I will definitely still post about my classroom, but with it being summer, my focus is elsewhere.

Here is my story from Facebook:

"Soon after Lynnix, my 2nd girl, joined our family, I was not feeling like I bounced back to my old self. Things were just harder, physically and mentally. I had the baby blues and didn't like it. I was contacted by my cousin and joined one of her free fitness groups. Little did I know, the accountability of that group would give me a little more purpose to my day. As the months went on, I know that I needed to do something more for me.

In April, I decided to bite the bullet and join a Challenge group. I picked Chocolate Shakeology and 22 Minute Hard Corps fitness program by Tony Horton. The reason 100% being it was short. My goal was never to lose weight. My goal was, and still is, to feel healthy and feel happy. Has my body changed? Yes, but that is a happy byproduct of hard work and consistency.

Not only has this decision to work on ME made me feel more content with my own self, it has had an effect on my family. We are talking about healthy choices and steps we can take to become a better version of us.

Because of this, I have decided that I want to be able to help others realize that even baby steps can lead you in the right direction and toward your goals, whatever they may be. I am now a Beachbody Coach and would love to connect with YOU on a more personal basis. I am not the poster child of perfect nutrition and health. However, if I can do it, you can do it!

Each month I will host 1-2 FREE health and fitness related groups and 1 Challenge group. Please consider joining me for baby steps to a healthy future! If now is not your time, it’s ok! It took me awhile too. :)

Thank you to everyone who has supported me through the years. You are part of the reason why I am where I am today. Now let me help and support you!"

Since this decision, I have continued to make healthier decisions and I have seen others taking their own baby steps. My older daughter loves to work out and she knows that I value that time. 

People keep telling me, "I didn't think you needed to lose weight." I am fortunate enough to still have a fast metabolism, but that's not always going to be around. Also, I just want to feel good. Skinny does not mean fit.

We are all in different places, but we all want to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be. Thanks for being on this journey with me! 

*Steph*

Back to the Grind…Five for Friday 11.6

I've been through a roller coaster the last few months! I had my beautiful and super smiley little girl, Baby L. I love her to death and her older sister loves her as well. The transition has been pretty smooth for K actually. We have visitors for quite a bit of my maternity leave, but I'm very thankful to have had the help around. Just before I was to go back to school, my precious grandpa passed away. I have not had to deal with death in my side of the family and it was, and still is at times, very difficult. Because of that, I extended my leave for a week.

 The week I went back was a fabulous week *sarcasm* to go back. It was Halloween week, Red Ribbon Week with dress up days, full moon, and Parent/Teacher conferences. Let's just say I was exhausted by the time Friday came around.

This week I did my best to get the kids used to me and what our now normal routines are going to be.  I also wanted to put into practice some of the things I've thought about while I've been away.

My social studies topic for this quarter is explorers. I had planned on doing a different project that we did last year. We were to begin this the my extra week off, so I wasn't quite ready when I had to go take care of family things. My wonderful sub and I were able to quickly put together this and I'm loving it! I still need to tweak a few things, but I'm glad we did it.

I came up with a list of required facts the kids had to find and at least 3 extra facts of their choice. I also gave them the freedom to decide how they wanted to present their information. Most students did choose to make a poster, but a few ventured into making iMovies. Today we watched the iMovies using Reflector. Tomorrow we will do a gallery walk with the other posters. 

To help our staff become more comfortable with Kagan structures and not overwhelmed, we are doing a Kagan structure each month. In my intervention reading class, we used "Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up" to share their responses about things they collect. (We just started reading Donavan's Word Jar, and are using Mrs. Jones's book study.) They paired up three different times with someone who was not their neighbor, then sat back down. 

I pulled out some partner plays from Deb Hanson to practice fluency. They loved the fun little stories! They also rolled their eyes at me when they had to read whatever part they were handed. That meant that a few of the boys had to be "Mom." They got over it and had fun it.

Here they were reading the plays from her Fall/Halloween plays.

In math, we have ventured back into using Gaggle to watch my lesson videos. I can now include exit ticket questions directly in the Gaggle assignment! I'm excited to see how it works out when we get to a lesson that doesn't need drawings in the answer. However, my workshop for when they are finished with the video needs some work. To help with it, I decided to whip up a basic "Number of the Day" to review basic things. After more decimal lessons, we'll move into using Teaching to Inspire with Jennifer Findley's "Of the Day" resources 

Click to download my Free Number of the Day packet.

My sweet family at our school Halloween Safe Night Carnival

We have Rapunzel and a sweet strawberry.

My husband just wore his fire duty clothes, I was a last minute witch.

Linking up with Doodlebugs!

Thanks for stopping by! I will try to stop in myself a little more often with more things to share!

Keep Smiling!

*Steph*

Monday Made It: Introducing ...

Introducing…

Born on Aug. 5

Her sister is in love! 

We have to watch that she doesn't love little sister to death. 

:)

The sneak peak posted by our photographer.

I am technically going back to work tomorrow...for 4 days and then starting my maternity leave next Monday, when students come. I don't have a lot of sick leave/paid time off saved up so I am trying to save what I have for student contact days. My principal is great and is letting me bring little Lynnix to our PD days and work day. My in-laws will be flying in tonight so I have a built in babysitter for our older daughter. My parents will be coming up in Sept. 

Hope you all are having a fabulous week and enjoying whatever time you have left!

*Steph*

Five for Friday….June 26

This week was pretty family focused…which will probably be the case for the summer, but it's still fun to share!

Hope you all had a great week!

Happy Father's Day!!

I got a new phone…this was on the way home from the store.

Silagirl wanted an "Elsa braid." 

This was as good as it gets with her little hair.

She then proceeded to sing "Let it go! Let it go!" over and over again.

Daddy's little helper, whether he wants help or not. :)

They are clearing an area for our swing set to be moved and putting in some sand.

My hubby just left for a 4 week job up in the Bering Strait area with his summer job. I'm not super excited about it, but I know that it'll pass and that this is a great opportunity for him. The main part that concerns me is that he is scheduled to be home about 9 days before my due date. Let's hope our little girl decided to stay put until Daddy is home.

Us before he left out the door… our daughter wearing her "Rapunzel" hair.

Liebster Award

Wow! I really wasn't expecting to be nominated for the Liebster award but I'm really touched by Melanie at A Trendy Teacher for thinking of me! It's an award to honor newer bloggers (with less than 200 followers) who have great content.

Part of the Liebster Award is sharing more about yourself and introducing your followers to other great blogs. Here goes nothing. 

1. Why and how long ago did you start blogging?

I think I technically started blogging in Oct of 2013 but didn't really make a true effort to post until the following spring. 

2. What one word sums up your blog and why?

Simple

I am not one who creates my own products. I love to use what others have created and tweak them to fit my needs. I also try to keep a super simple classroom. If things are too crazy in there, it's hard to stay caught up, organized and well prepared so that I can spend more quality time with my family.  

3. Is there something you learned late in your blog journey wished you knew before?

I still feel pretty new to the scene, but participating in Linky Parties had really helped me blog more, reflect more, and connect more.

4. What is your favorite past time other than blogging?

Hm... It varies but besides spending time with my family, I really like to read, digital scrapbook with Heritage Makers, or do something physical outside when it's warm weather. 

5. How many hours a week do you dedicate to your blog?

I don't have a set amount. I use it as a break from the normal day to day things, but I'm trying to be more consistent with at least one-two posts a week. 

6. What category of blog posts do you most enjoy?

I really like the technology posts. It really helps me think about the way I'm using it in my classroom. Also, how I can help other teachers in my school use the iPads that we have since I am a part of our Tech Committee. There is soo much out there!

7. Which post have you written that you are most proud of?

I would have to say my post about using the app Explain Everything to create math videos for my class. Looking back at it made me realize that I really should do a follow up based on how things are going now. Check it out here.

This second post is also one I like because of the variety of things shared...classroom, product, recipe, and a personal touch. 

8. Is there a post that you have been planning to do, but have been postponing for a while now?

I didn't think so but when I was looking for the post I'm proud of, I saw that I was going to try a series called App of the Day. I have 4-5 started but never finished/posted. I'm not sure if I should still try that or just link up with someone who already has a technology linky going.

9. What is your favorite aspect of blogging?

I am amazed that the people that I have met! I find connections between myself and others that really make the world feel small. Ha Ha. It also reassures me that I am not the only one having struggles and to keep looking at the positive! Living in Alaska I'm not able to go to any "blogger meet ups," but I still find it fun to read what others are up to.

10. Which idea from a blog would you like to try yourself?

 There are too many to choose from! My most recent find are these Matchbox Summaries from Got To Teach. It would also be fairly simple to work into novel studies or book reports.

My Nominations:

Cate @ My Rainy Day Creations

Katie @ Following Polaris

Kim @ Quinnessential Lessons

Melissa @ Got To Teach

To those who have been nominated, here are the "official" rules for accepting:

1. In your post, link back to the blogger who nominated you as a thank you and "shout out". (Follow their blog if you haven't already!)

2. Answer the 10 questions (the ones I answered above).

3. Nominate 5-11 blogs of your choice that each have less than 200 followers. Provide them with 11 questions to answer or have them answer the questions above. 

4. Let your nominees know that they've been nominated. Then provide them with a link to your post so that they can accept. 

5. Send your nominator a link to your post so that s/she can learn more about you as well! 

Currently: May

Listening: I'm really feeling the need to nest so I lugged up my totes filled with the newborn clothes from my 2 year old. I've also decided that I need to find some new books/series to read/listen to. I'm really glad that our borough library has an online component. While it doesn't have all the books I want, it still has a lot to choose from! Check out the Instagram hashtag #wecantputbooksdown for some great suggestions on what to read/listen to.

Loving: If you'd read any of my past posts, you'll know that I feel like I had a semi-rough year this year. I am quite seriously on the count down (11 more student contact days) and am super relieved to have a short teaching week next week. We have MAP testing which replaces some actual lesson time, I have a district committee meeting on Thursday, and a school site based PD day on Friday. It makes me feel like I can rejuvenate for one more 5 day week!

Thinking: I truly depend on my hubby to ground to  me. These last couple weeks have been a struggle for me as he's been staying at school late to finish up projects and also going to a fire instructor course. This pregnancy has my emotions going haywire and he has been stressed. Next week will hopefully be a great, non stressful week in our home!

Wanting: In my impulse to nest, I want to replace a lot of things and buy all the cute, color-coordinated organization. I am trying very hard to restrain myself and keep in mind the things I would rather have that require saving and would help our family make memories. 

Needing: Yup, I'm showing now (6 months) and definitely don't fit in most of my clothes anymore. I have a hard time buying clothes that I won't wear for very long, but I want to be comfortable without looking frumpy.

Here's the requested Bump Pic in a new shirt I just got... 

I hadn't done my hair yet so it's fresh from the shower.

Summer: Nesting impulse again! Our downstairs room has became a mess when we tried to reorganize our garage and our storage under the stairs. We have some friends coming to visit so we need to get our extra room ready for them.

One additional thing I forgot to add to the photo….SUN!! We have 15+ hours of daylight now and I am loving it! It's a glorious time in AK when you have hours of sun to soak in!

Thanks to Farley for hosting and Fancy Free in 4th for sponsoring!

Sunday Scoop: 3.22.15

I decided to add my scoop to the Teaching Trio's Linky..

Hope that you all have a fabulous week ahead of you!!

Thanks for stopping by!

*Steph*

Five for Friday: March 20

I got a little more techy this week!

I have started using Reflector in my room a lot more. It has been an easier way (less prep than making flipcharts) to go over different worksheets/activities/homework with my kids. It also lets me be mobile in the room, unlike having to be standing at the Promethean board to annotate.  

I also let my kids use QR codes to check their work. 

This is a great setup by Katie May on TPT. 

I like that the answers are on a separate sheet. My kids had to do all the problems, check with me, and then receive the answer key.

We also did the Taxation w/out Representation role play by Young Teacher Love.

It was awesome!!!

This colonist is sad because she has no more jelly beans to pay.

My principal came in as the "Queen of England."

The little piggy in the blue in the front loudly asked "Can we start the war now?!" 

I also was close to getting pummeled by some plastic cups, since I was one of the Tax Collectors. 

Ha Ha! It was a great representation of the unfair taxes and definitely got their blood running.

My hubby was super sweet to me and made this DELICIOUS chicken for me since I was craving it yesterday. 

Check out the recipe at Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon-Butter Sauce

Instagram teaser:

I did a reveal with my students today! They were so excited to find out.

We took them outside, had them choose which side to stand based on their guess, and then I cut open the top to release the balloons!

Instagram Reveal:

Big sister holding a new dress for her little sister!!

We are pretty excited! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

*Steph*