High Five for Friday

Happy Friday!

1. Kyle had a gig last Saturday with his new cover band Ghostpepper. It was great to see him play again! His band rocked! It was a full night of Van Halen, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, Waylon Jennings, Edgar Winter, Credence Clearwater Revival and much more. Unfortunately, it made for a late night and I have been trying to catch up on sleep all week because of it. It was worth it though. If you're interested, check out their Facebook page for upcoming gigs.

2.My Mom had surgery last week and she got out of the hospital on Tuesday. We are really close, so it has been hard to watch her go through so much pain. I can't wait until she is back to feeling like herself!

3. I had three warts removed on my hand this week by a torture device liquid nitrogen. Painful doesn't even begin to describe this horrendous procedure. It was nice to be bandaged up at work a couple of times this week to help me heal. 

4. This week I have been pretty grumpy at times with some of my students. Long story short- the honeymoon is over! Yet I still hear "you're the bestest teacher ever" from some of them. They are just trying to butter me up, which of course is working. I love teaching first grade!

5. I'm so happy that Fall is finally in the air and at the grocery stores! Yay for pumpkin spice kisses and Starbucks drinks!

High Five for Friday and August

Happy Friday! This Friday is extra happy for me.  I took the day off so we could head to the Disneyland area to get ready for the Disney half marathon this Sunday. 

This month has been so busy since I have gone back to work, so I'm going to wrap up August in this High Five for Friday post.

1. My birthday this year was awesome! Every year it seems to get better. This year included lots of sweets, family love and time with friends! I even got love from my students who had only known me three days! I have to share this really cute necklace and bracelet set I got from my husband. I love Skippyjon Jones! If you don't know who he is then you're missing out and you need to google him ASAP!

2. I worked my tush off in my classroom before my students arrived this year. I can be kind of a perfectionist when it comes to getting my bulletin boards and classroom set up. This year wasn't any different. I am so proud of this bulletin board I made (with the help of my first grade team members) to use while my students read stories.

I also made this classroom rewards chart based off another teacher's idea I saw on Pinterest. So long treasure box and tons of money spent on junk! Hello cheap rewards! Check out the link if you are curious to see how this rewards poster works.

So far I'm loving my class. I only have 22 students right now and it's been really nice with a class size that small. Last year I had 32 at the most and it was just constant crowd control. I hope I can continue to have a small class size this year.

3. This weekend is the Disney half marathon that I was supposed to train for all Summer. I trained a little, but nearly what I had planned. Long story short, I'm not a runner, I'm a swimmer. I will finish the half though. I will! I will! I will! i hope.

4.We celebrated my brother's birthday a week early because of the run this weekend. I put together a bag of bacon items for him because he is crazy about bacon. He loved it! I just hope he doesn't torment his vegetarian girlfriend with all of this items.

Just a few items that I bought for him along with a bacon gift bag and even a bacon card!

5. It has been so hot and humid here that I haven't taken Banner for any long walks since I have been back to work. Instead, we have been keeping him occupied with silly games and lots of play time.

Yes, he has a shirt on.

Have a great weekend!

High Five for Friday- Goodbye Summer, Hello Classroom

This is the last Friday (and last day) of Summer break. I'm sad, but this Summer has really been pretty good to me, so I'm kinda OK with going back to work. For this week's High Five for Friday I'm giving you my top five memories of this summer.

1. Pennsylvania trip with my hubby- Gettysburg Civil War reenactments, Amish farmland and quilts and some pretty yummy food.

2. Grand Canyon trip with my family- three day trip with a train ride to the Grand Canyon and back.

3. Beach days- I only managed to get two beach days in so far this Summer, but they were pretty great beach days.

4. Eating junk food- Recently I have eaten way too many of these and they are incredibly addicting! I highly recommend that you make them and then share them with others eat all of them!

5. Relaxation time- I had a good amount of time to relax this Summer. I was able to visit with family, friends and also enjoy some quiet time alone. 

High Five for Friday

Happy Friday! I'm back to share my week and to link up again with Lauren Elizabeth. 

1. The highlight of my week was swimming at the gym. I know this doesn't sound all that wonderful, but this is a huge thing for me.  I have been wanting to do it for at least a year now, but didn't have the cojones to do it. Now I'm hooked! I'm a swimmer at heart and I am dying to go again. I'm even thinking of trying the aqua aerobics classes.

2. A friend and I went to Crystal Cove beach. Perfect weather, beautiful waves and dolphins! It was a great day!

Seeing the dolphins was so exciting!

3. Scrumptious macaroons from the Sweet and Saucy Shop. I'm in love with macaroons! So. Freakin'. Good.

4. I'm a swinger! No, not that kind of swinger! I love to sit outside in my new porch swing and watch the hummingbirds.

My pup chillin' with me while I'm on the swing.

5. Summer break is over in 9 days (boooo!) so I took some time this week to start preparing for the new school year. I usually get excited about going back to work, but the excitement hasn't hit me yet this Summer.

What was the highlight of your week?

High Five for Friday

I have been wanting to do a weekly blog post for a while now as a way to blog more often. I was recently introduced to High Five for Friday posts by a friend (the idea is originally from Lauren Elizabeth's blog) and I decided to jump on the idea. So, here goes nothin'!

1. I came back from a Grand Canyon trip with my family (minus my brother and hubby). It was a quick trip and I can't wait to get back to do some more hiking there. This trip plus the trip to Pennsylvania this month makes it a totally of 12 days of being gone on vacation this month. I'm so excited to be home for a while. Now if I could just get time to slow down before school starts again.

2. We went to the Redlands Theater Festival with some friends this week. I was shocked that there was this cute outdoor theater in the middle of the park that we had our wedding reception. Who knew that was hiding there?! It was nice to reminisce about our wedding and the play was pretty awesome as well.

 

3. As soon as I got back from the family trip, I had to finish this puzzle I started before I left. I haven't done a puzzle in a really long time and it was a nice time waster way to relax.

4. I got in a really good run/walk on the treadmill to keep the training going for my half marathon in September. 34 more days to go! EEEEKKK!

5. A friend and I had a really good lunch at Luna's and then went swimming at her house. Her dogs are so much fun. They love to swim and chase after the Frisbee for hours!

The never ending school year and my dreams of Summer vacation

Five more days with kiddos and eight more torturous days left of work! I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! But I'm actually not and that is what STINKS! In a previous post I was excited to see my little first graders become butterflies. Well, now they are butterflies and most of them are fluttering around making me crazy. I'm trying to enjoy the last few days with them because I know I'm going to be sad when they are gone. I actually have a really good group of students this year and I love them to death, except when they make me crazy. Did I tell you that they are making me crazy? This summer will be the first summer in six years that I won't have to worry about whether or not I have a job next school year. I feel so relieved that the worry is gone and now I'm just focused on Summer.

Speaking of Summer, I have been making a long mental list of fun things that I want to do this Summer. When you are a teacher, Summer vacation is a time when you can relax and focus on yourself after worrying about kiddos for the last ten months. Here are the top five items on my Summer to do list.

1. Beach- every Summer I say that I am going to go to the beach and I never do. Most of the time I don't go because who really wants to drag all of your crap to a place where you spend the day in the hot sun and then leave with a whole bunch of sand in your suit? Well I am really missing the beach right now, so my hope is to visit the beach once a week this Summer. Hopefully I can get a lot of reading done and maybe even get a nice tan!

Campfire Bars- A must try this Summer

2.Cook, BBQ and make lots of yummy things to eat- I pin a bizzilion things on Pinterest, (Hi! My name is Michelle and I am a pinaholic) but I don't take the time to make anything. I am hoping to cook a lot and also get the hubby to BBQ this Summer. He can BBQ like a master chef and I am always willing to be his taste tester.

3. Scrapbooking- I hate to admit it, but I still haven't finished my wedding scrapbook from three years ago. I almost finished though, so that is getting finished this year along with a couple other projects.

 4. Exercising- I haven't been to the gym in almost two weeks and I can feel it. I can't wait to get back into an exercise routine and get ready for the half marathon in September. I have realized that I am not a runner. I don't enjoy it like I do swimming. But maybe that will change in the next couple of months.

5. Travel- this Summer we are going to Pennsylvania for the Battle of Gettysburg's 150th anniversary. While I am not super excited about the battle stuff, I am excited about sight seeing in Philadelphia. It's always nice to get out of California for a bit and see new places. 

What fun things do you have planned for this Summer?

One step forward, two steps back- 16 and a half weeks to go!

So the plans I had to get on track with training for the half marathon in September have gone out the door for now. About a month ago, I hurt my hip at the gym. I thought it was my right hip flexor muscle, which is really weak to begin with. I didn't ice it, but I just dealt with the pain. I know, stupid! Gradually the pain became worse and worse until I ended up in urgent care last week. Diagnosis: a strained ligament in my hip! NO! This is not supposed to happen! I have been procrastinating to the nth degree and right now I'm supposed to be kicking butt to make up for it. Now, instead of my new running shoes being my new best friend for the next week or so, I'm making friends with a bag of ice and Advil. Juuuuust great! Luckily I have still feel like I can complete this half marathon, even if I have to crawl to the finish line. 

Anyway, before all of this mess last week I was attempting to stick to my goals for the last two months of April. I walk/ran 6 miles the first week and 4 miles the second week. I also started reading my running books again and I learned that I need to stretch a hellofalot more than I actually do. I learned that I need to eat healthier, but that was not a surprise to me. I'm realizing that my goal for this half marathon (getting a cool looking medal) should just be one of many goals in becoming a runner. Therefore, this next week I'm going to reassess my long term goals in becoming a runner. Until then, you can find me in bed snuggled up to a bag of a ice and a good book.

A Confession of Laziness

I really dislike April! I think that out the three lovely Spring months that we get every year, April is the red headed step-child. For a few days it is warm and beautiful and then gradually each day it gets colder and colder and then it gradually warms up again. Then we get these awful overcast mornings that make you freeze in your new Spring outfit that you MUST wear because you know that it will be warm later in the day. I REALLY DISLIKE APRIL! Therefore, I feel like April is the reason that I have been so lazy. I actually was lazy in March too, but I think it's because I sensed April was coming. It's amazing how lazy I have been! I had one whole week off for Spring break and I didn't do anything productive! I felt guilty about being lazy, but that didn't stop me from actually doing something about it. I also have gotten so lazy with going to the gym and training for the half-marathon in September. This is a huge problem because even though I have 19 and a half weeks until this crazy run, I am not even close to being ready. So, I have decided that enough is enough! It's time to start movin' and groovin'! I am going to start posting monthly goals to prepare for this baby and I'm expecting you (my four wonderful followers) to hold me accountable! I will start the monthly goals at the beginning of May (because I'm OCD and you can't start monthly goals in the middle of a month), but until then here are my goals for the next two weeks of April.

Goals for April
1. Walk/ Run 6 miles per week
2. Buy new running shoes- this is looooong overdue
3. Read Running for Women book by Kara Goucher
4. Strength training 3 times a week

Monday Afternoon Ramblings

1.  I'm so happy that January is over and February is finally here. I'm ready for some love this month. When I taught sixth grade the last two years, I really missed celebrating Valentine's Day with my first graders. We celebrated Valentine's Day a few of days ago and, I have to say, having a Valentine's Day party for 31 first graders takes a very crazy special person. At first I flipped out while they were passing out their cards because it was chaos to me. I have very little room in my classroom due to the amount of little bodies, desks and chairs so I rarely let them get out of their seats. After I flipped out, I sat back and just watched their excited faces. They had so much fun and went home with a bag of cards and candy. It was perfect! I was exhausted!

2.  There's a rumor that Bethenny Frankel is writing a book about her divorce. I used to love watching her reality show, but then she became a crazy, selfish, husband-hating person and I lost interest. She should write a book titled 50 Ways to Ruin Your Marriage because that would be more truthfully and interesting.

3.  A few weeks ago I signed up for the Disney Half Marathon that is in September. So far, I haven't started training yet. I am such a procrastinator, but now I'm having dreams about doing the run, so I guess I better start preparing. I like the idea of being a runner, but I definitely haven't made that leap yet to actually being a runner.

4. I often wonder how many people are actually happy with their careers. I definitely have ups and downs with being a teacher and I often find myself day dreaming about finding a new career. In the past I have day dreamed of owning my own cupcake business, working at Starbucks, and becoming a chef.  Lately I have been interested in being a detective or a private investigator. I would be awesome at this considering that I love to spy on people, I am very inquisitive and I love trying to solve mysteries. 

If you could change careers, what new career would you choose?

2013

Happy New Year and all that other wonderful BS your supposed to say this time of year. This post is almost a week late, so it's seems silly saying it now. Anyway, 2012 was a pretty darn good year for us. Kyle's business increased in clients this year and he is getting ready to start some new ideas to increase business even more in 2013. I was pretty good at sticking to my resolutions from last year.  I switched from teaching middle school back to elementary which has really decreased my stress level. Teaching elementary is where my heart is and I hope I get to teach first grade for a few more years. I really focused on getting fit this year. I have been working out with a trainer for the last 9 months and this pushes me to get out of my comfort zone and into the gym. I have seen results, but I want to continue to push myself even further this year. Even though we are a week into the new year, I have yet to make some definite resolutions. So instead, here are some things that I am looking forward to in 2013. 

iPhone 5- Blackberry's suck and I'm counting down the days until I can upgrade to an iPhone. 40 days until I can enjoy the perks of having an iPhone (hello, Instagram).

Disneyland Half Marathon in September- Yep, I'm signing up for a half marathon. I would never in a million years think that I would do this, but I am. After watching my brother run the Disney half last September I became really motivated to start running. Plus, I was super jealous of the medal he got at the end of the race. Talk about motivation! All joking aside though, running has helped me unwind and focus on myself. It has helped me stay focused on my fitness goals. I have a lot of training to do to prepare for this race, but I have time. 

150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg- We are going to Pennsylvania in July to visit the site of the battle of Gettysburg. It just so happens that this year is the 150th anniversary of the battle, which means lots to see and do, lots of tourists and high prices for everything. I'm not super excited about the whole battle site stuff, but Kyle is. He loves learning about the Civil War. I am excited though about going to Pennsylvania and I plan on including some sightseeing that I would enjoy into the trip. Hmmmmm, I wonder if there are cupcake places in Pennsylvania? 

What are you looking forward to this year? Hope your year is a good one! If not, well then there is always next year!