Fall Decor Tips

I can't wait to start decorating for fall this weekend. I'm inspired by one of our favorite blogs, Our Best Bites, and their recent post on Tips for Spooktacular Fall Decor.

I'm excited to pull out the "Fall Decor" bin that I have, but I'm also eager to switch things up a bit this year. Our Best Bites offered some great tips:

Use What You Have: You have a lot around your house already that can be transformed and with a few fun additions, you can make them fit for a season. 

Find Your Style, and then Find it Somewhere Else: Try going through catalogs and getting ideas, and then finding similar styles at places like Target, Home Goods, etc. 

Bunch o’ Pumpkins:It’s so easy to make any space a fall space when you just fill up a vase, or sprinkle them on your shelves or table top.

A Big Fail in the Kitchen

I really enjoy baking oatmeal cookies during the fall season. My mom bakes the best oatmeal cookies and I normally nail the recipe, but I quickly realized the other night that I didn't have all of the ingredients that I needed, so I improvised. Of course, it was an epic fail.

I decided to follow this Betty Crocker recipe to help improvise. I thought it would be good, but something was missing. Do you have a favorite oatmeal cookie recipe?

1 1/2

cups packed brown sugar

1

cup butter or margarine, softened

1

teaspoon vanilla

1

egg

2

cups quick-cooking oats

1 1/2

cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose or unbleached flour

1

teaspoon baking soda

1/4

teaspoon salt

1

cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)

1

cup chopped nuts, if desired

Pregnancy Apps

My sister recommended a few apps to me when she learned that I was pregnant. She even recommended that my husband have them on his phone, too... and so we both clicked away! These two apps are lifesavers. I love the weekly updates and quick information at your fingertips! If you're pregnant, or know someone that's pregnant, be sure to download these apps!

App #1: What to Expect

App #2: Baby Bump

Be Sure to Taste Your Words

Words of Wisdom for my students! Words are powerful! 

The best feeling in the world.

The best feeling in the world is feeling your baby move inside of you!

 Prior to this week, I felt only flutters of movement and now I'm starting to feel like this baby is practicing martial arts inside my belly. The initial fluttering movements that I felt a few weeks ago have definitely turned into full-fledged kicks and nudges. Movement picked up as each day carried on this week and every night I'd call for my husband to run into our bedroom... "Hurry, put your hand here. Do you feel it?" and the baby would stop moving. It was really frustrating! 

We played the "hurry, come in here" game a few times yesterday afternoon and finally my husband felt the baby moving and kicking! It was the absolute best experience in the whole entire world. I will never, ever, ever forget that moment for as long as I live. Grow, baby, grow so that we can meet you soon!

On a cleaning warpath.

I woke up this morning with the urge to decorate our apartment for fall. I jumped up out of bed, excited to break out decorations that I haven't seen since over a year ago, but then I quickly realized that I really needed to clean first. Ugh. Cleaning.

My husband and I keep our place pretty clean. We can almost be labeled as neat freaks. We're the type of people who like to clean up after we make a mess. It's the dust that gets the best of our place--I like to blame it on the central air units and the ceiling fans. But seriously, where does all the dust come from?!

So, as soon as I got out of bed, I was on a cleaning warpath. I cleaned every room and scrubbed our bathroom down - yuck, worst part. My husband is working today, but I'm sure if he caught me in the middle of my cleaning warpath, he would've thought something was seriously wrong with me. I was on a mission...I even managed to do a few loads of laundry. I have no idea where the energy came from.

I'm now too exhausted to decorate for fall. But, there's always tomorrow, right?

High Five for Friday: Enjoying the Small Things, Always.

I'm so excited that the weekend is here! A few reflections on my week:

1. Walking outside. I was determined to be outside after school as much as possible this week. The weather has been absolutely beautiful and I want to enjoy what's left of it before the leaves start falling to signal that winter is on it's way. After a long day of work, I dream of coming home and putting on comfy clothes. However, there's really no better feeling than to be soaking up the fresh air outside. 

2. Surviving back to school night. It's one of those nights that teacher's anticipate and wait for. We also put a lot of planning into it - not only do we want the night to go seamlessly, but we want parents to understand and experience what we do with their children each day. It was a success and I'm glad it's behind us! :-)

3. Love Notes in my lunch bag. My husband tucked a little love note inside my lunch bag the other day. I noticed it when I was packing the rest of my lunch in the morning and it simply made my day. Enjoying the small things, always. 

4. Photo Gallery Wall Makeover. The monster project. With my burst of energy last weekend, I plucked over twenty frames off of the wall, tearing my gallery wall apart. I love the "fresh canvas" that I've created. Now I'm waiting for my husband's help to implement my new vision... 

5. Receiving books in the mail. I received a huge box of books in the mail this week - all for my classroom. I started reading the first chapter of each one and I'm hooked... I'm having trouble choosing one to stick with though. I'm eager to read them and then get them into the hands of my students. 

We're linking up with Lauren Elizabeth this week. Click on over for more awesome stuff!

Photo Gallery FAIL

I love photo galleries... but I couldn't stand mine anymore! This is not mine...

A few months ago, I blogged about my photo gallery wall. I was really, really, really excited about it and I drove my husband absolutely insane throughout the process. And it was a process! Picking out the photos was fun, finding the right frames was even better, but trying to find the right arrangement on the wall was the worst part. No, leveling and making holes in the wall was the worst part!

After it was all complete, I loved it and I was in heaven! Having this display in the entryway was fabulous because I'd eye the photos whenever I came and left the house. It was perfection until the worst thing happened... I got tired of the display. {Insert sad, miserable face.}

I didn't get tired of the photos, I loved staring at them. But, I was just tired of the wall looking so cramped and full. I wanted a fresh, clean feel. Maybe it's a weird pregnancy symptom, but I just couldn't stand it anymore! I casually mentioned it to my husband one night as we were leaving for dinner. "Really? I like it," he said. My heart sank. I was hoping he'd at least somewhat agree with me. But regardless of what he said, the damn display was eating me alive.

So, the most awful thing happened... I took the whole display apart. I plucked each frame off the wall and my living room was covered in frames... everywhere! The wall was covered in little black holes from the nails and there were scratches underneath the frames from getting them to hang just right. Have no fear! I quickly filled the holes with Spackle, touched up the wall with paint, and voila... clean, fresh, spacious!

My husband walked in from work as I had just finished filling the holes with Spackle. "Oh, God. What are you doing?" he mumbled softly. "Don't worry, it's going to look great when it's all done!" I said. Poor guy. Go ahead and feel bad for him.

Photo gallery fail. Onto the next project. Gallery frames are still sitting in the living room and new frames are waiting to be hung... this weekend. Thank god tomorrow is Friday!

Surviving Back to School Night

I loved Amanda's post about Anticipating Back to School Night. We both participated in Back to School Night on Wednesday night and I completely agree with her... even after living through seven of these nights, my nerves still get the best of me. 

I truly look forward to meeting the parents of each and every one of my students. The meet and greet is my favorite part. I love noticing the same "isms" that that both parent and child share... shrugging of the shoulders, the excitement in their voice, the way they talk or laugh...these are just a few things that I notice right away. The warm smiles and handshakes go a long way and create the, "we're in this together" vibe.

The "we made it- I survived" feeling is the best feeling to have as we leave the building at night. The hardest part is coming home at 9pm, getting rid of the adrenaline rush, and feeling tired enough to go to bed. 

Tears

A Small Moment in the Classroom

We had just sent our students off to work in small groups when one student approached me with red, glassy eyes, that were beginning to tear up. He started speaking, his voice shaky, and managed to get out that he need to "speak to {deep breath} both of his teachers about {deep breath} staying organized."

Sensing that the floodgates would open at any second, I whisked him outside and asked him what was wrong. As soon as I opened my classroom door, a rush of tears came streaming down his face. His nose was also running and he was trying to keep it together but couldn't. He stared at me with his big blue eyes and my heart. just. sank...  I wanted to cry with him. I hate seeing my students upset. I'm so sensitive that I feel like crying right alongside them.

"I'm having a problem staying organized. I keep forgetting my homework folder and my supplies. I'm at my mom's house a few nights and then I'm at my dad's house. I just don't know what to do and I need help. It's really hard." Poor W managed to get all of that out in bits and pieces as he fought back tears, wiped his nose with the back of his hand, and took a few deep breaths.

And now tears were really welling up in my eyes.

I wanted to hug him and tell him that "everything would be ok." I remember seeing his dad's "student information" sheet. Dad explained his recent divorce over the summer and how W was having a hard time with the transition.

We calmed W down right away and this is where we threw on the many hats that teachers wear. In that instant, we became moms, guidance counselors, friends, coaches, and shoulders to cry on.

I experience these breakdowns more than a few times a year with my students. For some reason, parents seem to get divorced as soon as their kid turns ten. Maybe they think their kids are old enough to handle it? Who knows. But it's heartbreaking and kids are far from being able to handle it... if anything, middle school makes the situation that. much. worse.

I don't consider days like this one bad, hard, or tough... they're absolutely heart wrenching. It's all I can think about for the rest of the day, on my drive home from work, cooking dinner, preparing for tomorrow, and the list goes on. It was the first thing I told my husband tonight.

Growing up is hard. Being a student is hard. Having a stable family means everything. I'm reminded of it every day. Every day for the past eight years, since having my own classroom, I've realized how LUCKY I am to have such amazing parents. They provided such a loving, caring, warm, stable home life for me and I only wish that all of my students could have the same thing.

Today was a heart wrenching day, but I can't wait to get back into the classroom tomorrow to help my students feel safe, loved, and cared for in our stable classroom environment.

Craving Outside Time

Getting back into the school routine has been great, but I crave being outside when I'm in school all day...especially on the beautiful days that we've been having. On my drive home from work today, I couldn't wait to change into workout clothes and get outside. The weather was absolutely gorgeous; just about seventy degrees. I've been "enjoying the small things" outside and soaking up what's left of summer... the green trees, leaves, and grass... the bright blue sky and gentle breeze. 

With our forecast being absolutely gorgeous all week, I'm determined to be outside every day after school. I hope you decide to do the same!

Holding a Newborn Today!

Today I was finally able to visit my best friend, Frances, to welcome her new bundle of joy into the world... Baby Chase! Baby Chase arrived almost a month early and is a healthy, happy, beautiful little boy. Frances' due date was planned for tomorrow, September 15th, and as I held him in my arms, I couldn't imagine that little boy being in her belly for that long. He is SO precious and especially hard to put down. I just wanted to keep holding him, all while staring at his perfect little features. Obviously, this visit made me eager to meet my sister's baby in November, and of course, very eager to meet our little one in January. Time is flying and I know it will be here in no time. I just can't wait!!!

Books about Baby!

I crawled into bed last night and started reading a young adult book from my classroom, Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie. I've had this book in my classroom library for quite a while, but have never read it. This past week, after scouring many teacher blogs, I heard amazing things about it and decided that it needed to be read this weekend.

I mention this because most of my reading has been about pregnancy and babies! This is what the pile on my desk looks like:

I've read parts of each book, but haven't read one from cover-to-cover yet. I like to keep up with information about where I am in my current week of pregnancy and then I read a little bit ahead. My favorite "book" so far has been a magazine that I received from Destination Maternity.  It's titled "Baby Basics, Infants Didn't Come with Instructions Until Now" - from the editors of Parents & American Baby. I love the quick and basic information that will guide us through the sleepless, joyful, and crazy early months of parenthood. My husband loved this one, too! :-)

High Five for Friday: Fall Morning Temperatures

High Five for Friday! Here are a few reflections on my week:

1. Surviving an entire week of school. This was our first full 5 day week and it felt good! I was happy to see Friday afternoon, though. Who isn't? ;-)

2. "Fall" morning temperatures. After surviving a very warm first week of school, I was so happy to welcome the cooler temperatures this week. My favorite part of the day sometimes was walking from my car to the school entrance in the morning. I loved starting my day with a cool, fall breeze and fresh start! 

3. I'm thankful for a husband who likes to cook. I'm exhausted by the end of the day and cooking an entire dinner is sometimes the last thing I want to do. My husband cooked dinner a few times this week and I'm extremely grateful. 

4. Baby movement. Lying in bed at night is not only the best part of my day, but it's also when I start to feel more movement from the baby. Movement is starting to pick up more and more, and it's AMAZING!

5. Ending the week and weekend with friends. These visits were so long overdue. Life flies by too quickly and there's so much to catch up on. These conversations were the best food for my soul! 

13 years later. We will never forget.

Remembering 13 years ago today with a heavy heart. 

Sharing words that were shared in school today:

As the saying goes, “The light shines the brightest when it is the darkest.” That day,  we witnessed incredible acts of heroism, bravery, courage and the greatest acts of humanity we have ever seen. 

We remember that day and it lives within us for the rest of our days.  We honor those that lost their lives and those that gave their lives so others may live.  That day created a sense of value in each of us—that life is precious and not one moment with the ones you love should be taken for granted.  Today, many of the victims’ families are thinking about their lost love ones and our thoughts and prayers go out to them today and forever more.

Some people tell us that 9-11 taught them that there is a real evil in this world.  We learned another lesson.  No matter how bad things are, there will always be those people who do what is right by helping others and see beyond the smoke and dust to ease human suffering and pain.

Teacher Exhaustion.

I was deciding on what to blog about tonight and I couldn't think of anything better than to admit that I'm exhausted. Teacher exhausted and run down... already. I'm embarrassed to say that on my ride home from work, I started daydreaming about a vacation on the beach. I know, I know! If you're not a teacher and reading this, you probably want to kill me! Please don't hate me! I was just day dreaming about a little siesta on the beach... the place where I feel most relaxed. I'm sure many of my teacher friends are experiencing the same exact thing. I know that being pregnant doesn't help the feeling of being exhausted. But, the truth is, I strive to be superwoman all day and by 8:30 pm, I'm ready for bed! 

Apple Pie Craving

With the cool weather this week, I was craving a slice of an apple pie. I love making my own apple pie, but I was too exhausted to make it happen after dinner. So... womp, womp... we bought one from the store. It really wasn't good and didn't satisfy the craving like I had expected. I can't wait to make my own soon.

Here's a similar recipe that I use from Taste of Home:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 6 to 7 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1 egg white

• Additional sugar

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the sugars, flour and spices; set aside. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Add sugar mixture; toss to coat.
2. Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom crust; trim pastry even with edge. Fill with apple mixture; dot with butter. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry.
3. Beat egg white until foamy; brush over pastry. Sprinkle with sugar. Cover edges loosely with foil.
4. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 20-25 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 8 servings.

If I could be the youngest person in the world...

Last week, I gave my students their "on demand writing assessment." This assessment requires them to respond to a writing prompt and write "on demand" for an entire period. It's amazing how much we can learn about our students (as writers and kids) through this one piece of writing. This year, we created a prompt that related to the World Cup. Soccer player, Julian Green, became the youngest player in U.S. history to score a goal in the World Cup. We asked students, "If you could be the youngest person in the country to accomplish something, what would it be?"

The responses that I received from my students were... typical for sixth graders. But some of them really blew my mind!

Here's one of my favorites that I wanted to share. It obviously touched my heart because of the photography part:

Today, I had to matter the most.

Inspired by Shop Compliment's Instagram post tonight. I've blogged about Shop Compliment before- so worth checking out! Love the messages, the jewelry and the fact that she's a teacher! :-)

I wanted to share her words tonight before we begin our big week back at school. Today I took care of me and put school work to the side. "Today, I had to matter the most."

Inspired by a post I saw on @yesandyesblog, I slowed things down a lot today to take care of me. Today, I had to matter the most. Because, after all, if there's no me, there's no way I can move forward with anything else that must be done. So. There you have it. A little #selfcare. A little #soulcare. A lot of getting better at both and learning that this leads to me being "self-full," not selfish. 

Ordering Books for My Classroom

I blogged about Two Reflective Teachers blog over the summer. It's an amazing literacy blog that's filled with really great resources for the classroom. Last night, I spent a lot of time going through their book recommendations for the classroom. Some books are for read aloud purposes, others are for independent reading books within specific genre units, and others I plan to order because I have students in mind that will probably really love them.

Here are a few books on my list:

A Million Ways Home by Dianna Dorisi: A moving middle-grade story about love, loss, and the unlikely places we find home.

Poppy's life has been turned upside down after her grandma (and guardian) had a stroke and ended up in the hospital. But Poppy is working on a plan to help Grandma Beth so their life together can go back to normal. But when she witnesses an armed robbery, "back to normal" slips even further out of her reach. To keep Poppy safe, the budget-strapped police devise an unusual "witness protection program," wherein Poppy will stay with Detective Brannigan's mother. Soon Poppy is feeling almost at home, even making sort-of friends with a girl named Lizzie and definitely friending Gunner, a beautiful dog with an uncertain fate. But it's still not home. So while she and Lizzie navigate a rocky friendship and plot to save Gunner's life, Poppy also tries to figure out a new plan to save Grandma Beth and their home, all while avoiding a dangerous robber who might be searching for her. But what if Grandma Beth can never come home and the robber is put behind bars? What will happen to Poppy then?

One for the Murphys by Linda Mullaly Hunt: A moving debut novel about a foster child learning to open her heart to a family's love

Carley uses humor and street smarts to keep her emotional walls high and thick. But the day she becomes a foster child, and moves in with the Murphys, she's blindsided. This loving, bustling family shows Carley the stable family life she never thought existed, and she feels like an alien in their cookie-cutter-perfect household. Despite her resistance, the Murphys eventually show her what it feels like to belong--until her mother wants her back and Carley has to decide where and how to live. She's not really a Murphy, but the gifts they've given her have opened up a new future.

Prisoner B-3087 by Ruth Gruener : 

Survive. At any cost.

10 concentration camps.

10 different places where you are starved, tortured, and worked mercilessly.

It's something no one could imagine surviving.

But it is what Yanek Gruener has to face.

As a Jewish boy in 1930s Poland, Yanek is at the mercy of the Nazis who have taken over. Everything he has, and everyone he loves, have been snatched brutally from him. And then Yanek himself is taken prisoner -- his arm tattooed with the words PRISONER B-3087.

He is forced from one nightmarish concentration camp to another, as World War II rages all around him. He encounters evil he could have never imagined, but also sees surprising glimpses of hope amid the horror. He just barely escapes death, only to confront it again seconds later.

Can Yanek make it through the terror without losing his hope, his will -- and, most of all, his sense of who he really is inside?


Based on an astonishing true story.

Dash by Kirby Larson: New from Newbery Honor author Kirby Larson, the moving story of a Japanese-American girl who is separated from her dog upon being sent to an incarceration camp during WWII.

Although Mitsi Kashino and her family are swept up in the wave of anti-Japanese sentiment following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mitsi never expects to lose her home -- or her beloved dog, Dash. But, as World War II rages and people of Japanese descent are forced into incarceration camps, Mitsi is separated from Dash, her classmates, and life as she knows it. The camp is a crowded and unfamiliar place, whose dusty floors, seemingly endless lines, and barbed wire fences begin to unravel the strong Kashino family ties. With the help of a friendly neighbor back home, Mitsi remains connected to Dash in spite of the hard times, holding on to the hope that the war will end soon and life will return to normal. Though they've lost their home, will the Kashino family also lose their sense of family? And will Mitsi and Dash ever be reunited?

Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff: Albie has never been the smartest kid in his class. He has never been the tallest. Or the best at gym. Or the greatest artist. Or the most musical. In fact, Albie has a long list of the things he's not very good at. But then Albie gets a new babysitter, Calista, who helps him figure out all of the things he is good at and how he can take pride in himself.

A perfect companion to Lisa Graff's National Book Award-nominated A Tangle of Knots, this novel explores a similar theme in a realistic contemporary world where kids will easily be able to relate their own struggles to Albie's. Great for fans of Rebecca Stead's Liar and Spy, RJ Palacio's Wonder and Cynthia Lord's Rules.