Blogger 411 with lots-o-pics!

Becky over at From Mrs. to Mama is hosting this fun link-up! 

1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed?
I started blogging almost 2 years ago (weird)!  I started my blog the first year I got a teaching job so I could save memories from my first year and also share ideas with other teachers.  My blog has changed from a mainly educational/teaching blog to a mommy blog!  I still plan on including stuff about school but right now it's the summer anyway!

2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study?
I went to a small college in Columbus, Ohio called Ohio Dominican University.  I studied Early Childhood Education.  I have a Bachelor's of Science in Education and I also started graduate work there.  I am licensed to teach PreK-5 and also Reading K-12.

3. Where have you traveled?
Even though I love to travel, I'm not very well traveled because we end up visiting places we love over and over!  Here are some of our fav spots:

Caribbean (I think this was St. Lucia?)

our lake house in Michigan!

Fort Myers Beach, FL (we were engaged here!)

Hilton Head Island, SC...I'd live there in a heartbeat!

biking on the beach in Hilton Head!

Maui, HI on our honeymoon

Kauai, HI (honeymoon again)

Lake Michigan

Grand Canyon

Sedona, AZ

Hocking Hills in good, old Ohio!

4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?
It depends on how much we won.  I would either get new floors/counters at our house or buy a new house! 

5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?
one uppers, people who argue EVERYTHING and refuse to admit they're wrong, bad drivers
6. What is your favorite movie?
It's hard to pick just one.  I love sappy chick flicks like The Notebook but I also love comedies like Wedding Crashers!

7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea?
If I'm drinking alcohol (which I haven't done in almost a year!) I like wine (red=cabernet sauvignon, white=moscato or riesling).  I also like hard cider (woodchuck and strongbow).  As far as what I'm drinking lately....ice water and lots of juice, I love juice!

8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?
Read, catch up on my DVR, spend a day outside soaking up the sun (haven't been able to do that much at all this summer, it's too hot for little Carson!)

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?
Target.  I freaking love that store, they have everything!  No joke, I'm there at least 3x a week.  Embarrassing?  Not at all!  I also love Amazon, so easy!

10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present.
Hmm, this is hard!  I'll have to get back to you all on that...maybe I can do a special post when I think of some embarrassing moments!

11. What day would you love to relive again?
The day Carson was born and our wedding day!

May 24, 2008

May 18, 2012

12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you?
Ask someone else, I'm awful with stuff like this!  I do, however, frequently hear songs on the radio and tell my husband "this will be in the movie about my life"!  As if they'll make one, ha!

13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?
I worked at my aunt's dairy diner, a donut shop (Tim Hortons), and a tanning salon.  During college I worked at Tim Hortons corporate offices and also taught at a daycare center!

14. Show us a picture from high school or college.

College...complete with major red eye and flat abs (miss those)!

15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?
I'd probably go back to Hawaii or maybe Australia so I could snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef!

16. Show us the most current picture of you or you, or your family, or anything of meaning to you.

17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now?
Probably with another baby, possibly in a new house...that's about all I know for now!! 

Teacher Tuesday (on Wednesday)!

Two posts in one day?  I must be crazy, right?  I'm actually just letting Carson nap while we wait for Nick to get home because we're going to church tonight to get information on Carson's baptism!

I realize this link-up is a day late, but I figured I'd do it anyway since my blog has been lacking in the education department lately!!   For those of you that don't know, I've accepted a new position for next school year.  Drumroll please......

I will no longer be a traveling teacher!  Wahoo!  This takes so much stress off!  I'm going to be working back in the building where I taught during the 2010/2011 school year and I'm SO excited because I'll be working with a great team!  I'll no longer be teaching kindergarten and reading intervention, I'll now be FIRST GRADE!  I'm really sad to leave my old positions and especially sad to leave my kindergarten team but I'm very excited at the same time!  I have a lot of work to do this summer to prepare for the new adventure but I feel so blessed and excited!


I'm linking up with Teaching in High Heels. If you haven't checked out her blog, do it NOW! She has tons of great ideas :)

 

 

I have a lot of teaching goals for this summer.  I figure if I write them down, maybe I'll hold myself more accountable :)

• Pack up my TWO classrooms from last year and move it all to my NEW classroom for next year!  (This will be time consuming seeing that Carson will be with me, but I need to get it done)!
• Start deciding how I want to set up/decorate my classroom.  This is always fun for me and it will be fun to decorate a new space. 
• Start pinning some 1st grade ideas.  Since I'm moving into a new grade level this year, I'll be teaching a whole new curriculum.  This is fun and scary at the same time, but I'm excited to get new ideas put into place!

I'm keeping my goal list fairly short b/c I know the things on my list will take a while and even when I'm done, I'll have 8 more things on the list.  That's just the way I am! 

If you have ANY ideas for a first grade classroom, send them my way!  I'm excited to start a new journey for next year.  :)

 

 

 

Oh, How Pinteresting!

I'm linking up with Michelle from The Vintage Apple today!

It's been a while so here are some of my favorite pins as of late....

Teaching Pins

Awesome character traits activity!

Source: adventuresofroom129.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

Good classroom management technique!

Source: firstgradeglitterandgiggles.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

Good practice for CVC words!

Source: larremoreteachertips.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

Fashion Pins

I might love this for a mommy suit :)

Source: Uploaded by user via Emily on Pinterest

Love the gray and love the gradual polka dots!

Source: primacreative.tumblr.com via Emily on Pinterest

Buckeye colors...O-H!

Source: kristen-344.polyvore.com via Emily on Pinterest

Stuff That Makes Me Smile :)

Seriously, this is too cute!

Source: attackofthecute.com via Emily on Pinterest

Can I have one NOW?!

Source: weheartit.com via Emily on Pinterest

This will be my life VERY soon and I love it :)

Source: etsy.com via Emily on Pinterest

The one where I fill in the blanks..

 

 

 

1.   My most favorite "little thing" is   relaxing with a CLEAN and clutter-free house!  I can NOT relax if there is mail on the counter, dishes in the sink, etc so I really love relaxing when all the chores are done!

2.   I give anything to  have some coffee in the morning....gave it up for the babe! :)  .

3.  I can't believe   winter break is HERE!  Today was a crazy last day filled with glitter pine cone ornaments, cupcakes, and candy cane taste tests and graphing.  I'm so excited to leave for FL tomorrow! 

4. The one thing I'd like to achieve today is   packing my bag for FL (since I haven't started) and get a few loads of laundry done.  I cheated because that isn't one thing.

5.  The last thing I want to do today is   the stuff I need to do (pack and laundry)..boo!

6.  If I were writing my own blank today, it would say:  "Over the holidays, I'm most looking forward to..."  .

7.  My favorite candle scent is    I love almost all vanilla candles (and variations of vanilla).  I think they're great for any time of the year!  Right now I have some sort of evergreen candle by our [fake] tree and a cranberry candle in our kitchen - yum!

Happy Friday!

It's already Friday again!  I've been sick all week with strep and a fever (for 7 days in a row, seriously?) so this week FLEW by for me!  I'm linking up with Lauren @ The Little Things We Do. 

1.   Love is   the best thing in the world!  (Sappy, I know.)  Love requires work but it is seriously the best feeling.  I love my family, I love my friends, I love my pups, I love my wonderful husband, and I love my baby BOY!

2.   Being in love feels like  butterflies in your tummy :)     .

3.  My favorite quote about love is    "Never give up on something you can't go a day without thinking about"  (I think people give up waaaay too easily these days) .

4. The most important thing in a relationship is   communication.  There are a lot of other things too, but I think communication is huge.  If you can't communicate with each other, you aren't going to get very far!

5.  A "deal breaker" for me in a relationship is   ego-maniacs or people who only care about themselves.

6.  The way I show love in my relationships is  letting him know I'm always thinking about him (little notes, texts, emails), making him meals and cards and gifts, telling him how much I love and appreciate him, etc...

7.  I love   my amazing husband who is also my best friend and our son who we will get to meet in May!! 

I feel like this should be a Valentine's post! 

Tar-jay Tuesday!

I'm linking up with Tara @ Fabulous But Evil for Target Tuesday! I love Target. I think I've expressed that over and over on this blog, but I'm not kidding. Seriously.

Today I'm going to focus on furniture because I've had an itch a need to re-organize my office/craft room lately. 

Carson 2-Shelf Bookcase - Espresso (I might need two of these.....I have a lot of books!)

Espresso Wide Shelf with 5 Wire Baskets (I love the 5-basket for our playroom!)

Home Carson Adjustable Shelf Horizontal Bookcase - Ebony Black (I love this for my crafting stuff!)

What are you loving at Target right now??  I probably won't buy any of this stuff, but it's fun to look!

Fill in the Blank Friday...a bit early!

So I made a Friday post on Thursday night.  So what.  I would have scheduled it to post tomorrow while I was at work but then how would I submit it to Lauren's link-up!? 

1.   The holiday season is   cheerful!  I love the time I get to spend with family and I LOVE buying gifts for people!

2.   Snow makes me   depressed a bit.  Not to be a glass half empty type of gal, but I hate cold weather!  I'll admit that snow can be pretty.  For about a day, tops.  After that, it gets all slushy and gray and it's gross and I'm over it!  P.S. I didn't even mention the way people drive it in.  Just because you drive an SUV does not qualify you to go 85 on the highway in blizzards, mmk?

3.  The best comfort food to eat when it's cold out is   chicken pot pie, soup & grilled cheese, and something VERY odd that my mom used to make for me: cream of chicken soup over toast.  OMG yum.

4. Winter is the best time for   hanging up Christmas lights, visiting Florida or other warmer places, celebrating Christmas, etc.  Joking (kind of).  Truthfully, winter is the best time to cuddle in front of the fireplace and drink hot cocoa!

5.  I can hardly wait for   the weekend so we can put up our Christmas tree!  I also need to get on the ball with buying my gifts....eeek!  So behind this year.

6.  When it comes to holiday gifts I prefer to   shop online.  I really enjoy shopping but I hate crowds and it seems impossible to avoid crowds this time of year.  Plus, you can almost always find a better deal online!  

7.  If I were to rate my excitement about the holiday season on a scale from 1-10, I would say I am at about a   7 or 8?  I'm very excited to take a trip to Florida with the hubster (that trip probably ranks a 10).  As far as the actual holiday celebrations, I'm SUPER excited to see family but it can get a little stressful to visit all 6-7 places in two days.  I'm just thankful all of our relatives live in town so we don't have to travel!

It's Wednesday, so what?!

I know I've been a bad blogger. This week report cards were due AND I had conferences at TWO schools AND tomorrow morning will be my 2nd visit to the doctor in 4 days. Seriously, I feel like I have good excuses.

Anyway, I decided to link up today......because I feel like saying, "So what!"






This week I'm saying So What if....

• I have been counting down the days until Thanksgiving break for weeks.  I need a break!
• I have a big secret that I've been holding in and I still haven't decided when I'll tell my blog friends.
• I did laundry a week ago and it's still on the drying rack in my laundry room.
• I get stressed out when my DVR is full, but still can't find time to watch any of my shows.
• I was relieved when a parent was a no-show for a conference last night.
• I can't wait until summer.

What are you saying So What to this week?  Head over to Shannon's blog by clicking the button above and link up!

Happy Friday!

 I am finally taking a minute to sit down and post because my friend Mandy texted me last night to remind me that I hadn't blogged in about 15 days.  Embarrassing!  I swear I have a good excuse..........soon enough :)  

I'm off work today (thank you Central Ohio Inservice)!  Our district allows you to take courses over the summer and then not be required to take them today so that is what I did so I slept in until about 8:45 (lame, I know) and now I'm relaxing.  We're headed to Hocking Hills this weekend with some family and I'm VERY excited for a weekend of relaxation and family fun!  Here is a pic of the lovely cabin we'll call home for the weekend:

 

 

 

1.   Nothing says fall like     caramel apples, apple cider, and visits to the pumpkin patch!  We visited a local farm and picked up the most perfect pumpkins we could find, hot apple cider, and a delicious caramel apple (covered with mini M&M's).  Yum!

2.   My favorite autumnal tradition is  going to the pumpkin patch (couldn't you tell?)  I can't wait until we have kids old enough to trick or treat, too!

3.  My favorite fall treat is  probably that caramel apple I mentioned in #1 even though I only have one a year.  Other than that I would say something with cinnamon.  I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin (go ahead, kill me), but I did try some pumpkin cream cheese cupcakes that were to die for!

4. Fall makes me think of    warm clothes and blankets    because    I'm the type of person who gets cold very easily so I always bundle up (and then cover myself up with multiple blankets when possible!  I'm definitely a summer girl and I'm craving some warm weather right about now!

5.  Autumn free form word association, go!    colorful leaves, warm boots, sweet cinnamon pumpkin candle (my current fav), chilly days, school days.

6.  My go-to outfit in the fall is    definitely skinny jeans, a sweater (or a shirt w/ cardi) and my tall gray boots.  Unfortunately, this won't work for work...boo!  At work I usually wear black or grey pants, and a cute warm top.  Lately I've been thinking I might need to take an extra sweater to work...yuck!

7.  My favorite fall holiday is (Halloween or Thanksgiving)    Thanksgiving!  I love eating comfort food and visiting with family that I don't get to see that often (and family that I do see often)!  I love Halloween too because of all the traditions that go along with it, but I can't say it's my favorite.

That's all for today, friends (that's my kindergarten language coming out)!  I will be posting some fun updates soon!  Head on over and link up with Lauren @ The Little Things We Do!

Friday & a Giveaway!

Happy Friday, everyone!  I haven't linked up with Lauren @ The Little Things We Do for a while so I decided today is a great time to get back to filling in the blanks :)

1.   The best thing I did all week was    got my classroom *totally* ready for my kindergartners who will be starting Monday!

2.   Sunny days on the beach     make me super happy.

3.  Pets are   one of the best companions you could ever have!

4.    My husband   is the best thing about my life. <-- I have to agree with Lauren!

5.  With the cooler weather I am looking forward to   hot chocolate, fall candles, cozy nights in with the hubby.

6.  Something that's on my "wish list" right now is    nylon bags for take home books (nerd!) and some new black shoes for work...preferably some sort of wedge or heel so I can continue to wear my longer work pants!

7.  This weekend I am going to   finish getting things ready for my kiddos, go to the OSU vs. Colorado game, have a date night with my hubby, and RELAX!

Also, my girl Katie @ Keep Calm & Carry On is hosting a super fun giveaway!  Head on over to her blog by clicking on her button and see what you could win!!