My next week in pictures...

Today:

Sunday:

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Irvington, VA

Thursday:

Friday:

Not one to miss out on a good opportunity....

I am totally stealing this from BitP and a few other blogger friends, I am aiming to get some free Holiday cards from Shutterfly.com. YOU CAN TOO! Share on Twitter, Facebook, and in a post: Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010!!!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am planning on moving by the end of the month and with a new roommate. I'll save the details of the new roommate but I was thinking what a fun way to start off living together by having Christmas cards together. We actually just took a very fabulous picture together this past Friday and we're all gussied up and it would be perfect. So I was thinking I would get one of the following for our Holiday/We just moved card!! 50 free cards would be a great starting place!

This one would be perfect with the colors in the picture we took. I love simple cards. Also, thanks to my sister, I've tended to veer towards non-Merry Christmas cards and gone to more of the over all "Happy Holiday" sentiment. {so, for those non-Christmas cards, check out some Hanukkah cards, too, at http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/hanukkah-cards}

Now the one above I like because it's simple but what a cute saying!! I'm going to use that all the time now! I love picture cards SO much more than plain cards and though more expensive, I do appreciate when cards are folded like the above one because then I can set them on the mantle or hang them along a string on display. And what a stinkin' cute baby! {http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery}

This one just might be my overall favorite card; but I'll be honest, it might just be because I want this little boy to be my future child. Blonde, shaggy, wearing a polo, got a little smirk, he's got it going on.... http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

So check out the links and get some free cards too! Can't hurt to spread the word! Thanks to Shutterfly.com for this fabulous opportunity and to all of you for reading. The past few years my sister has helped the mother do X-mas cards and we have used Shutterfly for other things and it always impresses me how fast, reliable, and good quality their products are. Some things really are what they claim to be; how refreshing :)

Happy (beginning to the) Holidays!!!

The times they are a'changin'

Wow.....

Since August:

New job

Ended the relationship

Little Bro turned 20

Sister still in Africa

Moving out

New roommate

And that's only 2 months.....

Who knows where the next 2 months will find me.

Teacher note: I have left my comfort zone of Kindergarten and moved on up! I am now teaching 1st grade after 4 years in Kindergarten. Not only did I change grade levels, but I'm also at a different (year round!!) school. I have a VERY challenging class which in the 13 school days I have been there have given me the flu, almost broken my hand (on purpose), literally affected my blood pressure, and made me rethink teaching. I NEVER thought I would have to defend and argue with other teachers about how I have to be ''naive'', I have to think I can change the world one child at a time. If I didn't have that little nugget of hope, I wouldn't get through the day. But in the past 3 weeks, I have cried on the phone to my mother more times than I can remember about how lost and unprepared I already feel with this class. They had a teacher quit on them when they needed stability more than anything and they do not respect a single adult in that building mostly because every day one of them asks me when I plan on leaving them. It breaks my heart, but it doesn't shock me. We have made baby steps, and I see the kind of class they can be.

Some things that have really helped:

Music - Greg and Steve as found on grooveshark.com (totally check out this website!). We have a very active class and before any transition (going to specials, before lunch, assemblies, the library, even when we're about to go outside) we play a song that gets our wiggles out. Thank God for music and childrens' love of dancing.

Fuzzies - This is a gem that I stole from a teacher I worked with at my last school. We have a 'fuzzy jar' and whenever I think as a class they are doing something wonderful they get a fuzzy. Whenever they are given a compliment by another teacher or student or any adult such as "What a nice quiet line" or "They were great today in Art"; they get a fuzzy. They have really taken to compliments and I see them giving each other compliments without me prompting them! I love seeing good manners in young children because unfortunately it seems so rare these days. I like the tangible idea of a fuzzy (ya know, those little puff balls) and it makes me think of warm fuzzies. So when they fill the fuzzy jar, we get to have a little celebration. It could be having a pajama day, popcorn for snack, Magic School Bus video, etc. A good class bonding activity. This certainly isn't a new concept, you can even buy a pre-made kit: http://www.reallygoodstuff.com/product/warm+fuzzy+jar+kit.do

But I like mine..

2 Dollar store bags of fuzzies: $2

a jar from my pantry: recycled sauce jar, about $2

Teaching kids the great feeling from earning, receiving, or giving a compliment: priceless