Currently – The Teaching Texan

Currently: December 2015

theteachingtexan — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 13:17:00 +0000

Y’all… it’s December!! Can you believe it? This year may be one for the record books in terms of flying by. While I love, love, love October – December sure does give it a run for it’s money. It’s such a cheerful time! A new month also means a link up with Farley from [Oh Boy 4th Grade].

Listening: Like many of you, I usually watch the news first thing in the morning as I sip on a cup of coffee. I like being updated on what’s going on, but I do wish we could sometimes focus a little more on positive things that are happening!

Loving: This colder weather is awesome!!! I love getting to break out the long sleeves and vests.

Thinking: The month of December at my school is highly focused on the All School Program that is put on the last Friday before winter break. Every grade level is broken into 3 groups to perform at 3 programs. All the groups do the same performance, but because of how many people come to watch the school have separate performances. Our theme this year is “Growth and Change” and Kindergarten is focusing on friendships. We’ve got a fun Bruno Mars song to sing, but today we start choreographing the kiddos movements. So excited!

Wanting: I definitely want to finish the next 2 1/2 weeks strong. We’ve been pushing in literacy to make those last few gains before F&P assessing starts. I’ve seen a ton of growth and want to keep that momentum going. It’s also a crazy time at the school with All School Program, so keeping my mind straight is a must!

Needing: I’m headed to a Project-Based Learning workshop this morning, and I’ve been working on our Solar System PBL plans. Unfortunately my printer hates me and won’t print!

Real or Faux: Real! We’ve had a fake tree in the past, but last year two of the legs on it broke (it may have had a TON of ornaments!). So this year we opted for a real tree, and I’m loving it! The smell of a real Christmas tree can’t be beat!

Want to link up, too? Head over to [Farley’s] blog!

Currently November 2015

theteachingtexan — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 18:40:00 +0000

It’s been a long, hot minute since I’ve linked up with Farley over at [Oh Boy 4th Grade] for a currently post. I’m feeling especially productive today, and it’s rainy – so why not join in on the fun?

Listening: I’ll admit that I’m a sucker from QVC during the holidays. I usually start tuning in around October and can’t seem to turn it off until after Christmas. I don’t buy often, but sometimes that perfect gift idea that you haven’t thought of pops up! Don’t judge me!

Loving: Today the mister and I ran our first 5K race. So proud to say I finished in under 24 minutes, finished 4th in my age group, and finished 33rd out of 243 overall. The competitiveness in me is ready to take a medal next time!

Thinking: As I said, I feel super productive today which hasn’t happened for awhile. My brain is brimming with things I want to get done for school this week, for upcoming TPT products, and just some time to relax!

Wanting: Now that I’ve gotten into running (and think I may want to try a triathlon in the future), I want an awesome running/cycling watch. I haven’t had great luck with the Jawbone fitness trackers – 2 have broken on me. So I’m currently looking at the Garmin Vivoactive Black . It happens to be on sale right now, so it just may happen!

Needing: My goal this year was to stay focused. I think that overall looking back I’ve done a fairly good job, with dips here and there. I’m hoping to finish the year off strong!

Yummy: It’s not a recipe, but it’s November 1st so cue the Starbucks’ holiday drinks! We’re indulging after our 5K today with a Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte. AND a grande is only 160 calories!

Head over to Farley’s blog to see other currently posts! Happy November!

Currently: May 2015

theteachingtexan — Sun, 03 May 2015 15:33:00 +0000

It’s May, which means it’s time to link up with [Farley] for an update!

Listening: I feel like HGTV is on 24/7 in our house! The mister is addicted so it takes more than a little effort to get him to change the channel. I feel like since we’re knee deep in our own home renovation that we could hold off on watching it on tv too, but it may be worse now!

Loving: We’ve been in the new casa for about a month and I’m still loving it as much as the first day we moved in. Our new neighborhood is exactly what we were looking for. I’m also loving my new blog design!

Thinking: As I lay in bed at 10:30 am with a cup of coffee I can’t help but think about my never-ending to-do list. BUT, blogging is still being productive, right??

Wanting: The one thing I was nervous about when re-branding the blog was forwarding from the old URL to the new URL (along with pins, links on other sites, etc.). So far I have not been successful in getting the old URL (secondgradestampede.com) to route to the new (theteachingtexan.com). If there are any technology gurus reading this, PLEASE lend a hand, advice, anything!

Needing: We spent all day yesterday shopping for the finish-out items for our home reno. We successfully picked countertops and backsplash, but have a huge list of other items to pick out… Lighting, cabinet hardware, range….

Summer yes, hope, dream: We will definitely be traveling this summer, although we still have not decided where. I’m vying for another trip to Mexico. I’m hoping my transition to my new private school will run smoothly. I’m meeting with the teacher who is retiring that I will replace to do a “hand-over” of all her tips, tricks, and resources. I am so thankful for the way my new school handles transitions! I’m dreaming of running a race this summer (5K). I run several times a week and can handle it, I’ve just never actually done it with a group of people! Maybe I’ll make this dream a reality.

Currently: January 2015

theteachingtexan — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 21:29:00 +0000

Only a few hours left in 2014.

2014 was an OK year, it had it’s ups and downs just like any year. I’m not a huge believer in the whole “New year, new me” mindset, but I am hoping that 2015 will bring great things!

What better way to spend some of the last few hours of 2014 than by linking up with [Farley] for a January 2015 Currently post??

Listening: This week I’ve been listening to “Inspiration Radio” on Pandora. Definitely a nice, calm station for this time of year!

Loving: I’m LOVING this time off! We got a fantastic week trip in to [Colorado] and I still have several days to lounge around!

Thinking: I haven’t done a New Years resolution in a few years – something about you’re technically the same person today as you are tomorrow. However, I’ve been inspired by the whole one-word resolution linky that I’ve seen. This year I plan to be FOCUSED. I think this will encompass getting/staying organized, taking my blog to the next level, being successful in the classroom, and more.

Wanting: I really, really, really want a new printer! I have an HP Photosmart and it EATS ink like no other… It’s so expensive to replace the ink and print things from home. I’ve looked at some options, but I’m of course drawn to the most expensive printers. Maybe a new printer can be in the cards for 2015. I also want a complete home-office makeover (much less likely) – although the mister and I have discussed having some work done to the office in case we sell our house in 2015.

Needing: I’ve gotten a few things done to prep for January like ~~lesson plans~~ laminating centers. I just want to head back to school super ready to go!

Yes: I have done a better job being organized, but I plan to get better – and stay that way!

Maybe: We will sell our home this year in South Dallas and move to a more central location for both of our jobs – and a larger home in case our family expands anytime in the near future.

I wish: To take another trip to Europe this year. The travel bug has bitten me, many, many times…

Currently December 2014

theteachingtexan — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 11:37:00 +0000

Y’all I can barely contain my excitement for December and Christmas! I was a little sad waking up early yesterday for work, BUT then I remembered it was only 15 working days until Christmas break and I’ve been perked up since! I always say that October is my favorite month, then December hits and it gives October a run for it’s money!

To celebrate this awesome month, I’m linking up with [Farley] for a December Currently post.

Listening: I have to be informed AND full of holiday cheer to start my day!

Loving: Dallas is finally getting some colder weather! Nothing perturbs me more than Mother Nature throwing us 70 degree weather in late November, December, January… Thankfully she’s got it together!

Thinking: Who else has a to-do list that is never ending? I’ve got some online PDs to finish up, some TPT creations to work on, Christmas shopping to finish, etc, etc, etc. I love ticking things off my list – I just wish the list would get smaller or go away.

Wanting: I really want to get some new cute & warm clothes for our Colorado trip later this month. We are going to go skiing in Breckenridge again this year for a few days, then spend Christmas in Denver with the mister’s family. Excited that it should be a white Christmas for sure!

Needing: I always say I’m going to get my Christmas shopping done early, then I ALWAYS wait until the last minute and end up in a mile-long line at the post office. Oh well, one day I will learn, right?

Giving: This time of the year is always so exciting! Cold weather, snow, traveling, winter break… I could go on and on. It’s got me feeling super positive and I’m just trying to spread that around to anyone on my campus who is maybe feeling a little less positive!

Currently September 2014

theteachingtexan — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 13:08:00 +0000

It’s September 1st and that means its time for a Currently post with Farley from [Oh Boy Fourth Grade].

Before I get to that though, can I just say how much I am enjoying this 3-day weekend?? I’m a huge a proponent that we should have 3-day weekends every weekend, but I guess the powers that be aren’t asking for my input on that!

Listening – I love me some Dixie Chicks. Thank you Pandora for fueling my desire to listen to them!

Loving – I just LOVE September for so many reasons! First, it’s my birth month which makes it an extra special month. On September 3rd I’ll be celebrating my annual 21st birthday! I also love September because it means the first day of Fall is oh so close, the Texas State Fair will be here soon, and we are only a month away from October! Clearly I despise the Fall…

Thinking -Now that school is in full swing the to-do list is NEVER ending… I just can’t decide if I want to be productive on my day off, or lounge around and drink coffee until the afternoon. Lets be honest… the latter will most certainly win.

Wanting – I really really want a new bag to tote all my teacher ~~crap~~ necessities from home to school and vice versa. I’ve got my sights set on an awesome Marc Jacobs bag. I hope the birthday fairy is reading this!

Needing – So Friday at school I started to feel a little a sick. *gasp* I ALMOST made it through the first week without getting sick. I generally get sick once MAYBE twice a year, and it’s always at the most inopportune times! I def need it to go away fast because my new insurance hasn’t kicked in yet, so the DR is not an option at this time unless it gets unbearable.

3 Trips – So 3 places I’d love to go on vacation to but haven’t yet? That’s easy…

1. DC – Maybe it’s all of the Scandal and House of Cards we’ve been watching, but I def want to visit DC sometime soon!

2. Egypt – I have always been fascinated with the pyramids and would love the chance to go see them. Maybe one day it will be safe to go visit Egypt again!

3. NYC – I’ve been to Europe twice but still haven’t made my way to NYC!

That’s about enough randomness for my morning. Time to make some coffee and lounge around. I told y’all I would be going with the lazy route today!

Currently: August 2014

theteachingtexan — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 22:01:00 +0000

With all of the excitement of moving into my classroom today I completely forgot that it was August 1st! So, I’m back for a second blog post today to link up with Farley from [Oh Boy 4th Grade] for her August Currently linky party.

Listening: I’m so bad about needing background noise… I always have the TV or music playing in the background. Must be why I do so well in 1st grade! haha! Right now it’s The Real Housewives of OC. Nothing like some mindless reality TV, right?

Loving: I am so in love with my new school! We had a new teacher meet and greet this morning and then I was able to move into my classroom. It feels good to have all my teacher stuff cleaned out of the house. I was able to get all of the furniture exactly how I want it today and all of the old decorations taken down. Stay tuned for pictures of before and after! My new classroom used to be a 3rd grade room so there’s a ton of 3rd grade curriculum stuff in there as of now, but hopefully that will move to it’s new home soon!

Thinking: Ideas for decorating and organizing my classroom are flying through my head! I literally just sat down on the carpet, ya know… 1st grade style, for a bit today just to look around and think about what I want to change/add/get rid of. I ended up with a super long list of ideas. The hard part will be prioritizing them!

Wanting: PIZZA! Ah, I know that it’s bad for me, and I’ll probably end up at the pool tomorrow. But, I just can’t resist it right now! I feel like I deserve it after a long day in the classroom, right? I’m also really wanting a cute outfit for the 1st day & meet the teacher night. The darn cleaners lost my favorite blue pants, so those need to be replaced ASAP!

Needing: I “want” a ton right now, but don’t really “need” anything. I’m feeling pretty content with my life right now :).

1st Day: That’s pretty self-explanatory :). I’ve got a week to get my classroom up to par before we hit content PDs hard on the 11th. Time to work!

Need to read more about what summer-loving teachers are currently doing now that it’s August? Head over to [Oh Boy 4th Grade] for more August Currently posts!

July Currently, 2014

theteachingtexan — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 03:55:00 +0000

Is it really July already?? Ok, well in a few hours it will be anyway. Where is summer going?!?!

Anyway, I am linking up with [Farley] for her awesome July Currently linky!

Listening: Now that we are finished with Orange is the New Black, big surprise the addiction has moved on to House of Cards. The show is just so fascinating and intense! If you haven’t watched it yet, please get on Netflix and watch one episode. You will be hooked!

Loving: The beginning of June was pretty calm, but now we are in travel mode! I LOVE it! Two weekends ago was Lake Whitney, this past weekend was San Angelo, this weekend is Brenham/College Station, then in 2 weeks it’s MEXICO! Traveling may be one of my favorite things to do!

Thinking: Speaking of traveling, I can’t stop thinking about the trip to Mexico that’s coming up! What am I going to pack? When should I get my haircut? When am I getting a new swimsuit? The list goes on…

Wanting: This is a borderline need… but I want a new printer! My printer is just awful these days. It is an ink eater and even printing in black and white these days has proven difficult.

Needing: I NEED a new swimsuit for Mexico! It is at the top of my to-do list. Right under some TPT projects that I need to finish up. Right in line with that new swimsuit is me continuing to eat healthy. With the exception of this past weekend (think peach cobbler & biscuits and gravy) I have been doing a great job!

4th Plans: We are headed to Brenham/College Station for 4th of July on the Brazos River. Then on Saturday my mister’s best friend is having a birthday party for her soon to be one year old! I’m excited to be on the road again and visit some friends!

To ~~stalk~~ check out what other awesome teachers are currently doing in July, head over to Farley’s for her [July Currently] linky party!

Currently, June 2014

theteachingtexan — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 00:06:00 +0000

Ok, so I wish I could be as dedicated to getting in shape as I am about my blog these days! I mean if I can do a two-a-day posting blogs, why not in the gym?? Oh well, here’s my June “currently.” It’s been almost a year since I’ve linked up for this linky party, so I’m pretty excited!

Listening: So I have Pandora on the “Summer Hits of the 90s” channel… I may be living in a bit of nostalgia right now. Currently it’s playing “If You Could Only See” by Tonic. Sigh, those were the days, right?

Loving: All of the free time I have now that it’s summer! I’ve said it probably 100 times now, but this is my first summer that I have had work or school and it is AWESOME!!! I am getting so many things done and its fantastic. I’ve gotten back into the gym (no not doing two-a-days, unfortunately), I have time to work on products I’ll use next year and can load to TPT, and I have time to help out around the house again.

Thinking: I know a little about my new school from the research I did when I was applying, but there’s still that nervous excitement there! I wonder what my new team will be like, I wonder what my new principal will be like to work for, I wonder how involved the parents will be, and I could go on and on.

Wanting: AH! I’ve got about a month and a half to get it in gear for Mexico! It’s been a while since I have graced a beach with my presence (or maybe that’s vice versa…), and I intend to feel confident! I am already feeling much better about working out again, even if it isn’t as often still as it should be. Baby steps people! Unfortunately we leave for Mexico the day after the TPT conference That makes it about impossible for me to attend even though I so wish that I could. I’ll just plan to live vicariously through status updates that day, haha.

Needing: I really need to get a study guide for the ELL certification test. I was planning on taking the test anyway, and then my new principal basically said I had to… so… Any suggestions on good study guides Texas friends? I feel pretty confident with the courses I had in grad school, but I don’t want to spend $120 on the test and then bomb it for some reason. Best to be prepared.

Summer Bucket List: My first goal is to get several awesome products onto my TPT store. I’ve been thinking about things I used this year, or wish I could have found. I’m basing my creations on that. That way even if I never sale any I’ll at least have them for use in my own classroom. I also want to head to Pensacola this summer to visit. It’s been too long since I’ve been home to Florida, and it is must needed. With the Mexico trip, new district training, and a family reunion it will be tough but we’ll figure it out! Lastly, I want to get my books leveled for next year. I had ZERO time once I got my free book boxes from Half Price Books this year to level them. It was enough to organize them by genre for my library. I’ll do a much better job next year! Any tips for leveling a classroom library?

Now, head over to [Farley’s] AND remember the Rule of 3!

Where has the time gone?

theteachingtexan — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 20:59:00 +0000

Yesterday was not only my last day of classes for this whirlwind of a summer semester, but it was also my last class for my Master’s coursework! WHOOHOO!!! As excited as I am, I am having a hard time believing that I have already finished up my coursework. It seems like yesterday that I was heading into my first day of the program wondering if I had made the right decision. Now, all that I have left to do is take my Master’s comp exams in a week and a half then do an awesome job during my internship next year. I am definitely relieved that I will now have more time to dedicate towards getting my classroom ready for my first graders! Also, our new primary school building is finished and they are just waiting on the certificate of occupancy which should be granted any day!!! My principal told me that I will hopefully be able to come see my brand new room next Monday!

Backtracking a little to our last day of classes yesterday, I met up this afternoon with the rest of the elementary cohort for a little lunch date. Of course we could not go a day without seeing each other, especially after spending almost every day of the last year and a few months together! Ok ok, we were actually meeting up to celebrate finishing and talk about getting ready for comps… Now that I have some free time to blog, breath, clean, and everything else again I am going to start linking up with Farley for a monthly “Currently” even though I am apparently late to the party – but I will look at it as being fashionably late

Listening – With all of the time I have spent on or near my laptop getting work done for this semester, I have become addicted to iHeart Radio, in particular the All Things Dance station. It just makes me feel super energized and ready to take everything on! Plus, it’s free!

Loving – As I’ve already covered, I am so relieved to be done with my Master’s coursework and that statement alone should be sufficient!

Thinking – We met for lunch today at this great little sandwich shop called “East Hampton Sandwich Co.” here in the Dallas/Highland Park area. YUM is all I can say!

Wanting – I have been waiting ~~patiently~~ for our new school building to be approved for occupancy. Who am I kidding, if I could e-mail everyday and ask if the school is ready without completely annoying my principal then I would! I just really want to get in there and see what the space looks like, how big it is, start making a list of things I will need, etc. Hopefully by Monday of next week I will be able to actually see it for the first time.

Needing – With how busy I have been with school and Dustin has been with work and picking up my slack as far as cooking, taking care of the dogs, etc goes, this house is in desperate need of a good cleaning. We are having a house warming party in just a couple of weeks so we really need to get it under control so that we can finish decorating! Speaking of house warming… We moved into this condo just about a month ago and we are already looking to buy a house! We didn’t think we would be approved to buy so we decided to rent. Then of course we decided why not try and see if we could get approved. So we went ahead and started talking to a lender and we were pre-approved on Monday! Now we are on the search for the perfect first home!

Tips, Tricks, or Hints – Ok maybe this is a little obvious, but I have been in so many teacher’s classrooms over the last year and thought “why don’t they have this?” or “this should be replaced.” I have clearly become a spokesperson for DonorsChoose, but I really do think every teacher could benefit from doing a project with them! If you have a worthy cause and a need then there is no harm in giving it a try! It only take a little bit of your time to write the project and then you’re up and running.