Getting to know YOU Sunday among other things

Hi everyone!

I've thought about this little space of the blog-o-verse I maintain, but that is about it. This week I spent two days at Meredith Middle School and one day at Waukee Middle School. Fortunately, all three days I had lots of time to study. Unfortunately, I did not use my time as wisely as I would have liked. Sometimes, I think I actually like the pressure created from waiting until the last minute to finish a big project. Luckily, writing papers comes pretty naturally to me and I can crank them out pretty quick... ;)

Yesterday I spent the better part of my day updating my Macbook to the newest operating system, OS X Snow Leopard just so I could get the app store, just so I could get iMovie '11, so I could finish a project for my Education Technology class. Boy, did that turn out to be quite the process! It took forever to get it installed which delayed all my studying because I needed my computer to finish anything. I had done quite a bit of work longhand while subbing (I don't take my laptop to schools) and was ready to start typing them up. Now, my computer is up to date and I can now purchase fun, new apps for my computer. There's even a section for educators, I can't wait to dig into that a little more and find some useful apps! (i.e. dangerous).

Today I am participating in Keely's getting to know YOU Sunday! Meme's are my go-to blog posts as of late. Lucky for you (or maybe not so lucky for you) you only have to put up with them for two more weeks until finals are over!
1. did you watch the royal wedding?

I watched part of it while getting ready for work Friday morning. I saw most of the walk down the aisle, but had to quit watching otherwise I would have been late for the first bell at 7:40!

2. tea and crumpets or coffee and a scone?
Definitely a coffee and scone. Errr, actually just a coffee. If I had planned a little better I would have had some scones for my breakfast. :)

3 who's cuter..prince william or prince harry?
I used to think Prince Harry... but lately I see the cuteness in both of them. I like Prince Harry's smile, but Prince William just has something about him. I used to never think so, but I must be changing my mind. He's definitely grown cuter as he's gotten older (despite the receding hairline!)

4. can you speak in an English accent?
A little... if I'm around accents I will pick it up quick. I swear on Friday all of my thoughts were in an English accent. Between watching the wedding and my class watching The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, the accent was everywhere!

5. do you own a fancy hat?
Nope, but I would love one! Seriously, why doesn't this trend start in America? I love it!

6. would you rather live in a castle or an english cottage?
I'm going to go with a castle... but, not too big!

7. how old were you when prince charles and princess diana got married? were you even born?
I wasn't born yet! My parents got married a month after they did though! :)

8. have you found your prince?
Not yet! (Emphasis on yet!)

Did you watch the wedding? Are you addicted to apps on your phone or computer like I am?

Ten on Tuesday!

First off, I need some help. I am working on a PSA for my Ed Tech class and I am doing it on Adopting a shelter dog or cat. Things are going splendidly but I am having an awful time finding that perfect song to put it to. The entire video will be to a song, not a script. I don't want to make people cry, like the Sarah McLaughlin PSA. I want something appropriate and just the right blend of sad but happy. Make sense? No? I know. If you have suggestions I will love you forever!

Without further ado here's another great set of questions for Ten on Tuesday!

1. How many blogs do you read every day and what are they? (I’m talking the ones you NEVER miss)
I read a lot everyday... At least I think it's a lot. There's at least 100 blogs I subscribe to in my reader but here are a few that I read as soon as I see a new one pop up...

This Kind of Love
Iowa Girl Eats
Knitting Yarns
Girl with the Red Hair
It's like I'm Mmmmmagic!
Pretty Random Thoughts
From L.A. to LA
Crazy Shenanigans
Just another day in [our midwest] Paradise
Insert my blog name here
Your wishcake

Whew! Linking all those was some work... so go show those fabulous ladies some lovin'! :)

2. How many “best friends” do you have? Do you have different “besties” for different areas of your life?
Sort of... I have my four best friends that I met my freshman year of college. We've all been friends now for 10 years or more and consider ourselves a pretty tight group. Growing up I had one best friend that lives far away now, but we still call each other our BFF's. We don't talk near as much as we used to and our lives are so incredibly different, but we still love each other of course!

3. What’s your daily make up routine?
concealer, primer, foundation, blush, a little more concealer on trouble areas, eyeliner, eyelash curler, mascara, lipgloss/lipstick. Total : 10 minutes or less.

4. What is your ideal girl’s night?
Sushi dinner with martinis or wine then a night out to a chill bar for lots of girl talk!

5. Do you keep up with your nails/toenails or are they au natural?
I keep up with my nails, but they're not always painted. I just make sure they're buffed and filed and I'm usually good to go. My toes I am terrible at. I hate painting my toes.

6. What’s your best roommate story (assuming you had a roommate at some point in your life)?
My freshman year I moved into the dorms with a girl from high school whom I was close with because of cheerleading and soccer. She decided she hated dorm life and moved out over Christmas break - without telling me. When my parents when to drop me off she had taken everything home, including the carpet! The small fridge we had was gone and all my food that was in there (including milk, oops) was rotting on the floor. It was gross. I heard through the grapevine later that she moved out because she hated living in the dorms and I had partied too much with new friends, sparking a rumor that I had dropped out. Funny thing is... uhh, I graduated in four years. Did she? I'll let you take a guess at that... I haven't spoken with her since, but we are Facebook friends (of course, lol).

7. What’s your “go to” outfit that you wear more than anything else?
Jeans, a sweater and boots. Simple and comfy.

8. Do you have a beauty secret?
Washing my face each. and. every. night. I swear by it. In fact, I stupidly passed out Friday and Saturday night without doing so and... dun, dun, duuuuuun! I'm sporting two hideous zits.

9. Did you read Seventeen magazine growing up?
Of course!

10. How did you learn to put on makeup?
My mom. Makeup was not forbidden... in fact, it was encouraged. I can remember being in middle school and my mom telling me I needed some blush and mascara. LOL!

The highlights

Whew! I had kind of a crazy weekend! In my group of five girlfriends, the first of us turned 30 on Saturday. Of course we had to make a big deal out of it and party it up all weekend. Friday night we started with our usual happy hour after work and then ended up out the entire night and closed down the bars. We haven't done that in aaaaages! We had to help my friend exit her 20s with a bang though!

Check out these good ol' fashioned party pics. We partied and danced like college students again instead of 30 year olds :)
Ugh, I know everyone says I should love this, but I hate that my friends look their age and I look nowhere near it. People guess me at 23 or 24 all the time. Oh, well. What can you do?

Saturday I slept in (til almost 10!) and then spent the day cleaning and running a few errands before church. After the Easter service (which was fantastic) we headed to the birthday girl's house for a little shin dig with almost all of our closest friends and some of her co-workers. We had a good time, but I'm just not a fan of big groups of people. I almost always get quiet and hardly talk and when I do speak up, I feel like I'm not loud enough and am easy to interrupt. Then if I raise my voice I feel like I am yelling and being rude. I don't really know where this is coming from, but last night I felt extremely uncomfortable, which is just odd because I was surrounded by friends.

Regardless, I just think I am more comfortable in a small group. I hate having to fight to get a word in or shout to be heard.

This week has been kinda rough. I feel like I am meticulously counting calories and making sure not to go over on what I am allowed and I am getting nowhere. Obviously, I'm doing something wrong and it is so frustrating. My full time job before I quit, kept me on my feet all day running around and I know I burned quite a few calories without realizing it. Even though I am going to the gym almost daily now, I don't think I burn near as many calories as I did before when I was working full time.

Since what I am doing is not working, I am going to try something else. I'm going to reduce the number of calories (which, if you add up the tiny things that I hadn't counted before like creamers and stuff like that, it will probably be the original number of calories planned) and I am going to give up my guiltiest pleasure.... Cheese. I'm actually quite inspired by Lisa, she gave up dairy awhile back and is doing fantastic. I also keep thinking of a comment my sister made a long time ago about how cheese makes me fail at any diet. I'm not going to completely give it up cold turkey, I will probably still have some once or twice this week, but I am going to try not to eat any cheese on my sandwiches or salads. Both things can be spiced up with things other than cheese that are much healthier and not as dense with calories. We'll see what happens! Fingers crossed.

Hopefully I see a difference because, uuuuugh, I am frustrated!

On a much more lighter note ... We will be spending three days in the oldest national park in the US in less than a month!!!!!

What is your weakness when it comes to dieting? How do you avoid it? Are you the type that's the life of the party or more of a wallflower?

My first lesson

Two weeks ago in my 2nd grade practicum I started a unit with my kids on Turtles. Very broad, I know. But, I wanted to really engage the kids and my sister actually has a pet turtle so I decided to bring him in and do a unit on endangered species, sea turtles! (yes, I realize my sister's turtle isn't a sea turtle, but I still thought it was cool!)

After checking out every book I could find on sea turtles at the library I got to work. I have not taken any of my methods courses yet, so I honestly had no idea how to go about a science lesson without a read-a-loud so I started my lesson with two books. First, I began the lesson with the kids on the carpet and announced that I had a BIG surprise for them when we were done with the lesson. Of course that get them all excited and many started making guesses as to what it was! Some thought we were going to the zoo. I wish!

Then we started talking about what animals were endangered and what animals were extinct, defining the difference between the two terms. Then we started talking about sea turtles and turtles in general, trying to stir whatever knowledge they may already have of these reptiles.

Then we got started on the books. It went well, but I definitely started to lose control more than a couple times. I can't ignore a raised hand. I'm going to have to get used to that and try to ignore it, because everyone seems to "have a comment." Seriously, do all kids raise their hands when the teacher asks a question and then when called on goes, "I don't know the answer, but I have a comment" ??

Ugh! It was cute, but it still warrants an ugh!

After our read-a-loud was over we headed back to our seats and I reminded them that I have their surprise! The kids asked again if we were going to the zoo so I said, no, the zoo came here! All together they were like, what?!

I brought out my sister's turtle, Oso (which is bear in Spanish) and the kids all gasped! It was so cute. I reminded them they had to stay in their seats and quiet, otherwise Oso wouldn't do his "tricks" (put his head out!). The room was so quiet, I swear the kids were holding their breath!

I walked Oso around and let the kids "pet" his shell. Some declined, but most were so excited to touch the turtle! Oso did so great, and although I am sure he was terrified, he put his head and legs out of his shell quite a bit.
Here's Oso swimming happily in his tank! He probably freaks every time he sees me coming, in fear of me taking him on another "field trip"!

After that the first day of the lesson ended and I told the kids next week we are going to "help" the sea turtles by writing a letter to lawmakers in Florida. I didn't elaborate very much because I didn't think they would remember very much a week later.

I was wrong!

They remembered - well, a few remembered - and they were excited to write their letters! So, on the second day we did a review of the dangers to sea turtles, what we can do to help and had a little think-pair-share time discussion. Then, I read them my letter, left it on the Elmo and let them write their own. Everyone did SO good! Only one student sat there really confused and just couldn't synthesize the information enough to write a letter and only one student copied my letter word for word. Everyone else was very engaged and had their own unique opinions on why we should advocate for sea turtle rights! ;)

Here are a few of the letters that the students wrote... I hope you can read them!


That last little girl wrote THREE pages! She came up to me and goes, "Miss. XXXX, can I have more paper? I just have SO MUCH TO SAY!" Hahahaha! Love it!

I have written several lesson plans but this is the first lesson that I wrote and actually executed! I think it went very well, and I'm extremely pleased! This upcoming Monday is my last day in that room and I think I'm going to make cookies and decorate them like turtles! Hopefully I find time to do this on Sunday, and hopefully they turn out because I have zero experience decorating cookies.... How hard can it be?! ;)

If you had to choose an endangered species to teach 2nd graders about what would you choose?

Find a penny, pick it up. All day long you'll have good luck

I just found a penny, heads up, on my way home. Of course I had to pick it up. Think I'll have good luck for the rest of the day? I hope so!

Today was my first day subbing in a high school.

I thought my horoscope for today was very fitting - it went something along the lines of, "you'll be swimming with sharks today, but as long as you're nice you'll be safe." Something like that. So, I smiled a lot today. ;)

It went fine. It was actually hardly any different from middle school. The only thing that was glaringly obvious was all the cuss words I heard. In middle school I would immediately tell them not to use that language, but for some reason in high school I feel like they're too old to be scolded for that. Pick your battles, right?

Today I am participating in What I'm loving Wednesday hosted by the lovely Jamie!



I am loving these awesome camis that I found at Kohl's. They are by Daisy Fuentes and has a very Spanx-esque band around the middle that is supposed to give a more slimming look. They were a little pricey originally for a cami at $24.99 but they were on sale for $15.99 and I had a $10 off coupon so I thought I'd give them a try. I love them! They do exactly what I look for in a cami! I hate my middle area.

I am also loving my sister's Chi. Yes, her Chi. A hair straightener. I know I'm late to join this party, but I just couldn't justify spending so much money on a hair tool. I have had the same Hot Tools straightener for over four years now and it has been great, but it's beginning to die. I haven't had time to shop for a new one, so I "borrowed" my sister's Chi. It's been in my bathroom for four days now and I think I'm in love.

I am loving mango Chobani these days. It's sooooo good. If you haven't hopped on the Chobani train yet, you totally should. It's awesome.



This amazing coffee from Wolfgang Puck. It's. so. yummy. Most coffee I have to doctor up with lots of fake sugar and milk but for this kind I just needed three packets of Splenda and I was good. So glad I bought this. This is the description from the box:
A divine coffee infused with a lush blend of hazelnut and rich coconut flavors.
Hazelnut was a quick sell for me, but the coconut clinched the deal. :)
What are YOU loving today?

**edit**
I am giggling to myself because I was just re-reading this (after posting!) and noticed I pictured PINEAPPLE Chobani, but am talking about mango. Pineapple is my 2nd fave. Where is my brain today? I need a nap.... Zzzzzzz.....

ToT among other things

I lost a follower yesterday. Usually I don't notice stuff like that, but I did this time. Perhaps my post from Sunday was too religious for him or her? (which, it was hardly religious at all).

Regardless, I am not interested in making anyone feel uncomfortable and I sincerely hope I didn't.

Moving on.

I'm watching William and Kate on Lifetime right now, and is it just me, or does everyone fall a little bit more in love with Kate Middleton with every bit more we learn about her? I sure do! She carries herself so well, she is so classy and she still appears to have her own opinions and thoughts. I'm not exactly sure which parts of the movie are fact and fiction, but the fact that she carries herself so well is hard to miss. I love her style! She's sophisticated, polished and just enough trendy.

The second part of my first lesson at my practicum was today. Last week I brought the turtle and we did a read aloud over two turtle books. Today we talked more about sea turtles, made a graphic organizer and wrote letters to lawmakers in Florida about protecting sea turtles. You guys MUST see these letters! They are so stinking adorable! Later this week I am planning a full recap of this lesson, so be on the lookout for that!

As you are all aware it is Tuesday (if you're not aware, well... now you are) and that means Ten on Tuesday! Thank you Chelsea for hosting and thank you Erin for a great set of questions!

1. When someone asks you for a book recommendation, what is your go-to book?
Definitely American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld and more recently The Help by Katherine Stockett.
If someone hasn't read the Harry Potter series I also recommend those, as well as the Hunger Games series. (sorry, couldn't pick just one!)

2. Do you buy your books, or are you a library patron?
Both. I have well over 20 books checked out from multiple libraries right now. The majority of the books are for research I am doing, but a handful are YA books that I have picked up recently. I like reading YA when I'm really busy. I also buy quite a few books. More than I should, but my goal is to someday have an office that will double as my "library." :)

3. E-readers, yay or nay?
Yay for the convenience factor, but nay for many other reasons, such as e-books being more expensive (for Nook), and it not being able to easily flip to the end of the chapter to see how far you have to go. I pretty much just use my e-reader at the gym. I haven't traveled at all since getting my Nook, so that might make a difference in my thoughts as well. In less than a month I will be spending 28 hours in the car, so ask me then.

4. What was your favorite book as a child?
I loved the Shel Silverstein books of poetry. I remember giggling and giggling over some of those weird poems when I was a kid!

5. If you could be any character in a book, who would you be?
Oh boy... this is TOUGH. So many characters are going through my head right now... If I HAD to choose, I would choose Alice Lindgren from American Wife (surprise, surprise) because I just fell in love with her character. I loved everything about her! She's thoughtful, purposeful and classy. I clearly admire people with tact! ;)

6. What book would you love to see turned into a movie?
I can't wait to see how they do the Hunger Games! I just can't see it... so this will be interesting for me.

7. What is your all-time favorite book?
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. Surprised?

8. How many books do you read at once?
I'm almost always reading two books. One for the gym and one for... everywhere else. ;)

9. What is your favorite book genre?
I wouldn't say chick lit, but I wouldn't say YA either - but, I do read a lot of both of those genres. I would call my favorite genre modern literature.

10. Which Harry Potter book is the best? Or haven’t you read them at all?
I literally just sighed. How can you ask me that?! I look them all almost as one. I loved this series (along with the rest of the world) and cried like a baby when I read the last page. Seriously, it was the ugly cry too! Maybe it was because I knew that it was over and she would never write another book. Maybe it was because the ending was absolute perfection, I don't know. But, I bawled.
If I just had to choose I would say the last book. The 7th was perfect. The she tied everything up was brilliant and I absolutely adored the ending.

Back to center

I have been feeling so incredibly blessed lately. I know that I am and that I am very fortunate to have the opportunities that I do, but lately my cup has absolutely run over and I am so grateful. I wish that everyday is like this and I need to think back on these days when they're not.

This may sound weird, but I am grateful for a Mon-Fri work schedule that allows me to use my weekends however I please. It makes such a difference in my level of happiness to be able to pick and choose whatever I want to do instead of letting my work schedule dictate what I can and cannot do. If you work weekends or have worked weekends you know exactly what I am talking about.

Friday night we had our usual happy hour at our usual place, everything was perfect (besides my somewhat cranky mood, which subsided the next morning) and then afterward I did a little essential shopping at Target. Saturday a couple of my friends accompanied me to a local elementary school play of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It was adorable and I truly admire all of the teachers and volunteers that worked so hard on that production the past 4 months. Saturday afternoon and evening I stayed in and did a TON of studying and got quite a bit done which has really lightened my load for today, so I was grateful I chose to do that verses going out.

Today I got up around 9, enjoyed coffee and the newspaper and then got ready for church. Today's sermon got through to me on so many different levels, I teared up more than a couple times. But, one way it really resonated with me was when the pastor, whom is a huge favorite around these parts, mentioned that he is severely afraid of speaking in front of people.

This shocked me.

The church I belong to is huge. Massive. Could be called a mega church. Usually I don't like those types of churches, but this one is different. It doesn't feel cold and informal. It's warm and welcoming and the pastor makes all the difference. All the difference.

When he said he was afraid to speak in front of people I couldn't believe it. He speaks in front of almost 2,000 people during four different sermons or more each week! What? I had no idea, nor could I tell. His sermons are personable and he seems to be at such ease up there, in his element! Then, he said he's not alone He has never been alone. It's not the people he's preaching to that are with him either, it's the person standing beside him.

That really got me thinking. You see, a friend of mine the other day said she just couldn't see me teaching in front of a group of kids. That all my stories sound like me, and she's knows it is me, but that she just couldn't see it. I asked her why, because... well, I was a little shocked. And, maybe a little hurt. She said that I am always so reserved, so it's just hard to see.

This was on Friday, so I have been thinking - not stewing about - just thinking, about that comment and trying to figure out why she can't see me in front of a group of kids. They're just kids! If it was a group of adults, I probably wouldn't be so cool and calm, but kids don't phase me one bit.

Then I remembered every time I got up in front of a group, I didn't feel alone. Every once in awhile when I am especially nervous to sub in a new school I will say a little prayer, which is... everyday. I have never subbed in a room more than two days in a row. Everyday when I am standing speaking to a group of 6th, 7th or 8th graders I am not up there by myself. I have help. Sometimes a lot of help.

How cool is that?

I'm not here to preach, I'm just saying I feel blessed. I feel grateful. I don't know what else I could ask for and I am so thankful for days like today that bring me back to center and make me realize everything that I have that I should be counting my lucky stars for.

What brings you back to center when everything doesn't seem to go your way?