September Currently

Happy Labor Day!  I am linking up with Farley for her September Currently:

It's definitely been a productive day, but I still have a lot to do before my To Do Lists are complete (Does that ever really happen?).  Adelaide and I have enjoyed a day together while Kevin has been clearing off our land where we are planning on building our house.

I ordered a new jogging stroller a few days ago.  I ordered a BOB!  I am so excited and can't wait for it to come in.  I am really working hard to get back into shape, and I think this will help a lot.

Does anyone else feel like there is not enough time in the day?  I have so much to do and so little time to do it in.  However, I know it will be ok.  I just prioritize what has to be done now and what can wait.

My three things that I would love to accomplish this month that will make my heart happy:

1) Exercise Daily - I definitely think this will make me feel better about myself.  Plus, I always feel better after working out!

2) Have a Quiet Time Daily - When life gets busy, it is easy to omit our quiet times.  However, this has to be a priority.  

3) Stay Positive - It is so easy to become negative due to life's difficulties, but like our Sunday School lesson stated yesterday it is our job to be joyous in all situations.  I have to remember this when things do not go my way and/or when others try to bring me down.

Well there it is...My first September Currently!  Now back to finalizing plans for this week.  I pray you have a great 4 day week! :)

I'm Back!!!

After almost a year of being away from the blog, I have finally decided to come back.  This year has been full of great things in life, and I am ready to start blogging again.  I thought the 1st of September would be a great time to do this.  Let me catch you up on a few things:

Last Fall, I worked on completing my Masters of Science in Education with an emphasis on Administration.  I have no plans on leaving the classroom, but I wanted to go ahead and have a back-up plan for the future.  I was able to walk at graduation in December!

(Yes, my husband looks like he could be featured on Duck Dynasty.  He has this thing with not shaving during duck hunting season.  I have quit fighting him on it. haha )

Also, we found out in September that we were expecting our first child! (Hence, my puffy face at graduation.)  We kept it a secret until after Thanksgiving.  I am really not sure how we did it, but we were able to without anyone even expecting it.  We had so much fun telling everyone in unique ways.  We told my parents by asking them to come over that we had a project we needed help with in the office.  They walked in to see a poster saying "Future Baby Room - Deadline June 2013".  Their reaction was priceless.

Then we told Kevin's sister by having her open up a late birthday present in which she found a shirt announcing being promoted to aunt.

We had so much fun and was able to catch both on video and by picture.  Best of all we were able to tell all our family and friends through our Christmas card.  I take a lot of time on my Christmas card each year to make sure it is memorable, and this one was one of my favorites to do.

(Sorry I can't figure out how to rotate it.)

Here is a close-up of the picture.

It was so much fun getting phone calls and text messages from people once they received their Christmas card.  In January, we had a Gender Reveal party at Kevin's aunt's house (a Bed & Breakfast in our hometown).  It was fun to see what everyone guessed we would have.  We had a box that we opened that contained balloons.

It was a girl!  We welcomed Adelaide Elizabeth to our family on June 14.  She weighed 8 lbs 7 ounces and was 20 inches long.

I worked all last year and only missed a 1/2 day for a long doctor's appointment, and I went back to work this year like normal so things have been a little crazy with everything going on.  However, we are enjoying being a family of three and getting use to the crazy life of a teacher and farmer.

I am looking forward to blogging again and catching up with some of you.  Make sure to follow so you can catch my Wednesday's Word of Wisdom that will also start back this week. :)

Elizabeth

First Grade Common Core

If you are looking for some help integrating Common Core into your lesson plans, this book is just for you!  It has tons of worksheets, activities, and posters that will have you teaching all the first grade common core standards in the English Language and Mathematics in no time!  With over 550 pages, you will not want to take your eyes off this book. 

First Grade Common Core

 

 

I can't wait to get back with you on things I have done from the workbook.  Go check it out!  You won't want to miss it.  

P.S. They also have one for Kindergarten, too!

Missing in Action

Warning - This is a long post with a lot of catching up-to-do since I have been MIA.

I am sorry I have been missing in action.  I have been staying up-to-date on reading everyone's blogs, but it just does not seem possible for me to sit down and write my own.  I have been exhausted lately.  Let me catch you up on what's been going on:

Two Weeks Ago -
The cheerleading squad I coached was asked to perform at the pregame show for the Tennessee Volunteers.  We cheered that Friday night at a school an hour away, came home for about an hour, and boarded the school bus (YES, a school bus for a six plus hour drive) at midnight in the pouring down rain.  We drove all night to get to Knoxville in time for them to practice with the other squads.  The girls got to sleep, but the other coach and I had to stay awake in order to make sure the bus driver was OK.  It was all worth it when the girls got to perform on the field before the game.

 Yes, rain and all they had a good time.

We stayed over night in a hotel and boarded the bus to go back home bright and early the next morning.  Let's just say I was so glad to get home and sleep.

Homecoming - 

Once we got back, I had to go into full power to prepare for homecoming.  We had exactly a week in between, but it was full of planning PowderPuff, practicing for Pep Rally, planning for Homecoming Royalty, and much more.  Our town takes homecoming very serious and everything is pretty much on the cheerleaders and their coaches.  

This Week - 

This week was homecoming.  Here is a recap of our Tomcats Gone Wild week:

Monday - The Hunted and The Hunter (Animal Print and Camo Day); Cheerleading practice from 4 - 6

Tuesday - Color Day; Powderpuff Games starting at 6

Wednesday - Wildly Tacky Day; Homecoming Royalty Practice at 3:30

Thursday - Wild Wild West Day; Freshman Football Game at 6:00

Friday - Purple and White Day; Pep Rally at 10:30; All schools dismissed at 11:30; Parade at 1:00; Tailgating at 3:00; Varsity Game at 7:30; Crowning of Queen at Halftime

Although the other schools did not get to participate in the dress-up days, everyone participates in Friday's events.  Pretty much the whole town shuts down. 

 One of my students and some crazy cheerleaders in the back before the parade.  The coaches always get to drive John Deere gators while the cheerleaders walk and roller blade passing out goodies.

On top of all this, I gained a new student on Thursday.  This makes 21 students.  My classroom is only equipped for only 20 students so I have been having to figure out how to make it all work.  One of my students needed make-up work for a whole week due to a family emergency.  We had a fire drill due to the fire marshall visiting during my planning time so I missed it, and I received so many phone calls and visits from the community asking about homecoming stuff that I couldn't keep up with it.  Even though it was a lot, it was well worth it in the end.  Of course, I crashed Friday night after it was done!

Fire Marshall

I am still waiting to hear if the Fire Marshall approved my canopy entrance to the classroom.  He is sometimes very picky about things, but my principal said she was going to fight for me.  We will see how it goes.  I would hate to take it all down:

I meant to share these pictures awhile back since they are from the first week of school, but most of the things have stayed the same.  The monkeys are vines are gone to make room for student work, but the door still looks the same.

Someone New Sunday

I am pleased to be featured on Pocket Full of Kinder's Someone New Sunday today.  I guess it motivated me to write this post.  Go check it out here:

Thank you Shuna P. for featuring me!

I guess that is all for now!  I will try to write more this week.  I hope everyone has a blessed week!

Elizabeth L.

Wednesday's Word of Wisdom

I have been missing in action the past couple of weeks due to total chaos. It is definitely football season. There are so many things going on with school and cheerleading. Hopefully, things will calm down soon. I apologize for not having Wednesday's Word of Wisdom last week. I had all intentions of doing so, but our weekly football game got changed to a different night due to storms and so I spent my night rearranging plans and making sure everything was set for a night earlier. This devotion is definitely appropriate for how I am feeling today. My inspiration came from a Cornerstone devotion that I received a couple of weeks ago.

Source: http://myblessedlife.net/2012/03/when-youre-overwhelmed.html

I am very overwhelmed this week!  I have a Freshman Football game tomorrow night, a Varsity Football game Friday night that is about an hour away, and then the girls and I leave at midnight Friday night for Knoxville to cheer at a UT game on Saturday.  On top of cheerleading, I just found out that the 1st and 2nd graders at our school will be taking the SAT-10 next week.  We have to have everything taken down or covered in our rooms!  I also have wife duties, grad school, and piano.  It's crazy right now.

This has been my verse the past few weeks.  I am overwhelmed, but my strength comes from the Lord.  He knew all of this was coming before I did.  As the teachers at my school has created as our theme quote for this year, "It is what it is."  I have to take what I am given and count my blessings.  

Are any of you feeling overwhelmed right now?  How do you manage a blog and the craziness of life?  (Obviously, I am not doing a great job right now.)  What verse do you go to when you are overwhelmed?

I pray that you are able to keep from being overwhelmed this year.  I pray that you keep God as your Rock.  I pray that if you do become overwhelmed that your remember that God has a plan and He is your strength.

*Sorry this post is probably more for me than you, but I did want to share what was on my heart real quick.*