Currently: July 2016 Edition

Boy, I did a great job for awhile.

Then, I took a break.

Let's be honest.

I stopped.

There are lots of reasons I stopped, but that is a whole other blog post.

(Let's be honest - probably not.)

I have wanted to come back.

I have missed it.

I have missed learning from others.

I have missed the connections.

So, when I saw Big Time Literacy promoting her Big Time Blogging Challenge,

I knew I had to do this!

I hope this means I am back!!!!

So without further adieu..

Currently: July 2016

Listening: We are about to head out for a family get together in Middle Tennessee for the weekend.  I am listening to my son singing as he packs.  The daughter is watching Reba. 

Loving: I am loving my summer vacation.  I have exactly one month until our first day of school.  ONE. MONTH.

Thinking: "WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO DO!!!????" I am moving to second grade this fall - in one month (have I mentioned that?), and I have no idea what I am going to do.  I have only taught third grade. I am moving rooms, moving teams, moving grades and my brain has been going 200 mph all summer long!!! I am sure many of my posts will be about this!

Wanting: I am wanting lots of things at the time.  I want a day where I don't think about school starting.  I want time to slow down just a little bit because my oldest starts high school in ONE. MONTH.  I want to savor and enjoy each moment that is left.

Needing: I am needing to get my shelf painted in my room.  Once that is done, my room will come along much faster!  I can't complain. We have NEVER been able to get in our room this early! We are usually the last school to be cleaned.  We are usually scrambling about 1-2 weeks before school starts because we were just able to get into the room.

Hoping: That second grade is a good move.  I am hoping I am what these kids need.  I am hoping I can make a difference. I am hoping I can enjoy every little moment.

So... that is what is CURRENTLY going on in my life.

  I am excited about this challenge and can't wait to see what this month holds!

Be sure to check out the other posts at Big Time Literacy each day!

Currently: February

I remembered!

I remembered only because I put it on my calendar!

I am so excited to be back for this month's edition of 

Currently!

It is hosted each month by Farley at 

 Oh! Boy! 4th Grade!

I am LISTENING to college basketball right now.  More specifically, I am listening to North Carolina and Louisville.  I don't know why it is still on but it is.  I am the kind of girl that can watch ANYONE play college basketball, but I can't stand either of these teams!  The channel will probably be changing soon!

I am LOVING Pioneer Woman!  I have always loved her!  I have every cookbook, but always get lost in the photographs she has and her stories.  However, tonight I was determined (after a one hour meeting after school) to make her Baked Ziti!  I got her Dutch Oven for Christmas and cooked it in that. OH. MY. GOODNESS.  I will be making this again in bulk to freeze because, let's be honest, it was a little much to try to throw together after school.

I am THINKING that I am not ready for our testing to begin next week.  Yes, in Tennessee, we are taking Part 1 of our TNReady testing next week.  Now, I have done all I can do to get my precious children ready.  I know I have done everything possible, but I am not ready to see what this is going to be like for them!  This part is mostly responding to a prompt and writing an essay on the computer.  They will do that for social studies (see my social studies tab to see how we have been TRYING to prepare them for that) and reading.  Math is a whole different world, and I am so glad I don't teach it!

I am WANTING another day off of school.  I actually am getting one next week in the middle of testing - great planning, right!  I will be off the day they do their math testing, so that is my day to babysit while they aren't testing.  I really just want a "Becky" day, but don't see that in my future!

I am NEEDING some extra hours in the day.  My son was sick yesterday. My daughter isn't feeling the best today. I have had no sleep in the last 2 nights.  I just have a lot to do to get ready for next week.  When it rains, it pours, right!

I am SWOONING over the fact that my dear husband knows I am at my breaking point.  He knows our boy did not let me farther than 5 feet away from him yesterday and my house looks like someone dropped a bomb in it - especially the kitchen.  I came home today to laundry done and the kitchen clean. (Only for me to mess it up again cooking that delicious Baked Ziti!  However, I am glad to say I was able to clean it tonight so he won't be upset!)

I am glad February is a short month.  I am glad we get a 4 day weekend in February.  I am glad there is always a chance of snow in February.  I am glad this writing test will be over in February.  Looking for the blessings during this month.  How about you?

Currently: January

Oh, I have not done this in so long!

I am going to make it my goal to do a better job with this in 2016.

I will admit I got VERY overwhelmed with the whole new teacher blogger world I discovered this summer.

When school began, I had to prioritize some things again and this just fell to the wayside.

I have missed seeing what others are up to and what they are doing in their classrooms and lives.

I was glad to see I had not missed this month's Currently hosted by

Oh, Boy 4th Grade!

Here is my Currently for the month of January!

Listening: I am a HUGE college football fan and this is the best time of the year for that.  My team played (and DOMINATED) last night.  ROLL TIDE ROLL! However, I am still up for any football game, so I am listening to the Grandaddy of them all - the Rose Bowl.  I really don't care who wins this one - although I do like that McCaffery kid from Stanford.

Loving: I am loving just being at home at this time of year.  I love being able to really do whatever I want to do just because I simple can.  It has been just what I needed to recharge my batteries for this next semester.

Thinking: I go back for staff development on Monday and kids come back on Tuesday.  I really need to at least look at what I am going to be doing.  I have spent a little time (when kids were asleep) working on school things.  I have taken the data from our last iReady testing and made individualized plans for each child to work on during their independent time.  Now, I need to make sure I have all the supplies and task cards they need in order to complete the individual tasks.  This tasks seems to be very daunting.

Wanting: Not wanting to sound redundant, I really am wanting a little more time at home.  This past semester was exhausting.  I really can't put my finger on why it was.  It just was.  I could really use some more time.

Needing: I am needing to really stop relaxing and get things ready for school.  

One Little Word: New - a little word with so much meaning behind it.  Clean... Begin again... Fresh... Pure...  I need to remember that I get this word not just at the beginning of a year but at the beginning of each day.

What does January have you Currently doing?

Currently: July

I cannot believe today is July 1st!!!!

In a little over a month - August 3rd, to be exact - my new set of

babies arrive in my room.

I can't believe it is almost here!

My goal is to enjoy July to the fullest potential - even the 5 days of inservice I have

coming during this month!

I am linking up with Farley again this month. 

That means I have been doing this blogging thing on a somewhat routine basis

for a month now!  YEA, me!!!!

More on that coming....

So currently, I am......

Listening - to Sports Center.  It's a staple at our house.  Usually at this point in the year we are focused on baseball - Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers (the hubs is from Texas).  However, this year, we are also focused on World Cup soccer.  My girl plays and loves soccer.  I know NOTHING, but have learned SOME over the last 9 years she has played.  We are enjoying the highlights from last night's game!

Loving - that we are headed to Nashville in a few days.  My BIL and SIL live in Nashville and we always head there for a great fireworks show and fantastic shopping.  The cousins love being together and it is a great way to get away!  A big bonus is I get to go to McKay's Book Store and LOAD up!!! I have $100+ in store credit that is burning a hole in my pocket! I am going to print off my Amazon wish lists and see what I can get!

Thinking - I am very overwhelmed with this new world of blogging, twittering, Instagramming and the like that I have become a part of this last month.  It is wonderful and I realize even more of things I need to be doing in order to be the teacher my kiddos deserve.  I also realize I can't compare myself to others.  I need to realize what I can do and what is the most important thing for me to do NOW - like writing those common assessments!

Wanting/Needing - a few extra weeks to my summer.  I sat down the other night and realized I really have only a few weeks left completely to myself.  I have a week coming up of inservice with my fantastic team.  I have a week I have set aside to work in my room while the kiddos are at camp.  It is slowly slipping away....

All Star - I have LOVED being a mom this summer.  My kids may not agree that I am an all-star mom at this moment, but I have really made an effort this summer to be present for them.  When they want to do something - we do it.  We have taken day trips. We have been to Sonic almost EVERY day this summer.  We have been swimming with friends.  We have had movie nights and sleepovers.  It has been a fantastic summer just being with them. I know I don't have many more summers with them, so I am enjoying this one to the fullest!

Be sure to check out what others are CURRENTLY doing and 

meet some great new friends!

June 2015

A day late, (and more than a dollar short) but I am determined to do better this year with this whole blogging thing now that I have a new "title" other than "third grade teacher."  I am going to be working as our school's Reading Curriculum Coach.  I am not really sure what all that entails, but we are going to go for it!!

So, thanks to Oh Boy 4th Grade for doing this for us.  Back to this month and what is currently going on in my life....

Listening:  When I first did this, my husband was channel surfing, but now he has landed on America's Got Talent.

Loving: The end of the school year was kind of rough for us for many different reasons so I am LOVING just being at home with my two kiddos.

Thinking:  While I am enjoying being at home, I am thinking of all the things I would like to get done this summer from house cleaning to school stuff.

Wanting:  Blogs Fit For A Queen is working on my new blog design and I am so excited! I got the preview last night and it I just can't wait until it is up and going!

Needing: I think I say every year that I am going to do a better job at blogging, but I am REALLY serious about it this year.  In the past, I had another blog for my students and this one just fell to the side.  However, we can now get blogspot at school, so this is the ONLY blog I will be using.  I am so excited about the possibilities!

Summer Lovin':  I love relaxing, reading what I want to read (as well as some PD books) and playing all kinds of games with my kids.  Right now we have a Phase 10 summer tournament going with BIG stakes on the line (winner chooses lunch the last day of summer break and possibly more, but don't tell them that!).

I can't wait to meet some of you and learn from you! That is why I am wanting to do better at this - for the simple fact that I want to be better tomorrow than I was today!