Five On Friday: 5 Things I'm Loving

Happy Friday friends!  Around here, we are still trying to get in a groove of being back to school and back to work.  Life is good, but it takes a few weeks for my body to remember how to wake up early and go go go again.  This weekend is no exception.  Our friends/Jeff's cousin is getting married on Saturday, and this is the wedding that Sam is in.  I'm so excited, but also nervous (boy has a mind of his own).  I can't wait to update you next week on his grand debut in the wedding scene and show off pictures of him in his precious little bow tie and suspenders.  Get ready. ;)

For now, I feel like there are SO many blog posts inside me just waiting to be put to paper (or, the screen, in this case); but, I just haven't been able to find the energy and the time simultaneously yet.  They are coming.  Thanks for being patient.

In the meantime, here are five things I'm loving right now...  (Warning: This list is all over the place.)


"Wake Me Up" by Avici. 

This song just makes me SO happy.  I can't get enough. Also, and I realize this makes me a total nerd, but I see some comparisons between the music video (below) and The Scarlet Letter.  Interesting. Am I nuts?

 

Girl Scout flavored Coffee-Mate.*

My personal favorite is the caramel and coconut flavor (aka "samoas," aka "carmel delights" - what is it with this name?!?), it's like a party in my cup every morning.  YUM!  (P.S. At Blogher, the Coffee-Mate folks were making milkshakes by adding their creamer to vanilla ice cream in a blender. #genius.)

Brene Brown.  
It seems like this name keeps popping up in my life lately.  I've recently starting reading her book Gifts of Imperfection, and my Women's Bible Study leader urged us towards her Ted Talks "The Power of Vulnerability" and "Listening to Shame" this past week.  The jury is still out on whether she believes in Jesus or not; but, regardless, she seems like a very wise woman.  Her book, so far, is challenging and insightful.  Have any of you read or heard anything from her before? What did you think?

Mistresses.  
Haha, there is no good transition from a wise woman to a television show about, well, mistresses... But, let's try.  Honestly, all I knew about this show up until a few weeks ago was that it came on after The Bachelorette.  The title didn't exactly appeal to me, but I had a few recommendations, so I gave it a try online.  Y'all, I'm hooked.  Really, it isn't nearly as dirty or scandalous as it sounds, and there are some really good story lines. Anyone else a fan?  I've got one show to go and then I'll be caught up - so no spoilers please! :)

(In related news... I used to hardly ever watch TV, and lately I've become a bit of a junkie.  In my defense though, I literally ONLY watch it online while I'm folding laundry or doing other tedious tasks. It makes them SO much more enjoyable! Soon, I'll be totally caught up on Parenthood, Scandal, and Mistresses - what's next? Help!)

Embellished Oxford Shirts.

This is totally random, especially since I don't even own one - yet; but I spotted this style in Kohls a couple of weeks ago and have seriously thought about them way more than it is acceptable to think about an item of clothing.  There are lots of adorable embellished collared shirts out there; but, there is something about the contrast of casual/business and dressy that makes me LOVE this look. Are they not so cute? (Or, if they are ugly, please tell me!)

So... What are you loving this week?

Link up your Five on Friday posts here, here, here, and/or here.

*I received free samples of Thin Mint and Carmel Delight creamer for review.  But, rest assured, they were totally DELICIOUS enough for me to buy myself in the future!

People That Tell You Time Flies When You Have a Baby are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT

Alternately titled: Sam starts preschool/ Sam becomes a teenager over night/ Longest blog post title ever. ;)


So, Sam started preschool yesterday at a church in our county.  He will be going on Tuesdays from 9 - 1 and on Thursdays from 9 - 12 from now until May.  His teacher's name is Mrs. Smith, and there are four other two-year olds (two boys and two girls) in his class.

Honestly, I wasn't nervous leading up to his first day.  This summer has been such a big growth time for Sam - he is finally talking and communicating lots more, and I can just tell every day that his world is getting bigger and bigger.  It has been fun to see his little personality develop and how active and outgoing he is by nature.  He is absolutely ready to start preschool, make new friends, and learn from his peers and the experiences his teacher can give him.  This totally felt right.

Of course, on Monday night, some of my old insecurities started creeping in.  To be honest, it is easy to convince yourself you are doing a pretty good job parenting when you (plus grandparents and other unabashedly bias people) are the only ones around your child. Would he be nice to the other kids?  Would he be able to communicate with them?  What would his teacher think about the huge bruises on his head? Would he be the only one not potty training?  Not speaking in sentences?  Would the other moms judge me because I was clearly coming from work and Sam's babysitter would be picking him up every day?

Sam's adorable school bus t-shirt is from Lil Sweet Designs.

But, just as I knew they would, my fears were quickly eased when I watched my little guy (who was, literally, a BABY last week) march into his classroom carrying his precious little book bag (which, for the record, contained only one diaper and a small pack of wipes - what exactly do toddlers take to school?  Binders?) and said "Hi" loudly.  Then, he immediately took to the train table and barely looked back at me.

(As you know, Sam has been staying with a sitter either at our house or someone else's house most days since he was about three months old.  He is the only kid in the church nursery that doesn't even look up when I kiss him goodbye before heading back to the service.  Sometimes, I wonder if this makes me seem like a terrible mom that her kid can't wait to get away from; but, mostly, I'm proud.)

Another little boy came covered in band-aids from mosquito bites.

One came with his grandma and his mom showed up a few minutes late wearing scrubs.

Hardly anyone spoke more than a few words, and one little girl didn't even speak English.

Oh right... We're all in this together. 

Probably other than the first three months of his life, these last three have brought the most growth and change in Sam.  In a span of just one month, his language has taken off, he's given up the pacifier, we've started using the potty, he got his first hair cut, and now... he starts school.

I LOVE it.  We are in a good place right now, and things are feeling more and more comfortable in our little home every day.  (Scary, I know.) 

Yes, we have tantrums that end up with both of us crying in our rooms sometimes, and days that feel like I will never relax again; but, ultimately, I am able to get to that sweet spot of confidence and peace that I am doing a good job much faster than I did at the beginning.  

These days, it doesn't take much more than a big smile, or a drawn out "maaamaaa" (as he is in the habit of saying), or a tight hug around the neck, to remind me that I've got this.  Sam isn't the only one doing the growing around here...

 

Teaching Tuesday: Favorite English Teacher Blogs

Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend!  Things didn't go exactly as I had planned (as in, we hardly did any of the things I had on the "agenda"), but our little stay-cation was great -- We even ended up spending Saturday night at my parents' (they were out of town) so we could stay up late watching football on their nice TV and, truly, avoid any responsibilities of being at home.  It was full of good time as a family and relaxation - exactly the way a va(stay)cation should be! P.S. How about those Tigers!?!?!

I followed the "rules," and stayed away from school/house/blog work pretty much the entire weekend, so I'm playing catch up today with a simple Teaching Tuesday topic -- my favorite English teacher blogs!!  I'm a big fan of "not re-inventing the wheel" as long as the wheel is pretty darn awesome to begin with!  ;) Below are four pretty darn awesome English teacher blogs I have come to know and love (and gets lots of great ideas from).  I've mentioned many of these here before, but I thought it might be nice to have them all in one spot.  Hope you find one or two new ones to add to your teaching repertoire!

1. The Nerdy Teacher is Nicholas Provenzano, an English 10 Honors teacher and frequent EduBlog award winner.

Check out "The Epic Mock Trial of Mark Twain" and "20% Time in My Classroom."

2. Where the Classroom Ends is primarily geared towards the AP Language & Composition classroom and the study of rhetoric (where, trust me, I need all the help I can get). It is a little more "technical," but the two teachers that write it (Emily & Aubrey) are experienced, creative, and relate-able.  I love that many of their ideas involve incorporating pop culture and media into your lesson plans and are usually especially timely and relevant for teenagers today.

Check out "State of the Union Creative Assignment,""Superbowl 2012: Car Commercials," and "Documentaries: Oscar Nominees."

3. Eat, Write, Teach - Stephanie and I have been reading each other's blogs for a while now, and I am continually impressed by her professionalism and passion for teaching.  She shares great templates for organization that you can use in your classroom right away and her love for her students and career is evident in everything she writes.

Check out "A Letter to First Year Teachers" and her "The Well-Oiled Classroom Machine" series.

4. M*Print Blog - Another reader/friend, Megan is SO organized and so generous with her teaching ideas!  In fact, she totally emailed me the "Classroom Rules Meme" power point she did on the first day, and my kids LOVED it!  Her blog is JAM packed with practical things you can do to make your classroom run smoothly AND fantastic lesson ideas!

Check out "How Not to Lose Your Mind at Open House" (just in time for "Back to School Night" for many of us),  "Ten Technology Tips Every Teacher Should Know," and "Bulletin Board Design on a Dime."

Ok, this just barely scratches the surface of some of the great resources out there... I know there are SO many other great blogs for teachers of all subjects/grade-levels/etc. Let's spread the wealth!! PLEASE share a link to your favorite (or your own if it relates) education blog in the comments below!

See you tomorrow!