Monday Motivation

Welp, it's Monday again, folks. I hope everyone had a nice, relaxing weekend. My weekend was very productive. I put together the final test for our novel unit, organized the comprehensive review we'll be doing for it, and started planning out the pacing for a new reading program I'll be using with one of my classes. I also got caught up on my grading and got everything entered into the gradebook. This week ends our first nine weeks, so I definitely needed the uninterrupted time to get that done.

This week is going to be pretty hectic. Monday we're starting a new grammar unit on sentences and will be doing a comprehensive review of our novel. We'll also be getting back on track with our writing assignment, which we've been postponing due to other things. On Tuesday I'll be out of town for a workshop, so I've got some assignments to help reinforce the skills we've been working on over the last few weeks. The unit test is on Wednesday, then on Thursday we're taking a field trip to see a play about Ruby Bridges, the first black student to attend a desegregated school. Friday will be a writing day.

Next week we'll be doing a lot of writing and watching the movie that goes along with the novel, and then we'll get a week off for Fall Break. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't counting down the days.

That's it for me this week. Y'all keep me in your thoughts because this week is going to be insane. Have a good one!

7 Classroom-Approved Outfits for Early Fall

The South has had its first taste of fall, and it has been wonderful. Lower temperatures and humidity and a refreshing breeze to top things off have made the last several days pleasant. We all know it's not going to last, of course, and highs for later this week are expected to be back in the 90s, but it's been nice to pretend for a few days. Granted, it's not been cool enough to bring out anything remotely resembling a sweater, and I'm still gazing longingly at my boots, but I have been subtly shifting my color schemes to reflect the season I want to be in.

Here are seven outfits I've worn over the last couple of weeks to work, meaning they are classroom-approved. For reference, I'm 5'2" and weigh around 145 lbs. I typically wear size small or 6 in clothes and size 7 in shoes.

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Dress (similar) / Belt (similar) / Shoes (similar)

I picked up this dress from a locally-owned store and haven't been able to find it anywhere online. For local folks, it came from The Barn. I swapped out the included tie sash with this wide woven belt and decided to play up the sunshine tones with my yellow wedges.

Dress / Shoes

I used to have a dress with a very similar pattern, but as I lost weight it stopped fitting well, so I donated it. I really loved that dress, so when I came across this one I was excited. It's got several colors in the pattern you can use to coordinate your shoes, but I chose navy. These are those flats that I own in a bunch of colors. They're comfortable all day, so long as you don't run (long story). The dress has cute flutter sleeves and pockets.

Shirt / Skirt / Shoes (similar)

This skirt is so perfect, y'all. It's fully lined and has an elastic waist. I wanted to wear this maroon blouse to help pull out the flowers from the print, but you could easily do all black.

Shirt / Pants / Shoes (similar)

If you guessed these were another of the Old Navy OG Chinos, you'd be correct. I like this color a lot and was pleasantly surprised that they matched the pink tones in this blouse so nicely. I'm not totally satisfied with my shoe choice, but I wanted comfort over style this day.

Shirt / Jeans (similar) / Shoes (similar)

Okay, so this blouse exceeded my expectations. I really like this type of shirt because it's easy to dress up or down. I chose this color because it's perfect for my school colors, so I can wear it on school spirit days when I don't feel like wearing a t-shirt. This day I wore jeans, but I will definitely be wearing this with skirts and slacks, as well.

Dress / Shoes (similar) / Earrings

It hasn't been that long since you last saw my favorite dress ever, but this is the first time I've worn it to school, so I had to document the occasion.

Shirt (similar) / Jacket (similar) / Pants (similar) / Belt / Shoes (similar)

This is probably my favorite transition outfit formula. It works with pretty much any color bottoms, but I especially like olive for fall. My shoes have a bit of snake-print on them to add a bit of pattern mixing to this outfit. It was actually cool enough for a light jacket this day, so my dark denim jacket was the perfect finishing touch.

Monday Motivation

Another weekend has come and gone, and sadly it was nowhere near long enough. I spent at least half of it sick with a stomach virus that's been going through my students. Thankfully, though, I seem to have avoided the worst of it.

Last week was a pretty frustrating week, and it was really easy to get fixated on those frustrations, but when I forced myself to decompress, I was able to focus on the bright spots from the week. We started our first essay topic, and my kids actually like the topic I picked. In fact, a few other ELA teachers have asked me to share it with them, as well. For the classes that made it past the initial task of choosing a setting, I got to really see their creativity for the first time this school year. It was truly the best part of my week.

We're going to finish up our novel this week, which I'm excited for. It's been a mixed bag with all of my classes, with one class really getting into it and giving me the discussions I was aiming for and one not being invested at all. But I'm not that worried about if they didn't enjoy it, because it would be literally impossible for me to choose one book that fit every students' interests. We're also wrapping up our folktales unit, which I've enjoyed immensely) and moving on to a unit that will focus pretty heavily on conflict and motivation. I'm not super excited about the particular short story that's included with this one (I feel like it's overrated), but at this point I don't have another that I'd rather do instead.

In other news, Chris and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. It was very low-key, just dinner out at our favorite steakhouse. I'm planning on doing a few 10 year anniversary posts this month, so stay tuned for those!

That's going to wrap it up for me. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

8 Things I’m Loving Right Now

 These are some of the things that have been making life just a little bit easier for me these days.

*This post contains affiliate links.

The Teacher Planner - If you've known me any length of time, then you'll know that I live by my planner. Always have, so when I decided to pursue teaching, I knew I needed to find the right planner to meet all my planning needs. And this is definitely it. I love how it's broken down into monthly, weekly, and even semester(ly?) planning. There's a place to keep up with contact information, passwords (because let's be real - we all have way too many to memorize), and it's even got a built-in grade book for an all-in-one experience.

Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm - Burt's Bees is my favorite lip balm of all time, but now that I'm working outside of my house again, I need more than a chapstick. I am in love with these tinted lip balms, especially the Hibiscus color. It's the perfect natural shade for my complexion and so much more hydrating than regular lipstick.

Rainproof Tote Bag - I've had this for a few years now, but it's really been getting put to good use the last couple of months. This bag has a pocket especially for a laptop, as well as a zippered pouch in the middle, pockets for pens/pencils and your phone, and plenty of room for my planner, workbooks, and papers that  need grading. I really love that I can fully zip the entire bag closed so that when it rains I don't have to worry about everything inside of it getting ruined.

Zak Insulated Tumbler - I use this tumbler literally every work day for my coffee. I've got a 40-minute drive every morning, and my coffee is still hot/warm (depending on if I drink any while I drive) when I get to work.

Old Navy OG Chinos - These are my preferred work pants at the moment. I own them in navy blue, black, gray, and pink. The elastic waistband makes them ridiculously comfortable without being frumpy (I was surprised by that!), and they're easy to wear rolled at the ankles or straight depending on your preference. They work with both casual and dressier tops, as well as a variety of shoes.

Publix Apron Meals - I'm not going to lie, as much as I like to cook dinner and eat together at our dining room table, I don't love the prep work that goes into some of my favorite meals. That's one of the best things about shopping at Publix, though. The meat counter always has put-together options that I just have to throw in the crockpot or stick in the oven. And I've yet to be disappointed with something we've tried.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Daily Face Scrub - Aveeno has become my go-to skincare brand since I turned 30, and this face scrub has quickly become an integral part of my daily routine.

Suave Wave Mousse - I have been struggling to find a styling product that's light enough for my hair texture but that actually does the job I'm looking for. When I saw this on the shelf, I decided I had nothing to lose, especially since it costs less than $5, and I've been so pleased with the results. First of all, it has yet to dry crunchy, even on the days when I probably use too much. It also air dries pretty and is the easiest product to restyle that I have ever used.

Monday Motivation

Happy Monday, friends. It was a rainy, wet, and dreary weekend in my neighborhood, but I'm not really complaining. We may have had a short work-week, but it felt longer than a five-day work week! Mostly because we had testing all week for math, reading, and language, so the kids were beyond restless by the time we got to Friday. Let's just say it made for a long week, and I was not turning down the opportunity for a lazy weekend.

In other news, we're almost finished reading our novel, and by some miracle of fate we've stayed on track with it in every class. So we'll have a final assessment in a couple of weeks, then we'll get to watch the movie adaptation and do a comparison activity with that, and finally they'll do a creative project on one of the characters.

We'll be starting narrative writing this week, which I'm kind of excited about. I've got what I think is a fun prompt for the kids, but I really never know what they're going to respond to, so we'll see.

Fall Break is in a few weeks, then we'll swap gears for the second nine weeks. I'm not teaching a novel unit for this one, but we will be dipping our toes into drama with The Monsters are Due on Maple Street and A Christmas Carol. We'll also read The Smallest Dragonboy. There are some other smaller things we'll do in conjunction with each of those selections, as well. We'll also move into expository (explanatory) writing, and I have what I hope will be a fun project for them.

The only other thing of note from last week is that we filmed the first episode of the student morning show. It felt a little weird to write scripts after four years, especially since our stories aren't exactly 'news,' but that's actually a nice change of pace. Less stress, if you know what I mean.

Well, that's pretty much it for me. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

What I Read August 2022

Despite being incredibly busy and having to adjust to a new all-around schedule, August was a good month for reading. The final books of two series I'd been waiting on released, I discovered a crossover series from an author I really like, and learned that two series I'd been interested in are finally complete. I also reread another of my favorite series, Seraph Black by Jane Washington, and started a couple of other books that have been on my TBR for awhile.

Gallows Bridge (The Harlequin Crew book 5)

Author: Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

I had been waiting awhile for this one to come out. I really enjoy this author duo, even if mafia/gang stories aren't my favorite. All of the characters in this series are morally gray, except for the true villain. He's 100 percent evil. Book five picks up right where book four ended, literally. The five main characters have to come up with a plan to finally take out Sean, who is like a dang cockroach and just keeps coming back. His obsession with Rogue is scary, to be honest, and his master plan to 'break her' is psychotic. Side note: they changed the covers, so this one looks dramatically different from the first four.

The Death Witch (The Coven: Fae Magic book 4)

Author: Chandelle Lavaun 

She did it again! Wow, what an ending to this season of The Coven Saga. I can’t wait for the next season to start. Truly, this is one of those situations where it's hard for me to give a synopsis without giving away spoilers about the rest of this season and the series as a whole. This season focuses mainly on Saffie, a fae-witch who was cursed in 1693 as part of a larger plan to eventually face Lillith, the fallen angel who's set on destroying the world. If you want to read this series, you need to start at the beginning with The Lost Witch. There's a prequel novella that you can get by joining the fan group.

Aria (The Happily Never After series book 3)

Author: H.P. Mallory

I'm honestly not sure why I let so much time pass from when I read book two. Maybe because the series wasn't complete yet? Anyway, I really do enjoy fairy tale retellings. This series has all the leading ladies of my favorite fairy tales, with each book focusing on a different one, although this one had the star of book two pretty heavily featured. Anyway, in this interwoven tale, there are ten 'chosen ones' who will one day unite to protect the world from the horrors of hell. Aria is Ariel, the little Mermaid. In this version, she's been cast out by her power-hungry father, Triton, and is living with her aunt, working to keep monsters inside a trench that's started to break open. When she rescues Captain Hook from a kraken, everything changes, then changes even more when she meets the human prince with whom she's now engaged.

Immortals’ Mate series

Author: Alex Lidell 

This series read a lot like the Power or Five series, also by Lidell and one of my favorites of all time. It all made sense in the final book when there was a small crossover with one of the characters from that series, which made me want a follow-up book or series really badly! When Sam accepts a job to steal a mysterious object, she has no idea it will land her in a reform academy for supernaturals. She knows she's different, but she had no idea she's a witch. The last witch in existence, to be exact, and a coveted 'weapon' for both the shifters and vampires.

 

Broken Bonds and Savage Bonds (The Ties That Bond series book 1 & 2)

Author: J. Bree

This is a series that I've seen recommended over and over, but I've held off on starting it because it was incomplete. Well, the final book comes out at the end of September, so I decided to dive in, and I've enjoyed the journey so far. At the time of writing this post, I've read all of the books available, but I only finished the first two in August. Oleander (Oli) has been on the run since she was 16, but now her Bonds have found her and dragged her back. What they don't understand is that she wasn't running from them; she was running to protect them from the same evil that held her in its tortuous grasp for two years.

8 Casual Outfits to Transition to Fall

Back to school has always been the unofficial signal that fall is just around the corner. Add in the fact that Labor Day is celebrated as the last hurrah of summer, and it's time to start thinking about autumn fashion choices. But if you live in an area that doesn't see fall temperatures until Halloween at the earliest, dressing for fall is easier said than done. Luckily for you, I am an expert on the month-long transition period from summer to fall-ish.

For me, it's all about color, shoe choice, and strategic layering that doesn't add any actual warmth to your outfit. I'll show you what I'm talking about in this edition of real outfit roundup featuring eight outfits I wore to work. For those of you just tuning in, I just started teaching seventh grade English Language Arts, so my weekday style is a direct reflection of that - professional but casual and easy to move around in.

Sizing note: I'm 5'2" and weigh about 145 lbs. I typically wear size small or 6 in clothing and size 7 in shoes.

Shirt (similar) / Jeans / Shoes

You really can't go wrong with black and white, no matter the season. This knotted tee is one of my favorites. It works with jeans or leggings and would probably work with a pencil skirt. Unfortunately, this specific shirt is no longer available, but I linked to one that's almost an exact match. Loafers are trending these days, although I don't think they ever went fully out of style. This pair has a cute little chain detail on the tongue and a chunky sole. They've got about an inch-and-a-half heel so they're not flat but low enough to be comfortable all day.

Shirt (sold out) / Jeans / Belt / Shoes

This blouse is so cute, y'all, but it's not available anymore. It's hard to tell from this picture, but it's a dark green color. It's got a darling Peter Pan collar and buttons all the way up. It's pretty loose but will easily tuck in and has a flattering drape when half tucked. I paired it with my plain black skinny jeans and kept my shoes simple with these black flats. These come in a lot of colors and are pretty comfortable for the price.

Shirt / Vest (sold out) / Skirt (similar) / Shoes

This was my attempt to show school spirit without wearing jeans and a t-shirt (all my school shirts were dirty and I didn't feel like doing laundry the night before). I really love this style of skirt, and the yellow t-shirt helps to show off the yellow in the floral pattern nicely. I added the vest because I felt like it needed something extra. A vest is a great transition piece to add a layer when it's still too warm for a jacket.

Shirt / Pants (sold out) / Shoes

These pants, y'all, are the absolute best. However, I have a really hard time finding the right tops to pair with loose pants. I think a graphic t-shirt would probably work, but I decided to keep things simple with this pretty black blouse. It's got a lace yoke and decorative buttons. I kept my shoes simple and comfortable with these black flat-form sandals. Sadly, my pants aren't available anymore, and I couldn't find anything similar.

Shirt (similar) / Jeans / Shoes (similar)

Flares are back in style, and I am so here for it! These maroon flares are giving me all the heart eyes. I decided for this first go round to keep things simple with this cream-colored lace blouse. I did have to opt for heels since I'm short and needed to have some height to keep the bottoms from dragging the floor.

Shirt / Skirt (similar) / Shoes

This skirt should be familiar to you since I wear it all the time. For this, I decided to keep things really simple and chose this lavender t-shirt to complement the purple tones in the floral pattern. I chose these braided sandal heels to elevate things a bit (my feet did not thank me the next day).

Shirt (Wantable) / Pants / Shoes

These navy blue pants are another of the Old Navy OG Chinos, and they're just as good as the others I've shown on the blog. I topped them off with this pretty embroidered blouse I got in my Wantable box, then finished things off with my star sneakers. They didn't really match, but I needed comfort over style this particular day, so it is what it is.

Shirt / Jeans / Boots

I had a professional development workshop this day, so I got to dress down. I'd been dying to wear this coffee t-shirt with my floral combat boots, and since this was the first day of September, a.k.a. the beginning of fall, I figured this was the perfect time. The boots are from the kids shoe section at Target. I wear size 5 in little girl shoes.

Monday Motivation

Happy Monday, and Happy Labor Day, friends! Did you know this is the first three-day weekend I've really had since leaving the TV station? I mean, logically, I've still gotten all the same holidays over the last four years or so, but when you work at home and make your own hours, it doesn't really feel the same. After a month of working set hours five days a week, I was ready for this three-day break!

That doesn't mean that this first month of teaching has been bad. Quite the opposite really. I'm enjoying it a lot, even with all the meetings and trainings I've had to attend during my planning period. I think I've finally found a rhythm with each class, and I've rearranged my classroom (hopefully for the last time) to better fit that rhythm.

We've made it halfway through our novel, The Westing Game, and have read two short stories - Seventh Grade by Gary Soto and The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen. We've been focusing on plot and just started conflict, and we've finished our first grammar unit on the parts of speech (we're doing an escape room activity with that this week that I'm pretty excited about).

We have covered the writing process, but we have not started any in-depth writing yet, but that's coming in the next couple of weeks. There's a specific program the school uses that I needed to get up to speed with before we can dive into that process. We'll be starting with narrative writing before turning our focus onto expository (explanatory) writing, which is where I excel at thanks to my background in the news industry.

In other news, my husband's building for his shop has finally come in. Once he's got it all put together, we'll get a lot of extraneous stuff out of the house, which is pretty exciting. That'll mean the laundry room will be more functional, and we'll be able to finish the guest bedroom. I'm also hopeful that we'll be able to get the shoe shelves installed in my office so I can stop digging through the bins I've been storing them in every morning!

We've been fighting some sinus and allergy issues over the last couple of weeks. Chris ended up getting bronchitis, so it's been kind of rough. The worst night, I ended up not sleeping at all and missed my first day of work. Alexis has avoided it, thankfully. There's a pretty bad stomach bug making the rounds right now, too, and I've been keeping my fingers crossed we all avoid it, as well.

I'm finally starting to feel more balanced with my sleep schedule, so I think this month will look a little more like what you're used to from me with the blog. I've got several things in the works already, so I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things of regular posting. I'll have my monthly reading roundup for y'all this week as well as another real outfit roundup. I'm also putting together a list of favorites from the past month and starting to look at fall trends (even though here in the south we've got another month of summer to get through at least).

Well, that's going to do it for me. I hope everyone has a wonderful short week!