List-Making Monday: Summer Goals

It's a big plus as a teacher having this time off in the summer months, I totally appreciate my good fortune.  However, I'm not always the type who can just sit still and relax... I always seem to need something to do during the day... otherwise, I feel antsy and unproductive!  Mostly, I use a good portion of the summer as preparation time for the next school year, especially since I keep changing grades and classrooms.  I also do some errands or have some hobbies that I don't always get through during the school year when I'm tired after a long work day.

I have decided to make a list of some summer goals, things I would like to accomplish in Summer 2013.

1) Blog at least three times a week -- if not more.  I definitely slacked on blogging this last school year, it was just such a hectic and busy teaching period.  I am eager to blog all summer, to get back into the habit.

2) Create my class lists, day plan template, and schedule template for September.

3)  Continue to explore and collect items to create a more nature-inspired, plastic-free classroom environment next year.  There is a big push for eco-friendly and more natural products in the classroom, so this summer I plan to start collecting items that I'd like to use when I set up my room at the end of August -- wicker/wooden baskets rather than plastic bins, mason jars, and some natural "found" items like a collection of seashells when I'm in South Carolina in a few weeks.

4) Explore recipes and cook a new and (hopefully) delicious meal for Mr. Lock (since I'm home and he's at work, least I can do is cook once and awhile.... haha).

5)  Read through the Full-Day Kindergarten curriculum document and the "Thinking it Through" ETFO full-day kindergarten resource in preparation for September.  Review and remind myself of the grade one curriculum document.  Try to create a long-range plan template for my SK/grade one split based on common themes.

6)  Develop my overall unit plan for the Eric Carle "Global Read Aloud" that I'm eager and excited to participate in with my students this year.

7)  Help my bridesmaids choose their bridesmaids dresses for my wedding (we've got the venue, ceremony officiant, DJ, and my wedding dress -- now on to the bridesmaids dresses!).

8)  Visit with my family and enjoy their swimming pool a few times a week -- there does need to be SOME down time!  I also get a lot of reading done by the pool, so I can bring my resources there to read.

9)  Finish at least 6 novels over the summer just for fun.  I just finished my first, This Charming Man by Marian Keyes.

10)  Since I think there should be 10... visit with my very good friends whose kids I also love, since the day time hours are available right now to do so!

I have a few other miscellaneous errands -- I need to renew my license plate sticker for example, and am hoping to do that this afternoon.  I am also enjoying searching for potential house decorating and classroom decorating ideas online, and am catching up reading and responding to blogs I enjoy.  I'm also entering a ton of contests -- let's see what I can try to win this summer!

List-Making Monday: Things I Want to BLOG About

There are always so many topics I want to blog about, and then time goes by so quickly and I don't write the posts!  I'm going to be playing catch-up soon... here are a whole bunch of great things I want to write about, look out for these posts soon!

1) There was a Random Act of Kindness sort of thing in my building, it was so uplifting!

2) I made disaster cupcakes for Oscar Night -- seriously, I'm not a Sweet Genius, that's for sure.

3) Mr. Lock and I went to bottle his wine.

4) I received a gorgeous cardigan sweater courtesy of Mark's (formerly Mark's Work Wearhouse).  So excited to review it!

5) I received samples of Burt's Bees Solutions for Sensitive Skin products because I'm a BzzAgent!  Trying the face wash and day cream for the first time today -- will review it once I've tried it a few times and get a sense for it.

6) School stories -- the kids always have me laughing, and I have a few very heart-warming stories about a couple of boys in my class who are making some great progress lately.

7) My BFF Quin and her fiance, Mac, just bought their first home!  I want to share a bit about that, and my excitement for them!

8) I have a post about a storage solution tip for kitchen cupboards that I took pictures for AGES ago, and then never wrote up.

9)  I want to beg Mr. Lock to write some guest posts, possibly food posts as he is a stellar cook!  He made a great dinner for our friends on Saturday night, including a chocolate mousse for dessert -- so yummy!

10) I need to write up some book reviews for books I've been reading lately.

Okay, so there are quite a few post topics there that I need to get working on.  At least I've given you a bit of a preview!  I'll get more organized soon and get these posts up.  Then you'll be all caught up with my life lately!


I'd love to say I have some exciting post to write about the upcoming March Break, but honestly... I have no plans, haha.  Maybe catch up on a good book, and rest and relax?  Ah well, it might not make for great blog fodder but that certainly sounds lovely enough to me at this point.

A List of Reasons for Why my Students Wish it Would Snow

Today was a VERY rainy day here in my area of Ontario... very rainy.  It's been wet and recess time has been pathetic for the kids in our school.  We had an indoor recess in the morning, and then a "pavement only" recess in the afternoon -- because the field is pretty much a giant, wet, mud pit.

My students are so bored without snow this winter!  When we went to our outdoor education field trip last week, all they wanted to do was play in the snow.  It was thrilling for them to SEE snow, since it has been so mild this winter especially in our little pocket.  We were really lucky to get a snow experience last Thursday.  For the kids, this rainy blah winter is just so boring!

A List of Reasons for Why my Students Wish it Would Snow:

• To be able to go back up onto the field area and have more space during recess
• To be able to make snow angels
• To be able to build snowmen
• To be able to go sledding
• To be able to go outdoor skating
• To be able to feel the winter clothes we make them wear anyway have a purpose
• To stop being covered in mud!!! (Maybe this mostly matter to me!)

What do you think about the crazy, rainy weather this winter?  Are you living in a place that actually has SNOW, or are you (and the kids in your life) as annoyed as I am by this mild and inconsistent January?

I'm not really a "snow" person per se... but when winter hits, I like to have proper winter weather!  I am Canadian, afterall.

List-Making Monday: Movies!

Let's continue this theme... for today's list, I'm going to list the movies I've seen recently, cellphone disruptions and all (ha-ha), and which movies I'm looking forward to seeing soon.  Mr. Lock and I really love going to the theatre, and I received some gift cards for Cineplex as Christmas gifts, so we've been putting them to good use.  I also collect Scene points, and tend to have many free movies throughout the year.

Seen Recently (I only went back as far as November-ish)

• The Muppets
• Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (I knoow...)
• New Years Eve
• Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
• The Adventures of Tintin
• Beauty and the Beast (in Disney Digital 3D)
• Super 8 (rented -- this was actually a pretty decent movie)
• Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Want to See (whether in theatres or rented)

• The Vow
• Big Miracle
• The Hunger Games
• Rock of Ages
• The Dark Knight Rises
• The Avengers
• American Reunion (yes, I was a teen during the American Pie years and I do love those stupid movies)
  
• The Iron Lady (maybe)
• A Dangerous Method (maybe)

Definite Rentals I want to see (not in theatres anymore)

• Water for Elephants (because I just read the story this past summer and loved the novel)
• 50/50

I'm certain there are other films coming that I want to see but this is what I can think of right now... oh, fine, in November you know I'll be there watching Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part II.... but c'mon... when you've witnessed the whole train wreck up until that point is IS hard to tear yourself away from the carnage.

I'm also a huge fan of watching The Academy Awards every year, so I do like to try to see some of the nominated films (the announcement of nominees happens next Tuesday).  My family and I have a tradition of voting for the winners and placing a $2 bet each (most correct answers wins the whole pot), so it's pretty serious business.

Seen any good movies lately yourself?  Do you prefer seeing movies at the theatre or watching them at home?

List-Making Monday

I am OBSESSED with lists, you guys.  I make To Do lists all day, and even as I scratch things out, I get all excited and pull out another notebook or piece of paper and re-write the list multiple times.  It keeps me better organized, because my memory is non-existent, and it caters to the writer in me that just likes putting a pen or pencil on paper.  I teach my students that list-making is a great writing form for them to do on their own -- it simply helps them practice spelling words and forming letters, even if they aren't ready for full sentences.  Even when my students are ready for full sentences, I start with list-making as our first writing unit every year because it helps them generate ideas for later Free Writing and Journaling time.

I'm translating my love of list-making to the blog.  Every Monday I'm going to write a list -- maybe it's a To Do list, a Link List, or maybe I'm going to pull an idea from my new fun notebook I just bought (another thing I loooove are notebooks -- laaaame, but I bet as fellow bloggers you JUST GET IT!  Or, so I hope.).

I'm loving this notebook -- it gets me writing at home, a hobby I love, and you can pick it up and add to it whenever an idea stirkes you.  There are so many list prompts in here, and I think they can translate well to blog posts as well (and lead to some fun interaction in comments as you add to the lists!).  (By the by, I just bought this myself at Chapters because I am in love with it, this isn't any sort of compensated review -- though if the creators of Listography want me to test out their products HELLO!  YES!  FIND ME, YOU!)(Ahem).

Here's a list to start me off...

Things To Do Tonight Before I Fall Asleep Early Because I was SO NOT READY For My Work Wake-up Time After Sleeping In For Two Weeks:

1) Go through my personal Facebook account and check all privacy settings (we had a Facebook 101 thing at work today -- yowzers!  I think I'm pretty secure, but I want to go through and double-check -- will probably write an entire post about this later this week and the implications of Facebook for teachers).

2) Finish January Calendar and Newsletter so I can photocopy and send it home with my students tomorrow

3) Complete some prep work for a Science final assignment the kids will be working on this week and next

4) Catch up on blogs to read and comment on, Tweets to Tweet, and blog networking to... network.

5) Wash a load of towels.

6) Empty dishwasher.

7) Remember to put on pajamas and brush teeth before I am down for the count at, like, 9 pm.

Squee!  Please, tell me I am NOT the only one who JUST. LOVES. LISTS!  Or, call me crazy.  Whatever!

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