August Currently

Wowzers - it's August!  I can't believe how summer goes by so quickly.  I'm linking up with Farley for the August Currently today.  Hooray!!  I got it done by August 2nd - that might be a record :).

Listening:  I love quiet mornings.  Having two teens and a tween, I get a lot of time because they love to sleep in.  Even hubby does!  It's great and I get time to go through blogs and do my own reading (and ok…, I clean some too).

Loving:  I can't believe it, but so far, so good with the Air Force retirement!  Hubby isn't driving me crazy and is even going to start some projects around the house now that he's had some time off.  This weekend - building new cabinets for my laundry room.

Thinking:  Does your mind ever turn off?  I am constantly thinking about implementing math workshop and the curriculum planning that my 8th grade math team has been doing to get it all sorted out.  We hope to have the first quarter done an printed in the next three weeks!  I'm also spending a lot of time scrolling through Pinterest :).

Wanting:  A break from the rain!  Its rained almost every day in the afternoon/evening for the last two weeks.  We have amusement park season passes (water park included) and would love to be able to use them!  Or at least go on a hike...

Needing:  I just got my new Team Beachbody PiYo workout DVDs in the mail yesterday.  They are supposed to be low-impact, but high intensity and short enough (20 - 40 mins) that I can do them in the morning before getting ready (hello 5 am!).  I need to get going on them.  The box has been opened, at least…

1st Day:  Only 11 days left for me - need to get moving!!  Elementary and sixth/ninth grade start on the 18th (my youngest's first day of middle school) and all the rest on the 19th (that's the older two).

July Currently

I can't believe that July is already here.  Where did my June go??  I'm linking up with Farley for the July Currently, but will also try to do some more posts this month and get back into the blogging world!

Listening:  I'm up this morning working on some homework and my husband is digging up the pump to the bubbler in our backyard.  Little one (not so little anymore… she just turned 11!) also got up and is acting as "assistant"!  I love how patient he is with her and I love that she enjoys spending time with him, even if the job isn't playing with American Girl dolls :).  Oh… and of course the World Cup is also on!

Loving:  Summer time!  I love having time to just sit back and relax.  We just did a big vacation, seeing my brother-in-law get married in northern Idaho, visiting my sister in Seattle, and visiting my parents and in-laws in Sacramento.  Even though I had more homework to do, there weren't a lot of other responsibilities besides spending time with family.  It was so much fun and I still have about six weeks left to enjoy.  Oh… and my oldest got to do a bunch of driving on the trip.  That was also… exciting?? (Seriously, she did a great job - nine different states and various road conditions; not many fifteen year olds can say they've done that!)

Thinking:  I've got three weeks left in this second master's degree that I've been working on.  These two classes (Statistics for Teachers and Number Structures) are super intense, but I'm actually learning things.  They're both online, but I'm spending hours a day working on discussions and homework.  Three more weeks and I'm DONE!!  If anyone is looking for a great master's program for teachers of Mathematics, check out this program through Montana State University.

Wanting:  Just a day to read…. Usually I have time to read 10 - 15 books over the summer.  Up to now I've only read one :(.  Once these classes end I'll get to it, but some days I just want to take a break and get out a new novel.

Needing:   Nothing.  I'm feeling really blessed right now and everything seems to be going well.  There are things I would like (like a few more weeks of summer), but nothing that I really need.  I'm learning to be grateful for that!

4th Plans:  Since we just returned from vacation (after two days driving from California to Colorado) we don't have a ton of plans for the Fourth.  We're going to hang out with neighbors, maybe catch a movie, and enjoy some good food.

June 2014 Currently

Oh man… it's June!!  More to come on how quickly that happened, but for now, I'm linking up with Farley for the June Currently.

Listening - I love spring.  I love to hear the birds in the morning that let me know that the school year is soon coming to an end.  I especially love it because it means that I get some quiet time for breakfast and then play time with the kiddos.

Loving - Did I say 2 days?  Now it's just 1!!  So excited to be done, but already planning for the next year…

Thinking - I need to stop for a bit and just enjoy being me and a mom.  It's too easy to jump into all of the "what if I..." and "why don't we try's…".  I know it will get done, but I need to pull away and just take some time to relax, recuperate, and do some fun summertime things with my own kids.

Wanting - More time!  Already my summer looks packed.  I just want about 4 more weeks to play!

Needing - I need to go to the store.  We're out of cereal and the end of the year is soooooooo busy.  No one's going to starve, but I may have some rebellious family members if I don't get some key items soon :).

Summer Bucket List:

1. Sometimes I think I get mired down in a lot of little details.  I need to take some time and focus on me and my family for a bit this summer.  One of my priorities is to make time for exercise, which will probably have to be early morning to allow for the "enjoy my kids" part.  During summertime my kiddos tend to sleep late, so I can make that exercise/clean/plan time.  Then, I want to make doing fun things with them a priority, rather than the exception.  I can handle a messy room….., I can!
2. This year marks my husband's 20th and final year in the Air Force.  He's retiring in July, which means I have to plan a party!  This will be both stressful and fun, but after that, he's totally ours for a bit (before figuring out what he really wants to do when he grows up).  We are going to make the most of it with trips to the amusement park, hiking, swimming, etc, before the rest of us have to go back to school.
3. Math Workshop - I did a lot of reading about this last summer, but never really got my feet off the ground.  I know it takes a lot of pre-planning and so I pitched it to all of the 8th grade math department and everyone is on board.  So…. that means there's no way out and we have to get going.  Although this takes a lot of time, I'm going to try to balance this with #1 and #2 on the list.  Makes for a full summer!!!

September Currently

Where has time gone???  It seems like I was just enjoying my summer and now I'm deeply entrenched into school, curriculum planning, and evening activities with my kids.  Summer went by too quickly!  I have so much to update, but thought I'd start with the late September Currently (go to Farley's page to see ALL of them).

Listening - Will the laundry ever get done??  I'm so good at washing and folding… then we end up just picking out of piles since they make it to the rooms but not put away.  Anyone with me on this??

Loving - With all the rains lately in Colorado, soccer fields are completely saturated.  Although I don't necessarily enjoy Sunday make-up games, it's nice to have a Saturday off from getting up early and shuffling the kids to their teams.  Not that I don't enjoy watching them - I do - but I was excited to not "have" to get out of bed today!

Thinking - This was really random, but it's fall and I'd love to go out and get a tall salted caramel mocha… :)  Just need to get off the computer, dry my hair, and talk hubby into going!

Wanting  - To finish grading the first tests of the year and update curriculum, but have to find the motivation to do so.  Maybe that coffee will help!

Needing - I don't know about you, but I eat great for breakfast and lunch, mostly because I pack them for school.  Once I get home, though, between soccer, dance, scouts, music lessons, theater, and all other activities, it seems like we're just a grab-and-go family.  I would love for dinner to be ready when I get home!

On that note… - I need to plan dinners better.  I want to find something fun to do with the kiddos this weekend (UNO anyone??).  I need to remember to take time for me!

Happy Fall!

August Currently

I'm linking up with Farley again for the August Currently.  This one caught me by surprise :).  I'm not ready for August…….

I've had a super-productive summer though, so I can't complain.  I've gotten a lot of things prepped for the new school year; I had a great visit with my little sis' and her girls; ALASKA - do I need to say anything else??  Now I'm back at work here and there getting my classroom ready and meeting with my two new 8th grade math teachers.  Really I'm not supposed to go back until August 14th, but there's no way I could wait until then and be ready on time.  I'm having fun browsing through my Pinterest Boards though at all the neat ideas that I've come across.

Listening - So my kiddos new favorite movie is "Pitch Perfect".  I've been doing a lot of driving them back and forth to camps and sports, so they watch it (and I get to listen) over… and over… and over… and over.  It's a good thing I like Ace of Bass.

Loving - I found some fantastic 8 ½ x 11 posters of the Mathematical Practices (you can find a link on a previous post).  They are easy to read, colorful, and fun!  I've already had them printed up on card stock at Staples and laminated at school.  Pictures to come soon…

Thinking - I need to set aside some time for ME before school begins.  I think a trip to B&N is in order to find a good book.  We are taking the kids to a Rapids game tomorrow, so that will be fun too.

Wanting - I started using the Zone eating plan recently.  How come these meals won't just put themselves together when I go into the kitchen.  I actually like the plan, but its tough when I need to make a grocery run.

Needing - To make my kiddos a priority in the next two weeks.  My son would like to go golfing a the local par 3, we need to hit the pool, and we should do some fun cooking experiments.  Just have to put it all on the calendar…

B2S Must Haves

1. Definitely those Mathematical Practices posters.  They are awesome!!
2. I've been trying to find a good way to put supplies on the tables and finally found some small caddies at Mardel in various colors.  Now to stock and label them!
3. More foldables :).  I'm totally into this and created my first one today (posting soon about that too).  If you have any great foldables for 8th grade, algebra 1, or geometry, send me a message or follow me on Pinterest!

Currently… June!

I'm so enjoying the time I take to sit down and write all of this and I appreciate those of you who've stopped by to take a look!  I've jumped on the bandwagon to post a "Currently" for the month, just to give you an idea where my head is at (or really it's just what I'm thinking of for one particular moment, but we'll pretend otherwise…).  Many thanks to Sherrie at Middle School Math Rules! for her help showing me how to do this!

I'm truly enjoying summer.  I probably spent too much time the first two weeks off doing school work and spring summer cleaning, but my sister is here now with her two girls and they and my littlest are really enjoying some play time.  Not to mention that it's her birthday WEEK so we've had meals out, pedicures, spa treatments, etc.  We're feeling extra fortunate as well since we just missed the fires and tornados that happened here last week.  Now it's on to fun, sun, and vacation!

I have about ten days left with my sis and nieces and the two big kids come home from camp, so we're going to try to get in some water time, mini-golf, and hit some local attractions.  I promise to take at least one day for myself and not think about cleaning or curriculum!  After that, I'll be attending IB training for a few days, then off to ALASKA!!!!  I won't be able to have my phone or iPad on during that time (those stinkin' roaming charges), so I know it will be great.  Camera is primed and ready...