It's summer break for this teacher and I couldn't be more relieved.
The end of the year is always such a whirlwind, and this year proved to be no different.
If you've been a reader for awhile and you've got one heck of a memory, you know the beginning of last school year was a struggle for me. Although I grew as a teacher (especially in the patience department), it was a tough year from beginning to end. So for summer to finally be here, I'm completely thrilled and ready for a break.
Last summer was one for the books - with our wedding last June and our honeymoon trip to the Bahamas - it'll be a tough one to beat. Although this summer isn't quite so eventful, there are a lot of things I'm really excited for! I'm really looking forward to the time for myself and of course, spending time with friends and family. This summer will probably my last one by myself, so I want to take advantage of the next few weeks before I'm completely consumed with school.
So in honor of my summer vacation starting, I've created a list of summer goals I hope to accomplish by August!
one || put myself on a schedule
With everybody working during the day, and little ol' me sitting at home with my dogs, I want to make sure that I'm being my most productive self. My goal is to be most productive in the morning and early afternoon - waking up early, exercising, chores around the house, working on school plans, blogging, etc - so by the time Cody comes home from work, I'm able to relax and enjoy my time with him.
two || exercise
My excuse during the school year is normally "too busy to workout" and although it may be true some days, now I really don't have time as a way out. Whether it be a yoga DVD, walking on the treadmill, or walking Maci through the neighborhood, I want to be active.
three || read a book or two
I used to love reading, and then it just became a lost cause.
So with my down time this summer, it would be a great way to relax and take advantage of this time on my hands.
four || create unit lesson plans
Although I probably won't start this until the end of June/beginning of July, I knew I wanted to start creating lesson plan units as soon as I found out I would be staying in the same grade level. A lot of my time is lost during the school year working on plans that I probably already planned the year before and forgot. I started in May working on science units, so hopefully I can knock out some more units to benefit me this school year.
five || enjoy a week vacation with my husband
The Bahamas aren't on our destination list this year, but we are spending a week in Maryland/Delaware to visit Cody's relatives. We're hoping to spend some time exploring the area's attractions and maybe hit the beach at some point. And hopefully enjoy some time just the two of us.
six || celebrate a year of marriage
This Sunday marks one year since we tied the knot last June! I seriously can't believe it! We haven't made official plans yet for the day, but spending the day together will be more than enough!
seven || decorate our house
Now that schools out, the decorating bug has bitten me. I'm hoping to start putting together our kitchen and living room before summer's over.
eight || enjoy friends + family
Kicking back and relaxing with loved ones sounds like the perfect summer to me!
Well, I kinda just dropped making monthly goals towards the end of 2014. Oops!
The reasons are kinda unknown, but I'm thinking laziness and lack of blogging time may have been part of it. Most likely.
But I really did like having monthly goals last year, so I think I wanna start back up with it now that we have a new year upon on and a fresh start ahead.
I know with wedding plans last year, that I always had a long checklist of things to get done and goals I needed to achieve each month. But I'm thinking that this year, I'm gonna shorten up my goals each month since I don't have as much going on at the moment.
1. Prepare lunches/meals on Sundays.
Holy cow. Boy is this a week changer.
I did this this past Sunday, and I have saved so much time in the evenings.
I'm hoping to keep it up all month long to see how it goes. If it goes good, then I'd like to make it a permanent thing as best as I can.
2. Knock off three things from my 101 in 1001 list.
I've wanted to create a 101 in 1001 list for awhile now, seeing on several bogs.
It's more of a long term goal plan, but I'm super excited to get started!
Y'all will get to check out my list tomorrow.
3. Eat healthy for the entire month.
I know, I know. How typical. A weight loss plan come New Years.
But like most of us, the holidays really threw healthy eating out the window, so back on track for January.
4. Work out at least three times a week for the next four weeks.
Hey, if it happens more than three times, go me!
But at least three is a good start for me.
5. Get to work early.
In order for me to have time to focus on healthy living and family time in the evenings, I want to try getting to work early to knock out teacher tasks in the morning. Normally I stay late in the afternoon to complete things, but I want to be gone and out the door come 3:30 to begin my hour trek back home.
Hopefully I can kick butt this month with goals! It's going to be tough getting back into the swing of things after such a long holiday break, but I'm hoping it won't be too bad...I hope. :)
I am welcoming September with open arms!
August was a bit of a disappointment and pain in the butt, so starting a new month is good news to me.
I'm looking into September with a new positive mind frame, and very hopeful that September will be a great month. But like every month, I need to set some new goals.
1. Be positive.
I kinda mentioned it above, but with August being a little tough, it can't hurt to put a little more positivity into my everyday. It might be the change I need to start getting back to being myself.
2. Celebrate 3 months of marriage with my hubby.
Some days I feel like we've been married for years, and some days I feel like it was just yesterday we got married. He has been so awesome the last few weeks, so whatever we do, I want us to relax and just enjoy our time together.
3. Keep it simple in the classroom, and don't sweat the small stuff.
I'm starting off the week of September just going back to the basics of teaching.
Less fluff, more straight forward teaching.
Once we get the basics down pat, we'll start adding in the fluff.
I refuse to let myself be so upset over my job for another month.
4. Set up an appointment with a realtor/mortgage broker.
We just want to check our standing as of now with the whole buying a house process, and see what we need to do from this point.
So technically, August isn't over for a couple more days, but the next three days of August will be consumed with college football, so let's knock this out of the way.
As y'all know, this girl is ready for August to be over.
It has been nothing but a pain in my butt, and I'm ready to start fresh.
Through it all, I think I actually did pretty good on my monthly goals surprisingly.
1. Have a successful first day of school!
I survived. That sounds successful.
It was good. Not great. Like the whole month has been pretty much.
Crossing my fingers it can only get better!
2. Lay my clothes out the night before work.
This is been the best thing for me in the morning!
I've been leaving 30 minutes earlier in the morning due to being prepared.
3. Make my lunches the night before.
Check. See above.
4. Stay organized at school and with lesson planning.
I've been more organized than I ever have been in my classroom.
Almost too organized... I can't find stuff half of the time because I organized it!
5. Seriously get back to eating healthy and exercising during the week.
It's easy to eat healthy...I really don't even have time to eat during the day. Which also means I don't have time to work out. I wake up at 4:30 and I get home at 8. I am so hoping September changes this drastically. Walking at least would relieve so much stress.
6. Continue to save money & spending wisely.
Well, I finally have cut down on the classroom expenses.
There are things every once in awhile I realize I need, but I'm almost back to normal.
7. Communicate with my husband.
August has been the crappiest month for both of us job wise, but the best month of marriage so far. He has been my backbone, my shoulder to cry on, my personal chef, my dog walker, my everything. I'm sure he's tired of all my whining and complaining, but if I didn't get it out to him, we'd be in a world of hurt.
8. Show him love, patience and understanding.
Perfect. See above.
9. Go on a date with my hubby.
We've made sure we've been going out together.
Many of our dates have started at 9pm because I got home late... but we've made it work!
10. Watch Georgia BEAT Clemson in Athens!!!
This is still to be determined, but Cody and I are both so pumped to be in Athens on Saturday and ready to cheer on our Dawgs!
I can't even believe it's August!
Where has 2014 gone... I mean really.
Somehow, we got here and for me, that means new monthly goals.
I really sucked it up with my July goals.
I managed to reach a whole new level of laziness for the first half of the month, and then completely consumed my time with my classroom for second half of the month.
So looking back on these, won't be too fun I'm thinking.
1. Celebrate July 4th with friends & family.
Check.
2. Eat healthy + exercise.
HA. No, I'm still holding on to those extra honeymoon pounds.
3. Keep up with laundry.
It's not completely done, but it's a definite improvement!
4. Start working in my classroom.
Did I work in my classroom!? I pretty much have lived there for the past two weeks.
Even on Saturday...
5. Lesson planning.
Not written down, but I know what I'm doing, all the copies have been made, and books picked out. Ready to go.
6. Plan a date for my husband.
No. I was terrible. But we really didn't go on official dates really at all.
7. Celebrate one month of marriage with my hubby.
This goal was kinda inevitable.
I feel like we've been married for a lot longer honestly.
8. Visit our engagement spot.
We didn't make it there. Maybe next time. :)
9. Show my husband how much I love him!
I sure tried my best! But there's always room for improvement for this goal!
1. Have a successful first day of school!
On Tuesday! I can't believe I've made it to my third year of teaching, and I know it's going to be the best one yet!
2. Lay my clothes out the night before work.
I swear... I spend more time in the morning picking out what I'm going to wear that day than anything else. I need less stress in my life, and this would surely help.
3. Make my lunches the night before.
This extra time in the morning could also totally be avoided. I need smoother mornings people!
4. Stay organized at school and with lesson planning.
I've been so lucky to have such great helpers in my classroom, getting me organized and ready for the school year. An organized classroom is a happy classroom. And we want happy 2nd graders!
5. Seriously get back to eating healthy and exercising during the week.
I know. Totally failed last month. But with being back on a regular schedule, eating healthy will be much easier. I'd really love to get back to walking with my hubby at the local college, and working out with Ashley at the gym.
6. Continue to save money & spending wisely.
Teaching requires you to spend so much of your own money to make things better in your classroom for the year. I totally spent way more than needed in July on classroom items, so saving in August is a MUST.
7. Communicate with my husband.
Good things or bad things, communication is always good.
Sometimes I forget to communicate my plans, or things I need him to do.
So to make his life easier, as well as mine, communication is key.
8. Show him love, patience and understanding.
This might as well be a life goal.
I can always show more of all of these things.
9. Go on a date with my hubby.
We deserve a real date I believe.
It's a little overdue! :)
10. Watch Georgia BEAT Clemson in Athens!!!
It's that time of year again! Go Dawgs!
So it turns out, I never even posted my goals for June.
I will completely blame my wedding brain at the beginning of the month for this misfortune. The good news is, I only had one goal in June.
1. Get married!
And I totally rocked this goal out because I did get married!
I got married to the man of my dreams and had the wedding of my dreams to top it all off.
It couldn't have been a more perfect day.
But for now, we start a new month, and with a new month comes new goals!
How we can possibly be in the month of July already?
1. Celebrate July 4th with friends & family.
This is one of my favorite holidays!
I love America. I love summer.
It's going to be great.
2. Eat healthy + exercise.
I got off track with this after eating 500 hamburgers during our honeymoon (I loved every minute of it), and it's been a struggle getting back into eating healthy since we came back home. But I know I need to lose some pounds once again, and I always feel so much better when I do.
3. Keep up with laundry.
To say that we got behind with our laundry, would have been an understatement.
Our laundry blew up all over our house.
We've gotten things back under control (almost), so we definitely need to keep it that way.
4. Start working in my classroom.
The dreaded four letter word - work.
I know, some of you want to slap me for having two months off, but I appreciate my summer vacations more than you know. I'll probably start back next week, getting things organized a couple times a week. It makes for a much easier transition back into the classroom once the kids come back.
5. Lesson planning.
Getting organized in my classroom is one thing, but I have plenty of time on my hands right now to go ahead and plan some lessons out for the year. Since this will be my second year in second grade, I know what is expected of my kids throughout the entire year. It can't hurt to get ahead of the game!
6. Plan a date for my husband.
(He's reading this completely shocked, I know)
That's right. I'm planning a date.
I've never really planned one for us, but I'd like to step my game up as a wife and take some heat off of him for once. I need to be brainstorming. :)
7. Celebrate one month of marriage with my hubby.
It may not be much in the grand scheme of things, but it's sweet to celebrate the little things also.
8. Visit our engagement spot.
Two years ago, we got engaged in the month of July.
You can check out the story here.
But we didn't visit it last year. So this year, I'd really like to make a point of it.
9. Show my husband how much I love him!
Lots of kisses & hugs!
And taking the trash out. ;)
Whew. What a crazy month May has been!
I have yet to catch my breath, and I don't think I'll be able to anytime soon.
I have come to the realization of one thing...You can almost guarantee the months of August and May, I'll be a less than sub par blogger. [beginning of school - end of school - catch my drift?] It definitely makes life a little crazier than normal. Plus holidays, being sick, and oh, planning a wedding - blogging took a back burner!
But I'm here to catch y'all up {slowly throughout the week} and put your worries to rest. ;)
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First off - I DIDN'T EVEN SET MONTHLY GOALS FOR MYSELF.
How dare me.
But I know what it would have been:
1. Wedding plan.
That's it. Just wedding plan.
Considering Cody and I are getting married in 10 days (whaaaaat.), that's been my goal all month. Getting prepared for the big day.
And we're slowly getting there.
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To kick off the craziness of May, that sweet little fiance' of mine celebrated a birthday!
25th to be exact, and it was on Mother's Day this year.
We decided to celebrate together a day early by ourselves since the actual day would be a little busier than normal!
Please excuse our crouching selfie - I have yet to invest in a tripod...
I knew quickly what I wanted to get the birthday boy this year.
NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway is always around his birthday, and he's begged for tickets for the last five years of us dating. So with me having my bachelorette trip the same weekend as Southern Nationals, I thought it would the perfect opportunity for Cody and his dad to have a bonding day before we get married.
Needless to say, he loved it and had a great time. :)
Plus, I threw in a mounted bottle opener to make it even more special!
Don't tell him it's from the happiest place on earth - Target ;)
You can find it here.
Here's to 25 being the best year yet -I love you future husband!
