Dog days of summer...

I know that for many of us the last few days of summer vacation are slipping away...and to those teacher friends who have already returned to school I hope you are having a wonderful new school year.  This summer I really found myself in school denial...not sure why, and this was the first summer in eight years that I really made sure to devote time with my family and relaxing.  It has been wonderful!  Don't get me wrong, I still have blog stalked on a daily basis, and Pinterest has consumed way more time than I'm willing to even admit! (I'm sure I'm not alone on either of those points, right?? lol)  Our family didn't have a big go-away type vacation this summer, but we still managed to cram in lots of day trips, memories and fun.  Here are a few snapshots of my favorites. =)

Along with camping at the ocean, going mini golfing, to the zoo, watching 12 year old all star baseball, putting up a pool, and building a shed, we've also fit in bowling, a visit to an armory museum, a family cookout, a huge surprise birthday party for my Grandpa's 80th birthday, and lots more!  So, we've definitely been busy!  Not summer is winding down and I'm here wishing it would go on and on...lol.  I did crawl out of my denial and drag myself head into school to work on my classroom a bit.  My furniture is back in place and I was able to get some sorting of materials done.  I still have to label supplies and place them on students' desks, as well as put up some of the Monday Made Its that never made it...lol.  Please tell me that I am not alone in trying to squeeze summer out as long as possible! =)  Enjoy your last days of vacation if you still have them...back to school in T minus 9 days for this lady!

~Heather~

AUGUST CURRENTLY

The beginning of August has arrived and I am linking up with Farley's Currently

Listening
I am loving being able to catch up on all of the Bones reruns...I love this show and can't wait til the new season starts up again...in the meantime I'll enjoy David Boreanaz episode after episode ;)
Loving
I am loving having so much time with my boys...we've been to the zoo, movies, bowling, kayaking, camping, to the ocean, mini golfing, hiking, etc...Our state offers Free Fun Friday events at many different museums and venues all over the state.  Last Friday we enjoyed visiting the Higgins' Armory Museum.  This museum has been around for as long as I can remember.  My younger brother stayed over night there when he was young and in scouts.  This December the museum is closing, so I wanted to be sure to bring my boys there while we still had the chance to go. 

They had a blast checking out all of the suits of armor, weapons, making their own shields, and of course the gift shop! lol
Thinking
I REALLY need to start thinking about the end of summer and getting some back to school planning done...it has been way too easy to ignore that so far this summer!
Wanting
We put up an above ground pool a couple of weeks ago, and I would really love to have a deck to go along with it...I can picture it now with a patio table up there and some chairs...and reading while the boys have water battles with each other...lol.  Guess that will have to be next summer's project...
Needing
MOTIVATION...I have none, well none when it comes to things I know I should be doing but can't seem to make myself do...anyone else with me???
B2S Must-haves
1. A cute planner...I am so much more likely to refer back to my daily calendar if I like it... =)  This year I purchased an adorable blue and white chevron planner from Target.
2.Fun, colored pens...need I say more? Everything looks better in color...I think so anyway!
You can never have too many, right???

3.  Product:  I am looking forward to purchasing and printing out these Shout Outs! Recognizing Amazing Students
 I love being able to send home good notes for students.  I believe that it helps to build their confidence, encourage others to do well, and honestly, what parent wouldn't want to receive a note that their student has done something great? 
Here's to enjoying the remaining days of summer...and to those of you who are already heading back to school- have a wonderful start to the year!
 ~Heather~

CURRENTLY JULY

Happy summer everyone!  I hope that you are all enjoying your time off from the daily grind...I'm hooking up again for my favorite linky...Farley's Currently.

Listening to...
I will admit it, my guilty pleasure is the Twilight Saga...much to my husband's dismay.  He will walk into the living room and roll his eyes as if to say "You are watching that again?" lol  Sorry dear!
Loving...
That it's finally summer vacation.  We had so many snow days to make up that even after giving up three days of our April vacation we were in school until June 24th! So, we haven't even yet had a full week off, but I am loving it!  Finally there's some time to unwind and spend time with my boys. <3  I'm also really trying to talk the hubby into a date night...I want to see The Conjuring big time-I LOVE spooky movies! =)
Thinking...
That I have so much to get together, get packed up and ready to go if we are going camping this week.  Our plan is to head out Wednesday evening for Maine after our oldest son's All-Star Little League game.  Guess I better get on that tomorrow for sure...Wednesday will be here before we know it.
Wanting...
The hubs to have more time off with us.  He only has three weeks off all year and I tend to feel guilty about all of the relaxing time that we have without him.  I always tell him he should go back to school to be a history teacher, but he won't bite...
Needing...
A new hard drive for my laptop...I am unfortunately one of those people who has gotten hooked on Candy Crush.  Last week when I was on a level that I have been trying to beat for what seemed like forever, I got to a point where I was one move away from being able to beat the level.  I was SO FRUSTRATED that I slammed my hands down on the computer...what a dope! =(  Double lessons learned here right?  It's just a dumb game, and a temper tantrum gets you no where...ugh!  Please tell me that I am not the only one who's gotten hooked into this silly game! Please?? lol
Tips, Tricks, or Hints...
Don't feel like you HAVE to always blog...I spend so much time blog stalking and gathering ideas, that most days, by the time I would even get around to blogging I'm sort of over it, and that's okay.  I think it's better not to drum up some generic blah blah blah just to post, you know?

Well, I'm off to finishing picking up the kitchen, and to hopefully watch a movie with the hubs...happy summer everyone! =)
~Heather~

Goodbye Google Reader, Hello Bloglovin...

Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

Thanks to the wonderful A Turn to Learn, I am finally getting around to claiming my blog on Bloglovin...better late than never, right???  Google Reader is going away, tomorrow, July 1st, so if you haven't already, be sure to join and follow all of your favorite blogs on Bloglovin, and be sure to click the link above to continue following my blog as well.  I promise my vacation from blogging is coming to an end now that school is finally over for the summer and I have a bit more time on my hands.  Who knows, I may even break the bloggy rules and post twice in one day with my Currently later today... ;)  Happy Sunday! =)

~Heather~

June CURRENTLY...ALREADY?!?!?!

I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that time is passing by way too quickly!  Here we are again starting out another month,  I'm linking up again with the fabulous Farley for her monthly CURRENTLY.

Listening: As I'm posting I'm listening to the show Renovation Realities.  My husband thinks he's being a funny man as he laughs and says "Maybe I should be on this show..."  I am not chuckling, at all...especially since he recently took on a home improvement project that didn't go as smoothly as planned, and has totally stressed me out!

Loving:  I am also loving that as I am sitting here I am being cooled down by crisp air blowing out of the air conditioner.  I was determined to hold out, but today the humidity got the better of me.  I enjoy the warmth of summer, I definitely do not enjoy the sticky humidity!  I will sleep well tonight for sure!

Thinking:  That I really do need to get motivated to go through my classroom, reorganize certain areas, and PURGE.  I have inherited many different teaching resources in the seven years that I have taught, and I have always suffered guilt over getting rid of things.  This year my goal is to really go through what has accumulated, and get rid of what I don't use or need.  I know that many of the things that I am getting rid of many of my students will want, and they will think that it's fantastic lol.

Wanting:  A quiet day at home with family to just relax.  With the different sports schedules and projects going on around here there hasn't been much quality time spent relaxing.  I'm hoping things will slow down a bit very soon so we can get this quality time in!

Needing:  A pedicure, badly!  Seriously, I can't believe that I have been leaving the house with sandals on at all....I hope to be able to fit this in asap as well!

3 vacay essentials:  1.  Relaxation, I know I keep saying that, but it's a must...this year has been very stressful, for many different reasons...it's time to get back to time with the family, and chill!
2. Family time-with all of the hustle and bustle of different schedules, and to-dos, I feel like time spent together gets pushed off too much.  Summer is a great time for us to recharge our batteries together.  We'll do this camping together, visiting with relatives, and I am very much looking forward to spending time with my best friend and her new born baby boy! <3  3. Outdoor adventures with my boys-I can't wait to go camping, it's a family favorite!  We also are looking forward to exploring trails while hiking, swimming at a local lake, taking walks, play ground trips, etc.  I am also really hoping that this year we will be able to go white water rafting as a family!  I went once as a child and loved it.  I've been wanting to go as a family, and we were just waiting for our youngest to be old enough and comfortable with the idea.  Now that he's ten, I think it's the time! =)

To all of the teachers who are already enjoying their summer vacations, I am jealous!  I will be in school until June 24th!  But, if things continue the way they have been, it's going to fly by, and I will be joining you very soon!  Happy June! =)

~Heather~

Are you ready to shop?!?!

I don't know about you, but my cart at TpT is full!  I am very much looking forward to cashing in tomorrow and Wednesday on all of the wonderful teacher appreciation sales.  I have also put all of the items in my store on sale for 20% off, add that to the discount being offered by TpT and you can save up to 28%!  So, fill up your cart now and get ahead for tomorrow's big sales!

Thanks to Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah-Designs for the sale photo! =)

This is my motto for the next two days! lol  Have a great night!

~Heather~

CURRENTLY...a little late, but better late than never, right?

Yet another month flew by and May is here.  I'm linking up again for Farley's CURRENTLY party.

I'm currently listening to Bones...love this show!  We are way behind in our DVR'd shows...our district implemented new teacher evaluations this year, and our evidence portfolios were due this past Friday.  So, a ton of work to get done for school on top of a jam-packed sports schedule with our boys lead to a week full of long nights working and no t.v. time.

I am absolutely LOVING that the weather has been so nice.  All winter long I was anticipating warmer weather, and then winter seemed like it wanted to hang around forever.  I adore days like today where I'm able to have the windows all wide open.  The hubs and I brought out the patio furniture out, so we're looking forward to grilling and enjoying some meals outdoors.

I made it a point to relax this weekend after how stressed out I was all week, and now I am thinking that I really ought to start thinking about getting some lesson plans going...no motivation for that yet though! lol

I am really wanting a trip to the nursery...my best friend is pregnant, and she's due just about any day now!!! =)  I am so excited to meet my "nephew" and can't wait to snuggle him!  My brother and his family live in California, so my niece and nephews are very far away.  Even my nieces and nephews on my husband's side are far enough away that we don't get to see them very often, so I will love a new little one to spend some time with. <3  I also want to make a trip to the nursery for a new rose bush.  My rose bush last year ended up turning yellow for some reason, and this spring so far it is showing absolutely no signs of coming back...no leaves, no buds, nada... =(  I definitely don't profess to be a professional, but I think it's beyond help at this point, and that I'm going to have to get a new one...

I NEED a haircut desperately!  My hair had gotten so long that it is just about down to my backside...I am really looking forward to having it all chopped off this Wednesday!  It will probably take some getting used to, but I will be happy to have it short again. =)

Finally, my summer bucket list doesn't have anything major on it, so it will all hopefully be accomplished...we want to finally get our pool installed and able to be used this summer...we've been planning to do that for the past three years!  Other than some family camping trips I am most looking forward to just relaxing and spending quality time with my family. =)  I am easy to please lol.

Now that the nice weather is here I am starting to get summer fever.  We have our state testing in math this week, and it feels like school should be just about done.  Not for us though.  We will still be in school until June 21st!!!!  That's what a winter with tons of snow and lots of snow days gets us here on the east coast...fortunately it seems like time keeps flying by and it will probably go by quickly.

I hope that you all have a fantastic week!
~Heather~