Little Sister Sarah

Ever since I've gotten addicted to the blogging world, my younger sister Sarah has wanted to join in.

Here she is with a post of her very own!

Hey y'all!! Over the past few months, you have gotten to know my sister, and believe me: this blog is a great represntation of her out-going, energetic, and most apparent, talkative personality! Lauren and I are quite opposites, but we do have one thing in common, and that is being dramatic. While Lauren has had many events in which she could be nominated for an academy award, I take my drama to the stage. Ever since 6th grade, I have been in theatre class and absolutely love it!! Each year the class began with a lip sync, which  was alway my favorite!! The first year I "sang" with a choreographed dance to Breaking Free from High School Musical. Then the following years were Hannah Montana songs, that were pretty amazing if I do say so myself. Well, as the years went on, I starting getting better, and enjoying it even more! I have three shows that I will never forget being apart of. 

School House Rock 

Freshman year, my performing arts class performed School House Rock, and I have never had more fun in a show!! The songs were stuck in my head for the rest of the year, but now I know the preamble!! The whole show is light hearted, fast paced, and a lot of singing! While I am not a singer, by any means, this show had me singing from begining to end and I did not mind a bit! We even got to perform the show one afternoon for the lower school kids and they loved it!! It was the most exciting and fun show I have ever done and will truly never forget this show! or my INTERJECTIONS!

Into The Woods 

Stephen Sondheim

Holy Moly! What a show! Totaling over 3 hours long, this show is a lot of brilliance! Sondheim just has a way of making beautifully difficult musicals! With only 2 months for rehearsal, that meant a lot of nights at school until about 10:30-11:00pm singing, singing, and more singing. The schedule was rough, but the show, when finally put together, was amazing. While I do not think anyone could beat Bernadette Peters, our witch was awesome! And we had a girl play Jack which was a lot of fun!! After the show I really gained an apprieciation for the broadway musical and has got me so excited for the movie coming out this year!!

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte

This past year, my school competed in a One Act competition, in which we brought Jane Eyre and made it all the way to state!! With a small cast and serious tone, this play led to a lot laughs and bonding. Aside from the theatre side, this is one show I will always remeber, because of all of the friendships made. I portrayed Miss Temple, Jane Eyre's teacher and mother figure. my two best friends played Jane Eyre and Helen Burns. Despite long and rough rehearsals, we had so much fun, we even got a couple of silly run throughs that no one will forget!! Even though the whole experience was amazing, there was a lot of nerves, mess-ups, and celebrations. First, we performed on our own stage and advanced to districts, in Argyle, where we placed 2nd and moved on to state! For state, we got to spend the night in Temple!! getting there friday morning, and finishing before dinner, we got to see Catching Fire with my cast, which was unforgettable! Then we spent the rest of the night in the hotel conference room having a blast, playing games, eating dinner, and just having fun!! Despite the fact that we did not place, I won a medal for all-state actress!! (not to brag--hehe) 

Right now, I am working on solo acting piece, A Leap Year Leap, and the poem The Walrus and the Carpenter for TAPPS competition. In addition we are working on the production, Annie!! I am very excited for what the rest of the year holds!

Theatre has taught me a lot, but most importantly I have learned to just have fun and not worry what other people think! It is so freeing to be on stage with all lights and all eyes on me. I absolutely love it!! While Lauren speaks in a classroom of kids, I speak in front of an auditorium of strangers. They are nowhere being the same, but we find mutual ground, in that, we just really like to hear our own voice!! (hehe)

xoxo,

 

little sis

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Think about this:

 

 

 

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What are your priorities?

 

 

Finding a way,

 

Ms. L

 

 

Weekend Recap

This past weekend, I checked something off my hypothetical "Dallas To-do List". Living in Frisco, I'm close to a lot of attractions in the DFW area.

 

 

Saturday's adventure involved the Perot Museum of Nature and Science

 

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If you've driven through Dallas in the past few years, you've undoubtedly noticed this unique building.

 

 

This picture came from an article on Architecturaldigest.com about 10 Blockbuster Buildings Around the World.

 

On the first full weekend of the month, visitors who bank with Bank of America can visit for free! (They also generously offer military & teacher discounts--info here)

 

Let me preface this with letting you know that Science is NOT my thing, but I truly enjoyed this experience!

 

My friend and I took the escalator ride all the way up to the top, starting with the exhibit called

"Expanding Universe Hall". It featured authentic sounds captured in space, as well as pictures taken by rovers and information about our planets and moons.

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One of my favorites was the T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall. Who knew that Dallas was once an ocean with giant forms of life? We learned exactly how fossils are made and even learned about something called the Dallasaurus. How appropriate!

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I would go on about my other favorites, but I truly loved them all. This is a great place to spend a long time, spend a short time, bring tourists, bring children. I think we covered the museum in a little less than 2 hours, but I could easily go back for the same time and still learn a LOT more.

 

Who knew that gems, crystals, weather, anatomy, fossils, birds, engineering, energy, animals (get the point?) could be so fun?

 

Happy Tuesday,

 

Ms. L

 



Follow Friday

There are a few blogs that I have saved on my bookmarks bar that I would frequent whenever I have the spare time, but I just recently learned that I can actually follow them using blogger! I know, embarrassing. I guess I'm still new to the blogging world.

Here are some of the ones that I frequent on a regular basis:

 Sweet Southern Prep

[1]

I'm not even sure how I stumbled upon this lifestyle blog, but I check it nearly every day! She has a matching Instagram account, where she posts pictures of her stylish outfits and precious kiddos. This blogger shares her workout secrets, busy life tips, deals & steals from my favorites--like Tory Burch and J. Crew, and even yummy cocktail recipes! A few of my favorite posts of hers include the following:

(Photo source)

--This write-up on the TB Friends & Family Sale, which prompted me to buy two pairs that weekend. Oops! [Fashion Friday]

--This post led me to download the app, Endomondo, which I use to see how far I've walked, and estimate the calories I burn [How I Do It: Healthy Eating & Fitness]

--Here, SSP shares sale information! If you're a bargain hunter with great taste, this is your place! [Tuesday Trends]

Step Into Second Grade with Mrs. Lemons

[2]

--I loved this idea for sorting sentences using punctuation. [Place Value, Sentences, and Mudge!] I like where she talks about how her kids just *get it*. That is one of the best feelings ever.

--Here, she inspired me to go label crazy! You may remember the crazy intense storage wall I have in my classroom. With the plethora of supplies 2nd grade requires, this makes everything easier. I can now send my students back there to grab the markers or scissors. [Getting Ready for Next Year]

--I thought I'd share the link to her TeachersPayTeachers store. These stations are so cute and once I explain them, I can leave the students working independently to pull-out small groups. [Amy Lemons]

 

The Eternal Search

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I found this blog, because it belongs to one of my favorite people! Brittany was a freshman at TCU when I was a junior. We became close through a shared love of Gossip Girl, cake batter, and Pinterest. Even though she was two years younger, she was a sweet support for me when I needed it. She is the kind of friend who will give you the right thing to do, even when you don't want to hear it.

Here is the link to a particularly honest post that resonates well with me. We all need grace, and she reminds us why (That Time I Needed Grace) 

More to come next time,

Ms. L



Currently

As I was browsing some recents pins in an attempt to find some fun activities for multiplication, I stumbled upon this post that I pinned a while back.

 

 Ladybug's Teacher Files is a blog that I constantly turn to for organization tips. I aspire to one day be that organized. (Thankfully, there is a TeachersPayTeachers:"LadyBug's Teacher Files" website to help.) 

 

Anyway, it inspired to me reflect on my own current state and share it with you!

I am currently:

Listening: to the clock ticking in my classroom. I savor silence.

Loving: the warmth that is coming from the Black Tea sitting on my desk.

Thinking: about the pile of Science & Math papers that are waiting to be graded on the couch in my classroom.

Wanting: the weather to warm up, so I can let my toes wiggle around in some new sandals. These Jack Rogers are called "Lauren", so that means I deserve them, right?

 

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Needing: more time in the day! Why does the day FLY by so quickly? I feel like I blink and it's 4 pm.

Love yourself: I'll be treating myself to a blissful 60 minutes of yoga this afternoon, wearing this cute top I scored on sale at Lululemon this weekend.

 

 

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Namaste,

 

 

Ms. L 

My FAVORITE Tops

 

 

Button-downs are my thing. Whether it's the J. Crew Haberdashery Shirt, a classic Ralph Lauren oxford, or any cute chambray top (1, 2, 3) , they are the easiest top to throw on and still look put-together! They look great buttoned up all the way with necklaces, with a v-neck OR round neck sweater on top, or open over something cute. Today, I'm rocking an all-black outfit with an open chambray over the dress--I like it, because it's different than a sweater, but still provides light warmth and finishes the outfit.

 

Look at all the possibilities coming to you from LOFT!

 

 

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I originally saw these posts on Instagram and found them to be so helpful. Somehow, tops always look cuter on the mannequin. Now, I can make my shirts perfect!

 

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How do you like to wear your button-downs?

 

xoxo,

 

 

Ms. L

A Day in the Life

I've seen a couple articles recently that are meant to highlight the unknown amount of hours that a teacher works on a daily basis. I thought I'd share what a typical school day looks like for me.

 

 

 

5:00/5:15--I aim to be out of bed somewhere in this 15 minute range. I also usually find 1 or 2 pressing e-mails in my inbox.

6:00--I make tea and grab breakfast, catch some of the morning news, check weather, double-check bags, leave the house by 6:30 at the latest

7:00-7:50--I make copies, prep examples of today's work, plan future weeks, fill out paperwork, grade, enter grades, answer tons of e-mails

8:00--School starts. The kiddos do morning work for 15 minutes, while I take attendance, answer questions, etc.

8:15--Morning Meeting: I take lunch count, go over the students' jobs for the day, talk about what's coming up today, and there is always some mini-lesson--germs, conflict resolution, quick behavior reminder.

8:30/10:15--This long block of time is devoted to English/Language Arts; Writer's Workshop, Reading, and Phonics. We have a whole group lesson, then the students turn to independent work during the 60 minute center block, while I pull out small groups for reading. Writer's workshop is a block of time where the students work independently, and I conference one-on-one with my writers!

10:20/12:30--Students have recess, lunch, and PE, Music, or Art (depending on the day), with short breaks of 15 minutes in the classroom  between them. This is a great time for independent silent reading or continuing Writer's Workshop, while I do interventions.

12:30-2:00--Math

2:00-3:00-- Science, pack-up

3:00-3:45--Tutoring or Staff Meeting

3:45/5:00--Grading, making copies or laminating, answering e-mails, calling home to parents  of students, fixing up the room, preparing morning work for the next day, making sure all my books are turned to the correct page for lessons tomorrow; sometimes we have professional development from 4-6 off-campus.

5:00-5:45--Rush Hour Traffic. Beyonce CDs and Audiobooks are my best friend.

6:00--yoga: my "me-time": I probably only make it 3-4 times a week...

7:00--Dinner

8:00--Shower, read a book, watch Grey's Anatomy, grade papers if I feel up to it

10:00--Bedtime

 

 

 

 

I'm by NO means a martyr, and I'm not writing this post to be self-righteous. Many people work way more for way less reward than I recieve. I feel very thankful to be doing what I love, and I could NEVER trade it in for a higher-paying/fewer hour job. Just...think twice before you tell a teacher he/she just works 8-3 and gets summers off.

 

 

Happy Friday,

 

 

Ms. L