February Currenlty

February snuck up on me and I am excited to participate in February Currently

with Farley from Oh Boy 4th Grade! 

Listening to: We aren't big football fans in our house but we have the Super Bowl on. I love watching the commercials and I don't want to be the only one at work who didn't watch tomorrow when everyone is talking about it!

Loving: I just spent a week in Florida attending and presenting at FETC! It is an amazing ed tech conference and I love every second of it but I am happy to be home with my husband, our two puppies, our home and getting back into a regular routine.

Thinking: January has been so off and on between holidays, snow days, work days and the conference!  If I am counting correctly I worked 10 days in the month of January ( I don't have my planner RIGHT in front of me. ) 

Wanting: FETC was such a whirlwind and my brain is overflowing with ideas and take aways from the conference. I want to sit down and go through my notes and start getting my February Tech Training together BUT my brain cannot handle it right now.

Needing: I do NOT sleep when I am away from my husband/the girls and the week was jam packed so I am completely drained and exhausted! I just need to go to bed but I am too stubborn. I also need to go to the doctor tomorrow for four separate issues - 1. A sinus infection  2. A bump on my skull/neck - I think it's swollen lymph nodes from said infection 3. A rash/ break out I've had on my face for EVER and 3. My knee.

1. TRUTH - Tomorrow is my birthday!
2. FIB- I am not running a full marathon this year but I am running a half in September and a race a month - knee permitting.
3. TRUTH- I am #obsessed with Twitter and have really expanded my PLN in the past few weeks by participating in #edchats #edtechchats and attending #fetc! Are you on Twitter? What do YOU love about it? Do you participate in chats?

Thanks for stopping by! I would love to have you as a follower :)!

January Currently

I am a little late to the party {as usual} but I wanted to play and since I had a few free minutes tonight and little motivation for much else I decided to blog {GASP}! 

Listening: The wind is really starting to pick up! We have a winter storm advisory for our temperatures and the wind. We could see temps as low as 4 degrees and wind chills up to 30 below. We are setting record lows here in Virginia! As of 1:45 this afternoon school is CLOSED for tomorrow! WOOT WOOT! Snow day with no snow I will take it!

Loving: See above! Winter break ended on the 2nd for us and we were all a little bitter but after a snow day on Friday and a snow day tomorrow I think we will get over the silly two days back! I am starting to get used to this one day working, one day off thing! I think I could handle this on a more consistent basis.  SNOW DAY TOMORROW!!!!

Thinking: Unexpected snow days are always the best because I have nothing that I MUST DO which is lovely! I could take down the Christmas tree, work on my spring promos for my photography business, take pictures of frozen bubbles, clean the house, BLOG, read a book or just stay in bed and watch hours of Netflix. 

Wanting: This year I am doing a race a month including a half marathon in September (Nikki the Runner). Yesterday was my first race and I can barely walk so I am WANTING my knee to stop hurting so I could get on with this training business. See below.

Needing: Lately I have lacked all sense of motivation! See above. I need to start training for my races. As a side note let me just mention that I don't even LIKE to run but I have found a love for running races. I was dragged to one and I have been hooked ever since. I love the excitement of a race, hanging out with friends and of course the pictures :)! I love the way I feel after I run too, not during, but after. Since running a 5K and even an 8K came with such ease I decided to up the anti and it's my goal to do a race a month including a half marathon in September! I NEED to get some motivation to start training. I also need some warmer temps which may help with the problem. I also NEED to find my motivation for FETC. I will be presenting at FETC again this year with a  colleague. We are beyond excited about this opportunity and FETC is seriously the most amazing professional experience I've had . We know what we are presenting and the basics of it all but we haven't sat down and flushed it all out. I don't know if it is lack of motivation or lack of time with the holidays and such but I am hoping something sparks and we get the ball rolling, I am losing sleep over our lack of preparedness. Really I could use a little extra motivation in all areas of my life at this moment. 

Memory/tradition: this is our third Christmas together and we have made lots of memories and started our own traditions as a family but as a photographer my favorite is photographs in front of the tree! This makes me seem totally lame I realize but it is something I truly treasure!

June Currently

I am doing a happy dance as I say goodbye to May and hello to June! 

One of the first thoughts I had today was I need to link up with Farley, Oh Boy 4th Grade for June's Currently, priorities I know! I promise now that summer is right around the corner I will be more diligent with my blog (I hope)! Sadly, my last post was May Currently! Oh boy am I behind on some really cool tech things! 

listening: Yes, I am listening to Chopped again on the food Network. I absolutely love this show! It is one of the first shows my husband and I started watching together. He is an amazing chef and can immediately think of ways to use the mystery ingredients. I usually have to Google half of the ingredients although I do love to cook I can't figure out how to put ingredients together.

loving: Summer is so close I can taste it! We have 11 and a half days left of school. Last week I was chatting with a coworker and her teammate came in with a countdown of 13 days. I almost fell off the desk. I knew it was close but it sounds that much better in numbers!

thinking: This year has flown by! I did not feel that way around Christmas but the last few months have really flown. I think it is because I've had lots of fun between January and now with Florida in January, Vegas in March followed by the beach and tons of weekend events! 

wanting: We are heading to OBX the day after school is out and will spend MOST of the summer there ;)! 

needing: Our house is always "clean" because I am super OCD but I need to do a serious scrub and deep cleaning this summer, ya know the hands and knees nooks and crannies type of cleaning. I keep trying to convince my husband that we need to hire a maid for this type of cleaning but since he keeps laughing at me when I mention it I must do it myself this summer. We also each have an extra room in our house and my goal is to clear the clutter from mine. 

essentials: Obviously it is impossible to take just three things on vacation but since my summer vacations will include beach, beach and beach it is important that I have my bikini and flip flops! I will also need my iPad for entertainment and communication purposes :)! I cannot wait to read some good books this summer, pin,pin,pin on pinterest and play games galore! I am obsessed with Words with Friends, Bookworm, CANDY CRUSH and Fruit Mania. I don't go anywhere without my camera and I will be capturing our summer through my lenses! 

May Currently

Happy May! I am a little late but couldn't miss a monthly Currently with Farley! 

listening - We <3 hockey. That's it AND the Caps are about to blow a two game lead. *SMH*

loving- I am really loving the warmer weather and being able to wear something other than a huge sweater or sweatshirt and boots! I have even busted out my flip flops a few times! We spent ALL of last weekend outside (at an outdoor 80s concert on Saturday and gardening on Sunday)! May really reminds me that summer IS just around the corner!

thinking- One of my best friends is having a baby and I ordered some monogrammed and personalized etsy gifts which should be arriving tomorrow (or soon) and it has been raining and by raining I mean DOWN POURING! I hope they are packaged well and not left on my NON porch.

wanting- I am still in love with my camera and my 365 project but I really want a new macro lens or tube which will allow for super close up shots. I also need a new flash. This hobby is very expensive!

needing- The FETC 2014 presentation proposal deadline is May 31st! We have lots of ideas but nothing officially on paper and the days are sneaking by! Do you have any suggestions?! If you were attending a technology conference what type of session would you like to attend?

summer bucket list- 1. Last year I had so much fun with a great friend and her three little monkeys doing local "adventures" to the lake, zoo, Washington Monument! We are planning to do it again this year :)! 2. The beach goes without saying. I think we will be spending more time in OBX than at home this summer haha or that is what I would like to happen! 3. I have to get my little self running again so I am forcing myself to sign up for at least one 5K for a little motivation. I am signed up for the Color Run in DC in September with a large team and I am really excited about it. Running has continued to go on the back burner and this week when I've been semi interested... it's been POURING. 4. On July 28 we will celebrate our 1 year anniversary and I hope to celebrate in some special way whether it be at the beach or elsewhere!

April Currently

I'm linking up with Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for one of the most popular linky parties, Currently! I love seeing what my other blogging buddies are up to and discovering new blogs. It is also a quick little reflection time for me which I love too. 

Listening: We have been watching Chopped Champions all day! It is one of our favorite shows and we happened to have a whole series of 5 episodes on DVR :)! To say the least we've had a VERY lazy Sunday!

Loving: It seems like we've had a very long and drawn out winter here in VA without the benefits of many snow days so I am thrilled that spring is FINALLY here and the weather is beginning to warm up! I also continue to LOVE MY LIFE but feel like I have said that on every previous Currently haha!

Thinking: I need to start running again now that the weather is warming up I have NO EXCUSES. I signed up for my first 5k Color Run in September which gives me plenty of time to procrastinate. For some reason I just cannot make myself enjoy running and I find myself thinking of the millions of other things that I could be doing with my time haha. My Jawbone UP band is also motivating me since we have a pretty big team of 15 or so at school and I don't like not being in first place so the competitiveness in me will encourage me to get my butt in gear!

Wanting: I am really looking forward to summer for SO many reasons! That is all.

Needing: We've had a really lazy weekend and I need to finish up getting ready for the week! SMART Notebook kept crashing and I got frustrated while creating a third grade edcanvas lesson because I couldn't find any resources.

Advice: This is one of my favorite pieces of advice. Life has given me LOTS of perspective so I feel like this is something that I have learned. It is so frustrating to hear people complain about EVERYTHING and I often find myself shouting (in my head), "SOMEONE ELSE HAS IT WAY WORSE THAN YOU. THIS is not worth the time to complain about." I know we all have bad days and everyone has problems so don't get me wrong but I don't like being around people who complain and are so negative about everything. Life is too short...be happy with the life that you have OR make some changes! Ok. enough of my soap box.

Happy April friends!

March Currently

Can you believe it is already March?! I cannot! I am a little late but since I missed February all together (OOPS!!!) I wanted to make sure to link up with Farley for her famous monthly Currently! I love blog hopping each month on her Currently to see what is happening and also finding new blogs! 

This is also my 100th post! Can I get 100 followers this month?!?!

Listening to- I feel like I need to go back and look at my previous Currently's because Lilly and Gremmy wresting has definitely been on my list before! Aren't they the cutest?

I LOVE my life, period, end of story! The past three years has really taught me perspective and I am truly the happiest I have ever been! I love this Dr. Seuss quote and in honor of his birthday (belated) I thought I would share it with you! I am also loving my camera and you can blame it for some of my absence on the blog. You can also blame my 365 Project which revolves around my camera! I attempted a 365 project last year but didn't stick with it! I have two months down and I am addicted. I love learning more and more about my camera each day, capturing my life big moments and small, etc. 

My husband leaves for Vegas on Sunday for a conference and I will be flying out Wednesday afternoon! I have never been to Vegas and I am super excited! As I look through my teacher wardrobe I am having a hard time deciding what to pack! I am also trying not to OVER pack like I do on every other trip! The thought of losing my luggage is stressing me out for some reason more than usual and I am hoping to get everything packed in a carry on (insert loud laughter and eye roll here from my husband). 

Wanting- I am THAT teacher hoping for a snow day but all of this hype may be a disappointment and then I will be sad! We have had hardly any snow this year in Northern VA! As a lead mentor I always promise new teachers from out of state (NY, PA and OH especially) that we will have snow days a plenty! This year the weatherman is making a liar out of me! This also leads into my needing and I could definitely use a snow day to get caught up with posting on my blog! I have SOOO many great new things to share but can't seem to find the time to spare!

Like, Love, Hate! 

I like non-sense and by non-sense I mean just plain silliness! My husband and I are recently obsessed with watching YouTube pranks! Jack Vale is absolutely hysterical and causes uncontrollable laugher in our household! Check him out on YouTube if you need a good laugh and have a fun sense of humor! His claim to fame is the Pooter! He walks around department stores and farts which sounds crude but it is absolutely hysterical to see people react! 

I love nicknames! I always think of nicknames for people.  Lilly and Gremmy have at least 5 nicknames haha! 

So, I don't actually hate much but as I have been using the hallway to record with students and  I HATE when other students are walking down the hallway noisy and are so disrespectful to the students who are working hard and trying to record! I want to shout at the teacher who is in the front of the line and remind her that SHE IS NOT THE LINE LEADER and she is doing NO GOOD at the front of the line. Haha! 

Happy March friends! If you have found my blog on the Currently I would love for you to follow! Post a comment and I will check out your blog and follow back :)! I am approaching 100 followers and would love to see it happen with this months Currently!!!

January Currently

Happy New Year everyone! I am linking up with Farley over at, Oh' Boy Fourth Grade for my first Currently of 2013 (maybe I should make a resolution to complete all 12)!

Listening to {silence} explains itself! In the silence I hear dinner sizzling downstairs that my wonderful husband is making, the keys on my MacBook Air going clickety clack (a sound I love) and Gremmy snoring.

I am loving my new camera! It was on last months *wanting* and it appeared under our Christmas tree this year! It is a Cannon Rebel ESO t3i, not that I know what any of that means but it takes amazing photos and I am really excited to be completing Project365, one photo everyday for the year! I haven't decided completely on my platform but started with a Shutterfly Share Site and Project365.org. As I was reading another blog she mentioned that she just created a second blog. I want to find what will be easiest to ensure that I follow through with the uploading!

Don't breaks always go too quickly? I had so much fun with my husband and family and didn't get to everything on my to-do list. I truly enjoyed every minute of spending time with friends and family, relaxing, taking pictures, etc. which is a great feeling but I am also feeling like I am not prepared for this week and I should have worked on our FETC presentation which seems to come up in every Currently as well. 

I realize I am being greedy and wanting snow days is ridiculous right after winter break but I could just use a few more days  one more day to stay in PJS all day, write several scheduled blog posts, work on our FETC presentation, blog stalk and create! I also need to do laundry again, clean around the house (especially our spare rooms which have become the dump and hide zone) and take down Christmas decorations. 

Needing (see above)! I would love just one more week to get myself together and to get motivated for January! Right now I am not feeling fully prepared and a few more days might help with this predicament! 

OWL- one little word obviously has proven to be challenging for me! I am terrible at making decisions and a lot of the words made sense to me. I listened to the list hoping for one to jump out at me but truth is there wasn't just one. I have a small list that I will revisit tomorrow or another word may come to me! 

Update: 

I have trouble making decisions obviously and I wanted {my own} word, a word that no one else would be using! My husband is laying next to me giggling while looking at pictures on the SCHOOL OF NOT RIGHT Facebook page and my word came to me. One of the photos was a referral with for doing something inappropriate and screaming YOLO. My husband asked me if I knew what YOLO meant and we did a quick Google search!  My word is YOLO (you only live once). YOLO with all of my other words.

YOLO so don't forget to breathe, pause and relax! 

YOLO so make fam{ILY} a priority.  

YOLO so sparkle and shine!

YOLO and remember that {fate} will take care of the "plans"!

YOLO so balance your life with work and play! UNPLUG and don't stress about work all of the time.

YOLO so enjoy every moment of being BLESSED! I am one lucky girl with many blessings.

YOLO so cherish and treasure the little moments, the big moments, everything. Life is too short!

YOLO so choose to be happy, choose to relax, choose to work hard but also play hard, choose... 

YOLO so start living now!

I realize I am breaking the rules by double blog posting, however, since it was a scheduled post does it technically count? Maybe let go should be my words haha! Let it go... it's your blog, who cares if there are two posts in one day, let it go...! 

December Currently

Happy December blogging friends! 

Join the par-tay and ink up with Oh' Boy 4th Grade  for December's Currently! 

listening; I will admit that some of my favorite movies are children's movies! BRAVE is awesome so far. I love that Merida isn't your typical Disney princess! She is fierce, sassy, independent and beautiful, what a great role model for young girls.

loving: Last year we bought our house on December 19th so we were still moving and unpacking and we didn't even have a Charlie Brown Christmas tree! We are so excited to have our first real Christmas tree for our first married Christmas! We bought it last night and will be decorating it tomorrow :)!

thinking: Every year I tell myself that I am going to begin Christmas shopping much earlier! I got a lot done today but still have some to go. FETC is going to be here before we know it and we STILL have so much to do!

 

wanting: I love taking pictures but my Droid and iPad aren't cutting it as far as quality goes! I have a great Cannon but it has a sand scratch on the lens. 

needing: We haven't been shopping since before Thanksgiving because we went to the beach. Our cupboards are full but our fridge is bare! My husband has only been home for an hour and has already attempted going into the spare room where his gifts are. I must wrap them soon! 

RAK: I truly try to do "random acts of kindess" each day! On Thursday morning there was extra coffee from our Mentor meeting that we put in the lounge for anyone to have. Since I know our secretaries love Starbucks coffee I told them about it and sat at their desk while they made themselves a cup. 

November Currently and Google Form Election

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Happy November blogging friends! 

I am linking up with Oh' Boy 4th Grade for November's Currently! 

Head over to her blog and link up and join in the fun!

1. Lilly and Gremmy are my two precious babies! They make me smile everyday and I don't know what I would do without them! Here they are on Halloween. Gremmy was a ladybug and Lilly was a bumble bee. How cute are they? Our pantry was so unorganized and became a huge mess with only two shelves so my husband, being the handy man that he is decided to remodel the whole thing! I cannot wait for him to finish as my pantry is our kitchen table right now!

2. epals.com - If you are looking to connect your class globally with other students this is an awesome site! You can find a classroom anywhere in the world to exchange emails, skype or to complete different projects with! Right now I am in the process of finding epals for our 8th grade class to exchange emails which are secure through the site (you can see all incoming and outgoing which are filtered for inappropriate content or language). What a great way to learn about different cultures and build connections across the oceans blue! 

3. So for all of my elementary teachers reading this please don't hate me I know that this is evil but it was one of the selling points for me to take the technology position! Report cards on average took me between 16 and 18 HOURS. I am so thankful that I did not have to spend my entire weekend diligently writing report card comments! What a perk to my new gig!

4. I have been searching for jazzy boots for some time now but I cannot seem to find any that fit right! I can't even find a picture of boots I like but I want them!

5. FETC is right around the corner and we haven't started on our presentation yet! My poor blog seems to take the back seat to life even though I've tried to make it a priority! "Eventually things will slow down," said NO teacher ever! I mean sure June will eventually come!

6. Knee Deep is one of my favorite songs and I am feeling a beach vacation is needed :)!