{Friday Favorites}

Well since I am on Spring Break this week and don't have much to do (except you know, study for that wicked French CST or clean my room or lesson plan),  I thought I would take a break from the mini panic attack I was having while doing  my taxes and participate in a new, fun link up!

Link up with Erika, Narci and Andrea for this fun link up.

#1

Tomorrow is this sweet girl's 6th birthday!

(Her preschool graduation June 2014)

It's hard to believe my niece Emma Grace is going to be 6! She was born when I was a senior in college. She is so full of life and sass. I love that kid! (My SIL tells me I may be Emma's favorite person ever because she gets so excited when she sees me....let's see if that is the reaction when we go to Disney in July).

#2 - My new earrings from Nordstroms! I have recently fallen in love with reading a blog called Pinterest Told Me To by the whitty Sheaffer and let's just say, it is a daily "Did I read it yet?!" She gives you links to so many deals and let's you know about stuff. She kept posting about these earrings and I ordered all three. Oops. Got them yesterday and can't wait to wear them today!

#3 - Being on vacation. Y'all, I know people say that teachers are ALWAYS off but this has been the longest SIX WEEKS. Plus, as soon as we go back to school, we have the New York state testing. It is much needed. This school year is flying by in some aspects and dragging in others. I have so much stuff I need to do personally that I was super excited when my principal waved us out the door 15 minutes early from our duty on Wednesday. This was totally me:

 

#4 - THE SNOW HAS FINALLY STOPPED!! My major goal is to switch out my wardrobe for the spring stuff. I also can't stop shopping. I picked up these cute dresses at Target yesterday. 

Also got it in black.

#5 - My best friend from college, Stephanie, lives in Georgia. She got engaged at the end of February to David, who she actually met online (I love that he says his "harassing" worked to get her to go out with him). They're getting married in Miami because all his family lives there. On Sunday, she called to ask me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. I feel so honored I am the only college friend she asked!! I cannot wait to stand up there as she gets married!

Time to go straighten out the fiasco with health insurance and my taxes. Hopefully I don't have ANY of these problems next year!!

Life Lately

When it comes to blogging, I have fallen way behind. I am just super swamped lately at school. Trying to plan ahead has been my BIGGEST struggle as a first year teacher. Like, ensue the panic attack I had at the copy machine today when I realized my next packet for my 7th graders might not be ready until Wednesday the 15th...and we go back to school from break the 13th. Here is to hoping if I magically send it in early next week the copy center gods will get it to me before than!

Things have been crazy. Last week I had a meeting with human resources regarding my certification. Essentially, she told me she wants me to take the French CST (part of the New York State teaching certification exams to get your license)....this month...AKA April 25th. Because when they hired me I had planned on getting certified in French (it was my minor in college and I have 16 credits in it).  I nearly choked because the Spanish one was super hard and took me three times to pass (because 6th graders care about analyzing poetry in Spanish). They want me to possibly teach French 7 & 8 next year and I would have to be on the pathway to certification in order for it to happen. She was talking about some loop holes. Basically, she told me to take the test. The next day, two of my department colleagues (the other French teacher and one Spanish teacher) were called into her office because they're both ELL (English Language Learner) certified and there is a need for more of them in schools. As they're trying to figure out next year's schedule, I guess they're trying to double dip within the district as opposed to having to hire another body. So I am basically going to have an inner panic attack until I know exactly what I am teaching next year.

At least I know I am teaching next year since we have a no cuts (no programs, no staff!) budget proposed so jobs are safe. Wahoo! My sweet little Corolla (also known as Cora) is driven 60 miles to work round trip a week. After it took me 2.5 hours to get home in a snow storm, I wanted a truck. I am looking to buying a new car this summer. Probably a Honda CRV. I can't wait to car shop!

I am also just filing my taxes now. Yeah....13 days before the deadline. Why? I lost the W2 from the school I worked at last year. Usually when all my tax stuff comes in the mail, I put it all together. Last year I had the fiasco when I owed $1500 (yeah that sucked!). So I was up until 1:30am Sunday morning looking for it. Then unwillingly my body woke up at 7 so I continued to look for it. I couldn't find it. I called the business office Monday morning and asked them to mail me a new one. Lesson learned...KEEP YOUR TAX CRAP TOGETHER AND FILE ASAP! NOT 13 DAYS BEFORE THE DEADLINE!


And as I am filing, I get to the health insurance section. I had insurance through the NY Health care market place May 1-August 1 last year. My insurance from school kicked in September 1st. You need some form to file for the taxes. The form apparently doesn't apply to me because you had to have Bronze, Silver, Gold or platinum....and I had catastrophic. UGH. So even though I have had insurance, I incur a $259 penalty. FML. I am having someone do my taxes next year.

I'm off to go have a hissyfit....not really, but I am just ticked since I owed $1500 last year, looks like I owe $750 to the state and I'll only get $250 back from the feds. LOVELY. #ihatetaxessomuch

{Stitch Fix Reviews! - Fixes 1 & 2}

When 2015 started, I had been hearing about Stitch Fix. It was on the blogs I read and instagram. The more I read about it, the more I was intrigued and wanted to give it a try.

Not familiar with what Stitch Fix is? It's kind of like ipsy in a box but for clothes! You fill out an online profile with your size, budget, style, shape, and lifestyle. They ask you things about what you do for a living, what colors you like, what you would like to see in your wardrobe, etc. You can even link them to your Pinterest style board (here is mine) so they can get an idea of what you like.

You pick a date you want to receive the shipment. What's great is you can control how often you want to get the fixes. They choose 5 items (including accesories) that are handpicked for you by one of their stylists. They charge you a $20 styling fee but if you keep something from your box, that $20 goes towards your purchase. I have my fix scheduled to come in the middle of the month. Trust me, it's my favorite day of the month!

Once you get your fix, you can try on everything in the comfort of your own home! Sometimes I hate trying things on in stores so I love this. You have three days to decide and whatever you don't keep, you send back in a prepaid envelope! When you're ready to checkout online, you tell them what you thought about the items. Was the price too low, too high, just right? How was the fit? And if you keep ALL five items in your box, you get 25% off!

So what did I get in my fixes so far?

{Fix #1}

 Happiness in a box! It's wrapped so nicely and they even give you a style card to show you how you can piece the items for outfits. They're not going to give you complete outfits but how you can use what is in your fix with things you already have.

 This was a necklace in fix #1. Black stone on a gold chain. I thought it was too simple. Verdict? Returned.

 {Let me just say, I am not the queen of talking selfies and I am not about to ask my mother to take pictures of me for my blog! HA!}

This was a dark green and black dress. The fit was ALL wrong and way too tight. I would have liked it if it was a little looser. Verdict? Returned.

 Bathroom selfie! And the mirror was cleaned after I took this.

This was a red top they sent me. In my style profile, I asked for things that I can dress up for work since I am a teacher and also things that would work for going out. I am also wearing a pair of black Madonna leggings that fit like a GLOVE! Oh I was so happy. They don't make my butt look big (always a concern). The top averaged $60something and the pants were in the $70's range, which is more than I would normally pay. 

Verdict for both items? KEEP!!

 Close up of red top that I kept.

This was the last item in fix number one. It was cute and simple but there was a button in the middle that wouldn't stay closed. So I returned it.

After fix number one, I was excited. I would have never picked out the black leggings for myself (and I have worn them multiple times to school already!) so I was intrigued as to what I would see in box #2

{FIX #2}

My stylist saw I had a ton of polka dot items on my Pinterest style board and sent me this blue and black polka dot dress. It fit MUCH better than the first one from the first fix. Verdict? {KEPT}
(I also was in the process of cleaning my room so excuse the mess in the background!!) 

These skinny jeans I couldn't even get up past my calf! I sent them back. Plus they were a little too high priced for my liking at $98. 

My stylist also saw I loved florals and sent this. I loved it! I can wear it with black pants (wore it with the black ones from my first fix!), jeans or even a skirt. Verdict? KEPT!

I loved the color of this cardigan. It was soft but it made me feel boxy. So I sent it back.

In each fix, they send you a card on how you can style the items with other pieces. LOVE this! If I ever keep an entire box, I will totally hang them on the items in the closet. 

I wasn't a big fan of the jewelry in the first fix but I liked the colors in this. I can use it with a variety of tops so I kept it!

This post has been sitting in my drafts FOREVER so I figured it was time to publish it since I got an email that my next fix was shipped! I should be getting it this week and cannot wait to see what they have sent me.

Winter vacation!

Wow, half of February, or rather more than half of February, is over. I am on the last day of winter break (well really not but I am working all of tomorrow and Sunday). Life has been so crazy but I am thankful to have had this week off to regain some control/stability in my routine.

January 30 I ended my HS leave and while I will definitely miss that extra money and the people I worked with, I won't miss the kids! HA! They reaffirmed my faith that I want to be teaching in a middle school setting. The teacher came back on February 2nd and that is when I went back to my normal routine. Oh how I missed it. I get SO much work done in the morning while in the testing room (I sometimes feel guilty and only do one of my powerpoints at home because I know I can do the other at school).

February 2nd is also the day that I decided I need to buy a car with all wheel drive. We were suppose to have a snowy/icey mix storm and it took me 2.5 hours to get home. As soon as my 9th period class left, I got out of the building as fast as I could. They had all the bussers in one location and the walkers in another location. I really love that our principal lets the staff that lives so far away go home asap when its bad weather. I drove 10 MPH all the way home in my Corolla. The roads were fine the next morning but on the way home, they were horrible. I have been talking about getting a new car this summer. My car is 11 years old and has almost 150,000 miles on it. While it is built to last, I want something with AWD if I have to commute so far in the winter. I am looking into the Honda C-RV, Nissan Murano, Nissan Rouge and possibly the Toyota Rav-4. I kind of like the Honda CR-V in this color. As soon as I know my status for school next year (May or June), I am going to start shopping.

On Wednesday, my mom and I went into NYC for my birthday present. All I wanted was to see Aladdin on Broadway (my birthday was back in November). Since I had off this week, we went for a 2pm show. It was FANTASTIC!! The guy who played the Genie was hilarious. It made me want to go watch Aladdin on DVD (I may have to buy the updated version when it is released from the vault in October) afterwards since Robin Williams will always be the #1 genie to me.

Then yesterday, I had a day of beauty for myself. And chopped my hair off!! I have not cut or colored my hair since May 2014! I am not one of those people who obsess about their hair. I saw a cut on pinterest I liked and showed it to Trish. She was amazing and this is the end result:

I also got my second Stitch Fix in the mail and have to blog about both of them! I am excited because I liked the pieces more this time and this day in the month has become my favorite mail day!! I will have to share that later as we are shortly going out to dinner for my brother Scott's birthday.

Halfway through the first year of teaching

Yesterday was the end of second quarter at school. In a way to me, that seems super late but we just did midterms at the high school. The end of the second quarter symbolizes a lot of things for me and has made me reflect upon the first half of my first year of teaching.

During the second quarter, I covered a high school class for one of the HS Spanish teachers. She was due on Nov 8 to have her baby and I was suppose to "shadow" her on 11/3 to see how she ran her class. I met her 10/30. Halloween she went home from school, went into labor, and had the baby 11/1! They had a sub for that Monday and I started the day after election day. I still don't understand why they just didn't hire one person for all her classes (instead, 4 teachers at the HS and myself all took one of her classes over). My chairperson asked if I would do it and as the newbie, you just don't say no.

Teaching the high school class was definitely an experience because it was the first time I taught high school! Ha! I am certified to teach Spanish 5-12 but all my student teaching experience and the last two years when I was a TA, I worked in the middle school setting. Trust me, after the last quarter, I will gladly stay in the middle school setting! Don't get me wrong, the high school kids were definitely interesting and you get to teach more advanced grammar concepts. But my first love will always be the middle school setting. I only saw them Monday this past week (Tuesday-Thursday was suppose to be midterms but Tuesday we had a snow day and yesterday I went on a in-district field trip with my department) but it was definitely an experience. I am super happy to be going back to my normal routine come Monday!

The past few months have definitely taught me some things:

-No matter how many times you proof read a quiz or packet or SOMETHING you make to send to the copy center, there will always be that one (or few) students who finds something wrong with it. "Isn't there suppose to be an accent on here?!" Sometimes they make me want to pull my hair out with that and then there are times that I think "Well at least they know that there should an an accent there." (Sometimes when I make stuff on my Mac compared to using the school computer, the accents disappear or the page alignment gets messed up. It's all trial and error, folks!)

-Planning ahead is my biggest problem. I feel in my methods classes in undergrad (because we definitely didn't discuss this in grad school), unit planning was only briefly touched upon. One of my colleagues said that they generally teach a topic a week, introduction Monday, quiz Friday. She gave me the first 12 packets that they had made up and were on the share drive so that saved me about 3-3.5 months of work and all I had to do was make the quizzes. I think my biggest problem is just having everything made.

I feel like once I get everything made this year (and guinea-pig test it out on my classes) I can improve on it over the summer! Everyone always says the first year of teaching is the worst because you're just getting your bearings and as you continue on, it gets easier. Let's hope that holds true.

-I feel truly blessed to be working in the district I am in. I have a great department who is so helpful. By doing that one class at the HS, I got to know everyone there and it made me feel like this place was the right fit for me. One teacher saved my behind with sharing everything she did for the 2R class with me so in regards, I only had to make the power points. Any time I have questions, the other teachers are willing to help me out which is so wonderful. And my chairperson is super awesome. I was saying how I didn't have any of the teacher resources for the textbook that we use in 7th grade and that I was buying the unit resource books on Amazon. He went into the closet and gave me a TON of books!! Maybe I should have asked him earlier, ha ha. It's just so nice to be in a district where I work with such friendly people who are extremely helpful.

-I have never been more tired in my entire life than I have these past few months. There are some nights when I get home from school and just want to go straight to bed. Last night, I came home from working my second job and fell asleep with the dog on my lap on the couch. At 10:30. Real winner here! I don't know how I am surviving working at the school and the restaurant on the weekends, but I guess it is thanks to my good old friend coffee. Let's see how many more months this can last.

-My 9th period class is SUPER CHATTY!! People say 9th period is the worst class to teach. For the most part, they are good kids. There are a handful that no matter WHAT I do, WHERE I sit them, how OFTEN I call home/email parents, they don't stop TALKING. Yesterday, I was just about ready to lose my marbles. We share classrooms and the classroom my 9th period is in had a test in the other class so the kids were in rows. The kids in my class came in FREAKING  out ("We have a quiz today?!!!). They think they can just come in and do whatever they please and not follow the classroom routine "Do Now/Have homework out, Review hw, lesson, practice, closure" and I am tipping at my breaking point. I just may have to have the dean come in 9th period and talk to them (one of the Spanish/Italian teachers told me she did that for her 9th period class of 20 boys and 4 girls and it worked!).

-Getting to know your students helps so much. One of my students LOVES to watch Dance Moms. As soon as he (yes, he) found out that I like it to, he asks me every Wednesday if I have seen it. I know one of my 6th graders has a semi-acting gig. 3 of my other 6th graders are very talented. I enjoy getting to see what they like to do outside of school. Next week is our school play (Beauty & The Beast Junior) so I am excited to see some of them in it.

-There are just some days that require a glass or two (or a bottle) of wine. Enough said.

-I would not rather be doing anything else. I love that I can be creative and do fun things (I get paid to play Simon Says in another language....you can't complain at that!). While there are days that are frustrating, meetings to attend, paperwork to do, grades to calculate (I'll be doing that tonight), I would not change it for anything.

And now I am off to go create the rubric for my French class's family tree project and the webquest for the weather units!

{Prince Farming is so Charming - The Bachelor Episode 2}

I watch The Bachelor as my guilty pleasure. I find myself laughing at these people on TV for the way they act. Especially hysterically crying that they never got to go on a date with someone that they deemed to be "their future husband." Really, after knowing him for 6 hours he is going to be your future husband? Ha, no.

So can we discuss how Kimberly, the yoga instructor who is actually from where I live, got a second chance? Prince Farming, you are a sucker. The first group date was "Show me your country." Umm, riding tractors in bikinis in LA is country? No. Think again, ABC. I bet people who saw these chicks doing this where like "What on Earth"?

From Us Magazine

During the group date, Mackenzie got the one-on-one time with Chris. I find her quite odd. First there was the thing about noses. Okay, odd. Then, she says she believes in aliens....FREAKSHOW. And then just blurts out that she has a kid. "I have a kid." Well, yes, that can happen to anyone and you're not the first person to go on the show with a kid, sweetheart. Chris needed to RUN FAR from her. How she is still there I don't know!

Megan got a one-on-one date and I don't know. There's something about her that I don't like. She did open up about losing her father recently and I felt bad for her. But she seems so deeply head over heels in love already and its just the beginning.

The next group date was shooting zombies with paint balls. Ummm....no. And this chick right here, she by far takes the cake as the craziest person on this episode. #crazyeyesforthewin  Something tells me she has done this before.

Poor Jordan was drunk. I mean like drunk that she was doing gymnastics and honestly I thought she was going to injure herself. 

Before the rose ceremony, Ashley tells the girls she is a virgin and Mackenzie thinks Chris will be all over that and she can't hide that she isn't one because she "has a kid." I saw this online and just died laughing:

Poor Jordan was so drunk by the end and didn't get a rose. It's okay...go have another drink!

And poor Tara got no rose.

 

At least Chris' season is waaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy better than Juan Pablo aka Juan Whiney's season. I can't wait to see the chaos/hilarity that ensues on episode 3.

And I got my first StitchFix in the mail! Can't wait to review it this week!

{The Bachelor: Prince Farming}

It is no secret that The Bachelor (and The Bachelorette) are my guilty pleasures in reality TV. I have been watching since the beginning and can remember telling my mom when Trista was the first bachelorette "Oh she is so going to pick Ryan." 90% of the time when its down to the final 2-3, I am right as to who the person picks.

Before getting into this current season, here is who have been my favorites:

Sean Lowe!

I loved him when he was on Emily Maynard's season of The Bachelorette! I thought he was a true, genuine person. The kind of guy I would go after. I can definitely see his marriage to Catherine lasting.

Side note, I discovered his sister Shay's blog the other night. What a small world! I love that her family is in China adopting right now. Such good people!

Trista Sutter. The First bachelorette! Love her!

Jake Pavelka.

He chose Vienna, who I despised on that season. They eventually broke up. I would marry him in a heartbeat.

Desiree Hartstock. Another genuine person. She would have been a good fit with Sean. I wish (and I think they are) airing her wedding to Chris.

There have been others but not anyone who I liked as much as these. Please, can we discuss the snooze that was Ben (who chose that psycho chic Courtney)? Or the horrific Juan Pablo. Barf.

Okay, bring on this season...

Hello Prince Farming! No, that was not my comedic golden line. Some genius mind at ABC thought of that. I thought he was a genuine person. And I feel in a way his heart was broken on Desiree's season. 

Things to discuss...

-30 women?! I mean Juan Pablo had 27 but I had to laugh when the first 15 thought they were it! Have you NOT watched the show before?!

-The chick that brought the cadaver tissue container. Reegan. Really? Want to make a good impression? Such a tacky entrance!

-Amanda, the ballet teacher, who gave Chris the secret admirer note. Kinda cute. Kind of creepy. However, I wouldn't send my child to the dance school where she taught!

-Tara, the drunk. I cannot believe Chris gave her a rose. I would have sent her right home! I just saw this right online and couldn't stop giggling:

Who are my favorites?

I could see these two being two of the finalists.

Sidenote: Due to a crazy school schedule/creating midterms, it took me over a week to post this!! This week's recap to come sometime soon!! If you haven't visited, Pinterest Told Me To's blog, she does a HILARIOUS recap of the show! Plus, she also gives great links to some super awesome sales/what she buys/wears. SOOOOOOO glad I found this blog!