Sunday Scoop - December 13, 2015

Have to Do...

Ok...I'm literally drowning in a pile of laundry and I have to get it under control. Does anyone else just avoid folding their laundry and then you spend 10 minutes digging through the pile for that ONE specific thing that you want to wear to work? Please tell me that I'm not the only one. In order to have some tiny amount of sanity in the last week before winter break, I need that 10 minutes back in the morning!

The bonus is...if I can get my laundry done, then I'm gonna do some online shopping. I feel like I've really refined my style lately and I want to pick up some new pieces for my new vibe...plus an upcoming photo shoot. That's top secret though. You'll find out more by summer. Haha...not much of a wait, right??

It's also time to break out my Erin Condren planner so I can stay on track next week with all of my deadlines and things to do!!

Hope to Do...

I've been working on getting myself into an evening spin class on Sundays. I didn't make it last week because I came down with the flu last Sunday and I'm still feeling quite drained from being sick. However, I really want to kick my week off on the right track!!

I have so many things up my sleeve for the coming months. I want to record my first YouTube video. Question...if you were to watch a makeup tutorial for teachers, what would you want to see?

Happy to Do...

Let's be honest. I'm just happy to start the last week before winter break. I'm ready! Let's get this vacation moving. I have lots of vacation goals to attend to and I'm getting very anxious!!

So...what's up with your week? Come link up with us and share your Sunday Scoop! Don't forget to leave a comment so we can chat!!

xoxo

Sunday Scoop - December 6, 2015

Have to Do

Seriously. This is the busiest weekend ever! I am so beyond burnt out and exhausted right now and I have had exactly 0 minutes to myself to get things done. 

I need to do everything still...cook, clean the apartment, do the dishes, wash laundry, clean up all the messes, clean my bathroom, etc. Why???

I also need to plan out my week. I use my Erin Condren planner to keep myself on track for the week. I schedule my workouts, write down blog posts that need to go up, etc.

I need to put sleep in the have to do section today. I know that there are 1,000 things to get done but I am so tired and worn down right now. There has to come a point where self care overrides all of the other stuff.

Hope to Do

So with that prioritization of resting and feeling like myself again, I am hoping to take care of responsibilities today but I'm not going to force it. 

Happy to Do

I'm happy to be here blogging today. I love spending time with my blogging friends. 

So, hopefully your scoop looks better than mine! Share it with us over at The Teaching Trio and leave a comment so we can chat!!

Sunday Scoop - November 22, 2015

Welcome back! I'm thankful to have you here reading my blog. I missed the scoop last weekend and it just didn't feel right!

Here's what's up with me this week...

Have to Do...

The first thing isn't so bad, right? I'm going out to have a little coffee chat with my sister! I haven't seen her for a while so that'll be nice! Plus, who doesn't love coffee on a  Sunday? I also have some books to give to her from my latest Reading Club order!

Let's be honest...does anyone like folding laundry?! Ugh.

I have been telling myself to get some makeup advertisement images made in Canva every day for the past three weeks and I just haven't done it! Why am I so avoidant sometimes? I need to get this done!

Hope to Do...

I do hope to get to the store to pick up some treats for parent teacher conferences. They start tomorrow. What do you like to put out for conferences?

I've been fired up on TpT lately and I would love to keep the momentum up and get something new out there this weekend! I've been working really hard on posting one thing a week. 

Happy to Do:

I love the Shameless Sunday show on Blab. If you haven't checked it out, it's on Blab.im at 10:00 am on Sundays and it's fabulous! There are some great bloggers on there and it's great to just network and chat with other teachers!

So...what are you up to this week? Come link up with us and leave a comment below so we can chat!

The Sunday Scoop - November 8, 2015

Have to Do:

My friend, Kristen, and I are starting a Whole 30 together tomorrow! That means that you'll find me in the grocery store and kitchen today getting ready. I am so excited for this because I majorly need to clean up my diet and kick this sugar habit that I've formed.

I reserved Move Your Bus by Ron Clark at the local library because it's the book of the month in Teach Happy Membership and Jess at The Whimsical Teacher is always raving about it! I need to pop into the library and get it today. Luckily, the library is across the street from my house. Literally, that's what I see when I walk outside.

I have so many blog posts that need to go up and I desperately need to get moving with my writing.

Hope to Do:

I purchased a new domain and Wordpress hosting yesterday because there is a super exciting and awesome secret in the works for my blog! However, I'm having trouble accessing my Wordpress admin so I need to get in touch with technical support and get help so that eventually I can get into Wordpress and get to designing my site!

I have such an extensive list of things that I want to post up on TpT right now and I've been so busy with my other engagements (getting a Wordpress site, starting my freelance business, etc.) that they have all been pushed aside. Perhaps today is the day that they go live!

Happy to Do:

I've been working hard on getting my freelance makeup artistry business live. I've started a partnership with The Knot and I've built a TEMPORARY website. The website is temporary because the change is part of the reason that I purchased a new domain with a Wordpress website. However, my current site is pretty cute and it will work for now. I'm still working on getting this up over at The Knot but you can check out the progress with my makeup artistry business at this site here!

SO-come join us and share your Sunday Scoop!

Sunday Scoop - October 18, 2015

Woah...I have a busy day ahead of me!!

I have been participating in a blog audit recently and one suggestion was that my font was a little too small. I'm trying out a new font size with this post. Let me know what you think.

First of all, cleaning has been my last priority lately. I have to fix that today! I'll go crazy if I don't take care of things around here today.

I've been working super hard to learn Photoshop. I'm taking  self-study online course and it's a lot of fun but so so so so much to learn! I'm still in the slow stages of learning the controls. I haven't actually made anything yet.

Another high priority is to head to the Halloween store. I'm working at MAC on Halloween and I need to have a little something to dress up with. I'm not sure which direction I'm going yet but I'll be sure to let you know and share some pics!

I need a few hours to catch up with responding to emails, messages, and grading in the courses that I teach online for the community college. 

Other than that...you can find me binge watching Arrow. Still.

Come link up and share your week with us!

The Sunday Scoop - October 11, 2015

Welcome back to a brand new Sunday morning edition of The Sunday Scoop! 

Have to Do...

I finally read through the ebook I picked up from my TpT idol and read through it in its entirety last night. I seriously COULD NOT put it down. Ever since, I've had idea overload swirling through my head. The amount of information in it was insane and I can't even begin to process the next steps for my blog, store and brand. There's just so much for me to look into and do that I couldn't even sleep last night! So, along with that, I have to recreate my TOU and credits page because I have been bombarded with new inspiration and...simply put...my old TOU and credits no longer fit the direction of my brand.

It's not a secret that I've been heavily considering moving from Blogger to Wordpress. What I'm stuck on is whether I should hire out the migration and set up or try to learn it all myself. There's always a fine line between the DIY thing and being realistic with what's best to use my time on. I haven't figured it out yet but I need to start reading up to decide if the migration is something that I want to tackle on my own.

And along with that...when I do move...should I keep the same blog nam? How do you feel about "Keep Calm and Teach 5th Grade?" Should I find something less grade specific? Shorter? I don't know!!

I have this huge math product in the works. More about that later.

Hope to Do...

I nee a new tan cardigan. Loft to the rescue....

I'm still finishing up my blog hop posts. I have three of them coming up this weekend. Make sure you come visit to see all three posts!!

Happy to Do...

I started binge watching Arrow last night and it is glorious! I am ready to do some more of that!!

The Sunday Scoop - October 4, 2015

Welcome back to my latest Sunday edition of The Sunday Scoop! I love the way that this allows to take a look at what's ahead. I can't get enough of this link up!

Have to Do:

I am not usually the "grade at home on the weekend" kind of teacher. I believe wholeheartedly that teachers should not be working harder than our students are and that we are human beings who deserve to live a life that we enjoy too. We deserve to have fun on the weekends, spend time with family and friends, go on day trips or just have a movie marathon day. I am not sure where this philosophy came from that teachers need to work tirelessly every minute of every day, even on the weekends, to be "good" teachers. That's not me. I believe in balance. HOWEVER, with that said, there are times when the grading has REALLY piled up. For that, I make an exception. I could say that it's pretty piled up today.

I have some HUGE TpT files in the works right now. The kind that take a month or more to finish so it looks like you're not working at all because no new products have gone up. Yes, that kind. That's what I'm working on right now. Slowly but surely...

I got a new Rocksbox shipment yesterday and I can't wait to post about it for you! Look for it later today.

Hope to Do:

Yes, I am still working on that darn Journey's post! It's a big one! 

Another post that I really need to get working on is my Bright Ideas Blog Hop post. I am so excited about this one. It's about a math and technology integration lesson. It's great!

Happy to Do:

Relax! Seriously. I worked at the MACnificent Me event yesterday and it was so much fun. I was busy with back-to-back makeup demos ALL day. I LOVE M•A•C events but they're tiring, especially after a long week of teaching. I am SO ready for some R & R today!!

Here's my look from the MACnificent Me event yesterday:

Come link up with us and share your Sunday Scoop!!

Sunday Scoop - September 27, 2015

Have to Do:

As I noted previously, my boyfriend and I are in the process of becoming foster parents. It's a huge undertaking. The paperwork alone is astronomical. We've been filling out paperwork for days. Then, we have to attend 8 training classes, have interviews with case workers, get a home inspection and then get fingerprinted!

My transfer from Washington State University to Concordia is finally official! I was notified of my acceptance into their Ed.D. program on Friday. I'm working on finalizing the rest of the registration process (including tuition reimbursement stuff with the school district) and getting everything set for my start date of October 25th!

My student teacher is beginning to take over a lot of responsibilities this week. I'm phasing her into my language arts instruction and we're doing some planning around prepping her to teach that. Also, she's taking over some art teaching and she's prepping a unit with 10 lessons that she has to put together for her university.

Hope to Do

I have a huge post in progress about the Journey's curriculum! I'm covering my entire experience adopting it this far and noting my must-have features! I can't wait to get this running. I also have an awesome post planned for the next Bright Ideas Blog Hop!! I'm really excited about this upcoming content!!

I went out for a heathy grocery shop last night and I am meal prepping today. I'm hoping to be consistent with it this week and get things back on track!

Happy to Do

I restarted my gym membership yesterday! I always put it on hold over the summer when I work out of the country and I just reinstated it. I had a nice gym session yesterday and it felt so good! Actually, the blog posts mentioned above were thought of while in the sauna at the gym. The gym is just so good for the brain!!

The Sunday Scoop - September 20, 2015

HAVE TO DO...

I can't believe that it's already time for things to pick back up at the community college. On top of being a full-time 5th grade teacher, I also teach 100 & 200 level education courses at the local community college. It's the start of fall term tomorrow and I need to do some final revisions to my courses and make sure that I answer all of the beginning of the term emails this week! It's sure to be a busy one!!

I'm also in the process of transferring schools to finish my doctorate. I started two years ago at Washington State University Vancouver. I love that school. Really. I've been so happy there and I've been treated so well by their faculty. Unfortunately, when I went back to teaching full-time last year, I wasn't able to drive out to campus to make it to classes after work. So, I've been at a bit of a stand-still. I decided to transfer to Concordia because they have a lot more online course offerings and it'll be a better fit for me. The cohort starts October 25th and I am busy trying to get everything squared away in my application and for admissions.

Payday is this week...which means that I need to sit down and take a look at my budget. Oh the joys...

HOPE TO DO...

I really want to see the new movie, The Perfect Guy. It looks soooo good. I'm hoping that me and my boyfriend can take a trip to the movies this week to catch a showing of it.

I also need to start some new personal development. I don't actually need to go get any. I just need to literally pick up the book and crack it open. That's a huge goal of mine this week. Back on the PD grind.

HAPPY TO DO...

After the tumultuous past few weeks at the hospital with my grandpa (he had a stroke), I'm happy to just be at home and taking care of all of the home projects. It feels good to be able to stay in and take care of things.

Come share your Sunday Scoop with us!

The Sunday Scoop - September 13, 2015!

Have to Do

First, I want to say that I am super happy to be linking up with the Sunday Scoop again. I took quite the hiatus this summer and I haven't fully gotten back into the blogging swing yet. This is a perfect start. I am hoping to pick back up with 5 for Friday soon too!

So, here's what I have to do this week...

First, I need to figure out what the heck is going on with this Journeys curriculum. We adopted it this year and tomorrow will be my first lesson out of it. I really can't even wade through all of this stuff! Agh! Does anyone use Journeys for 5th grade? What are your "must use" pieces? I know that you should pick and choose the best parts but it's hard to sort through it all right now. Haha.

I need to go visit my grandpa at the hospital this evening. I haven't been super active on my blog lately because my grandpa had a stroke last week. He's been in the hospital for almost two weeks now and when I'm not in my classroom, that's where you can find me. I haven't had time to take care of TpT, the blog, cleaning my house, anything. In fact...I might have scheduled a cleaning service from Maid Brigade to help me get caught up after the hospital/back to school madness.

Last, I have some Poshmark sales that have been sitting for a few days that I HAVE TO GET MAILED OUT today!!

Hope to Do

I'm hoping to spend some QT with my computer, blog and buffer today. I am majorly crushing on Buffer lately to keep good content on my Facebook and Twitter pages. I'm already an IG addict so I don't need any help there. I have 5 great blog posts that I really want to write...and soon!

I also want to go pick up some new staple jewelry pieces for the school year at Charming Charlies. I love that store! My currently jewelry selections are feeling boring.

Happy to Do

I am happy to start my day with some exercise. Along with the cleaning, blog and everything else, my health and fitness has really taken a hit the past two weeks. I can tell that my body really needs it and I'm looking forward to doing some PiYo this morning and sweating/stretching it all out!

Click the picture above to join the Sunday Scoop and link up!

The Sunday Scoop - May 24, 2015

Since we don't have school tomorrow, I almost forgot that it was time to put my Sunday Scoop up! Wow! I hope you're all enjoying a fantastic Memorial Day weekend!  I know that I can't complain! My mom came into town last night and we got to spend some quality time together before her flight out to Hawaii this morning! I love when I get to visit my mom! I also redecorated and rearranged my apartment and I am loving the new setup!

That's my Mom on the couch!  ;)

I also found some great new flowers for my apartment and I love them! I got the orchid that's on the dining room table in the pictures above, a new calla lily for my deck and a new hanging basket for the porch! This summer, Cory and I are going to be purchasing a new dining room set and I can't wait!!

Anyway, let's get to the purpose of this post....

Have to Do

I really bit off more than I could chew when I decided to take on TWO books for a book series for my blogs! I have been struggling to get it up and running but I am hopeful that between this evening/tomorrow that I will be able to get at least the next week's worth of posts up! I really wanted to kick of the series for both books next week and I can still hit that deadline if I get cranking! They're great books and I am excited to share both of them with you!!

Our print shop deadline to have stuff in August for next school year is Tuesday. Yes, the day after this lovely holiday weekend! That means, of course, that I'm struggling to put those final touches on some things to have them in the fall. I have to finish getting this math written response journal together and then I should be mostly set for August...at least all of the big stuff! I feel so good knowing that I'll just have little things to run off between now and then!

Now let's talk about working out! I picked up the PiYo series from Beachbody and I have been obsessing over it! If you've read my blog for a while then you know that I am a major yoga lover. I also love strength training. This is such a lovely little mix of the two and since the workouts are only ~30 minutes (with most being 25 min.), there really aren't any excuses NOT to do it! I've already lost 7.4 pounds in two weeks since I started PiYo and changed up my meal plan and I am feeling amazing! I have a review coming soon on my personal blog of Fabletics workout apparel and I can't wait to show you what I got! 

Hope to Do

There HAS to be some relaxation time in this holiday weekend! I've been so busy with cleaning, rearranging, redecorating, taking my mom to the airport, appointments, prepping stuff for printing next year, end of the year classroom rewards, end of the year volunteer thank you gifts, etc. I really hope that I can just take some time to relax, read out on my deck and enjoy some time to myself!!

Happy to Do

Today is my niece's first birthday party and I am so excited for that. She's so adorable! I can't believe she is already one!

                

<3

Thanks for making it to the end! Please leave a comment so we can connect!!

The Sunday Scoop - May 17, 2015

Well, here we are! It's another Sunday and I have yet another Sunday Scoop linky for you!! My scoops are changing dramatically as the school year winds down! 

Have to Do

I am so excited because I started a new meal plan last weekend and I lost 5 pounds last week! That has pushed me into this week with some incredible motivation to keep it up! In order to do so, I have to cook up all this yummy stuff that I bought at Trader Joe's yesterday. I can't survive without meal prep. Any time that I have ever lost weight, I've always had a carefully prepped meal plan for the week. If I don't have something ready to eat at all times, I'm likely to just walk across the street to all the restaurants! Seriously! So, yes, this week...I'm trying to keep it on track! I do have to put on a bathing suit in Greece soon, you know!! Want to follow my workout/weightloss journey? Follow me on Instagram and checkout my personal blog!!

I am actually obsessed with my car. I washed the outside of it already and now I need to dig in and clean up the inside! I feel so good when I'm rolling around in my clean and shiny little Mini.

Along with the end of the school year for my 5h graders comes the end of yet another term at the community college that I teach at. I've taught courses at the local community college for 4 years. I teach them as a hybrid format right now so I can continue to teach full-time and still maintain my employment with the college. I have TONS of grading to do at the end of the term!!

Hope to Do

Let's be honest...sometimes folding laundry needs to be put on the "hope to do" list. There are other things that your soul needs above folded laundry...like reading an amazing book that lights a fire in your soul!!

I've been reading SuperLife by Darin Olien and it is AMAZING! This book speaks to me! I feel like the author understands me and everything that I've been trying to explain to those around me. I love the no-nonsense approach to all things health and vitality! I'm doing a review of it on my personal blog by posting excerpts and my thoughts on everything! I'm going to have a weekly post up for it. I haven't set a day of the week yet but perhaps Tuesdays and Thursday once I start. I'm going to get some posts scheduled next week.  Speaking of, I should look into doing the same thing here for teaching books or children's literature. What do you think?

Happy to Do

I am really on a reading binge right now. Since it's the end of the school year, I've been able to use my Audible credits for the past two months on grown up books rather than read alouds for my class! Can you imagine that?! Reading adult literature?! 

I am in love with Audible because the narration keeps my read alouds super engaging for my class but I can also listen to books that I enjoy while I'm showering, cleaning, doing my makeup/hair in the morning, etc. I can't get enough. Next up on my reading/listening list is Gone Girl. I haven't seen the movie so please don't give me any spoilers!!

Want to try out Audible? There's a 30 day free trial from the link below but I promise it's totally worth it to sign up!

What's going on with you this week? Come link up with us at The Teaching Trio and comment below so we can chat!

Sunday Scoop - May 10, 2015

Before we get started, I'd like to give a huge Happy Mother's Day shoutout to all the amazing Moms out there!!

Have to Do

I almost forgot to post today for Sunday Scoop! I've been a total busy bee today. I've been up since 6 am and I've just kept myself entertained with thing after thing and thing until I suddenly realized that I hadn't done this yet!!

I had a few things on my to-do list for today/this week. One of them was to build a new blog! Yes, another one...even though this is still just a bitty baby blog. I wanted a place where I can be myself beyond the classroom. I love my teaching blog and I am obsessed with reading teaching blogs but I am also interested in so many things outside of my classroom. I love fashion, beauty and fitness. I'm sure you've picked up on that. I wanted a place where all of my likes and passions can be presented and shared in unison, holistically. Thus, the birth of Myranda Sue.

Yes, I know, that's not a very creative name. But guess what, that's all this blog is. Just me and my own little space on the internet. I didn't think it needed much more of a name than that! I am pretty proud because I've done all of the design installation myself. I found an amazing template on Etsy that was ridiculously cheap and I've put it all together with the tutorials available to me! Considering that I paid to have everything created on here, that's a big deal for me!!

I can't claim it on Bloglovin yet so I don't have the Bloglovin follow button  up but I feel pretty good about everything else. I have it linked to my Facebook and Twitter for this account and I'm not sure how I feel about that yet.

Otherwise, my to-do list is pretty simple. I need to stay consistent in my workouts and hydrate. I feel like I CANNOT get an adequate amount of water intake sine going back to the classroom. I am always so thirsty and my lips are always chapped. I try to make up for it on the weekend but I just can't.

I've also been 100% consistent in my workouts this week and all I really want is to STAY ON IT!!

Hope to Do

My hopes for this week include one top priority...finishing up my bookings for Greece. We JUST got in our last flight booking and found the last hotel! Now we just need to make sure our airport transfers are all set up and look at any activities that we may want to prebook! We're into the fun part of the game now! Most of the logistics are ironed out!!

I have been really prioritizing relaxation lately and I want to spend some time watching some of my shows that are saved up on the DVR. I feel like that's such a lame thing to hope to do sometimes but I need those moments where I just stop moving and take at time-out...especially at the end of the school year and during state testing.

Happy to Do

Oh my gosh! Our weather hit the 80's this weekend! It was 82 yesterday and as gorgeous as can be! I spent some time on my deck and warming up in the sunshine. I love reading outside when it's nice out!!

Thanks for reading about my week! Come link up with us! I'd love to read about yours!!