Welcoming Summer

Ah, sweet, sweet summer.

So good to have you here.

It was definitely a different year of teaching.

I started the school year off almost 36 weeks pregnant, taught for 3.5 weeks, and then went on maternity leave for 8 weeks.

It was hard to come back and reestablish a classroom when my students had spent almost three times the time with my long-term sub as they had with me.

In addition to that, I went part-time this year.

I am absolutely so thankful that I was able to do this (and will be able to continuing doing it), but it's an adjustment to not be at school full time.

I had to bring home a lot more grading than in the past...and with more on my plate at home now, it was a year of figuring out the balancing act.

Full-time teachers and mommies, props to you!
I had a great group of students this year though, which helped with all the transitions.

A student gave me this sign as an end of the year gift a few years ago and it cracks me up.

Not the only reasons for teaching, but definitely three perks to teaching.

June, July, and August are extra special for me this summer because it means that I get to be a full-time mommy.

I've thoroughly enjoyed my first week of summer.

Here are the highlights so far:

Jack and I are enjoying our summer mornings together.

Along with lots of playtime together.

On Wednesday we went to the fair with the cousins.

I love the progression of these 4 pictures above.
Jack is already beating up on his older cousin.

My sister hosted a Pioneer Woman Potluck on Thursday.

I made her Grilled Chicken Salad with Feta, Fresh Corn, and Blueberry.

Sounds a little wild with the blueberries, but it was actually really good!

And we've resumed our summer lunch dates with daddy.

This weekend the youth pastor at our church got married in the woods a few hours from where we live. Like, their ceremony was literally in a meadow.

So fun!

We spent the rest of the weekend with Jason's grandparents, who live an hour from where the wedding was.

Looking forward to many more weeks of summer ahead!

The Christmas Stash - 2011 Edition

Well, it is day 1 of 18 of winter break! So looking forward to the extra long break they are giving us this year. I must say that I really have nothing planned for my days off. I do plan on watching many Christmas movies since Christmas is a week away and I am yet to watch ONE Christmas movie. Christmas fail on my part. I haven't even busted out my iPod to listen to my favorite Christmas songs but have rather reverted to the 24 hrs of Christmas music that they play on 96.5 KQUIT, which just isn't the same (because it's not as good as my personal selection).

It's sad, but I feel like I just haven't had the time to get in the Christmas spirit this year. Jason and I have been so busy during this window between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Jason just finished his second term of grad school, which was a crazy class on political economy and required tons of reading and many papers. (We are both very glad that class is over as of last night). This class also just happened to coincide with his busiest time at work, so he spent many evenings and weekends trying to juggle work, grad school, and all the other activities that go on with life. We started leading a college group at our church, which has been so great, but is another night out during the week. We also chose the *best* time of year to try and buy a house, so we've been squeezing the house hunt in as well! All really great stuff, though.

To go along with last year's post, I thought I would give you a preview of my 2011 student stash (gifts from my students). Jason definitely looks forward to this more than I do. When he called me after school yesterday, the first thing he said was, "What did you get?" I think he is beginning to question how good of a teacher I am though because the stash this year was much lighter than in previous years. But it is always so thoughtful of students to hook their teachers up during the holidays. So, here is what I came home with.

The theme of this year was probably home baked goods and scarves. Lots of treats that my students (or their parents) made. I also got three scarves, which is pretty fun.

I did get some chocolate, but not the 6 pounds worth that I came home with last year, which is probably a good thing.

A handful of coffee gift cards, which came at the perfect time, as I only have a few dollars left on my last card from the end of last school year.
There is always a selection of bath gels and picture frames, too. I love the little hiker ornament that has 'Mrs. Baker' written on it. It's hanging on the Christmas tree! No jewelry this year, though. Or taj mahal replicas.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

New Beginnings

Phew! I made it through the first week back at school. I always forget how exhausting this week is - even with it having been a short week, it still sucks everything out of you! It's quite the adjustment to go from 10 weeks of summer, no work, and sleeping in, to dealing with 185 eleven year olds, talking for 6 hours straight, and getting up at 6am.

But, I must say that it was a great first week back! I was definitely ready to go back to work this year. Summer was great, but because it was a mellow one, I was ready to get back into a routine. Anyone else love routine like me? I thrive off of it. Love having a schedule and feel so much more productive when I have one.

I love the start of the school year. It's like a new beginning, a fresh start. Any frustrations and difficulties from the previous year are behind you. It's a brand new group of students, who I think, also see the new school year as a new beginning. They have new teachers, new classes, a new schedule...they are relaxed, rested, and ready to go! I love my little 6th graders at the beginning of the school year. They are like perfect little angels. Part of it is that they are scared to death, but the other part is they are so excited for their new beginning - starting middle school. They are enthusiastic, polite, and eager to learn. And...they do exactly what I say. But, it's always fun to see their personalities come out during the school (well, most of the time...)

This school year is also really exciting for me because I have TONS of siblings from former students. The past two years there, I have had a handful of siblings. But, because this is now our fourth year as a school, we are seeing lots of siblings come through. In every class I have at least 5-6 (or more) siblings of former students. So much fun!

800 plus students pouring out of campus

Not only was this week a new beginning for me, but it was for Jason, too. While I went back to being a teacher this week, Jason went back to being a student. That's right, Jason started grad school on Monday through Liberty University. He is getting his Masters in Public Policy and is really excited about his program. However, it was definitely a week of reading, writing papers, and re-learning how to format a paper in APA. Oh, the joys of being a student again...

We are both really excited about where we are at right now and what is to come. So, Year 5 of Teaching and Year 1 of Grad School...we're ready!

SuMmEr is HeRe!

Officially one week into summer, and I must say, it has been wonderful! I was initially freaking out a bit about summer because I really had no plans. I know that sounds strange to most people, but I like to be busy, to have something to do, to feel productive. With wedding planning for six months, I especially got used to being super busy and always having something to do. So, when all that ended, I really didn't know what to do with myself...and I was still working at the time! However, with the first week of summer winding up, I have found plenty of things to keep me busy and am not too worried about the weeks to come!

Summer was kicked off with the usual end of the school year gifts from students. Lots of gift cards to Starbucks and then a few fun ones thrown in the mix (Macy's, Target, movie dollars, Barnes and Noble). Remember my post during Christmas about some of the unique gifts I received? Well, I think I got a winner this year. Check it out...

A frozen Indian dinner with an Indian yogurt shake to go with it. Definitely different!

Jason and I had a fun, but relaxing weekend - we went to Berkeley on Saturday afternoon for Brazilian food. Amazing. (More to come on our crazy food adventures). We then went and saw the movie Bridesmaids. If you haven't seen - go! Hilarious and maybe worth the $22 it costs for two to go to the movies (thankful for movie dollars!)

On Monday and Tuesday, my mom and I went to visit my grandma in the Central Valley. She's still going strong at 99 and only has four months to go until she hits triple digits! She didn't come up for the wedding, so I brought the wedding to her and showed her the video and lots of pictures. I was also able to meet my cousin's baby...who was born on my birthday. My uncle and I also share the same birthday, so in one family, we have three February 7th birthdays! Pretty cool!

My uncle Denis (2.7.41), with his niece (me - 2.7.84) and his grandson (Max - 2.7.11)

Yesterday I was able to meet up with my college roommate of four years for some shopping in Corte Madera out by Marin. Such a fun day and so excited to have her back from Seattle and living in CA again!

I'm really excited about this summer. Last summer was so busy with tons of trips every week or two. This summer will be a great mix of working (I'm tutoring lots), relaxing, and a few fun little trips planned to Tahoe and SLO. And, I haven't forgotten about my '30 before 30' - planning on checking off some of my reading. Chronicles of Narnia is currently in progress...then off to the classics!

Happy Summer!

12 Days of Christmas

One of the many perks of being a teacher (no, I'm not going to say the 2 weeks off work I get during Christmas) is getting hooked up at Christmas time with gifts from your students. The school I work at definitely has some very generous families. Starting on the Monday of the last week before break, the gifts start piling in. Most students bring their gift on Friday, and I feel like it is a scene out of the movie Christmas Story, where all the students bring their gift up to their teacher's desk. It's a little different for me, in that I stand at the door to greet my students, and they just start handing gifts off to me right there at the door.

Chocolate. Well, every year has a different variety, so I thought I would share some of my 2010 Christmas gifts from my students. The theme for this year was definitely chocolate. Take a look at my stash of chocolate. I added it up, and I received over six pounds of chocolate.Gift Cards. The next runner up was coffee gift cards. That is usually pretty common, but last year I got tons of Target gift cards, so I was getting a little excited about that since Target is my favorite store! I did get two Target gift cards, but Peet's and Starbucks were the winners. Some of my students like to be a little more creative in their gift card giving, so I also got a gift card to Bebe, The Elephant Bar, etc

Please also note the electric plug in travel coffee mug

Jewelry. Middle school students are really into giving jewelry to their teachers. This year I received a pearl necklace, and a home made earring and necklace set. However, none of these compare to the necklace I received two years ago. One of my all time favorite gifts.Home decor. This is where it starts getting fun! A few candles, some great soaps from Bath & Body Works, coasters, a crystal mantel cloak, green beaded pillow case covers, and a Taj Mahal :)

And a quick look at all the home decor I received this year is below...Whatever this Christmas season brings you in gifts, I hope you remember the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ. Wishing you a very blessed Merry Christmas!

Back to School...

Well, school starts tomorrow, which means summer is officially over! I think that this was by far the fastest summer ever! Because I had seven trips planned between the June 4th and August 5th (click here for my pre-summer post), it made my summer fly by because I never really settled in. But, I must say that I had a blast this summer with all of my trips.

I've been in my classroom this last week, getting things all organized and ready for my 4th year of teaching (I can't believe I'm entering year four!) Here is my classroom, all set and ready for the 175 little 6th graders that will be my students this year...

For the first time in three years, I didn't feel like I had to spend the last two weeks of summer living in my classroom. This is the first year that I didn't switch classrooms, and it's also the first year that I am teaching the exact same curriculum as I did the year before. I definitely feel much more prepared and relaxed going into this school year than I have in any of the previous years. I hoping that it will be a great year. Farewell summer, welcome year 4!

3 Reasons For Teaching...

June. July. August.

My sister Mel, who is also a middle school math teacher, used to say this to me. Then, last year one of my students gave me this plaque.


I wasn't quite sure how to take this (since it was from a student)...or where I was supposed to hang it. Certainly not in my classroom. Thursday was officially the last day of school, and I decided to bust out this plaque and hang it on my door handle. Since all the students had left at this point, I figured it was somewhat appropriate. Yesterday was a teacher work day, so that officially makes today the first day of summer for me! I am super excited for this summer. It will be the first year in four years that I have not gone abroad. But, I have plenty of other fun trips planned. I guess I technically kicked off summer a week early with my trip to Austin last weekend. Here is what else I have planned for this summer:

• Half Dome - Climbing this with about 20 friends! Another to check off my list
  
• Colorado - I'm flying out there, spending a few days in Denver and Boulder with my friend Megan from college, and then we're road tripping back!
  
• LA - Jason insists that I go to a home Dodger's game...
• San Luis Obispo -Megan's bachelorette party and then again for her wedding! So excited!
• Tahoe - Annual summer vacation with the family

So, here I am one day into summer - I bet it's going to fly by with all these trips I have planned!