Five Wonderful Things {weekend edition.}

Thank God and Ice Cube for Friday...

Even though, I don't have a traditional work week right now, because of the summer - I am still grateful for Friday and the weekend. My friends are on semi-regular schedules then, and the feeling of the weekend (as an adult) is indescribable. I read on Facebook this week that August is an endless Sunday night for teachers and I have to agree. My summer has disintegrated in front of me and my summer bucket list has been left untouched - my coveted beach trip included. I cannot complain, I have been blessed with opportunities this summer to further my professional brand and to relax - two things I was desperate for. To wrap up this week, and to put the glorious weekend into perspective - here are five wonderful things from my week. 

1. I presented unit maps to the district. I was asked to write two unit maps for my school district, which is an honor that I am valued and humbled by. Today, I presented my units and they were well received with minor changes. I was very nervous, which rarely happens, but it was a shining moment in my career. 

2. I planned with my new teammate. Both of my teammates left this year, which left fifth grade two (wo)men down, and anyone who knows elementary school knows that fifth grade is a hard grade to fill. We (my school) were able to fill the positions with two enthusiastic, but young teachers. While my new teammates have not had teaching experience, they are passionate and ready to go, which is invaluable! While one of my teammates is busy fulfilling previous commitments, my other teammate and I have been making provisions for the first week of school, which is an exciting process. 

3. My birthday is in two weeks. My birthday is in two weeks and for the first time in many years, I am attempting to plan my own party - 25 is a big birthday, and I want to have fun and make good memories for this (life changing) birthday. I have only had 3 RSVPs, but I am staying positive that it will be a good night. 

4. I completed a crafting project. I bought old love letters from the flea market a long time ago, and just stored them away. I bought an old secretary desk off of Craig's List and thanks to some DIY inspiration, the desk is now covered in old love letters. It was a super easy and super quick project, but it has made my home office area a very nice and productive space. 

5. I still have one week of summer left. That's right - I have one week of summer left, just seven days, but seven powerful days that will be spent reading, snuggling with my cat, and playing Sims (my nerdy guilty pleasure.) I know this school year will be an extremely important year in my career for many reasons, I can feel it, and I want to be as prepared as possible. 

Here are my five wonderful things for this week - as you wind down with a glass of wine or tea this Friday night, think about your week and what five wonderful things happened to you. If you're having a hard time coming up with some, maybe you need to make some changes in your life, friend. It's just a thought. 

Until, next time, loves 

-xo

Five Wonderful Things.

CNN, during the work week, has a running article that focuses on five news events to start your work week with. I find myself drawn to this article for numerous reasons, but I really like how easily it identifies five important events that may define your day - some are more serious than others, and there's always a token funny pet video, but it had me thinking about my own weeks and days, and how I can identify moments that can provided definition and clarity in a sometimes crazy world. The result of those brain-storming moments: Five Wonderful Things on Sunday evenings - a reflection on what made the week memorable or things that I am looking forward to. 

To the first edition of Five Wonderful Things: 

1. 50 Shades of Grey trailer premiered. Yes, this is a wonderful thing for me and countless other women (and men) who fell head over heels in love with Christian Grey in the hit serious. Today ran a two day series showcasing the trailer and behind the scenes footage that had me melting. I even re-read the whole series this weekend, hopefully sustaining my need until Valentine's Day 2015. Who doesn't love a megalomaniac CEO and his hopeless addiction to a bookish regular girl? 

2.  My best friend got a puppy. While this doesn't affect the world on a macro scale, it most certainly affects my micro world. He has been wanting a puppy for a while, and he finally got one - which is life changing! I am so in love with that little nugget, he fits in my hands right now and I am soaking up puppy snuggles until he gets too big. 

3. Back to school sales are in full swing. This is such an exciting time for me. I am obsessed with school supplies! As a teacher, I buy in bulk - spending a large sum to jump start my classroom, but I don't mind spending the money. If you know how to buy smart and which stores allow more than the limit for teachers and use price matching, you can make a huge dent in the sticker shock of back to school shopping. 

4. I get paid on this week. This is so important for so many reasons. I know money will not buy happiness nor does having money ensure that you will feel fulfilled, but that stretch from June till the end of July is a long time not to get paid. Thank God for parents and grandparents who are willing to still help you out when the times get tough. 

5. On Friday, I'm taking out some former students. On Friday, I am taking out a few of my former students from last year, and I could not be any more excited!! While I love all of my classes, I made such a connection with this class - I was so sure of myself as a teacher, which made for better relationships. 

So, here are my five wonderful things that are giving me hope or gave me hope. Think about your weeks and identify five things that keep you wanting more - the beauty in life comes from small things and moments. Don't overlook those - no one is going to come and remind you to be appreciative.


Have a great Monday, loves!
Till next time, 
-xo, Lucy 

Motivation Monday! [:

Photo credit: Pinterest

and we're back to our regularly scheduled program...

No, I don't mean we are back to shaping young minds - my summer can't be that short. (: I do mean we are back to encouraging and making sure that Monday doesn't get a bad rap or gets sold short. 

Everyone waits for the New Year, January 1st, for a second chance - a fresh start, but we get a second chance every week - every Monday is another opportunity to make what you want happen and to make yourself into the person you want to be. Monday gets the most awful rap for being the first day of the work week, when it should be viewed as another chance to have the best week ever! 

Some of you reading this could be thinking that I am too enthusiastic or naive to real world happenings, but friend, let me tell you - I used to be you. I used to hate Mondays - another week of my boring life, at my less than perfect job, with a less than perfect body, with they choose when they want to be my friend friends. 

But, I had to stop that negativity - cut it off like a dead flower and tell myself there's more to life than trudging through the mud and hoping something different happens. You have to make that change. One positive thought in the morning is life-changing. I promise. Do it. 

Monday should be a goal-setting, powerful day for everyone - a moment where you say 'This is what I am accomplishing this week, no matter the cost.' Our goals will be different, we are all in different places, and that's okay - the point is we set the week on fire and make it happen! 

I believe in accountability, even when it's difficult or hurts, so let someone know your goals - let someone be your cheerleader. Who doesn't love cheerleaders? Everyone knows in college, I loved them more than I did the athletes - why? Because they cheer for others' success, they cheer for others to win. Be a cheerleader and let others cheer for you. There are so many quotes about not letting others know your goals and dreams, because they will shoot them down. If that's your reality, you need to surround yourself with new people, boo. A true friend, a true cheerleader won't shoot anything down, but negative speech and actions. 

So, here's to Monday, here's to setting the week on fire and not letting flame go out, here's to carrying those imaginary pom-poms and waving them every chance you get - for others and for yourself. Here's to Monday, cupcakes - another chance to make all your dreams come true! 

Photo Credit: Myself 

Working Woman Wednesday!

Photo courtesy of Pinterest/Bluntcard 

Feeling frustrated? Waiting for greatness? Wishing for fame and fortune? 

Stop, pause, and enjoy #workingwomanwednesday! 

It's been a week since my last post, and while my job search has slowed and I haven't heard much from other schools, my life has still be a whirlwind. I've been having small moments, where I've been rethinking relocating or leaving my current school, and who knows why? My mind and my life are entities of their own. I can make plans, I can fill out applications and I can call and interview, but at the end of the day, if God and the world has another plan for me, then it all doesn't matter. I have had to come to terms with this lately, that there are times when things are legitimately out of my control. That sounds so stupid, especially since I am 24 - you would think I would have learned or observed that by now. I am an obnoxious control freak, bordering on the point of therapy, and up until now, everything I have wanted, at least in a professional sense, I have gotten. This is the first time I have ever had to slow down and wait. 

Realistically, that's neither here nor there, because I have a current job and current cupcakes, who need me and my undivided attention. We are preparing for EOGs and my students and I are preparing for our version of a championship. My students work so hard and are so very wonderful - I couldn't ask for a better class, and after seeing their Case 21 scores yesterday, they don't have such a bad teacher either. (: 

That brings me to my overall point on this halfway rainy, halfway to spring break Wednesday - today, praise yourself. Take a moment to stop and praise yourself. Don't wait for someone else to do it or someone else to notice - you will be waiting forever. Treat yourself kindly and love yourself. Your opinion matters more than anything else. 

This is so very important to me right now, because I am seeking to believe in myself internally as much as I appear believe in myself externally. I want you to do the same thing - make your inner voice match your outer voice. All of those things you want to hear from someone else, make yourself say them. Don't let others influence how you feel about yourself. You have one self - spend your life loving yourself, and what the world thinks won't matter. 

Photo courtesy of Pinterest 

Working Woman Wednesday!

Photo Credit: Kush and Wizdon

Wednesday - my favorite Addams family member, not quite my favorite day of the week, but I am a sucker for alliteration. (: 

There have been so many little moments in this week that have reminded me how grateful I am for my life and the people in it. My students, despite having mock EOGs three days this week, have kept positive spirits and handled it well. My mom has called me twice to wake up, since I forgot to set any alarm (Where do they do that at?) I haven't been to the beach since my senior year of college, so pretty much a million years ago, and my best friend and I planned a two day trip that I could not be more excited about. When you need reminding, your life will remind how much you have and how blessed you are and that's a beautiful thing.  

On the job front, since that was the main purpose for this endeavor, things have quieted. I could not afford to travel to California at such short notice for an interview, so they are working to schedule Skype interviews with me, and I have made a list of places I am interested in. As most in the educational field know, teachers hold onto jobs till the literal last moment, so right now, we are in a waiting game. We can definitely cross any place outside of the US off (for now.) Again, this is a journey - journeys aren't meant to a straight path or even a mapped course. You have to chart your own way. People can come if they want, but remember: success isn't an escalator, it's a staircase. 

"What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." - Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Motivation Monday!

Photo credit: http://mybroadband.co.za/photos/showphoto.php/photo/32471/title/cat-greeting-monday/cat/500

I feel bad for Monday - it gets such a bad wrap. The first day of the work week, the first day after the weekend - it already begins its life being 0-2, but Monday can change if we change the way we approach it. Monday can illuminate its possibilities for you if you can change your first thought in the morning. 

My goal is that every Monday, I will post a list of goals I would like to accomplish for the week and a quote and probably a cat or Beyonce picture (two of my favorite things!) 

Here's to motivation Monday! 

Goals for the Week 

1. Work at least twice - I started a weight loss journey in the summer, and while I have maintained and even lost a few more pounds and inches, I want to build my summer body while it's still a little winter outside. 

2. Grade papers and do report cards - Report cards go out next Monday, and I would like to actually get ahead of the beast, and have them done this week, so I won't spend my weekend drowning in a sea of papers. 

3. Complete a devotional three mornings this week - You can't do it alone. I choose to do it with God. It's a comforting aspect of my life to remember that I don't have to make decisions or choices without the greatest counsel. 

4. Start 100 days of Happy challenge - Lots of people I know are doing the 100 days of Happy challenge and I think it's a great idea. One of my life's missions is that the world sees there are still compassionate, selfless people in the world and what a better way to show the world you love your life and circumstances? Read more about the challenge here: http://100happydays.com/

There you have it - 4 obtainable goals, and the only thing separating me and success is me. We have to overcome that - overcome your own self doubt, which we are all plagued with, and kill this week. Slay it dead like Kentucky did Michigan. This is another opportunity to create the person you want to be and to chase the life you have always desired. 

Quotes 

"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." - Albert Einstein 

"May the odds be ever in your favor." - The Hunger Games 

"Be in love with your life, every detail of it." - Jack Kerouac