Summer Bucket List

Natalie over at What the Teacher Wants is hosting a Summer Bucket List linky party.  It's super fun to see what other teacher's are up to this summer, so head on over and check it!

 

School

In the spring I interviewed and got the job as media specialist at a neighboring school. I am beyond excited about the position!! After 21 years as a classroom teacher teaching every grade level from K-5, I was ready for some new challenges.  I have been over to the school off and on for 2-3 hours at a time sorting through all of the cabinets and drawers....organizing and tossing things that have accumulated during the last media specialists 13 years of service.  I almost finished with that and have now turned my attention to updating the decor. I want the media center to be a magical, warm place that students, teachers, and parents gravitate towards.  There is a large castle in the media center and the mascot is a knight.  I am going to go all out with a fairy tale theme! 

Please note the giant's boot in the picture on the left....it's all about the details people!!  I am also ordering a dragon kite that is 72" long to swoop along the ceiling near the entrance (the opposite side of the library from the castle).  Oh, the plans are never ending!! It's so much fun to bring my vision to life. :) Here are some other things I'm working on for the media center decor:

I also need to start thinking about orientation lessons to use with the different grade levels. And as far as that goes, teacher orientation needs to be on my "thinking about it" list.  I will probably work on this part once we get a little closer to school beginning....say July sometime.

Personal

Personally, I have my hands full with preparing the house to put on the market. Like Natalie, my family of 5 is beginning to bust the seems of our 3 bedroom house. There has been a plethora of painting going on (and more to come inside). Thankfully my husband has pretty much finished up replacing any rotten patches of wood outside and has repainted the exterior.  I finished up the outside handrail and have painted a bathroom inside. We have one more bathroom to paint, a few touch up jobs (I have 3 boys under the age of 11 in case you didn't know), and a W.H.O.L.E lot of decluttering and deep cleaning to do. #howcanyoupossiblyhavethismanytoys?  #Goodwillismyfriend

We are hoping to get the house sold, buy a new one, and move all before school starts back in August.  If you're going to dream, might as well dream B.I.G. right? I am prayerful that God's perfect plan will play out for us. We want the boys to go to their home school rather than going with me (remember, I'm switching schools next year) and our oldest is headed off to middle school...yikes!!  That's a whole other post!!!)  Please keep your fingers crossed for us.

As for eating healthier, I actually do better when we are in school. I don't have access to the fridge all the live long day.  I have done Dr. Oz's Total 10 and had success with it. Basically, it gets you off of refined sugar, carbs, dairy, and caffeine. After 10 days, you can slowly introduce food groups back into your diet. Anything that makes you feel bad, you take back out or cut way back on (also read: anything that causes your weight to start going back up).  I had a bad headache the first 2-3 days because of caffeine and sugar withdrawal, but after that it was a breeze. I wasn't hungry and was eating much healthier foods that I actually like.  So, I will be starting that back up and contact my walking/jogging buddy to start a summer schedule. I call it "wuhjogging" because it's mostly walking at first with a little jogging. ;)  My family has a history of heart disease and diabetes, so I really need to get my weight under control while it's not an insurmountable feat. Wish me luck!

Fun

Our family will be vacationing again on Isle of Palms which is basically Charleston. My husband and 3 boys are history buffs and love anything related to that aspect of the city. I, on the other hand, love the shopping, food, and the beach!  We have gone on the horse drawn carriage ride before where the guide tells you all about the buildings you are passing and any historical events/people tied to them.  This year, I think we are going to go to Patriot's Point which is a naval maritime museum. 

Beyond that, the condo has a pool and is right on the beach.  That is where my boys will want to hang out and I am F.I.N.E. with that!  They are not old enough to be left unsupervised (11, 8, and 6) but they are old enough to play in the sand, fly kites, etc. while I sit in the chair and read (with one eye on them). Any ocean time must be accompanied by an adult (read- their dad). I am no longer a fan of salt water and all of the creatures that inhabit the water.  I'm happy to hunt shells with you, walk at the waters edge, swim in the pool, etc. but go to dad if you want to jump waves is what I say.

As for the rest of the summer, we'll fit in the park, Six Flags, the $1 movies- which no longer cost just a $1 -, bowling, water gun fights in the yard, u-pick fruits at the local farm, Redbox movie rentals on rainy days (the boys make tents out of blankets and the kitchen chairs just like I did when I was a little girl #nostalgic), library visits, and the list goes on.  There's nothing I love more than lazy summer days were there is no alarm blaring to signal that the race for the day has begun. I just want to slow down and watch my boys stare with wonder at the firefly they caught at twilight and the big fat toad that has come out to feed. #nothingbetterintheworld

When the boys wander off to read (because I set the timer and make them...), I usually work on those decorations for the media center, or I sit down with a good book, too.  Summer is a time to live in the moment....I try not to plan too much but just go with the flow. This is the total opposite of our lives during the school year, and I must say...I kind of like the change of pace. :)

What's on your bucket list for the summer?