This is the day I started a new kind of date night...

This might sound strange or morbid, but it was kinda awesome. I've decided that since Paul and I are still married, just separated for a while, I can still work on strengthening our marriage once a week. I went to his grave after school and talked/cried with him for a while, and then I started writing in a new journal, all of which will be letters to him about our past, my present, and our future. The cemetery is so beautiful and peaceful, even if it's a sad peace, and after I talked for a while I was in a very good place to finally start writing about everything. Just a short date, I couldn't get far, and I didn't even bring dinner! :) But it was actually really nice. I hope in the future to not just talk but pray and think about how I can help him in the work he's doing, still partners, just on both sides of the veil.

I'm also excited to be doing 29 random acts of kindness in his honor for his birthday next month. I have a friend or two who will be helping me. It'll be a good focus for our FHE for the next month or so!

This is the day I bury my husband.

I have no words today. But I do have some pictures. These are the things I'm burying him with:

Pictures from our nieces and nephews:

A dapper (and stopped) Navy pocket watch:

A Star Trek communicator...I'm keeping the other one so we can chat later. :)

And a puppy, of course. 

I wanted to find his missionary tag but I couldn't...guess I was meant to keep it. It's okay, because "called to serve" is going to be engraved on our tombstone. 

My LEGO classroom!

It's been a long week and a half, friends, but the time is drawing near and I'm as finished and ready as I will ever be for the  first day! Copies made, room done, orientations and paperwork and random last-minute and late-night runs to Walmart are ebbing down. I think it's looking good. :) Let me take you on a tour of the room!

Here are pieces of my front door, including names, my magnetic "Where are we?" Board, and a week-at-a-glance board (dry erase) where I hope to be writing a few fun objectives/activities for each day.

Here's the view as you walk in!

As you shut the door, you see my reminders board (for homework and last-minute switches in rides, etc.) and my "how we get home" board...names are on clothespins so we can change it out easily.

On my back wall I'm using some of the MANY storage closets as my student work bulletin board! I'll write funny or profound things they say or write on the quote boards in dry-erase and take a picture of them, then actual work will be taped to the cabinets.

In front of it is my Indiana rug! 

My cozy library...it's not quite as cramped as it looks in this picture, but still. :) Books are organized by genres/series so they can easily find something fun...I'm still working on labeling them with Lexile numbers though. You can kinda see the closets in the background that we also turned into giant LEGOs--with plastic tablecloths and paper plates! :) The front drawers (behind the chairs) are normal white cabinets from Walmart or Target and I just used mini frisbees from the Dollar Tree as the "bumps." A coat or two of spray paint and they were set!

Since my room isn't very big, part of my library is here. :) Picture books (most of them nonfiction) and some more storage. Young Hoosier Books, Title 30 books, etc. will be displayed in the appropriate 9 weeks in the hanging shelves. And you also see my math stations on the right there, all 10 ready to go!

Just a shot of our supply station (on top of the LEGO cabinets in the library)...complete with office supplies, paper, a book hospital, dry erase and clip boards tucked in containers on either side, and my Pringles Box Tops container!

A pic of our mailboxes. Saw an idea on Pinterest about using binder clips and labels to name each mailbox, and SO glad I did, since my class list has gone through multiple changes in the last few days! Easy to change out.

On the back right is my guided reading group area. Anchor charts will be posted on the wall, and supplies/books for each group will go in the shelving. The Lego guy pic says, "We are builders--building knowledge, building character, building community." It's my dream, mantra, class rules and philosophy all rolled into one. :)

Sliding down the right wall a bit are my absent work and extra activities tubs (for early finishers, a folder for each student). Also my class jobs list. They have to apply, be interviewed, and keep their jobs for a full 9 weeks. :)

My boggle board, mobile document camera, and behind it are some supplies and my birthday stuff.

Here's a shot from the back of the room, sans white shelving yet. :) My giant pencil-shaped writing process poster, my ASL signs, word wall, command center, etc.

The students will learn some ASL this year and we will use these signs especially a lot. My command center includes behavior clip chart, daily schedule cards (laminated so they are dry erase clocks), and lunch count.

Next to it I have my Fact of the Day (to get them reading more nonfiction), homework club, and extra dry erase makers with pom poms hot glued on back.

By my teacher desk I have my team points (earning Popsicle sticks for transitions, good teamwork, etc.). a few supplies, and a big tub to turn in homework!

My handy supplies...love those Scentos markers! 

Here is our whole class area...still need to recover the cushion for my chair. :)

My (way too big) teacher desk. 

Drawers for everything!

Whole-class incentives with the Legos, and my "thought bubbles" and junk store on top.

Past the student computers and right by the door (we've come full circle!) I have my bathroom passes, out-of-the-room cups, first aid kit, and storage for random things. Once we make our class rules together, the poster will go above the "Rate Yourself!" exit ticket poster.

Here's a shot from the front of the room, with the amazing Lindsey as my super helper (even late nights!). You can see my white storage shelves for shared team supplies and all binders/notebooks here now. 

So, yeah, here's my room!

I have gotten a lot of compliments. A LOT. But the best part was being here for registration and hearing kids gasp, ooh and aah, and run to tell their friends or parents all about the Lego room. I think it's unique, inviting, playful but not overwhelming or over stimulating, and just a great setup for a great year! It makes me happy and calm and excited to be in my room and have a place for everything. What do YOU think?

This is the day I dyed my hair and cried in primary...twice.

The light in my hallway is SO BAD. It really doesn't do the subtle change justice in these pictures...but I dyed my hair. It was time--I wore my hair half-up for church today and more than one person asked me if I had highlighted it...nope, just my grays, thanks. :) I think I may get a simple trim/shape kinda cut before school starts next week, too.

BEFORE

AFTER

Also, teaching primary music is always a little emotional for me, but this is the first time I just broke down about it. We had a fabulous fast and testimony meeting where I just felt the Spirit testify to ME that the Lord loves us all, but especially the children. To have to teach "A Child's Prayer" afterwards was just unfair and asking for tears. :) 

Senior primary especially. The girl I para-ed and tutored also goes to my church. We started talking about the primary program, in which the kids get to write their own parts in our ward (each class has a different monthly theme to talk about). Her class is talking about what it means to them to know that they are children of God. She said, "When I had my brain tumor, I was really scared, but I knew Heavenly Father was watching over me." A whole sentence. I've heard that a lot, especially lately, but not many other people have. It brought tears to her teacher as well.

THEN, since senior primary already knew all the words, we talked about the meaning of the song more. I showed them the picture of Christ and the children and asked them to tell me the story (Mark 10:13-26). Then I talked about why this song is so special to so many people, and it's not just the beautiful overlapping melodies. It's about knowing that Christ loves YOU, knowing you can pray anytime, anywhere and He will hear and answer. I asked them all to think of a time when they had prayers answered, THEN we sang the song. They sounded like angels. I cried a lot. :) 

Afterwards, with a few minutes to spare, I asked if anyone wanted to share their prayer-experiences, and at first it was kinda silent. But, being an experienced teacher :), I let the silence work its magic. In matters of the Spirit especially, silence can be a *golden* teaching moment. After a while, kids slowly started raising their hands to share their simple, pure testimonies of prayer--from being healed from illnesses to having good dreams at night to finding things that were lost. We ran out of time for everyone and will have to continue sharing every week this next month. :)

It was a very special Sunday, at least for me.

Quick FHE idea

Check out a post on my other blog for an easy, simple, fun FHE idea involving the Kirtland Temple and wooden blocks!

http://givethemheaven.blogspot.com/2013/08/fhe-for-kids-kirtland-temple.html?m=1

This is the day that may be almost perfect.

Rainy and 70 degrees.

Airing out the house.

Baking chocolate-peanut butter cookies.

The smell of last night's lumpia still hanging in the air.

Reading for FUN instead of for school. ;)

Cuddling with my puppies.

Got the key to my classroom this morning.

Got to tutor and shop and do housework and have my visiting teachers over...so it wasn't a WASTE of a day!

It's just been a good day.

I love summer. I plan on enjoying every last minute of the next week and a half until school starts!

This is the day we finished some BEE classroom stuff...for someone else.

My super-creative best friend has been helping me SO MUCH with my own classroom stuff, so it was the VERY LEAST I could do to help her get some things together for her out-of-state boyfriend's first year of teaching, too!  You know, men need help (usually) with the cutesy stuff.  Besides, he had a LOT less notice than I did, and starts sooner, and has NOTHING and NO ONE to help him otherwise.  So I felt for him.  :)

Anywho, his room is bee-themed.  Found some great links on Pinterest but we also wanted to add a few "special touches" that would make it look like he knew about the job waaaaaaay before he did and was totally prepared for it in every way.  :)  PLUS, he's with firsties.  Gotta make the room cute for them.  :)

So, here are some pics of what we've been up to.  When possible, there is a link beneath the picture for a free download via MediaFire.  MUST GIVE CREDIT to Connie Prince for her amazingly perfect "Bee Happy" digiscrap kit that I used for the cutesy stuff (it had a few nice, manly elements that worked well, too...that perfect, not-too-girly bee will pop up everywhere.  :)

BEE magnets out of some leftover Sculpey clay, wire, and magnet buttons. :)

Some random stuff--like that binder--if you find ANYTHING yellow and then put some electrical tape around it, you have instant bee stripes!  (Trash cans, binders, pens/pencils, etc.)  Also, found that "solar daisy with bugs" (bees) at Dollar Tree a while back...glad to have a use for it!  :)

Lindsey made this cute, not-too-girly name plate to hang on the door, in lieu of a wreath.  :)

"BEE-days" board, 11x14, to put in a frame to make dry-erase!

Blank visual schedule cards for the whiteboard--prints 4x6, cuts down to 2x6, laminate, then add in with dry-erase marker the times and subjects/activities!  

A simple lil' border for stationery.  :)

Some "Pringles-sized" bees--cut, laminate, and use for decor, names for attendance/lunch count, labels, or whatever else strikes your fancy.  :)

A Newsletter Template, bee-themed, of course!

For more BEE-themed  ideas, check out my Pinterest Board. :) All sorts of goodies and links to things you can buy from Amazon, Oriental Trading, etc.  I especially recommend investing the $5 in this Teachers Pay Teachers file--it has 85% of EVERYTHING you'd need for your room, bee-themed--labels, calendar numbers, a "how we get home" board, desk nametags, a "where are we?" board, numbers and letters, etc.  We thought we'd have to do a LOT more work, but these are the cutest bee-themed classroom printables we came across in our days of searching and at $5, you just can't beat it. Print, cut, laminate, and you're done.  :)

Sure is easier to find stuff for him than for my LEGO theme! But it'll work out.  Just glad we were able to help him out some so he's not quite SO alone and rushed this time of year!

This is the day I make freezer jam for the first time ever!

My mother-in-law gave us mango...a LOT of mango! Like, 17 mangos. And they are ALL ripe, like, yesterday!

So we ate some. And we saved some to eat in salads or just on their own later. 

And we froze some. 

And we dehydrated some.

And I made my first-ever freezer jam...all mango-y goodness.

And I still have a few more mangos to cut up! Tomorrow. :) Good thing we LOVE our mango around here. :)

On that note, does anyone have a tried-and-true mango salsa recipe?

This is the day I made something awesome...and then screwed it up. :/

4th grade is our state history year, and my friend suggested I make a big Indiana rug to use with geography in my classroom. Definitely a winner idea, unlabeled of course so I can use it to quiz them! :) So I started by getting a cheap rug from Walmart and some chalk, carefully outlining my state borders, rivers, and cities.

Anytime I messed up, I just smudged the chalk away with my fingers and started fresh. :)

Then I took bright glow-in-the-dark fabric puff paint and outlined my state. Used Walmart paints for that, and Dollar Tree colors for the rest. That was my first mistake. Anyway, blue for the waterways, red for state borders and compass rose, and yellow for major cities.

I ran out of blue really fast...

Then I let it dry for a bit. The dollar tree paints bunched up in droplets so I kept having to add more...

Then I had to move it...because if you have dogs or children, you can't just leave it in the middle of your floor!

Major drippage--all from the Dollar Tree paints. My Tulip puff paint held up well.

The yellow is sinking in and the red is dripping and I just want to cry. But I won't. I'll bike to WallyWorld tomorrow and pick up new paint and try to salvage it somehow.

At least the kids won't care. Just me. :/

Update: I think I've fixed it well enough no one will notice or care!

P.S. That is on our queen sized bed, to give you some scale of how big it is!