The One Where I Turned 40

I started looking through pictures of this past year and forgot how truly amazing this year was. There was one theme. Travel.

January brought a few snow/ice days to NC. We had already decided to sneak away down to Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte for a belated birthday trip for Mackenzie, but we ended up not having to "sneak" since it ended up being a snow day for school! Since this Great Wolf Lodge is so close, we took advantage and got almost 2 full days in the water park!

February allowed me to fly up to Maryland and visit my girls for a quick weekend away. I love when coworkers become family and am so happy that we keep in touch. We did a paint night and enjoyed a nice dinner out. Kyle was also happy with another Eagles Super Bowl win as we hosted another fun party.

March ended with chaperoning Mackenzie’s field trip to the Outer Banks. We spent a full 48 hours visiting Jeanette’s Pier, climbing to the top of Currituck Lighthouse and Jockey’s Ridge, seeing the Wright Brothers Memorial, and exploring the Lost Colony. It was fun just being a parent/chaperone and not being in charge of activities and other people!

April took us to Phoenix, Arizona for an anniversary getaway with my cousin and his wife. We played lots of golf, ate lots of food, and explored Sedona on a jeep tour. It even snowed while we were there!

May was pretty calm. No travels, but we did go to the ACC baseball championship game at the Durham Bulls stadium.

June carried us to our annual beach vacation to Ocean Isle Beach full of family, food, golf, and swimming! We also went to Busch Gardens with my childhood BFF and her kids.

July produced an epic road trip. The month started off with me sneaking away to Tennessee to play in a golf tournament and ended with a road trip from North Carolina to Ohio to Chicago then to Tennessee. Our trip to Chicago included marking off 3 more baseball stadiums from our list, including driving up to Milwaukee for the day. I ended the month by turning 40.

August brought about back to school season. I finally landed a job at the neighborhood school where the kids have gone the past 3 years. It immediately felt like home.

September we entered the baseball family life. Jackson joined a team for the first time and we enjoyed watching him learn and grow.

October stayed calm with a visit from my mom and some STEAM club projects.

November was filled with more travel. The fifth graders trekked up to Washington, D.C. for 36 hours of jam packed experiences. We visited Mount Vernon, DC monuments at night, Ford’s Theatre, Arlington National Cemetery, Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, Washington Monument, and Smithsonian museums. Kyle, the kids, and I then snuck off to Orlando. We spent Thanksgiving with Mickey at the Magic Kingdom and then fulfilled Jackson’s Lego dreams by hitting up Legoland. We also stopped by Savannah, Ga on our way back home to visit with my uncle.

December didn’t bring any travel, but we packed in some local fun. Family time at the Flyers-Hurricanes hockey game and a fun afternoon playing Top Golf. Our Christmas was spent in North Carolina with lots of family time.

I am truly so thankful for all of the amazing things that occurred this year. Turning 40 sounds scary, but honestly it hasn't been so bad. I feel like I'm hitting my groove with parenting, teaching, marriage, and life.

Can’t wait to see what 2026 brings!

New Year's Eve with Kids Part 4

I was looking back through pictures to see what activities we did last year for New Year's Eve and I completely forgot we were kid free! The kids spent a few nights at my moms house and the hubby and I went out to an early dinner then spent a quiet night at home.

I decided that this year's New Year's Eve activities are going to revolve around games! I'm also switching it up and instead of doing bags, I bought balloons for them to pop each hour. Each balloon will have a game inside on a piece of paper.

I created 12 different game ideas, but we will probably start our countdown around 4 pm. I'm going to alternate between the minute to win it games and the other games.

The games are listed below:

Game #1 - Winter Pictionary

Take turns picking a card. The person who picks a card will draw the word on a paper or a dry erase board until the others guess it. Keep taking turns until all cards have been chosen.

Materials Needed - Click on the link above to get your copy of the cards, paper, markers

Game #2 - Heads Up - Family Edition

This game follows the normal heads up rules where one person has a word or phrase on their forehead and the others have to give clues about the word or phrase until the person guesses it correctly.

This edition of the game will use names of family members. You can set limits on the types of clues that can be given in order to make it harder or easier.

Materials Needed - paper to write down the names

Game #3 - Bucket List - Two Truths and a Lie

For this activity, everyone will take a few minutes to write down their 2026 bucket list items. What do they want to accomplish this year? They should also write down one item that is NOT a bucket list item (the lie).

When everyone is ready, take turns reading their bucket lists including the one lie Everyone else tries to guess which item from the list is the lie.

Materials Needed - paper and pen to write down the bucket lists

Game #4 - New Year's Eve Charades

Take turns picking a card. The person who picks the card will act out the word or phrase until the others guess it. Keep taking turns until all cards have been chosen.

Materials Needed - Click on the link above to get your copy of the cards

Game #5 - Categories

Take turns choosing a category. This can be holiday related by choosing New Year's Eve or Christmas, or a random category like food.

The person who chose the category will go first. They start off by naming an item from the category that starts with the letter A. The next person will say a word that starts with the letter B. Continue going around and see if you can make it all the way to letter Z.

Take turns picking a category and see which category was the easiest!

Game #6 - Kids Pick!

We have a TON of board games already in our house, so this allows each kid to pick a game from our house that we can all play. This could also be a time to give the family a new game if you wanted.

The next 6 games are Minute to Win It games. There are SO many options out there, these are the 6 that I have chosen.

Game #7 - Don't Blow It!

Each person will have a straw and attempt to blow pieces of candy from point A on the table to point B on the table. I'm planning to put some tape down on the table to make a line for point A and then a square for point B.

Set a timer for 1 minute and see how many pieces of candy each person can get into point B!

Materials Needed - timer, straws, small candy like M&Ms, skittles, etc.

Game #8 - Stack It Up

Each person will have 1 minute to stack candy on top of each other. They can only use 1 hand and the candy must stay on its own when the timer goes off. The highest stack wins!

Materials Needed - timer, flat candy like smarties, peppermints, etc.

Game #9 - Marshmallow Chopsticks

Each person will have a set of chopsticks and a bowl. Put the marshmallows in the center of the table. Each person will use chopsticks to try and pick up as many marshmallows as they can one at a time and put them in their bowl. Whoever has the most after 1 minute wins!

Materials Needed: timer, chopsticks, marshmallows, bowls

Game #10 - Ping Pong Bounce

There are many different ways to play this game and it can be adapted depending on the age of the children. We are going to have each person take turns to bounce the ping pong balls into cups on the table. You could also have each person stand on a chair and try to bounce or drop the ping pong ball into a cup. Whoever gets the most ping pong balls into the cups wins!

Materials Needed: timer, ping pong balls, cups

Game #11 - Scoop It Up

Each person will have a spoon and 2 bowls. Bowl A will be filled with candy and bowl B will be empty. Each person must move the candy from bowl A to bowl B using only the spoon which they are holding between their teeth. Whoever moves the most candy after 1 minute wins!

Materials Needed: timer, bowls, spoons, small candy like M&M's or skittles

Game #12 - Keep It Up

Each person is given a light object like a balloon or feather. Each person tries to keep their object in the air for the entire minute. Depending on the ages you can make it harder by using the rule that you can't use any hands or you can only use your mouth by blowing the object in the air.

Materials Needed: timer, balloons or feathers

Other ideas that we are going to do to fill the evening:

- sparkling apple cider with pop rocks

- poppers

- order pizza or Chinese food

**I will update the post with pictures afterwards.

Check out my posts from previous years for more ideas:

New Year's 2024

New Year's 2023

New Year's 2022

May the year ahead meet you with moments that matter most!

Home.

My school year reflection is a little later than usually this year. We went away to the mountains for my son's birthday and Father's Day and then I had a major surgery so things have been just a little busy.

I also didn't want to rush this reflection because this year was different. This was my second school since I moved to North Carolina two years ago. I loved my school last year. I worked with amazing people, but I knew about halfway through the year that I wasn't going to stay there because it was too far from home and so I put a wall up. I changed my mindset. I showed up, I did my job, and I was cordial to people I worked with, but I didn't attempt to make lasting relationships.

I wanted my new school to be different. I wanted this school to be my new home. A place where I want to stay for an extended time because let's be honest moving classrooms and schools year after year is absolutely no fun. As soon as I met the principal and math coach at the job fair I knew this was the place I wanted to be. I even remember the principal telling me to go talk to other schools and if I thought it would be a good fit to come back. So I did and after 5 minutes I was back at her table saying sign me up, I want the job!

Since I was hired in April, I was invited the next week to stop by my new school to check it out before the school year ended. Right away I felt comfortable there. The people were inviting, the students were welcoming, and everything seemed focused on the students and teachers and what they needed.

Fast forward to August and the excitement and nerves of the new year. I remember showing up the first day and not even knowing where my classroom was to having multiple teachers working together to unload my car, finding furniture to put in my room, and showing me all around the building. I know it's cliché but the culture of a school is truly the first thing you notice when you walk into a building.

This year was a whirlwind. Being in a new grade level, still somewhat new state, new county, new school meant learning all of the new things. I would be lying if I said that the beginning of the year wasn't a struggle. It took time to learn what worked best for my students and myself. I feel like I changed things a million times.

It also took time to feel comfortable advocating for what was best for my students. Being the new person often means being a rule follower and teaching how and what the state/county wants you to. But I also know as a veteran teacher that boxed curriculums don't work for all kids. Once I got in my groove of using curriculum as a tool and remembered to put the kids first things got much better.

It also helped that the fourth grade team is freaking amazing. When I was feeling lost or overwhelmed they were my safe place. They were easy to talk to, full of resources, and always willing to listen. I started building relationships around the school. It started to feel like home. This is a place that I want to not only come back to next year, but year after year.

So as this year wrapped up and I got into summer mode the word that just kept coming to mind was home. While home can have different meanings for everyone, to me it is a place of comfort. It is a place where I (and everyone!) feel welcome. I am proud to call this school my home. I am also REALLY excited to not move all of my stuff again! Ha!

One Word: Simplicity

I have never really been a big resolution person. Like most people, I make a list of things to accomplish and never reach them. (shout out to those who actually accomplish their goals!) However, over the past few years I have done the one word challenge to live by throughout the year.

This year I picked the word SIMPLICITY.

During winter break, I put the laptop away and truly focused on resting and relaxing. While doing this I was able to think about life: myself, my kids, my husband, our house, and work. As I was doing some cleaning before our guests arrived I started to focus on STUFF. Part of my anxiety deals with clutter. When there is STUFF everywhere I get overwhelmed and instead of being able to clean it up, I just shut down and leave it there. This triggers the anxiety of feeling like our house is cluttered. 

So I decided that this year I am going to focus more on living simple. I'm going to go through our house room by room and decide if the STUFF has a place and purpose, or is it just taking up space. I turned my closet hangers around like people suggest and anything that I haven't worn during this year is getting donated. Those pants that I keep holding onto because I am sure one day I will be back down to my pre-kid size, gone. 

I also felt this way as I sat and watched my kids open presents at Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love watching them open presents and will never take that way from them. But there were SO MANY! (our families are large and people enjoy buying them things) For birthdays we have already made the shift to just one or two gifts and focusing more on experiences, and I think I am ready for that to happen during Christmas as well. I think even the kids get overwhelmed with so many new things at once that they end up not playing with some of the things.

Honestly, one thing that sparked this idea of simplicity is the craze of people buying Stanley cups. I'm sure they are amazing cups, but I have a hard time paying that price for a cup when I already have a cabinet full of them. So I plan to carry this "simple life" over to purchasing items as well. Next time I want to click that Buy Now button on Amazon, fill up my Target cart and place a pick up order, or fill my cart with impulse buys at Walmart, I'm going to stop and think do I truly need this? Not only will this help with my desire to reduce clutter and simplify my life, it will also help save money in the long run! 

I decided that this idea of simplicity can also carry over to my school-life as well. I decided that I can be more intentional about the activities that I have my kids do. Less copies, more hands-on learning. Less busy work, more activities/practice games. Less focus on grades, more focus on feedback. Feedback is something that I struggle with sometimes and it goes back to that idea of anxiety/clutter. Sometimes I end up giving more assignments that require feedback than is truly needed. Then these assignments begin to pile up waiting for me to give them feedback. Instead of being able to tackle the pile, I put it off due to anxiety. Then I realize that it has piled up for so long that even if I did sit down and give them feedback it wouldn't be relevant to their current learning anymore. This is where the more intentional activities/assignments comes into play. Understanding that some activities are just practice and don't require feedback, while others can be used to assess learning and provide students with an idea of how they are doing.

We live in a world that is always on the go. We live in a world that loves material things. However, I am making the choice to slow down and live with less this year.

I always enjoy seeing what other people have picked for their one word for the year. So what is yours?

PS - this word also comes from a book that I read during 2020. Our local library was doing mystery bundles from the library where they would pick 3 random books for you to read since people could not go into the library to browse the shelves. The book is called 7 Days to Simplicity by Jen Hatmaker and it also really helps to put things into perspective.

New Year's Eve with Kids Part 3

My daughter informed me 2 days ago that I better start planning our New Year's Eve bags. So I decided to be adventurous and explore New Year's Eve traditions in other parts of the world to incorporate into our bags this year. I attempted to find traditions for a country in each time zone so that we can celebrate all day long.

**All times will be eastern standard time. Each country will also have a link to the website where I found my information and will often give you more detailed information about the traditions that take place there.

6:00 am - New Zealand - bang pots and pans and sing Auld Lang Syne

8:00 am - Sydney, Australia - it sounds like this country is known for their elaborate fireworks displays, so we will be making a firework craft found here at Growing a Jeweled Rose.

 

9:00 am - Papua New Guinea - traditional dances

9:00 am - Guam - collect coins to jingle in pockets at midnight, make Bonelos Dago (yam donuts) or Nilagang baka (boiled beef)

10:00 am - Tokyo, Japan - ring bells 107 times, then once at midnight to banish all the human sins and purify participants

11:00 am - Philippines - celebrate with 12 round fruits (ie. oranges, grapes, cherries), wear polka dots, and scatter coins (we are going to do chocolate coins)

11:00 am - Hong Kong, China - learn about the Chinese New Year with crafts from Chalk Academy

12:00 pm - Thailand and Indonesia - both cultures have traditions that have to do with lanterns, so we will be making lanterns with paper bags and battery operated candles

1:30 pm - India - learn about Diwali from the Educator's Spin on It

3:00 pm - Dubai - this country is known for their elaborate celebrations and dinner, so we are going to dress fancy and celebrate by drinking tea and eating a treat (luqaimat recipe)

4:00 pm - Turkey - sprinkle salt at the front door and smash pomegranates, we are also going to let the kids scratch off a few lottery tickets

4:00 pm - Russia - mandarin oranges or sweets for the kids

4:00 pm - Madagascar traditions

5:00 pm - Greece - hang an onion over the door and make vasilopita (cake version or bread version)

5:00 pm - Finland - eat ready-made frankfurters, potato salad, french fries, and crisps. Feeling adventurous, learn all about melting tin to determine your future health, wealth, or happiness

5:00 pm - South Africa - toss furniture (or a bucket of water to be more kid-friendly) out of the front door to signify leaving all of the bad things behind in the new year

6:00 pm - Spain - eat 12 grapes, one for each month of the new year

6:00 pm - France - make paper hats and paper confetti

6:00 pm - Germany - make German Berliner (a jelly filled donut)

7:00 pm - Ireland - bang a loaf of bread on the wall to banish bad luck and bad spirits from the house

7:00 pm - Scotland - build a fire to ward off evil spirits and "burn the old year out", sing Auld Lang Syne

7:00 pm - England - make new year's resolutions, make a Cannelig for good luck

9:00 pm - Greenland - make masks

10:00 pm - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - wear white to celebrate, put a bay leaf and money in your wallet and leave it there all year then next December 31 donate the money and throw the bay leaf in a running water stream

10:00 pm - Argentina - shred old documents and throw the paper like confetti, eat dried fruit and nuts, take the first step at midnight with your right foot to everything goes right throughout the year, eat beans

10:00 pm - Chile traditions

11:00 pm - Puerto Rico - they also throw a bucket of old water out of the front door and they sprinkle sugar outside their house for good luck

11:00 pm - Bermuda - make a paper-mache onion and drop it down at midnight

12:00 am - Colombia - run around outside with an empty suitcase if you hope to travel a lot in the new year, they also eat 12 grapes at midnight

12:00 am - Cuba traditions

12:00 am - Peru traditions

1:00 am - Mexico City, Mexico - learn about how the color of your underwear is a sign of what kind of year you will have!

2:00 am - Calgary or Edmonton, Canada

3:00 am - Vancouver, Canada

**if anyone knows of any Canadian traditions for NYE let me know! It seems like they just get together with friends and family and eat food, which sounds lovely!

If you are a Canva user, here is the link to the cards I made. You can make a copy and then edit them to fit your needs.

Click here to access the Google Slides with the cards for each country.

Do you have any special traditions from countries around the world that I can add to this list?? Let me know!

Previous Year NYE posts:

New Year's Eve with Kids Part 1

New Year's Eve with Kids Part 2

Thankful.

Thankful.

That's my word for this year. As I sit here during the post-Christmas hangover, I was thinking about this past year and realized that so many things happened (both good and bad) and I'm just thankful to make it through another year.

This year we celebrated our 10 year anniversary by sneaking away for a quick weekend to Orlando and visited Universal Studios. We also spent a weekend with my cousin and his wife in New England. I'm thankful for family that is willing to watch our kiddos whenever we want to have a little adult time.

This year both of my grandmothers (ages 90 and 94) suffered strokes. I'm thankful that they are both strong, badass women who overcame their medical issues. Oh and they both still live in their homes by themselves. I've learned a lot from both of them.

This year we were able to pull off a surprise 80th birthday party for my mother-in-law in Pennsylvania. Seeing all of the people there to celebrate her was so amazing.

This year we had so many fun, family trips. We went to Nashville for my cousin's wedding. We went to Gatlinburg to spend time with my husband's family. We had our annual beach trip with my family. 

This year I found a new school that feels like home. Amazing people, awesome leadership, and just a fun atmosphere. Finding a place where you feel welcomed, celebrated, and trusted is not always easy to find.

This year my kids were able to go to the same school for the first time. While this may sound silly, you don't realize how hard it is to constantly be the new kid in a new school. I've enjoyed watching them make friendships, get invited to birthday parties, and participate in a school community that feels like family.

This year we got to celebrate Christmas in our home. When we lived in Maryland, we always traveled to either North Carolina or Pennsylvania to celebrate Christmas with family. Since this was our year in NC, we got to stay at our home. Again, sounds silly, but being able to wake up in your own bed and set up/play with presents in your own home is so relaxing.

Thankful for family and friends. Thankful for good health. Thankful for another year.

Back to School Teacher Tired

I completely forgot how exhausting the beginning of the school year can be!

It is the currently the last day of September and I think I finally feel like things are going smoothly. 

The first week of school is survival mode. The goal: get kids into the classroom, teach them expectations, attempt to learn all of their names, and get them home safely. 

The second week of school is learning mode for the teacher. The goal: learn all the things about your students that will make your teaching effective. This may be assessments, observing them complete tasks, allowing them to explore and work together. Doing these things while attempting to begin teaching curriculum can be a lot mentally, but it is so important to make things go smoothly once you are really diving into curriculum.

The third week of school is trial and error mode. This was the week that I attempted to run writing, math, and reading blocks with all the things in motion. We did whole group and attempted to do small groups/centers. I learned what works and what didn't work for my students. I ditched things I thought were going to work and tried new things to find the methods, organization, and activities that were going to work for my students. It would be easy to just do the same things year after year, but as my principal says we work for children. What worked for last years students, might not work for this my class this year.

The fourth week of school is go time. This is the week that hopefully things are ready to go. You are four weeks into the curriculum. Whole group is going smoothly. After the trial and errors of the previous week, small groups should be good to go. Lots of planning involved to make sure all materials are set. Oh and by the way, after week four you are about halfway through the first quarter so make sure all of your grading is up to date because those progress reports will be due soon!

This serves as my reminder to give myself grace. The first month is BUSY. Keep doing all the things, but make sure to take time for yourself. Pick a night to leave your computer at school or in your bag. Attempt to pick a day to get your planning done for the week. Stay after school one day to get your copies made for the entire week.

Most importantly, breathe. If things don't go as planned just smile and pretend it was supposed to go that way!

Teacher Discounts

This blog post is going to share some of the easy ways to get a discount for being a teacher outside of Teacher Appreciation Week!

First and foremost, ALWAYS check your school district's employee benefits page. I have been in 3 different counties now and they all offered something different, but they at least offered some type of discounts or offers for being an employee of that county.

My current county gives their employees access to a website called Tickets At Work which offers discounts on travel, tickets, and more at places around the country. Also, check with the state you teach in because some states (like North Carolina) teachers are considered state employees which can give you access to discounts as well. I haven't tried it, but someone told me that when you stay at hotels in North Carolina as a state employee you can receive a discount.

The next 2 websites I found because my husband is in the military, but they also have a sign up for teachers as well!

ID.me

This website is the first place I look whenever I am planning to travel or purchase something at a store. There are over 500 participating companies that offer discounts to teachers. You will need to sign up with your school email in order for them to prove your status.

Gov.x

This website is similar to id.me, but it also includes more opportunities to save on travel, sporting events, theme parks, and more! You will need to sign up with your school email. I also had to put in my teacher licence state and number so that it can look up your teaching status.

This is the website that I used to get free tickets to the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC for 2 years in a row now.

Retail Stores Offering Teacher Discounts: (links take you to the educator discount page)

Michael's - 15% discount

JoAnn's Fabric - 15% discount

Barnes & Noble - their Educator Discount ended in April 2023, but they are offering educators a free year of their Premium Membership which includes many discounts and perks. It will cost $39.99 per year after that free year so don't forget to cancel!

Target - if you have Target Circle, you can verify that you are a teacher and receive different discounts throughout the year (as of July 2023 there is a one time 20% off your entire purchase)

Loft - 15% discount

There are many other retail stores as well, I always carry my ID badge with me and always ask if they offer a teacher discount. The worst they can say is no :) Here is also a link to the NEA website which has a list of other places that offer discounts as well.

Utilities:

Check with your cell phone provider for a discount on your plan. I have used this with Verizon and am currently using it with AT&T. 

Electronics:

Some of the big tech companies will offer discounts throughout the year. 

Apple often has a back to school deal (I scored free Air Pods one year for purchasing a computer!)

Dell has an Educator Marketplace that looks to offer 10% off year round.

Lenovo - their discount sometimes changes throughout the year, but if you sign up for ID.me above you can access their discount

Books:

Scholastic has great deals throughout the year, especially if you use their book clubs. You earn points for all of the purchases for your classroom that you can redeem for a variety of items.

First Book Marketplace - if you work in a Title 1 school you are eligible for this book marketplace. They have many discounted books available for your classroom. They also have books for free at different times throughout the year when different companies sponsor them. Sign up for emails to stay up to date!

The following apps are not specific to teachers, but I wanted to include them as additional ways to save!

Upside - This app allows you to earn cash back at many gas stations across the country and even some restaurants and grocery stores. From someone who used to travel 45 minutes to and from work each day, it does add up. I just let the money sit there until it builds up and then you have the option of cashing out for a variety of gift cards or send the money directly to your bank account. Use this CODE (MK892) to earn an extra 20 cents/gallon cash back the first time you use the app!

Fetch - This app allows you to earn points every time you scan a receipt. I love this one because you don't have to look for the items you are going to buy ahead of time, you just scan your receipt and it looks for any special offers. Use this CODE (7V6P85) when you sign up to earn bonus points after you scan your first receipt!

Happy Saving!

Do What Makes YOU Happy

I saw a post earlier today and it got me thinking. The post mentioned that this person was feeling down because they didn't feel like they were an "expert" at anything. I commented back that there was no need to be an expert at any one thing, but to just focus on the few things that this person feels they are good at.

This particular post also mentioned the impostor syndrome. This is something that I hear so much about in the education world. I absolutely love social media and how it has helped me connect with so many other educators around the world, but I hate that it makes people feel a certain way because of the people that post something super creative they use in the classroom or post about the latest and greatest edtech tool that you haven't even tried out yet or all the cutesy stuff we see from the primary education people.

Moment of honesty... I went through this. I used to be that person. I was always up to date with the newest tool to use in the classroom. I had the blog post that went viral and got noticed by a big name company. I had people following me for the things I was creating in the classroom. Then life happened. The pandemic made us all slow down and completely rethink what works in education. Health concerns made me prioritize other things. I wanted to start being more present for my kids and husband.

Also, guess what? No one can stay an expert at something for long! The world is changing. Technology has and is continuing to change. The world of education changes every single year (maybe even a week or month). The challenge of trying to keep up with everything while also continuing to work and have a life can be hard. Don't stress about being an expert at something. Find your niche. What are you passionate about? What makes you happy? What makes you get up and want to go to work each day? Those are the things to focus on. Those are the things to make yourself "good" at. No experts needed.

I used to want to be that expert. I wanted to know all the things. I wanted to create all the things. Then I realized there are so many other people out there doing the same thing. Yes, I still enjoy creating things for myself, but you better believe I search the internet to see if someone has already created what I am looking for first! Work smarter, not harder right?!

So while social media may make you feel like you are not an expert, the most important part is to stay true to yourself. Find what you are good at and stick with it!

Find YOU. Be YOU. Do what makes YOU happy.

 

Bittersweet

Yesterday I closed out my first year of teaching in North Carolina. The word I used to describe this year is bittersweet.

Last year when I accepted the job in Wake County, I had absolutely no idea where I would be living as I was moving from Maryland and we all know how crazy the housing market was/is. We closed on our house in June and I realized my school was going to be 45 minutes each way. Not great, but not terrible. I have been doing that drive for the past 9 years in Maryland. Plus traffic down here can't be worse than where I was coming from.

I loved my school and the drive wasn't so bad. However, the school hours were the complete opposite of my kids. They got on the bus at 6:55 am and my students didn't arrive until 8:45 am. I used the time in the morning to get things done, but this also meant that I didn't get off until 4:30, then had to drive. I was often picking the kids up from after care around 5:15-5:30ish. We got home, ate dinner, go ready for bed and then started all over the next day. The school district I worked for and where I lived also had completely different spring breaks and winter break was different.

Because of this, I knew by October that I was not going to stay there. Knowing this early was a blessing because it helped me focus on doing my job, learning everything I needed to know about North Carolina schools, without building strong relationships with people that I knew I was may or may not ever see again. The school was super supportive and I was open with my admin and co-workers as soon as I knew I wasn't going to stay.

So this school year was bittersweet. I met some awesome people, learned from an amazing school, and adjusted to live in the south!

I am super excited to join my new school though! I will be in Orange County, at a school that has the same hours as my kids, and is literally 15-20 minutes from my house!

I won't forget my year at Cedar Fork and thanks to everyone there that supported me along the way! I am going to miss those amazing sun lights in my room!

Writer's Block

I used to love blogging. I would have blog posts planned out a month or so in advance. I used it as a way to share ideas or resources I was using in my classroom, as well as, a way to decompress or get my thoughts out of my head.

However, this past year has brought about a huge writer's block. There have been times I have wanted to get my blog going again and I will make a post, then nothing for weeks. The main culprit is time. 

Since moving to a new state my schedule has been completely turned around. Unfortunately I have always worked in a different county than my kids. In Maryland my school hours were 7:30am-2:45pm and my kids did not get out of school until 4pm. I was able to get up and be out the door by myself and after school I had time to run errands or get things done before the kids got home off the bus. In North Carolina, we are the opposite. My school is 8:45-4:00pm, while my kids get on the bus by 6:55am each morning and get out at 2:45pm. They go to after care until I can pick them up around 5:15pm.

It is currently March and I still have not adjusted to this new schedule, haha! It has also prompted another big change for next year. While I currently love my school that I am teaching at, I have realized that I can't keep up with this type of schedule everyday. I accepted my current job before we bought a house, which is why I currently drive 45 minutes (sometimes more) each way. I am interested to see how next year will be while teaching in the same county as my kids for the first time ever. We will finally have the same breaks/days off!

I am using this post to get myself motivated and hold myself accountable. I am making a plan and can't wait to start blogging again. I do find that it is therapeutic for myself and hope that if this does reach anyone else out there that is in a writer's block or want to get started with blogging again, you can do it!

New Year's Eve with Kids Part 2

We had so much fun last year with the kids on New Year's Eve that we decided to do it again! Our daughter is in 2nd grade and is learning to tell time, so I decided to use analog clocks this year for the bags. 

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Last year we started the first bag at 4 pm because coming up with 8 ideas for bags is plenty!

4 pm - New Year's Printables

There are so many options out there but this year I picked ones from Oh Rubbish Blog.

5 pm - New Year's Hats

Use the numbers for the year and a strip of paper (or two) to create a headband style hat for the kids to wear.

6 pm - Reflection Questions

I found these cute questions from Artsy Fartsy Mama and decided to print them out and put them in a bag.

7 pm - Game Time!

We have SO many board games in our house including some new ones we got for Christmas, so we let the kids each pick 1-2 games that we could play as a family.

8 pm - Popcorn and Hot Chocolate 

This is always a favorite, so even though it was on last year's list we decided to do it again this year!

9 pm - 2022 in review

We also did this last year, but it is fun to see how their answers have changed in a year

10 pm - New Year's Poppers

I found some cheap ones at Walmart this year, but also found this DIY version using toilet paper rolls from Honey and Lime.

11 pm - Sparkling Juice Toast

This year we picked up a bottle of sparkling juice and some plastic flutes from The Dollar Tree for the kids to do a toast at midnight.

See New Year's Eve 2021 post here.

From my family to yours, we wish you a year of full of happiness!

via GIPHY

Subject to Change

I always love to reflect on the previous year. Some years are great and others not so much. This year brought about a lot of changes.

We made some huge life decisions like moving our family down to North Carolina. It was something we have been talking about doing, but different things came up health-wise that kept us in Maryland an extra year.

I found a job in Wake County after being at my previous school for 9 years. Change can be scary and leaving a place where I had met so many coworkers that became friends was hard. A place where I had made a name for myself. A place where families and students knew who I was and wanted to be in my class. A place where I was comfortable.

We then had the joy of looking for a new house in a housing market that was crazy. People were putting in contracts for way more than asking price, offering ridiculous cash offers, etc. We came down during spring break to look at houses and didn't see anything that sparked our interest. Literally the day after we left NC a house came on the market that we loved. We decided to put in an offer without seeing it (crazy right?!) and somehow our contract got picked! Buying a house can be stressful, but everything worked out.

Next up moving. The moving industry is corrupt and I hope I never have to do it again. Add on to the fact that it was the end of the school year. I had covid, then the rest of my family had covid. The moving company held our stuff for almost 14 days, so my poor husband was in our new house with one bed and an air mattress, a few toys, and grocery delivery through instacart!

While April through June was stressful, we spent the summer traveling. We visited family and friends, saw new states, new baseball stadiums, and had a blast!

September brought the new school year! My amazing daughter started her third school in three years. She handles every change that comes her way like a champ. She is doing amazing. My son started kindergarten and while I was not sure how he would do with school as he spent all summer saying "I not going", he absolutely loves it and asks every morning if it is a school day.

I started at my new school love it. It is a place where I am treated with respect and as a professional. However it is challenging being the new person again. Students don't know me. Staff members don't know me. I want to be the leader that I was in my previous school, but also learning to take a step back and just learn this year.

The theme for this year was change. One of my favorite music artist is Kelsea Ballerini. She came out with an album and song called Subject to Change and it just felt like the theme song for my year. I used to hate change. I was a planner who thought things out from short term to long term. If things didn't go as planned I would struggle. Having cancer changed that. I stopped looking into the future so much. I learned to enjoy the day to day life. Whatever happens, happens. So enjoy these lyrics from Kelsea's song. I am certainly taking them into 2023 with me!

If I'm honest
Growing up, it kind of hurts like hell
It's chaotic, ironic
But it's how I learn to find myself, yeah
Thank God, I don't know about tomorrow
Thank God, I take it day by day
Oh, I don't think about the chapters
It's all about turning the page

A Year of Cooking with Kids

My aunt asked me to put together a year of cooking adventures that she could do with her granddaughters as a gift for Christmas. I had so much fun putting this together that I am going to do it with my own kids too and figured why not share it with everyone else as well!

Each month features a different recipe that you can make with your kids. I tried to keep them relatively simple recipes, but you can easily switch out any recipe. There are PLENTY of ideas out there on Pinterest.

Here are the recipes that I chose:

January - Mini English Muffin Snowmen

I originally got the idea from Snappy Gourmet, but I liked the idea of using English muffins instead of dough, so I combined this idea with Well Plated's recipe for English muffin pizzas. Easily swap out the olives with peppers or pepperoni to fit your child's tastes.

February - Air Fryer Heart Pies

I used Pampered Chef's recipe for the air fryer hand pies, then used Well Plated's idea of making them into hearts for Valentine's Day. These are so easy to customize with whatever filling your child likes!

March - Leprechaun Cookies

These delicious looking green cookies come from Never Ending Journey. Also, just add green food coloring to any of your favorite recipes to have some leprechaun fun!

April - Oreo Egg Truffles

I made these a few years ago and oh my goodness they are delicious! These Oreo truffles from Play Party Plan can be made into any shape!

May - Muffins for Mom

Swap out whatever your favorite muffin recipe is for this month! I used a banana muffin recipe from Live Well Bake Often.

June - Donuts for Dad

Again, swap out with your favorite donuts recipe. I used a recipe from A Grande Life that uses a can of biscuits!!

July - Firecracker Hot Dogs

These are so adorable for the 4th of July! The idea came from Handmade in the Heartland.

August - Jello Beach Dessert

This fun beachy themed dessert almost looks too good to eat. The recipe comes from Mommy's Fabulous Finds.

September - Apple Nachos

Who doesn't love a good apple recipe in the fall? This idea came from Momma Fit Lyndsey.

October - Jack o' Lantern Quesadillas

Here is another adorable take on an easy quesadilla recipe. The recipe comes from One Little Project.

November - S'mores Pies

One of my favorite things about fall, s'mores around the campfire! Here is a fun twist on a s'mores recipe from My Heavenly Recipes.

December - Reindeer Snack Mix

This salty and sweet snack mix won't last long in my house! This version comes from Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen.

The designs for each month were made on Canva. Click on the image below to get the Google Slides version of the recipes. The links to the original recipes are included in the speaker notes at the bottom of each slide.

Remember, the most important part of this is to have fun!

Higher ed degrees... worth it?

When I first decided I wanted to get a teaching license back in 2008, I already had a bachelor's degree in a non-education field, so it made sense for me to get my master's degree while pursuing my teaching license. I was in the state of Virginia at the time and they were also pushing people who wanted to get their teaching license to get their master's degree because it allowed them to be considered "highly qualified". To be honest, I don't feel like the master's degree made me any more qualified than those who get their teacher degrees at the bachelor's level. In Virginia and Maryland (where I taught after Virginia) both compensated teachers for receiving higher degrees. However, now that I am in North Carolina, I am learning that they do not compensate for a degree higher than bachelor's, unless you received it before a certain date. (Luckily mine was earned before this date!)

So this made me think... why do we continue to push teachers to spend money out of their own pockets to pursue a higher degree. Do "master" level courses really make you any more knowledgeable than "regular" courses that can be taken to continue learning? I have taken many different courses throughout my career and honestly, some of the better ones have been the quick, more specific, professional development courses taken through a local online college for MUCH less than a masters-level course.

I saw numerous colleagues in Maryland continue to pursue higher degrees so that they could move up to a different pay scale and make more money, but is it truly worth it? The time, effort, and money that go into completing a degree is A LOT. You know what would help, if states/counties would compensate teachers like the professionals that we are. Teachers should not have to work multiple jobs, have roommates, or rely on a significant other's income in order to survive day-to-day living.

Let's go back to this idea of "highly qualified". Why do we feel a master's degree makes one highly qualified? Are you trying to tell me, that me, a brand new teacher that just so happens to have a master's degree, is more qualified at teaching than someone who has been there 3-5 or more years?? I feel like there are WAY more other ways that we could determine if a teacher is highly qualified than pushing them into debt to get a degree that may or may not enhance their teaching.

Now, some may disagree with this, but I do feel like National Board Certification is a great way to achieve the highly qualified status. I know that some states compensate for this certification as well and it cost WAY less than getting an additional degree. It allows you to showcase the great things you are doing in the classroom along with the knowledge of education (shown on a test in component 1).

I'm starting to ramble, so let's wrap this up. Teachers, before you go for that higher degree, please make sure that it is going to truly help you in your education career!

Rebranding Myself

I've decided to start over. To reorganize my online presence. So I'm "rebranding myself" just sounds right. I don't have a brand that I am trying to sell, but I do enjoy blogging and creating things for school, my kids, and just life in general so why not put them altogether?

I have been all over the place in the past. I focused on education content for awhile, then changed to focusing on cooking and recipes, then kids came into the picture and I created content for them. Then I had some life changing stuff I went through the past 2 years. It gets messy when things are in 10 different places, so why not combine them all into one!

So here we are! Welcome!

My name is Amber Potter. I have been teaching since 2010. I have taught in Virginia, Maryland, and now North Carolina. I was married in 2013 and have two wonderful kids. I enjoy cooking, coffee, playing golf, and being creative.

As the tagline says, this blog will be a little bit education, a little bit parenting, and a little about life. Welcome aboard, I hope you enjoy the ride! 

Chapter 37 loading...

I have just begun my 37th trip around the sun and this one was a little more special than others.

Year 36 saw a lot. I finished chemo, started and finished radiation, dealt with my husband being sick and in and out of the hospital multiple times, the entire family getting COVID, and that is just the health side of things.

We also decided this was the year to make the leap. We have been wanting to move south to be closer to family for a few years now. I worried that after all of our health scares last year that we wouldn't be able to do it because of work, health insurance, etc.

But we did it. I started looking for jobs in March and landed a teaching position at what I have heard is an amazing school near Raleigh. We started looking for houses in April and again we landed our dream house within a few weeks.

Then began the emotional part of saying goodbye. The first time we moved from Virginia to Maryland was more exciting than sad because we had just bought our first house, we had friends in Maryland already, and there were no kids involved. This time our move involved two kids having to say goodbye to their friends that they had made over the past few years. It also included me saying goodbye to my school that I had been at for the past 9 years. You don't realize the relationships that have been built with not only your coworkers, but families that attend the school. I have had so many siblings that I have taught over the years and some of them still had younger siblings that were looking forward to possibly having me in 5th grade.

As we get settled into our new house, new state, and new normal I am reminded why we made this move. Our kids have already stayed at their grandpa's house a few times giving my husband and I a kid-free date night or to go play golf. We also hosted a birthday cookout with family yesterday with my aunt and grandma. We are going to see my husband's aunt this week and I get to see my mom for dinner. This right here is my reason why. I absolutely love being close to family.

In 17 days I get to meet my new school family and I am so excited to start this next chapter in my educational journey!

For now though, going back to enjoying my summer break. 😎

My Journey

This Friday I will get my port removed. I have had the order from my doctor to get it removed since October, but for some reason it just wasn't a priority at the time. I don't know how to explain it, but I felt some weird, emotional attachment to this thing in my body. I don't know if it is the fear of if I take it out, it will come back or if it is just another step in this journey that I am learning to process.

This January I got a new order from the doctor so that I could get the port removed. I tried calling 2 weeks later and could not get in touch with someone. I left a message and never got a call back. Took it as a sign to wait. At the end of February I tried calling again, this time I spoke with someone who was able to schedule my procedure. It is this Friday. Exactly a year from the date I got my port put in. This I decided was another sign. This is when I should get it removed.

As I reflect back on this year, I wanted to put all of my posts and stories in one place. Oddly enough in just the past 2 months I have shared my story with others who were getting ready to go through the same thing I did and it felt so good to share.

New Year's Eve with Kids

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

We are staying in this year because you know this pandemic is never ending, so I decided to use the internet to come up with some fun ideas to do with our kids (ages 4.5 and 7)!

Beginning at 4 pm there will be a bag to open at each hour. Some of the bags will have games, some will have things to do, some will have little toys to celebrate.

Here is my plan:

4 pm - New Year's Around the World

Print a blank map of the world time zones. Color in the places that have already celebrated New Year's and then each hour you can see what part of the world is celebrating at that time until you get to your time zone.

2021 - What a Dumpster Fire!

Well here we are. Another year done. Another year that we thought was going to be WAY different than it actually was.

The year started off in Florida, in the middle of a pandemic. We chose to go away for New Year's because I knew the bad news that was coming. Right before Christmas was when I found my lump. I decided that we needed to get away before the craziness that was coming.

January we got the dreaded news. The c-word that no one wants to hear. Found out that we would be teaching from home until March.

February had surgery, but also found out it had spread to lymph nodes.

March started chemo, but also returned to work in the building.

April, May, June got approved to work from home while going through chemo. We also decided to sell our house because you know why not add more crazy to our lives.

July moved into a new temporary home. New neighbors, new school for Mackenzie, new area to learn. We also traveled to Nashville to spend a week with my husband's family (and visit mine).

August finished chemo, celebrated with friends, then went to the beach for a week with family. My happy place. I had a week to just do nothing. No doctors appointments, no treatments, no work, nothing. However, the end of August brought illness for my husband. (we can't catch a break this year) 

September started radiation, but also started back to school it what has been even more weird than 2020. Kids in the building, kids at home. Masks on. Social distancing (*when possible). Eat in the classroom. Trying to pretend that everything is normal. (side note - it's not) Went to a concert for the first time in years. Had a girls weekend in Hershey! Massage and facials!

October finished radiation! Traveled to St. Louis for a wedding. We met more of my husband's family and also caught up with old friends.

November celebrated birthdays, Thanksgiving, family visits, and spent the day in Hershey's Chocolate World to celebrate our daughter turning 7.

December we went on a cruise. We decided that we had both been through A LOT this year and we needed to celebrate. We also spent Christmas in North Carolina with family.