100th day of school

When did the 100th day of school turn into such a big deal? Many parents asked me this question this year and I didn't really know how to respond. It wasn't something that was celebrated when I was in school but I think it's awesome. The kids really enjoy it and it puts such an emphases on the things they have learned in 100 days -- which seems like an eternity to a five year old.

So...like a month ago we had the 100th day of school.  I know, I know a month is a long time ago but I honestly feel like I blinked and February is gone. For the shortest month there sure is a lot to cover in kindergarten! Presidents Day, Valentines Day, 100th Day and Dental Health Month; it is just too much.  Anyway - I digress...back to the 100th day of school.

As a team we decided to go with a superhero theme. We used Mrs. Miner Monkey Business for inspiration but if you would like to buy her packed you can do so by clicking here. (it is really cute and she has great stuff on her TPT page) We sent home plastic table clothes for the students but a few of the K teachers decided to make fabric ones to use year after year. As a teacher that's the goal right -- make it once and use it again and again?!

After googling how to make an adult super hero cape and not really finding anything that tickled my fancy I ran to hobby lobby to pick out some items and just wing it. Now keep in mind I waited till the Wednesday before the 100th day to start this project and it probably wasn't the best idea to only give myself 2 days but hey, I work great under pressure.

Here are the materials I bought:

 A yard of the patterned fabric, half a yard of black fabric, 3 yards of sequins and two bags of buttons.

I started by folding the pattern fabric in half and cutting it into a trapezoid shape. There was no measuring just using the yardstick to assure a straight cut. I then opened it up and sketched a Superman triangle on some paper to check the portions. The only tape I could find at our house was Duck Tape but hey it worked.

I cut the black fabric and used stitch-witchery and my iron to hem it. I also used the stitch-witchery to adhere the back triangle to the patterned fabric.  The sequin trim was added using liquid stitch which can be found with all the fabric glue and is only about 5 dollars. I also used the glue to adhere all the buttons because lets be honest, I was not sewing 100 buttons on this cape!  I used some double bias tape for the top and to tie around my neck.  All and all the was a really simple project that I never even had to take my sewing machine out to complete.

I am really happy with how everything turned out and it held up great all day.  My very favorite part is the matching sequin head band - I mean you can't be a super hero without a head piece right?

I will survived…

I hope you are sining this title in your best Gloria Gaynor voice.

At first I was afraid I was petrified.
Kept thinking I could never live without humongous thighs….

Ok…sing along is over; back to this post. I survived my first booty barre class on Thursday. I was pleasantly surprised I was not the only newbie in the class which was rather comforting. What was not so comforting was standing next to the Work-Out Barbie. She was honestly one of the prettiest women I have ever seen and was so sweet. Funny part was when I asked if she had been to the class before her response was , "This is only my second time. I usually just run marathons and do kick boxing." Haha…I will never use the words just and marathon in the same sentence EVER.

The class was hard but Destiny (the teacher) was very encouraging. She was motivating without being mean which is always a nice change.  One word I did not love so much was pulse. Destiny loved this word….we would squat, with weights, then she would say this terrible word pulse. My thighs and arms were on fire but it was never unbearable. I loved using the bar to do kicks; it took me right back to my 11 year old self in jazz class.

I was surprised at my lack of soreness when I woke up Friday morning. I mean don't get me wrong I was sore but nothing like I was anticipating. I was feeling pretty good until about halfway though my day - the soreness had set in. Let me remind you that I teach kindergarten and all my furniture is made for 5 and 6 years olds which is not ideal for sore muscles. Kindergarteners will also say whatever is on their mind. Here is a little convo about my soreness that should make you chuckle:

Me: sitting down to read a story and grunting a little

Little Girl: Mrs. Halbrook are you ok? (with the most concerned look on her face)

Me: Oh yes ma'am. I was exercising yesterday and my muscles are just a little sore.

Little Boy: No Mrs. Halbrook your just getting old. Your muscles get sore when you get old.

Don't you just love children.

 Overall I know that I will get better after I have gone a few times and I am really glad I bought the groupon. I think I will grow to love the class even though I did get very sweaty and had to shower the moment I got home. I am also very excited because two of my friends are also joining me in this adventure. They are coming to class with me tomorrow and I am going to track their thoughts and progress on the blog too (Surprise Alison and Melanie)!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and is enjoying their Super Bowl Sunday!

Sweating is for the birds

Anyone who knows me well knows that I do not like to sweat. LIKE AT ALL! I just think it is so yucky and completely unladylike. I mean southern ladies don't sweat they glisten right?! This attitude towards sweating has caused me to dislike cardio with a passion. I avoid it at all cost honestly.

When I do end up being tricked into doing cardio I am one of those people you see on reality TV that moans and complains the whole time. I know it is annoying but I just can't help it. Kelsey (my old workout buddy/best friend) can testify to this statement and I am sure would describe it as nails on a chalk board but hey, everyone has to have their downfalls.

Before we moved I was doing Pilates on the reformer twice a week. I loved it. I felt tone and good about myself and was even loosing a little weight. I am not someone who looks at themselves and thinks "eww, I am so fat" but I know I could stand to tone up and loose a few pounds here and there. When we moved I looked at gyms and studios that offered reformer classes but I wasn't working and we just couldn't afford it. I was really bummed but hey Andrew was stuck with me now….fat or skinny.

One thing I did join when we moved was groupon. My Nanny always talked about it and I thought why not. Thanks when I spotted this little gym...

Number 1 - who can't afford 29 dollars. Number 2 - if my stomach will look like that - sign me up.

After reading some reviews and watching booty barre classes on youtube I decided to give it a try. (It only took me five months to think it over but hey better late than never.) I went ahead a bought the 10 class package because in my mind that would really make me commit to the class. I also didn't think it would be that intense and was really going to stake out the Pilates equipment but have sense found out differently. Supposedly you sweat your hinny off for 50 minutes which makes me very nervous.  I know I will be fine and am excited to loose the 600 calories the average person burns during the class but woah…sweating - this is a big step for me.

My first class was supposed to be yesterday but due to the winter weather it was canceled. Everyone say a special prayer for me at 6:30 tomorrow - I will me 30 minutes into class and will probably be the person dying in the corner but hey…at least I'm giving it the old college try.

I'll let you know how it goes…but really pray I make it through.
Happy Wednesday

Love & Hate

I'm just going to admit it….I have a love hate relationship with my blog. 

I love…

     how I feel after I have blogged.

     expressing myself through writing.

     documenting the randomness of Andrew and I's life.

     being able to look back on times past.

I hate….

     when a month goes by and I haven't blogged.

     the feeling that the window has passed me by for the post to be reverent but I still have so much to say.

     scheduling times to write.

     typing away on my computer when Andrew is home.

When I started the blog it was more for others. I mean don't get me wrong I wanted the stories to look back on when I am old and gray too but it gave everyone wedding details and allowed them to follow the planning process. When we moved it was the same thing…I thought it would be nice to look back on one day but really wanted to keep everyone in the loop of our lives. But I have sense started realizing that it is for me. 

I have struggled a lot of the past few months on what this blog was going to turn into and if I was even going to keep it going. Over the summer and the beginning of the school year I loved it. I blogged a few times a week and felt amazing but then I started working and the blog came to a screeching halt. Yes, I know plenty of people blog and work at the same time but this concept was really difficult for me. How was I supposed to give everything I have to my students during the day, come home make dinner and then hang out with my husband in the evenings - where does blogging fit?

After taking some time away ( 2 months to be exact) , praying about it and really thinking about what to do I decided that blogging is something I need. I need to blog to feel like my week is complete. I need to document this journey of life and I need to write. I get to use my creativity everyday in the classroom but this is different. It scratches another creative itch I have you could say.

Overall the conclusions I came to are

1. I'm done with the hate and only want love. Why should I hate something that I am choosing to do? 

    

 2. I'm done feeling guilty. Some weeks I might blog a few times and others there might be silence but that is ok. Life gets busy, things happen and I can not beat myself up anymore over feeling the guilt of not blogging…It is stupid.

   

 3. I am not going to let important moments pass me by on the blog. If it means blogging while Andrew is home sometimes or scheduling it into my weekly schedule I am determined to make it work and capture the moments.

    

4. This blog is for me and I am happy about that.

     

Leopard and Leather

Leopard has always been a love of mine. I feel like it is timeless and will never go out of style but that's just me. On the other hand I just didn't feel like leather was me. It is to harsh and just not really my style until I saw this….

Rodeo's instagram pictures always seem to get me in trouble. I either A. have part of the outfit and want the other pieces to complete it or B. feel the urge to text Katie and tell her I need the whole outfit and have it shipped to me in Houston.

This picture fell under category A. I had to do a few returns from my birthday and had just purchased this super cute sweatshirt style leopard shirt. I needed the skirt!

Then I found a 12 dollar skirt at Marshall's.

     it needed to be black….check

     it needed to be a fuller cut…check

     did I mention it was 12 DOLLAR?!

I bought the necklace and the Houston Holiday market and it really completed my outfit recreation. I have paired this outfit with tights and ankle boots too for the cooler temperatures. 

Overall I feel sassy and confident which really makes an outfit! I am on trend but still true to myself and my style which is always very important to me.

Shirt- Rodeo Boutique in Ruston

Skirt- Marshall's

Necklace- The Woodlands Holiday Market

Shoes- Calvin Klein (last season)

Thanks Meg for my great outfit of the day pictures! Everyone go check out her blog at Everyday Meg, I hope some of her blogging abilities rub off on me one day!

PopSugar…

My birthday was in October and anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE my birthday. I reserve the whole month for celebrations and usually have a birthday list a mile long but this year was different.

I didn't have a clue what I wanted. I mean a new David Yurman bracelet is always on the list but David just wasn't in the budget this year. Rodeo, a boutique in Ruston and Baton Rouge, is always on the list too but Ruston is 5 hours away from Houston and I just didn't know how Andrew was going to pull that off but he did. Andrew and Mom insisted the help of Katie, the owner, and she mailed them all some of my favorite things. I really do love Rodeo so much but my love deserves a whole post of its own and now I am completely off topic.

I want to write about popsugar…it is the one thing I knew I wanted.

I came across the website before I started working and knew it was something I needed. They mail you a box of goodies every month which is awesome because it is like stretching out the birthday even longer!

Jessica, the best friend, really came through this year and bought be 3 months of popsugar! I just received my first box about a week ago and it is AWESOME!

It comes in a big white box like this. They email you when it is on it's way so you can track it. Yes I walked to the mailbox in the rain to pick it up…don't judge.

Everything is packed really well to assure nothing is broken during shipping.

You get a little card that explains each item in the box and give the website where you can buy more products like the ones in your box.

And here is my November box in all its glory. The scarf is super cute, the candle smells awesome, the remover is perfect for my purse, the soap spells delicious and makes my skin feel baby bottom soft, the wine tote will look perfect with a monogram on it and I can't wait to order a picture from the canvas website. I haven't tried the food items yet but I am sure the will be delicious.

Bottom line…If you are wondering what to get someone who has everything a Popsugar box is perfect! 

I can't wait to see what the next two boxes include and I am putting the popsugar box on my christmas list too so I can continue to get them after my three months is up!

Click here to be taken directly to the website for all the details.

Honored

Best friends are one in a million...Especially best girlfriends. Lets be honest girls are not the nicest creatures on the face of the planet. We are mean, catty, hormonal and often don’t have a clue what we really want therefore it’s rare you honestly find someone you can be best friends with.

I have my best friend from home, Amanda but everyone says you go to college and meet your bridesmaids (insert eyeroll here). It is just to cliché for me. I knew I would make great friends but never dreamed I really would make the quality of friends I have now.  I just feel like I have my people - we just get each other.

I’ve talked about my college best friend, Jessica, on the blog a million times. Almost every college memory has her in it although neither one of us can remember the exact moment we became friends. We think we narrowed it down to a Randy Rogers concert at Rabbs but we just don’t know; it just kinda happened. 

We talk everyday and not living in the same town as just about killed us but I have learned not to take the moments we have together for granted. I talked yesterday about being so busy and one of the best parts about going home so often this fall is seeing her.

One home game in September Jessica met us in Ruston. It was so nice because our boy band (what we refer to our girlfriend group as) was back together. I never dreamed I would get this... (please excuse the picture quality…All I had was my iPhone)

WOOHOO I AM THE MATRON OF HONOR! 

I am so thrilled to get to stand next to my best friend when she says “I DO!” 

Jessica gave Kelsey her wine bottle the same night too and we were so excited and felt it was a perfect photo-op!

The bridesmaids dresses are beautiful (thanks for not making us look ugly) and I know she will be the most beautiful bride - yes I cried when I saw her in a wedding dress so I know I’m going to be a hot mess at the alter. 

I am just so excited to share in this exciting time with her and so thankful for her amazing friendship.  She makes my life a whole lot better and if you ask Andrew he stopped trying to win the best friend race a long time ago because she always wins! (Yes, I love my hubby and he's my best friend thats a boy…but girlfriends are in a category all of their own)

Just a little throwback picture, and one of my very favorites from the start of our friendship.

This little gem was to good not to share. Two of my favorite people!

I know this post is long overdue but better late than never right?!