October Currently

Monday just wouldn't be a Monday without something popping off into the cray cray zone. I was actually on track to be early to work and then the rain started...annnnnnd everything went down hill. Apparently when it rains people forget how to use the accelerator in their cars. Traffic was awful this morning. The interstate was one old lady driver short of a nightmare. Traffic in front of the school for the car rider drop off line was insane in the membrane status. Then my rain boot got stuck to the seat of my car (don't ask how) and I almost did a face plant into the car parked next to me. && then when I finally made it into my classroom the mother ship of cruddy Mondays landed in B-104 when my computer wouldn't turn on. Seriously??? My head could have popped off and spun around ala the Exorcist. If I was a cartoon character I'm pretty sure I would have had one of those black swirly clouds/tornadoes above my head and a speech bubble full of #!#$*. Not a good start to the week when everything you have planned is locked inside of a computer. Of course as soon as I managed to send off a panicked work order, it decided to wake up from its weekend slumber && make me look like a t-total idiot when the technology guru came after school to find my "won't turn on at all" computer turned on and operating. Sheesh, here's hoping that Tuesday is a lot less blood boiling or I might just need to ride my broom to work.

With my computer M.I.A. for half of the morning I had no choice but to steer away from the jam packed schedule I had planned. As my kids got to relax with their books and were actually reading silently next to each other on the floor completely content it hit me. . .there aren't enough moments in the day where they can truly relax and enjoy being a first grader. There is so much pressure these days to master this common core priority standard and master that common core supporting standard that I feel like we're losing a grip on what's really important...enjoying the ride and helping our kids fall in love with learning. I can say without a doubt in my mind that the constant testing ain't gonna cause the learning love bug to bite. Buuuut the getting cozy with your books and your BFF for 15 minutes each day just might...math games and a craft seem to do the trick...and enjoying a read aloud without a gazillion stops to infer this and predict that is something magical. Today I took a step back && skipped the dose of district mandated common core overload and guess what...they learned...they still learned...and nobody cried (well one did but he cries about everything). Today I finally found what I've been so desperately searching for this year...peaceful learning. When everything isn't a race to the finish line it's amazing what roses you can stop to smell. It was exactly what I needed to hit the reset button and stop the witch from taking over my day. Amazing what getting back to your roots does for you...simply amazing!

Equally amazing...the fact that it's already October 7th. How did that happen??? I love, love, love October. The cooler weather is definitely something that makes me happy, happy, happy. It might have been 82 outside at 5:00 when I finally made my way home from work, but it wasn't 92 and for that I am thankful (ain't nobody got time for sweat stains from car rider duty). With the beginning of a new month comes a new CURRENTLY over at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade. It's been a hot little minute since I've linked up with anything so here.we.go...

Pandora is my favorite app ever on the iPhone...well next to Beautiful Mess. It gets me through cardio and weight training at the gym, work days when I {{have}} to focus, and nights where I just need to let the dork in me loose. If anybody ever stole my phone and looked through my Pandora stations they would find a hot mess of complete randomness...Bob Marley, Lil' Wayne, Jack Johnson, Zack Brown Band...I like a little variety pumping through my ear buds.

All my others are pretty simple...I'm rocking yoga pants and a hoodie sipping on a seasonal beverage while my fab husband cooks dinner for us. What's not to love? I'm thinking about how fabulous a fall break would be right about now...college kids enjoy these days because soon they will be a thing of the past. I'm wanting some retail therapy up in my life...but I'm being financially responsible (way overrated). I am in desperate need of some motivation to clean, work out, and get ahead with lesson planning, buuuuut cuddling on the couch is way more appealing. && that leaves my treat...

We're starting to work on editing sentences for correct capitalization and punctuation. In the spirit of the trick or treat season, you can download my Monster Mash sentence editing pack for free {{here}}. Tricks are nice, but treats are better! Until next time...live, love && teach!