What the Teacher Wore: Week 10

Pumpkins, goats, and porter potties...this was a page out of Week 10 in my world. The weeks leading up to Halloween are crazy town...throw in a field trip to a Corn Maze/Farm/Pumpkin Patch and you'll need a medium (I controlled myself) iced pumpkin coffee and some munchkins (I didn't control myself) just to make it through your weekly lesson planning session. The kids had a blast, nobody lost a finger to the hungry, hungry goats and nobody fell in to the super gross (but oh so necessary) porter potties. That's a field trip success story in  my book. Despite field trips sucking every ounce of sanity/patience/energy out of my body, they do have their perks...free jeans day anyone? I love me some jeans. With that being said, my line up for What the Teacher Wore (Week 10) will be one slot short this week (ain't nothin' fashionable about jeans, sneakers, and a school t-shirt...cute, yes...fashionable...not exactly).

Green and navy stripes is a fresh combination running rampid on Pinterest. It didn't take much to pull the general idea together. True I'm not wearing a dress (my legs haven't seen the sun in a very long time) so this isn't an outfit replica...simply inspiration for a color scheme. Remember, inspiration comes in all forms.

Jacket: GAP

Sweater: GAP

Skinnies: Ralph Lauren (Belk)

Shoes: Toms Ballet Flats

 

 

Day 46 is the day of 2 pin-spirations=1 outfit...sometimes it takes 2 to make a thing go right peeps. Totally didn't realize I was doing the whole green & stripes vibe thing for a second day in a row until I got to work, but hey...worse things have happened in the world...like broken crayons {{insert hysterical crying here}}.

Cardigan: Express

Shirt: American Eagle

Skinnies: GAP

 

Red and cheetah...cheetah and red...whichever way you slice it, it's another hot Pinterest combination that's popping up everywhere. Have I mentioned how stoked I am that I took a chance in the kid's section at Target for this cardigan?? Perfect cropped length for my short self.

Cardigan: Target

Tank: Old Navy

Pants: The Limited

Shoes: Jessica Simpson (Belk)







The last Friday of the month is always a free jeans day. 2 in one week?? Is this reality?? Yep! I know I've said it before, but I really don't understand why jeans are considered to be unprofessional! I mean, what the what?!?!?

Cardigan: Old Navy

Scarf: Steve Madden

Shirt: Wet Seal

Jeans: GAP (they're stirrup pants...no bunching allowed)

 

 

Mother Nature must have sensed my hatred for the majority of my existing winter wardrobe because the temps are in the high 70's for this week (no boots and scarves necessary). My bank account is thankful...I'm a little disappointed to not have an excuse to get new pretties, but I will survive...I.will.survive.

 

Until next time...live, love && find time to appreciate the "pretties" already in your life....like this absolutely a-m-a-z-i-n-g sunset. There's no place like home!

 



What the Teacher Wore {{Week 9}}

Week 9 was the week of the full moon...need I say more? I can remember in the "Before Teaching" days when I was able to appreciate the beauty of a full moon without bracing for its impact. Now when I see one I say a prayer to please help me have the strength, wisdom and patience to make it through its effects alive. A full moon can turn even the quietest child into a monster noise making earth quake alarm noise making pro. That's right, monster noises have been replaced by the earth quake alarm noise, because it's far more interesting of a sound than a fire alarm or a monster. Not everyone believes in all the full moon hoopla (including my husband) and for that I have one solution...locking you in my classroom with my kids who have eaten cupcakes piled high with icing...on a full moon Friday.  You're welcome! :) Kids aren't the only ones affected by the full moon...adults aren't exactly immune to its crazy power. I for one couldn't get my thoughts straight this week...it was a jumbled up hot mess inside this teacher brain. I don't think there was a single day that I wasn't frazzled. Getting dressed was a 3 ring circus in itself...some days you just can't decide. &&& despite my best efforts to caffeinate myself, the energy of my kids rubbed off on me and further increased my inability to focus..on anything... for longer than 5 minutes...no joke.

Somehow I managed to get clothes on my body and pull into the parking lot on time (except for one day which totally wasn't my fault...thank you Mr. Bojangles for interrupting my dog's poopin' party with a sniff everything you got party). This is what I pulled together for Week 9.

Recovering from the night of the viking hat took much longer than I expected. Not because I was a lush (I managed to hold that part together...somewhat), but the loss of sleep on Saturday did me in. There's a reason weddings don't occur every weekend...28 year olds can't act like 22 year olds on back to back weekends and bounce back like we used to. As tired as I was I dug through my closet and pulled out my version of my pin-spiration. My pants weren't skinnies and I didn't rock sandals, but the color scheme was nailed and for being able to pull that off I'm thankful.

Cardigan: The LOFT

Shirt: The LOFT

Pants: The Limited

Shoes: Steve Madden

Pin-spiration can come in all forms. I loved the look of black and hot pink together from my outfit pin (anything with pink has my vote) so I  pulled all of the pieces out of my closet to make my version (hot pink skinnies are something that I lack currently). &&& then I found this nail pin. First and foremost, I'm not sipping on denial juice so I'm fully aware that my nail painting skills are lacking. Seriously y'all, I'm lucky if I can get my left hand painted with a smidge of precise-ness and my right hand is completely out of the question..hot mess.Secondly, although the nail art is ridiculously cute, it's a little bold for me && lord knows 6/7 year olds are distracted by shiny objects (sometimes I catch them petting my french manicured toes during story time). In honor of the nail art, I threw in a pop of mint/turquoise in the form of some fabulous earrings that I scored at Rich Girl Rags.

Cardigan: GAP

Shirt: Target

Pants: The Limited

Earrings: Rich Girl Rags

I'm positive that I've mentioned my love for the color mint on previous blog entries, but just in case my memory is playing tricks on me...Hi, my name is Amy and I love mint green. I'm also positive that my love for GAP is pretty apparent by now and if it's not after the outfit break down it will be. I have yet to add a mint green cardigan to my closet (a shopping trip may be necessary) so I had to switch things up a bit for my closet's version of this pin-spiration. I had cheetah shoes on, but they didn't make the picture and thanks to Mr. Bojangles there was no time for a re-take.

Jacket: GAP

Scarf: GAP

Shirt: Old Navy

Pants: GAP

Plum and navy blue together don't get nearly as much pinterest exposure as they should get. The original outfit plan included a plaid shirt like the one pictured in the pin-spiration version buuuuuut I couldn't find it that morning in the pile of fall/winter clothes still stored under my bed. So I went to Plan B, which is different, but still honors the color scheme.

Jacket: GAP

Scarf: Fossil

Shirt: Wet Seal

Pants: Jessica Simpson (Belk)

Shoes: Toms 

 

Friday was our school wide "Pink Day" in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness. My littles were so adorable in their pink. Despite most of my boys being anti pink, the girls (and the handful of brave boys) did it right && I think we would have been in the running for the most pinked out class if such a competition existed. I had big plans to have a pink tutu, but I failed to remember there would be zero time for that Thursday night with a 6:30 mandatory PTO meeting to attend. (Insert sad face here). Next year I will be better prepared. I switched the white top to a black top because my white shirts were still dirty, but other than that pretty true to the pin-spiration.  

Cardigan: GAP

Shirt: Target

Pants: GAP

Shoes: Jessica Simpson (Belk)

 

Now that I'm caffeinated, my blog is updated, and reality has hit that I have a gazillion plus one things to do today I think it's time to make like a banana and split. Until next time, live, love and think pink!

 







What the Teacher Wore {{Week 8}}

If there ever was a time that I doubted that the technology gods existed to stress people out, last week made me a believer. Monday morning and no working computer...Thursday morning and no phone alarm going off...traffic lights all turning red and making me late to work. Ok, ok, ok the last one isn't entirely true. There were red lights, but I was late to work (or cutting it really close) because I can't ever leave my house on time. Seriously my mornings go like this: I'm dressed, teeth are brushed, coffee is made...then I find something to distract me and BAM I'm late...again. No surprise that my plan to blog about outfits on Saturday didn't happen on time (me being late is a problem...I'm working on it) so before I get distracted again, here's Week 8: Week of the Jean Jacket.

Chambray and colored skinny pins are as common as missing glue sticks in my classroom...not a surprise that I have atleast one pinned/liked in my pinterest land. Only difference...I'm not big on high heels...especially not at work. They're really cute, but I'm about as graceful as a deer on ice these days so for my protection (and the protection of little fingers and hands lurking in all directions) I threw on a pair of flats...cheetah print flats.
Shirt: Belk
Pants: GAP
Shoes: Target

The black/denim/grey (grey/gray...no clue which one at this hour) combo is fresh and clean. Completely simple, but that's the way I've been rollin' lately.
Jacket: GAP
Shirt: Express
Jeans: The Limited
Shoes: Jessica Simpson

If you take a look in our guest bedroom you'll find my scarf collection obsession. No worries, they're not on display...they're all neatly crammed into a nightstand with 2 drawers. It only takes a slight drop in temps for me to jump at the chance to bust out a scarf. Aztec prints have been popping up everywhere lately and with this neck candy already part of my wardrobe it was a no brainer. My shoes didn't fit in the picture, but think frilly/girly moccassins. Love them!
Jacket: GAP
Shirt: Wet Seal
Scarf: Steve Madden
Pants: The Limited

 Thursday was the day of no alarm clock sounding at 5:30. I woke up at 6:10 (I have to leave the house by 6:20 to make it on time and avoid traffic). I got ready in 10 minutes...somebody should really call the record book for that performance. Honestly, I'm lucky that what I threw on matched even slightly much less compared to a color scheme that I pinned the night before. It's not exact, but the neutral from the khaki mimics that of the white (just flip flopped from top to bottom).
Jacket: GAP (can you tell I love this jacket?)
Shirt: American Eagle
Pants: The Limited

By Friday it was time for the Tired Teacher T-Shirt, jeans and my not so comfortable Converse. How are tennis shoes more painful than heels?? I've had them for over a year and have yet to break them in to where they don't rub my heels into a terrible mess by the end of the day. Also baffling, how in the world this look was cute enough to get shout outs from the car rider line. Clearly we need more tired teacher t-shirt and jeans days at our school because not all jeans/t-shirt combos are shameful.

What is shameful is the fact that I've worked on school related stuff since I walked in the door at 5:30. Thankfully Monday Night Football is on to keep the husband entertained/occupied/oblivious to the fact that I am such a work obsessed freak tonight. Sadly, this is what happens when you do absolutely ZERO work related activities over the weekend and act like you're a 22 year old fresh out of college kid at your friend's wedding. If only I could rebound like I used to...feeling like you're 22 and actually being 22 are completey different things. Until next time, live, love && keep your inner 22 year old on a short leash. {{See below if you need a good reason to leash it up...the viking hat was not a good look for me}}

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!

What the Teacher Wore {{Week 7}}

Hi, my name is Amy and I don't always get new clothes... but when I do...I make sure to wear them immediately.There are few things in this world that top the feeling of a successful retail therapy session. Making it out of Publix alive despite the craziest people in Charleston wandering the aisles is a pretty great feeling (yes chick in the pink shirt blocking my every move from happening quickly I'm talking about you). However,  the elation I feel to be alive (and sane) fails to compare to the elation I felt waking up every day this week to something new to put on. I'm not talking head to toe newness (I've yet to find a money tree to make this possible), but having at least one new thing to wear each day made waking up at 5:15 so much easier. New clothes,  finally going to the doctor about my bug bites/allergic reaction, not having to teach word problems, and zero "where the heck are my keys" mornings made for a pretty sweet Week 7. Here's what my {{highly caffeinated}} self put together this week...

Before I set foot out of my own door for my shopping expedition I knew that I wanted to come back with at least one new cardigan. I managed to limit myself to 2 (had there been a sale it would have been on like Donkey Kong in the cardigan department) and this lime/mustard colored cardigan was one of my finds. It looks more yellow in the picture than it is in real life. I had a completely different outfit pin-spiration planned, but I got make up on the shirt and had to make a quick Plan B.

Cardigan: LOFT Outlet

Shirt: Wet Seal

Pants: The Limited



Ruffly tops are everywhere in Pinterest land && to be honest I'm kind of obsessed. They're the perfect companions for cardigans which I'm equally obsessed with. If you're a teacher and you don't have at least one cardigan hanging in your closet, you're not living life to the fullest. Another obsession of mine...the color pink. I would have pink everything if I could, but out of respect for my very manly/non pink loving husband, I limit my love for the color to my wardrobe (and my classroom, duh).

Cardigan: GAP Outlet

Shirt: Sophie Max (Belk)

Pants: GAP Outlet 

My love for the color pink is only rivaled by my love for mint green. I've thrown in pops of it throughout my house (it's manly enough for an accent color...therefore it's husband approved) and I've dumped heaps of it into my closet. Whenever there's something mint in my size, odds are pretty high that it's coming home with me. I love the navy, mint and stripe combo from my pinspiration, but wasn't loving the striped shirt I had in my closet. I opted for a plain white shirt instead and added the scarf to keep the stripes in the mix. Of course I loved the pearl aspect of the outfit as well so wearing my "fearl" earrings was a no brainer.

Cardigan: Belk

Pants: GAP Outlet

Scarf: ALDO Outlet

Mint green came out to play again for day 33 (I warned you I was in love). The simplicity of the pin-spiration version is exactly what I was looking for on a not so bright eyed and bushy tailed Thursday morning. I added in a touch of cheetah with my shoes because black flats are currently something I don't own and I needed a little excitement in my life.

Jacket: GAP

Shirt: New York & Co.

Pants: The Limited

Shoes: Target

Friday was a dress down day (A.K.A. Jeans Day). Fridays are always my favorites, but a Friday spent in jeans in teacher world is equivalent to a cupcake piled high with icing in kid world. Translation: FABULOSITY. Last Friday was my "Tired Teacher T-Shirt" day so I chose to bypass the t-shirt route. Instead I went with the rolled jeans and silk(ish) cinched waist top look. Again, I'm blown away as to why jeans are considered "unprofessional."

Cardigan: GAP

Shirt: Cynthia Rowley (Belk)

Jeans: LOFT Outlet

 

 

Now that I've worn everything I purchased (except for one lone top...the one defaced with a stray make up line on Monday morning) it's back to the pinning board for more pin-spiration on how to whip up something great from what I already have for Week 8.

 

Until next time, live, love && be a fashionable educator.