Monday Made It :: Summer To-Do List!

Hi hi!!!!

I am so happy to be checking in today!  It's been a super busy summer so far.....baseball and house projects and a wonderful Hawaiian vacation.  But I'm back home now and ready to get back on track spending more time here with my teacher friends!

Both of my kids are in day camp at our church this week, so I knew that I wanted to use some of my free time to make a plan for the rest of the summer.  A nice (cute!) to-do list makes my heart happy!  Maybe you need a place to organize your thoughts for the rest of summer break too.  If so, keep reading!  I don't go back to school until September 8th, but I want to keep plugging away at things so that I don't feel rushed or annoyed with my procrastination come mid-August!

I know this isn't your typical Monday Made It, but hopefully I'll be back next week with actual crafty Made-Its to share.  I needed this to get me started! :)

It's nothing fancy, but it's cute and it has a smiley face sun, which {almost} makes me WANT to pull it out and get to work!  Ha!

Hopefully items from this PROJECTS list will be featured on upcoming Monday Made Its!

If you're feeling the need to get movin' like me, CLICK HERE to download a copy of this to-do list for yourself.  Here's to adding a little bit of productivity into my (and your!) summer! :)

Five for Friday {July 25}

It's time for Five for Friday!

My week was all sorts of summer fun....with a little bit of work tucked in.   

1. I make my own laundry soap.  I found a "recipe" a few years ago, and the whole concept intrigued me enough to try it.  I've been making my own ever since.  This is a double batch and will last me between 4 and 6 months.

I'll be talking more about it on Monday for Monday Made It.  Come back then if you'd like more info!

2.  This week I had THREE lazy beach/pool/relax with friends days.  AWESOME.  Two of them at friends' cottages and one of them at Lake Michigan.  Here are some pics from the first one.  This is how I spent Monday.  Summer fun with my kids is one of the best things in the world.

I EVEN worked up the courage to do THIS!  I am not much of a water lover.  I'd rather be on the beach than in the water, but this looked like too much fun.  And it was.  At one point, my son (the adventure-seeker) said "I can tell we're going sooooo fast.  Good job mom!".  Bless him.  We were going 14 MPH.  

I did pick up speed after getting comfortable. :) So much fun.

 3. A little bit of school work.  All in moderation in the summer!  Cutting out these adorable stitched stars for my door display this year!  Next step...add my little superstars' names and laminate them!

4. This is FREE in my TPT store.  I posted about it yesterday.  Go snag it if your word wall needs a fresh look!

5. So, you know how I'm on Facebook now???  Well, I'm still trying to figure it all out.  I've spent too much time this week trying to set up a Fan Freebie app on my page.  I *think* I've got it now (fingers crossed), although I haven't actually tried adding a freebie yet, so I guess time will tell!  Ha!  Hoping to get something added there next week....I'll let you know so that you can go get it!

Carrie and Danielle were both so patient and helpful and answered so many questions for me.  Thanks a million, girls!

I'm headed to Chicago for the weekend and can't wait!  See you back here next week, friends!

Five for Friday {June 27}

Well, hello Friday.  It's been an awesome day here and a week filled with oodles of summer fun!

1.  The weather this week started out disappointing -- rain, cool for summer, and suuuuper humid.  We watched Trey's baseball game on Monday night with umbrellas and rain coats handy.  It ended up only sprinkling a bit, but the sky was very gray and looked like it might open up at any second!

2. Tuesday was still humid, and a bit foggy, but we were determined to fit in some summer family fun this week.  We live only a few miles from the shores of Lake Michigan and there is a sand dune there that we had wanted to climb for a while now.  We headed out there after lunch to climb the 239 steps to the top and take in the awesome view of the lake.  It was foggy, but beautiful!  AND I even got to snap a selfie of myself and the hubby!  The sun cleared up before we left and we got to dip our toes in the lake.  Pure Michigan at it's finest.

3. I had been looking forward to Thursday evening since the beginning of June!  I hosted a Favorite Things party.  Six girls I love from school came to take part in the fun!  And FUN we had!!!  OH. MY.  SO much laughter and love in this group.  I can't even say how blessed I feel to be part of this awesome, talented group of women!  It is such a gift to work with some of my very best friends.  We had a blast.  I'll post more details about the party next week!

 4. Today has been a perfect summer day from the moment I woke up.  The weather couldn't be better and we had a whole day with nothing planned!  We ended up heading out to another sand dune a bit farther from home (about 30 minutes) and climbed the 282 steps to the top of that one for another breathtaking view.  i-Phone photos don't do it justice!  

 Beautiful.  Amazing.  Perfect.  Such a good day.

 5. And now...this.  One major benefit to hosting parties at your house?  You get to keep the leftover drink that your friend brings!!  I'm enjoying a glass of DELICIOUS white peach sangria while I blog tonight. :)

Happy weekend, friends!!!

My Summer Top Ten

Hey there, friends!  I have two more weeks before my summer break officially starts, but I am definitely thinking SUMMER...especially after the gorgeous weekend we've had!  I'm linking up with Deanna Jump with ten things I can't wait to do this summer!  

1. My son, Trey, will be finishing up his little league season and I am so excited to watch the rest of his games, and to have his baseball schedule the only thing that makes us feel "busy" in June!

2. I love visiting my town's Farmer's Market on Wednesdays.  Last summer I only made it once or twice and at the end of the summer I wished I had gone more.  This year, I am hoping to go more frequently.  

Also....mid-week grocery shopping!  I am so ready to not have to fight with weekend crowds at the grocery store.  One of my favorite things about summer!!

3. RUN!  I will be doing the Color Run at the beginning of August and I really need to get myself ready for that.  I love going out for a run right away in the morning and I am really looking forward to not having to wake up before 5:00 for that to happen this summer!

4. I can't wait to go on lots and lots (and lots!) of bike rides with my family this summer.  It is something we really love doing together.  We take a bike ride almost every day in the summer.

5. I can't wait to vacation this summer!  We'll be heading to Wisconsin Dells in July, and we're so excited!  We love it there.

We'll also be doing some camping, and my hubby and I are heading to Chicago in July with some friends.  Maybe we'll sneak in another getaway or two as well, just because we can!

6.  BEACH DAYS.  Last summer, we only had one beach day.  I was so disappointed that we didn't go more.  We are so blessed to live only a few minutes from the beautiful beaches of Lake Michigan...I definitely want to get out there more this summer.

7. I am excited to do some reading this summer.  These two are at the top of my list.  One for school, and one just for me.

8. I have some house projects that I hope to get done.  The main one being a built-in/TV cabinet/entertainment center for our main family room.  As you can see, I don't really know exactly what I want to do there yet.....but hoping to figure it out soon!

9. I want to have PLAY DATES for my kids....and for me too!  I love breaking up our summer days by spending time with friends.  It's great for the kids and so fun for me, too, to have some chat time with my mommy friends!  Hoping for lots and lots of park visits, beach days, and backyard playtime with friends this summer.

10. Of course, I have plenty of school projects on my summer to-do list.  I want to re-do my calendar area -- that's at the top of this list!  I also want to work on a few new bulletin board displays and of course organize, file, and prep new things for my new crew!

And isn't THIS the truth?!?

I plan to enjoy every lazy day I can in June, July, and August!  YAY for summer!  8 1/2 more days!!

Sunday Smorgasbord {June 30}

A new summer linky party was just started by Michelle over at Fabulous in First, and it's perfect for me because I feel like all of my summer posts are completely random and filled with lots of odds and ends.

I've had these little guys on the brain ever since Thursday when I picked some up to help get me through our overnight drive home from Florida.  

I used to love these, but hadn't had them in years.  For some reason, when I was strolling through the grocery store picking up carrots and Mt. Dew for the hubby :), I got a hankering for PeachieOs.  Soooo random, but sooooo delish!!  They made 3:00 AM feel a little less horrible. :)

I'm sure you have seen this floating around Pinterest at one time or another...

The pom pom eraser glued to the end of a dry-erase marker???  This is on my to-do list this week when I hopefully force myself to head into my classroom for a few hours.  Have you tried it?  Does it actually work as an eraser?  I'll be sure to let you know how they turn out!

I'm toying with the idea of a classroom theme for next year.  I've never really had an official "theme", but a fellow K colleague of mine is going to have a bumblebee classroom next year and all of her ideas are so stinkin' cute!!  

I'm down to ladybugs or jungle.  Thoughts???  Help me decide, please!  

Do you have a classroom theme?  What is it?

Head over to Michelle's blog to check out other Sunday randoms!! 

Five for Friday {June 28}

We just returned home from our big Disney vacay today after driving through the night last night.  I am ready for an early bedtime tonight, but had to join in on Kacey's Five for Friday linky party since I won't have another chance until August!

1. 

We had the best time at Disney.  It had been over 10 years since my hubby and I had been there and, of course, our first time with our kids.  PRICELESS is the best word I can think of!  And MAGICAL!  And I know that this photo doesn't show Disney at all, but it was one of the only photos from our trip that I am actually in!  It was taken on our last evening at the Magic Kingdom.  We were waiting in Fantasyland for the chance to meet Belle!  

I wrote detailed posts about each day on my family blog.  Hop over to read more about our trip there!

It was a fabulous trip, but it's always good to be home!

2. 

Speaking of road trips, you MUST remember this if you plan to take a road trip with children at some point.  We had an 18-hour drive each way.  On the way down, we drove the whole thing during the day.  You know how kids are in the car.....(actually, I'm the same way)....they ask for snacks.  A lot.  

These were such life-savers!!

I got the idea from Pinterest (of course...).  Here is the original source.

I picked up these bead storage boxes from Hobby Lobby for $1.99 a piece.  And one I got for 40% off.  Cheap!!  I used my Silhouette to cut vinyl and fancy them up.  (Nicole Alderson, did you spot Rowdy Spunky???  LOVE that font!)  Then, I just filled each little compartment with snacks.  A good variety so that they had lots to choose from.  When it was time for a snack, I pulled out their boxes and they chose two sections.  They LOVED it!!  It was my favorite tip of the trip, and I highly recommend it if you'll be travelling with hungry kids!! 

3. 

I have to spread a little blog love to one of my favorite teacher-bloggers, Kristen from A Teeny Tiny Teacher.  Do you follow her???  She has the most hilarious recaps of The Bachelorette each week, and has me laughing out loud with every one!  Pop over if you haven't been there before!!

(P.S. -- she doesn't know I exist, but her posts are always a highlight of my week, so she's one of my FIVE this week!  I always love a good blog recommendation!!)

4.

 I've been seriously playing for the past two weeks, so next week it is back to work!  Lots on the to-do list.  Of course there is summer fun to be had next week, but the to-do list is long too!  

This awesome organizer is from Nicole at Rowdy in Room 300.  Click here to grab it for yourself!

5. 

By now I KNOW you know that Google Reader will be no more after this weekend!  I was sooooo sad for so long, but finally embraced it and am really liking Bloglovin'!  Click on the button on my sidebar to follow me on Bloglovin' or you can import your current blog favorites from your Google Reader account.  It's so simple and quick!

Happy weekend, friends!!

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Long time, no see...

Hey there, friends!

It's been a while, I know.  I've been enjoying a fabulous vacay with my family in Orlando.  

(Yes, we understand that traveling from Michigan to Orlando in June may seem a bit crazy.  Michigan summers are unbelievably gorgeous and Orlando summers are unbelievably HOT and sticky.  But...my hubby and I lived in Florida for a year when we first started teaching so we were prepared.  The heat doesn't bother us, and it's our most flexible time of year for traveling seeing as he is a teacher too.  We wanted to take a long vacation and Orlando was the place!)

Orlando was the place because we wanted to spend time with this gang!

Our kids' first time at Disney.  Completely magical!!

We won't be home for over a week yet, and I'm just NOT thinking teaching or school or planning or anything of the sort while I'm here!

So, I'll leave you with a few fun photos of our trip so far and a promise to return when we get home.  

I hope you are enjoying your summers as well!!!