My Summer Bucket List!

Happy Summer!  

Most of the country is already on vacation, but here in Michigan we still have a few weeks left!  June 16 is the magic day for my district...so the countdown is officially ON!  I absolutely love summer, so I've been planning my summer "to do" list for quite some time :).  

Summer in Michigan means great weather (finally!), fun in the water, art fairs galore, berry picking, and time spent "Up North".  (For those not from Michigan, "Up North" means anywhere that has a lake and cottages or camping...many people I know go "Up North", but really head southwest to the Grand Haven area!  Weird, right?)

I'm joining up with Katie at Mind Sparks and some other summer lovin' bloggers to share my "Summer Bucket List"!  So here's my plan to make the most of my time at home and in the sun!

1.  As an ELA teacher and avid reader, summer is my time to catch up on all the new books!  I spent many years as an elementary teacher, so I've read lots of great upper elementary books, but I'm still working my way through middle school reads.  I've been jotting down titles that I see my 8th graders reading all year, so I've got a great list to start with!  Plus, I always do the adult summer reading program at my local library, along with my kids!  I earn a $5 Starbucks gift card for every 5 books I read...that is win-win in my book!

I found a used book sale at the mall!  SCORE!

2. Art fairs are one of my absolute favorite things!  In Michigan, you can usually find one every single week of the summer.  I love wandering with my mom or my friends, looking at how creative other people are!  There's usually live music and outdoor lunches involved, too.  My favorites are Plymouth's "Art in the Park", and the Ann Arbor Art Fairs.

                        

3. I used to go strawberry picking with my grandpa, so this activity holds special memories for me!  Unfortunately, now that school goes so late into June, it's tricky to get strawberry picking these days, even though Belleville, Michigan (one of the largest berry picking areas) is nearby.  Lately, we've done better going blueberry picking near Tawas, Michigan.  My daughter loves picking berries, and we have fun making yummy desserts with them.  Berries are also great frozen in smoothies year round...and you can't beat the price when you pick them yourself!

Our blueberry haul!

Cherry Picking!

4. I extolled upon the virtues of our pool club in a blog post not long ago.  I really can't say how much I love it!  My kids are occupied, I can read or nap in a lounge chair, Jimmy John's delivers...what more can a mom ask for?  Plus, I like mixing up my workouts with some pool laps during adult swim time.  It is amazing how out of breath and sore I get from doing laps!  Swimming is such good exercise!

I can just sit and watch, or read, or nap!

5. OK, here's my dirty parenting secret.  I'm an ELA teacher, but my son HATES writing.  Thankfully, he loves reading, but his writing needs a lot of work.  He's going into 8th grade, and it is really a struggle.  We've had a come to Jesus discussion about how we will be having a writing boot camp this summer in between soccer camps and Boy Scout camps.  He's not thrilled.  I'm sure there will be arguments and stand offs...possibly we will end up with an outside tutor to save our sanity. (Isn't that always the way...kids don't work the same with parents as they do with other adults!)  Wish me luck and patience with this "to do" item!

6. Because of #5, I need the fruity drinks!  We are going to spend a week on the Gulf of Mexico in July...my entire plan for the week is fruity drinks and lounging.  

My view for a week each summer!

7. Even though it's summer, teachers still work, right?!?  Our school will be fully 1-1 tech integrated next year.  I've been using Google Classroom already, but there are SO MANY things I still want to learn!  I've been reading Alice Keeler's Tech for Teachers blog, and playing around with ideas I've seen others using.  If any of you are already doing 1-1 tech, please comment below with blogs and ideas I should look into!  

8. Photo albums are every mom's nemesis right?  How does the time go so quickly?  How did I end up with 10,000 photos on my camera, but zero prints?  I used to be so good about scrapbooking...I have travel albums and baby albums and toddler albums...then, I went back to work and it all. just. stopped.  I put in a ton of time over Christmas break and lowered my expectations.  I'm only 2 years behind now, and I'm only doing Snapfish or Shutterfly albums.  Ain't nobody got time for scrapbookin' no more!

9. We may be the only family in Michigan to not have a cottage...but luckily we do have friends' with them!  (and there are lots of hotels and campgrounds too :)  I love spending time on the lakes and in the small towns around Traverse City, Grand Haven, Tawas, and Petoskey.  As the T-shirts say..."Great Lakes, Great Times"!

Lovin' Lake Life!

10. This should probably be my #1!  I just got started on TpT last August after going to the conference in Vegas.  I have learned sooooooo much from veteran TpTers, blogger friends, and all the groups on Facebook.  I've been creating products slowly, but surely all year, as they fit into my personal curriculum needs.  This summer, I'm hoping to spread into a larger subject and grade range of products and add more Score Four! games and Color By Code activities.  If there is something you see a need for in your classroom, please comment below...I'm happy to take custom order ideas!

Click on the pictures below to snag a freebie and some other fun activities from my TpT store!

Try out one of my Score Four! games at home this summer :)

Math games to play at home with supplies you already have!

Snag this FREE Color By Code!

Click here to get to Mind Sparks to see all the bloggers who have linked up, too!

Things To Do With Your Tweens This Summer!

Parents, this post is for you!

As a teacher, I'm really excited for the end of the school year!  Summer break for the teacher part of me means sleeping in a bit later, no papers to grade, no plans to do (at least not right away!), and no tween attitudes to put up with for a while...in other words, a much needed break. Yay!

But wait...if I'm on summer vacation, that means my kids are too!  I still have tweens to deal with, the very ones I brought into this world!  We teacher-moms get no breaks!  (Although it must be said that teacher-moms of tweens get more of a break than teacher-moms of babies and toddlers...I've been there and I'm here to tell you it does get easier!  Deep breaths ladies!  You can do it!)

These kids of ours at home are still expecting to be fed everyday.  They still want clean(-ish) clothes. And worst of all...they want to be entertained!

Seriously, I can't handle hearing "I'm bored" or watching kids lay around watching TV or play on their devices, but I'm also not going to be the summer time cruise director!  This is MY vacation, too!

So, in advance preparation, I've come up with a list of things to do with your tweens this summer...and I promise most of them will be a treat for YOU too!

1. Send them outside!

Yep, simple as that.  Remember how we used to go outside and climb a tree or ride a bike to a friend's house?  Let them.  They are old enough.  They can handle it.  They need time to test their wings and learn responsibility in small doses.  Summer is the perfect time for that!  If you are like me, your garage is full of random things that the kids have forgotten about.  Pull out the sidewalk chalk, bikes, scooters, water toys, balls, rollerblades, gardening tools, pogo sticks, hula hoops...whatever toys you've been hoarding since their first birthday.  Then kick your kid outside.  Lock the door if necessary!  Take away the devices!  They'll survive and figure out how to entertain themselves.  Extra bonus for you is PEACE and QUIET inside!  Or , sit out on the patio with a cup of coffee and watch from afar if it makes you feel better.  Let them play...you rest.  You deserve it!

2. Go to a park!  

If your backyard or neighborhood doesn't have much room to roam, find a local park with paths and green spaces to explore and roam.  You can hike or go for a bike ride, so you are getting your exercise in at the same time!  Score for you!  Lots of parks in our area have free fishing docks and nature trails that kids love.  Big kids like mountain biking on the trails, too!

3. Local field trips! 

I'm going to let you in on a secret...even if they won't admit it, tweens still like zoos, science centers, and all the other places you used to take them!  We live in the Detroit area, and The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village is a big attraction.  My 12- and 10-year-olds still like going there and riding on the train, carousel, and old-fashioned Model T cars.  Sometimes, we even go into the buildings!  They also still love the Hands On Science Museum and Detroit Zoo.  Even if they aren't super excited when we get in the car to go, they are smiling and having fun 5 minutes after we arrive!

4. Let them get a job! 

Yep, a real paying JOB.  Tweens can WORK!  My 12-year-old is a soccer referee for the pre-K and Kindergarten league.  Both my kids are pet sitters!  Older kids can babysit.  They are making their own spending money and learning valuable life skills.  And there's that bonus to you...free time and less handing out money!

5. Join a swim club!

This one costs a bit more, but it is TOTALLY worth it to join a local swim club if you have one nearby!  A few years ago, we tossed down a few hundred bucks..and I got the first relaxing summer of my mom-life!  Swim clubs have so much to do...more than just swimming!  My son isn't much of a swimmer, but he loves the basketball court, wide open grassy area for soccer or football, and of course, the snack bar.  My daughter is basically a mermaid, so she could willingly spend all day, every day in the pool.  For the few minutes of adult swim time...yes they kick the kids out so adults can do laps!...she's happy at the snack bar or on the playground.  For $25 she joins the swim team and basically gets free swim lessons and has meets, which are lots of fun!  Here's the score for moms...if your kids are strong swimmers and since there's plenty of lifeguards, a mama can sit back and read a book, talk with friends, even take a nap!  At night, they often host parties for adults and kids, like baseball game watches, or float-in movies, or game nights.  Our pool club has grills for members to use, or you can order pizza, or bring a picnic aside from the snack bar.  And if you have a kid with a summer birthday, you are really going to love it...our pool charges only $3 per guest for a party!  Seriously, can you beat a birthday party for $3 person?!?  Even when you add in a few Hot and Ready Pizzas to the total, it is a total bargain!

6. Look into classes at community colleges!

I don't know about where you live, but around here, there are a bunch of small community colleges.  The great thing about these colleges (aside from being a great stepping stone for new HS grads!) is that most of them offer summer courses for elementary, middle school, and high school students!  These courses are FUN, like video game programming, cooking, journalism basics, photography, etc.  If your kids (like mine) are too busy all school year with homework and sports to try out a new interest, this is a great time to try something new!  

7. Let them eat cake!  (But teach them to bake it first!)

One thing I love doing with my kids in the summer, is to teach them life skills.  They have chores year-round, but in the summer, I make time to up that game.  In the past, I've taught them how to use the washer and dryer...not just to fold and put clothes away.  They've run garage sales and lemonade stands to earn money and learn about running a business.  I've let them start and maintain a garden and they've learned to try new foods.  One of our favorite life skills to practice over the summer is COOKING!  Yes, things get messy...but then they learn about cleaning the kitchen, too!  My kids especially love baking, probably because I don't do it very often!  When we bake, I let them find the recipe, I take them to the grocery store for ingredients, and I let them do all the mixing and prep work.  I really only oversee and help with the hot oven.  They love baking, and I love seeing my kids work together on a project.  They negotiate who will do what tasks, they plan, they set timers, they clean up, and best of all, they get to eat a yummy treat of their own making!  I promise them that I will relinquish all control of the kitchen any time they want to bake (or make dinner, which they sometimes do), as long as they clean it up to my standards afterward.  That is pretty win-win for us all!

8. Join a Summer Rec League!

Summer is the perfect time to let your kids try out new sports.  If your kids are as busy as mine all year between year-round activities and homework, you are probably as frustrated as I am.  I miss the days of sports having a season...everything is a year-long commitment these days!  My son plays travel soccer and my daughter dances and they are both in Scouts.  That's really all I can squeeze in to a week.  They've tried to add in basketball and swimming, but it became too much for them, and to be honest for me!  So, now I use summer as a time for the kids to test out other interests.  Our city has some great short-season teams, with no pressure, just FUN!  Each summer, my kids take a one week tennis camp.  They also have tried out softball, baseball, basketball, and gymnastics.  Summer rec sports are a great way to give kids a taste of what else is out there!

9. Work together on a house project!

This one is a bit selfish, but having kids at home all summer equals free labor!  Since they are living rent-free, I think it's only fair that they help out on projects to keep the house looking nice!  My kids have helped maintain a small veggie garden, spread yards of mulch, wash the cars...they even used some tools and helped us finish our basement!  They are also great at helping with garage sales and other "purging" projects!  

10. Volunteer together!

I'm also a big believer in giving back.  Summer time is a great time to teach kids to be community minded. Whether it's packing lunches to give to the hungry, picking up litter on the way to the park, or donating books to a Little Free Library (by the way one of the BEST things since sliced bread!), there are lots of ways to involve kids in volunteerism.  One thing we do every summer, is go through all our clothes and toys and donate them to Salvation Army or Goodwill or St. Vincent dePaul.  I take my kids with me when we drop them off and we offer to help sort or do some shopping while we are there.  Many churches offer volunteering options, as do scouting troops.  It doesn't even have to be that formal...just send your kids to a neighbor's house and let them do some weeding or dog walking for free!

Whatever you do this summer, I hope you enjoy it with your family!  I always look at summer as a fresh start and a time to do all the things I've been meaning to do all year...especially spending quality time with my kids and taking in some "me" time!

Making Lemonade out of Lemons

My family had planned a fantastic ski trip to Breckenridge this week, but the blizzard in Denver has forced us to cancel the trip.  Major sad face :(

This trip was to celebrate my 40th birthday!  (Even bigger sad face, mixed with a scared face!)

On the happy side, though, I had a great Teachers Pay Teachers day!  I gambled and did my first paid advertisement on Teachers Pay Teachers yesterday and had a great sale day!

Like any teacher worth her salt, I know how to roll with the unexpected punches and the ups and downs of life.  Lesson not going the way you planned?  Switch gears and start over, right?  So, that's what I'm doing! Making lemonade out of the big lemon of the Denver airport being shut down, and celebrating a great TpT day instead!

So...here it is.  A big "Thank You!" to my Teachers Pay Teachers family.  I'm joining up with other fantastic teachers and putting my whole store on sale for an Easter celebration!

This is a collaborative sale with many other sellers, too!  When you log on to TeachersPayTeachers on Sunday, you can search for all sellers participating with the hashtag #eastersale.

This is a great opportunity to prepare for the end of the school year!  Yes, the end is near!  There is light at the end of the tunnel! :)

But that's not all!  If you miss out on this collaborative sale, don't worry too much!  I'm also going to be having a sale to celebrate my big birthday soon!

Happy Easter everyone!

Why I Teach Part-Time

Those who know me well, know that I love teaching, but my family comes first.  I really struggled trying to give 100% to my students and 100% to my family.  I was burning the candle at both ends and making myself miserable trying to keep everyone else happy!  I'm sure all working moms feel this way!  It is just impossible to be everywhere we want to be and do everything we want to do! So, as a way to maintain (or regain?) my sanity, I cut back my working hours.  I know I am lucky that I could afford to do that...that is not an option for many.  But, thanks to Teachers Pay Teachers and a bit of belt-tightening, I've found some balance in my life.  It also helps that with me being part-time, my husband can devote more time to building his career, which has a lot more earning potential than teaching does these days!

But honestly, the main reason I decided to cut back my teaching hours to part-time, is that I wanted to spend more time with my kids.  I want to be PRESENT when I'm with them; not stressed out and thinking about other things. I want to be able to put them on the bus and be there when they get home.  I want them to see me volunteering in their schools, not only to be there for them, but to show them that volunteerism is something we should value in our society.  I want them to be able to participate in after-school activities, and someone has to drive them there!  I tried to do all that AND work full-time, but when I had to go to Target to buy new socks and underwear between dance and soccer practices because I didn't have time to do laundry in the last week, I knew I had a problem!

Raising tweens is no piece of cake...but I have to say I've hit the jackpot with two kind, hard-working, well-mannered tweens!  We are a busy family, to be sure, but I truly love spending time with my kids and husband.  My kids are good people, and that is what I'm most proud of.  I'm hoping that by being around for them more these days, I can keep them on the right track.