Juice Boxes and Crayolas

A New Plan: Job Search, Part 1

2012-03-04T13:40:00.001-06:00

Can I just take a moment to again thank every single person who commented on my post about losing my job? Your kind words mean the world to me as I deal with this crappy situation. Many of you asked if I could contact my union because it seems unfair that experienced teachers were let go instead of the newest teachers to the district. Unfortunately, in my district all non-tenured teachers are on the same playing field and seniority doesn't come into play. Bummer, right??

Thanks, Michelle, for sending me this magnet!

It is exactly the reminder I needed...

Since I wrote that post last week, as I promised, I have ended the pity party and really begun to make my peace with the situation. Like I've said in a million posts in the past, and like I told one of my students yesterday at school, in life we can't control what happens to us. We can only control how we react to situations and how we move forward. I am in charge of me, remember? We could go crazy being angry about what happens to us or irate about the injustice of it all...but is that any way to live? I've decided to see this experience as an opportunity. Like I said, while I am happy at my school, it has CERTAINLY been less than perfect, and it is definitely not my dream job. I am choosing to see this as "being set free" from my school, and given the chance to explore something new.

So, I've spent the past two weeks researching and applying to school districts in Boston and in Colorado. I've been tossing around the idea of moving some place new for a couple years now, and while it would have been nice to do it on my own terms, an opportunity is an opportunity. I love Boston--I've visited a few times, twice in the past three years, and on both of those recent visits I looked around and thought, "Yeah, I belong here." My cousin and one of my close friends from high school live there too, so that's another bonus. Do they need teachers? No idea. But that hasn't stopped me from applying to every public and private school I can find. I actually haven't been to Colorado except for one family ski trip in Steamboat when I was 5 years old. I don't remember it at all. But I love the idea of Colorado and figured I'd at least send out some applications and see if an opportunity comes up!

Applying for jobs out of state is certainly a lot more work than jobs in state. First, I don't know the names of any of the suburbs, and I don't know what the districts are. I've been doing a lot of google searches and looking at google maps! Second, there is the certification issue. I've fully applied for my Massachusetts teaching license, and am in the process of applying for my Colorado license. Colorado makes you submit finger prints and go through a background check before you can even apply for licensure! It's definitely been time consuming, and EXPENSIVE! So far I've spent about $20 on transcripts, $100 on the Mass license app fee, $40 on a background check, $10 on finger prints, and a couple bucks on stamps to ship things out. Yikes! And who knows if any of this will even lead to a job!!

source

The more research I do and jobs I apply for, though, the more excited I am about the idea of starting over some place new. (I pretty much listen to the song "Boston" by Augustana at least a couple of times a day..."I think I'll go to Boston, I think I'll start a new life...") I love Chicago, and absolutely LOVE being near my parents and Oldest Brother, but I'm getting a little...restless. I have always seen myself coming back here, but I feel so much like I need to take this opportunity when I'm young and unattached to experience a new city. Cross your fingers that something works out!!

Have you ever made a gigantic change in your life? How did you get the courage to do it? Did it work out?

A Frozen Run + A New Instrument of Torture

2012-03-03T17:32:00.001-06:00

I don't know about what the weather's been like where you live, but this has been the weirdest winter EVER here. Chicago is notorious for bizarre temperature fluctuations--it is not at all uncommon to use the heat and AC in the same day. But this winter has been downright crazy. Temperatures have been all over the place! One day it will feel like spring, then the next we'll have 6 inches of snow dumped on us, and it will be completely melted the next day! Then two days later we'll have frozen rain and the streets will be like sheets of ice. (At least we didn't have any -30 windchill days like we did out here last February, although that resulted in a day off school!) Even though I swore I'd run outside all winter, this weird weather has confined me to the treadmill more often than I'd like!

Today I laid in bed for an hour, wavering back and forth about whether I wanted to hit the roads outside for my run, and eventually I told myself to suck it up and get out there. It was over 30 degrees afterall, and I'd persevered through a run in 12 degree weather a few months ago! Little did I know there were 25mph winds...windy days are where I usually draw the line! I managed to get through 5 miles though and it wasn't TOO terrible, although it took about an hour for my hands and face to unthaw after!! When I tried writing down the run in my training log, my fingers were like little claws and it looks like an 8 year old boy printed it. Oh well!

This picture is totally out of focus, but I think it still captures my RED and FROZEN cheeks and nose!

I could barely even smile...That's what I get for thinking I didn't need a scarf...

I had a big set-back for my April half-marathon training when I fell and hurt my knee on the ice in January, and then took 2 more weeks off of working out during my epic cold/sinus-infection/disgusting sickness fest in February. Time off running means both out-of-shapeness and tight IT bands for me!! I put in a 5 mile "long run" today, and should still be on track to be ready for the Kentucky Derby Half-Marathon at the end of April. Can I just say that I can't wait for spring running weather??? Winter kind of sucks...

In other news, since my Grid foam roller has no longer been "cutting it" with my tight IT bands, let me introduce you to my newest torture device:

Yes, that is a PVC pipe aka my new "foam roller." Ouch. It hurts. Like crazy. But it is so, so good...The good news is that things are loosening right up as I get back into my running/stretching/yoga routine.

Also, see the Banjee on my wrist there? Remember in my review I said that I loved the Banjee except for the fact that it was pretty loose on me? It fits PERFECTLY over a long sleeved shirt. Looks like I will be using the Banjee for winter running and the SPIBand for warmer short-sleeved runs. Love them both tho!

What are you most looking forward to in Spring?

I am looking forward to spring running weather, not having to scrape ice off my car, not freezing at door duty in the mornings, and most importantly SPRING BREAK in Florida with my family to meet me new niece!

I know. Most beautiful baby ever, right?

Zensah Running Bra Review + New See-Me-Run Giveaway Winner

2012-02-27T20:56:00.001-06:00

I feel so lucky to have had so many great running gear review opportunities! It's awesome to get to try things out and share my favorites with you. Most recently I had the opportunity to review the Zensah running bra. You might have seen me sporting my Zensah compression sleeves in pictures on the blog. I am in love with them. (I just found out they come in tie-dye print...hold me.)

Compression Love at Girls on the Run practice last year :)

Until somewhat recently, I didn't realize that Zensah made more products than just compression wear. It turns out they have a huge selection of fitness apparrel and gear. I am super excited to tell you about their running bra.

Nice and Sweaty, but still comfortable!

From the Zensah website:

Finding a proper fitting running bra is essential. Runners know that many running bras often feature seams or rough fabric that causes chaffing and irritation. We at Zensah understand this and have developed the most comfortable running bra within the running market. Each running bra is made our propriety Zensah fabric - meaning the running bra is thermal regulating, as well as moisture wicking. The Zensah Running Bra will help to keep dry when you go running. Running Bra Features:

*Seamless design = no chaffing

* Anti-Bacterial

* Superior Comfort from the proprietary Zensah fabric in each Running Bra

* Thermal Regulating

* Moisture Wicking - to prevent the running bra from becoming heavy with perspiration

*Available in 10 colors including pink!

I tried this bra on one of my mid-week runs and was really pleased with the fit and comfort level. The bra is super soft and 100% seamless and tagless. I feel like this SHOULD be the case with all sports bras, but it's totally not. This bra was so comfortable because of this! Also, true to the description, the bra definitely had a "cool" feeling and didn't soak up sweat like some bras that claim to be wicking. It stayed comfortable and cool on my whole run, and I can't wait to try it out on a sweaty summer run. (Speaking of summer, why is it still February? I don't know about you guys, but I've had about enough winter...) I also love the fact that the back comes in to a more narrow racer-back than some of my other sports bras. One of my pet peeves is when I can feel sports bras hitting my shoulder blades, so this was a plus for me.

For me, the bra was supportive and did a job well done, but as I'm sure you noticed from the pictures, I'm not exactly busting out of it. It's definitely a medium-impact bra, great for running for bra sizes up to a small/medium C-cup probably, but would be better suited for low-impact workouts like yoga for anyone bigger than that.

Possibly one of the coolest bonus features about this bra is that it comes in a 9 different color choices. I impulsively picked pink (shocking, I know), but now I'm totally wishing for the baby blue or neon pink. So many great color choices! Visit the Zensah website to check out the running bra for yourself as well as some of their other cool products.

Oh, and last but not least, the winner of my See-Me-Run giveaway never claimed her prize, so the new winner is...

#1 Jen at Running with the Girls!

Jen, email me by Wednesday to claim your prize!

Disclaimer: All thoughts expressed in this post reflect my own views and opinions. I was provided with one free running bra to review, but received no additional compensation to express a particular opinion.

Teaching Figurative Language in Writing Workshop

2012-02-27T07:51:00.000-06:00

As state testing time is RAPIDLY approaching (T minus 5 school days until THE TEST!), I've been trying to hit test material/strategies in all content areas, not just during test prep time. Writing Workshop has been a great place to review skills like author's purpose, text genre and style, and most recently figurative language. We talk about figurative language all year long during shared reading, but most times that just involves pointing out examples when we happen to come across them in the shared text. That's okay, but I wanted to go a little further. On our 5th grade state test, most figurative language questions tend to be about similes, so I wanted to spend most of our time focusing on writing and identifying similes, but also wanted to go over metaphor and personification again.

Last year, I did a series of lessons on writing poems using similes that I got from Read Write Think. The lessons involve reading the poem "Willow and Ginkgo" by Eve Merriam. and identifying the similes in the poem. After that, the kids begin to write their own simile poems. I decided to do this same lesson again this year, and it was just as successful. Since we worked on our poems the week of Valentines Day, all of the kiddos chose a person or thing that they loved to describe using similes. Read more about the lesson I did last year here.

After spending about a week reading and writing similes, this week we explored metaphors. I had a hard time finding a kid-friendly poem with great examples of metaphors, so I "borrowed" a poem I found about books that used a lot of similes, and changed them to metaphors...I don't want to get in trouble for copyright infringement, so I'm not going to share it here... :) If you know of a good poem with tons of metaphors, please let me know! As another activity, we listened to the song, "The World's Greatest" by R Kelly. Are you familiar with the song? It is ALL metaphors. While we listened to it, I had the kiddos jot down some of the things R. Kelly compared himself to in the song. Afterwards, we discussed the metaphors and talked about what they might mean. For example, "I am a lion" might mean that he feels he is brave and strong.

Once we'd learned about metaphors, the kids had an opportunity to write poems about their families comparing each member to something through metaphor. Here's my sample:

As another fun review of the difference between similes and metaphors, we listened to "Firework" by Katy Perry. Before listening, I had the kids write the words "Simile" and "Metaphor" on a large index card. During the song, every time they heard one of the two, they held up their card to indicate which one it was. So much fun. Finally, I haven't taught it to my kids yet, but one of my teammates shared this little song she made up to help with simile and metaphor. (To the tune of "Oh Christmas Tree")

A simile, a simile

A comparison using like or as

A simile, a simile

A comparison using like or as

A metaphor is a comparison

That doesn't use like or as

A simile, a simile
A comparison using like or as

I will be starting off our week Monday by using this song to review the two techniques. :) This week, I am also planning on revisiting personification, which we worked with more closely earlier this year. When I introduced it, we read the books Brave Irene and Rosebud and Red Flannel, both of which are great. Then we wrote stories personifying object in pictures, like bowling pins, buildings, etc. After we've reviewed personification, I plan to read a few picture book mentor texts and have the kids hold up cards when they hear examples of similes, metaphors, and personification. So far I've picked out Owl Moon (great similes!) and Under the Quilt of the Night. Both are so beautiful.

What are your favorite ways to teach figurative language?

Do you have any favorite mentor texts for figurative language?

A Huge Thank You, A SPI Band Review, + A Giveaway Winner!

2012-02-25T12:53:00.000-06:00

You guys, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your response to my post last night about my job situation. I am so grateful for your kind words and prayers. You are the best! I am so grateful to have the support of so many wonderful people as I begin this next part of my journey. Stay tuned for updates...

As part of my "self therapy," I've been doing a lot of shopping and drinking a lot of shamrock shakes, but I've also been enjoying some swim-run-yoga fitness therapy. Few things can calm the mind like a good workout or yoga class! So, I'm really excited to tell you about a great product I had the opportunity to try out recently! In this post, I talked about my recent frustration with the fact that my running tights and capris are all pocketless. Seriously, whose bright idea was that?? I recently had the opportunity to review a great new product: the SPI Band (pronounced "spy" band). From the SPI Band website:

SPIband creates a more compact way to keep track of the tiniest belongings without interrupting a productive workout. With SPIband’ s compact, yet roomy design, users can keep the smallest personal items around their ankle or wrist. With the safe and secure fit, users can work out without the worry of keeping up with their smallest, yet valuable belongings such as car keys, house keys, gym membership cards, cash and even wedding bands.

Similar to the Banjee, the Spi Band is a stretchy wrist band with a pouch for holding keys, ID, etc. It has a few features that are different from the Banjee, though--first of all, it fits much more snugly, which is a big plus in my opinion. When I first opened the package and took out the Spi Band, I was worried it wouldn't fit! It is nice and stretchy though, and fit perfectly. I have really little wrists, so I had my dad try it on too to see if it would fit over a bigger hand/wrist, and it fit him great too. (I have since learned that there are multiple size options for SPI bands, and the bigger bands can work as anklets too.)

I was sent a reflective SPI Band to try out. The inner part is a black stretchy fabric with a silvery reflective band over it. My keys fit perfectly inside the fold-over flap pocket, and they stayed COMPLETELY put on my run. Seriously, this band didn't move at all, and the keys didn't move once. LOVE! There's no danger of anything falling out of this little guy either--the flap pocket is super secure. Another awesome plus is the price. These little guys are only $9.95 for a regular band, and $11.95 for a reflective band. Overall, I think this is an awesome product.

This band only has two tiny drawbacks in my opinion. I did notice that my wrist got pretty sweaty inside the snug-fitting band. I tried it on the treadmill in a sweaty gym, and my wrist was a little hot by the end, so I think this might get uncomfortable on a hot summer run. Also, it is pretty small so there isn't room for Gu or anything. I would definitely recommend this band for someone who, like me, is frustrated about not having a pocket for keys in their running clothes, or who doesn't trust some of those waist band pockets! (I always worry about my keys falling out...) For long runs when I need to carry fuel, I'll stick to the fuel belt or the slightly larger banjee, but I will definitely be using this band on my shorter outdoor runs!

A winner!

I am super happy with the SPI Band. You can buy your own SPI Band Here.

Oh, and last but not least, here's the winner of the See-Me-Run giveaway!

Vanessa G, email me at juiceboxesandcrayolas AT gmail DOT com by Monday to claim your prize!

DISCLAIMER: I was provided with one SPI Band to try out for the purpose of writing this review, but was not compensated in any way to express a particular opinion. All thoughts expressed in this post are my own.

Life's Not Fair: My Personal Pity Party

2012-02-24T20:56:00.000-06:00

Other possible titles for this post include:

"Gee, I'm glad you noticed my hard work!"

and "Complete Identity Crisis"

Current Mantra

Sorry I've disappeared for awhile...The truth is, I'm in the midst of something of an identity crisis. Let me explain: I haven't made it a secret on the blog that this has been a challenging year for me at school. I love my class and love teaching, but due to a number of factors, the pressure at my school this year has been...well...overwhelming. See, my school had some big changes happen this year. We got a new principal, new assistant principal, a whole bunch of new teachers and support staff, and a ton of new expectations and policies. The goal was to get our low-performing school straightened out and in shape. It was a change that needed to happen, and so many good structural things came out of it. But has been a LOT of change to digest, and the atmosphere has been a bit...intense.

I have followed every direction and embraced every change. No more classroom recess breaks? No problem. Running records and notes during guided reading? Okay, I can get on board with that. Fountas & Pinnell test all of my kiddos at the beginning of the year? Happy to. Additional minutes to the literacy block? Okay. Zero down time for fun? No big deal, I'll make our lessons "fun." Serve on the PBIS team? Sure. Run intervention groups of the lowest kids in the grade? With a smile. Help with the science fair? Love to. Jump? Just tell me how high. You get the idea. I've done it all with a smile on my face and with only minimal venting to close friends at work. And I've basically felt that all year I've been working as hard as I possibly can, not only with little recognition, but with the constant feeling that it is NEVER enough. Yeah, it's been rough.

Well, after three years at my school, I found out last Friday that in exchange for the insane effort I've put in this year, I'm losing my job for next year. Awesome. See, our enrollment is going down due to some boundary changes, and multiple classroom teaching positions are being eliminated, so last week myself and two other teachers who have also taught in our building for three years were told that, "it's not about performance and you didn't do anything wrong, but we're not renewing your contract." As a nontenured teacher, this kind of thing happens. Buuut did I mention that we have 3 or 4 teachers in the building in their first year in the district? You might think that they would be the ones to be cut first...but unfortunately for me, that's not the case. See, it happens that the three of us that were let go were the only three nontenured teachers hired by our old principal. I can't shake the feeling that Mr. New Principal decided to keep "his people." And I can't tell you how unfair this feels.

I'm more than a little bit Type A. I like routine, order, control, and PLANS. I'm not really into surprises, and I HATE when things feel unfair. It can be hard for me to adjust when something happens that isn't part of my plans, or that there was nothing I could do to prevent. Like this. And there really wasn't anything I could have done--I did absolutely everything I possibly could this year to be the best teacher I could be, and even so, performance aside, here I am. I'll say it again--this just doesn't feel fair.

But I guess life's not fair, right?

Card from Mrs. Mentor Teacher: Do you think they made it especially for me? I do.

In addition to feeling angry about the unfairness of it all, I've been feeling kind of...lost. I've been thinking about why this is so hard, and I think it's because of this: Teaching is a deeply personal endeavor. Losing a teaching job, at least to me, is not like losing another job. "Teacher" is more than my job title--it is so much a part of who I am. And even though I understand that this decision was not based on performance, it still feels like a part of me, an important part of me, was told that I wasn't good enough. It was hard at first to even feel like "myself."

^Breathe In, Breathe Out, and Trust the Process. Repeat.

After spending last weekend and half of this week crying or wallowing away on my couch (Did I mention I was sick with an awful cold when I got this news? It was super.), I am attempting to get my act and attitude together. I'm committing TODAY to ending the wallowing and complaining about the unfairness of it all. You heard me: The moaning and groaning stops here. This is the truth: I can't change things by being grumpy or angry or sad. I can only change the way I decide to see the situation, and where I go from here.

I am trying very hard to see this as an opportunity for a positive change in my life. Here's another truth: As much as I love teaching and the kids I work with and many of my coworkers, this really has been a rough year. Maybe a change will be a good thing. As Mrs. Mentor Teacher in her unending wisdom said, this could be the best thing that ever happened to me. I am still looking for a job elsewhere in the district, but I am also exploring the idea of a bigger change and applying to jobs out of state too. After all, one of the items on my 30before30 list is to live in a new state--maybe this is the perfect opportunity. (I vacillate between excitement and terror when I think of starting over somewhere completely new...I went to college two hours away from home and even though I'm "on my own" now, I still have dinner with my parents at least once a week.) But whatever happens, I know I will get through it.

Anyways, sorry for the long post--if you actually made it this far, thanks for reading. :)

See-Me-Run Review + Giveaway!

2012-02-16T19:41:00.002-06:00

I don't know about you, but to me there is something so special about a late night or early morning run. I LOVE them. I just love the quiet, the coolness, and the feeling like you are the only one around. I swear it is magic. Anyways, I know running at night or before sun-up is a big safety concern for runners. When it's dark, I make sure to only run in safe, residential areas, stay on the sidewalk, take a buddy as often as possible, and stay close to home. But if I'm being honest with you, I have to admit...I do not usually dress appropriately. While I have some brightly colored running shorts and a few hot pink tops, I'm not going to lie--for all of the running gadgets and gear I own, I really don't have anything reflective besides a little logo or reflective zipper pull here or there. I know running is not about vanity, but I have just never been able to make myself wear one of those reflective vests or the like!

Not my favorite look...

Even so, I've been thinking for awhile now that if I'm going to continue running in the dark, even occassionally, I need to be a little less stupid. I was SO THRILLED to discover See-Me-Run, a totally awesome company that makes reflective iron-ons specifically for runners. From the See-Me-Run Website:

See-Me-Run offers reflective iron-ons (aka transfers) for runners and cyclist that choose to train during early morning hours or during the early evening when lighting is either low or non-existent. We’ve manufactured and tested our safety products specifically for performance apparel such as Under Armour, Nike Dri-Fit, Brooks, Pearl Izumi and other popular wicking performance apparel. It's designed to be highly visible while remaining extremely lightweight and fashionable. They look great in the daytime and at night. It’s a must-have item for the runner or cyclist who wants to feel safer and more visible when they train.

What really sold me, though (you know, in addition to the whole safety thing) was that the iron-ons are in super fun shapes and patterns! The selection of designs isn't gigantic, but I think that there is definitely something for everyone. Designs include runner-specific words and pictures, girly patterns like flowers and hearts, simple reflective shapes and stripes, and others. Each design comes with two iron-ons in the desired pattern for the front and back of the shirt or item, and a smaller logo "test piece" to iron on the sleeve.

See-Me-Run was kind enough to send me two different iron-on sets to test out. I got the Peace Sign and Running Girl Group designs. Because I am still learning to be a "grown up," and because Teacher Mom's iron is a million times better than mine (which I think I purchased at Walgreens...), I brought the decals and two of my (many) black running shirts over to her house. I was getting ready to put the peace signs on the front and back of one shirt and the running girls on the other, but Teacher Mom in her unending wisdom suggested mixing them up. I put a peace sign iron-on on the front of each shirt and the running girl group on the back of each. I thought this was a great idea! The designs were simple to iron on, although it did take an extra 30 seconds or so on each beyond what the instructions had recommended. No biggie! After the extra few seconds the backing peeled off quickly and easily. And voila! Super cute reflective gear!

Front

Back

I LOVE how they turned out. The designs are so lightweight that they just feel like part of the shirt, not like some iron-on letters and things I've used before. Of course, I could't wait to try out my new super-safe clothing, but I haven't been able to fit in a night run for awhile! Luckily last night I was finally able to try them out.

Check out that glow--just from my phone's camera flash! Okay, are these clothes a miracle worker and an excuse to ignore all other safety practices when running in the dark? Of course not. Does a reflective decal make a difference when a car isn't looking and you're running across a street? I'd say it certainly has the potential to make a big difference!

Here's the best part. See-Me-Run has generously offered to give one of their great designs away to a reader! 1 winner will get to choose their favorite design from the See-Me-Run website. Here's how to win...(leave a separate comment for each entry!)

Be a follower of Juice Boxes + Crayolas, and leave me a comment telling me why you want to win! (Mandatory)
Visit the See-Me-Run website and tell me which design you would choose if you win. (+1 entry)
Post about this giveaway on your blog, facebook, or twitter and leave a comment letting me know. (+1 entry each)

This giveaway will end at midnight on Wednesday, February 22nd. I will choose a winner the next day using random.org.

Disclaimer: I was provided 2 iron-on designs by See-Me-Run. I was not asked to express a particular view or compensated in any other way.

A LONG Week...+ The Saddest Note Ever

2012-02-10T22:57:00.000-06:00

This has been a LONG week. I know that sometimes when i read other teaching blogs, I think about how everyone else has the *perfect* classroom with *perfect* students and *perfectly* organized cabinets...but then I realize that sometimes the bad days are just less fun to blog about! There's no need for me to go through my week play by play--it is Friday after all. But I am not feeling great and have had a few students who have been a bit *off* these days...oh, and we ended on a bad note with me upset that the kiddos couldn't get the floor clean until 5 minutes after the bell. (I'm a stickler about clean floors!) I know that's nothing huge, but I hate ending the day upset! Leaves a bad taste in my mouth. (Plus, I've completely fallen apart in terms of my workout/training schedule, and being out of the routine like that always makes me a little down.)

Anyways, I'm committing to making this a relaxing, refreshing, and productive weekend! I started it off right with some napping in hopes of beating whatever the heck is wrong with me, some Downton Abbey, and a little online shopping...I have a problem...it's bad!!!! I guess I figure that if I'm not going out and spending money, it's okay to shop a little bit...right?? I just discovered Lands End Canvas via a pinterest pin. When I hear the words Lands End I think of hiking clothes and this ugly jacket I had from there in 4th grade, so I couldn't believe when I clicked on a pin of an adorable belted dress and was brought to Lands End Canvas! Super cute clothes, and amazing sales!

In other news, I need to share this adorable note from one of my neediest and challenging students. He wrote it to me last week after a couple of REALLY trying days together. I know these kind of things lose their novelty the longer you've been teaching, but I don't think I will ever get tired of this kind of note, especially from a student like this little guy:

Dear miss teacher. i am so sorry that i refused to do my work. And refused to ask for help or talk miss teacher you are the best teacher in the world and i act like a Jerk im so sorry miss teacher this will not happen again

sinsely

Student

Oh. my. goodness. In case you can't tell from the handwriting, spelling, and drawings, this letter is from one of my little LD/ED kiddos. He struggles with reading, writing, and motor skills in general. He has all sorts of emotional troubles, and we have had some particularly trying days lately. On a few different days, this little one basically decided he wasn't going to speak, answer my questions, or follow directions. (I swear, with my group this year, "I need you to use your words" is by far my most frequently used saying..) Doesn't this letter just break your heart, though? When I read the part where he said, "I act like a jerk," I almost cried. It is so important to be in contact with parents when kids are struggling at school (or when they're successful!), but it breaks my heart when I think about the things that might happen after I call home, especially in a high-needs, low-income school like mine. For example, I know this student's mother loves him, but I'm pretty sure he didn't come up with the phrase, "I act like a jerk" all on his own. This difficult student has become one of my favorite kiddos of all this year--funny how that works.

What are you most excited about this weekend? I'm excited to SLEEP and get healthy! Oh, and FINALLY get myself back on track with training. (I am NOT excited to work on grad school HW--just had my first class Tuesday to start working on my Reading masters and am already wondering what I was thinking...)

Amazing Discovery (Handful Bra FTW!)

2012-02-08T06:34:00.000-06:00

Remember when I shared way too much information about my bra size with you a few months back? I swear it was all relevant information--I was professing my love for my Handful bra aka the only sports bra in the history of the world to NOT make me feel like a 10 year old...boy. While I am still mostly loyal to my Adidas sports bras for running, the Handful bra has become my go-to bra for any type of cross training, especially yoga, and for plenty of non-gym activities. I also love using the little drawstring bag it comes in for plenty of things besides washing the bra. Case in point: it's currently holding my swim cap and goggles in my gym bag. VERSATILE. Since I am something of a spendthrift, I LOVE when an item can "multitask"!

This weekend, though, I discovered yet another amazing benefit of the Handful bra. Oldest Brother LOVES a good theme party and was hosting a tiki/luau themed party at his house last Saturday, costume required. Since I don't own a huge amount of Hawaiian clotheing (or any...), I decided to go with a beach cover-up over a bathing suit. Somehow I figured that my TYR diamond back suit wasn't quite in keeping with the theme, so I rummaged deep into the back of my dresser and found a top from a 2 piece suit. When I was about to put it on, I noticed that one of the removable pads was missing and was nowhere to be found in my drawer. I considered going without, but...well...like I said before, my, um, chest is not my BEST asset. Sometimes a girl just needs a little help, amIright? (Don't get me wrong--I LOVE my body, and long ago embraced my flat chest, but still. It's nice to feel like a girl!) Anyways, I puzzled for a minute or two over the lopsided swim suit, then spotted my Handful in the drawer. INSPIRATION STRUCK.

I pulled the removable pads out of the Handful and put them in the bathing suit top. They fit perfectly! Not only that, they gave the top a great, flattering shape, and actually made it way more supportive than a regular bathing suit top. Check out the comparison between the original pads that came with the suit and the Handful pads:

The best part was that they made my cheapie Target swim suit feel much like higher-quality suit in about 1 minute. I will definitely be using the Handful pads in my suit all summer, and probably even buying an extra set. Handful sells additional sets of pads for $10 here. Oh, and of course I won't leave you without a picture from the ~~I wish it were summer Party~~ Tiki Party:

Me & Oldest Brother--Ready for Summer!

Persuasive Writing Boot Camp

2012-02-07T15:58:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I did a post about Writing Workshop! My kiddos and I spent the month of January knee-deep in persuasive writing. I am incredibly pleased with their improvement over the course of the month, and happy to report that they have turned out some fabulous final products!

To start off the unit and hook them in, I gathered the class on the carpet, adopted a very serious tone, and said,

5th graders, I have some very sad news to share with you. Mr. Principal has been thinking about canceling lunch recess. He thinks you guys need more learning time in your school day and that we don't have time to go outside for lunch recess. However, he is still considering the decision. I was thinking that maybe we could write him a letter to convince him how important lunch recess is. What do you think?

Needless to say, the kiddos were outraged. To give you a little back story, our principal no longer allows us to take our class out for 5-10 minute "classroom recess" in addition to the lunch recess, so this was both especially terrible and especially believable news. We started out with brainstorming the different reasons that lunch recess was important. After the kids brainstormed with partners and shared with the class, I discussed the importance of appealing to one's audience in writing. If our audience was Mr. Principal, then we would need to choose reasons that Mr. Principal would think were valid. (i.e. not "it's fun" and "we like kickball.") The kids settled on three strong reasons, and we began to fill out a graphic organizer together on chart paper.

One of my big goals for this unit has been to get the kiddos to use second order support as well as strong, detailed examples to support their main points. So, during this shared activity I really pushed them to elaborate on their reasons. Why does lunch recess help us learn? Why is social time at recess important? Why will Mr. Principal think that's important?? After spending a day or two planning our shared letter, I modeled using the graphic organizer to write a letter. I used to do this on chart paper, but this year have been hooking up my laptop to the LCD projector and typing. So much faster and easier.

Anyways, after we finished the letter, I shared with the kiddos that lunch recess was not really going to be cancelled. We talked about the purpose behind persuasive writing (connecting it back to our Author's Purpose lessons), and began to brainstorm different things we would all like to have that we could write our own letters asking for. The kids came up with topics like their own bedroom, a cell phone, a pet, lockers, hot lunches at school, and a later start time to the school day. Then, we used this graphic organizer from Read Write Think to start planning.

Over the next few days, the kids worked on their graphic organizers and rough drafts. I taught mini-lessons on topics including second order support, persuasive transitions, strong conclusions, and varied sentences. Here are some of the anchor charts we made and used.

To help with varied sentences, I also had students go through their writing and underline the first word in each sentence. Then, we worked on restructuring sentences to change up the starting words.

After the kiddos finished their letters, I gave them a choice of 4 or so other topics to write an essay about. We talked about how essays are different from letters, and worked on writing strong introductions, reviewing the "hooks" we learned earlier this year. Again, the kids wrote about similar things, including hot lunches, fast food for school lunch, school uniforms, kids having the right to vote, and lockers at school. The essays are turning out great too! All in all, a successful writing unit.

Random Classroom Updates: Clip Charts & Test Anxiety

2012-02-06T07:14:00.000-06:00

After trying at least 5 different behavior management systems in my first two years, this year I have finally found one I love. Friends, 2011-2012 has been the year of the Clip Chart for me! I talked about how much I love the clip chart and how I use it in this post, but I wanted to update today on one little thing: clip colors. All of my kiddos started the year with a plain clip with their number on it. At the end of the day, every student that reached Outstanding (the highest level) receives an MVP award and a sticker on their clip. Since I have a sports theme in my classroom, the stickers are all different sports balls. Once they have earned 5 stickers on their clip, they get a brand new clip. First is a red clip, then orange, yellow, and so on. The colors go in order of the colors on the clip chart. I didn't explain any of this to the kids at the beginning of the year, just told them to "pay attention to your clips--things might start happening to them as you do outstanding work."

Anyways, there were a lot of whispers between the kiddos when one student filled their pink clip for the first time--pink is the highest level of the clip chart. What would happen? I surprised them all when the next day it was replaced with a silver clip. After silver comes gold, and, finally, the ultimate highest level: the jeweled clip. I used regular markers to color all of the clothes pins in the regular colors, but used silver and gold paint pens. (Silver and gold sharpies would work too.) For the jeweled clips, I flipped their gold clip over so the stickers were on the back and hot-glued a row of rhine stones to it. I decided to make jeweled the highest level--kids don't change clips anymore once they've reached it. I think that's perfectly okay because the kids that reach jeweled early don't need that extra motivation/incentive to behave. I love the system and it is so easy. I add the stickers after school in about 1 minute, and earlier in the year I had a few of my students stay after school to color a whole bunch of clips. Now when someone needs a new clip, I just grab one out of that bin and add their number to it. The only thing that takes a few minutes is the gluing on the jewels, but it's worth it IMHO. :)

Also, this year I've really been trying to help alleviate test anxiety in my kiddos. In keeping with our sports theme, I've started telling the kids that tests are like a "big game" that they are ready for after all the practices we've put in. I tell them that tests are their "opportunity to SHINE," like the super bowl or stanley cup playoffs. I've taught them all year that we should approach any challenge with a "bring it on" attitude. In fact, before a challenging thing, I will say to them, "And what do we say to a challenge?" The kids respond by shouting, "BRING IT ON!" Back to tests: I've had the kids write "Bring it on!" at the top of their test papers all year. No, it's not going to work a miracle. But if it helps one student do their best, I'd say it's worth doing!

Sunday, Sunday

2012-02-05T11:16:00.004-06:00

Every weekend I have grand plans that I am going to ACCOMPLISH THINGS on Saturday. Grade that stack of papers I've been carrying around for longer than I want to admit. Type up the billion sets of plans I'm making these days. (Lesson Plans, Guided Reading Plans, Reading Intervention Plans...oh my.) Vacuum. Do laundry. Dust. Get that sink of dirty dishes squared away.

Then, every Saturday I pretty much end up relaxing and doing none of these things....oops. Oh well.

Today, it's happening. I am conquering the To-Do list. Since I am not participating in any Super Bowl festivities, I am going to be P R O D U C T I V E. I am going to start out Monday this week with a clean apartment, an empty dishwasher, and closet full of clean clothing that is actually put away. I SWEAR! AND I am GOING to grade those papers!!!

But first, pancakes. :)

Have a wonderful Sunday!

What's on your To-Do list right now?

Are you watching the Super Bowl today?

This is my brain on injury...

2012-02-04T12:27:00.002-06:00

I am one of those runners who is always injured. Seriously, always. I try to do all the right things, honest! Yoga, cross train, stretch, foam roll, low mileage, even ice baths, but I'm always either out with an injury or coming back from one it seems! My latest injury didn't even have anything to do with running--I slipped on the ice and banged my knee outta whack. No, thank YOU Midwest winters...Anyways, long story short I took the past two weeks off of running.

It got me thinking about the mental and emotional side of injury and how I deal with it. I definitely have a pattern! Unlike many runners who approach injury with a deny-deny-deny type of attitude, I'm what I like to call a paranoid runner. When I first feel the twinges of an injury, instead of an "If I pretend it doesn't hurt it's not a real injury" approach, I have more of a "Frantically google my symptoms and freak myself out" approach... This almost always leads to hours of reading every Web MD article and runner's world injury forum thread describing my pain. Healthy, I know...

Anyways, at the beginning of an injury I am always super depressed. I play over and over in my head what I could have done differently to prevent the injury. This is especially true for my ice-fell-knee-foolishness as I've taken to calling it. Since this wasn't a running injury, I knew exactly what caused it. "If I hadn't parked on the street, I wouldn't have had to walk down the icy driveway." "If I'd worn different boots, I might not have slipped." "If I didn't live in freezing Illinois, there wouldn't be so much ice!!" You get the idea. Obviously that's all nonsense and completely unhelpful! I'm also known to spontaneously burst into tears when coming to terms with a new injury. Last year when I slipped on the stairs at my friend's apartment and twisted my ankle, I immediately burst into a sobbing fit because I realized that this obviously meant time off running. (And if I hadn't been wearing ballet flats/drinking wine/racing down the stairs...you get the idea.) Emotional injured Amy also likes to jump to the worst possible conclusion. "I will never run again." "I'm just not meant to be a runner." Case in point: convincing myself that my ice-fell-knee-foolishness was a torn meniscus and would require surgery. So. Completely. Untrue. And crazy.

After I've managed to stop crying, I get in a bit of a funk. I look out the window of my car longingly at other runners. I look up races online "for when I can train again." I make training plans for these "distant future races." I read running books. And the shopping...oooh the shopping. Let's just say I should be allowed nowhere near the running store, amazon, the fitness clothes section at Target, or the nike website when I am injured. It's almost comical, really. I literally want nothing more at any given moment during this time than to run.

Case in point, new running capris and swim suit purchased this week while not running...

Here's where things get really interesting...after I've started healing and am ready to try running again, I do a complete 180 and want NOTHING to do with running. You'd think I'd lace up my shoes as soon as possible, but often times I don't. Here's why: I become so petrified with fear that I won't be able to run that I don't want to try. I know. I'm completely crazy. It's like I can convince myself that my injury has healed while I'm still taking time off running, and am so scared that if I run I'll find out that's actually not true. Or that I'll have lost all of the endurance I'd built up and just not be able to run anymore. Even just admitting all of this I feel silly. I know it doesn't make any sense! Welcome to my world of anxiety...

So anyways, back to the present. I said before that I took the past two weeks off to let my knee heal from the ice wipe out (that wasn't a torn meniscus...duh...). The first week I was depressed, paranoid, and jumping to the worst possible conclusions. And I was dying to run. Then the second week my knee started feeling much MUCH better. I realized it was probably going to be okay. And I was dying to do anything BUT run. I told myself all week that Saturday I'd do it. Saturday I'd put on my shoes and get out there. Not until Saturday. Then this morning rolled around. I got dressed in running clothes, tracked down my road id and garmin....and sat in bed Pinning and putting off running:

I even caught myself thinking, "Maybe I don't actually like running. Maybe I'm just not a runner. I don't HAVE to run if I don't want to..." Eventually I decided enough was enough. That that was crazy talk. That I was being ridiculously stupid. I put on my shoes, stuck my keys in my banjee (have I mentioned how much I love this thing?), and headed out.

And I ended up having a great run. 3 miles in the sunshine, and the first non-freezing run I've had in awhile. My knee felt fine! My IT bands were another story, but I knew that would happen--every time I take a break they tighten right back up. (Of course, I probably shouldn't have taken a break from foam rolling...oops.) But this run was just what I needed. Next week starts half marathon training again (and excessive foam rolling!).

Last but not least, can I just share my new favorite running song? Thank you Lauren for introducing me to it and its amazingness.

I must have listened to this at least 4 times on my run. It was just what I needed to hear today to calm my anxiety, put a smile on my face, and remind me that I CAN do it. "You've got every right to a beautiful life." Love.

Do you go completely crazy like me when you have an injury?

Banjee Giveaway Winner!

2012-02-04T00:23:00.002-06:00

The winner of the tie dye purple banjee is...

Congrats Suz! Email me at juiceboxesandcrayolas AT gmail DOT com to claim your prize!

Didn't win? Go here to treat yourself to your own banjee! You deserve it ;)

Giveaway Reminder!

2012-02-01T06:24:00.000-06:00

It's not too late to enter my Giveaway to win a Banjee Wrist Wallet! Spread the word and enter here before it closes at midnight tonight!

Buying Workout Clothes = Working Out...right??

2012-01-31T21:42:00.000-06:00

So this is a running and teaching blog...and I haven't really been writing about either! While I haven't been running due to the ice wipe out that resulted in a banged up knee, I have still been teaching, I promise. :) Let's just say though that teaching isn't my favorite thing to talk about these days! It's been a bit...exhausting...know what I mean?? Anyways this is going to be a completely random post, so please forgive my melting teacher brain...

After resting my knee last week, it is feeling one billion times better. Hypochondriac jumps-to-the-worst-conclusion me had convinced myself that I had torn my meniscus and would of course require surgery...

Of course that's not the case, thank goodness! It is feeling 99% better, and while I'm planning on giving it another week before trying running (hey, after the nonstop injuries I've had, I am overly cautious these days!), I'm trying to get myself to do some cross training this week. I don't know about you guys, but if I get out of my fitness routine for one week, it's AWFUL for me to get back into it! I made it to the pool Sunday, but all I did yesterday was curl up on the couch and watch 3 hours of Downton Abbey aka my new obsession...

Have you seen this show yet? Amazing.

Today I had GREAT intentions to get to the pool again. See? I even laid out my clothes and stuff out before I left for school, planning to come home and change right away! Needless to say, they haven't moved...

Okay, okay...I promise I have a great excuse! Teacher Mom texted me at 7:06am, "FYI Carsons has 60% off boots." Well, what was I SUPPOSED to do? Of course I emailed her immediately suggesting we meet for shopping and dinner after work. Teacher Mom loves shoes too, so she was in! Behold $40 boots:

Because by this point it was pretty clear that there was NO way I was making it to the pool, I figured the least I could do would be to buy a new swimsuit...and some new crops for running/yoga...before I knew it I had spent way too much money. (Who am I kidding, this happens every single time I go shopping! I have a problem!)

Oh goodness. Even though I didn't make it to the gym, at least I got a stack of papers graded after school. Tomorrow, GYM! I swear. (Unless there's a sale on shoes somewhere else...) ;)

One of these days I'll muster the energy to talk about school...maybe...

Tagged for 11

2012-01-27T20:21:00.000-06:00

Runner-Teacher Michelle at Carpenter's Corner tagged me for the 11 Random Things game that's going around! Thanks, Michelle! So here we go...

11 Random Things About Me...
1. When I was little, I was so messy eating Oreos that my parents used to make me go outside. Until I was in junior high, Oreos were strictly an "Outside Cookie." My parents love joking about this still. Just last night at their house, I saw Oreos. They said I could have one--if I went outside...

2. I have two older brothers who I love like crazy. They are seriously all sorts of awesome. Oldest Brother is a fantastic photographer, and Older Brother is a smarty pants rocket scientist.

3. My idea of an exciting Friday night is a trip to Target or Trader Joe's, yoga pants and a fleece blanket, a 312, and some netflix instant. I know, I'm 24 going on 45.

4. I have the most addictive personality of anyone you will ever meet. For me, 10 pages of a book always turns into finishing the last chapter at 2am, 1 episode of a TV series always turns into 15, and don't even get me started on what happens when I get hooked on a new panera sandwich-starbucks drink-you name it...Oh, and the week I discovered Pinterest? Do I even have to explain?

I seriously did NOTHING ELSE the week I read the Twilight series...I mean, I even added extra "Read to Self" time to our school day so I could read too...don't tell my principal...

5. I am allergic to EVERYTHING in nature, including every cute and cuddly animal. :(

6. I am pretty much an emotional basket case all the time. I cry reading children's books, watching commercials, you name it. It can be embarrassing...

7. I donated my hair to Locks of Love the summer before last. I'm glad I did it, but my hair was so scraggly (and out of control!) at the end that I don't know if I'd do it again!

8. I am just not a morning person. Not only do I hit the snooze button at least once every morning, but sometimes after I'm completely dressed and ready for school, if I notice I have extra time, I curl up back in bed for a quick 10 minute "nap."

9. I've single-handedly destroyed countless electronics. A couple of mp3 players, at least 3 cameras, and 3 computers... :-/ I promise it's not that I'm careless! I think I just have bad luck!

10. When I first started my teaching internships and field placements in college, I would get SO nervous before I taught a lesson that I'd make my roommate "play school" with me in our dorm room so I could practice! She loved it.

11. I love polka dots. However, the last time I was packing up at the gym I started wondering if my obsession has gone too far...and trust me, this is only very the beginning:

Now, for Michelle's questions...

1. What is the best vacation you have ever taken? Oh gosh, how can I pick just one?? I was privileged enough to spend a summer in France while in high school, have traveled all over the US and to the caribbean a few times...but I think my favorite trips are the ones I've spent with my family in Florida. :)
2. What do you want to do when you retire? READ! And sleep. And travel. And relax relax relax!
3. How many siblings do you have? Two brothers! See question 2!
4. What is your ideal job? WELL, teaching is my one true calling and truly my passion. But I'll admit there are days when I want to leave it behind and work at Trader Joe's or something--I bet those employees don't stay up at night worrying!!
5. Do you play the lottery? Gamble? No way. If I feel like I have money to burn, I SHOP!
6. What's your favorite beverage? Soy lattes, diet coke, 312, and pinot grigio
7. Toilet paper over the top or under? Do you even have to ask??? Top, duh!
8. Have you ever been arrested? Should you have been? No, my record is crystal clean :)
9. What time do you go to bed? Usually around 10:30 or so...unless I get distracted by pinning or something like that!
10. Do you have pets? No...they make me sneeze...
11.What's the last thing you ate? Jimmy Johns veggie sub and chips

Now I get to tag 11 people:

Jen at Running with the Girls

Vanessa at Gourmet Runner

~Stephanie at Teaching in Room 6

Kate at To the Square Inch

Marisa at The Pace of My Life

Stephanie at Run for Fun

Claire at the Country Mouse Tales

Lauren at Sweat Junkie

Julia at Pain Pride Perseverance

Lauren at Forward is a Pace

Megan at Fit Crafty English Teacher

Ladies, post 11 random things about yourselves and answer these 11 questions:

1. What food are you craving right now?

2. Biggest guilty pleasure?

3. Go-to Saturday outfit?

4. What's your Starbucks order? Or, if you're not a Starbucks junkie like me, your favorite pick me up beverage?

5. Best book you've ever read?

6. What's one thing you're really loving lately?

7. What were you like in high school?

8. What's one thing you don't mind splurging on?

9. Where would your dream vacation be?

10. Favorite song?

11. What's your favorite way to spend a Saturday?

Have fun!

Banjee Review & Giveaway!

2012-01-25T18:11:00.001-06:00

Since I became a "grown up" and left the sweet sanctuary of living my parents house and all the wonderful things that came with living there (heated garage, stocked fridge, veg meals simmering away in the kitchen, a never-ending supply of white wine and diet coke...), I have been plagued by one unexpected little annoyance: KEYS. More specifically, dealing with my keys while out running. For some reason, not a single pair of my running tights or capris has a pocket (at least one that actually HOLDS the keys in)! So, I've been turning to my trusty SPI belt to hold my keys...except I actually kind of REALLY hate the SPI belt. I know so many runners who love their belts and say they can't even tell they're wearing them, but honestly I am tugging at that thing from the moment I get out the door. Not fun.

So, when I heard about Banjees wrist wallets, I thought this might be just the thing to solve my problem! Banjees (made by a company called Sprigs) are a band of stretchy material with a zippered pouch designed to be worn on the wrist to hold keys, ID, whatever! From the Sprigs website:

Banjees wrist wallets are always the extra pocket you wish you had. In regular size for cash, cards, and keys, and in Big Banjees size for smart phones, our patent pending Banjees combine the perfect durable stretch fabrics with guaranteed YKK zippers to make the perfect accessory for your active lifestyle. Check out our fresh prints, organic cottons, and solid to solid reversible styles. Keep your valuables close at hand and easy to access with Banjees wrist wallets, and you'll understand what all the fuss is about.

Julie from Sprigs was kind enough to send me a Banjee to try out! They come in so many fun colors and prints, I had a hard time choosing one! In the end, I ended up with a polyspandex reversible banjee with a black and white print on one side and solid black on the other. (Since sometimes when I put together running outfits I look a bit like Rainbow Bright, I figured black and white was a safe option...) I have to say, I love the banjee already! Size wise, the regular Banjee is just what I need. It's not huge, but it is the perfect size for my keys, ID, even a Gu or two.

Before...

After! A perfect fit with room to spare!

The banjee is nice and stretchy, which makes it easy to adjust up or down on your arm for a good fit. While I think they are meant to sit down on your wrist by your hand, since my wrists are teeny tiny I pushed it up higher on my forearm where it fit comfortably without sliding around. The best part is, it is COMFORTABLE to wear even when getting your sweat on! Because I am super cool and needed to test out my banjee immediately upon getting it, I tried wearing it while on my bike...yes, on my indoor bike trainer. No, I did not NEED to carry my keys while biking in place in my apartment...I am happy to report, though, that it stayed put and was comfy even when I got nice and sweaty! The banjee stayed in place and comfortable on a test run too. The long and short of it is that the banjee is, in my opinion, way more comfortable than carrying something or wearing a belt. Period.

Obviously this is the perfect accessory for a runner, but I can see it having a ton of other uses if you get creative. It'd work great for holding your $$ and tickets at a theme park, for example! I could also see having a kid wear it to hold their lunch money--my kids are always complaining about losing their quarters on days when school sells lunchtime treats. This would be perfect for them.

Have I sold you on this product yet? Well, you're in luck because Sprigs was kind enough to provide me with an additional banjee to give away to one of my wonderful readers! One of you can win this purple tie dye big banjee:

"Big banjees" are about the same size as the original banjees, but they also have a cool little outside flap in addition to the zippered pocket. The flap is pretty nifty--it expands enough that it can hold your phone, even bulky smart phones. If you'd rather not run with a big phone on your wrist, it's also a great easy-access pocket for gel, etc. Oh, and if purple tie dye isn't your thing, it reverses to plain black on the opposite side. ;)

Here's how to win (Leave a separate comment for each entry):

Become a follower of Juice Boxes + Crayolas, and leave me a comment telling me why you want (Mandatory)
Like Sprigs on Facebook (+1 entry)
Follow Sprigs on Twitter @SpriGsville (+1 entry)
Post about this giveaway on your blog, facebook, or twitter! (+1 entry each)

That's up to 6 chances to win! I know you will love these products as much as I do, so hurry up and check them out!

This giveaway will end Wednesday, February 1st at midnight. Good luck!

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Sprigs was kind enough to provide me with one banjee to review, as well as one banjee to give to a reader. I was not compensated to give a particular opinion. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own! :)

An "I should get outta the classroom more often" Kinda Moment, and Exciting News!

2012-01-24T18:55:00.004-06:00

Do you ever have those "Seriously, I am SUCH a teacher" kind of moments? The ones where you find yourself reprimanding strange children in Target, neatening up shelves at the grocery store, or telling friends and loved ones, "Great job!" or "I can tell you did your best"? Hopefully it's not just me...Well, listen to this one: When I got home from school a little bit ago and was (immediately) changing into comfies, I was thinking how my skirt needed to be dry cleaned, and how I could drop it off at the cleaners Thursday after I tutor...then I caught myself thinking, "I'll stick it in my 'Thursday Bin' so I don't forget!"

Thursday Bin? As in the spot I stick my Thursday copies at school? Last time I checked I don't have a day of the week bin system in my home...The thing that makes this an even BIGGER face-palm moment, though, is that a tiny little part of me totally wishes I had a day of the week bin system at home...seriously, you know you do too... ;)

Believe it or not, that geektastic moment was NOT the most eventful thing that has happened since I last blogged--this time last week my beautiful new niece was born! I know everybody says this about their own family, but this baby is seriously gorgeous. I am beyond thrilled about her and so happy for Older Brother and Sis in Law. Unfortunately, they live in Florida so I won't be able to meet Beautiful Niece until Spring break... :( It can't come a moment too soon!

Other than that news, my life has been pretty darn uneventful these days. My Sunday 7-miler was foiled because I had the *brilliant* idea to attempt to run through 5+ inches of snow on an unplowed bike path...I made it ONE mile away from my car, thought I was going to pass out from exerting so much energy WADING through snow and fighting wind, and barely made it the mile back to my car. Fail. Also, later that day I managed to have an epic wipe out on an icy sidewalk, smack my knee on the pavement, and seriously jack up my knee. It's still hurting and just not working right! After a friend's 2 cents and some web MDing (obv), I convinced myself that I had torn my miniscus...which I still think might have happened, but it's feeling a little better every day so hopefully whatever it is is healing on its own! Anyways, the long and short of it all is that this has become a spontaneous "Rest Week"--and it's given me an excuse to rock my Tommie Copper knee sleeve 24/7... #attemptingtoseethegood...

Continuing with the random theme of this post, let me just share the beautiful piece of writing I had the pleasure of reading this week...it darn near brought me to tears. Grab the kleenex. Prompt: Write about a place that is special to you.

Check back soon for a new product review/giveaway and a post on persuasive writing/anchor charts!

Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-16T14:56:00.002-06:00

Congrats to Pat, the winner of Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun! Pat, email me at juiceboxesandcrayolas AT gmail DOT com to claim your prize!

Be sure to check out Maria Dismondy's website to learn more about this book and her other picture books. Also, Maria Dismondy asked me to let you know that she will be giving away other books on the blog tour for her newest book. Check out her blog here. Thanks for participating!

Toughin' It on the Treadmill + Tommie Copper Review

2012-01-15T20:42:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I wrote about the ~~straight up bribe~~ little deal I'd made with myself to get my lazy butt back on track. If I completed my planned workouts for the week, I got to buy myself some new "presents" (i.e. workout gear). Well, I did it--and placed my amazon order! ;) I made it through my planned 7 miles on the treadmill this morning. I know, I know. I swore that this winter I would persevere through the cold and ice and get those long runs done on the roads. Buuut between several inches of snow that froze over to ice and some freezing winds, the treadmill won out today. Oh well!

The good news is that despite some lingering tightness in my hips lately, my legs felt pretty much okay on this run! That's always a pleasant surprise for injury-prone me. The bad news is that I was dragging the ENTIRE TIME. I don't know what it was, but I was just exhausted on this run! Oh well, I made it through! I owe a big thanks to Running the Sahara, an amazing movie I re-watched during the run. It's not quite as inspirational as Hood to Coast or Spirit of the Marathon, but it's still pretty darn awesome.

source

When I got back up to my apartment I was so exhausted that I promptly collapsed on the floor in a pile of my running gear:

Besides Running the Sahara, another thing that helped me on my run today was a brand new pair of Tommie Copper compression sleeves! I am so excited that I have the opportunity to try out and review this cool product. Y'all know my affinity for compression wear--I mean, recovery socks are featured in my blog header for goodness sake. Anyways, when I heard about Tommie Copper I knew it was definitely something I needed to try out. The folks at Tommie Copper were kind enough to send me a pair of calf compression sleeves and a pair of knee compression sleeves. While I fell in love with calf compression wear last year, knee sleeves are something I'd never tried before. (Tommie Copper makes a whole bunch of different compression products in addition to the ones I tried, including sleeves for ebows and ankles, gloves, and even compression shirts.)

Here's what Tommie Copper has to say about their products:
This unique compression uses multi-directional support and proprietary copper-infused yarn to provide relief from arthritis and other joint pains, promote muscle recovery and reduce inflammation all while being comfortable enough to be worn throughout the entire day.
The most important thing to remember is that compression products are only beneficial when they are being worn. If they are uncomfortable, bulky and can only be worn for short periods of time, they will not be very effective. That is why all Tommie Copper products are manufactured using a proprietary compression fabric combined with copper infused yarn that by design is so comfortable you may forget you are wearing it.

When I first opened the package and took out my new sleeves, I was so surprised--they weren't at all what I'd expected! I know the website said they were comfortable, but the word "copper" kept making me envision something thick and...I don't know, metallic-y maybe. That couldn't be further from the truth! The sleeves are super thin and have a silky feel--way different from my CEP sleeves and Recovery Socks. I loved the smooth feel of the fabric, and the sleeves were so thin that they were easy to fit under a pair of skinny jeans. (Not that skinny jeans have ever stood between me and my compression sleeves before, but I didn't have to YANK my jeans over them with the Tommie Copper sleeves the way I do with my thicker sleeves!) I will definitely rock these sleeves under my jeans or even under my dress pants at school. They are for sure comfortable enough for everyday wear!

I wore the calf sleeves on my run this morning, and I loved the feel. My calves felt great the whole time, and I could barely tell I was wearing the sleeves! Double win. I think they would be especially fantastic for a hot summer run. One thing that surprised me was that the sleeves don't have the same *super tight* feeling as some of my other sleeves. At first I worried that they wouldn't be as effective because of this, but since I didn't feel any calf tightness after my run, I'm thinking they did their job! After the run, I pulled on the knee sleeves--and if that's not classy enough already, I layered my recovery socks over them...beautiful, no?

I don't have any joint issues when it comes to my knees (knock on wood!), but have been dealing with IT band issues on and off for the past year. I know that knee pain is just a symptom of ITBS, but I figured that a little knee compression couldn't hurt! I hung out in these all day, and my knees feel great too (although I don't know if the sleeves worked any miracle there, or my knees were just in a good place today).

My only complaint is that after wearing the knee sleeves all day, the elastic at the top of the sleeves was a little uncomfortable. To keep both the calf and knee sleeves in place, there is a band of "grippy" elastic (<--technical term...). While my sleeves fit fine, that part felt a little tight and uncomfortable on my thighs after several hours of wear. I didn't notice this with the calf sleeves as all, and I'm wondering if my skin was already a little sensitive there after wearing my IT band straps on my run. Either way, it's not enough to make me ditch the sleeves. I will probably wear the calf sleeves for both running and recovery, and the knee sleeves just for recovery. In my opinion, these are great products all-around, and I look forward to wearing them plenty more in the future (and hopefully reaping some of these magical copper benefits)!

Thanks again to Tommie Copper for giving me the opportunity to check out their products!

Straight Up Bribery

2012-01-14T18:16:00.003-06:00

As teacher's we learn in our education classes that it's important to intrinsically motivate students, to teach them to want to do the right thing without dangling carrots over their heads because that's what real life is like. I'll admit it, I try my very VERY best to use intrinsic motivation in the classroom more often, but let's be real: sometimes carrots help.

Last week was one of my laziest weeks in terms of fitness in a long LONG time. During the entire week I did make it to two yoga classes, but other than a pitiful 2.5 mile "run," that was about it! I decided that I was going to get back on the wagon this week, and just to make sure I didn't back out, I thought a little bribery might be in order...So, I planned out my workouts...

...and perused my ever-ongoing Amazon Wishlist for a few fitness related items that I've been wanting...

...then posted a little "motivation" reminder by my desk:

The deal is that if I complete every planned workout, I can buy myself new goggles, bike gloves, and a new swim cap (actually 2 new ones--I'm having the toughest time fitting my BUNCHES of long, thick hair into a cap. I have a silicone one, but am planning on buying a latex cap and a silicone "long hair" cap in the hopes that one of those works a little better!). Can you tell I've got triathlons on the brain?? :)

Anyways, it's Saturday and so far has worked like a charm! This little deal is the ONLY thing that got me to pull myself off the couch and out of a delightful nap yesterday afternoon and got me to the gym for a treadmill run and vinyasa yoga class. It's also what got me out of my COZY bed this morning and to the pool. I'm also pretty confident it's going to be a big part of what gets me through a 7 mile dreadmill run tomorrow--between freezing wind and a bunch of snow, I'm thinking the treadmill is going to be the lesser of two evils...

I for sure can't afford to buy myself little "presents" every time I make it through a week of workouts, but it's something to keep in mind for when I'm lacking a little motivation!!

Do you ever "bribe" yourself to workout, etc.?

Okay, I need your help. Movie/TV recommendations to watch on netflix instant on my phone while on the treadmill tomorrow? I already watched Spirit of the Marathon this week... :)

Take a deep breath.

2012-01-11T20:31:00.000-06:00

The past two days at school have kinda sucked. Let's just say the pressure is on like whoa to get our kiddos ready for state testing, and I've basically been feeling like I'm carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders these days. I'll get into the gritty details another time, but to make a long story short after school today I was kind of losing it...so I'm making my mission tonight to relax, get some rest, and go to school calm and energized tomorrow--just in time for a marathon afternoon/evening of parent conferences.

Of course a truly relaxing evening involves my favorite things...

Way more chocolate than pictured here...

Mani/pedi followed immediately by a glass of wine :)

And last but not least, before I curl up on my couch in the fetal position watching Glee, a reminder courtesy of Pinterest...

Yes.

Beginners Guide to Falling in Love with Yoga

2012-01-09T19:33:00.000-06:00

Reminder: Make sure you check out my anti-bullying picture book review & giveaway!

The first time I tried yoga, it was with a VHS (yes.) of relaxation yoga. I was crammed into an 8 ft x 4 ft space in the living room of the family I babysat for. My little kiddo was napping and I was getting bored, so I popped in one of his mom's yoga tapes. I loved it, but mostly because my lazy self loved any "exercise" that mostly involved breathing, gentle stretching, or laying on the floor. For quite awhile, I thought that was all yoga was. This past year, I realized I was so very wrong and fell completely head over heels in love with yoga.

It turns out, like most fitness activities, there are MANY levels and styles to yoga. My brief introduction had been to basic relaxation yoga, but that's really just the beginning. Two of the most common styles of yoga (at least that I'm familiar with--remember, I'm no expert!) are hatha and vinyasa, variations on these being things like bikram/hot yoga and ashtanga yoga. My absolute favorite is vinyasa yoga, which flows with the breath through series of poses(vinyasas or "flows") stemming from the traditional Sun Salutation. You might think it would get boring going through the same series of poses over and over, but there are about a billion and a half variations on the sun salutation. It starts simple, but you can add in many different, challenging poses to flows that greatly increase the difficulty of practice. Hatha yoga typically involves holding traditional poses with less "flow" than vinyasa. (I made the mistake of going to an ashtanga class once when I was just starting out...I was sore for like four days. After consistent practice for the past several months, I think I *might* be ready to try it again, but that is for sure a challenging class!) I love vinyasa yoga best because it is fast paced (I get antsy with anything too slow!!), a great strength workout for your whole body (I can see a noticeable difference in my shoulders and arms since I started consistently doing yoga!), and an amazing stretch.

I was super intimidated when I first started taking yoga classes, but the great thing is that almost all of them are multi-level. That means instructors will provide variations throughout the class that give you a chance to modify or challenge yourself. If you get lost or have a hard time during your first class, don't worry!! It happens to absolutely everyone. Give yourself permission to take lots of breaks in child's pose, permission to lose your balance and fall (more than once), and come back for another class. You will be absolutely amazed at how quickly your body adapts and how you are able to do more and more challenging poses with less and less difficulty.

Child's Pose (source)

If you are new to yoga and interested in trying it out, dvds, podcasts, and online videos are a great place to start! I know Comcast also has some on demand yoga workouts, and hulu plus and netflix both have a few. Also, most gyms or yoga studios will let you do a free trial if you're curious and would like to try out a class. I actually learned a lot of basic yoga poses on my parents' Wii Fit! Practicing individual poses at home was a great way to get comfortable with them outside of yoga class so that when I was at class I could better follow along with the flows. Another great way to familiarize yourself with poses is youtube! I actually plan to look for a video on youtube of an arm balance pose I was struggling with tonight when I finish writing this post. (Some good poses for beginners: downward dog, cobra, warrior 1, warrior 2, triangle pose, tree pose [<--my FAVORITE], and the Sun Salutation sequence.)

Triangle Pose

Forgive me for this terrible photo. You have no idea how long it took me to even get this passably decent one. Taking pictures of yourself in yoga poses ain't easy when you live alone, yo!

Another nice thing about yoga is that you need almost no gear to practice. Most gyms/studios will provide mats and props, but trust me when I say that if you have ANY interest in doing yoga you should treat yourself to a mat. I am DRIPPING with sweat after most vinyasa and hot yoga classes, and there is NO WAY I'd want to lay my face flat on a mat covered with someone else's old sweat...and foot germs...gross. The good news is that you can pick a pretty mat up at target for a reasonable price. That's about it! No fancy shoes or random gadgets, maybe just a block and strap if you need the help of props, but like I said most classes will provide those.

If one of your new year's resolutions is to try a new type of cross training, give yoga a shot! I hope you love it as much as I do!

Picture Book Review & Giveaway!

2012-01-08T19:32:00.002-06:00

I'm excited to have the opportunity to review the book Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun: Having the Courage to Be Who You Are by Maria Dismondy, illustrated by Kimberly Shaw-Peterson. Dismondy has this award-winning picture book and others, all focusing on the important messages of being yourself and standing up for what's right. Read more about Dismondy and her books here.

I think I loved this book at first sight, partly because I am passionate about peace and acceptance in the classroom (I even did my senior research project in college about building peace in the classroom), but also because the main character, Lucy, eats weird food and has out-of-control curly hair. Sounds like a certain teacher-runner I know...(thank goodness for my CHI straightening iron...)

Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun is a sweet story about a little girl named Lucy whose grandfather teaches her that while everyone is different on the outside, we all have a heart and feelings on the inside. Lucy is teased at school by a boy in her class, Ralph, for having poofy hair like a poodle and for eating spaghetti in a (you guessed it) hot dog bun for lunch. One day, when Ralph gets himself stuck on the monkey bars, Lucy sees her opportunity to tease him right back, but, realizing how scared he is, she helps him instead.

Both Lucy and Ralph learn an important lesson in this book, and it would make the perfect read aloud in an elementary classroom to set the tone for the year, introduce conflict resolution strategies, or stop a bullying problem before it gets out of hand. The story is simple and easy to understand, and the pictures are beautiful and full of color. This picture book would best suit primary grade-aged kiddos. A follow up activity in a first or second grade classroom might be for the kids to draw a picture and write a sentence about what makes them special and different from others, like Lucy is different because of her favorite foods and hair. Even if you're not a teacher, this would be a great family read aloud and discuss starter!

Now, the best part--Maria Dismondy was kind enough to provide me with TWO copies of Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun, so I am giving one signed copy away to a reader!

Yikes! Sorry about the awful glare!

To enter to win your very own copy of this special picture book, simply leave a comment below telling me why you'd like to win or what you'd like to do with this book. Are you hoping to share it with your children? Read it as part of a bullying lesson in your classroom? I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas! This giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, January 15th. I will choose a winner using random.org and will post the winner the following morning. Thanks for entering, and be sure to stop by Maria Dismondy's website!

Disclaimer: I was provided with one copy of the book to review and one to giveaway. I was not asked to provide a specific opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this post are my own.

Thank You! The Versatile Blogger Award

2012-01-08T12:04:00.002-06:00

A big THANK YOU to the following people for naming me a Versatile Blogger!!!

Literacy Teacher @ Reading Really Rocks

Meghan @ Third Grade in the First State

Beth Ann @ Taming My Flock of Firsties

Jennyfer @ The Accidental Teacher, Mom, Runner

Jordan @ Life is Better Messy Anyways (sorry it took me so long, Jordan!)

Heather @ Loose Shoelaces

Kate @ To the Square Inch

Sorry if I skipped anyone! Thanks ladies! You are too sweet. :)

(Now go check out all of those awesome blogs!)

The Rules: Share seven things about yourself.

1. I hate cooking but LOVE watching cooking shoes, especially any that involve a competition: Top Chef, Chopped, Throwdown, Next Food Network Star, you name it...

2. When I'm stressed, I like to organize everything in sight. Sometimes when I'm not stressed too...I'm notorious with my custodian for rearranging the furniture in my classroom several times a year!

3. I love post-its, pens, and paper. (But really, what teacher doesn't?)

4. I'm a vegetarian and tried being a vegan for 30 days in October. It was way easier than I thought, but a gigantic pain anytime I traveled, went out with friends, or was a guest at someone else's house. So for now, I'm just a regular old veggie still...although I'd like to try another 30 day trial sometime soon.

5. I feel like I have learned more random knowledge about history, science, and the world in general from teaching 5th grade than in my 17+ years as a student combined. I like to throw random "5th grade facts" into conversation sometimes, my favorite being how rattlesnake fangs fold back on hinges when they close their mouths! (Come on, how awesome is that??)

6. In real life I am 24, but I put the old in old soul and feel like my personality is at least that of a 35 year old.

7. Last but DEFINITELY not least, I am about to be an aunt for the first time!!! My wonderful Older Brother and Sis-in-law are expecting their first baby any day now! I. cannot. wait.

I'm supposed to pass this award onto 15 newly discovered blogs. I will do my best! I know several of these have already received the award, so sorry to double up! (Oh, and some are not exactly newly discovered for me, but I love them anyways and wanted to share...I break the rules like that...)

Stop by them all anyways to check them out because these ladies are FAB-U-LOUS!

AJH @ Age Groups Rock

Michelle @ Carpenter's Corner

Kiley @ Daily Vitamin F

Steph @ Run for Fun

Kim @ Finding JOY in 6th Grade

Megan @ Fit Crafty English Teacher

Vanessa @ Gourmet Runner

Barbara @ My Running Shortz

Kate @ To The Square Inch

Marisa @ The Pace of my Life

Christy @ My Dirt Road Anthem

Claire @ The Country Mouse Tales

Stephanie @ Teaching in Room 6

Mrs. Kennedy @ Reading is Thinking

Running Music: When you just need a song to keep ya goin'

2012-01-06T17:51:00.000-06:00

I used to listen to music on every single run, but after my ipod died on a run last spring, I discovered how amazing a quiet run can be. I find myself focusing on my breath, my pace, random worries and problems, prayers, or good mantras. But I won't deny it, there are times when music really is necessary to make it through. I bring music on almost all of my long runs. Here are some of my absolute favorite running songs that, without fail, can get me through even the toughest miles.

10. Dynamite by Taio Cruz (This one probably would have been higher up on the list over the summer, but since it's my morning "pump up" song in the classroom, I've been getting a little sick of it these days! Still a great song for running though!)

9. Price Tag by Jessie J: I just really love this song and it always puts me in a good mood. Sometimes I need a true pump up song when running, but sometimes I just need a song to put a smile on my face. This is one of those songs. I swear, as soon as I hear it I want to break into a dance party.

8. Born This Way by Lady Gaga: Great beat AND great message? Yes please! "I'm beautiful in my way cause God makes no mistakes, I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way. Don't hide yourself in regret, just love yourself and you're set, I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way."

7. Dog Days are Over by Florence + the Machine: "Run fast for your mother run fast for your father, Run for your children for your sisters and brothers, Leave all your love and your longing behind you, Can't carry it with you if you want to survive..." DUH! Amazing, right?

6. ET by Katy Perry: Love the beat on this one, plain and simple!

5. One Day by Matisyahu: Fell in love with this song during the Vancouver Olympics a few years ago. "Sometimes in my tears I drown, but I never let it get me down, so when negativity surrounds I know some day it'll all turn around...one day.." This is the perfect for a post-injury run--a great reminder that while you're not where you once were, you'll get there soon.

4. Lose Yourself by Eminem: This one is totally a throw back to high school...Don't worry, I still know every word and sometimes like to rock out in my off-key voice while on the trails alone.

3. All These Things That I've Done by The Killers: Absolutely love the end of this song when it just repeats over and over again, "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier." Amazing!

2. Firework by Katy Perry: "Cause baby you're a firework, come on, show 'em what you're worth, make 'em go oh, oh, oh, as you shoot across the sky..." YES. Come on. When you're about to quit, tell me that THAT won't get you to push on for another mile (at least)!

1. Till I Collapse by Eminem: This is the ultimate pump up song. I swear, awhile back I would listen to this song before and about 5 times during every run. "'Cause sometimes you just feel tired, feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up. But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength and just pull that shit out of you and get that motivation to not give up." SO. GOOD.

So, I'm dying to know...
Do you run with music or without?

What are some of your your go-to running songs?

Zipfizz Review

2012-01-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

I recently had the opportunity to review Zipfizz energy drink. Zipfizz is a powdered energy drink mix packaged in single serving tubes. It is low calorie, caffeinated, and chock full of vitamins and electrolytes. From the company's website:

Zipfizz is an all-natural, great tasting energy drink-mix powder that delivers a powerful charge of micronutrients to the body's fuel system. It contains no ephedra or other artificial stimulants. Most
people experience an immediate, revitalizing burst of energy after taking Zipfizz. Zipfizz is healthy energy in a tube! Give your body a rush of vitamins, minerals and key amino acids to protect the immune system. Zipfizz has created an advanced formula that provides a significant amount of vitamins, fewer calories, lower carbohydrates, superior taste, variety and unique packaging! Simply put, it's different because it's good for you!

Zipfizz sent me this cute sample package:

I learned VERY quickly not to get overzealous with the water bottle shaking! Cut to me exploding Zipfizz all over my classroom...at least it was before school! :)

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this product. I tried it a few times before school in the morning and once before a cross training workout when I was really dragging. I did feel energized, but I don't know if I'd go so far to say that I felt a BURST of energy. Of course, I definitely didn't feel a crash afterwards so that's a plus! I've read a few reviews from runners who tried it before a run and noticed an improved speed. I haven't tried this yet, but plan to use one of my last tubes for this purpose.

Things I liked:

The mix dissolves super quickly! I hate when drink mixes have chunks--ugh. Thankfully I learned there is actually minimal shaking required. ;)
The powder tubes are convenient to throw in a purse or keep in my desk
I enjoyed the light carbonation in the drink.

Things I didn't like:

I found most of the flavors just too sweet. The pink lemonade was pretty good, but the berry was WAY too sweet. I'm not a big fan of super strong/sweet flavors in drinks most of the time. I guess I could have tried using less mix in the water bottle...
Maybe it's just me, but I noticed a weird aftertaste that I wasn't crazy about...a definite negative in my book.

Final thoughts? Good, but not my favorite. I'll try it again for sure, but so far I think I prefer coffee or nuun. :)

Disclaimer: Zipfizz sent me the sample package pictured above to review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Back to School, Back to School...

2012-01-03T19:05:00.003-06:00

Happy Tuesday! To those of you teachers who are still off...well, I'm jealous. :) I have to say that I loved my two weeks off. This break was hands down the laziest break of my teaching career, if not my life. Several pajama days. :) I have to tell you that I was completely dreading going back to school today. You know how Mondays have been pretty rotten in my classroom this year? Well I figured that the Monday after a two week break would be just that much more rotten...I'm happy to say I was wrong!

To convince myself to leave my warm cozy bed and pjs at an ungodly hour, I made myself a sinfully delicious bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter, brown sugar, and a spoonful of mini-chocolate chips...every bite was ah.maz.ing. Seriously, I know this bowl was just LOADED with sugar and wasn't exactly the healthiest start to the day, but it was good for my soul (and probably still a healthier choice than a big starbucks muffin!).

I made it to school super early to prep for the week and get my brain back in Teacher Mode (nothing worse than scrambling on a Monday morning, except maybe scrambling on a Monday after a break!). My kiddos, miraculously, weren't too crazy and our day went relatively smoothly! (Except for when I told them a little white lie that lunch recess was going to be cancelled...my "hook" into a new unit on persuasive writing, more to come on this soon!) Everything went smoothly, that is, until I BANGED my knee on the corner of a low cabinet in my classroom this afternoon. My god. That one stung...actually, it is still REALLY sore. This job is just plain dangerous sometimes! Anyways, I nixed my plans for a treadmill run and came home to, believe it or not, cook myself dinner. Shocked? I am too.

Three "pots" (well, 2 and a blender), 20 minutes, and the easiest dinner ever was done! I had quinoa with (frozen) sitrfry vegetables smothered in mmmm sauce (find the recipe at mamapea's here!). Easy, yummy, and vegan!

Now, faced with a rare free evening, I'm putting up my feet, icing my swollen knee, and watching my newest guilty pleasure, Breaking Bad. Have you watched that show before? Holy intensely awesome. Thank you, Netflix instant!!

Teachers, how was your first day back?

What's your favorite quick-cook meal?

2011 Reflections &2012 Resolutions

2012-01-01T16:02:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

I love New Year's Resolutions. I know they're kind of silly, but I am all about the whole clean slate feel at the beginning of a new year. Last year I tried to make "SMART" resolutions instead of the general ones I've always made in the past like "Take better care of myself" and "spend more time with friends"...you get the idea. Here are last year's resolutions and how I did with keeping them:

2011 Resolutions Review

School Goals

Research grad school programs and select a Reading Specialist Masters program that works for me, both financially and logistically; DONE! I applied for and was accepted into a reading masters cohort this fall. It starts in February. Although I have NO idea how I'm going to fit another thing into my busy schedule, I'm going to at least START and see how it goes...
Make time for Read Aloud in my classroom at least 4 days a week, if only for 5 minutes; DONE! This year I built 10 minutes into my schedule every day to read aloud to the kiddos. Hands down, it is my favorite part of the day.
Spend no more than 1 night per week at school until 6 (at the latest!); DONE! I stay until 6 Tuesdays, but I made commitments for myself Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday (tutoring, yoga, tutoring) to get myself outta there! Of course, once grad school starts I won't even be able to stay late on Tuesdays...oh gosh...
Use a formative assessment strategy like Exit Slips at least once a week; In Progress...My team and I are TRYING to do a weekly exit slip in literacy, but I'd really like to use them more frequently in math and science too...

Fitness Goals

Continue following and complete Hal Higdon's 1/2 Marathon Novice training plan, and subsequently complete the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon; DONE!

Being a Grown-Up & Living a Happy Life Goals

Set aside at least 1/2 an hour every single day just for myself, and use this time for reading, exercise, or just relaxing with some music; DONE! I typically spend at least 1/2 hour a day reading or working out. So important!
Develop a budget, and stick to it! NOT EVEN CLOSE! This is definitely a goal for 2012...
Find & move into an apartment that I love and can reasonably afford; DONE! Love my little apartment!
Cook a healthy meal for myself at least once a week (and by cook I mean actually prepare, not just assemble on a plate. And no, oatmeal doesn't count... :-/ ) NOT EVEN CLOSE! Another goal for 2012...
Take my vitamins every day :) Mostly Done! I was doing really good for awhile, but fell off the wagon recently...oops!

source: postsecret.com

2012 Resolutions

Figure out a schedule to help maintain balance in my life and keep up with my training schedule even after I've started my masters program...this may involve a 4am run Tuesday mornings... :-/
Religiously foam roll my IT bands and don't get any new injuries... (Fingers Crossed!!)
Set a half-marathon PR
Run a sub-30 minute 5K. (This is a lofty goal!!! I think I can do it though!)
Try a sprint tri this summer!
Try out being vegan again for another 30 days.
Spend time on weekends from time to time preparing meals for the week.
Create a budget...help please, Dad!!!
Finish decorating my apartment! (almost there!)
Use exit slips in math and literacy once a week (each).
Keep a "just for fun" book in progress at all times to help me keep my sanity.

What are your resolutions for 2012?

New Years Resolutions--love 'em or hate 'em?

Goodbye, 2011!

2011-12-31T15:59:00.000-06:00

Long Run = Perfect end to the year...

It's been quite the year. Wishing you a safe and happy new year's eve, whether you're going out on the town or curling up on the couch with a movie and a friend like me, and a blessed start to 2012!

Race Junkie

2011-12-30T11:42:00.000-06:00

I already talked about a few 2011 races in my 11 in '11 post the other day, but I felt it was necessary to dedicate a post just to my 2011 races, since I ended up running 12 of them!!! Granted, they were mostly 5Ks (after my summer of injury and a summer half-marathon-that-wasn't, I went 5K CRAZY to fill the distance racing void!), but there were a lot of good ones.

Weirdest Venue: Definitely the 5K my friend Katy and I ran through a corn maze! This one was fun, but I don't think I need to run another corn maze race...holy sharp turns! Sorry, ankles...

Most Bizarre Theme: Hands down, this was the squirrel-themed 15K Lauren and I ran in June. That was also probably one of the prettiest races I've run--a total small-town race, it was on a running trail through fields and farms. Loved it! Loved running with Lauren too! (This race should also get an award for best outfit. Lauren and I not only had matching tank tops and glittering tiaras, but also had inspirational messages on our backs. LOVE.)

Dig Deep to the Finish: This was for sure the Trick or Treat Trot 10K. My IT bands tightened up like CRAZY, the wind was blowing, and it was cold. I still finished and with a faster-than-expected time too!

Sorry, no pics of this race!

Most Emotional: Is anyone else an emotional runner?? During a tough run, I could cry at any given moment, and not just tears of pain! This award goes to the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon. I think I cried like 100 times during this race, mostly from the "In Memory" pictures and sayings on the back of people's shirts!

Can you tell I'm an emotional basket case in this picture? I'm about to either collapse or burst into tears. Thanks for spectating, Older Brother!

Cutest Race Ever: This one definitely goes to the Girls on the Run 5K. Tiaras, pink, cute medals, and running the whole thing with a 10 year old? Yes please.

Obv this isn't the 10 year old I ran with--it's one of my lovely co-coaches, Melinda!

"Holy #&^% my @*& is FROZEN!": Oh gosh. For sure the Cross Country Challenge 5-mile run Katy and I did. Umm no one told us that we'd need to wade through a freezing RIVER! (Okay, it was a stream, but come on.)

Proudest Moment: While I am super proud that I finally dragged myself through a half-marathon, I think this one goes to my 5K PR in May, mostly because I remember how strong I felt the last mile, and looking down at the "average pace" on my garmin and realizing I'd be able to finish faster than I'd even hoped. Love finishes like that!

Muddiest Race: Duh, Atlanta Muddy Buddy! Loved racing this silly race with College Roomie. (Cross Country Challenge is a VERY close second...)

Best Overall Race: This had to be the Chicago Lung Run 5K. I just loved this race for a number of reasons: perfect weather, wonderful running buddy, gorgeous scenery (love the Chicago lake front path!), felt great the whole time, AMAZING post-race swag including cupcakes...oh, and it was my first race back after an injury-filled summer. BLISS. (Confession: I totally almost peed my pants while pushing to the finish at this race...please tell me I'm not alone in this one! I'm sure the ONLY reason I was able to hold it in was because my teacher bladder is so well trained to HOLD IT! TMI??? Sorry...)

Breakdown:

5Ks: 6

5 miles: 2

10Ks: 1

15Ks: 1

1/2 Marathon: 1

Muddy Buddy: 1 :)

Total: 12

Race Plans for 2012:

4/28/12 Kentucky Derby Half-Marathon

5/26/12 Soldier Field 10-Mile

7/29/12 Iron Girl Sprint Triathlon

11/25/12 Space Coast Half-Marathon

What was your craziest/weirdest/hardest/proudest/fill in the blank race of this year?

What are your race plans for 2012?

Come on, be honest...have you ever peed your tempo shorts (or ALMOST) while racing?

Author's Purpose (+ a vlog!)

2011-12-29T09:07:00.000-06:00

Author's Purpose is one of those things that I think should be so gosh darn clear and easy, but that many of my kiddos still struggle with. This year when I taught it, I added in some hand gestures and chants to help the ideas "stick" in their heads. While my results still weren't 100% successful, the majority of my class really got it. First, I started by telling a story about my crazy muddy trail (or any other humorous story). Afterward, I asked the kids if I told them that story because I was trying to teach them something. Hopefully they are all in agreement that no, that was not why I told it! Then I ask if I was trying to convince them to think or do something. Nope! I share with them that I just told them that story because it was fun and I wanted to share it with them. Then I share the author's purpose PIE anchor chart:

I keep it mostly blank at the beginning, and we add in different examples of each text as we discuss them. Then, I teach the hand gestures for each purpose. For that, I made this little video! Okay, PUHLEASE don't make fun of me...I've never made a video for my blog before, but I couldn't think of any other way to share the hand gestures with you! Here goes nothing...

I totally slipped into a "teacher voice" during that...I swear, it's involuntary. Okay, you can stop laughing now. Seriously. I practice those gestures with the kids at least a couple times the first day and then throughout the week. I heard once that in order to really cement something into the kids' long term memory, you have to review it once within 10 minutes, again within 24 hours, and again within 7 days. 10/24/7, MINIMUM. Finally, after we've practiced the gestures, I share a bunch of articles I've pulled from kid-friendly magazines. I'll just show it around, and then will read the beginning. Kids will think about it, and then will respond with the gesture that matches the correct purpose. After some practice with THAT, the kiddos break up into groups and work together to identify the purpose of another article.

After this introductory lesson, throughout the week in shared reading we read a variety of texts and, in addition to practicing other comprehension skills, work together to find the author's purpose.

Do you use hand gestures to teach in your classroom? I never did before this year, but our school is really working this year to boost engagement and hand gestures are an easy way to hook kids into lessons and then to help them really remember the content.

Any tips for teaching Author's Purpose?

11 in '11

2011-12-28T16:40:00.000-06:00

I'm excited to be linking up with teacher blogger Hadar @ Miss Kindergarten to share some of my favorites from 2011! Here we go!

11. Favorite movie you watched: I really can't remember all the movies I saw/watched in 2011, but I did love The Help. Loved reading the book too!

Harry Potter 7 Part 2 was also amazing...read about my love affair with Harry Potter here. :)

10. Favorite TV series: I have a bunch of favorite TV series, but the new one I discovered in 2011 that I totally fell in love with is Glee. I think I watched the first two seasons in about two weeks in May...needless to say, I didn't get a whole lot else done!

9. Favorite restaurant: I don't know if I have a favorite restaurant from this year, but the one I go to most is definitely Panera! Not the most exciting, but in my opinion you just can't beat the tomato mozz panini & side salad combo. YUM!

8. Favorite new thing you tried: YOGA!!! I had dabbled in yoga in college and gone to a few classes in 2010, but I really fell in love with vinyasa and hot yoga about five months ago. I started going to 1 or 2 classes a week and have kept it up ever since. I love the good stretch, the strengthening workout, and how quickly you can see an improvement with a consistent practice. LOVE it.

In very close second, third, and fourth place, other new things I tried this year were coaching Girls on the Run, being a vegan, and of course foam rolling. :) Guess it was a year of trying new things!

7. Favorite gift you got: This year for Christmas my parents registered me for the Soldier Field 10-Mile Run. I was thrilled! The race isn't until Memorial Day weekend, but I'm excited.

6. Favorite thing you pinned: OMG how can I pick just one??

^Most useful (source) I keep copies of this in my sub binder for subs to fill out.

Other favorites... :)

5. Favorite blog post: Here are links to a few of my favorites...

Teaching Posts:

12 Tips for Surviving Your First Year Teaching (& Beyond!)

10 Fail-Proof Ways to Build Relationships with Your Students

Running/Life Posts:

This is IT

Choices: On Choosing to be Happy

Running Makes me Love My Body

Other Silliness:
Snake Terror 2011

4. Best accomplishment: Surprising myself over and over again as I ran distances I'd never even dreamed of before while training for my first half-marathon last February. Unfortunately due to injury it was my only half-marathon for the year, but I look forward to going for a PR in spring!

Still smiling after a very sweaty 10 miles in July...

3. Favorite picture: College Roomie and I after finishing the Atlanta Muddy Buddy!

2. Favorite memory: How can I choose a favorite memory for the whole year?? I'm going to go with crossing the finish line at the Disney Princess half marathon with my Dad and Brother there cheering me on. :)

1. Goals for 2012: Start grad school, PR in a half-marathon, sub-30 5K, and try a tri :)

Dos & Don'ts for a Wonderful Winter Break

2011-12-27T15:29:00.000-06:00

1. DON'T open that bag of school work, at least until the last hours of break.

2. DO let yourself get caught up in a pretty great book. Feel free to ignore anything and anyone that has the audacity to try to interrupt your reading.

LOVED this book! (source)

3. DON'T think about the calories.

4. DO take on a craft project...

(Finally attempting to fill some of the white walls in my apartment!)

5. DON'T be afraid to skip a workout or two in favor of things like shopping, family time, or just laying around on the couch watching Mad Men..

source

6. DO still make time for running, even in cold, winds, or on Christmas morning.

Bundle up!

7. DON'T feel obligated to change out of your pajamas at a reasonable hour. (Let's be real, I was in mine until 2 today...)

8. DO surprise yourself. Like I did today by running what I'd planed to be an easy 3 miles in under 30 minutes, a personal record for me!

9. DON'T take down your Christmas tree too early.

(Even if it's miniature and undecorated like mine!)

10. DO watch plenty of Christmas movies, preferably childhood favorites.

Can't beat original Disney Christmas cartoons...

11. DO indulge.

12. DO spend every waking minute that you aren't on the couch watching Mad Men with friends and family.

Yes, our scarves are all tied the same way...we may have just looked at a Pin to learn a new way of tying them...I know, we are the coolest...

What are your Dos and Don'ts for Winter Break? (Or just for the holiday season if you don't get a winter break!)

Pin There, Done That!

2011-12-20T12:53:00.002-06:00

First off, I am borrowing the title for today's post from Megan at Fit Crafty English Teacher. Megan has shared a few of her Pinterest projects on her blog recently, and since I FINALLY made one of the many DIY projects I've pinned on Pinterest, I thought I should probably share it! 2 or so years ago, before the days of Pinterest, I decided I wanted to make a framed pin board for my bedroom to hold and display jewelry. Since I'm not the craftiest, this idea did exactly what most of my grand ideas do--stayed an idea. Once I discovered Pinterest over the summer, though, I remembered this project when I saw a bunch of different examples of jewelry boards during my hours spent browsing pins...Like these:

source

None of the frames I saw were EXACTLY what I wanted, but they got my wheels turning with ideas of my own. So, what's an un-crafty girl to do with an idea? You guessed it: share it with mommy and daddy. Yup, I showed my pins to my parents and explained what I wanted to do. Thankfully, I have parents who love projects! My dad found an ugly GOLD frame in the back of our basement that he stained to have a pretty brown-gold antique look. I bought a yard of fabric, some batting, and some cork. Mom and I wrapped the cork board in batting and fabric, and I had my very first experience using a staple gun to secure it down. Next was the lace fiasco...I decided I wanted to attach lace to the board like the top picture so that I could hang earrings from it. Only problem was that all of the lace I found at the fabric store was too delicate. Mom produced a yard or so of bright blue lace from one of her many crafting drawers, and we proceeded to soak it in bleach and then tea to take the color out and give it a pretty cream color.

Before & After:

Mom sewed the lace onto the fabric by hand and dad secured it all inside the frame, and voila! The finished product:

I hung the necklaces and bracelets from pearl-topped straight pins (like the kind for boutineers), which you can get at any fabric store. Earrings are hung from the lace. I love the way it turned out! Once we finally finished, Dad commented that the whole project went down like something of a relay with all of us working on different parts, and that none of us could have made the whole thing on our own. I feel though that my contributions ended up being pretty minimal in the end...Thank goodness for crafty parents!

Hi, Winter Break...I've missed you. :)

2011-12-19T20:22:00.000-06:00

First, a moment of silence for all of the poor teachers and students who have another day of school tomorrow... You have my deepest sympathies. Thankfully, we ended school Friday. (And not a moment too soon!) After my 6 mile run Saturday morning, I proceeded to spend pretty much the rest of the weekend laying on the couch and eating cookies. You know, to make up for the physical activity. :) But seriously, yesterday one of the girls from my book club hosted a crazy awesome cookie party with her sisters. You may have been to a cookie party before, but this was no ordinary run of the mill cookie party...not only was there a theme and craft tables, but it had a cookie contest! Guests sampled each cookie and voted for their favorites. This was no easy feat!

(And this was only the beginning...)

Our other book club member and I tried to taste all of the cookies, but half-way through I was about ready to curl up on the couch and fall into a sugar coma! We managed to push through, though, all in the name of Christmas and cookies!

My black bottom cupcakes didn't win a prize, but Book Club Friend's butterscotch "Woosie" bars did! YUM! You'd think I'd be all cookied out after that day, but today my mom and I baked even more cookies...I have no pictures because we were way too hard core to be bothered with documenting the baking process...I think we prepared 6 different doughs, although we only baked 3 today...after finishing those, we were both ready for a break and a nap!

Don't worry, a midst the cookie madness I did manage to squeeze in a workout. My dad came over last week and set my road bike up on an indoor bike trainer so I can ride indoors this winter. (In other words, if I am too lazy to drag myself to the gym AND too lazy to drag myself down to the fitness center in my complex that is mere steps from the lobby of my building, I really and truly have no excuse for working out this winter.) We had the trainer set up at my parents' last year in the back of my dad's basement work room, and riding it back there was more boring than watching paint dry...At least at my apartment there's really no other place to put the bike but smack in the middle of my living/dining room, which means I can watch tv or CHRISTMAS MOVIES! It's still boring, but much more tolerable.

^That little upside down bin is a make shift step stool because I can't get on my bike without tilting it...

CHRISTMAS MOVIES!

What's your favorite Christmas cookie? My favorites are peppermint candy cane cookies and ice box cookies. YUM!

Favorite Christmas movie? Tough one! Well, I will always adore Mickey's Christmas Carol...my mom and I were talking this morning about how when I was little I always used to quote the line from Daisy and Donald, " 'My eyes are closed, my lips are puckered, and I'm standing under the mistletoe!' 'You're also standing on my foot!' " So great. :) Also love Love Actually, Santa Clause & Santa Clause 2 (NOT 3...), Home Alone, and of course A Christmas Story!

Favorite indoor cross-training? LOVE swimming and yoga! But I have to admit, this whole bike-without-leaving-the-apartment thing has its perks...

Snowy Run

2011-12-17T14:17:00.001-06:00

Season's first official long run in the snow: CHECK! 6 quiet, peaceful, snowy miles through the forest preserve. I think I'm going to like this winter running thing...

Exactly. :)

The Run That Almost Wasn't (and that ended up being pretty darn awesome)

2011-12-15T22:16:00.002-06:00

You know those loong sleepy days when the last thing you want to do that night is put on your running shoes? Today was one of those days. We actually had a great day at school, but by the time I got to tutoring at 4, I was about ready to put my head down on the table and pass out. Plus, it was a cold and windy tundra outside. The whole afternoon I was debating whether or not I was going to go for my run...I'd packed my running clothes and planned on heading out for a few miles between tutoring and dinner at my parents' house, but the more the wind picked up, the more I thought about hitting the treadmill back at my apartment before bed...or not running at all...

Believe it or not, I decided to cut the excuses, mostly because I reminded myself how much I LOVED my "Christmas Lights Run" last week. (aka running at night in my parents' suburban neighborhood and admiring christmas lights) To keep myself from backing out, I texted one of my best friends who just got back in town for winter break and asked him to join me. Yay for running buddies! My wonderful friend Scott is WAY faster than I am (he finished our Turkey Trot light years ahead of me...), but as he's nursing an injury, he was up for an easy few miles with me at my pitiful pace. (You know someone's a real friend when they're willing to slow down their pace like crazy to run with you!)

Post-Turkey Trot

A run that I'd been DREADING ended up being pretty awesome!!! Not only did the winds back off a little (until of course we found ourselves trapped in a wind vortex towards the end of the run...), but the Christmas lights were beautiful and the conversation was better. We ran an easy 3.5ish miles while catching up about school, work, running injuries (obv), and potential upcoming race plans...only to finish at my parents' house and find spaghetti and garlic bread waiting for us. PERFECTION.

So far my plan to keep running outside this winter is going well! We'll see what happens when the serious snow starts... :) In other happy news, LAST DAY OF SCHOOL TOMORROW!!!

Would you slow down your pace to run with a friend once in awhile? Personally I'm sooo slow that the opportunity doesn't come up too often!!! And I never really expect anyone to run as slow as me! So it was a nice treat :)

Do you run outside in the winter? Last winter I ran outside a total of maybe three times, so I definitely set the bar low in terms of topping that this winter!

Teaching About Theme

2011-12-13T21:40:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, we took a two-day break from our core literacy series to spend some time studying Author's Message/Theme. I love working on theme with the kiddos, and REALLY love teaching literacy with picture books. Theme + Picture Books = literacy fun. :) Here's what we did...

First, I introduced theme by reading aloud "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." After reading we talked about the reason this story was first written: What was the author trying to teach readers? What message was he or she trying to get across? I like using "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" because the message is SO obvious, even the lower readers can catch it! I then share this anchor chart with them and go over the common theme topics and sentence frames.

Next, we read Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. I ask the students to listen for how Chrysanthemum changes and what she learns throughout the story. We then mark the "common topics" on the chart paper using post-its, and I model using these topics to state the theme. (We practice writing the theme as a complete sentence, not just a broad theme like "hope" or "friendship." For example, the theme we developed for Chrysanthemum was, 'It's important to accept and celebrate who you are.'" Note: It's important to clarify that the theme should not be specific to this book. I try to be really clear that the theme of Chrysanthemum is NOT, "Unique names are special."

After working with Chrysanthemum as a class, the kids broke up into small groups of 3-5 students. Each group was given a picture book and a piece of chart paper with an outline on it. They read the book, wrote a brief summary, then worked together to develop the theme. Finally, they recorded it all on chart paper and shared with the class!

This group read and responded to The Brand New Kid by Katie Couric--cute book!

Other great books for teaching theme:

Smoky Night by Eve Bunting
Terrible Things by Eve Bunting
A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
Mr. Peabody's Apples by Madonna
The Wump World by Bill Peet
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
Weslandia by Paul Fleischman
The Frog Prince, Continued by Jon Scieszka

A frozen run, a great book...and IS IT BREAK YET?

2011-12-12T20:41:00.001-06:00

Hi friends :) I just don't seem to have the attention span for writing these days! Anticipating that this week would be at least slightly hellish, I basically did nothing but relax all weekend to mentally prepare. I did a little christmas shopping, browsed online for gifts for a few girlfriends, and spent about 10 hours on the couch reading. BLISS. I finished another YA fantasy-ish novel, then moved onto another YA book, Forgotten by Cat Patrick. (Anyone else feel like they don't have the attention span for grown-up books? Just me??) This book was different than a lot of the dystopian YA books I've been so obsessed with ever since Hunger Games, but I LOVED it! A little bit adventure, a little mystery, of course a little romance...I curled up with it around 6pm Saturday night and literally didn't move from the couch (except to make a bowl of oatmeal...nothing like gourmet cooking!) until I finished it around 1am. Nothing's better than getting completely lost in a great book.

source

Here's the summary, courtesy of goodreads: Each night when 16 year-old London Lane goes to sleep, her whole world disappears. In the morning, all that's left is a note telling her about a day she can't remember. The whole scenario doesn't exactly make high school or dating that hot guy whose name she can't seem to recall any easier. But when London starts experiencing disturbing visions she can't make sense of, she realizes it's time to learn a little more about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future. Part psychological drama, part romance, and part mystery, this thought-provoking novel will inspire readers to consider the what-if's in their own lives and recognize the power they have to control their destinies.

Oh, I did manage to tear myself off the couch for a 5.5 mile run Saturday morning, which just so happened to be the COLDEST day we've had yet this season--it was about 15 degrees when I left the house!!!

Dear God, Please don't let me freeze on this run!

I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous about the cold! Thank goodness I had this awesome fleece scarf that my mom helped me make:

I wrapped it around my mouth and neck during the run, and even though my face was freezing, it sure helped! The whole run I was thinking about the starbucks hot chocolate I was going to treat myself to after finishing.

Speaking of cold weather running, I am officially in love with winter night runs. Perfect way to check out the Christmas lights!! (Running on the sidewalk through quiet, safe neighborhoods, of course!!)

Clearly my brain is a scattered mess tonight, mostly due to the fact that today was QUITE the interesting (read: GOD AWFUL) day at school, so I think it's about time for me to give up trying to say anything that makes sense and read some more. :) Seriously, thank you if you managed to make it through this whole post without giving up because I can't string two coherent thoughts together! 4 more days...THANK GOODNESS

How do you stay motivated to run in crappy weather? The cold ended up being better than I expected, but thinking about hot chocolate sure helped!

Cross Country Challenge Race Recap

2011-12-04T16:07:00.001-06:00

I'm a mid-west girl born and raised, but in 24 years I have never gotten used to winter. In fact, I hate it. HATE it. So looking back, I'm really not sure what posessed me to sign up for this muddy December trail race. The Cross Country Challenge 8K was at the same location as the Chicago Muddy Buddy, a race I LOVED when I did it years ago, so when I got the email advertisement about this race I thought, "Hmm, that could be fun..." I mean, the muddy buddy was messy. How bad could this one be?? Oh, and I'm not going to lie--signing up also may have something to do with the fact that runners got a long sleeve technical shirt, a knit hat, and a mostoccoli lunch...what can I say, I'm a sucker for swag.

Last night two friends and I (only one of whom was crazy enough to sign up for the race with me...) enjoyed some yummy pasta, salad, and, oh yes, brownies straight from the pan.

All this goodness was made a million times more wonderful because we were watching, wait for it, BOY MEETS WORLD. Yes, I snapped up three seasons of this epic show at the library. WIN. Of course, every wonderful pre-race food coma is inevirably followed by the actual race...or in this case, AN HOUR IN FROZEN HELL. Basking in blissful ignorance pre-race..

Katy brought a jar of PB pretzels...see why I like to race with this girl??

Let me present the Top Ten Reasons Katy and I should probably NOT have run this race...

It rained the entire day yesterday. MAYBE not the best thing before an already muddy trail race...
At packet pickup, race volunteers were providing runners with duct tape to...wait for it...tape their shoes on. Apparrently losing shoes is a common occurrence of this race.

3. While duct taping our shoes, we were informed that there were a few points in the race when we'd encounter knee deep muddy water. (My reaction was to immediately grab Katy's hand and say, "Please don't leave me behind!")

4. While waiting in line at the porta potties, one runner was commenting to her friend, "I normally don't wear gloves when it's this temperature, but then I remembered that they're kind of necessary in this race, you know, for like grabbing things and climbing and stuff." (I'll let you imagine what my face looked like when I heard this one...)

5. We walked by another couple runners going the opposite direction and heard the words, "...coyotes and wolves..." Now, to be fair, we didn't exactly get a context for this, but these are NOT words I want to hear before setting out on a run in the woods!

6. At least a third of the course involved running through BOGS. Yes bogs. As in, "Be careful, you might sink to your death in this quick-sand-esque bog!"

7. Hills. Enough said. Like big hills.

8. The Muddy Buddy involved crawling through a shallow, man-made, watery mud pit. This race involved schlepping through thick, REAL mud about 6 inches deep. I suddenly understood the duct tape...

9. Crossing waist-deep streams. Waist-deep streams in December. In Illinois. Yeah, that happened.

10. Did I mention this was at a horse farm? Sooo imagine what some of the mud was like...

In all seriousness, this race was a blast. We were mostly laughing the whole time at the sheer ridiculousess of it all. That, and talking about our general badassness. We walked a TON up the incredibly slippery muddy hills, but finished with a respectable time averaging about 15 minutes per mile. Before you judge our slowness, reread those 10 crazy truths about the race.

Miraculously, we survived, though I'm still not sure how!!

After the race, the only thing that kept us from curling up under beach towels in my car was the post-race buffet in the barn that was calling our names...

Of course, we could only stand around for so long before we were forced to deal with the nastiness that was our disgusting, muddy selves. Behold, my dirty feet...that is some serious BLACK mud...

Katy was a super badass and ran this race in shorts. (For real.) Check out her mud-caked legs...

All in all, quite the Sunday adventure. Obviously I've spent the rest of the day cotinuing to watch Boy Meets World while curled up here:

With this:

And lots more of this:

And that, friends, makes 12 total races in 2011. I think I might be done until Spring... ;)

What did you do this weekend?

Favorite 90s TV show...GO! Boy Meets World, for sure. Hands down. :)

Being my Best Self

2011-11-29T18:35:00.001-06:00

Or, "Why nobody likes a tired, stressed, crabby teacher"

I am EXHAUSTED tonight. And, for the second night in a row, I'm skipping my workout. But I'm okay with that. Yesterday I just wasn't up to it after a rotten day at school (the only cure for which was Mad Men and falling asleep on the couch at 8:30...), and today I think I just need a mental health night after another long (but thankfully not rotten) day. Oh, and my IT band is HELLA TIGHT again--sweet. Sometimes I think skipping a run makes it tighter, but I'm hoping a night of foam rolling and icing will help!

It seems like I have a consistent trend of having just plain sucky Mondays at school. Yesterday was one of those, "And WHY am I a teacher again??" kind of days...the kind of day when I pause and think, "Is there any possible way that I can keep doing this job for the next 30 years?" Thankfully I don't have those days very often anymore. You guys, I love teaching. I love my students. But the pressure is ridiculous. I feel more this year than I ever have before that if my kids don't make their projected growth targets, it will be 100% my fault. It's just a lot to handle sometimes. Add a nutty group of kids on top of that pressure and it's easy to lose sight of what really matters (and lose my patience...). I should probably have taken a deep breath and read this sign that I have hanging by my desk a few times...

Adapted from Quantum Learning

Today was MUCH better. Before the bell rang I committed to giving the day ENERGY. I forced myself to let go of the stress and worries and frustrations and gave it all I had. The difference in my kids in comparison to the day before was ridiculous--in an awesome way. See, when things are breaking down in the classroom it's easy to blame it on those crazy kids, but some times it helps so much to look at your own actions and think, "What can I be doing differently?" The thing is, when I let the stress GET TO ME, I forget to enjoy teaching. When I don't enjoy teaching, my kiddos don't enjoy learning. And of course when my kiddos aren't enjoying learning, they check out. Give up. Quit. And inevitably find one million and one ways to derail my lesson. This is no good for anyone.

source

Maybe I need this sign hanging by my desk too!

But when I bring energy to my teaching? It's amazing what they can get excited about. A few of the kiddos were even talking about how interesting our nonfiction guided reading books about women's suffrage were. *love* Really, there's no question that it's worth it. So, here it is:

Consider this my personal commitment to being my best self every day at school until break (and beyond...). My students deserve it. They are worth it. That means that no matter how stressed and tired I am, I WILL be bringing a high level of energy to every single lesson--even the boring ones on fractions. :) WHO'S WITH ME??

After a successful day teaching, at 3:00 I found myself staring at....A PROJECT. I don't know about you, but I'll be in the middle of a task that actually needs to be completed when suddenly I have an overwhelming urge to clean out my closet, rearrange my furniture, or alphabetize my files...(go ahead and mock. I embraced this psycho part of my personality LONG ago!) This happens CONSTANTLY in my classroom! I've reorganized my cabinets and rearranged the furniture more times in the past 3 years than some teachers do in their whole careers. (Usually when I have stacks of grading or lessons to plan!) Anyways, I digress. Last year I shared the simple system I used to keep desk clutter at a minimum...

This worked GREAT for me last year, but to tell you the truth, this year it's done nothing but collect dust. Well, let me clarify that--I still dumped papers in the "to file" and "to grade" bins, but never emptied them. "To copy" papers were being stored in piles on my desk. Why? No clue. Consequently the "file" bin help math handouts and random literacy sheets from September that still needed to be filed. On a high from my high-energy day, I decided to tackle this project. Of course it evolved to a total reorganization and inevitably a big old mess in the process...

But hallelujah everything is in its place now. I can rest peacefully tonight. :) Don't know why I didn't think to take an after picture! After that project, spending far too long stressing over the formatting on a math test, and stopping at the library to pick up picture books for a literacy lesson, thoughts of running were far long gone, having been taken over by two clear thoughts: GET FOOD and GET OUT OF HEELS asap.

Sooo after that rambly post, I'm off to eat my effortless dinner, curl up on the couch, and enjoy some mindless Glee. Oh, and there might be some peppermint ice cream in my near future... (That is, of course, before I start digging into my leg with my foam roller... :)

Teachers: How do you keep a positive attitude and a smile on your face despite the incredible stress and pressure of the job?

Who's with me on my commitment to being my best self and bringing ENERGY to the classroom??

Division Fun...with cookies!

2011-11-28T15:00:00.001-06:00

Do you hate teaching division? For me, it is second only to fractions (aka my personal math teaching HELL). My students really struggle with the concept of division at first because in general they are severely lacking in their number sense foundation, not to mention their basic facts. To help ease into division, I like to kick off the unit with a fun, hands-on lesson each year featuring, wait for it, COOKIES! Well, Cookie Crisp cereal to be exact. Still good.

For this lesson, I give each kid a small cup of Cookie Crisp cereal, a dry erase board, and an expo marker. I then read aloud the book The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins.

source

In this simple picture book, kids have to continuously divide up a batch of cookies as more and more friends ring the doorbell. We start with 12 "cookies" out. On the first page, the cookies only need to be divided between two siblings. We first divide the cookies, then write the division problem to answer the question, "How many cookies does each kid get to eat?" 12 / 2 = 6. Easy! I pause after each page to have my kiddos solve the next division problem after more kids have arrived.

The kids love this amazing activity, and it is a great way to explain the concept of division with a real-life connection. Everyone can relate to sharing something with friends! After finishing the book, I have the kids take different numbers of cookies out to help solve other simple division problems. It's also easy to make the connection back to multiplication at this point by skip counting each group of cookies to get back to the total.

Oh the best part? Afterwards you will likely have half a box of Cookie Crisp in your supply closet to help fight your after school munchies... ;)

Tofurkey Day Happenings

2011-11-27T17:15:00.001-06:00

Happy Belated Thanksgiving! I don't know about you, but I've spent the past few days catching up with old friends, napping, reading, and working my way into a stuffing-and-green-bean induced coma...in short, it's been BLISS. As much as I love Christmas and the festivities that surround it (not to mention the two glorious weeks off of school...), Thanksgiving break is always the most wonderful, much-needed relief from school stress. By mid-November, in my classroom at least, the kids are showing their true colors, and I'm finding it harder and harder to keep a smile on my face. Report cards are due, we're gearing up for round 2 of MAP testing, and the weather's starting to turn which always means less recess (read: squirrly kiddos). Enter Thanksgiving, aka 5 days of student-free, food-full happiness.

I kicked off my Thanksgiving break Tuesday evening when I decided to abandon all previous plans of staying late at school and prepping for the following week...instead, I made a stop at the library, picked up a teen book I'd been dying to get my hands on, and settled myself in front of the fire at Caribou with some tea and yummies. I didn't move for about 2 hours. Perfection.

If you are wondering, the book is Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. It. was. amazing.

Wednesday I spent the afternoon wandering IKEA with a friend. Oh IKEA...How I love pretending I live in the amazing rooms, especially those featuring 2-story closets, libraries, and (wait for it) wine racks...I bought a new desk (thank goodness because my shabby old desk is older than I am and NOT in the stylish, antique-y way!), and spent the afternoon putting it together with the help of my tool-savvy friend. Voila!

(Just so you know, we couldn't manage to get my old desk apart so it's currently sitting out on my balcony until my dad can come rescue it...)

Wednesday evening my book club and I saw BREAKING DAWN!!!! So exciting. You better believe we were sporting our Give Blood tshirts! Those were WELL EARNED! Where to even begin with this movie...it was...AWFUL!!!! And yet, so wonderful. I really felt this movie was more awkwardly horrible than #3, but I loved it anyways.

On Thanksgiving morning, I met one of my bestest friends who was back in town from grad school to run a 5-mile Turkey Trot. When I say we ran this race together, I mean we drove there together, lined up at the start together, then wished each other "Good Luck!" before he took off at a pace almost twice as fast as mine. So goes the life of a Slow Runner. :) This was a really nice race about 5 minutes from my parents house. We ran 3 laps around the campus at a community college, which meant that the lead runners were lapping me before I was even halfway around! I don't find that irritating or depressing, though--it is kind of awesome to watch such super fast runners! Obv my IT band started giving me grief at mile 4, making the end of the run a little *uncomfortable*...I have been slacking big time on my foam rolling lately, which I know is why I can't seen to shake this tightness. I am committing to foam rolling twice a day for the time being, in hopes of loosening this bad boy up.

After the Turkey Trot, you better believe I ate my weight in stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes, and, yes, tofu. No, I did not have Tofurkey, but my wonderful Dad marinated some tofu for a side dish. YUM! The only thing missing from Thanksgiving was one of my older brothers, who lives in Florida. :(

Many of my close friends have moved out of state in the past few years, but holidays usually bring everyone home! Love it! I had brunch with a college friend Friday morning and hosted several close high school friends at my apartment Friday night. Because my friends and I are SUPER cool, we usually end up playing Catch Phrase or some other silly game that is a throw back to our lame high school past. Friday, however, we were disappointed to find that the timer "beeping" wasn't working! After I insisted that a stopwatch wouldn't work as a replacement because "the beeps need to get faster in catch phrase!" my computer geek (read: GENIUS) friend decided to write a quick program on my computer to play beeping sound that would progressively increase in speed...you know, just a normal Friday night...

After a busy and exhausting few days, I spend basically the entire day Saturday curled up under a blanket, reading and napping on and off. Perfection. I peeled myself off for a 3 mile run at some point, then promptly returned to the blanket for more reading. LOOOVE quiet days.

Nothing like new Brooks to get you out and moving!

In other news, my brother and sister-in-law texted me from the Space Coast Marathon in Cocoa, Florida this morning. They were spectating as sis-in-law's friend ran the 1/2 marathon, and they sent me a picture of her medal:

OMG! BEST MEDAL EVER! (To fully understand my excitement, you should know that my family has a major geek obsession with the space program and NASA. This obsession has gone on my whole life, and only got worse when Older Brother got a job at NASA in 2004...) I better convince my brother to stay in Florida again next year for Thanksgiving so I can come down and run this race...

What made your Thanksgiving wonderful?
What is the coolest race medal you have ever seen/gotten?

Everyday Endurance Giveaway Winner!

2011-11-17T22:00:00.001-06:00

A big thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway! I'm so glad you guys think this stuff is as awesome as I do. The winner of the $100 Everyday Endurance giftcard is...

#91 Lauren @ The Running Cook!

Lauren--email me at juiceboxesandcrayolas AT gmail DOT com to claim your prize!

Will Give Blood for Twilight

2011-11-16T21:36:00.001-06:00

If you've been reading for awhile, you might remember a sort of not-so-secret guilty pleasure reading addiction...

Oh yes, I caught the Twilight bug last year after swearing that I was NOT interested in these books. But I read them at my book club's request...and then I reread them...and then I read them again...What can I say, I'm hooked. Why even fight it? I love Twilight. Luckily my book club girls LOVE Twilight (Just to be clear, I love Twilight but I HATE Bella. Read my thoughts on Bella's annoying-ness here...) Sooo, you can imagine my excitement last week when I got this email from the blood center I sometimes donate through...

Ummm sign me up! Luckily the Book Club girls were game too. I used to donate blood frequently in the past, but it'd been awhile, and this was the perfect extra incentive. :)

One hour, one pint of blood, one gatorade, and one I-think-I'm-gonna-pass-out moment later, and I had my tshirt, not to mention an ultra-processed cosmic brownie. Score. Oh and of course it's always nice to help out. (BTW I didn't pass out, but it was a near miss!) We ended the night with some pumpkin pie ice cream...YUM!

While this wasn't the most exciting evening, it was a fun way to see friends midweek and do something nice for others at the same time. And of course, who can go wrong with ice cream and Twilight apparel? ;) You better believe I'll be wearing this shirt when we see Breaking Dawn next week!

A Case of the Mondays

2011-11-14T21:50:00.001-06:00

Some teachers dread Fridays every week. Not because it's the last day before the weekend (duh), but because of the crazy kiddos. Well, I feel like it takes my kids until about Friday to get back into their routines every week! I'm 99% sure that most of my little friends run wild all weekend long with zero bed times and zero structure. Mondays are always a bit...trying. It's not all them either--I'm definitely not my best on Mondays.

Today was especially frustrating. I think I used up the majority of my patience during my oh so special PLC (team) meeting at 9:45am, thus making for an interesting rest of the day. Working collaboratively as a PLC ideally means less work for everyone and better quality everything, but some days it just means arguing, differing opinions, and zero productivity. Today was one of those days. Ugh. I'm still recovering. Oh, and the clock in my classroom was broken. Sweet. Did I mention I don't wear a watch? And keeping an eye on the clock is kinda important in the classroom?

After a frustrating day, I dragged myself to my tutoring job and scraped together any last shreds of patience I'd managed to cling onto. Thankfully, my after school kiddo was ready to learn. If he hadn't been, let's just say it wouldn't have been pretty. I then dragged myself home. After majorly failing at cross training all last week, my plan for the evening was to start the week off right by going for a swim around 8 or 8:30pm, giving the pool at the gym a chance to clear out a bit after the evening workout rush. When I walked in my door, I knew that if I didn't IMMEDIATELY change into my swim suit, there was no way in hell that my planned swim was going to happen. So I changed. And sat around in a swim suit and yoga pants writing report card comments. (While changing early was good for my motivation, it wasn't so good when I inevitably had to pee an hour later...oh the challenges of a one-piece suit...)

Several report card comments, way too many Pinterest pins, and one whiney phone vent to College Friend later, I dragged my crabby self to the gym and hopped into the *empty* pool. Bliss. I'm a terrible swimmer (in fact, I kind of panic in the water any time I swim a stroke other than breast stroke...so much for the years of swimming lessons as a child), but I love love love a nice easy swim workout. While running will always be my true love, swimming is a close second. Nothing like a bunch of methodical laps to clear my head. I feel so. much. better now, and am DETERMINED to track down my positive attitude in time for school tomorrow. Maybe I need to make Monday night swims a weekly thing...this could be good for my soul.

How was your Monday?

Late night workouts--love or hate?

Trick or Treat Trot 10K Race Recap

2011-11-13T09:40:00.001-06:00

Have you entered my Everyday Endurance giveaway??? You could win a $100 gift card for this super awesome active clothing site!

Hi friends :) It feels like it's been years! I have been in a big time blogging rut. I plan posts, take pictures, and then sit down to write...and nothing. I end up reading or watching tv or working on school work instead. Life's been busy, but good. And the time that hasn't been busy has been a good kind of lazy filled with new books and much needed couch relaxing. I'm planning some catch-up posts about both running and school, but I realized that I am about 2 weeks late with a race recap! So here it is...

On Sunday, October 30th I ran the Trick or Treat Trot 10K. This was both my longest race and longest run since my July injury debacle! Also, it was my first 10K race--love that automatic PR. :) I registered for this race ages ago with an early registration discount through my gym...at that time, I thought a 10K would be no problem! I had just run my first half marathon and already had my eyes set on a second one (or two). Well, after the injury nonsense, things kind of changed. :) As the race got closer I realized that 6.2 miles was going to be a little more challenging for me than I'd anticipated months ago! I have been increasing my distance and building up a solid running base, but had been stuck in a rut of 3 and 4 mile runs. During the week of the race, to make things more interesting, my hip flexors became the most tight, painful muscles ever thanks to a couple particularly grueling strength training and yoga classes. Then, the temperature dropped and the winds picked up. Yikes! I was determined to run this race though, mostly because I have already wasted over $100 this year in race registrations, and damnit I am not wasting another dollar!!! The night before when everyone I knew was out at Halloween parties, I curled up in bed with True Blood (my latest TV addiction) and pasta...

To be followed by dairy-free chocolate ice cream with bananas. The ultimate pre-run dessert. :)

Unable to convince anyone (icluding my parents) to wake up early on a nasty cold morning post-Halloween parties to come to the race with me, I drove myself to Big City and caught this glorious sunrise over the lake. I decided to take it as a good omen for the rest of the morning! Since it was chilly and windy out, after I picked up my packet I killed time sitting in my car watching The Office on my phone (thank YOU netflix instant!), having decided that staying warm was more important than stretching out my legs...I stand by my choice.

Unfortunately, that sunrise was the only beautiful part of the race! The sky was gray and cloudy the whole time. I've run several 5Ks on this lakefront course, and normally it is gorgeous running along and seeing the waves and boats on the lake (the closest thing we in the Midwest get to an ocean view!). Today the lakefront path just meant extra winds! Yikes! I tried to start the race conservatively, knowing my legs weren't at their best still and that it would be a challenge to get through. My legs just didn't want to go slow, though, so I set off quicker than planned. The first 3.5 miles or so felt great!

Turns out most of the runners were running the 5K course, so after 3 miles the runners were really spaced out. There were a few times I couldn't even see anyone else, which felt weird because this wasn't a small town race. I kept plugging along though, slow and steady, until I felt that familiar pain on the outside of my knees around mile 4...yep, my pesky IT bands were awake and unhappy. I normally run just three days a week, Tuesday, Thursday, and once on the weekend. Because of those tight hips after yoga, I skipped my Thursday run this week, and anytime I take even a couple days of hiatus, my IT bands tighten right up--I should have known. Oh well! I stopped to stretch the ITs a few times during those last 2 miles, walked a little extra, but just kept moving forward trying to ignore the knees and how incredibly badly I had to pee. (No woods to dive off into at a city race...)

At mile 6 I found some energy left to sprint to the finish, and finished strong. Somehow despite the IT band pain at the end and the extra walking, I managed to finish the race with negative splits. Don't know how, but I'll take it! I think I must have programmed my legs to, no matter what, speed up as I run. I'm not sure how else to explain the accidental pacing! I finished in 1:09:27, an average page of 11:03/mi. (<--This is fast for me as slow as it might sound for most of you!) I'm happy with how this race turned out, despite the pain--it just felt good to race a distance longer than a 5K again! I really loved the 10K distance, and will definitely be looking for more 10Ks next season!

This has been a great fall of races, including the Girls on the Run Fall 5K yesterday morning which I "raced" with two of the girls I coached in Spring. Loved it! BUT, the season isn't over yet! I am looking forward to running a 5mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving with one of my best friends from high school, and to sloshing through mud and snow at this awesome winter trail race with Miss R! (I convinced her to run with me only by telling her that finishers get a stocking cap and a fried chicken meal...)

From the race website: This isn't a gimmicky, glamorous, trendy run through the woods with a couple man- made mud pits. The Challenge is an authentic, european-style, 4.9 mile cross country race featuring natural bogs, streams, open fields and rolling hills.

Mrs. Mentor Teacher ran it last year and told me that many runners duct tape their shoes on so they don't come off on the muddy trails! Yikes! Can't wait. :)

Any more races on the calendar for you this fall/winter?

Everyday Endurance Giveaway!

2011-11-07T21:46:00.003-06:00

I have been lucky enough to host some pretty fun giveaways lately--I hope you're not getting sick of them, because this one is AWESOME! I am so excited to have the opportunity to try out some products from Everyday Endurance, an apparel company that, as they say, "celebrates the active lifestyle." When I first browsed the Everyday Endurance website, I picked out at least 5 items I wanted almost immediately. I love the cute styles and subtle messages about running and fitness. In addition to the picture, each shirt says, "It's a lifestyle thing," in small print. That simple statement pretty much sums it up! My favorites were the running and biking shirts (including pretty scenes of running on the beach and funny scenes of runners being chased by dogs...), but there are also yoga, hiking, and even triathlon-inspired designs.

From the Everyday Endurance website:

Celebrating the Active Lifestyle!

Everyday Endurance carries printed and basic Active Lifestyle apparel for all of your Endurance Adventures. We are committed to the highest quality customer service available. We believe in treating those in our community the way we would want our own families treated. Everyday Endurance guarantees our products 100% and will do whatever it takes to make sure you are happy with your purchase.

Everyday Endurance let me try out the short sleeved tee, the long sleeved tee, and the premium performance tee (technical shirt). I love them all!! Get ready for some super awesome self-timer pictures...Disclaimer: I promise you will look less dorky in these shirts than I do...Don't be deterred by these photos.

The Runner

Others Sleep

(God, could I BE any more awkward? Can you tell it's been a long Monday???)

I thought it would be cute to pose with my bike (in my dining room...) because this shirt has a bike image on it, but you totally can't even see the front of the shirt now! Oh well! Here's what this shirt looks like...

The t-shirts are super soft and comfortable. I chose the ladies' fit, but they also offer juniors' and men's fits. (The mens' versions of these shirts have a male runner in the picture, sans ponytail ;) At first I was uncertain about ordering a technical shirt because in my experience when I buy a printed novelty-style technical shirt, it usually ends up sitting in the bottom of my running drawer because cute as it is, it's just not as comfortable as my other shirts. This couldn't be further from the truth for my Everyday Endurance technical shirt! I love it! It is super thin and exactly the fit I look for in a running shirt--not too tight and not too short, while still maintaining a feminine cut. I wore it on one of my runs last week and it was great! I love all of the shirts, but now I want another tech shirt in one of the other fun designs.

Here's the best part--Everyday Endurance is letting me give away a $100 gift card to a reader. How awesome is that??? I'm so excited to share these awesome products with one of you. Here's how to win:

(Leave a separate comment for each entry)

Follow Juice Boxes & Crayolas (Mandatory)
Become a fan of Everyday Endurance on Facebook (+1 entry)
Visit the Everyday Endurance website and leave me a comment letting me know which item is your favorite (if you can choose just one!) (+ 1 entry)
Post about this giveaway on your blog, facebook, or twitter! (+1 entry)

That's up to 6 chances to win! I know you will love these products as much as I do, so hurry up and check them out!

This giveaway will end Wednesday, November 16th at midnight. Good luck!

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Everyday Endurance was kind enough to provide me with the shirts pictured above to review, as well as a gift card for the winner of this giveaway. I was not compensated to give a particular opinion. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own! :)

Anchors Away Linky Party: Language Arts Anchor Charts

2011-11-01T21:13:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Frogs & Cupcakes for hosting a great linky party! I love me some anchor charts. :) I had been planning on sharing these anchor charts anyways, so I was excited to see this linky party! Here's a reading anchor chart/graphic organizer we used for making inferences...

The rest of these are for Writing Workshop. Because I always find myself lacking enough wall space to display my charts, this year I devoted a bulletin board just to writing workshop, and have thumbtacked the charts one on top of another onto it. Then, I taught the kids to go to the board and page through them when they need to reference one. They are really good about it, too! Here are a few of our recent ones, most of which were made during a unit on narrative writing...

Sorry for the messy writing. :) I still haven't mastered the art of leaning sideways and writing on my chart from my teacher chair! One of the many reasons I don't teach first grade... ;)

love.

2011-11-01T20:48:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, just when I'm about to go crazy at school, one of the kiddos will say something that makes me remember why I put up with it all. Today was one of those days. :)

One of my students who needs a whole lotta extra help and love is reading about three grades below where he should be. He struggles with learning disabilities and emotional disabilities, not to mention a challenging home life...to put it mildly. Today we were reading Freckle Juice. After working his hardest just to get through a couple of pages, trying trying trying, he looked at me, smiled, and said, "I like reading now!"

And my heart melted. I teach for moments like this.

Handful Bra Giveaway Winner!

2011-10-31T20:55:00.000-05:00

THANK YOU to those of you who entered my Handful Bra giveaway! I loved reading about all the things you guys *love* about your bodies. So great! The winner of the giveaway is...

Rachel from Running in Real Life!

Rachel, email me at juiceboxesandcrayolasATgmailDOTcom to claim your prize!

Thanks for participating, everyone! Look for another fun giveaway soon. :)

Halloween should NEVER be on a Monday...

2011-10-31T20:51:00.000-05:00

PHEW! I don't mean to sound like the Halloween Grinch, but October 31st is NOT my favorite holiday!!! It is especially not my favorite holiday when it lands on a MONDAY. I mean come on. Honestly. Shouldn't Halloween by like Thanksgiving and on the last Friday (or even better...Saturday) of October or something like that every year? Because if my kids were SQUIRRELS today, I don't even want to think about what they're going to be like tomorrow!!!! I am just hopping I catch them in the post-sugar high comatose state, which is greatly preferred to the oh so wonderful I-ate-skittles-for-breakfast hyperactive state or the I-stayed-up-til-2am-eating-candy-and-watching-scary-movies-and-now-I-hate-everything cranky post-sugar high state...I can't believe I have to go back and teach 4 more days this week when every kid in America has probably convinced themselves that it's the weekend. YIKES!!!

source

Okay enough complaining. I promise I did have a small Halloween celebration. I'm not dead inside. ;) Holidays are really low-key at my school. Being a low-income school means that we don't have room moms planning elaborate holiday parties with games, crafts, and fancy food. Parents send in a few treats and we play bingo. Nothing too special, but for the kids it's a welcome break from our rigorous daily schedule! Now cross your fingers for me for tomorrow...eek.

Anyways, this weekend was the first year in probably forever that I didn't at least SOMEWHAT celebrate Halloween. This was largely due to the fact that I had a race Sunday morning, so I spent Saturday night relaxing and going to bed early! More about the race later tho. :) Let's get to the real highlight of the weekend...I spent the day Saturday doing something I love at least equally as much as teaching and running: shoe shopping, of course! Teacher Mom (aka my actual mom) and I spent waaay too much money at Shoe Mecca (aka DSW) this weekend. Oh goodness. You guys, I love shopping. But even more than I love shopping, I love a bargain. Teacher Mom instilled this love in me practically at birth. We stepped into Shoe Mecca with a mission: comfy teacher shoes for Mom and boots for me. After trying on nearly every pair of shoes in the store, we settled on 2 pairs of teacher shoes for mom (that I gave the "not too ugly" stamp of approval) and one way too expensive pair of gorgeous boots for me (that didn't remind me too much of cowboy boots).

What's that? You thought I said I love a good bargain, only to admit I spent more than is reasonable on a pair of boots around which I will likely end up buying full outfits because as of now they go with a total of 2 pairs of pants and 1 skirt in my closet? Oh just wait. After our successful venture through the main floor we entered...THE CLEARANCE SECTION. Does anybody else's heart just start racing when they are faced with a rack of discount shoes all in their size? No? Just me? Teacher Mom and I both fell in love with this unbelievable pair of heels that sadly weren't available in the right size for either of us...

Teacher Mom rocked these. Too bad they were suicide-tight.

It was hard to say goodbye...but I did convince Teacher Mom to buy a fabulous pair of strappy sandals. Of course, I picked up a few clearance pairs for myself...

Adore.

Besides my shoe buying adventures and a cold and windy 10K race yesterday, my weekend also included a good 5 hour block of laying on the couch yesterday watching The Office since, you guessed it, I have another cold. This time, though, I don't think I can blame the kids--my sniffly nose started up as soon as I started the race yesterday and hasn't let up since! Ugh!!!

What did you do this weekend?

True Life: 5th Grade Writing (+ Handful Giveaway Reminder!!)

2011-10-24T19:43:00.001-05:00

Have you entered my giveaway to win a Handful Bra? What are you waiting for??? (Note: If you have MORE than just a handful, don't assume this bra won't work for you! It is surprisingly supportive, but if it's not quite up to the challenge for you for running, it would still be a great bra for yoga, lounging, or low-impact sports!)

It's been awhile since I shared some of the epic, hysterical writing I get to read on a daily basis from my 5th graders. Seriously, while I despise grading and while grading writing can be time consuming, reading kids' writing can be pretty darn hilarious. I haven't had anything quite as epic this year as the Ode to Justin Bieber or the amazing truth about boys song, "Big Big Lie," but these gems are pretty darn great...

Assignment: "Write a narrative about a problem you have solved." This student wrote about when her dog, Julie, escaped. Love the figurative language at the end of this paragraph...

Assignment: "Write about an animal that has a bad reputation, but who you think is really just misunderstood."

Worms!!! People think that words are nasty and slimy. They are wrong. Words are very helpful to your plants. They eat all the little bugs that try to eat your plants. Thanks to worms they protect them. Worms also make great compost. Their poop helps make compost. Compost really helps your plants. Worms are great helpers. Worms are the best helper that help your plants grow. Worms can not be used as a pet. Only in your backyard and your garden. Go worms!!

Another animal that has a bad reputation is an alligator. Alligators are very misunderstood. People think alligators want to kill them, but really alligators just want to go the opposite way and ignore people. The only reason alligators bite is because they want to protect themselves from enemies or things that dislike them. They have a reason to be upset with us. We kill them for their skin to put on shoes and purses. We kill them for fun, and we kill them for their meat. I'm not trying to say that I'm on their side, but they have a reason to be viscid. But to them we're the vicious ones.

"Aaaah! A spider! Kill it!" That's what most people say when they see a spider because they think they are really dangerous. Actually, some spiders help us a lot because they eat and kill insects that are pestful or harmful. Not all spiders are dangerous because some spiders bite and put venom in, but not all spiders do. Some spiders help us by protecting us from harmful things by eating them. Did you know that we're actually invading their home? From now on when you see a spider let it be or set it free and we'll all be okay."

This one isn't funny, but it melted my heart. This is from one of my tougher kiddos who has a rough home life, struggles with a learning disability, and is prone to shutting down when things are tough. I loved reading this. Assignment: "What Native American 'true name' would you give yourself?"

And of course, what post about elementary student work would be complete without a teacher portrait...

The resemblance is uncanny...Sweater boots and all. :)

Finally Five + Handful Bra Review & GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-10-20T21:36:00.002-05:00

Well you guys, I saw five miles tonight for the first time since this July, the peak of this constantly-injured madness. It may not seem like much to many of you, but when I flip back through my training log and see that two months ago I could barely make it a mile and a half without tons of miscellaneous pain, I'm pretty excited. Equally as exciting, though, was an amazing discovery I made about the treadmills in my apartment's miniature fitness center. Despite the primitive appearance of most of the machines, I was pleasantly surprised to discover the treadmills were way more high tech than those at my fancy-schmancy gym! In fact, they have a tiny built-in fan to blow cool air on your tummy. UMM YES PLEASE?? Does everyone else already know about these sweet fan treadmills? How did I miss the memo that these existed? Amazing.

Besides the happy distance and epic fan discovery, another thing I loved about tonight's run was that I was wearing my new Handful Bra! Have you heard about this bra yet? I've only had it a week and I am already in love. I'm so excited to have the opportunity to review this bra AND share it with one of you! So I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly well-off in the...ahem...chest area. And let me tell you, my drawer full of compression-style sports bras does nothing to help this situation. For girls like me, sports bras really just mean one thing: flattenning. It's really just no good. I mean, they do the job, but there are times I pass the mirror at the gym and feel like I look about 12 years old. (Not that my pink shorts and headbands do anything to help the situation...) I know working out is not about looking cute, but let's be real here. It helps.

The Handful Bra is completely different than any sports bra I've ever worn. First, it's completely adorable. I LOVE the v-front and the criss-cross straps in back. It doesn't make me feel flatter than a board, but it doesn't feel like I'm wearing some high-impact sports bra clearly designed for someone with a lot more going on in that area than me! The trick is that it has removable pads that are not only comfortable and supportive, but they add the perfect amount of shape.

This is totally me...ummm...or not...(source: handful.com)

I wore my Handful bra this week for yoga and running. It felt great on my run tonight--comfortable, supportive, and the straps stayed put. I even wore it all day Sunday while running errands and babysitting. You definitely wouldn't catch me in a regular sports bra outside of workout clothes, but I felt like I could wear this bra anytime! I am already thinking about which color I want next...

Oh, and did I mention how fabulously personable this company is? They replied to my emails about sizing questions almost INSTANTLY, and when I was debating between sizes, they even sent me an email of all of the stores in my area that carry Handful Bras and their addresses so I could go try one on! Now that's customer service.

The bra also comes in this cute little mesh bag for washing. Love.

Here's the best part. Because they are so fabulous and generous, Handful Bra is letting me give one of these amazing bras to a reader! Here's how to enter...(Leave a separate comment for each entry)

Follow Juice Boxes and Crayolas! (Mandatory)
Become a fan of Handful on facebook and comment that Miss Teacher at Juice Boxes and Crayolas sent you! (Mandatory)
Visit the Handful website and leave a comment here telling me which color bra you would choose! (+1 additional entry)
Post about this giveaway on your blog, facebook, or twitter! (+1 additional entry)
Leave a comment telling me one thing you love about your body--while I didn't exactly love my flat chest in middle school, when it comes to running it certainly has its perks! (+1 additional entry)

That's a total of SEVEN possible entries. I am so excited to share this fabulous bra with one of you, so hurry up and get going! This giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, October 30th.

DISCLAIMER: Handful was kind enough to send me 1 bra to review and will send an additional bra to 1 reader. I received no additonal compensation for this review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Trying Out the Tablet!

2011-10-17T18:03:00.000-05:00

I posted awhile back about the super snazzy new tablet computer that replaced my old school computer--an ancient laptop that moaned and groaned anytime I tried to do two things at once...ugh. The tablet is awesome! I've had a lot of fun trying it out with the kids. While it is infinitely better for day to day computer activity than the old computer, hands down the best part about it is using the tablet during math. I used to feel chained to the overhead projector or the board when introducing math concepts. Now, I turn on the projector and open up Word or Windows Journal. I can write problems and take notes right on my tablet while walking around the room and checking in with kids. The kids love writing answers on the tablet, too!

Last week, one of our lessons focused on understanding that the angles in a triangle add up to 180 degrees and finding the measurement of an angle given the other two angles. Because engagement (or lack thereof...) has been something of an issue during math class lately, I gathered the kids on the carpet with their notebooks, sat on a little stool by the screen, and showed triangles and problems right there. The kids used colored markers to copy the work into their notes (colored markers are pretty AND using color stimulates the brain! Who knew?!), and I used different color "pens" on the tablet. They were SO engaged, loved all of the color, and I loved that I could teach the whole lesson facing them almost at eye level without needing to turn my back to the board or hover by the overhead projector.

I've also loved using the tablet in Writing Workshop. Usually I do my mini-lessons on chart paper by my easel, but any time I'm planning on modeling revising or editing text, it's a BIG PAIN to write whole paragraphs on chart paper. BLEH! A few weeks ago, I typed up one of my students' first drafts of a narrative we're working on. His work was GREAT, but it was all one paragraph! I projected the typed version on the screen, and we worked together to edit it (using editing marks) on my tablet. This week I wanted to work on basic editing, so I typed a quick letter to the kids about my weekend, and again we edited it together. I've used transparencies in the past for editing practice, but I HATE making them, and again I reeeeally hate being chained to the overhead.

I. love. my. tablet. I'm sure there are many more possibilities for using it in my classroom, and I can't wait to figure them out!

Corn Maze 5K Race Recap

2011-10-16T13:25:00.002-05:00

Living in the midwest means hot summers, bitterly cold winters, zero-hill runs, wide open skies...oh, and corn. Lots of corn. My suburban town is hardly rural, but you don't have to drive very far south, west, or north before you start hitting corn fields. When I heard about a 5K that actually takes place IN A CORN MAZE, I knew I had to be a part of it. I mean honestly. How could I miss this???

This morning teacher friend Miss R and I got up way too early only to be greeted by dark skies and cold rain. Sweet. Nevertheless, we headed about an hour north (picking up one of my fabulous book club friends on the way--yay for spectators!!) to the race site. Thankfully, by the time we were lining up at the start, the sky had miraculously cleared and the sun was even shining. Because this race was in a corn maze, it was obviously pretty unique. No, we did not have to navigate our way through the maze--thank goodness, or I'm pretty sure we would have gone a lot further than 3 miles! The maze was HUGE! The course was clearly marked (for the most part...), and wrong turns were taped off so we didn't get lost. Phew! Also, because of the narrow course, runners were started one at a time every 3 seconds. It's a good thing, too, because otherwise there would have been some SERIOUS congestion. The course was SUPER winding with tons of SHARP turns. Man, our ankles and IT bands definitely took a beating! I could not believe how tough it was to run such a twisty-turny course. We were exhausted almost immediately!

The course...

Oh the wonderful opportunities for corn-inspired humor...this was only the beginning...

Waiting in line for our single-file start...

Book Club Friend was an excellent spectator. Since obviously there wasn't any way to spectate along the course, she climbed up in this AMAZING watch tower and took tons of awesome pictures.

See that tiny speck of purple? Yeah that's me. At least I think it is!

There were 3 or 4 random stair bridge things that we had to run over...SURPRISE!

Definitely a unique race to say the least!

^ This may be my favorite race picture of all time...

Miss R and I were EXHAUSTED after this race! I couldn't believe how much tougher it was to run on a winding path than a regular road! Crazy! At the end of my race, my garmin only registered a distance of 2.73 miles so either the course was crazy short or it just couldn't keep up with all of the twists and turns. My guess it a little of both! Our official finishing time was 32:14, but I really suspect it was a short course...we'll take it though! :)

This probably isn't a race I'll do again, but I'm definitely glad I did it this time. It was a lot of fun and certainly DIFFERENT! A great adventure overall!

What is the most unique race you've ever done? The two Muddy Buddy races I've done were obviously unique, but I think running through a corn maze might even top those...

Guided Reading

2011-10-15T16:27:00.001-05:00

One of the things I've been struggling with this year at school is that there have been significant changes in the expectations for literacy instruction every year that I've been teaching. My first year we were told one thing. Last year that was tweaked in a big way. This year, it was tweaked again in a BIG way. The difference between this year and that first year is incredibly drastic. Basically this boils down to me continuously learning and relearning how to teach! I'm sure this is very difficult for veteran teachers who are more set in their ways, but it's really frustrating for young teachers like me because it seems like every time I feel I have a handle on something, it changes! Needless to say, over the past month+ I have been focusing on updating my guided reading structure and practice to meet the current expectations in my district.

One change that was introduced last year is the way we are expected to distribute the time during a guided reading group. Previously, I would have the kids preview the text, set the purpose for reading, then have the kids read anywhere from 1-3 pages at a time, followed by a short discussion, then more reading, more discussion. Now, we spend 1-3 minutes on a preview of the text (which is hard! I like to talk too much!), then set a purpose and have the kids start reading a bigger chunk of the text to themselves for about 12 minutes. During this time, I listen to 1 or 2 students whisper read and take notes on their fluency. I also ask questions of that particular student and take notes on their comprehension. This is brand new for me. Not only had I never taken a running record before this year (they're not as big of a thing in intermediate grades as primary), but I had also never taken notes during my guided reading. I know that many teachers always take notes during their guided reading, but I always felt like it was more distracting to me and that I couldn't focus on the kids as well.

Here is a sample week of lesson plans for guided reading. (Also new for me...) These plans are for my approaching group, so we meet every day. My other groups are met with by myself or an aide between 2-4 times a week, depending on the level. (Highest group is only 2x/week.)

I've tried a few different methods for data collection and informal assessment during guided reading, but I think I have finally settled on something that works well for me. I keep my Guided Reading lesson plans, group rotation schedule, and notes/assessments in this binder:

Each group has a tabbed section with notes pages for each student. I copy sheets for the boys on blue and girls on pink so that I can find the students I'm looking for more quickly. Initially I was using a very generic, non-detailed sheet and taking notes for the week all over it, but it was super disorganized. NOT my style. :) This week, I used a couple examples from other teachers to create this template that is already working MUCH better for me:

Because we are reading leveled readers from our core literacy series, my fluency notes aren't traditional running records. I don't really want to spend an hour every week xeroxing the books to mark words on, so I just record student errors in the "running record" section. I use a combination between Fountas & Pinnell codes and codes that I've come up with on my own based on things I wanted to record. In the comprehension section, I jot down the type of question I asked (inference, right there, summary, prediction, etc.) and record +, 1/2, or - depending on their answers. Here's the key I use:

After finishing the "conference," I make a quick note about their overall comprehension and anything I noticed we need to focus on in the future. I try to conference with two students during every guided reading session. I'm not sure I like the fact that this practice keeps me from interacting with all of the kids in each group during each session, but the kids I conference with definitely have my full attention...We then come back as a full group for the last 3 minutes and either discuss the "focus question" I gave before reading, fill out a graphic organizer based on our weekly skill, or write a short response, so I do get to check in quickly with even the kiddos whose reading I didn't listen to. It has been a big adjustment for me this year, but I'm just glad to have figured out a system that works for me within the constraints of the school's expectations. Hopefully in the long run these changes help me provide better instruction to my students and better meet their individual needs. In any case, I feel more organized than I ever have before in terms of guided reading! So at least there's that. :)

Tell me about your guided reading structure!

A lot of these changes feel brand new to me, but I'm sure that a lot of you already do some of these things, or have other good ideas for guided reading.

As always, if you like what you saw in this post and would like to take a closer look at my guided reading lesson plan or notes templates, please email me at juiceboxesandcrayolas AT gmail DOT com. I would be more than happy to share the files with you!

PS: I was pretty excited this week to find out that Juice Boxes & Crayolas is featured on this list of Top 50 Education Blogs!

Wordless Wednesday: The only cure to a LOOOONG and exhausting day at school...

2011-10-12T21:01:00.000-05:00

Fall Color 5K Race Recap & Upcoming Race Plans

2011-10-11T16:00:00.000-05:00

So I'm a little late with this recap...oops. Life got in the way. :) Two Sundays ago I ran the Fall Color 5K at a nearby arboretum. Last Spring Mrs. Literacy Coach and I had planned to run a 10K race at the arboretum, but bailed last minute because she felt under trained, my IT bands were a painfully knotty mess, and it was cold and rainy. I was disappointed because I'd heard the arboretum is BEAUTIFUL, so when I heard about their fall 5K race I knew I didn't want to miss it. This was the first race I have ever gone to completely on my own. If I'm not running with someone, in the past I've convinced a buddy to go with me, but no such luck with this race! It turned out for the best, though, because it was not a spectator-friendly course.

When I woke up the morning of the race, I wasn't too pleased to discover temperatures in the 30s (yes, the 30s...which seems so weird to write as I sit here on my balcony in a tank top and capris just a week and a half later...), complete with a frost-covered windshiled. Oh ice scraper, I have NOT missed you...

My ice-covered windshield...

Since it's been awhile since I've run in colder temperatures, I found myself completely confused about what to wear. Do high 30s temperatures mean I need 2 layers or 3? Do I need to cover my ears? Gloves? I was a mess! I ended up dressing a little too warmly for the race, but I think if I'd left off a layer I would have frozen waiting around beforehand! I knew that the course was going to be on the more difficult side, with almost the entire first mile going uphill! Yikes! Hills are not really my friends. Luckily, after that first mile the course had several more hills, but involved more downhill than up. I found myself basing my run/walk pattern more on whether I was running up or downhill rather than on my watch intervals, which worked pretty well.

Between the hilly course and the fact that I was still getting over a cold, I went into this race expecting to just take it easy and enjoy the gorgeous fall trees surrounding the course, but I didn't do half bad. I crossed the finish line in 33:06, my slowest 5K this year, but not so bad all things considered. By the end I was exhausted, though!

Me stumbling to a walk after crossing the finish line...I think this picture perfectly captures how I felt afterwards--ready for a nap!

After my summer of injury debacles, it feels wonderful to race 5Ks this fall. When I was crying hysterically convinced I had another tibial stress fracture back in July, I could care less about distance running. All I wanted to be able to do was just plain run again, and a 5K distance sounded so good. I have to say, I am loving me some 5Ks right now! That being said, the longing for distance running is definitely still at the back of my mind! My eyes are set on the Kentucky Derby 1/2 Marathon at the end of April, and I am determined to learn from my training mistakes and do the right thing for my body this time around. After my talks with my PT this summer and my reflections on my past training, I now understand how important cross training, step-back weeks, and SLOW mileage increases are for me.

So, last month I created a training plan that should take me through fall and winter all the way to the spring half-marathon and beyond. Instead of following a 12-week half marathon training plan that increases 1-2 miles a week, this plan focuses on building a solid mileage base this fall that includes 2 short (3 mile) runs during the week and 1 longer run on weekends. The long run will gradually increase up to about 5 or 6 miles, and then stays there for a few weeks. This winter I'll start half-training (the LONGEST TRAINING PROGRAM EVER! because I am just that cool...), and instead of upping the long run a mile every week, my new plan is to up it 1/2 mile 2 weeks in a row, then step back to an easy 3 mile run on the third week. All of these ideas are based on what I worked on and talked about with my PT this summer, and what we figured out my body needs to stay strong and uninjured. I'm also trying to keep up the cross-training weights, and yoga that helped me heal this summer and will help me keep from getting injured again!

Anyways, I'm sure you're bored to death by this point and/or stopped reading long ago! Sorry for being boring. I do have a few more races coming up this fall that I'm excited about, including a 10K at the end of October that will be my longest run since the 10 miler in July after which my body basically fell apart and beged for mercy!!! I know I've put a lot more thought into this plan to "train smarter" this year, and I hope I am able to stick to it!

What races are you looking forward to?

What mistakes have you made and learned from since you started running?
I've always tried to follow all of the injury prevention rules (like increasing mileage only 10% a week), but the biggest thing I've learned is that those rules maybe aren't conservative enough for my body. I've also learned that cross training and weights actually ARE important to become a better runner! I definitely learned that one the hard way...

Read more of my race recaps here!