Five Things Friday + Giveaway Reminder

Reminder to enter my CLICK protein powder giveaway!  Ends tomorrow at midnight!

1. I got a new student from Syria yesterday.  He speaks exactly no English.  I have since learned that not only am I completely incompetent when it comes to Level 1 ELLs, but that I was able to neither spell Syria (kept spelling it Syrria) nor locate it on a map (thank you google...).  This could be a bumpy ride...Who had tips for me???  Please.  I'm dying.

2. After going to my parents' house last night for dinner and to watch Grey's Anatomy with my mom, I realized after I was home, in my jammies, and with my contacts out that I'd left my phone charging on their kitchen counter.  Of course it was also raining out on top of being after 10pm.  Hence me leaving my house after 10 like this...

Which would have been fine had I not run into a family on the stairs on my way back in...I'm pretty sure they were all just jealous of my unique and forward thinking fashion sense.

3. Current obsession = pumpkin pie oatmeal.  I KNOW.  Best. breakfast. ever.

In the mix:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk (or regular milk)
1/4 cup oats
Cook on stove.  Stir in 1/2 cup purred pumpkin, a generous shake of pumpkin pie spice, and a scoop of brown sugar.  Top with sliced almonds.  Devour in about 2 minutes flat.  You're welcome.

4. I went to a math workshop Wednesday where I ended up doing math all. day. long.  I kind of hate math.  Only if kind of hate actually means loathe.  It was like being trapped in my own personal math curse.

Just two of my 10 pages of furious notes... And by notes I mean MATH WORK...

It was actually a great workshop, but I am still digesting all of the content before I can implement anything with my kiddos!  On the plus side, I got my FIRST EVER positive sub report.  I swear, the kids at my old school were just MONSTERS for subs--even the good kiddos turned totally naughty!  I had the sub read Miss Nelson is Missing to the kids and asked them to write about where they thought I might be while I was not there...some total gems in the responses.  Many thought I was either shopping or running.  HAH.  I wish.  Two of my favorites:

Miss "teacher" could be at the movie.  She could be at a lot of nice areas because she need it.  She work her butt off in the class room.  She is the best in the whole world.  I bet she could win a gold medal if there was a thing you try out for being the best teacher in the whole world.

I'm just glad SOMEONE around here notices I work my butt off!!!

One day Miss "teacher" was not at school and I think she went shark swimming and got attacked but got saved by a handsome man and she is marrying him so when she comes to school tomorrow she will be a Mrs. "teacher" now and she will become with a happier life and also she won't be alone in her apartment.

Well...I'm glad this little girl is concerned about my chronic single-ness and the fact that I live alone.  Also, I love my bright red hair, pink dress, and rail thin torso (see bikini shark swimming picture).  I'd say that's all a fairly accurate depiction...

5. Even though I am swamped in work for both school and grad school, fighting off some weird illness (that may actually be just extreme exhaustion)...I am looking forward to the weekend.  I'm going to a Halloween party tomorrow night--are you shocked that I am doing something social for a change instead of watching marathons on netflix instant and writing grad school papers?  Me too.  Anyways, Halloween isn't my favorite holiday adn I am never really "inspired" when it comes to a costume.  Here's a hint for this year's lame costume:

What are your weekend plans?

CLICK Espresso Protein Drink Review + Giveaway!

Between being trying to consume enough protein in my vegetarian diet to keep my tired muscles happy and trying to stay awake for long days of before-dawn workouts, teaching children, tutoring, and grad school, caffeine and protein are two things I am always trying to get my hands on.  I know the importance of protein in a healthy diet, but it is especially important for runners and athletes to consume protein after an intense workout to help those hard-working muscles recover quickly!  Here's the thing--a lot of the protein powder I've tried just plain SUCKS.  I know many people with stronger stomachs than myself can mix up a protein shake and down it no problem, but the chalky flavor so many powders have and the unpleasant after tastes are NOT my thing.  When I heard about CLICK espresso protein beverages, I was intrigued.   What could be better than a beverage with a hearty dose of both protein AND caffeine   I was super pumped to have the opportunity to check out CLICK and write a review.

From CLICK founder Greg Smith:

The innovative idea of combining espresso coffee and protein into a gourmet tasting healthy energy drink that can be enjoyed hot or cold just CLICKed one day...

The idea behind CLICK Espresso Protein Drink was to create a protein drink with the decadent coffee house taste and energy consumers crave along with the nutritional support they need that can be easily mixed with water, milk or their favorite beverage, all in a single 12-14 oz. serving.

CLICK sent me two different flavors of their protein drink to try: vanilla latte and mocha, plus a "blender bottle" shaker.  The only way I've been able to stomach protein powder in the past was to mix it into a blended fruit smoothie, so I was a little skeptical that CLICK would be different from the other brands I'd tried.  I tried the vanilla latte flavor first--per instructions, I mixed 2 scoops of protein powder with 14oz water.  My impressions were that the shaker did a good job getting the majority of the lumps out of the shake and that it dissolved quickly.  There were still a couple little tiny lumps, but I was impressed at the overall "dissolvedness" (yup, I can make up words), which was way better than many other powders I've tried.

What I was most worried about was the flavor--I CAN'T STAND that chalky taste so many powders have!  After my first sip, though  I was totally hooked.  It tasted like iced coffee!  Amazing!  The texture of the shake is thin like iced coffee too, so it drinks like a regular cold coffee beverage.  The taste was awesome.  I LOVED the vanilla latte flavor--it was the perfect level of sweetness and coffee.  The mocha flavor was great too, but a TOUCH too chocolatey-sweet for my tastes.  I now just mix a little less powder and a little more water for the mocha flavor, and it tastes great.

CLICK'in after a 4:30am run!

I have been loving drinking CLICK after morning workouts.  With the equivalent of 2 shots of espresso, not to mention 15g of protein in a shake, it is the perfect breakfast addition.  I made the mistake of drinking it after a night run a couple of weeks ago, and I couldn't fall asleep after, so I can vouch that it's definitely caffeinated   (There is a decaff option as well if that's your thing...)  I'm pretty pumped to have finally found a protein powder that I can just shake up with water and enjoy.  I still love my fruit smoothies, but it's so easy to scoop some CLICK into the shaker and toss it in my gym bag for a before school workout.  There is also a recipe page on the CLICK website with different ideas for "shaking up" (hehe get it?? ;) regular CLICK.  A few days ago I made the Pumpkin Spice recipe for an afternoon snack that will actually fill me up.  Yum.

CLICK'in after a 9mi long run!

Interested in trying CLICK for yourself?

CLICK has been kind enough to offer a couple of deals for my readers!  First, if you're interested in trying out CLICK without committing and buying a whole canister, CLICK is offering a buy one get one free deal on their sample packets.  Click here to claim your CLICK BOGO offer.  (I wish I'd tried a certain rice protein powder that way so that I'd discovered it's nasty and chalky before buying a 20oz canister that will be sitting on top of my fridge forever...)  

Also, CLICK is giving away a starter pack with a canister of CLICK and a shaker bottle to one reader!  Here's how to enter:  (Leave a separate comment for each entry)

• Be a follower of Juice Boxes and Crayolas and leave me a comment letting me know! (Mandatory)
• Visit the CLICK website and let me know which flavor or recipe you'd most like to try (+1 entry)
• Like CLICK on facebook and leave them a comment saying "Amy from Juice Boxes and Crayolas sent me!" (+1 entry)
• Share this giveaway on your blog, facebook, or twitter (+1 entry each)
• Leave a comment letting me know why you need a little CLICK in your life!!! (+1 entry)

This giveaway will end Saturday, October 27th at midnight.  I will choose a winner using random.org and post it the following day.  Good luck!

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I was sent a CLICK starter pack in exchange for writing this review.  I was not compensated in any other way, and all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Endorphin Warrior Training Bracelet Winner!

Thank you for entering my giveaway!  I loved hearing about all the different words you would choose and why they were special to you.  To be honest, I want about 10 different bracelets to wear when I need a different reminder!  Persevere, Relentless, and Believe are three I'd like to have to cycle through along with my current bracelet!!!

Anyways, the winner is...

 #19, Iliana R!

Iliana, email me at juiceboxesandcrayolas AT gmail DOT com by WENDESDAY to claim your prize!

Look for another fun giveaway later this week!

How to Survive Parent Conferences

Don't forget to enter my Endorphin Warrior Bracelet giveaway before it ends Saturday!

After I mentioned my marathon day of conferences last week, one of my awesome readers asked to hear more about how I manage parent conferences.  Here's how I make it through what amounts to a looooong day:

First, after scheduling my conferences, I send home a confirmation slip two weeks before our conference and another reminder the day before.  While parent involvement isn't as big of an issue at my current school as at my previous school, I still want parents to have plenty of reminders just in case!  Also, in the week leading up to conferences, I try to take some time to reflect on each of my students' strengths and goals, both academically and behaviorally.  Even though we obviously know these things about our students, I find that in the whirlwind day of conferences, important things slip my mind if I don't have them written down.  So, I type up brief notes of a quick strength or goal for each child that I'd like to share and have the notes at hand on conference day.  I don't look at them during a conference typically, but will glance at them during the odd open time slot to refresh my memory.  Sometimes just the act of typing the notes up is enough to get everything to the forefront of my brain!

My notes for conferences

During the week of conferences, I start putting together my student folders that I'll share with parents.  One of the things I share in these folders is my students' MAP scores and goals.  The week leading up to conferences, I briefly sit down with each of my students and conference with them about their MAP scores and things they would like to improve on in reading and math.  I record their goals on a goal setting sheet and we graph their current scores on a bar graph.

MAP Goal Setting Worksheet

I also have students fill out a self-reflection about their work habits, social learning, and listening skills.  I record my own thoughts as well and place this sheet in the front of the kiddos' folders to share first thing.

Self-Reflection

With the reflection, I ask the kids to choose something they're proud of and something they're working on to share with their parents at the beginning of their conference.  Our conferences are student-attended, which I LOVE.  I think it is SO important to have the kids involved in these important conversations.  Anyways, we talk briefly about behavior and work habits (homework completion, etc.), before diving into academics.

I next share MAP scores with parents, explaining the score, the percentile, and the growth goals.  I have students explain some of their strengths and goals from our goal setting sheet.  To give a little more information about reading levels, I also share the students' current instructional Fountas & Pinnell level.  One of my teammates had the brilliantly simple suggestion of sharing a Fountas & Pinnell grade level range breakdown with parents to give them a context for all of this information.  I circled the student's current level, starred the end of the year grade level goal, and gave the sheet to parents to take home.  I will include an instructional level on report cards, so this way parents will be able to keep track.

Reading Instructional Levels Guide

Next, I share some kind of math artifact, usually our most recent test or quiz and a current math grade.  I also share any reading common assessments or other reading and math artifacts.  Finally, my favorite thing to share is a writing sample from the very beginning of the school year as well as a published writing piece so parents can see their child's writing growth already this year.  It's always amazing to see the huge difference several weeks can make!

To recap, here's a list of what's in their folders:

• Self-reflection on work habits and behavior
• MAP scores and goal setting sheet
• Fountas & Pinnell instructional level and breakdown sheet
• Math artifact and current grade
• Other common assessments
• Writing sample from beginning of the year
• Published writing piece (or writing journal if I don't have one yet)

On the day of conferences, I set myself up at my conference table with a few items.  I organize my student folders in order of their conference time in my file crate and keep it on a chair next to me.  On the floor underneath I keep a little box of essentials including kleenex, chapstick, mints, shine control powder (it's a looong day, people), lipgloss, and most importantly a full water bottle.  I don't know about you guys, but I get seriously dehydrated after talking ALL DAY LONG at conferences!!!

I  have never had a time that I really needed to get out of an uncomfortable conference, but my first year my mentor suggested to me that just in case I post a list of conference times outside the door and ask parents to knock lightly at their scheduled time if I am currently inside with the door closed.  I typically find that I usually only need 10 minutes for "easy" students, and that the 15 minutes I schedule is more than enough time.  If I know I'm going to have a conference that requires a little more time, I try to leave an empty slot in my schedule before the next conference, because some conversations really need some extra time!

Honestly, even though the day is hella long, I don't really mind it.  I love sharing students' amazing growth with parents, and with the students too!  It's always pretty wonderful.  And as far as trickier conferences go, I find that having the students there is super important.  I can honestly say I have seen differences in some of my trickiest students after having discussions with the kids and their parents together at conferences.  

What tips do you have for surviving parent conferences?

Training Tuesday: Lazy Girl's Guide to Speedwork

Fellow teacher-runner-reader-blogger Shannon asked to hear more about my lame attempts at speedwork, so here goes!  First, you should know three things:  1. I have no idea what I'm talking about.  2. I hate speedwork.  3. (And most importantly) Even though I am completely making it up as I go, my lame attempts at speedwork got me a 29:26 5K, a huge achievement for me.  So I'll tell you what I've been doing!

The Track.  My Eternal Frenemy.

In August, I conquered an irrational running fear--the track.  Seriously, I was afraid of running at the track and definitely afraid of trying to be something I've never been--fast.  It was way less scary to just say, "Oh, no biggie, I'm a slow runner" than to actually try to work to get faster!  But I sucked it up and started my speedwork journey!

My first time at the track, my plan was to run 3 x 400, or 3 laps around the track.  I swapped my garmin for my good old timex ironman stopwatch, jogged an easy lap to warm up, then headed to the "starting line" for my first speed lap.  I hit the start button on my watch and got running!  After one lap, I stopped my watch, and walked it out.  I think the idea for speedwork is to jog between intervals, but as a run/walker and a total speed newbie, I definitely need a walk after each lap!  I usually walk down and back one straightaway on the track after a lap, then get ready to do another.  My goal is just to make each lap faster than the one before--sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't!

During my 5K training and beyond into my half-marathon training, I've run the same number of 400s two weeks in a row, then added another lap.  This week was 7 x 400.  Holy tired.  I totally hate speedwork, I'm not gonna lie.  It hurts, it's tiring, and it's pretty darn boring.  Not as bad as the dreadmill, but the track is not exactly a forest preserve trail!  To be honest, I know it's totally wrong, but I tend to stop, sit, or even lay down between 400s towards the end...I know, I know, totally not the right way to do speedwork, but like I said, I'm doing the best I can!

At the end of the day, yes, it's painful, and yes, I'm not exactly doing speedwork 100% by the books, but at the end of the day I can say that I'm way faster now than when I started.  My easy runs are now in the 10:30s instead of the 11:30s, my long runs are in the 11:30s instead of the 12:00s, and I finsihed my speedy 5K with an average of 9:25.  When I ran the Zoo Run Run 5K with Katy last month, she commented that I definitely have gotten faster!  Sooo even though I'm not into pain and totally dread my speedwork session every week, I will keep doing what I have to do if it means I might be able to nail the elusive sub 2:30 next month!  Fingers crossed!

What does your speedwork look like?

Speedwork: love it? hate it?  deal with it?

Just one more lap...

Don't forget to enter my Endorphin Warrior Bracelet giveaway!  Ends Saturday!

You know those days when the universe just seems to be telling you to give up on your workout? Yup, today was one of those days!  However, after having seriously the laziest weekend in history thanks to my latest Netflix obsession, Revenge, I knew that I needed this workout to happen!  Easier said than done, though!

Seriously, amazing show.

This morning I finally rolled out of bed (after watching a couple episodes of Revenge on my phone...), drove my lazy self to the community college, and headed over to the track for a speedwork session.  I had the BEST intentions.  About 100 yds away from the track, however, I noticed a few maintenance guys working on the track--touching up the paint, or something.  UGH!  FOILED!  I was tempted to just run around the campus on the bike trail, but I knew that if I want to nail a 2:29:59 half marathon next month, every speedwork session counts.  I ran a couple errands, watched a few more episodes of Revenge, and gave it another shot later in the day.

When I went to the track for the SECOND time, I not only found a soccer game going on, but also a dozen hurdles laying down around the track...possible covering wet paint??? Who knows!  In any case, by this point it was SO tempting to say screw it to my 7 x 400 and head straight home...especially because I loathe speedwork with a passion.  But no, no, no, I forced myself to get back in my car and drive to another track a few miles away, motivation quickly waning...

As if I wasn't deterred enough by this point, I got stuck in construction on the way to track #2!!!  UGH!

Needless to say, by the time I finally got to the track, I had about this much motivation left.  And 7 speedy 400s to run.  :-/  What's a girl to do.  I'm telling ya, after the FIRST 400 I was about ready to quit.  "Keep going, keep going," I told myself.  I made it through a second lap, then a third.  "Just 4 left," I said...out loud...many times...I made it through a 4th lap, then a 5th, after which I rewarded myself by checking facebook on my phone.  "2 more!"  The whole time, I visualized seeing "2:29:59" on my watch in November.  When I wanted to quit early, I reminded myself that EVERY LAP counts.  Every time around the track brings me closer and closer to achieving that goal.  Also, I bribed myself big time with a pumpkin spice latte reward...

I made it through all 7 400s and was about ready to collapse at the end.  Phew!  But I did it!

(Oh, and in case you were wondering, my Rock Taps stayed put!  I applied it Friday night, and it lasted until I took it off this evening post-run!  WIN!)

How do you stay strong when the motivation is lacking?  Visualization?  Bribery?  All of the above, like me? :)

Sleepy Post-Run Saturday + Endorphin Warrior Bracelet GIVEAWAY

Anybody else treat themselves to a lazy day post-long run?  It seems like lately I've been so exhausted from my crazy long school-grad-class-training-filled weeks that my long runs pretty much do me in on the weekends!  

My current set-up, where I've been laying all afternoon...

But no matter how tiring, there is something wonderful about pounding the roads for 8 miles on a crisp fall morning...

Seriously, is there anything better than a long run surrounded by fall leaves?  My eight miles passed pretty quickly this morning, and again, try as I could to keep my pace slow and steady, my legs kept itching to speed up.  I literally cannot wait for my half-marathon next month and to give my sub 2:30 goal a real shot.  It is scary even to say that that's my goal for this race!  

Speaking of sub 2:30, I've talked many times before about how this year I have committed to being fearless. This mantra has gotten me through training for triathlons and my first sub-30 5K.  Today I carried that mantra with me on my training run, thanks to my new Warrior Training Bracelet from Endorphin Warrior.  I am so grateful to Endorphin Warrior for giving me the opportunity to review one of their awesome training bracelets, and to share one with a reader!  

Not my best angle, but I just ran 8 miles and am trying to take a picture of myself on my cell phone...

thanks for understanding :) 

Fearless.  One powerful word.  I loved carrying it on my wrist during this run, and love keeping it close other times during the week.  This bracelet is lightweight, comfortable, and just plain perfect for displaying a favorite one-word mantra for both yourself and the world.  The leather band is 5/8" wide with a snap closure in back and a metal stamped plate in front.  The bracelets come in a few different sizes, and you are able to choose between many words or displays, including PERSEVERE, FOCUS, BREATHE, and many others--even distances like 26.2 or 70.3.  

The one improvement I would make to the bracelet would be to add a second snap closure to the band to make it adjustable between two sizes.  My wrist was SLIGHTLY larger than the smallest size option, and the website recommends to size up if that's the case.  My bracelet fits loosely now, and I wouldn't mind a slightly tighter fit.  However, the nice part is that I can fasten it around a long sleeved shirt during a run as seen in the picture above, and it still fits comfortably if my wrist swells during a long sweaty run.  So, even though the sizing isn't perfect, I am very happy with my bracelet.  I can't wait to wear it on my wrist during the Space Coast half as I chase my sub 2:30 goal.  Make it or not, I will not let fear of striking out sabotage this race for me!!

Want to win your own Warrior Training Bracelet?  

Endorphin Warrior Jewelry has been kind enough to let me give away a training bracelet to a reader!  One reader will get to select a bracelet with their own personal mantra to wear proudly.  Here's how to win (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

• Be a follower of Juice Boxes and Crayolas and leave a comment letting me know! (Mandatory)
• Visit the Endorphin Warrior website and leave a comment letting me know which warrior training bracelet you would choose (Mandatory)
• Like Endorphin Warrior on facebook (+1 additional entry)
• Share this giveaway on your blog, facebook, or twitter (+1 additional entry EACH!)

This giveaway will end on Saturday, October 13th at midnight.  I will post a winner selected using Random.org the following day.  Good luck!

Five things Friday: New Computers, Anchor Charts, and KT Tape

1. I have to be honest:  I've been putting off blogging because I have had it up to HERE with my computer.  It is sooo slow, and I think I have upgraded and reupgraded the system as many times as I can to prolong its life.  The cherry on top was when I tried to Skype with Older Brother and Adorable Niece last weekend, only to have my video completely not work.  Then, I tried to download Skype on my work laptop, only to have audio not work!  Terrible.  The good news is that I decided to use my tutoring $$ to buy a pretty new laptop!  (And then of course went into cardiac arrest at the fact that I just spent a month's rent and decided to start tracking my spending for October and actually get around to me perpetual new year's resolution of budgeting...)

2. Yesterday was a marathon day of parent conferences.  I had one before school, had kids from 8:40-11:40, then had...wait for it...TWENTY MORE, wrapping up the night at 8pm.  Dear god.  District gives the kids the day off today so we can use it to finish conferences, but we don't have to schedule any for today if we don't want to.  We just have to go in for at least 2 hours (any time) either way.  At my old school, most teachers scheduled all of their conferences for Thursday and used Friday to just get some work done, so that's what I did again this year.  Yes, 21 conferences in one day (plus teaching all morning, woo) is quite the marathon, but it was pretty awesome to sleep in until 8am this morning, head to school in jeans and TOMS, and work in a quiet, dark classroom listening to Iron & Wine.  Afterwards I treated myself to soup and some reading time at Panera--in other news, it's officially chilly and fall!  Soup season!

3. While working at school today, I spent about a half hour prepping chart paper for next week.  I LOVE my easel, chart paper, and Mr. Sketch markers something fierce.  The thing is, in order to not have to spend excessive time with my back to the kids writing on a chart during teaching, I have to spend time "prepping" the paper, aka drawing the bare bones of whatever anchor chart we'll be using so that I can just fill in the necessary parts during my lesson.  Does anyone else spend huge chunks of time doing this??  Even though it takes time, I love my chart paper and Mr. Sketch markers, so it's time I don't mind taking. :)  In other news, I got a new easel!!  Wooo!!  Sad how exciting this is.  Here is is, along with the focus chart we're filling out during our read aloud, Wonder (The best. book. ever.  Full post after we finish it.).

Mr. Sketch = best markers ever.  Perfect for anchor charts...

and coloring new clothespins for my clip chart clips!

4. We are finishing up our first writing project--a fictional narrative.  Here are pictures of some of the anchor charts we made together during mini-lessons:

Publishing

Strong Titles

My favorite mini-lesson ever: Power of 3

The Run-On Police

5. I have a 8-9 mi run on the schedule for tomorrow.  My IT bands have been in the best state they have been in a year, but I'm still using KT tape to get them through long runs:

The big pain though is that the samll pieces of tape always peel off from around my knees, especially when I get sweaty.  KT tape sticks great, especially KT tape pro, but the problem is just the placement of these small pieces and the fact that they are mostly sticking against another piece of tape, not the skin.  KT tape pro comes in pre-cut strips, and for IT band taping, you're supposed to cut one piece in half to make the two small X pieces.  Buuut the half size ends up not being big enough to stick to enough of the skin!  And the tape is just two darn expensive to use a bigger amount for these pieces--as it is, I have to use 4 strips to tape both of my IT bands, which roughly equals $4...that adds up, yo!

Anyways, after some excessive google searching for another kinesio tape option, I settled on Rocktape H2O.  It sounds ULTRA sticky and even waterproof, plus I can cut strips in whatever size I want.  We'll see if it does the trick!

What are your weekend plans?

Shine On Sporty Girl Winners, Take 2

I've had one of those hectic, crazy, is my head still screwed on straight kinds of weeks, so blogging has been taking a backseat!  BUT as only 1 of the 3 winners of my giveaway claimed their prize, I had to get my act together at least enough to pick two new winners.  They are...

Heidi

& Jennifer!

 Ladies, email me at juiceboxesandcrayolas AT gmail DOT com by Sunday to claim your necklace!