Sprigs Winner!

Brrrr!  It's cold here in Chicago!  When I checked the hourly forecast last night and saw that it would be only 11 degrees at 4am (Tuesday is my early running day usually), I decided to sleep in instead. :)  I know I'm trying to have a "Just do it" mindset, but cold + 4am = yucky.  Anyways.  This kind of cold calls for a winter accessory winner!  Thanks for entering my Sprigs giveaway!  The winner is...

Sarah, email me at juiceboxesandcrayolas AT gmail DOT com by FRIDAY to claim your prize!!  

Didn't win?  Check out Sprigs.com to get yourself a little something--you deserve it! :)

Chocolate + Peanut Butter = Bliss.

Happy Saturday!  Just a reminder to enter my Sprigs giveaway, ending at midnight tonight!

The past two Saturdays in Chicago have had weirdo weather!  I was really lucky both days though because I headed out for me run, ended up running in beautiful weather, only to have it turn cold and crappy later on in the day.  This morning is was in the upper 40s!  Shut the front door!  I even pulled a pair of capris out of the back of the drawer!  (Okay, I lied, I pulled them out of the bottom of the hamper, and they were super sweaty and gross after being worn to hot yoga the other day...what, like you never re-wear workout clothes...)

Anyways, I pounded out 9 miles on one of my favorite trails this morning, loving the weather and loving the high school throw back music I loaded on my ipod last night, including some blink-182, third eye blind, and something corporate.  Some days I crave the silence of those long runs in the forest preserve, but today I was literally grinning when some of those old favorites were blasting in my ears!

Tonight I am camped out here, on the floor in front of a pile of grad school hw (and the TV watching Parenthood, my new favorite show!).  I know you are all super jealous of my crazy exciting single girl Saturday nights.  At least I have tea.

And chocolate with peanut butter.  Yum.  Is there possibly a better combination?  I think not.  I have been ravenous all day post-run, and I'm not going to lie--I ate half that bar in 2 bites and will for sure come back for the rest after publishing this post.

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Do you ever re-wear workout clothes??  Be honest...

What are you up to this weekend?

Do I have to? NO! You GET to!!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win one of Sprigs's awesome winter products!  Giveaway ends Saturday at midnight!

It's been a long day, folks...same as yesterday, and same as the day before come to think of it!  This first week back from break is always a killer.  Thankfully the kiddos have been great, but I am EXHAUSTED!  In the hopes of staying on top of things, I've been making a point to keep my bed made, my sink empty of dishes, and my workouts happening this week.  I even used this pretty memo board my friend made for me for Christmas to plan those workouts out...

On the schedule for this evening was a 1000yd swim + 1 hr hot vinyasa yoga.  I packed my bags last night, but as I was pulling out of the school parking lot, all I wanted to do was go home and take a nap!  I caught myself thinking,

 "Ugh, do I HAVE to go workout???"  

But then I remembered a technique I use in my classroom.  I teach using Quantum Learning, a brain-based style of teaching that is kind of similar to whole brain teaching, but the it also involves a lot of management techniques and techniques for rephrasing the things we commonly say to kids.  One switch I made this year was that instead of saying things like, "Next, we're going to practice the Partial Quotients strategy..." or, "Tomorrow, we'll be taking a quiz on electricity..." I say, "We get to ________."  The change is SO simple, but so powerful.  "Today, we get to take a quiz on electricity and celebrate our learning!"  "Next, we get to practice using Partial Quotients!"  It's no longer Powerful Teacher telling Powerless Students what to do.  Tasks are a privilege suddenly!  Simple, but awesome.

Anyways, back to the workout that almost wasn't.  When I caught myself thinking, "Ugh, do I HAVE to go workout???" I stopped and reframed my thoughts, instead thinking, "Tonight I GET to go swim and go to a yoga class.  I love swimming and yoga, and taking the time to practice both tonight is a wonderful thing.  I am lucky to get to do both of these wonderful things I love."  Just by rephrasing my thoughts, my attitude completely shifted.  And sure enough, the swim and yoga were wonderful--even though by the end of the class my arms were shaking like crazy in my side planks, and I had to rest in child's pose a few times...still awesome :)

Side note: After class, a middle aged man that was practicing next to me came up to me and said, "Thank you for your practice tonight.  I really enjoyed practicing next to you."  I can't decide if this is creepy or sweet...

How do you stay enthusiastic about training and working out after a long day?
Sometimes I try to visualize a goal I am working towards--either a finish line of an upcoming race or seeing my goal finishing time on my watch post-race.  Holding these pictures in my mind usually gives me a little motivation when I'm having trouble sticking to my training plan!

Sprigs Winter Gear Review + GIVEAWAY!

Have you checked out Sprigs.com yet?  I LOVE this company.  Their Banjee wrist wallet is one of my favorite running accessories, and I absolutely love my yogi arms and cotton infinity scarf.  I am super pumped to have the opportunity to review some of Sprigs's winter accessories.

Banjee Love!

Attempting Crow Pose in my Yogi Arms!

One of the items I got to try was Sprigs's fleece Texting Gloves.  These gloves have little flaps on the thumbs and index fingers of both hands that you can pull back.  The idea is that you can text and use your phone without taking the gloves off.

The gloves work great with a smart phone or touch screen device.  There are a lot of gloves around these days that let you use a touch screen with the gloves on, and I haven't tried any of these gloves so I can't say if they're really better or worse than the Sprigs gloves.  However, there are a few perks to the Sprigs texting gloves.  They can be used for a non-touch screen keyboard like on a blackberry or my dad's qwerty phone as seen below... 

I also was totally loving these gloves when I was taking the train downtown last week.  The train was capital-F-FREEZING, so I kept my gloves on, and I could turn the pages of my book by peeking my index finger out of the gloves.  Cold weather reading WIN!  Olivia loved them too... 

I also got to try Sprigs's Organic Bliss Stitch Hat.  I love the stitching on this hat--it matches my Sprigs yogi arms!  Super cute.  I wish that the hat were a tiny bit bigger so that it covered my ears a little better--I'm gonna admit it, I have a kind of larger than normal head...seriously, I do.  Plus I have about three times the amount of hair as the average person, so hats can be tricky.  I think this hat is super adorable though.  It's not super warm, but it's a nice in-between hat.  It'd be a great spring or fall accessory.

My absolute FAVORITE product, though, is the Winter Infinity Scarf.  This scarf has been my FAVORITE accessory this winter!  This scarf is super warm and cozy, plus it's really soft.  According to the Sprigs website, it's made of acrylic knit yarn.  I hate wool and all things woolen make me sneeze, so this scarf is perfect.  I usually wrap it around twice in two loose loops, but it can be wrapped three times for a super warm fit.  I've been wearing it nonstop since I got it, and I seriously want one in every color!

Do you want to win one of these three Sprigs items to warm your hands and heart this winter?  (If you're a midwestern girl like me, you desperately need them!)  Sprigs has generously offered to let me give away a hat, scarf, or pair of texting gloves to one lucky reader!  Here's how to enter:

(Please leave a separate comment for each entry--7 possible chances to win!)

• Be a follower of Juice Boxes and Crayolas and leave me a comment letting me know! (Mandatory)
• Visit the Sprigs website and check out these winter accessories.  Leave me a comment letting me know which of these three items (and which color!) you'd most like to win! (+ 1 entry)
• Like Sprigs 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 extra warmth this winter!!! (+1 entry)

EDIT:  Whoops, I forgot to post an ending time for the giveaway!  This giveaway will end at midnight on Saturday, January 12th.  I will choose a winner using random.org and post the winner on Sunday!

Disclaimer: I was provided with a hat, scarf, and pair of gloves from Sprigs in exchange for writing this review.  I did not receive any additional compensation, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Three Things Thursday

1. I'm going to make a semi-embarrassing confession: I suck at making coffee.  I seriously don't know what my problem is, but at least 50% of the time my coffee tastes yucky.  I've cleaned the coffee maker with vinegar, tried other brands, tweaked my measuring...who knows.  This week, though, I broke out an appliance I bought a year ago and never touched--a French Press!  I'd always heard that the french press made the best cup of coffee, but when my purchase didn't really come with any instructions, I let it get dusty sitting on top of my fridge.  When my brother was in town for Christmas last week and craving coffee, I gave him the task of figuring out the (shockingly simple) French Press.  Sure enough, it made AMAZING coffee!  Today I actually tried it on my own, and I am definitely hooked.  It's a little more time and effort than using the drip coffee maker, but it makes the perfect amount (about 6 cups) and seriously tastes so much better.

2. I have a love/hate relationship with winter running.  It is SO HARD to get out there and do it, especially when your bed is so warm and snuggly and the temperature outside is so cold!  Buuut there are some definite perks.  First, I feel justified in waiting until noon or 1pm to start my run since it's the warmest part of the day!  Since I'm being a lazy teacher this week and soaking up every second of relaxation I can, that meant I had an excuse to lay in bed reading and reading blogs until after noon yeseterday before getting out on my 8 mile run.  Obviously I could have gotten up, been productive, and THEN gone running, but that's just not as fun!

Pre-run: All bundled up!

I also love how empty the trails are on cold winter days.  (Running in the middle of the day midweek may have had something to do with that too!)  It's just so quiet and peaceful.  I even saw 6 deer yesterday!

Post-run: Awful picture, but my philosophy is that if you still look cute after 8 miles, you didn't run hard enough!

3. After talking about doing it for the past few months, I finally bit the bullet and booked a cleaning service to come scrub down my apartment Saturday afternoon.  I live in a one bedroom tiny apartment that in theory I should be able to keep clean, but let's be honest, I'm more of an "organizer" than a "cleaner."  Very different thigns.  I do a little surface cleaning here and there, but my kitchen floor needs a good scrubbing, as does my stove, base boards, and shower.  At this point, I don't care what it costs--it will be worth it!  Growing up, my family was by NO means wealthy, but my mom would always splurge on a professional house cleaning before holidays, back to school, etc.  I swear those cleaning ladies have magical powers, because no matter how hard I worked to clean, it would never look and feel as amazing as when they are finished!  Cannot. Wait.

(I'll spare you a picture of my dirty kitchen floor and dusty shelves...)

4.  I'm sneaking in a 4th thing!!  It's a short one tho--this is my school bag:

It hasn't moved from where I dumped it almost two weeks ago after getting home from school on our last day.  Guess I should probably open it and start cracking on my LENGTHY to-do list, huh???  Maybe tomorrow..

Winter running--love or hate?

New Year, New Goals!

I'm not much of a resolution girl, but I love the idea of setting goals for the year.  I just looked back over my goal list from 2012, and out of 11 goals (school, fitness, etc.), I accomplished 7.  I did the triathlons, set the half marathon and 5K PRs, embraced the early morning workouts.  The exit slips I commit to using in math every year never happened, and neither did the budgeting or the cooking.  Oh well!

Anyways, here goes...In 2013 I will:

~Finish grad school & become a licensed reading specialist

~Stay uninjured (minus this lingering ITBS) and foam roll like a crazy person

~Run a race for charity

~Apply to have a Girls on the Run site at my school for spring 2014

~Spend less and save more (totally vague and broad, but I'll figure out a more specific plan soon!)

~Blog more :)

~At least try to find a bigger apartment that doesn't break the bank

~Donate my hair to Locks of Love for the second time

And last but not least, the big one...

Do I look scared?  Well, that's cause I AM!  

My 2013 race calendar...

February: Disney Princess Half Marathon

May: Chicago Spring Half Marathon

June: Esprit de She Sprint Triathlon

July: Schaumburg Duathlon

September: Apple Cider Century series 37 mi ride

October: Chicago Marathon!

I am super duper terrified about even ADMITTING that I want to run a marathon.  See I'm not a big fan of admitting I want something that is really far from my reach with the possibility of failing at it.  On my 8 mile run today, I couldn't help but think, "How will I EVER be able to run 18 miles MORE than this?!"  But then I shut down that thought and reminded myself that just a few years ago, I never ever thought I'd be able to run 8 miles.  This time last year, I never thought I'd be able to swim THEN bike THEN run.  But I did!  That's what training's for, right?  Anyways, this should be an eventful year, and I can't wait to share my journey with you.  

What are your big scary goals for 2013?

Love for 2012

I became an aunt and godmother to the most beautiful, special little girl ever.  My brother and sister in law had their first baby in January 2012, and even though I didn't get to meet her until March, it was love at first sight.

I got to take three trips to Florida to visit said adorable niece.  I wish so much that she lived closer (and my brother and sis in law too!), but the excuse for a few vacations a year in a warm place is pretty great!

Got to enjoy some fabulous beach running too :)

I lost a job I'd been working my ass off at.  It was unfair and completely devastating...but then, it was the best thing ever.  After working for three years giving my heart and soul to teaching 5th grade students, dealing with difficult coworkers and a principal who I was NEVER good enough for, I realized I'd been set free and given a chance to set roots somewhere else.  Everyone told me that things happen for a reason, and after this year I believe more than ever that that is the honest truth.

Job Interview Time!

I completed two sprint triathlons, in the process conquering my fears of open water swimming, transitions, and basically failure in general.  Crossing the finish lines at my first and second tris--and finishing STRONG--were completely unforgettable experiences.  I love this sport.

I packed up my old classroom and embraced a fresh start at my new job teaching 3rd & 4th multiage at a new building working for the principal who'd first hired me at my old school.  It was absolutely the right decision, and I am so. much. happier.  With the new building, the grade change, my new team...everything.

Bye, 5th Grade!

I learned to embrace the 4am workout--as much as I HATE it--and made an early-morning workout happen once or twice a week since school started.

I read 74 1/2 books (still hoping I finish #75 by before the new year to meet my goodreads goal!!).  

Just a few of my favorites...

I ran, biked, and swam my way through a grand total of 11 races.  Some were fast, some slow.  Some felt easy, others felt way tougher.  All of them represent something I never thought I could EVER do.  All of them will be memories I treasure forever.

From the Chicago Perfect 10, one of my favorite ever races

I decided it was FINALLY time to get my slow legs to the track, do some speedwork, and try and get a little bit faster.  For the past few years I've been content to be a "back of the pack" runner.  I will never be fast by any real standards, but thanks to some hard work, I shocked myself by setting PRs in the 5K (finally breaking 30 minutes!), 10 mile, and half marathon.  I never thought I could run miles under 10 minutes, but this year I did!  A year ago if you asked me if I thought I could run 13 miles in under 11 minutes each, I would have laughed.  But I did!  Like I said, I will never be fast, but this year I learned that if I am willing to set big goals, work my ass off, and refuse to settle for less, I can do anything.

PR in Louisville, KY in April!

PR in Cocoa, FL in November!

2012, you've been a great year and certainly an unforgettable one.  

Here's to making 2013 just as packed to the brim with adventures and filled with beautiful memories.

Silence for Sandy Hook

Friday Favorites

Edit: I wrote this post this morning before school, planning on publishing it when I got home.  Now all I can think about is the tragedy in Connecticut.  I'm still publishing it, but with the deep knowledge I can be grateful for any of the small complaints I have about my week because they mean that my students and I are safe.  That's all I can coherently say about this awful, awful tragedy--my heart goes out to teachers, students, and families in Connecticut.

Has this week been about 100 years for anyone else?  Teachers?  I swear, it feels like it started at least a month ago.  Not a single day this week have I not caught myself thinking that it was the next day or even two days later, starting with Monday.  AWFUL.  My kiddos have [thankfully] been holding our routines together and not acting naughty, but this week it seemed like most of them have turned their brains from high power down to medium-low.  #howwillimakeitthroughanotherweek...

Anyways, enough grumbling.  It is Friday after all, so that's something to celebrate!  Some of the things I'm loving right now...

1. My tiny, lame Christmas tree.  Yes, it has one single ornament and is super pathetic, but when Christmas Break feels like it will never come, my tree reminds me that although we have still ANOTHER week of school, it is in fact around the corner.

2. The new pack of Mr. Sketch markers I got yesterday.  Seriously, is there anything better than Mr. Sketch markers?  I'm an anchor chart junkie and pretty much live with marker all over my hands at all times.  I've already used up about half the markers from the pack I bought in August, and I've been getting frustrated that most of my favorite colors have run out.  NOT OKAY.  Was so excited to break into the new box today!

3. The fact that almost ALL of my Christmas shopping is done, and the fact that I did it all while laying in my pajamas in bed last weekend.  A few more orders to place this weekend, then just waiting for it all to arrive! (Oh, and wrapping...not my favorite job...)

4. The fun plans I'm looking forward to this weekend.  After a totally restful yet somewhat boring weekend last week, this weekend is chock full of plans.  Dinner and a movie (Breaking Dawn for the second time...go ahead and judge me, I'm already judging myself...) tonight, spending the day with my cousin tomorrow and catching up with a college friend at night, and finishing up with cookie baking with Mom on Sunday. Perfect.

5. Stations of Christmas music on Pandora...especially while getting ready for school in the morning!

6. December night runs illuminated by housed decorated for Christmas.  I look forward to these every year.  Nothing like looking at pretty Christmas lights to keep up that motivation to run even when the days are short and the nights are cold.

7. The electricity experiments we did in science this week.  I feel like my kids have so little time to EXPLORE in my super structured days.  This week we ditched the science text books, and I checked my control freak self at the door.  Instead of a structured lab or demo, I let the kids explore with wires and batteries and bulbs.  The joy they felt for learning this week was beautiful.

 8. After lunch yoga with my kiddos.  I started this a few weeks ago with a few simple poses and L O V E it.  I have been teaching the kids the Sun Salutation sequence, and today was the first time we were able to actually flow through the poses.  Love that it gets us focused, calmed, and centered for the afternoon.

What are you loving this Friday?

More than a Test Score?

 After taking our district's winter standardized tests last week, I had been working on a post about how I get my students all pumped up for our trimester-ly testing in math and reading--you know, the chants, the goal setting, etc.  But today I am in a bit of a funk and testing is the reason why, so that post is on hold for now as I'm experiencing a bit of a teacher-wallow tonight.  Let me back up--we take MAP tests (Measure of Academic Progress--or is it proficiency? who can keep the acronyms straight!) three times a year in math and reading.  The tests are taken on the computer and generate a score, a percentile, and growth targets for winter and spring testing for each student in each subject area.

Our elaborate goal-setting sheets

My district is crazy data-driven, as I know they are all coming to be, and place a lot of weight (read: pressure) on these tests...I'm talking tons of goal setting time, reflecting on the goals, poring over data in fancy schmancy data analysis programs, etc.   We talk about our grade level and classroom's scores at our evaluations (although they are not TECHNICALLY part of them...yet...) and reflect on the students  progress like crazy.  This all means, you guessed it, that the pressure is on like whoa.  When I proctor MAP, I walk around the room sneaking peeks at the kids' questions and responses on their computers, growing more and more nauseous every time I see a kid answer a question wrong.  When they raise their hand to let me know they have finished and that their score is displayed on their computer screen, as I'm walking over to check their score, I am pretty much 100% of the time terrified that they didn't make their growth target or worse--went down a few points.  The kids feel the pressure for sure, but I'm positive that I feel it more.  

We took our Math and Reading MAP tests last week.  My kids did great overall, especially in reading.  We celebrated our growth, recognized our hard work, and were feeling pretty great.  Then today I looked more closely at the data from my math class.  We use a guided math structure in our building and are lucky enough to have a support teacher help out with guided groups a few days a week.  I have 4 groups--an approaching group, a bubble group, and two on/on+ groups.  After trying to cram an entire 90min Everyday Math lesson into 30 minutes, I typically meet with my approaching group every day, then check in with my on groups to answer questions, check work on their independent tasks, etc.  My support teacher meets with my bubble group MWF for a full 25 minutes, then that group is on their own Tuesdays and Thursdays when I don't have the support.  

Goal Setting, Goal Setting, Goal Setting!

I thought this structure was working well for the most part--the kids are doing great on classroom assessments, the high kids who see me very little did AWESOME on MAP and are clearly making growth with the support they are getting, and my approaching group showed some big gains.  However, when I looked closely at specific scores, kids, and growth targets this afternoon, I realized that 6/7 kids in that bubble group made very little growth on their MAP tests.  Crap.

The more closely I looked at the numbers and the more I thought about these kids this afternoon, the more my heart sank.  While my support teacher is great and is a certified teacher, the fact is that she isn't there everyday to work with that group and isn't in the room when I teach the shared lesson for Math so that she can reinforce it verbatim in guided groups.  It's not her fault these kids didn't make growth.  But for me right now I can't escape this awful feeling:

It's all my fault.

Anyone else feel like that?  I sure do.  It's my fault that these kids didn't make more growth--I didn't check in on them enough, I didn't make enough time for them...I just feel rotten tonight.  Last year at my old school, I remember telling friends that I truly felt my administrators believed that if my kids didn't make growth that it would be 100% my fault.  It was awful.  I just want to be clear that I am not getting that message AT ALL this year from my administrators and teammates.  But how can I not feel like that when the data is there in black and white??  

After feeling like an awful teacher and bad person this afternoon--I know, I know, I'm not!--I am thinking about testing.  When did testing become this crazy powerful force?  It's hard to escape the feeling that my worth as a teacher is nothing more than a test score--even though I KNOW my principal doesn't believe that.  Don't get me wrong--testing and accountability and progress monitoring are SO IMPORTANT.  Our testing gives us such valuable data about our kids.  And this particular situation with my kiddos opened my eyes to an issue in my math structure that I can and will correct now, halfway through the year, which is awesome.  It's just so defeating sometimes to think, "Man, I was working SO HARD to make kids A, B, C, and D make growth...how did I miss these kids..."

source

There are just times I look at situations like this or think about how I'm feeling about testing--how much I worry and how many times I go over their scores and growth--and I have to wonder if there's a better way.  My college ed professor had a bumper sticker on her car that said "My Child is More than a Test Score."  I KNOW my kids are more than data points.  They are children.  This test does not measure the joy they experienced as they solved that super tricky math problem or the way they shot up their hand to share a deep thought during our class read aloud.  My kids are more than test scores.  But am I?  Are we as teachers nothing more than our test scores? 

Anyways...I am trying to come up with a coherent closing thought, but needless to say it's been a long day...

Would love to hear your thoughts about testing in general...

Do you get as wrapped up in test scores as me?  

NOTE:  I am 100% NOT writing this post to get affirmations of "You are a good teacher!"  or "Testing sucks!"  Just getting out my thoughts and feelings and looking to hear some of your thoughts too.