What can I say?....

It is amazing to me that I have not sat down at this computer to write a blog post in almost 3 months. For those of you who thought I had fallen off the edge of the Earth, I'm still here!

Since September, there has been a lot going on! I got a straight grade 1 class for the year (yippee!!!) and am very, very happy to be teaching just grade 1 curriculum for this year. Covering curriculum for two grade levels in one classroom is tough stuff, y'all!

I totally heart my new group of lovelies. They are sweet, eager to learn and all around a nice group of kids. I had forgotten, however, what it is like to teach one grade level, in that there are no older role models in the classroom to speed things along. As a result, it has been a rather slow start to the year and I have to keep reminding myself that it will all work out in the end. We will get there!

On the home front, my hubby is still recovering from his stroke and learning to live with atrial fibrillation, we moved my mother (who has dementia) into a nursing home and we are currently in the process of emptying out her house which is filled with 51 years worth of love and treasures. Whew! I'm tired just reading all that and I've been LIVING it!!!!!

I thought I'd start back on the blogging bandwagon by joining up with the Teaching Trio for their Sunday Scoop. Here goes!

So there you go! I am back! I promise to try to update more often but, have to say, that sometimes life just happens and the last thing I feel like doing is working on the computer. 

Hope you all had a happy Sunday!

Cheers!

Olwyn

Currently….September 2015!!!!

Yikes!

I have not posted here since last month's Currently. That's craaaaaazy!!!!!

I am really not sure where August went but I am happy to welcome September!

Once again I am linking up with Farley for her fun Currently Linky Party. (I don't know what I will do if she ever decides not to do these any more. I so look forward to them!)

Anywho, here goes September!

Listening….. to the sound of lights humming 

I am doing this month’s Currently at school because I killed our computer at home. It was an unintentional killing but it is dead all the same. 

sigh...

Until the hard drive is returned to life or a new one is purchased I am computerless at home. Oh well…there are worst things to be!

So, I am at school in our teacher’s office typing away. It is veeeeery quiet. Well, except for the buzzing lights!

Loving… My hearing aids 

(hence the reason I can hear the buzzing lights!)

I’ve had them about a month now and I am hearing sounds I had totally forgotten about it. For the most part I am happy to hear better. When it is the baby crying in the apartment above ours, not so much!

The real test will be using them in a classroom full of kids!

Thinking… I’m ready to go home… 

I have been here at school every day this week. (And a whole lot of other days prior to that!!!!) 

Today I’ve been here for almost 5 hours. I am so done. My classroom is still a mess but I am out of here as soon as I finish this post!

Wanting…. my classroom set up to be finished!!!

See above! 

It will get done by Friday but I am pretty sure that there are a couple more looooong days ahead of me. Sigh….

Luckily, the sun has disappeared this week and rainy weather has arrived so I don’t feel like I am losing the last days of my sunny summer break!

Needing… to get up earlier every day… 

During the summer I stay up late....like 1 or 2 a.m. late and sleep until 11 or so each day.

During the school year I have to be up at the disgusting hour of 5:30 in order to get in a workout before going to school. (Trust me working out after school does not work!)

And every year I say that I am going to start getting up earlier every day in the couple of weeks before school opens so that I won't be exhausted as my body clock adjusts.

And every year I don’t do it!!! 

Then I work the first few days on something ridunkulous like four hours sleep each night.

This year, I am doing it. Got up at 7:30 today. 

7:00 tomorrow!!!!

3 Goals...

Running… I have been running all summer at the gym and I want to keep it up. Don’t want to lose the momentum I have going!

House…I need to start making some decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of at home. In a month or so, we’ll be emptying out my mum’s house and I need room for some of the things I want to keep from there!

Cooking…I need to dig out my heart healthy cookbooks and start planning fall menus that are good for my hubby (and me!) I want his post-stroke health to keep getting better and good nutrition is a part of that!

And there you have it! I promise you’ll hear from me more now that school is starting (well, in 6 days, but who’s counting?!?!)

I am super excited about this coming school year and that I have a straight grade 1. So, so, so excited!!!! I can't wait to blog all about my lovely new class and all of our adventures in learning. Stay tuned!

Cheers!

Olwyn

Currently...August

Yep, it is that time again! Time to link up with Farley over at Oh Boy Fourth Grade. I am a little late to the party this month but I got here!

Listening…Spark is all about how images and words get changed and reattributed across the web with the proliferation of social media sites. It is interesting and touches on copyright, artistic ownership, reality of images… I didn't turn it on to listen particularly to this show. Just turned on CBC1 and that is what was on. You learn something new every day (especially if you listen to shows that normally you would not turn on!)

Loving…I go in about 45 minutes to get my new hearing aids. They are apple brand and bright red. I think it will be super duper cool because my hearing aids are controlled by my phone! I can answer the phone, listen to music and hear better without having to have any wires or headsets beyond the hearing aids themselves. How cool!

Thinking...the engineer is currently working on our community. Hopefully it will all be cleaned and floors waxed before next week. I went on a shopping spree at IKEA and got some new area rugs. I have a new vision for my classroom. Stay posted!

Wanting...I have been feeling really off this past couple of weeks. I am hoping that soon I will get some energy back. My husband called it ennui and I suppose he is right. It is most likely a result of being on holidays for so long. I enjoy the break but don't do well without a routine. 10 weeks is way too long for me. I think I would probably do very well in a year round schooling type situation where I could teach, then have 2-3 weeks off before teaching again. 

Needing...we are taking part in a garage sale this Saturday. I still have to figure out what I am going to sell! I know what I'm doing later today! I plan to be brutal. I'm going to purge like crazy and if it doesn't sell, it is going straight to the Salvation Army. It is NOT coming back in my house!!!!!

B2S RAK...I really don't know what to call it so just called it Office Bucket Filler. Basically, I plan to leave encouragement in the way of notes (and the occasional chocolate!) for teachers and staff in my school. It is something I have done in the past as well. It really is true that giving fills your own bucket. 

Well, there you have it! Another month gone and another month started. Time sure does fly, doesn't it?!?!

Cheers!

Olwyn

School Supply Love

I'm not sure if there is anything better than the sight of an aisle of school supplies. Weird, I know! But I would rather be shopping for school supplies than clothes. I just love me some fresh pencils and post it notes!!!!

Anywho, was at Costco yesterday and just couldn't resist the allure of snapping some shots. Here's a taste of September in July!

Cheers!

Olwyn

P.S. I restrained myself and only bought one of these items. Can you guess which one? But I did buy a few other school supply items that I didn't photograph. It was just too tempting. I mean, a box of 24 black Sharpies for less than $15! And rainbow Sharpies for under $10! How is any teacher supposed to resist that?!?!

P.P.S. Yep, you were right! I bought the pencils. Because "I have enough pencils" was said by no teacher ever!!!!!

Currently...July

Crazy as it seems, it really is July. And, we all know what the start of a new month means....

It's time to link up with Farley!!!!

listening...silence is not something I get very often at my house. Or in my job for that matter. It seems I am always surrounded by noise. Both my hubby and my daughter love noise - talking, the tv, the radio, iPods, iPads, computers, you name it and it is making noise! I, on the other hand, relish the silence. Especially after a busy and noise filled day at school. So, now I am enjoying being in the office with no music on. Just the slight white noise of the tv playing upstairs!!!

loving...there is something so wonderful about not using an alarm, isn't there? I am just listening to my body and getting up (and taking naps!) whenever it tells me to!

thinking...today is Canada Day. It is after 12:00 pm and I am still in my pj's. There are lots of events happening and I am thinking about going to one. Haven't made any definite plans though. While I love my country, I do not love crowds and am not sure I am up to one today. Maybe for the fireworks tonight? Hmmm...We'll see...

wanting...I am the only person in my family who likes things organized. I am the one who has a drawer for shirts, one for shorts, one for pants etc. While my hubby and daughter literally throw their clothes in their dressers willy nilly! It would drive me crazy!!!! When I am working, the house organization kind of falls apart. I have pretty much given up on organizing either of them but I do want to spend some time this summer organizing the parts of the house I spend the most time in: the kitchen, office/sewing room, my studio, the bedroom and the bathroom. I think I'm going to have to pull out my trusty Flylady book and get busy!

needing....to start back to yoga...and the gym....and swimming...and generally taking care of myself. I have been saying this for a few months now. I'm not entirely sure what happened this year but I have definitely not been making my health a priority. That is going to change this summer. No excuses!!!!

all-star....I have been sewing for 33 years. Yikes! I have recently gotten back into it and have been doing lots of upcycling of men's dress shirts. I cut them up, put them back together by mixing different shirts into one and come up with a one of a kind piece of clothing. I am enjoying doing this. I really don't know that my sewing would fall into the all-star category but there you go....

Okay...so why are you still here? Head on over to Farley's and check out what other people are up to Currently...

Cheers!

Olwyn

Out of the mouths of babes...

I got a kick out of this the other day. One of my grade one students wrote this in his journal. 

Truer words were never spoken. 

Which is not to say that some of the work isn't fun but, still, he's got the right of it. 

Now, if only I could keep them working until the end of this last week of school! I'm not holding my breath!!!!

Cheers!

Olwyn

Need I say more?!?!

from here

'Nuf said....

Cheers!

Olwyn