September Currently

Today is my favorite blog to write because I get to link up with Farley for Currently!

Listening to: Drake
Do you like rap music? Well, I used to love it when I was in high school. Some of it now is too much - too vulgar, to many bad words.... but then there are some great songs, too! When I was watching the VMAs, Drake performed two songs: Hold on We're Going Home and Started from the Bottom. I'm sharing the first song with you, but the second, even though I love it, is not the most appropriate video to put on this blog.

The Started from the Bottom song - I love it because everyone starts at the bottom no matter what they're working on. As far as teaching goes - I remember being a first year teacher who didn't know what the heck I was doing - I was just trying to keep my head above water and manage my middle school kids - it was a day-to-day struggle. Over the course of 10 years, I have moved up from that place....got my management down, instruction looks good, measuring success with assessment and was using a good feedback loop. Not exactly on the top just yet, unless that means that I'm loving my job....because I so do!

Loving: Gluten-Free Snacks
Have you read Wheat Belly? Well, if you haven't, I highly recommend it. It basically talks about how foods that are designated "100% healthy whole grains" really aren't that great for you, and that wheat is just super bad for you. It's because the wheat we are eating today is not like the amber waves of grain that we were eating 50 or 60 years ago.

Anyways, I've been doing my best to avoid wheat (and sugar as much as possible). My new colleague, Christine, has let me try some of the Gluten-Free products she eats - so far, pretzels and brownies. The brownies were just like the real thing and the pretzels taste almost exactly the same.

So, I'm just trying to clean up the food that I'm putting in my body. I'm mostly doing this to lose weight, but I also feel so much better when I'm eating more whole foods. In the last two weeks I've lost two pounds - and that's mostly because of the food choices I've made and about 5 sessions of yoga. Two pounds isn't much, but it's a steady loss and motivates me to continue!

love these!

Thinking: I'm a writer now
I'm not sure when it happened - probably some time this summer. Before I started this blog, I had a personal one (still have it!) but I made a goal this summer to be better at writing. So I was totally writing more and I'm loving it.

It's different now though...

Now I walk around in my day-to-day life and things I see...well, I think, "That's a blog." Everything is a blog. I talk to my friends about relationships or hear stories in yoga: blog. Kids telling me stories - I tell them to save them for writing workshop. I take pictures everywhere - I love my iPhone and that it syncs so easily with my MacBook. I love writing, and now I can see how the best teachers of writing are writers themselves! When you constantly think about writing, it's easy to pass that on to your kiddos. If I were teaching middle school again, I think I'd have every kid make a blog. But, I think this is a topic for another post....

Wanting: a Writer's Desk
Really I just want any desk. I have two bedrooms (they are tiny though) and in my 2nd bedroom I have my old bed. I need to get rid of it because I found a great desk on overstock.com:

Anyways, right now I work in my kitchen, but then my papers and books and binders and mail and everything gets all over the place and I just want all of that to be out of sight. So, I want to get rid of the bed, and put the desk back there.

The good news is that my bedrooms get awesome evening light. So, I could totally see myself working back there. And then, my kitchen will be cleaner... win!

Needing: A new white dress

I'm so excited! In a few weeks, I'm going with some friends to Chicago in White!

Chicago in White is a pop-up dining experience and it's totally a secret. You buy tickets and pick a "harmonization point" but that's all you know. You plan by getting a white outfit together and planning your dinner (which you bring). Then, you meet at your harmonization point (a train stop) and then they take you to the spot for your dinner. So fun!

Last year there were 1,600 people and it was at Merchandise Mart. Who knows where it will be this year?

So anyways, I need a white outfit. I love dresses, so I'm going to try and find something online - since it's Labor Day I bet there's not much left in the way of white (unless it's on a clearance rack which would be perfect!) If you see anything cute in white, please share with me!

Taking care of myself:

Well, I've already mentioned the eating and yoga a little bit. But I also want to be smart about money. I'm paying off next summer's trip to Europe so that's got me a little stressed. Just have to be smart about my money!

So that's all for September. Hope you all have a great month!