sol #4: figure out what you need

Do you ever get mad at yourself for not doing something you know is good for you? I've had this ongoing battle with exercise. I'd have gym memberships, or yoga studio memberships, and I just would blow money and not use them. And, even worse, I would beat myself up for not going.

Until January.

In January I finally figured out what I needed to make it work for me. I realized that I do not like to work out after school, well, except Fridays. All of the teachers out there can attest to this - you're emotionally drained after a day teaching. I think it's simply because we respond to the needs of others all day. Kids need things: to use the bathroom, to borrow a pencil, to talk to you about a disagreement they had, to get a hug because something went wrong. The adults we collaborate with need things, too. To send them a document. To complete some survey. To fill out paperwork. To provide feedback. To plan an event. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has felt completely drained after work each day.

Which is why I don't have the energy to go to the yoga studio during the week.

So in January, I finally found my system that works for me. The system where I don't have to feel guilty. The system where I can take what I need when I need it.

Fridays after school is when my  yoga routine starts. I'm part of the Studio Experience Team, where we do 90 minutes of cleaning in the studio and then get unlimited yoga at a much more affordable rate. So Fridays after school, I run over there, complete my shift, and then end my week in Hot Power Fusion.

Then I take a Sculpt class on Saturday and a C2 class on Sunday. Monday through Thursday, I teach and coach and maybe meet a friend after that, but there are no longer days that I beat myself up for not doing something more than I want to.

I finally made a routine work for me. And now I'm just left wondering, why did this take me so long to figure out?

one little word 2018

Hola friends, happy new year to you and your families!

I hope you had a fantastic break! I'm reveling in the fact that I'm still on mine (we practically worked up until Christmas!) and so now I'm home from Christmas travels and have a few days to relax and prepare for January. We go back on the 8th!

Last year, I picked abundance for my word, hoping that I would create a lot of that in all aspects of my life, but it didn't really go anywhere. My 2016 word, forward, was so much better. I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about this and I'm so excited to reset this year with my new word for 2018:

I have found that I go off on tangents with things. Or I have these great ideas, but then I don't see them through. Or I try and take on too much and so nothing gets done. So this year, I want to be steadfast with my goals...pick the right ones and then get pretty focused about accomplishing them.

Looking back at my vision board for 2017, I can see where I've accomplished things and where I have not, or have fallen short:

• Went to Spain, check
• Found a relationship (which promptly ended) but I'll say that one's a check
• Became a Teacher of Distinction with Golden Apple; didn't win, but check
• Wrote 88 blog posts (shooting for 100), I'll call that a check
• Read 40 books (shooting for 50)...so...idk. I will be kind to myself and say check :-)
• Became quite a bit more mindful via yoga, so check
• Did not get a dog (yet) <<-- Notice my growth mindset! :P
• Did not get an engagement ring (yet)
• Did not delete credit card dept (yet)
• Did not get a bikini body (yet) hahha, I mean, I'd like to lose 15-20 lbs but a bikini body would be amazeballs!

So I bring all this up because I need to become more focused. And so I thought if my word was discipline (that's what I started with) then I could pick a goal and see it through to the end. Except discipline sounds so rough. Then I found steadfast and it was love at first sight!

As I continued to think about this, I realized that there were a lot of things I want to do, but I know that if I try and do it all, I'll fail. Already this month, some of the things I want to do:

• Detox from the holidays, and by detox I mean cut sugar, alcohol, caffeine, gluten, soy, dairy
• Exercise (at least 3 times a week)
• Write in my Writer's Notebook

Just those three and I knew I couldn't commit to it all, so I'm just focusing January (and prob Feb too) on the detoxing and exercising. I'm going to keep my focus laser like and steadfast in this area in particular. Unwavering. Loyal. Firm. 

And then, when I have done that, maybe mid February or March I'll get to the writing. Maybe there will be something I feel particularly compelled with at school. Or I'll take dating up again, ha.  I'll keep reading along the way, probably writing, too... I actually become even more accountable with my eating and exercising when I'm sharing about it! (Did you know I became a blogger bc of a food challenge? Check out those posts here.) But you see what I mean.

So 2018. Steadfast. We're starting with health and who knows what possibilities lay ahead!

I know this isn't exactly teaching related (yet), but I think the better I feel outside of school, the better I'll be for my students. We'll see what I'll get a hold of in school with this #oneword!

motivation follows action

Hey all y'all! It's the BigTime Blogging Challenge. I'm writing every day in July to celebrate my blog's three year anniversary! Join me - write your post, link it up with mine, leave some love for blogging friends in the form of comments!

It's the day for Hometown Attractions! I have been wanting to write this post for ages, but I'm still not ready yet, I need to go visit one more place and get one more pic before I do. So please share about yours if you want, I'm going to share a little bit about one of the books I've been reading!

So this is the book club book for the 30th and it's really good. Do you follow my Instagram? I posted this pic a few days ago saying I'd read it tomorrow:

Haha, well, I finally read it and it was so good. It was talking about how procrastination is one of three main problems for writers. I do not have this problem for writing as much as I do in other areas, mainly, exercising. Case in point is that on any given day I'd rather write than go for a run or even go to my favorite yoga or dance class. So as I read it, I was thinking exercise every time it talked about procrastinating writing.

Here are some of my favorite lines with some commentary:

It turns out procrastination is not typically a function of laziness, apathy or a lack of work ethic, as it is often assumed to be. It's a neurotic self-defense behavior, that develops to protect a person's sense of worth.

This one got me thinking. I always thought I wasn't going running or to yoga because binging on Shameless on Netflix sounded like so much more fun. Is this saying that maybe I don't think I deserve to feel healthier/look better? Something to check with myself here for sure.

We want to write. We do. It's just scary and hard work. And usually disappointing. Our writing is rarely as good as we want it to be. My writing life spans eighteen years, and in that time there have only been a handful of things I've written that I'm happy with. The rest make me cringe. But it's the possibility that we may blow our own minds that propels us. We're junkies hanging out for hit.

This one I was thinking about writing. Later on in the book she goes on to say that we just keep writing, and it's almost always crap, and that every once in a while that we do something amazing, mind-blowing even. I actually felt like that a few days ago when I wrote the piece about being on both sides of Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter. I was so scared to post that. So stressed, like palms sweating. But then it got shared by six friends and I realized that I had crafted something that was pretty decent. That's why we write. Because there's a chance it might happen. Usually it doesn't, but every now and then, yes.

So remember: do the writing before having the shower, making the coffee or having a wee. Do the writing first. Anything you are tempted to procrastinate with, write down on a pice of paper and use it as a reward. Yes, you can dust the vase cabinet. After you have written for an hour. Chances are that the vase cabinet dusting won't seem as urgent then. And you may even keep writing. Because you will find that motivation follows action. And as uninspired, self-loathing, not-in-the-mood and knackered as you feel when you sit down to write, if you force yourself to write, you mind find you do more than you expect.

I'm reading:  Do the exercising first. Then you can write, then you can do the dishes, then you can surf the interwebs, just do the yoga or dancing or running - first thing, wake up and just get it out of the way.

Super good take on procrastination and also the book is really good in general, highly recommend. I'll definitely be back talking about it on the 30th, but maybe before then, too!

Happy Sunday, friends!

An InLinkz Link-up

virtual vision board

Hey all y'all! It's the BigTime Blogging Challenge. I'm writing every day in July to celebrate my blog's three year anniversary! Join me - write your post, link it up with mine, leave some love for blogging friends in the form of comments!

Hey friends! Today we're sharing Virtual Vision Boards. What I'm thinking is you would just put some pics of the things you want to manifest in your life. If you have a vision board, feel free to just take a pic of it and share with us. I'm kinda lazy right now so that's my plan!

My obsession with this started last Christmas when I happened to hear about and then watch that movie The Secret on Netflix. The movie and the scientists in it describe how your body and mind can't differentiate between envisioning something and actually doing it, so to make your dreams a reality, it's a good idea to put them up somewhere visually where you can look at them and think about them. Since December, this is what I have.

First, my #olw for the year: Forward. It's been good for me and to me. I'm moving forward in lots of different ways - and one way (moving on to another part of the vision board) is that green 'a' symbol you may or may not be familiar with, is Arbonne. Arbonne is my new health and wellness franchise. I love their products and it's awesome to be able to share them with family, friends, and new acquaintances, too! Read more about my Arbonne stuff here.

Before we move on from Arbonne, one more thing related - that pic of me with three other friends in white is a symbol for an Arbonne party I hope to qualify for by next April - the white party in Vegas. So, slowly, steadily I'm hoping to keep sharing and moving forward with that!

Top left, that picture of me - just one that is related to health and wellness. I am totally okay with how I look now, but it's always nice to loose a few pounds, right? So that's just an old pic of me to keep that front and center. There's another old pic of me taped in my bathroom. I spend a lot of time blowdrying my hair and thinking about that!

The dog - I've been dreaming of a Golden Doodle for years, want to have Dudley in my life really really bad. He's even got a few posts here on BigTime Literacy, even though he hasn't arrived into my family yet!

The Lotto ticket and $5K - that actually already manifested. See, this stuff works! It didn't come to be as I though it would, like a $5K windfall, but instead as the result of a car accident insurance payout + a Carmax trade in + kind parents. I had a $5,000 downpayment when I got my new car a few months ago. That movie, The Secret, said to be specific on these boards and to pick a number. Not sure how or why I ended on $5K, but it totally came true!

The ring is pretty self-explanatory - looking for a great marriage. (The little banner under it spells love.)

Couple of trips I'd like to go on - Cabo and Tuscany. One day, I swear to you, I'm going!

Also, there's a brownstone there, I'd love a place in Chicago proper, one I owned, kinda the thing I need to get before/so I can get Dudley in my life. But it's crazy expensive and I just don't have a lot of extra cash floating around, but I'll get there.

I love my job as a Literacy Coach but no alarm clock would be amazing, or just waking up at like 7am sounds pretty perfect. Definitely enjoying that this time of year!

Bottom right corner - pics of all my closest friends, hope to have them all together in the same place one of these days!

Lastly, there's... a little prayer...? on there with a lot of text - I got that from Old St. Pat's a few months ago. I wanted to have something on my board that was related to OSP's and thought that this was just perfect, so I'll end with it...

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.

Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.

• No statement says all that could be said.
• No prayer fully expresses our faith.
• No confession brings perfection.
• No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
• No program accomplishes the Church's mission.
• No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.

• We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
• We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
• We lay foundations that will need further development.
• We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the different between the master buider and the worker.

We are the workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.

We are the prophets of a future not our own.

-In the spirit of Archbishop Oscar Romero

Okay so it's your turn!

Create your vision boards and share them with me here!

An InLinkz Link-up

currently the bigtime blogging challenge

Hey all! Time to kick things off with the BigTime Blogging Challenge 2016. This month, I'll be writing every day to celebrate my blog's 3 year anniversary! I will also provide a link-up so anyone who wants to write can do so with me!

For the first day, we're going to do Farley's Currently post. I'm so bummed she quit hosting these, they were one of my favorite posts. I won't have a cute little image for you to use, but please share what you're currently: listening, loving, thinking, wanting, needing, and hoping to get out of this writing challenge!

Here goes!

Listening to Holy & Broken Arrows

So I love FGL's Holy - check out that video here:

And, on my NashVegas road trip, Anita got me hooked on Broken Arrows by Avicci:

Both awesome songs I've been listening to on repeat!

Loving Arbonne
So I started shopping with Arbonne about five months ago now? Their product line runs from nutrition to makeup to bath and body and I love it all because of their ingredient policy - everything is pure, safe, and beneficial. The last two months I've started a biz with them and I'm loving what it's brought into my life, most importantly a group of strong, positive role models and new friends!

Love this Manifesto!

Thinking about blessings 
Seriously, I am so thankful for my life! My apartment with the breeze blowing through, days off in the summer, quick trips to see new places, money to support a healthy lifestyle, a career (and side-gig) I adore, friends and family and loved ones...seriously, couldn't be better. So so thankful!

Wanting Polaroid ZIP Instant Photoprinter
I found out about this on Erin Condren's website and I've been wanting this little printer since May - I just have so many expenses right now I can't get it just yet... but I didn't forget and I will have it for sure! Can't wait to snap a pic, print it out and stick it in a notebook on the go, amazing, right?

Needing to get better sleep
I think it's got to be Nash Vegas that threw me off. For three days we were up till like 2am and now I'm having such a hard time getting good sleep. Not sure what's going on there, but it's getting pretty annoying! Oh, and I already had a scary classroom management dream.... say it ain't so!

Hoping to make new blogging friends!
I'm so glad to be hosting this writing for all of us - I hope lots of friends, some who have written with me in the past and others who are new, join in the writing fun. There's so much to be gained from a month of writing - have you ever done Two Writing Teachers' Slice of Life in March? Amazing, and this challenge was inspired by them!

Okay friends, it's time! Write your posts, link up the permalink with me here! Don't forget to leave some love in the form of comments to other bloggers :-) See you back tomorrow!

An InLinkz Link-up

what I'm loving Monday

There's been so many wonderful things going on lately. Let me share!

I felt compelled to write right now because it's 6 in the evening, the sun in coming in my windows on one side of the apartment, and the wind has the trees rustling right outside the other side of the apartment, right through the window directly behind me. I love this time of day, in the summer, in this apartment, in this city. My seven year anniversary of moving to Chicago was just last Saturday! Still loving this amazing city, on this beautiful day, in this lovely apartment.

Loving that I was part of the 5th Grade Farewell last week. I actually coached two of our kiddos in publishing their memoirs about endings and beginnings. Check them out; I'm so proud of the writers that we're able to support with the high quality instruction that is given via the Writing Workshop and the Calkins' curriculum!

Also, I love middle school aged kids. Check us out doing the new dance that I just learned about: Lean and Dabb:

Loving Arbonne's Detox Tea. It's part of the 30 days to healthy living program that I'm doing this month. The tea is meant to be taken before bed and is to support healthy functioning of the liver and kidneys, but it's also been making me sleep so much better! Usually I wake up three or four times a night, but the past few nights, I've only woken up once! And not even until like 2:30 (Usually I'm up just an hour and a half or two hours after I go to sleep!)

I'm loving being a coach. This is the third year I'm finishing up and it's a bit different. This year, more than one person has brought me a gift. And it's not about the stuff - although each gift I was given was so thoughtful, so me - it's the fact that I have done stuff over teh last year, and maybe last three years, that has made a difference. How lucky am I that I have a career path that allows me to make a difference every day? So amazing. Thank you for the gifts, my friends, and even more than that, for the words in the cards that were poured out from your heart. I will treasure those notes for years to come!

Lastly, I'm loving that I have.... wait for it.... only ONE MORE WAKE UP separating me from a fab summer break!

What are you lovin? Leave a comment and share!

the paczki did me in

WRITE your story.

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I'm off balance.

Ever since I went to a birthday party last Saturday, my food consumption has been waaaaay off balance.

It started Sunday morning with McDonald's for breakfast - I hadn't gone grocery shopping and needed something before I went to church. Then, Sunday night I had some pretzel bread and a cookie with the Turkey tacos I made. (Whyyyyy??)

Since I didn't go grocery shopping until Sunday night, I didn't have time to meal prep like I usually do on the weekend - making a week's worth of chicken salads. So to make my life "easier," I bought a bunch of soup from the grocery store and just divvied it up for the week.

So then yesterday at lunch I had some soup and more pretzel bread. Then, I met my stepmom for dinner at our favorite pizza place in the suburbs (Aurelio's). At least I ordered a salad to start with, but then had pizza.

And finally, as if all that weren't enough, my stepmom's sister (step-Aunt?) gave me a paczki. I should have taken a picture of it - but I was already deep with the guilt. It was so so good - filled with strawberries and fresh whip cream. Perfectly sweet and amazing.

And now I sit here weighed down (ha, literally) with food guilt. I usually stop before I get this guilty, but I didn't. Today though, today I'm going to clean my act up! Back to the egg whites and apple for breakfast, salad for lunch, and dinner...well, need to figure out something healthy!

Does this ever happen to you?

You know you shouldn't indulge, but you do anyways and then you feel so so bad about it? Leave me a comment so I feel better! :-)

An InLinkz Link-up

day 3: michelle vs. the scale #sol15

WRITE your story.

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We're doing a Biggest Loser Challenge at school. I've been doing okayish - two weeks ago I weighed in though and I was up over my original weight. That was bad. After seeing that number on the scale, I felt totally unmotivated and even wanted to just give up. Table for one, please, and bring some French Fries!

Last week, I was at a PD in Naperville on the day we weigh in, and then I just decided to skip it anyways since I was still feeling kind of down from the last weigh in.

Fast forward to today, one week and one day after our official weigh in date. Our Wellness Coordinator came to me and said, "Are you going to come and weigh in or what?"

"Okay," I shrugged, and trudged down the hall, head hanging, to the dreaded scale.

I took off my boots, first the left, and then the right while she pulled up the google doc. I waited patiently as she looked for the scale. She set it down and there it stood, glowing up, waiting, waiting, waiting for me to step two feet up. Finally, I did. As I stood there watching the numbers flash at me, I wondered what kind of disappoint was going to come my way. I wondered if this is all worth it. After all, I am who I am. I weigh what I weigh. Maybe it's just supposed to be how it's supposed to be.

But then this awesome thing happened - my number popped up, and it was down 5 pounds from that awful number two weeks ago. I was even lower than my lowest so far from week two or three. Instantly, my effort was renewed.

Now I'm so motivated, and hoping to hit a a little milestone in the next week or so. And it's all because of our amazing Wellness Coordinator. She knew I didn't want to get back on that scale, but she also knew we do better together, which is why she came and hunted me down. I'm so thankful for such a positive light in my day....today and every day! Thanks, Jess!

Currently May

I seriously can't get things done on time! It's May 3rd and I'm just now getting to linking up with Farley for this month's Currently! Aside from that, I can't believe that it's already May and we have one month until school is out! Excited for a break and also looking forward to finishing up my first year as a Literacy Coach. Anyways, without further delay...here's what's up with me this month!

Listening to....What Does the Fox Say?

Okay, do you know this song? If you teach school, you have to! It all started out during our Chiberia winter. We had to get creative with indoor recess. (When I say we, I mean our classroom teachers, namely Jennie B!) Anyways, she and her coteacher had their kids doing Just Dance during indoor recess. So, I saw them doing this dance one day:

And then, well it became a thing, and then we had a talent show and so it ended up being the Grand Finale and I love, Love, LOVED it!!

As you can see, the fox now holds a special place in my heart, and so do all those third graders and their awesome teachers!

Loving....Twitter!
Twitter is so amazing. As a blogger, I find Twitter to be a blog on the go and...as Literacy Coach who is in and out of various classrooms all week, I always have my phone and snap pictures of the work I see kids doing. Then, they go into instagram and then off to the Twitterverse. My district is 1:1 and so lots of our teachers are on Twitter. It's so cool to see what's going on in all the classrooms across the district and also show off the great things that are happening at Emerson.

Regular school events in our district are even more amazing now, thanks to Twitter and our awesome tech team. As I mentinoed above, our talent show was on Thursday, and we had a Tweet Deck set up, with live tweets put up on a screen throughout the show. As parents and teachers watched, they tweeted about what  they thought, which was then posted up on a screen for all to share. All you need  is a hashtag! I love the Tweet Deck! If you're on Twitter, go check out our hash tag #RAWRS2014 to see what everyone was saying! Here's a sample....

This is just the tip of the iceberg, though. I follow lots of professional educators who always post great articles, like this one that says teachers dominate Twitter. (I had no idea!) So so awesome.

Follow me @BigTimeLiteracy!

Thinking....about the Kentucky Derby and the hat I'm going to wear today?

I'm meeting some friends out this afternoon to watch the Kentucky Derby and the place we're going is having a "Best Hat" contest. I love accessories! I would like to say I'm going to pull off something like this:

but yeah, probably not. So I'll be sure to post a pic next week with what I end up with!

Wanting....my new blog design to be finished!

I know, it's a process and I'm taking my time with Kassie at Designs by Kassie, but I'm so excited for the big reveal! Here's a little hint: I built the whole theme around the Chicago flag:

Soon, my friends....soon! I'm so so excited!

Needing....to get down to business in the exercise department!

I need you all to tell me things so I will feel the motivation to get to exercising - maybe run around the block a few times? I have a 5K coming up in about a month and a mud run in two months and I seriously haven't really done much of anything, including go to a yoga class that I've been paying for for the last 5 weeks and not attending.

Mostly, I've been blaming it on the weather (it's still so cold and rainy here in Chicago) but it's also hard to go after working a long day. All I want to do is come home, write, watch some TV, relax and unwind. But, I can do it! Anyone else fall into similar habits?

Surprise....Literacy Without Worksheets!

This blog caught my attention because I love the name of it - Literacy can and should be done without workbook pages or random, meaningless worksheets!

But, this blog is more than just a name - her blog design is so clean and cute and she posts great stuff - like inspirational quotes, and I loved her Somebody Wanted But So Then freebie she posted a few weeks ago. So, make sure you run over to Literacy Without Worksheets and check out Bridget's blog!

That's all for me here at BigTime Literacy! Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week and I'm going to join in a blog hop with some other fabulous bloggers! We'll have some giveaways so don't forget to stop back by!

Have a great weekend!

SOLSC #4: What's in your bubble?

WRITE. Every day in March write a slice of life story on your own blog.

SHARE. Link your post in the comments on each daily call for a slice of life stories TWT.

GIVE. Comment on at least three other slice of life stories.

I laid there on my yoga mat feeling the heated room warm my bones. Class was filling up, and the teacher came in with three more students. I moved my mat one last time to fit the new yogis in, and then we began by laying back down on our mats.

It was Sunday so the 11:30 class was 75 minutes rather than 60. In these sessions, we have a little bit more time for setting our intentions for class and working on our poses. Our teacher, Dani, began class by talking to us.

"Close your eyes. Let your body be heavy and let your thoughts subside. I want you to think about something you want. What is it? Maybe it's a house or a car. Maybe it's a person or a relationship. Maybe you can see this thing in words or in pictures, but whatever it is, bring it to the front of your mind. Do you see it there? What does it look like? Are you looking at it very closely?"

She continued, "Okay....now picture it in a bubble. A beautiful, iridescent bubble. There's the thing you want in your perfect bubble." She moved among us, walking around our mats as she spoke.

The heat and humidity kicked back on. "You know," she said, "you can manifest the things you want in your life. You visualize them and keep them in the front of your mind. I asked you to put it in a bubble so that you can send it off into the world. So, are you ready? Take a deep breath in." You could hear the sound of each person in the room breathing in. "Now, exhale and let it go. Let the bubble go out into the world." A loud sigh echoed through the room as 35 bubbles were sent out into the world.

"Let's work on manifesting what we want in our lives today during our time together," Dani added. "Anytime your thoughts start to wander away from your yoga practice, bring them back to this bubble that holds this special thing that you want. Don't become frustrated if you can't hold your Plank long enough or you fall out of your Standing Bow. Instead, just come back to your bubble. Let that be your intention for our practice today."

I'm not going to share with you all what was inside my bubble, but that experience had a huge impact on my day. Dani's explanation of making things manifest in our lives was so powerful...when you think about the things you want, you really can make them happen for yourself. It's all about perspective. Do you have to work hard? Absolutely. But can you make just about anything happen you want to? Yes.

Yoga has just been an amazing part of my life since I started practicing last summer. While it's great for balance, flexibility, building strength, and even cardio when you're flowing through poses, the best part about it is the mental state of mind I have been able to command. I don't worry as much as I used to because I am in better control of my thoughts. And while I still get lazy sometimes (like today) and just skip class, I know it's always right there waiting for me when I need it.

So I ask...What would you like to manifest in your life? Put it in a bubble and send it out to the world!