"Dream" #kinderblog13

* DREAM *

photo source

Fairy Tales...

Once upon a time and then happily ever after,

in between there is a dream.

Sometimes the dream includes a nightmare, 

but I sleep each night hoping for sweetness.

In kindergarten, I dreamed of flying and writing stories and visiting far away places.

In 1st grade, I dreamed of having a dozen children and becoming an artist.

By the time I arrived in middle school, I was determined to
be an astronaut!

I had big dreams.

High School brought me back down to Earth, 

more focused on the dream of cheerleading and
dating the quarterback.

As I type this paragraph, I can see that most of the dreams came true.

Obviously, I'm not an astronaut and I didn't have 12 children, 

but I've experienced many of the things I dreamed.

Dreams come true.  More often than not, I think.

Scripture says that
"Out of the adundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." 

and "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he."

I believe our minds are linked to our hearts.

Listen to the words that come out of your mouth and 

you'll hear the position of your heart.

I'm not advocating "name it and claim it" theology---

I'm simply highlighting that we tend to meditate on the state of our hearts.

If we have a dream that we believe in,

we'll begin to find the path that will help us to achieve it.

Ultimately, my dreams focused in on 

creating a family and teaching kindergarten.

That's where I am today.

And I don't want to wake up.

photo source

"Change" #kinderblog13

Source Credit

This week's prompt for #kinderblog13 is

Change

Oh, I know change.  

It twists me into shapes I didn't think possible.

It reveals images that are brand new.

It makes me sweat, cry, and generally act like a toddler.

Definition: the act, process, or result of making different, 

the frequent and usually sudden passing from one condition to another

Change can happen in a heartbeat.

To me, change is like walking through the curtain of drops in a waterfall.

There exists space on each side--the before and the after.

I spent the entire month of June on one side, waiting to see if

the private school where I taught would open the doors this fall.

As I listened to the voicemail that declared a waterfall of change,

I looked at the other side and saw the synonyms:

refashioning, remaking, transformation, metamorphosis.

 I've been given the opportunity to 

teach kindergarten in a large public school district.

A new adventure, a story waiting to be told,

a gift that wouldn't have been made possible without

change.

I think the time is right for a butterfly tattoo!

Five Minutes ~ Belong

BELONG
Go:
The first day of school.
We all ask the same question:
"Will I have a place to belong?"

I want my students to feel comfortable with me, to have the freedom to be themselves and, at the same time, to become more than they thought possible.  In order to BE BRAVE (thank you, #kinderchat!), we may need a safe place to land, or an encouraging place to begin.  We need a place to belong.

I belong to a profession that celebrates children, that is dedicated to nurturing the littlest learners.  I belong to a family that is warm, silly, affectionate, sometimes cranky, all the time supportive.  Our students may not have that kind of support at home.  They may have challenges that do not make sense to them, but still must be lived through.  Regardless of our circumstances, our similarities or differences as individuals, I CAN and I WILL create a soft place for them to land.

Every day.
In Kindergarten.

:Stop

The Linky can be found here!

Sunday Smorgasbord

I'm linking up with Michelle at Fabulous In First for my first Sunday Smorgasbord!

I'm going to Vegas!

(Thanks for the binder cover, Deedee!)

I am beyond excited to be going to I Teach K!

Meredith and I have managed to carve out 

two days of conferencing and two days of traveling.

Please don't let me forget to pack the phone charger;

I'll be taking tons of pictures!!!

All four of my children were in the house this weekend!

Our oldest son stayed at college for the summer 

and I haven't seen him since May.

When he walked in the door, I screamed, "Photo Op!"!

They were not exactly thrilled, but posed for five seconds.

Just over two weeks ago, 

my husband had emergency back surgery.

(He was walking the same day, but can't drive for one month.)

Thankfully, daughter and youngest son were already 

scheduled to spend the week in California with cousins!

Ahhhhh, summer...

I've spent the summer alternating between 

job stress/loss/search and job found!

I also managed to print 76 pages of management tools.

Now that the school supplies have arrived at Target,

-yikes! Summer seems shorter every year!-

I can grab new binders and get to work.

Item Sources

Theme Labels

Binder Covers

Boho Binder Kit

Classroom Supply Labels

Summer weather in my corner of the country has been

BEAUTIFUL!

A recent sunset reflected every shade of pink 

in the crayon box.

Confessions ~ #kinderblog13

I'm linking up with Kinderchat123 and the #kinderblog13 writing challenge!
The first assignment prompt is "Confessions".
I'm in a counting kind of mood...in no particular order:

1. I hate to cook.  The food disappears WAY too quickly, considering the time involved with preparation.  However, I love to bake!
2. How do I settle my anxious heart?  I sing!  Mostly worship choruses. Wish I owned a microphone ;-)
3. Plotting a curriculum map, matching standards to activities, and writing lesson plans brings me great joy! 
4. I loved to hold my babies.  They smelled so yummy, their crooked grins were heart-melting, the middle-of-the-night cuddles were like a deep breath.  I'm surprised they learned to crawl and walk!
5. I'm a tiny bit obsessed with Rick Springfield.  And Keith Urban.  And Australia in general.
6. I can mimic anyone.  You should be part of a read-aloud circle in my classroom--we have a rockin' good time!
7. My secret ideal job would be to narrate audio books or radio commercials.
8. The library is my hiding place.
9. I read YA dystopian fiction for fun.  I'd love to write a book someday!
10. My children are kind of embarrassed that I'm keeping up with them in the tech field.  Sorry to steal your thunder, kiddos (not!).  

Now you know more about me...please share one confession with me in comments!!  

oops...FREEBIE IS UP now!

I didn't forget about today's FREE gift for y'all!

(Find it here through July 4!)

I was busy being interviewed....and receiving a job placement.....in a public district

....in KINDERGARTEN!

Details soon to follow :-) 

Need ideas for the holiday weekend?

Check Living Locurto, where this image was found.

July~Currently! & Flash Freebie!

I am #300&something at Farley's

July Currently--and it's only the 1st day of the month!

Here is a HUGE {{HUG}} to all of you who have
commented in the last few weeks!

Also, {{hugs}} to anyone who couldn't comment,
but you're praying for me!

Oh, I'm just going to {{hug}} everyone today :-)

Your support has given me courage and
I'm actually sleeping (most nights).

On top of the school closing last week,
my husband underwent emergency back surgery.

He is home now, recovering, but can not get in a car for 4 weeks!

As an adult with ADHD, he is already going stir crazy!

We are watching lots of movies!

Now, I need to admit something.

It's going to be super duper uber hard to read blogs 

as we move into the preparation frenzy of a new school year.

I hate feeling jealous.  And useless.  And left out.

None of those emotions are productive!

I'm working on how to stay involved and supportive of all of YOU,

regardless of what transpires.

No matter what, my DNA sings "kindergarten teacher"!

One of the ways I'd like to bless you is by giving away
my newest TpT creation!

In honor of the day I was adopted, JULY 3,
my Theme Labels pack will be FREE!

I've been organizing my stuff and found that I needed
more theme labels than I could find.

So, I made a set!  There are 48 labels in this set,
perfect for book bins, theme boxes, etc.

If you miss the free day, they are still affordableat at $1.50!

Please, leave feedback if you grab this on July 3!

Happy July!