first week of school in the books

summer vacation is officially over - woe is me, right? : )

for those of you who do not know, i started a new position - math specialist - at a new school - richard green central park school - in a new district - minneapolis public schools - with new grades - fourth and fifth - that i have not worked with since i was a student teacher. can you say overwhelming???

but even with all of that newness, i am truly enjoying my decision to start working with younger students. i LOVE fourth and fifth grade. LOVE. granted, it has only been five days but i really, truly loved every minute that i was with them - even the naughty ones! (and why is it that the naughty ones always turn out to be my favorites?!?!)

minneapolis decided before the start of the 2011-2012 school year that they should work on improving math scores in the upper elementary grades - imagine that! most of their elementary schools have hired on math specialists to specifically work with fifth grade and in some cases, due to enrollment, fourth grade as well. i was (and still am) not sure how this whole "co-teaching" will work but i am excited about the opportunity. i have so far actually enjoyed being a "traveling" teacher in which i have an office but not a classroom. being able to focus so closely on one subject area was part of the appeal of taking this position. the only aspect of this school that worries me is the high percentage of spanish-speaking families and my lack of spanish skills. i managed to make it through spanish 5 in high school, but all of my fellow neenah graduates would probably agree that you did not necessarily need to know that much spanish to be able to pass that class.

this week's photos highlight my "back-to-school" outfit and a fabulous new size that i can wear!

yes, those are SIZE 8 SKINNY JEANS. never thought i would see the day!

with it being the first week of school and the return of freakin' crazy hot weather, running did not happen this week. we ate out a lot BUT i tracked really closely so i am crossing my fingers that tomorrow's weigh-in will at least get rid of the three pounds that i gained.

last but not least, my favorite pair of pictures from the state fair this past week. eat your heart out, ladies!

help!!!

i know i have not written for awhile and that is because i have been TERRIBLE about tracking and eating right and going to weigh-ins and not having snacks at night over the past few weeks. UGH.

not only did i gain a few pounds but overall, i just do not feel very well. i will spare you the details but my tummy along with some other things have not been working quite right. i actually have a doctor's appointment scheduled for next tuesday to ask some questions. i keep wondering if i am finally used to eating better and when i revert back to old habits, my body reacts negatively.

i really enjoyed the last few weeks of my summer vacation. jacob and i went with my parents down to chicago for a weekend. we walked around downtown to see the art institute and millennium park and then ate at a nice seafood restaurant. we also spent a day at six flags great america and even though we only had time to go on four rides (the lines are well over an hour), i had a lot of fun. we had great deep-dish pizza on the way home too.

this past weekend, i attended a wedding. many of you probably already saw the pictures that i posted on facebook yesterday. it was SO much fun and i was so honored to be part of the ceremony as a reader. my legs are definitely paying a price form all the dancing i did. they hurt A LOT, so much so that i cannot even bring myself to go for a run tonight. i (we) should be starting a new week of our couch-to-5k schedule but i still need to do one more from last week. double UGH.

i officially went back to work last week. i attended a responsive classroom training through last friday. i actually went to the middle school version last summer so it was interesting to see what it looks like in the elementary grades. it was a little frustrating at times to sit through it since i do not actually have a class of my own to use the concepts with on a daily basis. there are a few things i can try and incorporate into my teaching so i am just going to focus on that this year.

today was the first day of workshop for minneapolis public schools - they start BEFORE labor day. triple UGH. there are a TON of new people at my school which makes me feel less nervous about being there. i am very excited that i get to use a macbook pro in my new position. i know that might seem silly but my computer at home only works when it is plugged in so the use of a good (and new) computer is nice. i do not have a classroom to decorate but i have to put together my desk and work area this week. my packer pennant is already up on my bulletin board!

i do have pictures from the past two weeks. jacob is at a fantasy football draft tonight with his friends so i will have him take new ones tomorrow (even though they will be identical to the ones below).

like i said, i am up at least two or three pounds. i also think that the beige tank-top is not very attractive anymore...too big?

I NEED TO GET BACK ON THE TRAIN!!!! what do you do when you feel yourself slipping back into old habits? how do you handle injury/discomfort and continue training? how do you stay out of the kitchen late at night? all advice is welcome! some inspiration would be nice. : )

exciting times!

greetings! the summer is flying by and i am sadly realizing just how soon i will have to be getting up early and actually working. woe-is-me, right? : )

i have been completely addicted to the olympics, especially the gymnastics competitions. i definitely get nostalgic for the days of competition. i was never anywhere NEAR the talent level of the "fab five." my only claim to fame is a first place vault at the state competition when i was in level 5. i could do a mean front handspring.

i digress! let us talk about some milestones, particularly those that have been coming on the scale. as many of you already know, i hit the 50 lb mark last saturday (actually, 51!) and added another 2 lb to now make the total at 53. i am getting to the point where i can really consider thinking about my "goal weight." the range for my height is pretty large, from 117 (minimum) to 146 (maximum). that is a HUGE difference! my leader suggested the idea of picking the maximum for the goal, earning the "lifetime" (a.k.a. free membership for life) status, and then continuing with weight loss beyond that, if i desire. seems like a reasonable plan - time will tell!

jacob and i have also successfully completed the first two weeks of our couch to 5k running plan. the photos from this past monday were taken right after we returned from a run, so excuse the HOTT clothes that i am sporting.

in other news, i am so happy that i finally was able to sign the contract for my new job!!!! again, i am going to be a math specialist at green central community school with minneapolis public schools. i have yet to really find out what i will be doing but i DO know that i will be in fourth and fifth grade classrooms working with classroom teachers. i have a responsive classroom training coming up in two weeks, along with some new teacher trainings, workshop week, AND frequent math professional development sessions. whew! it makes me tired just typing it all out.

we finally have a new driveway, patio/porch, and white picket fence! only took a month...

i went with jacob down to mankato yesterday to watch vikings training camp. gross. : ) i wore a packer t-shirt, fully knowing that i would get picked on. i have to say, most of the people were very nice if they said anything and i even got a few high-fives! we started by waiting outside where players came to sign autographs. jacob did not really recognize any of the guys since "they don't have on jerseys!"

 (not sure why he still has not realized that i post ALL pictures, no exceptions...)

we did go and watch the beginning of the afternoon training session. it was freakin' HOT out and we did not last very long before deciding to go home. i took some photos of the action. 

                                             webbing?                         ponder (no aaron rodgers though!)

 a.p. training on his own. i will give him a lot of props for dedication.

like i said, i am just going to enjoy my last week off. i have my faithful companions to hang out with.

i think i may go paddle-boarding this week with some friends. not really sure that i will be too coordinated at it but i will give it my best effort!