Thankful Thursday: The little or BIG accomplishments in life!

I can't wait till life settles down and I have time to post again! I feel like I'm am endlessly working, packing and cleaning! Maybe this whole moving thing will teach me to not be such a pack rat in the future!

Anyway... today I just wanted to share a quick post about a child I've been working with who has Autism. At the beginning of the year he had a large list of inappropriate behaviors, a sad home life and of course big issues with expressing himself. He is currently in the summer school program I am teaching and I can not help but notice the huge amount of progress he made over the year! Sometimes when you see a child all the time and even though you track their progress you don't actually realize how far they have come.


He began the year, biting, kicking, yelling, screaming, punching, spitting,scratching and more! After the first few tantrums I really questioned if I could make it through the year. But, I knew that if I didn't work my hardest to help him then no one else would. So... my aide and I planned and planned and planned. We developed multiple failed behavior plans and systems and after a couple weeks of no progress we refined what we did and tried again. Months went by and slowly things changed. It was really until today, June 27th, 2013 that I have realized that every one of those major behaviors has been extinguished and that we haven't had a major incident in over 3 months! It went from an episode almost every other day to maybe an incident once a month! I can't believe the progress he has made and I am so thankful that he is such a happy, friendly kid now!

It is amazing because over the year not only did his behaviors improved but his social skills and speech skills have dramatically improved as well. He holds small conversations with friends and adults, he tells stories, he laughs and he is excited to be at school. He is smarter, more social and such a joy to be around!

I guess in the end I feel that it is so important for people to realize that in the midst of disaster, trials and tribulations there is always hope and with hard work, prayer and dedication things can and will change for the better!

Never give up!

Simply Saturday: A quick God story

I was supposed to post this past week but within the last week I got a new job offer to teach 6th grade in a different county! So, in about 24hrs worth of time my husband and I made the decision and have decided to move! The last week has been crazy and hectic with packing, cleaning and going through the steps to try and sell our house! Anyway, it's never an excuse but that's why I've been so bad about posting this last week.

Quick back story for all your believers out there:

It is so apparent when God is at work. I've been looking to transfer from special education to general education position this summer and have ran into many obstacles. The district I currently work for recently restricted Special Education Teachers from transferring into a regular education positions so I knew that if I wanted a new job I'd have to apply outside of my current school district to get it. First, I applied at a Charter School and for two weeks played phone tag with the principal there and it never worked out! It was discouraging and horrible but I thought I wanted the job. I didn't pray or ask my family to pray, I just went for it and thought I could do it on my own. Boy, was I mistaken!

After a couple weeks with no positions being posted for any of the counties near me I began to pray. I asked God if this was supposed to be a part of my future that He would guide me to the choices I needed to make, that He would take control and lead me. I asked Him to give me peace if I was not supposed to make this change and that I would be thankful for whatever He had planned. After this prayer things changed.

A couple days later job positions became available for a different county and I applied not expecting much to come out of it. (It is very challenging to get out of special education once you are there) I got a call for an interview within a day. The principal wanted to set up an interview for the a couple days later but I was leaving that same day to go camping. I explained to her that I would cancel the trip if necessary so I could attend the interview and she offered a phone conference interview instead. I took the offer (of course) and a couple days later found myself interviewing for this position on a park bench overlooking the Pacific Ocean! It was an amazing experience and I knew that God was at work in my life. Just that morning, my mom called me and told me and she and the family had been praying and that our church prayed for me on Sunday.  Anyway, after the interview they said they would get back to me in a couple days and let me know. To my surprise, a couple hours not days later I got a call from her and was offered the job! Hassle free, fell in my lap opportunity! I met with the principal face-to-face a couple days later and she was amazing! I know now in my heart that this is and was the opportunity waiting for me but I had to let God hold the reins and guide me there.

I've realized in life that it is at those moments when you have little to do with it that God does his best work. He wants us to trust Him, to trust that He has the best plan for our lives!

In the end, my husband and I have decided to move to the town where I got the position ( it would have been about an hour commute each day, instead my husband will have a 30min commute) and it just so happens that his parents live there! We will be closer to them and to my family as well, so it is defiantly a huge blessing!

My story isn't by any means amazing or a miracle but it just really hit me through the experience that this can happen in our lives as much as we let God make it happen. We can have endless stories like mine in our lives if we just lean on Him and TRUST! His plan is ALWAYS better than our plan!

Have a simple Saturday! Do you have any fun God stories to share! Please share them in the comments below!

Sunny Sunday: Family Reunion! Way behind on posting sorry!

Sunday was my mother's side of the families' annual reunion. (For whatever reason we always hold it on Father's Day which works for half of the people there!) Happy Father's day DAD!


This year I chose to bake up some yummy summery cupcakes for the event. I know, I know they aren't very dadish but they are pretty! That has to count for something!

For the cupcakes and the frosting I used the recipes found at www.shurgarysweets.com 

*The frosting recipe was actually very similar to the one I use for most of my cupcakes ( I use regular milk instead of heavy cream) and is a very common recipe minus the added lemon. The added lemon was so worth it!



I made the flowers using homemade MMF and Wilton gel food coloring and a regular 5 petal flower cutter.

For the lemon garnish, I sliced mini pieces of lemon and dipped them in sugar! Sounds super sour and it the little pieces are but the added sugar actually made them really fun to make :$

Here is the pair together. Surprisingly I'm not the biggest cupcake fan but these were so good! 

Simply Saturday: Camping, Patrick's Point, CA

The hubby and I finally managed to get away for most of last week and enjoy a much needed camping trip! We made our way to the California Coast and camped at...

Patrick's Point State Park

If you have never been all I can say is.....GO! The coast is more than breathtaking, the views are spectacular, the campground was gorgeous, and the hiking was great!

Quick personal note: Originally we had intended to stay up at Jedediah Smith State campground but our plans changed and we ended up spending our whole trip at Patrick's Point and boy am I glad we did! Our last day camping we drove up the coast to see the redwoods at Jedediah Smith State Park and while they were breathtaking, some of the main roads were closed, hiking trails were closed and it all around wasn't as beautiful as Patrick's Point. As a treat while we were up there though we did stop at a restaurant called The Chart Room and loved the clam chowder! Driving up to see the redwoods up there made for a great day but if we had stayed at the campground there I think we would have been disappointed.

Here are some pics and the names of the places we visited. I recommend every single one of them!

 

(Our campsite in the Abalone section of Patrick's Point Campground. All of the sites there look fantastic!)

 

Agate Beach

 

(View of Agate beach)

 (Agate beach. We searched for agates(precious stone) for hours! Access to the beach is in the campground. It is a small steep hike down to the beach.)

 

 (Tide pooling area accessed from the campground. About a mile walk from the campsites or there is an access road and then a small steep hike down to the beach. The tide pooling was good but down the coast of Cali I've seen better. It was still worth it.)

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding Rock and Lookout Point

Both inside the campground and accessible by car and then a short walk to the lookout points. The most beautiful sunsets.

 

(Lookout point to the left and wedding rock to the right)

(Wedding Rock)

(Wedding Rock)

(View from the top of Wedding Rock)

 

 

 

Avenue of the Giants

South of Patrick's Point off the 101

 

 

 (Founders tree and a short interpretive hike)

 (Avenue of the Giants)

 

 

 

 

Fern Canyon Hike in Prairie Creek State Park

 North of Patrick's Point

There is a 5mile dirt road to access the trail. Our little compact car made it fine (even though I was very weary!) In the park there is also an abundance of wild Elk and more redwoods! (Can't find those pics! :( )

 

 (Fern Canyon Hike)

 

 (Fern Canyon)

 (Fern Canyon)

 

 

Jedediah Smith- Hitachi Hike

 

 (Hitachi trail)

  (Hitachi trail)

 (Hitachi trail)

 

 

 Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway

North of Patrick's Point

A graded dirt road coastal drive

I can't find all the pictures I took along the way. When I do I will add them. Very worthwhile drive.

 

 

 

 

Overall the trip to Patrick's Point was so wonderful and there was a huge list of things we could do and see. We would have enjoyed more time there and I know we plan to visit again in the future :)

What are some must see places you have visited?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOODIE Friday! Healthy fruit infused water!

 

 

I'm not sure what's wrong with me but it is so hard for me to enjoy and drink water! I know it is essential to a healthy body and mind but with all the yummy drinks out there water seems soooo boring! I decided something had to be done and I HAD to get more water in my system. Here is a recipe for delicious, healthy water! Try drinking a 1/2 gallon a day!

 

Recipe

1 gallon water

1 sliced lemon

1sliced cucumber

handful of mint leaves

 

Place all ingredients into a gallon jug and place in fridge to infuse over night.

Drink all day the next day.

 

Happy Drinking!

Teachable Tuesday: Single Syllable Short Vowel Acitvity Packet (This was supposed to be posted on Tuesday! Sorry!)

Here's my latest creation for TPT! I love letting the creative juices flow to come up with fun and engaging activities for students to practice with. Check it out at my TPT store

 

Lovin' the Littles!

 

also don't forget to download my freebies! (free is best of course!)

 

You will not be disappointed!

Here's a quick preview

Have a wonderful rest of the school year and a fantastic summer!

Simply Saturday: Track your fitness and calories burned! FREE app :)

On this weight loss journey I've found the best app to help in my weight loss! MyFitnessPal  can be found in the Apple and Android market and it's FREE! :) I personally use it daily to track the number of calories I eat, the exercise I perform and the amount of weight I've lost. If you aren't into counting calories, it can also track protein, fat etc... You can also add friends who also use the app which is so helpful because friends can be very encouraging! There is also a more in-depth website you can find here that gives you more options, support, and advice! It is so helpful to see trends in what I've been eating as well as how frequently I'm exercising. I think what I love about it the most is that is has almost every food you can think of and many options with sizing so you never have to pay that dang guessing game! It includes most well-known restaurants and brands as well.

Here are some pics of what the app look like and some of it's functions. It is very user friendly and does everything I need it to do!

 

What are some fitness apps you love? What are some sites you can't live without?

Have fun and get fit!

It's FOODIE Friday! Try this delicious green smoothie!

Just finished up breakfast with this delicious green smoothie! Use green smoothies as a meal replacement! Full of fruit, veggies and protein!

Recipe
1 cup cantaloupe
1 cup pineapple
1 kiwi
1 handful spinach or kale
1/2 banana
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup ice (if desired)

Blend and drink!

Have a gorgeous healthy day!

Thankful Thursday: Thankful for another successful, healthy school year!

For all you teachers out there, you know how difficult teaching is. You know the passion, dedication, love, sweat and tears that go into your school year. Today marked 5 years of teaching for me and it proved to be the most diffcult but in turn the most rewarding! I just wanted to take this time to thank all you awesome teachers out there and all you parents who support those teachers! I know, I know we get soooo much time off (although many of us teach summer school or get a side job!) but we work our butts off and by the end of the year I know it shows! Does this feel familiar?

Teachable Tuesday! : End of the year SLIME!

As the school year comes to an end it is always fun to throw in new and exciting but simple projects where learning can still take place. One of the activities we completed this year was homemade SLIME! We began by discussing what we thought the ingredients in slime were. Then we discussed (very briefly) polymers and how slime is a mix between a solid and a liquid. We then took a look at the ingredients we used and watched a short how to and video that you can watch with your students. I'm new to this whole blogging thing so I forgot to take pictures of all the steps! The video covers it well though. The kids were so excited and had a lot of fun with their slime!

All you need is:

1 teaspoon Borax (found a box a Wally World, although I really dislike shopping there!)
1 bottle Elmer's glue (white or clear)
1 cup water
1/2 cup water
2 small bowls
Food coloring (if desired)

         
Directions:

1.Mix 1 teaspoon Borax and 1 cup water in the first mixing bowl. Mix until dissolved.

2. In second bowl combine, then mix 1 bottle glue, 1/2 cup water and a few drops of desired food coloring. Mix until combined.

3. Pour glue mixture into the borax solution. You will instantly see the slime form. Mix with your hands until combined. There will be some water left over.

4. Enjoy!

 

I will post pics as soon as I blackout some pics of my student's faces! :) Just DID! :)

The slime is soooo cool!

 

Teachable Tuesday (Or Wednesday!) Summer Plans Acitvity Packet!

Summer is here for most of us! This was officially my last day with my students. For those of you who are still teaching here is a link to a fun activity filled packet your students can complete before they go. It is currently on sale and if you buy then rate, you can earn TPT points that are redeemable toward future purchases! 

 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/My-Summer-Plans-Activity-Last-Days-of-School-704269

Here's a preview :)

and more!

 

Have a great summer!

Don't forget to visit the other products and freebies I have at my store Lovin' the Littles!

Simple Saturday: Run or Dye

This morning was so much fun! And for me life is ALL about having fun!

If you haven't experienced a Run or Dye event or the similar Color Me Rad event then you are missing out! Run or Dye is a 5k fun race where most of the money is donated to charity! It is very family friendly well organized and a great way to get some healthy excersize in! We had a blast today throwing dye at each other and running through the dye stations. Here's some pics of the fun! If you get a chance sign up for a run near you, do it for a good cause and make sure to have fun!