Five Things Teachers Love to Hear

Disclaimer: I love my job immensely but there are just a few things I love the most about it. Teachers are hard workers and don't get enough praise for what we do. Just ask any teacher after a data meeting :) With that being said I know some people suck at their job, there is always those people in any job...just remember that. Enjoy!

Five Things Teachers Love to Hear

1.) The problem child....To be honest I love problem children. The random stuff they say that puts a smirk and this lovely thought in your head,"You little shit that was funny and I know I shouldn't laugh." Watch me be an A-dult, "That's an inappropriate comment you could say..."  With that being said, it is a nice break when they are absent once in a while. 

 2.) 2-hour delay!!!! It's so much better than a snow day. You don't have to make the day up when the sun is shining. Also, some kids won't even bother showing up for school  too. Look at number one for explanation on the last comment. 

3.) Hour long meeting after school is cancelled!!! This doesn't need any explanation..'nough said.

4.) Lesson plans aren't due on Monday or you don't need to hand in formal lesson plans this week. SCORE! Any teacher will tell you, formal lesson plans are catered for districts to assess you on your effectiveness as a teacher and not useful in the classroom. Now, I don't mean you shouldn't plan because then you just suck at your job. Step by step lesson plans are a waste of time. Like I need to remind myself to pass out papers or scaffold my instruction.**End rant now or else write a dissertation on this topic.

5.) Winter/spring break is here!!! Both breaks are needed immensely for the mental and physical stabilities of your teacher! KEEP. YOUR. GERMS. HOME. See "your" is showing possession, you child own them, not me!

 As a teacher, I broke a golden rule and did not spell check and check for run-on sentences before publishing. It's my blog (I ramble..it's what I do) and I usually write the majority of my posts from my phone...so be nice :)

Weekly Forecast # 2

Well, if you live in the Northwestern region of Pennsylvania, you probably spent your weekend indoors. I did not move my car once on Saturday and you can clearly see why! Luckily for me the crazy wind cleared the driver's side so shoveling won't be so bad on that side... Let's not talk about the other side!

Next week doesn't look much better too! Seriously, I'm thinking about buying a tanning package just so I can feel like I'm on a beach vacation for ten minutes a day. The coconut lotion and warmth from the tanning bed sure will make me think that I have an umbrella drink in my hand for a bit!

Monday- dinner with my love 

Tuesday- Skinny Tomato Basil Soup and biscuits

Wednesday- Healthy Chicken strips with roasted potatoes

Thursday- Skinny Chicken Fried Rice

Friday- Roasted Garlic, Chicken, & White Herb Pizza

Saturday- leftovers

Sunday- Cajun Tilapia

My workouts will be more consistent this week! It's the last week before I start training for the half. So it will be light running and more strength training.

Monday- 2-3 miles

Tuesday- strength training

Wednesday- 3 miles

Thursday- body pump

Friday- rest

Saturday- body pump

Sunday- rest

Weekly Forecast

First, let's talk about the weather. I am OVER snow and the cold. I know, I grew up in Pennsylvania I should be use to it. I'm done cleaning off my car, leaving the house earlier than I ever want to leave because of road conditions and layering!  Honestly I guess the last few years of living in the south has spoiled me! By this time last year I was wearing a spring coat and flats to work every day. I could only wish to wear flats to work again. I digress!

Monday- Skinny Broccoli and chicken pasta

Tuesday- tilapia & rice

Wednesday- chicken bruschetta wrap

Thursday- Skinny Macaroni and Cheese

Friday- Cajun tilapia & rice

Saturday- leftovers or cheat meal

Sunday- leftovers or out to eat

Something great happened this Sunday morning! 

I ran 2 miles and it felt awesome! 

I paid close attention to my form and took it easy. My knee and quad feel weak but I'm not in pain. So I came home foam rolled and iced just to be sure. If I wake up tomorrow feeling good I will continue running maybe 4 but I would be so happy with 3 and no pain!

This week's workouts will be all based on how the leg feels. I found last week to be a wash because it hurt to much and I was sick :( I'll keep you posted!

In our home, I clean and Toby cooks because let's face it one will get sick of plain chicken and veggies or grilled cheese (a few things I can cook well). But I'm killing it in the wife department this weekend (if I do say so myself)! I cleaned (normal), decorated for Valentine's Day, shopped for groceries (on budget), and cooked dinner (not normal). Like a boss wife!


Time to wait for the hubby to get home and watch the 49ers play some football!! 

Go 49ers!!

What's your super power this week? I will be mastering two new dinner dishes to earn my keep around here. Also, keeping motivated to be patient with getting back to running!!

Tone Up Tuesday # 2

Happy Tuesday!!

My week was off to a good start with students caring about their grades NOW when the quarter ends on Thursday! Middle Schoolers have you no shame and who taught you this life skill...ALREADY!!

My next favorite student comment is the following....

Still a going to detention and it's a zero if it's not here by tomorrow! 

Workout Move of the Week:

The first time I saw this move was in Virginia. I was running on the treadmill (of course) and I was watching a random girl do it. I tried it and it was love at first move!

It works both the abs and arms! Basic crunch with a bench press. Awesome to add weigh for the core while working the arms.

Photo from google images. Toby was out of town to take a picture of me doing it. I don't use the bench I lay on the floor/mat. Love this move. It's a must try. A simple move with more bang for your buck. I do 4 sets of 50.

Fellow teachers/parents, what excuses do you love? Another favorite is when one or two students state, "You didn't tell me that" while the rest of the class has the work done or knows the information. Enough said.

Monday Morning Run Down ( I Wish Running)

Monday

Breakfast- protein shake

Lunch- grilled chicken & sweet potato

Dinner- CHEAT MEAL- Not sure yet what I will be eating (Toby's out of town)

Workout- Weigh machine circuit sin legs & 8 min abs

Tuesday

Breakfast- protein shake

Lunch- grilled chicken & sweet potato

Dinner- Spinach stuffed chicken breast

Workout- biceps & triceps & 8 min abs

Wednesday

Breakfast- protein shake

Lunch-  grilled chicken & sweet potato

Dinner-tilapia & couscous

Workout- shoulders & chest & 8 min abs

Thursday

Breakfast- protein shake

Lunch- grilled chicken & sweet potato

Dinner- Chicken & Broccoli Noodle Casserole 

Workout- Swimming & 8 min abs

Friday

Breakfast- protein shake

Lunch- yogurt, apple

Dinner- Cajun tilapia

Workout- 8 min abs & swimming

Saturday

Breakfast- protein shake

Lunch- leftovers

Dinner- leftovers

Workout- swimming & 8 min abs

Sunday

Breakfast- protein shake

Lunch- leftovers

Dinner- Roast

Workout- Rest

***With the knee issue I'm still resting it until I feel NOTHING!!! This weekend was a little too much cleaning, painting, and heel wearing for its liking. I'm sorry I will do better next week. I read that I could swim to keep up my cardio and not injury my knee further. Well I'm ordering a "fitness" swim suit and let's give it a whirl. I figure I can take this time to really get my upper body the focus it deserves while waiting patiently on the knee.


Well let's hope this week goes smoothly as it will be a normal week back to work! Can I already say I am ready for the weekend...my THREE day LONG weekend :)

Thoughts on swimming for cardio? Is it worth it?- I love swimming. I grew up swimming day in and out during the summer but I haven't used it as a workout before. Could be interesting. At least the Y has a sauna for afterwards.

Losing it!!

I'm not sure about you all but I'm definitely glad it is Thursday! It's been a long, cold week and quite frankly I'm ready to move on to the weekend to relax and recharge! Since my latest injury I have been somewhat  irritable and pissy because I WANT to run but I know I shouldn't because walking all day makes it sore. So my hubby poured me a glass of wine, made me a chicken wrap and handed me the remote while he went to the gym. You know since I can't run or go to a body pump class why bothering going to the gym at all...

No kidding Austin Powers! It was a temporary fix to a bad day! I feel better about my knee situation today since the ice, heat, elevated, and foam rolling helped work it out last night. I woke up feeling not soo sore...don't let me fool you by the end of the day it was sore again :( I just wanted to sit down.

Anyway time off is good and listening to your husband, oh wait I mean, mind/body is what is best for an injury!!! :):):) Who is killing it on the Couch to 5K training plan. I love how excited he gets after each run. It makes me smile. Mostly because I have already planned out every weekend long day run to do as a couple in my head along with explaining it to him with every minute detail. I'm a nerd I know. He loves it ;)

Thoughtful Thursday Motivational Quote:

Word!! I'm working on it! Only if my body would cooperate I would be on my way. I digress. I happen to like this quote a lot it makes me think about what I really want to accomplish in all aspects of my life. Sometimes I can get stuck on the negative like lately....Positive thoughts :) 

What gets you through a rough week?

Usually working out does but wine sure does help! :) In all seriousness my hubby is pretty awesome in letting me talk, talk, talk! Until I'm over what is bothering me.

Wind Down Wednesday

We have made it! Half way through the frigid cold week and I'm feeling the coldness. Not only is today HUMP day but I had a two-hour delay !! Here's my happy dance :)

I have a confession to make... My knee has been bothering me. I've done my crazy research to see if I can self-diagnosis myself.. Well, I believe it is runner's knee. Since I'm being honest with myself and strangers, I've been having bits of pain in the same area for a while. I decided it was because I was running faster and longer than usual and I was overdoing it. Wrong it was runners knee and I should have rest. Then I decided to do a squat challenge which has me building muscle which is great. BUT I've only had 1-2 rest days of squats which means there has been no common rest day between the challenge and working out. Lesson learned! I'm listening to my body. So my workout plan is play by ear....

What are you up to this fine Wednesday? 

TONE UP TUESDAY

Look what came in the mail yesterday!! Now I know what I'm doing for the rest of my ice cold snow day!!

I'm sure I will be sharing some good reading material with you all! 

Exciting News! 

My husband finally signed up for a 5K in March! For the last two years he has made a resolution to run a race with me and it hasn't happened yet. So I am beyond excited for this race. It's close to my birthday and a St. Patty's Day race. I already signed him up so he has no choice but to run now...muahhhhaahahahah 

I get to cheer him on too. I'm racing in the 10K an hour later! Maybe I will sign up for the 5K too and make a day of running fun... My training plan already has me running 10 miles so I would have to make up another 4 miles after the 10K anyway. Thoughts?

So proud of him as I watched him complete his first training run on the treadmill yesterday :) I'm like a proud parent!

Favorite Move of the Week! 

Squats, squats, squats...

http://ionevoxxi.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/squats.jpg?w=640&h=394

Benefits:

1. Burns more FAT.

2. Tone Your Backside, Abs 

3. Helps prevent injuries

4. Strengthens all body muscle building

5. Increases flexibility

Do you have a favorite fitness move?

What books are you reading?

A Storms A Comin'

In good ole Erie, PA with sub-zero temps and an avalanche of snowfall forecasted. School was released early today and already called for tomorrow!! Woot! The day off won't bother me too much because we are making it up next week! If rather stay inside and be warm!

I'm sure we are going to need lots of motivation to get to the gym this week. Especially since I like to hibernate in the cold!!

What I have realized about planning out my workouts and meals is the change in my pockets and my waistband is not so tight :)

 Seriously, we may tweak our meals a bit but we are utilizing all of our food for the week without going to the grocery store or eating out every night. Added and obvious bonus is it's healthy and we "plan" when our cheat meal will be for the week. So when I see yummy sweets at work I can remind myself "Hey Fattie back away, real slow, stealth modelike from the cookie tray you would much rather have that pizza/quesadilla/burger later this week!" It usually does the trick. 

Weekly Meal Plan:

Monday

   Breakfast- protein shake

   Lunch- salad with turkey

   Dinner- cheese tortellini 

Tuesday

   Breakfast- protein shake

   Lunch- salad with turkey

   Dinner- turkey pot pie 

Wednesday

   Breakfast- protein shake

   Lunch- salad

   Dinner- BBQ chicken wrap

Thursday

   Breakfast- protein shake

   Lunch- salad

   Dinner- turkey tacos

Friday

   Breakfast- protein shake

   Lunch- salad

   Dinner- Cajun baked fish

Saturday

   Breakfast- protein shake

   Lunch- salad with chicken

   Dinner- CHEAT Meal (dinner out)

Sunday

   Breakfast- eggs & turkey bacon

   Lunch- leftovers

   Dinner- turkey meatloaf

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!! I hope everyone has health, happiness, and a little extra jingle in their pockets this year. I happen to love the New Year. It's a time to evaluate the progress you made and to decide what and where you want to go next year. Goals are great it's what keeps us in check and growing as humans.

Every new year we sell into resolutions. Most times it's to quit a bad habit or lose 10 pounds. Trust me, I am a victim too. Seriously last year everyone in this house, including the dog had a New Year's resolution! Gus made some of his goals! Like sleeping in his own bed (he sleeps in his cage not before cuddle time with me in my bed before Toby gets in). Details people, he still made progress.

Speaking of awesomeness, my husband quit smoking!!! So proud of him!

His happy face!!

My 2013 has had many ups and downs. It seems the last part of the year had more downs then ups but it wasn't all bad! My favorite day last year was marrying my husband! He is the best partner in crime I could ever ask for in life.

But this year I'm sticking to my 101 in 1001 Days. It's a doable time frame and it's not a goal for a year, they are lifetime goals.  Some of them can't be achieved in a year but I'm working towards them and that is no small feat.

Exciting news!! Starting on Monday I will be writing a few blog posts that will be somewhat standard to the blog of complete randomness!

• Monday Makeup (featuring meal and fitness plans for the week...possible some beauty ideas)
• Tone up Tuesday
• Wind down Wednesday
• Thoughtful Thursday
• Friday Favorites (featuring favorite meal, fitness move, etc.)

I'm going to enjoy my last day off before I head back to work by attempting to catch up on work i told myself I was going to do this break! I'm sure the kids will be oh so pleasant tomorrow! 

Happy New Year Again!!