Tuesday, March 1, 2022
SOL#22: Can.You.Hear.Me?




Mother, mother can you hear me?

Mother, mother can you understand me?

Mother, mother I am speaking.


I see you are trying to understand but somehow, someway the words come across like a code that you haven’t quite cracked. In my head, the words are so clear but once they escape I see your eyes get bigger because your brain is trying to decode each syl.la.ble to hope.ful.ly make sense of each word.


Mother, mother I wish you could feel my struggle.

Mother, mother I wish you could hear my cries.

Mother, mother I am trying.

Trying to say it right.

Trying to sound.out.each.syl.la.ble.


Did you catch that?

I made my “la” sound.

Aren’t you proud?




I am participating in Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge #22. The last time I participated in Slice of Life was when I was a classroom teacher and had my students participate. If you want to know more about the Slice of Life Challenge please read here. The jist is to write a snippet of every day life experiences and keep it real. I personally wanted to join the challenge because I miss writing and want to incorporate it back into my every day life.


My hope is to wrap up this challenge with a “behind the scenes” post to capture my inspiration behind each post. I feel it is important to share inspirations that fuel your writing. I was personally inspired by Penny Kittle’s Padlet found here of various texts that shape her thinking. Writing, for me, fuels my soul, and I hope each of my posts from this challenge fuels you.









Thursday, November 14, 2019
10 Days of Gift Giving: Educational Toys


To gear up for Black Friday, I am sharing 10 days of gift guides. All gift guides will include gifts that I know the recipient would love and I either personally own or is on my personal list to give as a gift. I hope my picks will help you as you are searching for the perfect gifts this holiday season.


1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 

I am not one to jump at the chance to buy toys for my son. I purchase items for him just like I purchase items for myself...what purpose will they serve? For Christmas, I always try to get educational toys that we can use to supplement homework. I do not own any of these items...yet. These are on our personal gift guide for our child. For example, my son's favorite book series is Dog Man. I can easily have him use the sentence blocks to write a sentence telling me his favorite part of the book and then he can use that as a visual to write his sentences for his reading homework. 

1. Augmented Reality STEM Math Games. At my son's school they are already using something similar to this device, so this could be another way to bring that learning here at home. This particular one does work through an app, but it also has a mat and manipulatives so your child can practice using the manipulatives with the app guiding them. The math problems does adapt to your child's age and is suitable for ages 5-10. 

2. Osmo Genius Starter Kit. I have been researching this for months. I love that there are various kits and they are compatible with either with an iPad or Kindle Fire. Children can use the Osmo for a hands on experience to practice reading and vocabulary, number sense and math, problem solving, and creativity and imagination. 

3. App Based Interactive Globe. How fun would it be for your child to see where you are traveling and learn more about it? We are trying to take our son to all 50 states before he is 18 as well as at least one international trip. This could be a great start for him to learn about various areas so he can be part of developing the traveling plans. 

4. Spelling Game. We love to buy games for our son because it is something we can do as a family as well. I like the idea of a spelling game because you can easily create cards using your child's sight words or spelling words into this game. 

5. Telescope. This is inspired by a Science homework assignment my son had where he had to analyze the moon to prepare for a moon and sun unit he is going to be doing after Thanksgiving. This particular one is awesome because I can take pictures with it using my phone. This will help take Science homework to the next level so that we can do more hands on items with the telescope. 

6. Sentence Building Dominoes. My son is struggling with forming a complete sentences. When I taught, I loved to teach with games and manipulatives. My son is a hands-on learner, so these sentence blocks will help him be able to manipulate the words to form the sentence before we start writing. 




I hope this gift guide helps you finding the right gift that is also educational. Happy Shopping!

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=17PpEZW4GuzGh5ovIwtZwsSW1DpcXsUbD

Wednesday, November 13, 2019
10 Days of Gift Giving: Boots




To gear up for Black Friday, I am sharing 10 days of gift guides. All gift guides will include gifts that I know the recipient would love and I either personally own or is on my personal list to give as a gift. I hope my picks will help you as you are searching for the perfect gifts this holiday season.


1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

Fall and Winter means it is boot season. I love a good boot, and these are my top six picks for the boots that need to be in your closet. I tried to find the best boot for multiple scenarios so that you had the perfect pick for the boot lover in your life. 

1. Sorel boots. We ski every year now. Last year I invested in some snow boots and went with the Sorel brand. I see why many people that live in snow type temperatures own Sorel boots. They are comfortable. I went with my true size when I bought mine and they did fine even with thicker socks. If you are worried about them being too tight with thicker socks, then size up a half size. As soon as the person sees you bought them Sorel boots, I know that they will be be grateful because it is the perfect brand for snow boots. 

2. Marc Fisher OTK boot. An OTK boot is an essential staple and one brand I trust for shoe purchases is Marc Fisher. I have two pairs of OTK boots by Marc Fisher and the thing I love about them is that they stay in place which is HUGE for an OTK boot. I have had some that do not actually stay up OTK. 

3. Combat Boot. This style of boot is perfect when paired with a rocker graphic tee, moto jacket, or leggings. Or a sweater, jeans, beanie, and boot socks. It would also look great with flannel top as well. Let's just say this...there are a lot of possible pairings for a pair of combat boots.

4. Marc Fisher Animal Print bootie. An animal print bootie is another essential staple. Snake print is in trend and this pair by my favorite shoe brand company is a definite winner. 

5. Cole Haan Dress Boot. A black dress bootie is perfect for pairing for workwear, date nights, or even taking a legging look to the next level. These have a slight wedge to them and Cole Haan shoes are great quality and comfortable. 

6. Hunter Rain Boot. As soon as the recipient sees that the gift is Hunter rain boots it will not matter what print, color, or style you choose. However, this print is a guaranteed winner. 

Shop the guide:






I hope this gift guide helps you finding the right gift for the boot lover in your life. Happy Shopping!




Tuesday, November 12, 2019
10 Days of Gift Giving: Gift Guide for Makeup Lovers

To gear up for Black Friday, I am sharing 10 days of gift guides. All gift guides will include gifts that I know the recipient would love and I either personally own or is on my personal list to give as a gift. I hope my picks will help you as you are searching for the perfect gifts this holiday season.


1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I am quite the beauty junkie. There are a ton of holy grail products I could share for a gift guide, but I wanted to be strategic in sharing gifts any makeup lover would love no matter the person's skin tone or complexion. 

1. Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Eyeshadow Palette. If the makeup lover in your life does not have this palette, then believe me you will make that person's year with this palette. Words cannot express my love for it. Let me just say this...I use this palette every. single. day.

2. Natasha Denona Sunrise Eyeshadow Palette. I have not purchased a full Natasha Denona eyeshadow palette because of the price; however, I do own the mini palettes. The quality of the eyeshadows is out of this world. I picked this particular palette because is definitely bang for your buck if you choose to buy this palette as a gift. It works for everyone and the eyeshadows blend beautifully. 

3. Cinema Secrets Makeup Brush Cleaner. You must clean your makeup brushes. I repeat...you must clean your makeup brushes. As soon as you put your makeup brushes in this solution it instantly gets the guck off of the brush. In other words, it is the best makeup brush cleaner ever. 

4. Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. This is the holy grail of setting sprays, in my opinion. It does exactly what the name says...stays all night. Enough said. 

5. Beauty Blender. Every makeup lover needs a beauty blender. It's the best in the biz. It helps with concealer, foundation, and setting powder application. 

6. Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick. I have tried a lot of nude lipsticks, but I have not found one as good as this line. First, I love matte lipsticks and feel everyone should have at least one matte lipstick in their life. A makeup lover should also have a good nude lipstick. This is your winner, hands down. I personally have the shade in Board Room. Get this shade. Life changer. 

Shop the gift guide:






I hope this gift guide helps you finding the right gift for the makeup lover in your life. Happy Shopping!

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=12AZ4ewzRbgciwdVKKSZlM4xZlwANTUN7
Monday, November 11, 2019
10 Days of Gift Giving: Gift Guide for Hair Enthusiasts


To gear up for Black Friday, I am sharing 10 days of gift guides. All gift guides will include gifts that I know the recipient would love and I either personally own or is on my personal list to give as a gift. I hope my picks will help you as you are searching for the perfect gifts this holiday season.


1 | 2 | 3 (shampoo | conditioner) | 4 | 5 | 6

I absolutely love buying hair products. All of these products I own and do wonders for my hair. Are some on the pricier side? Yes. However, I believe in quality hair products and tools because you get the most bang for your buck.

1. T3 SinglePass Curl 1.25" Curling Iron. Words cannot explain how much I love this curling iron. I have curls for days everytime I use it. In fact, my rotation with using this tool is I curl my hair on Sunday after washing my hair. I will not touch this curling iron again until Wednesday for a refresh. The rest of the week I will go to bed with my hair in a braid for a beachy wave look.

2. BaBylissPro Nano Titanium Straightening Iron. I try to only flat iron my hair once per week when I wash. If I am using a flat iron it is because I was lazy with wrapping up my hair at night and need to go over a few pieces that got crushed while I slept. I can control the temperature, and I only have to use one pass when using this curling iron which are two big reasons why I love this flat iron.

3 and 4. Kevin Murphy Hair Products. Two years ago I found out about Kevin Murphy products and the wonders it can do when wearing my natural hair in its curly state. My love affair with this product began with Killer Curls and Young Again oil and grew from there. When washing and conditioning my hair, I love the Repair Me line. I think it is a great line for all hair types and do not get me started on the Young Again oil. It is on the pricier side, BUT a little goes a long way and it truly does help your hair. All Kevin Murphy products have a scent. Some are more mild than others. Most complaints you will see in reviews are about the scents. I personally love them all. These three products have a mellow scent to them.

5. Satin Pillowcase. This has been a game change for me. Every night I already used a satin head wrap to wrap my hair up at night. Wrapping my hair protects my edges and ensures when I wake up the next morning that my hair is still straight for the next day; otherwise, I will wake up and some of it will be curly or matted. Before investing in the Slip brand pillowcase I bought a satin pillowcase from Amazon. I love it, and I really do not know how much different it is from the Slip brand pillowcase. I now can just use a satin scarf to ensure my edges remained laid throughout the night, and I braid the rest of my hair and go to sleep.

6. Kristin Ess Texture Spray. Another big reason why I have curls for days is because after my curls are cooled and set I spray with a texture spray. The first brand I used was Kristin Ess. I have tried others including the beloved Oribe, but NOTHING is in comparison to this one, AND it is the cheapest of the ones I have tried. It does have a slight scent, but nothing overbearing.

Shop the gift guide:



I hope this gift guide helps you finding the right gift for the hair enthusiast in your life. Happy Shopping!
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=16pjTjrkSgWRxh8djAw7lyqRdzwM3J2Rt



Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Celebrating Staff Birthdays | Printable Door Signs

Welcome to week four of my summer educator inspired series titled, Prepping for a New School Year: Leadership Tools, Tips + Tricks. This is the second post, but should have been the fourth post of the eleven week series. Life happened, y'all so I am behind. Eventually I will complete all of these posts for you. What I do share will be ideas that I have tested and tried out from the 2017-2018 school year. I have made a few tweaks, but I can ensure that everything I share in this series is on the job tested. I will also go back to each post in the series and provide the link to all the posts. If you are not already, make sure you subscribe and you will get an email once I post. Also, make sure you follow me on InstagramFacebook, and YouTube.

Below are the topics you can look forward to in this series:

Assistant Principal Interview Tips  (postaudio)
Celebrating Staff Birthdays 
Seating Charts with Ease: Using Random Sorting with Excel
Work Smarter, Not Harder: Mail Merge That Document
Custom To Do Lists in Digital and Print
Font Pairings with Google Fonts
How To Take your PPT to a Whole New Level
Monthly Treat Tags 
Full Year Celebrations Calendar
Writing Belief Statements with your Departments
How To Live in Classrooms as an Assistant Principal : Principal Kafele Inspired

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