Random mind dump!

Oh I have so many thoughts right now, all unrelated. prepare for a mind dump! Maybe this will help me calm down!

1. People in charge should stop being stupid and making stupid decisions.

2. If your pregnant, this week is official announcement week. ( if your my friend apparently) I already have had 10 different announcements and its only Thursday.

3. I have a few really good friends. I'm thankful for them.

4. If you have a problem with me or something I said/did tell me not someone else! Lame sauce!

5. I miss my family!

6. I wish I wasn't so kind anymore. Sometimes I wish I could rewind to the me of 5 years ago and go on a tirade right now!

7. Stop choosing to be offended. It's petty and only makes you seem whiny, needy, and annoying.

8. I hate passive aggressiveness. Say what you mean, mean what you say. Don't say I don't have to come when you'll be upset if I don't show up.

9. Stop judging me and then telling me about your judgements of others.

10. I love blogging.

11. I hate standardized testing for measuring what students know and what teachers have taught. I taught a kid to read this year, but they won't pass the test. So glad I spent my time with him anyway... Because that's what will matter in 10 years!

12. Education in America is broken. And decent teachers should be fleeing, if we'd only do what was best for ourselves.

Well, my mind is finally empty. Hopefully I can stop feeling so dang anxious, today!

My Very First Donors Choose Project

Hey everyone! I had so many good intentions of posting this last week. However, we had lots of traveling, school events, funerals, and a broken computer which all play into why its getting posted now. From my phone.... hence the lack of built in links (note to blogger... id like your app much better if i could put pictures where i wanted them and hyperlink.)


So, have you heard of Donors Choose? basically its a place where teachers can go and write grants for materials they need in their classrooms and people can choose which projects to donate to. So, I've been a member of donors choose for YEARS now, but never written up a project until now. If you'd like to see my project copy and paste the link below (sorry I can't hyperlink it!)

http://www.donorschoose.org/erikareyes

For today and tomorrow only you can use the promo code INSPIRE and your donation to my project will be matched. So if you donate $20, $40 will be added to my project. Plus, it's all tax deductible! Love it!

If you can't donate now and want to later, you can still use the link. The only difference is, there won't be the promo code for matching.

Thanks in advance for supporting me and my classroom!!

One Little Word

I'm so excited about my one little word. I was first introduced to this style of resolution last year by my "wish I was her blogger buddy" Lara from less cake more frosting. She is off recuperating from a serious surgery far away from home and I've been thinking about her a ton lately. I hope all is well!

So, my one little word is...

Leap  verb

The act or an instance of believing or trusting in something intangible or incapable of being proved.

I've found great inspiration on Pinterest but the Patrick Lundquist Faith painting has always been a favorite one.

I'll leap into more sincere relationships.

I'll leap into more genuine prayer and authentic scripture study.


I'll leap back into National Board Certification. (Here's to the Disney witches club!)

I'll leap into our new YW curriculum.

I'll leap into living child-free by choice now (as a conscious choice now, rather than forced upon us choice) and not live under the "infertile" shadow.

I'll leap into the teacher blogging world and see if I can keep up.

I'll leap into taking better care of myself.

Leaping to me requires action. It's not passive. This is good for me. I like passive too much! This way I HAVE to work at it.

(none of the pictures do I claim as my own, each link to where I found them)

Last years Goal update

Last year these were my goals I set for myself

1) Keep my focus on what matters most.
2) Do all the little things I know I should every day.
3) Try new things, often.

I did, most of the time, keep focused on what matters most. Loving my family, friends, and my Savior. It's always a balancing act. But I feel I did better last year than the previous year so improvement is good!

I cannot say the same for #2. The year started of pretty well... But that didn't last very long. I think I'll keep this as a goal again this year!

I would say, I didn't withhold from trying new things hardly EVER last year. Especially when it came to food.

I tried every bit of fish that John cooked, or anyone else did for that matter. Shrimp, halibut, mahimahi, tilapia, crab, fish tacos, and even clam strips. You may think this isn't a big deal, let me assure you, it is. I still don't like seafood. But I tried it again, without complaint. And some of it isn't as awful as I thought it was.
I also tried to give eggs another shot for John... That ended in failure. I do not like eggs, Sam I am! I do not like green eggs and ham! (Sorry it's the teacher in me coming out)
The big success in new foods came in me finally trying again and liking avocado, especially Johns guacamole!!
I also spent 42 days pretty much by myself. I meant I wasn't always by myself, but considering John and I do just about everything together those 42 days were spent much lonelier than the other 320!
We went to many places for the first time. Alaska, San Francisco were the biggies. We had such a great time exploring these two places together! So many firsts!
I made many crafty things. I crocheted lots of hats, sock monkey hats to be specific. Scarves and blankets, too. I also made many things using my moms silhouette cameo. Christmas presents, tiles, signs, names for girls camp shirts. Sheesh that machine is amazing and so fun to use!
Finally, in the classroom. Last year was full of new techniques, lessons, management styles, and enter Teacherspayteachers.com and teachers notebook.com. LOVE those two sites and the teacher blogging world. All new to me last year and hopefully this year I will enter this realm and stand on my own two feet.

I really liked my goals from last year and lucky for me, they all tie into my "one little word" for this year's goal. Stay tuned for that reveal next week! Any guesses? And no cheating!