July Currently

Hey everyone! When I wrote the date in my journal this morning, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew it was coming, but how can it be July? What happened to sweet, lazy June? Well, like it or not, July is here and I'm linking up with the fab Farley over at Oh Boy Fourth Grade for her monthly Currently. I absolutely love her theme this month! I'm a big soccer fan in case you didn't know...

Listening:

I'm a child of the 80's and this music just gets me thinking about my awesome childhood! We ran around the neighborhood in our Jellies shoes all summer long, playing whatever game we made up and only stopped by the house for lunch and dinner. The only rule was to be home by the time the street lights turned on. When it was too hot to be outside, we walked to the library to get the latest Sweet Valley Twins books or played school or with our Barbies and Cabbage Patch Kids. We built forts, roller skated down the sidewalks, played in the sprinklers or on our Slip and Slide, rode our bikes to the park, chased the ice cream truck, played soccer in the street and set up neighborhood games of hide and seek. We would go up to our grandma's cabin on the weekends to get out of the heat and went fishing, walked the streams in our bare feet, roasted marshmallows and drank as many Shastas as we could sneak! Our grandmas would spoil us by slipping us extra candies or homemade cookies. It really was a great childhood. We used our imaginations, we played, we had freedom! 

Loving: 

My hubs and I have been getting chubby so we joined a gym. My main goals are to lose a little weight, be able to keep up better in my soccer games and maybe fit in my clothes a little more comfortably. I'm not a huge fan of "working out". I prefer to play a sport for exercise, but it just isn't cutting it anymore. I'm still new to the gym and trying to figure out what will work for me. I love the energy I feel after I go and how it improves my mood. I am really hoping I can figure out a way to continue to work out when school starts.

Thanks Ryan...

Thinking:

I'm a go getter, but even I feel that there is so much pressure on us teachers even in the summer to do more, more, more. It is even more compounded by the pressures of being a seller on TpT to keep at it 24/7. I don't want to get burned out, but I REALLY want to be successful. I try hard not to compare myself with others, but it's so hard to understand why some people are more successful than others. 

I don't want this to consume my life. I don't want to look back and regret working so much. I think the only way to balance everything is to listen to your heart, set your own goals that don't have to be measured against others, and carve out time to do things you want to do and need to do. I'm not quite there yet, but I'm working on it. Above all, I want to be happy.

Wanting: 

I'm reading this beautifully written book about Italian immigrants and it just calls to me because of my ancestry. 

My great grandparents came here from Italy to make a better life for their families. I grew up eating my grandmother's delicious pastas and have finally learned to make her ravioli, but my next challenge is to learn to make gnocchi. The main character, Enza, makes gnocchi that make my mouth water. I know it can be tricky to make them like pillows instead of lead sinkers so I will probably have to try out several methods and recipes before I perfect it. This is also why I needed to join a gym.

Needing: 

My phone is ancient, but it still works so I'm holding off on upgrading. I have some major expenses coming up like my trip to Vegas, driving school for my 15 year old, and setting up my oldest daughter in her dorm room, plus her car needs work before she leaves. My old phone's battery is horrible and I have to charge the sucker several times a day. I don't want to be hindered in Vegas so I think I need to buy a portable charger, which I hope is cheaper than a new phone. Anyone have a recommendation?

All Star:

I'm an organizer. I'm not saying my house or classroom is spotless or perfectly organized. I'm the type of organizer that loves planning. I love planning trips, events, and other activities. I guess it's the leader in me. I love the research and prepping that goes into a big event. I probably should have been an event coordinator. 

Want to read what other bloggers are up to? Head back to Farley's page: