My Summer Bucket List!

Schools out for Summer!!

Well, not really. I still have SEVEN and a HALF more days to go. Oh, and guess what? It is going to rain allll this week because the end of school madness isn’t enough for us to enjoy, we need to take away RECESS too! Haha!

Honestly, a month ago I wanted to slow this year down. It has gone by too fast. I love my sweet class. They are just so funny. They make me so happy and they have grown so much. But…once all of the end of year madness hit (TPRI, TEMI, DRA, etc.), I am mentally wore out. Seriously, put a fork in me. I am counting down with the kids now. I’m lucky to remember my name. I hate feeling anxious. I like being ahead of the game and the end of the year always has me feeling behind just because there is so much to do. I’d write a To Do List but honestly, I will just lose it. Haha!

So, moving on to this summer..what do you have planned? Anything exciting? My husband is helping with a project at work and is gone during the week so our usual family lake house trip won’t happen this year. I know, you are sad too. No near death accidents at the lake house for me.

Here’s my list (so far…you never know with me!)…

Conferences Anyone?

I am totally excited to go to the TOTS & Technology Conference with teachers from my school. It’s been a while since I have gone to a conference and just been an attendee and not a presenter. Our school is a Global Tech Academy. I am ready to learn for all the techy gurus out there.

Then, moving on to I Teach K where I will be presenting all day Thursday. I am excited, nervous, nervous, and excited. This will be my third year to go to Vegas and I just love, love, love hanging out with all of my blogging besties. I can’t wait to hang out with friends, old and new and learn a few new classroom tricks too. Have you made plans to attend? Use the code NAT10 to get 10% OFF of your conference registration! I hope to see you there.

My last conference stop this summer will be at Frog Street Press SPLASH …such a FUN Texas event. This summer it will be in San Antontio, Tx. The theme is Western. I know this is shocking, but I don’t own western wear. I don’t listen to country or even own boots. So..looks like I will have to purchase an outfit for this hoedown. At SPLASH I will present some and host the Pajama Party on Thursday night. It should be so much fun. You should totally check it out!

Got Books?

This summer, I plan on reading Close Reading in Elementary School. Tara and Lyndsey are hosting an awesome book study online too. One of my goals for next year is to increase comprehension and vocabulary in my classroom. I think this book study will really help me come up with a great plan.

I also plan to read the new Daily 5 book. I do my own version of D5 and I am excited to see what else I can learn to tweak my system. Stay tuned for some exciting news about this!!

All My Bags Are Packed….Traveling?

Honestly, I am not sure where we are going and what we are doing yet. We always go visit family in Oklahoma and my kids really want to take a road trip too so who knows where we will go. Our schedule is so packed full this summer but we will make time for a little road trip together. I told my kids we would go somewhere if I got a new car, and I DID!

New Car Smell?

This was my summer goal. I planned on trading in Pearl (my Mazda5..and yes, we name all of our cars bc they are family lol). Well, on the way to dinner last week we stopped for a look at a car lot and I fell in love. Meet….?? Well, we haven't decided on a name yet. I think this one is a BOY. Suggestions? So, my summer goal is to keep this bad boy clean and road ready. If we get a wild hair to jump in the car and head south..or north, then let’s do it! I’ve never, ever owned a new car. Actually, Nick and I have never bought anything worth more than $10,000 and had less than 50,000 miles on it. This is a BIG deal. I almost needed a paper sack to breath into when signing the papers. Haha! This is what my 2014 Dodge Journey looks like. Seriously, what should I name him? 

Just Keep Swimming!

I seriously could have been a Mermaid in another life. I LOVE to swim. Want to know something funny? My mom has been in the swimming pool business my entire life but we never had a pool. It wasn’t until the grandkids asked and then they built one. My parents own Crystal Clear Pools. Lucky for me, they only live seven miles from my house so I get to lay poolside at this beauty whenever I want. Yes, it’s a hard life indeed. Haha! Maybe one day I will have a pool of my own but for now, this is not a bad option.  

I Like Big Butts…NOT!

This summer I plan to keep working out. Right now I am doing low cardio with strength training three times a week. Once school gets out, plan to step up my game and do more cardio. I don’t love working out but I also don’t love my BIG butt…so, high ho, high ho, it’s off to the gym I go!

Feeling Romantical?

Okay, so that is not a word, but I like it. I would love to get away for a weekend or two with my handsome husband. I just can’t tell you how much I love this man. I can't believe we will celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary in December. 

Talk Me Out To The Ballpark!

For the love of Pete, if I don’t get to go to a Ranger game this year, I will NOT be happy. I love going to Ranger games. It’s so fun. I always try and go to a Friday night game when they have the fireworks display after the game. It’s the best added bonus. There is just something special about fireworks, don’t ya think?

Creativity Explosion

I keep a To Do List for Kreative in Kinder. There are a million things I would love to create and write about but there is never enough time. I don’t have a “goal” because honestly I am always too ambition and never get it all done and then I am disappointed that I didn't meet my goal. So, this summer I just want to keep working. I want to design new shirts for my tshirt store. I want to create a few new units that I need for my classroom and I want to finally post some of the million pictures that I took this year.

BREATHE

Last, I just want to take time to just BE. I wear many hats and often juggle to many balls. I always have a plan for the week and my head never turns off. I am always thinking about what I need to do tomorrow and the next day and so on. This summer I would just like to (as much as I can) worry about one day at a time. It’s easy to get wrapped up in so many things that the time passes so quickly and you really don’t know what you did or accomplished? So, I just want to breathe. Laugh. Play with my kids. Go to the movies and for wine with my girlfriends. Hold hands with my husband.  Spend more time with my parents and sister. Just breathe.

So, what are your plans for this summer? Will I see you at any conferences? Are you traveling? Any requests for curriculum or shirts you want me to create? What’s your plan Stan? Most importantly, what should I name my car?

I've linked up with my friend Deanna who is having a fun Summer Linky. Make sure you stop by her blog and see what her and other bloggers are up to this summer!

Love and virtual hugs!