Back to School

     I think that my favorite part about going back to school is getting to dress up again...especially after spending a majority of my summer in pajamas!  I'm definitely not complaining but it's a nice transition back to reality.  One thing that I've learned as a grow as a teacher is that wardrobe can drive behavior and classroom management.  If you dress like a student, they treat you like a peer.  If you dress like a professional, the class will respect you.
     I know that it's difficult to also dress up and be put together (even more so around state testing time), but it's honestly worth the effort.  The saying "dress for the job you want" is exactly true, even if you are already in that job.  Although there is definitely a time for a more casual outfit (field trip, outdoor or messy projects, class parties), it's important to establish the respect early on.
     This outfit is my first of the new "season."  I wore it to a training right before school started and it honestly got me right back in the mood!  It's pretty simple and comfortable, but grown up and put together also!

Dress - Rainbow Clothing

Flats - American Eagle

Belt - American Eagle

Grab and Go Iced Coffee**

     I love coffee!  Any time of the day is a perfect time for a delicious cup of Joe.  With a very busy lifestyle, sometimes coffee is cut from the morning routine.  We have a Kuerig so that really helps with fast hot coffee.  But what about 100 degree Florida mornings???  Hot coffee is not an option for me.  Therefore, I came up with this recipe to help on days where I need something fast and refreshing.

On the Go Iced Coffee
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of instant coffee (I use Publix brand, but any will work)
2 tablespoons of sugar (I use two sweetener substitute packets)
1 tablespoon of powdered creamer
1 1/2 cups of milk (I use fat free)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Ice
Shaker or blender

Directions:
In shaker or blender, combine all ingredients.  If you're using a shaker, only put in a few ice cubes.  The rest of the ice goes in your drinking cup.  Shake or blend until everything in mix thoroughly.  From the blender, the coffee is ready to drink.  From the shake, strain over a cup with fresh ice.  Enjoy!

Counting Sheep

     Recently I have been having some trouble sleeping.  Some nights, I stay up until around 3 in the morning wide awake.  When I finally go to sleep, I wake up at 8 or 9 am completely exhausted!  As you can guess, this is not going to be acceptable when I go back to work next week.  While I was up all of those hours, I did some research (I know, probably not a great idea when trying to sleep).  I found the two websites below helpful.  Since the sites have a lot of ideas, I posted the ones that stood out to me below.  So far, my sleep patterns have actually gotten better!  I'm not really a fan of medications, so I hope this doesn't become a consist issue that needs a prescription.  Hope these help you also!

Mind Body Green
Greatist

~If you don't fall asleep instantly, don't be too hard on yourself.
I'm definitely guilty of this one!  If not asleep within 15 minutes, I instantly start thinking about how terrible the next day is going to be.  These thoughts actually make falling asleep even worse.  It's almost like you sabotage yourself!

~Establish a regular bed time routine.
For us, it's bedtime around 10-10:30 every night.  We clean up anything left from dinner.  Turn everything off and go to bed.  We also both read to kind of shut our brains off and fully relax.  I can't vouch that when I don't have a book, it's much harder to fall asleep.

~Exercise early in the day.
I had actually never thought of this!  The article said that you should exercise at least 3 hours before going to sleep.  That will allow your body enough time to cool and wind down.  Makes sense, right?!?

~Nap the right way.
Again, I'm VERY guilty of this one!  Naps should only be 10-20 minutes and should not be taken after 4 pm.  This I'll have to work on!

~Dim the lights.
This is another thing that we already do and makes sense.  Dim the lights two hours before bedtime.  This will help your body wind down.