What's Up January

Today I'm linking up with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for this month's What's Up Wednesday post. It's hard to believe that it's already time for this month's post. Who knew January would fly by so incredibly fast. Wow! Anywho, on with the post...

 

Every month we answer the same few questions based on how things are currently going in our lives. 

The questions are...

 

What am I eating this week?

I made a big pot of chili this past weekend. So, since I'm not pouring sweat when I eat it, having a warm bowl of this deliciousness is actually pretty nice :)

What am I reminiscing about?

Christmas Break. Ah, Christmas Break... How fun you were :)

 

 

 

What am I loving?

Teachers Pay Teachers - Seriously, teacher friends... If you haven't checked this site out yet, go do it. Now. It's amazingly helpful. And there are plenty of free, or really cheap, options, so it's not super expensive. But it's great! Seriously, go. You won't regret it.

What have I been up to?

I've started my Amazon wishlist of items I hope to purchase for the class. 

And I realize that some reading this may be wondering why I'm asking for help yet again, since I wrote not long ago, that I had met my fundraising goal. But due to some extra unexpected expenses that I wasn't originally planning for (like furniture - which I've bought and is super cool of course, but is super expensive), I'm back to fundraising a bit more. Want to buy something from my Wishlist and help me furnish my class? Click here and you can help me furnish this class for incredibly awesome kids in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa. The kids I'll have in my class have disabilities that prevent them from functioning the majority of the time in the general ed, "regular," classroom. And since I'm starting from scratch, I still need a LOT of stuff. 

Want to donate financially? Click here. Follow the prompts to give a donation in my AGWM account, which I'll use to purchase the remaining furniture/supplies I will need to equip my classroom with all the awesomeness my students will need to be successful.

What am I dreading?

I wouldn't necessarily say I'm dreading anything per se. But I will say that sometimes sadness and grief and pain can creep their way into your heart and try to camp out there. It's definitely not as frequent as an occurrence lately. But sometimes... Sometimes it's just so very hard. And do you know what the hardest part is at times like this? There's an ache that comes with going home to a quiet, empty home at the end of a long, difficult day. I think that's why I've been on a music kick lately. It cuts through the silence. 

Anywho, back to the non-sad...

What am I working on?

I'm working on my next missions update/prayer letter. It's so hard to cram so many cool stories/ideas into one short newsletter :) Would you like to receive my updates? Send me an email at enichols85@gmail.com or comment on this post and I'll add you to the list.

What am I excited about?

Kids Club starts back today at school. This semester we're going to be learning through many of the parables in the Bible. And the overall theme for the semester is "What's Your Story?" I love that we have this opportunity to pour into the lives of our youngest students, teaching them about God and His Word. What a blessing!

What am I watching?

My students have been on a Kid President kick. Some of their (and my) favorites are...

The True Story of Kid President 

Kid President Meets the President of the United States of America (Obama)

Kid President's Guide to Making a New Friend

For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President

What am I reading?

I'm currently reading Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. I can't wait to see the movie! I'm a sucker for true stories. ...especially of people who kicked society's tail and overcame challenges to become something/someone AWESOME!

What am listening to?

I've been on a big music kick lately. I can't get enough. But I'm looking for some new music now (thanks to an iTunes card from Christmas). Anyone have any good suggestions for something new and good? I have a fairly eclectic taste in music. So I'm open to almost anything that's good and clean :)

What am I wearing?

Clearly not sunscreen... After watching last weekend's softball games, I came away with my skin being a lovely shade of "lobster," or something very close to that :)

What am I doing this weekend?

We have no school tomorrow or Friday. Praise the Lord for a long, 4 day weekend! I am planning to rest a lot, work a little, and hang out with friends some too :)

What am I looking forward to next month?

We have a few events at school coming up. I have the usual fun and awesomeness planned for my super cool fifth graders. And I'm going to start piecing together the curriculum for my Special Ed. class for next year. I figure I'll start spending a few hours each weekend on it to get a head start on it

What else is new?

In honor of February, the "month of love" starting tomorrow, I put up a new bulletin board. This one answered the question, "How do you say I LOVE YOU?"

 

And then each month, there is a special question for the month.

This month's question was all about The Bachelor, which I have absolutely zero interest in, so I'm ignoring this month's special question and instead, leaving you with some of the funnier memes I've seen recently :)