Randomness on a Monday

Today, I'm back and I'm participating in the #PSLoveMe Challenge. And while, typically, one would take a photo a day and share that on social media, I like to do things a bit differently. So I'm changing it up a bit and I'm sharing one or two (or maybe sometimes more than that) of the prompts at a time on here.

And today I'm sharing Prompts 20 - 23.

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Prompt 20 - Share something you love to wear.

I basically live in flip flops year around. That's one of the perks of living in a place with a super hot climate all year long :)

Prompt 21 - Share something you are proud of.

How about 4 "somethings" instead? :)

Prompt 22 - What makes you unique? 

Hmm... That's a tough one.

I attended 14 different schools from Kindergarten 'til graduating with my Master's degree. Well, I guess it'd be 15 now, considering I'm using a different one to take this class I'm taking at the moment. That's pretty unique, I'd think.

Prompt 23 - What is your best feature?

I know this isn't the traditional type of answer. I know most people will probably be sharing which body part is their best feature. But I'm going a different route. Instead, I'm saying that my best feature is my teaching ability. I may not be confident in a lot. My self-confidence is an area, in which I'm seriously lacking. But as the years have progressed, I have become quite confident in my abilities as a teacher. Now here's hoping I'm not jinxing myself by saying that. haha :)

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Want to play along?

Check out the Prompts below.

Currently

Happy Saturday Y'all

Today I'm joining Anne and Carrie, and sharing what I'm currently up to.

Want to know what I'm up to?

Keep reading :)

I'm currently celebrating how well this week's events went with my class. On Monday, we had a field trip where we went out for lunch and went to a local grocery store to buy supplies for our Pancake Picnic with the preK class at our school. Then on Tuesday, we had our Pancake Picnic. You can read all about this fun event HERE. My kids loved it! And I loved how much they loved it :)

I'm currently creating a big end of year project for my students. One that will span a few different subject areas... Instead of a final exam, my crew will need to complete this big project. And I must say, creating/prepping/planning for it, is proving to be a little more difficult than I thought it would be. Who knew?!

I'm currently wearing my hair down a bit more thanks to a recent haircut. It had been too hot to style it any way other than a plain ol' ponytail. And I'd finally had enough. So since I'm a zillion miles and an ocean away from my hair stylist, I made a decision. I, a totally untrained hair cutter, attacked carefully cut my hair. And honestly... I think I did a pretty good job. You can see a before/after comparison below. Anywho - Score one for me for saving money AND actually not messing up my hair. And this is where having a head full of curly hair works to my advantage. It's a bit more forgiving when doing a cut like this :)

I'm currently sharing quite a bit about myself lately, thanks to the #PSLoveMe challenge that I've incorporated into my blog posting the last few weeks. I've really enjoyed this photo/writing challenge. It's pushed me outside my "box," so to speak. 

I'm currently going back to school. Yep, I've probably totally lost my mind. But it's true. I needed to take one class to renew my AL teaching certificate. But then a miracle happened and I received a GINORMOUS blessing of financial assistance to take a few more classes. And before I knew it, I realized I'd have enough to finish the whole degree in Teaching Exceptional Children. So woohoo! :)

And because it's my blog, and I can, I'm sharing a bit more...

Here are a few pictures of my current favorite students :)

So, what are YOU currently up to?

Something I Feel Strongly About

Who's happy it's Friday?

We don't have school today, so I'm totally the panda in the picture below :)

Long weekends are my favorite. Who's with me? :)

Today, I'm participating in the #PSLoveMe Challenge and sharing all about a favorite topic of mine. It's the #pslove me Prompt #19, which tells us to share something we feel strongly about.

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I'm a passionate person. 

If I believe in something, I do so with 100% of my being.

So there are a LOT of things I feel strongly about.

But at this point, number 1 involves a part of my teaching responsibilities.

Back in November 2016, I wrote a post, sharing a dream God had placed on my heart. 

A dream of a class for students with literally no other schooling option in our location...

A few months before that post, God had laid a verse on my heart.

Proverbs 31:8 tells us to "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves."

When training to be a Special Education Teacher, you're told over and over again to be an advocate for your students. You have to speak up for the kids in your care. You have to advocate for them to have access to the education they deserve. 

So when I saw a group of students who'd no longer have that access at my school since we didn't have anyone to teach them past elementary school, I felt God leading me to be that person. I felt God telling me to live out Proverbs 31:8.

I'd love to say it was an easy process.

I'd love to say that I've had 100% support.

I'd love to say that my class will be around for many years to come

But while I can't say any of those things, I can say this...

I will continue to advocate for my students.

For the ones I have now...

For the ones I'll have in the future...

For the ones I don't even know about right now...

Because it doesn't matter if I'm still here in Senegal or if I am back in the States, I am a teacher. I am an advocate for my students. I am the voice for the voiceless.

So what do I feel strongly about?

I feel strongly about living out Proverbs 31:8.

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Want to play along?

Check out the Prompts below.

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Today, I'm also joining Erika, Andrea, and Narci and for their weekly Friday Favorites linkup. Click one of their links to join the fun.

Feeding my Soul and Brain

Happy Thursday Y'all!

There's no school tomorrow. 
So today is basically my Friday, so to speak.

So the minion below is totally me :)

After taking a short break from it, I'm back, once again, participating in the #PSLoveMe Challenge. This has been a fun photo/writing challenge so far.

Today, I'm sharing Prompt 17 and 18.

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Prompt 17 - Share something that feeds your SOUL.

Honestly... This is the main thing.

The Word of God is full of the nourishment we need for our soul. God inspired every single word in this book. And even though it was written all those years ago, it's still so incredibly relevant and applicable to our lives today. When I need guidance or comfort or peace or help with anything... I go to God and His Word. 

And yes, days off, time with family and friends, and times of relaxation are all nice and help rejuvenate me and feed my soul a bit too... But It's God and His Word that truly feed/fill my soul. And for that, I'm eternally grateful.
Prompt 18 - Share something that feeds your BRAIN.




I consider myself to be a lifelong learner. I love reading and researching. I love exploring how things work. I love being a student! So while I wasn't thrilled about having to tap into my savings to pay for it, I'm still grateful for the opportunity to take this class I need to update my teaching certificate. My books arrived yesterday  (courtesy of one of my co-workers for sacrificing valuable luggage space to bring them back for me - what a blessing!). And I started reading them yesterday after work, in preparation for my first assignment due this weekend.

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Want to play along?

Check out the Prompts below.

Growing in Gratitude

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

Today I'm spending a bit of time in gratitude for a few things in my life at the moment. I'm a little late for the Growing in Gratitude link-up. But hey... After all, is it ever actually too late to be grateful. Nah... :)

I'm thankful for my students. I know I say it a lot, but it's true. So it's worth repeating a lot :) I am so incredibly blessed by this group of kids who call me their teacher. I don't take lightly the blessing of being their teacher. And when earlier in the week, I shared this What We Do Right assignment, it was confirmed... I am definitely thankful for this group of kids who have stolen my heart.

I'm thankful for The Spot, a local restaurant here in my neighborhood. My crew went on a mini field trip the other day to our local grocery store. Then on our way back, we stopped here for lunch (followed by ice cream). We may be small in number, but we make up for that with the volume of our voices and the level of our hyperactivity. But the workers were so kind and patient with us. The waitress seemed so incredibly patient, even though it took us a long time to order our meals. And even when we were super hyper while playing in the little play area, it didn't seem to faze them. Seriously... It was a great experience. One for which I'm quite thankful :)

I'm thankful for pancakes. At the beginning of this school year, I told my kids that we would be "adopting" a class and providing some encouragement and gifts for them throughout the year. Whether that be at holidays or just "for fun," it didn't matter. The point was to look at it as a service project of sorts for them to do. Community service, if you will... Anywho - The other day we had a Pancake Picnic and invited our preschool class for one final act of servitude. It was such a fun time. And I was so proud of my crew for their hard work and generous attitudes/spirits. And if you missed my post about it this morning, you can read it HERE.

I'm not thankful for just any ol' thing. I'm thankful for the most important "thing." I'm thankful for my Bible. I'm thankful for the gift that is this book. I'm thankful for the truth it contains. I'm thankful for the notes I've taken over the years, reminders of lessons God's taught me and blessings He's given me. I'm thankful for the freedom to own and read this precious book. ...especially since I know not everyone in the world has that freedom. So yes, I'm definitely 100% thankful for my Bible.

I'm thankful for God working everything out for me to take the class I needed to renew my teaching certificate. I really didn't think it was going to happen. But even through my stubborn, lack of faith, God totally showed up and worked out every detail to make it happen. And not just that... He went even further than I could have imagined in this situation. I'm so excited for this class to start today. And I'm just so incredibly, over the top, thankful for God's awesome timing!

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Today I'm joining Julie and Trista for their monthly Growing in Gratitude link-up, helping us to focus more on having an attitude of gratitude.

A Pancake Picnic

Happy Wednesday Y'all

Today on the blog, I'm sharing about a fun activity we did in my class.

We sent this invitation to the preK class at our school.

In preparation for this Pancake Picnic, we researched recipes and then did computations to decide how much we'd need for our sized group, making ourselves shopping lists to use when we walked down the street to the grocery store.

And we even celebrated a successful shopping trip with lunch out :)

The following morning we decorated our classroom before our guests arrived.

Then we got right to work mixing pancake batter.

We made a bunch of pancakes.

Don't they look good? :)

And we mixed up a big batch of chocolate milk.

And before we knew it, it was time for our special guests to arrive.

We served them pancakes and syrup, along with either juice or chocolate milk. And while they ate, one of my guys read If You Feed a Pig a Pancake to them.



And then we passed out a special gift to our guests, which we bought once we realized our pancake ingredients wouldn't cost as much as we thought they would.

And our guests wrote us the sweetest little thank you note...

It was such a fun day. 

April 2018 in Photos

Happy Tuesday Y'all

Can you believe it's already the 1st of May?! 

Time is flying by!

Anywho - On with today's post...

At the beginning of each month, I'll share the previous month's photos. I'm sharing, if for no other reason, than to help me remember some of the memories and thoughts that went along with each of my 365 photos from the month at hand...

So here are April's photos.

Days 91 - 95

91) Day 91 was Easter and started with a sunrise service on campus.
92) Day 92 was Autism Awareness Day so I wore lots of blue.
93) Day 93 started off with a bowl (or rather, a cup) of cereal.
94) Day 94 ended with laundry.
95) Day 95 was spent working in my classroom and tackling the clutter.

Days 96 - 99

96) Day 96 started off with a whole bunch of socks.
97) Day 97 included making a bunch of PB&J's to put in the freezer.
98) Day 98 included me leading a workshop on Differentiation.
99) Day 99 included a tasty dinner with friends.

Days 100 - 102

100) Day 100 included a bit of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.
101) On Day 101, we learned about the Holy Spirit in Kids Club.
102) Day 102 included a picture of these two friends :)

Days 103 - 105

103) Day 103 ended with someone proud of a grade on their Spelling test.
104) Day 104 started off with cookie dough sellers at my door.
105) Day 105 included prep work for the week ahead.

Days 106 - 108

106) On Day 106, I got to hang out with this cute pup.
107) On Day 107, I had my first ever visitors to Dakar!
108) Day 108 ended with apples and peanut butter.

Days 109 - 112

109) Day 109 ended with a smoothie and a chat with a friend.
110) On Day 110, I relaxed the day away and I ate lunch with an audience :)
111) On Day 111, I bought a few Dr. Peppers :)
112) Day 112 started with an awesome time in church.

Days 113 - 116

113) On Day 113, Mr. Potato Head helped us with our Writing lesson.
114) Day 114 included a Kids Club lesson on the body of Christ.
115) Day 115 ended with a pot of homemade chicken, noodle, and veggie soup.
116) Day 116 ended with a bit of prep for Elementary Camp Day where I'd be teaching about sharing our faith.

Days 117 - 119

117) Day 117 was Elementary Camp, so when I got home at 9:30 p.m., I had cereal for dinner :)
118) Day 118 ended with prep for a fun activity I'll be doing with my class later in the week.
119) Day 119 included a quick store run for some milk.

Day 120

120) Day 120 was Field Trip Day with my crew!

And that was my April.

And in case you missed them, here are the links to the previous months' photos.

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH