Reflecting

Three weeks... three weeks.  I return to work in three weeks! With the nearing end of every summer, I start to frantically look over the stacks of books I should've read, the organizing I should've done, the to-do list that didn't quite get ta-da'd... but this time, it's a bit different.  Instead of looking at what I didn't do, here is what I DID:
- organized and purged six years worth of teaching files (do you know how bad that was?)
- organized and purged six years worth of teaching "stuff" (that was as bad as it sounds)
- rearranged the master bedroom into an arrangement that I think will work for me since my workspace is in our bedroom
- took the boys swimming
- took the boys to Six Flags
- took the boys on several playdates
- read lots of books, just for fun
- decluttered our entertainment center
- decluttered both boys' bedrooms

I'm sure there is more, but those are the major things. 

I am currently reading a book called Awakened: Changing Your Mindset to Transform Your Teaching by Angela Powell.  This woman is my teacher heroine.  I bought her book The Cornerstone last year and LOVED it.  She is a real, honest teacher, who writes from a been there done that perspective.  This book is about how we think- the negative thoughts that can consume our lives.  From the first page, I felt like this book was written for me.  I'm a person who can let one teensy tiny thing ruin an entire day.  Her book is all about retraining your mind to focus on reality (which usually isn't as bad as what your mind is creating) and not dwelling on the negative.  Did I mention how much I love her?  :-)
I'm also going to reread The Cornerstone in the next few days and hone in on some must do things for back to school.  This year will be the best year yet.  I am returning to Dallas, and now that I've had a year under my belt, I am ready to conquer this new year.  I have some goals that I want to reach, both personal and professional, and I am excited to see that happen.  I am also super excited to get my first ever BIG classroom!  I've never had a BIG classroom.  I can't wait to get up to school and start working in my room (and get the aforementioned six years of teaching stuff and files out of my dining room!)