2014 Travel Planner

I went shopping today to get things for my 2014 planner since 2014 is right around the corner.  I'll be using more than one planner; right now I'll be using 4 Planners: At Home, Travel, School, Diet.  I'll also be using 7 Journals: Quiet Time, Daily, Blessings, Diet & Exercise, Health, Prayer, and Art plus a Smash Book (my personal offline version of Pintrest).  I'll Blog about all of these at some point and post things from time to time.  I'm thinking about getting another Journal for my personal journey through my coping with Endometriosis beginning in January 2014 with my surgery. Here's a look at my Travel Planner I made out of River Song's Journal that Travis gave me for Christmas (he says I'm a Geek, at least he isn't calling me a Nerd lol)

Here are some general pictures of my main travel journal for the basics to get me where I need to go.

 




I will be color coding things, I'll put up a final list later, so I bought some pens and pencils and such.  I did see a set of pens made in Germany that are $25 I want to save up for.  Below are pictures of some of my goodies.  I'm still working on storage so a lot o them will be in the target bag for awhile.

 Pens, Pencils, Writing Instruments

The Hello Kitty pens are sparkly & write really well; they were only .50  at Target

I like these because there is glue on one end

 

 Other items to use with my Travel Planner specifically 

These are sticky notes in match book covers.

These are for use in all my planners as well as in my journals

Travis gave me these for Christmas!!!!! He knows me too well!

These go from 1-6.

     

These also have a sheet of pink and purple in the pack

 

These have a sheet of blue and green in the pack also

  

I bought two of these, one specifically for my Travel Planner

I had these, most are from when I taught 4K & had to make my own center games 

Mini Envelopes, blue & green, from our wedding reception

I had these mini stickers in a box with all my sticky notes

 Of course there is storage/organization

I love yellow, and bought this in the spring at Hobby Lobby; just because I liked it

I also have a blue basket that I am still organizing items into.

I also piked up some accessories

I love using wooden pencils and colored penils so I picked up a good sharpener to keep at home

I love the happy colors.  Also, I decided to buy hair bands instead of spending almost $4 for 3 book bands

                            

And of course, what's a new year without new school toys?

I got the small notebook out of the $ bin at Target and I picked up some new Dry Erase markers since mine are drying out

 Here is a look at some of my Journals and finished Travel Planner

This is my Blessing Journal; Every day I write down 3 good things that have happened.

My Smash book I bought the beginning of last school year to put things in I want to keep but wouldn't put in a scrap book. Things I want to reference later.

My Travel Planner with the pens I keep in my purse.

 Here's a look at my Yellow basket with some of my items, all ready for use!

Right now I'm keeping my stickies in a 31 mini zipper pouch, but I'm going to be moving to something bigger soon.

School Journal/Planner

This is what I have now; what I was using through the semester that ended yesterday.  It's just a small leather bound three-ring binder I bought two years ago to take on job interviews with teaching samples.  I have month dividers with calendars I printed from publisher at home where I record whose class(es) I was in each day.  I'm actually going to be using a thicker binder next semester.  I have a teal, I think it's 2", from when I was teachings in 2005-2006.  It has a clear front and back covers that a decorative sheet can be slipped into.  Other than the monthly dividers I'm already using and page inserts with school rule information I haven't really decided what I'm going to do, but I don't want it boring on the inside; I don't want it wild and wacky either.  I'm wanting dignified, lady-like, and calm, it is a (substitute) teacher's planner and hopefully I'll have a classroom in August and continue using it as a teacher.  Any suggestions would be helpful because this is going to be a work in progress probably until I retire (or get too busy to bother with it anymore).

 

2014...Ready or Not

Time to get ready for January and all it's stresses.  I'm not being pessimistic, we were promised that January would be a disaster scheduling wise.  To help me handle the extra stress without having a total melt down the second day of school I am revamping the planner I use for School.  I'm in the process of designing pages to add to what I already have; boy have I been having fun playing with excel (which is fun considering I don't feel like getting out of bed).  Needless to say they're colorful and fun!  I've set a definite bedtime of 8 pm beginning in January, so I've fixed my pages so I can't do anything after 8 pm.  

    Also to help with the stress I found a thing last year, I think it was on FaceBook, that was 50 Ways to Take a Break, so I'm going to pick one a day starting January 6 (if not sooner) and then journal about that day's Break.  It'll be interesting to see how many different ways I can do one suggestion.  At least with this the only problem I'll have is deciding which to do.

Best Day Ever......

 I went to Spartanburg this morning, picked up some makeup so I'd look half-way decent over the holidays.  I also picked up a bottle of OPI's Nail Envy, my Aunt Becky uses it and she had my cousin use it before my wedding this past summer.  I had no idea there were so many different types. I decided to try the kind for sensitive and Peeling Nails so that will be its own little blog later 
 I also stopped by Barnes & Noble for a Peppermint Hot Chocolate and saw a book I couldn't resist Who's (oops)Whose Grammar Book Is This Anyway? I felt like I was in jr. high school diagramming sentences, something today's kids should have to do.  Proof I'm a teacher.
  I finally got the mud room and my closet straightened up, and my gluten free food a safe distance away from Travis' which is full of gluten.  The Living room and Bedroom are disasters (we aren't even going to bring up the craft room); So Friday my project is the bedroom.  Saturday I have to bake, but I still haven't decided on a dessert for Sunday.  I've narrowed it down to a few things 
 I also purchased a new lunch bag this morning.  I ordered it in  turquoise. It sould be big enough and easier to carry.

With all the excitement I didn't get to OWH's midweek thrown down, maybe tomorrow after school (it's a half day). The card is Kids Love and I have just the stamp to use. I'll post a photo by Friday morning.

More Trouble at school...

I had a salad at school today for lunch, which is normally what I've been eating at lunch, but yesterday I finished up my salad dressing so I got dressing from the cafeteria.  Not good.  My stomach has been bothering me since 4th block and I've had a headache since 2:45 that is just getting worse.  Once day I will get this gluten and dairy thing figured out and will have food stored in the freezer that  I can just heat up if I don't feel like cooking.  I like Gluten-Free Living, EatingWell, and (my favorite) Tea Time Magazine because they are either all gluten-free or have yummy gluten-free recipes.  Hopefully this will all be out of my system so I can enjoy the Army-Navy game Saturday, I'm thinking about making a gluten-free pizza Yummy.

GO NAVY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hearts and Happiness

Operation Write Home's Mid Week Throw Down-Valentine's Day/Love Card

Disappointments

Well, I thought I'd stick around and see what happens with Soldier's Angels.  It's supposed to get better and from what I've heard and seen since November 1 it isn't.  I won't go into details, heaven help that gets out. But I will give my opinion, Heaven help that I think on my own and actually can make decisions and form opinions myself.

For starters, if your all volunteer group is having to spend their own money each month to send letters, cards, and care packages to military and their families why would you tell them they have to pay more to continue spending their own money and then give away prizes to some when they do pay the donation (fee if you're in reality).  This whole fee thing is really a side issue for me. My main issue with Soldier's Angels is that of the past 6 and a half years I have been volunteering with them (and loving it, the writing and sending packages to the soldiers) I've had communication issues 4 of those years.  I have had so many problems getting in touch with people about concerns or questions I've had.  It's been one big scavenger hunt.  I haven't even known if my area have a community Network person since 2008.

Now we are told there are over 2400 soldiers needing to be adopted, some of those have more than one verified angel plus the angel they had before November 1 and that leaves how many troops without even one Angel for support.  Over the past 6+ years I have watched Soldier's Angels grow beyond the scope of what I believe it's able to take care of.  Was this the reason we have to pay at least $1 a month to actually be able to do what we like? I do not know, there has been A LOT of secrecy and we tiny little angels who don't know haven't been able to voice our opinions without the Angels in power, from my personal experience it was the founder, blasting us for not supporting the troops and if posted on Facebook they were deleted.  It appears we are allowed to have an opinion as long as it is flattering to Soldier's Angels.

I hope with all my heart that this monthly payment either goes away completely or that it becomes optional.  If it doesn't my heart probably will break because I don't know of a legitimate reason to pay to volunteer with  group you spend hundreds of dollars of your own money a year to help lonely strangers halfway around the world.  This breaks my heart, even now that I've been sponsored for a year because the Chaplain Support Team, Letter Writer Team, and the TLC team seem to be the only things functioning at the moment.

Beginning in 2014 I will be making cards for Operation Write Home, sorry but this Christmas all the adults stateside will be getting store bought cards.  They do ask for donations but that is because it takes money to send the cards over to the troops.  I will be using my last year with Soldiers Angels to find a new group to volunteer with-barring of course a miracle happening for me to stay with them and I don't see that happening.  I know God can do anything, but I don't see the current heads of the group or the founder changing the way they are doing things, in secret.

As I said, this is my opinion and so be it if I get kicked out of SA now for having it.