Five for Friday-Sunday Edition!

Thanks to Doodle Bugs Teaching for another Five for Friday. I had this post ready for Friday night/early Saturday morning and I never published it! Oops.  Here is what I was up to this past week!  

1. We had a great time during the Fourth of July weekend!  We found a new Metro Park to go hiking.  We managed to hike 9 miles!  You can say we were a little exhausted by the end of the adventure!  The next day, we went for two bike rides totally about 30 miles.  By Monday, the 4^th my entire body was done!  But, we had a great time outdoors. 

2. So, I recently joined a group of educators who are collaborating and learning together this summer.  This #CyberPD has been going on for a while, but this is my first year joining in for a book study on DIY Literacy.  So far, I am enjoying the book.  Take a look HERE to see my first post about it!

3. Chicago!  For the past few summers, I have gone to Chicago to see a friend and her family.  This trip, we planned a little outing downtown to go shopping!  We went to BHLDN to look at bridesmaid dresses, shoes, and jewelry.  Their store is amazing.  If you ever have the chance to go there, it is worth the trip! We also went to look at dresses at JCrew and managed to make a stop down at Nordstrom’s for a little lunch and more shopping. I also had a little surprise when I found out that my Aunt and cousin would be in town.  We ended up getting together for a bit to take him to Nike Town and grab some dinner! This is a picture of me with my little cousin. 

4. One of my favorite things to do while I am in Chicago is to run from my friend’s house down to the lake and then along the lakeshore.  It is always so pretty and there is so much energy in the city and along the lakeshore! 

5. Last, this week I took the plunge.  I had been reading so much about Angela Watson’s 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Club.  I was on the fence about joining, in hopes to bring a little more balance into my home/school life.  I then watched a podcast about the “Big Five” Principles for Productivity at Home and School.  While watching this, I realized that there were so many things I was already doing and I am already very productive.  However, I also realized that there are many ways in which I can focus my time in a way that I am accomplishing more in a smaller amount of time, therefore allowing myself that time each night to relax and not devote all night, every night to school work.  I also know that I like the accountability.  While I am motivated, I also like to feel that I am accountable and this usually helps keep me on track with things.  So, I did it!  I signed up this past weekend and I am looking forward to being part of this group and seeing what it brings! (Photo from http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/40hour) Click on the picture to learn more about this!