I’m working on a lot of things right now like my blog, and taking care of my son. I try to enjoy myself as much as possible in my limited free time! Here are some updates on things I have going on with my baby, general life stuff, and my blog!
Baby
I stay busy busy busy with my baby boy who just turned 16 months. He goes full speed all day every day, and he takes a nice nap after lunch. He loves walking in grass and playing in water. He loves his baby gym class and he loves to go to Storytime at the Public Library. I make 5 meals of finger foods a day, so I stay busy in the kitchen. I love to cook but geez it’s a lot. I enjoy finding quick and easy stuff to make like pre-baked tofu, spinach littles, lentil pasta, and peas. It gives me a break!
I’m not a big Halloween person but I am having a lot more fun with it this year. We had so much fun at the pumpkin patch, and my son has been obsessed with pumpkins ever since! It’s funny, he said pumpkin perfectly for a few days after the pumpkin patch, but then started to say “paco” instead! He is the incredible Hulk for Halloween this year. It’s a comfy T-shirt and leggings, so we are ready to have a good time!
*Update* Right when we set out to Trick or Treat around 6:15pm it started to rain. After hanging out on the front porch for 20 minutes, we set off. We went to 7 houses on our street, which I think is a lot! It was so fun to see all of our neighbors and just giggle at my cute baby boy. There’s another toddler 2 houses over, and she was also Trick or Treating for the first time. It was all so precious and I have many happy memories of our first Halloween!
Life
I have had a lot of fun listening to the podcast Teachers Off Duty on YouTube. Another fun vlog I’ve been into is Honest Teacher Vibes on YouTube as well. Honest Teacher Vibes, or Ms. Richardson, was on Teachers Off Duty until the latest season, which I think is season 4. Ms. Richardson is a middle school (6th grade?) ELA teacher. She has a unique perspective because in the last year she left the classroom due to health reasons. She is very open and honest. Shout out to all the teachers on those platforms for putting a spotlight on the teaching profession and the education system. When I listen I feel like I’m back at school hanging out in the breakroom with my teacher colleagues and friends!
We recently moved into our first home and there’s always stuff to do: cook, baby-proof, clean, put up blinds, do laundry, hang artwork, get baby furniture. We got a Nugget sofa and it has been the best! We all love it so much. My son gets out of breath climbing up and down. He’s ecstatic that he can climb onto the couch all by himself. It’s so fun! I’m measuring for new curtains and having fun decorating some shelves in our living room.
One of my recent successes was finding a more affordable version of the curtains and drapery hardware that I really wanted. I started looking at Pottery Barn, then West Elm, then Amazon. It is so crazy how well Google figured it out, because by the time I looked at Amazon, it was exactly what I wanted. Creepy!
Blog
I’m reading a good book called The Million Dollar Blog by Natasha Courtenay-Smith. It’s a library book and I need to return it tomorrow, but I’ll definitely buy my own copy because it’s really good. I’m learning a lot about the blogging world and industry. I find it fascinating! I’m working on making improvements to my blog such as adding Alternative Text to images and doing more Keyword Research. I figure that way, Teachers who are looking for resources like classroom supports and science lesson ideas can find my stuff better.
Sometimes if I think about it too much, I’m like, Why am I writing this blog? Is anyone reading it? But if I can help 1 new or struggling teacher out there, now or in the future, then it is all worth it! It’s also great for me as a creative outlet. It keeps me sharp while I’m on maternity leave with my son. I always think about how amazing it will be when I have an entire year’s worth of lesson ideas for High School Biology. It’s the level of organization and thoughtfulness I only dreamed of when I was teaching full-time. I am creating a legacy. I am proud of that!
One of my most read blog posts is Vocabulary Logs. So I recently wrote another blog post about Vocabulary and my favorite terms to teach in high school biology. It is also being viewed a lot which is great! You can check out these blog posts and more below. I’m working on putting more resources into my Google Drive and sharing access to that. I think that will be a great resource for Teachers and could help a lot!
Happy Halloween, everyone! What are you goals for November? I’m going to finish the book I’m reading and pick out some fun movies to lineup and watch with my husband on the weekends. What teacher tips and resources do you want to know more about? Let me know by leaving a comment! I would love to hear from you!
How She Teaches 
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