No Excuses November

You know those goals you set for yourself in January.. and you might or might not follow through with (mine is more of the latter)

The beginning of this year I took the attitude this year is hard.. and have been easily frustrated and more anxious (those that see me.. might not realize that because I feel like I put on a pretty good front)

One of the things that have been weighing heavy on my heart is the choice to not to continue to pursue any type of fertility treatment.. and do "mothering" things in other ways.  This is a decision that I made this summer... BUT.. Guys.. I started a Daisy troop and I can't tell you how HAPPY this makes my heart!

So, I had chosen my attitude that I wanted others to see.. but I hadn't done a very good job of choosing my "internal" attitude. I forgot one of my goals is to be a Champion for myself.

SO.. Bring on No Excuses November!

I will be a Champion for myself by:

-Choosing my internal attitude.  I am lucky where I am, thankful for the support system that I have, and so very grateful for those that I surround myself with.

-Being more accountable for my own health.  I have the Skinny Minnies.. I purchased the Lose It App.. and I have a wardrobe waiting for me!

-Stepping out of my comfort zone and really working my Jamberry business. Jamberry has already offered me the opportunity to meet so many new people, learn new things, and adds money to my bank account (which don't we all need!)

-Continuing to do things that make me happy.. and do the best I can at everything else :) (more photography/more crafting/more blogging/more movie watching/more enjoying the things I LOVE to do- Have I mentioned how awesome my Daisy Troop is?)

Here's to another great year with BIG plans.. and even BIGGER dreams!

Have you had to choose a different attitude? 

Staying Connected

My favorite picture from my last trip

I recently traveled home to visit my parents. The five-hour drive from the Dallas/Fort Worth area to Canyon, Texas (in the Panhandle), is one of my favorites. It is a time for me to reflect and catch up on my thoughts, as I am forced to disconnect from social media. The 355-mile drive takes me through the many small towns that are sprinkled along 287. 

This time, I found myself thinking about the special bond that educators share, and how much I appreciate my colleagues at ATPE. Please check out my post on the ATPE blog!

Irving ATPE's Back to School Mixer in September.

By the way, this blog post was sponsored by ATPE, but the words and opinions are 100% mine!

Staying Organized with Calendars

I recently had a chance to write an article for a magazine (and I am forever thankful for great editors!) You can check out the article here with the ATPE News Online Magazine.

Number 4 on the list was staying organized and keeping up with important dates.  After getting a few emails I made this quick video (now.. don't judge too much as the video quality is not the greatest..but I will share all my links!)  Now, I want to preface this whole blog post.. I am a technology addict! I have almost every app on my phone for listing and calendars.. and I still go back to actual pen and paper.

For the past 2 years I have been using the Uncalendar.  I am a HUGE lister so I loved all the space that the Uncalendar gave me.  The price was fantastic as well.  There are 2 different sizes. I bought the small size the second year, but ended up buying the full size as well (have I mentioned that I love making lists?)  But, if I am going to be organized, I am going to have space to make different notes on the items that I need to do.  Check it out here
Reasons I loved the Uncalendar:
-Price
-Size
-Had monthly calendars along with weekly calendars and lots of pages for notes and other important information.

This year I jumped on the Erin Condren bandwagon.  This is a great company and has lots of different things you can add to your calendar.  I chose to get the lesson planner (but it was really because I couldn't wait for the Life Planner to come out.. apparently patience is not one of my virtues)  In hindsight.. with my position the lesson planner was probably not the best option.  You can check out Erin Condren here.
Reasons I loved the Erin Condren:
-I do like the size
-It does have space for listing.. and I think that if I had waited for the Life planner it would have been a much better fit for me
-It does have monthly calendars along with the weekly calendars.

Those are the 2 main ones that I have used.. and then a sponsored post for the Happy Planner came up in my Facebook feed.  Guess what.. you don't have to order it online! You can of course.. but it was so nice to actually pick it up and feel it before spending the money (little secret.. I love organizing)  You can get this at Michaels and Hobby Lobby.  I knew that the planner I had was not the best fit for me.. so I decided to go ahead and grab this one.

I have had my Happy Planner for a week.. and I LOVE IT!
Reasons I love it:
-The size is great and I bought the expanders so it fits even more items
-It is easy to organize- I bought the extra folders, notepads and stickers
-I think that it goes back to my #makingofamaker where it offers me a chance to be creative when I am listing
-The price is fantastic! I ended getting mine at Michaels and had a great coupon.

Do you have a favorite planner?  How do you stay organized?