I'm back! My last post was over a month ago, and I'm honestly surprised that I was even able to make that one. It has been an absolute whirlwind of a summer! I think I spent more time out of my home than in it. I'll run through a quick recap because I don't post … Continue reading Do What you Love
I live my life in such a way that I do not have very many regrets. And I am thankful for that. But I know not everyone feels that way. I make decisions that I stick to, and I live with the consequences. I want to provide a thought process for how I'm able to … Continue reading Sticking To It
If you're here from social media, then you already know the news. I have officially resigned from my current teaching position for a new job outside of the district I was in. I have worked as a teacher within Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) for the last five years. It was my first job out of … Continue reading End of a Chapter
I've been talking a lot about being in the tunnel and in the midst of the rougher patches of my life. But today, I want to talk about something different. I honestly don't remember most of November through February. I can tell you about isolated moments here and there, but I can't remember the transitional … Continue reading The Light at the End of the Tunnel
As I'm trying to change my situation and work to get onto something better, there's a lot of waiting involved. Waiting is HARD. There's so much unknown as you wait for things happen. For me personally, I think waiting can produce one of two things. It can produce a bitter person who has grown so … Continue reading In the Waiting
I'm the type of person who wants things fixed quickly. If I'm going through an unpleasant situation, I tend to just want to be out of that situation as soon as possible. I set goals for myself and have ideas of where I want to be. But I don't want to take the journey to … Continue reading Quick Fixes
First of all, I just want to say again a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart. This past weekend was the first event for my business, and I am so wonderfully overwhelmed by the amount of support we received through this whole process and during the event itself. It definitely made us … Continue reading Set Up Parameters
I think it's so important to show up for yourself. And I don't necessarily mean things like "dress for the job you want, not the job you have" or "remember your why" (a common one in teaching that I just can't get behind). I mean showing up for yourself, even when it's hard. I have … Continue reading Show Up for Yourself
What do you do when you see a construction sign, like road work ahead or a detour? Hopefully, if you're a good driver, your response is to slow down and be cautious about what lies ahead. Sometimes I wish that we as people could wear construction signs about ourselves. I would love to let people … Continue reading Under Construction
I think it's obvious that I'm not the same writer I used to be. This school year has been so rough on me for so many reasons. I'm trying to come to terms with this change. My brain is rewired from all of the things I've gone through. One of the things that I'm trying … Continue reading Focus
Change is scary. Trying new things is scary. But those scary moments help us grow and they help us become better. In educational psychology, there's an idea called the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). ZPD is the ideal moment between work that is too easy and work that is too challenging. If the work is … Continue reading Do What Scares You
Peace is important. I believe that many people spend their lives chasing peace. You want to find things that bring you peace, fulfillment, or joy. My life has already been in upheaval for 2025. I want to keep things under wraps for the moment. Maybe at some point I'll talk about it and tell you … Continue reading Peace
Welcome to 2025! It's a brand new year. I don't know about you, but I needed a fresh start in more ways than one. I hope that this year provides opportunities to follow that plan. Like with any first post of the year, I want to talk about some of my goals. I do this … Continue reading Start Into 2025
As we near the end of 2024, I'm looking ahead to 2025 and my goals. One of my goals for 2024 was to read 30 books I had never read before, specifically ones that I had already owned or bought. I have done this! I am at 31 books at the start of December with … Continue reading My 2025 Reading Challenge
I have made a decision for myself. After some events that happened last month, I've decided to lean in to myself, who I am, who I want to be, and what I like. The first realization that has come from this is that I am and want to be soft. I like dresses and flowers. … Continue reading Soft But Powerful
I apologize for not writing recently. My life has been upended, and there's a lot that I'm figuring out. I want to get back to a more consistent place where I can post each week. However, this does not mean that I have been idle. I've had so many thoughts in my head that I … Continue reading Intention
I apologize for not writing the past couple of weeks. It has been an incredibly stressful time for me lately. I have a new work schedule, and my life feels like it's in chaos right now. However, I'm not going to run from it. While I may not say everything on this blog, I do … Continue reading What’s On Your Stove?
Some days are hard. Some weeks are hard. Some months are hard. And some years are hard. Parts of life are hard. That's something we all experience in this life. But more that matters is how we handle those hard times. I have officially started my fifth year of teaching. It's crazy to be in … Continue reading Rise Again
I had a bit of a realization this week. Every goal you want to accomplish requires conscious effort. Now I know that sounds like an obvious statement, but I want to take today's post to explain more about this in the hopes that maybe you can have that realization too. I am a very goal-oriented … Continue reading Conscious Effort
I think it's interesting how, even as a professional, I still find myself in training. Training is not a bad thing. It helps me to become better in different aspects of my life. I start training tomorrow for my next school year. I have two days of district training and two days of school training … Continue reading Training
I was reminded this past weekend of just how many people I have around me. Many of these are people who want me to succeed and do well. I am so thankful that I have them to support and encourage me. My brain likes to tell me that I have to do it all by … Continue reading Support System
As a teacher, I will always advocate for learning new things. I believe that you are never too old to learn something new. I have people that are older than me in my taekwondo classes. I love watching new adults come in to try it out. I love it even more when they stick with … Continue reading Learn New Things
I am thankful to live in America. We have a lot of freedoms that are outlined in the Constitution and the Amendments. Today, I want to talk about some of those freedoms and what I believe one of them ACTUALLY means. The first Amendment to the Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an … Continue reading Free Speech
We live in a world that is getting more expensive by the day. It can feel like everyone wants a piece of money, and that there is not enough to go around. I know I can definitely understand that, so today I want to provide a list of ideas of free and/or cheap activities that … Continue reading Free and Cheap Activities
My partner and I got into a really good conversation recently, and I think this is something that other people might want to hear as well. We do a lot of things together, but we also do a lot of things separately. We're in different careers fields and we have some different hobbies. We don't … Continue reading Level Up a Relationship
My school year is officially done! My students are off to enjoy their summer, and I plan to do the same. However, like always, even though I'm not in the classroom every day, I'm still pretty busy all summer long. I am doing a number of professional developments this year, including one this first week. … Continue reading My Summer Plans
It's my last week of the school year! As I write this, my students only have two more days left. Grades are turned in, and we are closing out the year. It's been an interesting year, full of both good things and bad. This was my largest group of students I've ever had. That came … Continue reading Year Four in Review
I love reading! I always have. I read a lot when I was younger, and I am falling back in love with it as an adult. I plan to read at least 30 books this year. Unfortunately, not every book that I have read is good. Some books sound good on the synopsis, but then … Continue reading Bad Books
It's Teacher Appreciation Week! It's the time of year where you buy little trinkets for your students teachers that they don't really need! I'm just kidding. As a teacher myself, I love receiving gifts from students or admin to show that they care. But more than the gift itself, it's the thought that counts. I … Continue reading Appreciating Teachers
I love gardening. Spring is beautiful with all of its new plants. I want to help create that kind of life in my corner of the world too. There's just one problem. I'm not great at growing plants. I don't have much of a green thumb. I've killed a lot of plants. But I want … Continue reading Growing a Green Thumb
Spring is here! Flowers are starting to grow and bud; animals are having babies. Life is being breathed back into the world. I've planted my garden, and I have sprouts already popping up! I've seen a bird making a nest in a spot in my house. Spring is a time of refresh and rebirth. And … Continue reading Spring Rebirth
I feel like I've been in a funk lately. I got out of my routine and am struggling. Plus, we're getting to the end of the school year. I'm ready to be done, and my students are ready to be done. It's difficult to get through the days. The weather is getting warmer, I don't … Continue reading My Real-Life Skill Tree
Yesterday was the total solar eclipse here in the United States. Where I live, there won't be another one in pretty much anyone's lifetime. I would have to travel to see one again. If you aren't familiar, there are two types of eclipses: solar and lunar. There are a couple of differences between them. Both … Continue reading Solar Eclipse
So often, I feel like I am living life at full speed. I have goals, progress, and changes I am working towards. I am in the last stretch of my current school year, and I am eagerly looking towards summer and all the things I will be able to do with more time. I also … Continue reading One Day at a Time
I feel this year has been off to a different start in a good way. I feel more motivated to complete goals and try to make improvements in my life. Even though we are only three months into the year, I feel I can already see the changes that are occurring. Because I am so … Continue reading Mindful Decisions
This is a term I've come up with for myself, and it's something I'm starting to really love. As I was researching in making sure this wasn't anything else to avoid confusion, I came across the 75 Hard and the 75 Soft. Those refer to following certain health plans for 75 days to help your … Continue reading Soft Days
Growth, progress, and change are all topics I talk about often on here. Today, I want to approach this topic in a different manner. Not only do we have to be willing to grow, we also have to allow room for growth. Plants can't grow if there's no room. In the same way, you can't … Continue reading Allow Room for Growth
Many people, especially in this day and age, have more and more hindrances on what they can, can't, or won't eat. And I'm not here to judge other people's eating habits, but I want to discuss the idea of eating healthy. Food is our fuel. It's what keeps us going and makes sure we have … Continue reading Eating Healthy
Here in the United States, yesterday was Presidents' Day. We honor a few American presidents because their birthdays were in February. Over time, it has expanded to a day off for certain groups of people and big sales from stores. I want to give a history of the holiday, and why we celebrate a day … Continue reading The History of Presidents’ Day
I don't talk a lot about my relationship on here. That is an aspect of my life I try to keep private. But in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I want to talk about something that my partner and I both do in the hopes that it will encourage and inspire you in your relationships, … Continue reading A Partner’s Support
Here in America, it is the week of the Super Bowl. This is the culmination of the professional football season. I want to provide a history lesson of how we got to this point ahead of the game itself. As I've talked about before, games and sports have an incredibly long history. People have been … Continue reading History of the Super Bowl
I think, sometimes, a lot of people mix up or interchange the words time and effort. While these two are related, they're not always the same thing. I hear people tell me I do a lot, and I definitely do. But some of the things that I do don't take a lot of time or … Continue reading Time and Effort
The new year is in full swing. I'm working on the goals I've implemented for myself this year. I'm creating and improving routines so that I can make this year better for myself overall. However, I am changing my approach this year as opposed to in years past. Normally, I set myself up for failure … Continue reading Small Steps, Big Changes
I started this year with a fully made bullet journal. If you've been following my blog for a number of years now, you know that I created one to use in 2019. It was a good start, and I really enjoyed it. However, around May or June, I fell off of using it. A big … Continue reading How to Create a Complete Bullet Journal
You've probably heard the phrase, "New Year, New Me." I want to take that phrase and change it up a bit (hence the title of this post). See while I hope to improve myself this year, I'm not looking to become entirely "new". I mostly like who I am, and I have goals to help … Continue reading New Year, New Clean
Happy New Year! 2023 is officially done and we are starting 2024! This is the time for new ideas, goals, and resolutions. I've mentioned on here a number of times how I feel resolutions aren't things you plan to keep. You make them only to break them or ignore them when times get hard. For … Continue reading Goals for 2024
This will be my last post of 2023 because I will not post in between Christmas and New Year's. But it is the end of another year! Time is such a funny thing in that it keeps moving whether or not you want it to. I want to take today and maybe slow down time … Continue reading A Wrap-up of 2023
As the year wraps up to a close, I'm spending time to review and reflect some of the things I've learned this year and lessons I'll take with me to the future. I'll do this more in-depth next week as I wrap up the year in a whole. But I want to take today to … Continue reading Challenge Your Thoughts
Did you know that ships plot a course even before they leave port? They know the routes they're going to take. But sometimes it's necessary to change course. Life throws curveballs. Things don't work out. Passions, hobbies, and interests change. That's okay. Sometimes you as a person need to change course too. What's really cool, … Continue reading Changing Course
Last week, I talked about projects and how they help you reach your goals. Projects are great! But today, I want to talk about the three steps to making those projects work for you, with the emphasis on being able to put in the work to accomplish the projects. The first step is that you … Continue reading Put in the Work
Battle Kim of the Republic 