Continued from my last post, I wanted to share some ideas of how I have been preparing for going back to school/work.... 

First, I had to make a list of items I needed. 

New lunch bag

Snacks

Drinks

Etc. 

Next, I went shopping! I actually got my oil changed while shopping so that killed two birds with one stone... Here is what I got: 

Water

Almonds

Pickles

Coffee, coffee, coffee

Pork rinds

Heavy Whipping Cream

Eggs, Eggs, Eggs

Cheese

Pink Salt

Salsa

Tuna

Monk Fruit -> hubby wanted to try this instead of stevia! Win! 

I also bought a hefty lunch bag to fit my food into. Haha. I act like I am about to starve, but I want to be prepared! 

Next, I packed my lunch bag with some necessities that I am going to keep in my classroom. 

- Portioned out almonds

-Pink salt... this is one is so important! 

- Portioned out pork rinds

- Gum

- Cans of sparkling flavored water

-Packets of tuna

- I boiled tons of eggs in the insta pot. I will use them as needed! 

That’s all for now. That should keep me from any slip ups for my first two days, Thursday and Friday. 

Speaking of slip ups- I just joined a group of fabulous Keto women who are committed to 100 days of Keto. No slip ups, no cheat days, no junk food, for 100 straight days. I am excited to commit to this right along with them. This group will be my accountability to not jump off of the wagon like I slowly do every year. This will keep me focused. I am excited for it. That is why I am over planning everything. Failing to plan is planning to fail. 

Another thing I did, I was make a weekly chore list. I am going to space out my housework doing certain things on each day of the week so that I am not overwhelmed during the weekend. That was miserable. Being so tired all week when I got home. Doing nothing. Then, killing myself trying to catch up every weekend and never really getting rest. This will cut down on stress, life, and being overwhelmed and feeling inadequate and hopeless. 

My last step is to go set out my clothes for the next two days of work. Every night I want to KNOW what I am wearing. That way, I am not frantic, irritable, and anxious in the mornings. I want to wake up early, go to bed on time, and find that balance for exercise! 

Here is to the start of a wonderful year! It all begins with a new mindset and setting yourself up fair success! 

My Last Day of Summer Break- Speak Truth to your Emotions

Happy Hump Day, Friends!!!

Today is the last day of my summer break… 

I am feeling many different things, so I thought I would put them all into words and out of my head. 

The biggest emotion I am feeling is excitement. I mean, c’mon. Who doesn’t get excited about a fresh start. A fresh classroom, a fresh attitude, a fresh beginning with a new group of kids. An endless beginning of possibilities, excitement, and fun! It’s fun to inspire little learners to love learning just like you… And guess what??? My classroom is already set up! I am way ahead of the game… So there is no stress on that end! 

That sounds so wonderful, until… my anxiety kicked in. I don’t know why. I keep telling my brain to shut up, but it just ignores me most of the time. Lol. Here is what it keeps saying…. Your summer is gone. Your freedom is gone. You are about to be constantly in a state of stress and always be overwhelmed. Remember how you were so stressed last year, and the year before? So, that’s how it is going to be this year. You are about to lose your mind! …. Like…. SHUT UP! You are a liar! 

Do you ever fight with yourself? Or am I just nuts? 

Here is what I have been combatting those thoughts with… It is going to be a wonderful year. You are ready. Your classroom is ready. Your mind is ready. Heck, even your body is ready (thanks to ketosis!) You are excited. You will not let any of the tasks overwhelm you. You will do them with all of your heart because your goal in whatever you do is to glorify God. That’s your only goal actually. God is in control and he has put you where you are for a reason. God’s got you! 

So, there is my dilemma with my own brain. It’s trying to create problems that do not even exist! 

The good thing is, I am no longer taking my anxiety meds. That may sound scary, but its so liberating. For the first time in two years, I am able to feel my emotions, recognize them, and control them. I am mindfully experiencing them, letting them surface, and handling them like a boss! 

The overthinking keeps popping up, so on the next post, I will explain how I am using my overthinking to just simply prepare… Stay tuned… And speak truth to your emotions! 

SISTERS, WE WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH, AND THAT’S OKAY.

Goooooood morning friends and happy Friday!!!

I have a very important topic to talk about today that has been weighing heavily on my mind and I KNOW that I am not alone.

I want to talk to you about feeling like you are enough. Because, sista, I have had to learn the hard way that I will NEVER be enough and neither will you. This sounds like a hard pill to swallow but let me explain.

I go out a buy a new planner to plan my life out and make myself feel organized and accomplished. The truth is, I forget to pick up that planner after I spend hours planning in it. I don’t have my life together.

So then, I make a to-do list of all the things I want to accomplish today, or this week, or even this month. I want to have the perfect morning routine where I spend time with God first, read his word, meditate on it, get my mind right for the day.

Then, I want to be a great friend who calls, texts, and checks up on all of the people that I love. But I fail. Days or heck, even months can go by and I realize I haven’t talked to my best friend. It makes me feel less than as a friend.

Next, I want to do all of the chores around my house and deep clean and make it smell heavenly. I get started on one task and get distracted with a million other things which leads me to never getting everything accomplished. Truth is, if you show up at my house without giving me a heads up, you will discover just how “together” I have it. There are currently dirty dishes in the sink from last night. There is dog hair in every place imaginable in my home. So you better bring a lint roller. The dirty clothes basket it overflowing right now. I have this wonderful thing called essential oil diffusers that produce wonderful aromatic experiences and improve your health. But who even remembers to fill them up and turn them on everyday? So, my house may smell like dog, it may smell like food, it may smell like coffee. Who knows??


Next, I want to be the perfect teacher, influencer, educator, motivator. Not just for children but for those around me. My family, my friends, my social media followers, and even strangers. I want to do all of the things. Guess what? The perfect teachers don’t exist.... Jesus is the ONLY perfect teacher, influencer, educator, motivator. I have had to take a step back and realize that I can’t work myself to death only to feel like I have fallen short or failed a child, or couldn’t save them. And as far as social media? It can be so great, but it can also steal your time, it can also be the thief of joy as you compare yourself to others.

As I come to a close, I want you to know that my mind is always GOING. It sees something new and shiny and I want to do it, or try it, or participate in it, or learn about it. I want to do ALL of the things.
Let me give you another example. I have been learning and trying to create products to build a good Teacher Pay Teacher store. I also have been trying to educate others on how to become healthier with diet and nutrition. I have just starting learning how to use an envelope system for budgeting. I am wanting to get more organized in my house and in my classroom, so I start a new project on those. These are just a few things. I am always running and trying to do all the things. But in the end, I realize that I can’t do all the things. It’s impossible to be enough. It’s impossible to be the perfect friend, the perfect teacher, the perfect wife, the perfect church member, the perfect daughter, the perfect housekeeper, the perfect educator or social media influencer. I FAIL MISERABLY. And that can steal my joy!!!

Solution: WE WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH. Stop trying to be good enough to feel good enough about yourself. JESUS. That’s why we NEED Jesus. He IS ENOUGH. He is perfect. He completes us. When we are weak, He is strong. He is the one who defines us. Our identity has to be found in HIM. NOT in ourselves, because we fall short. We always will because we are human. We have to learn to lean on Him for guidance. We has to trust him to guide our steps. Once we stop putting all of the pressure on ourselves, we can find our joy in life... with Jesus.

This is the perfect picture to represent this post. This is me. This is me without makeup. I am still wearing my workout clothes from this morning. I am sitting in front of a dead house plant that I never remember to water. I am also sitting in front of a pretty planner that I never pick up. 

Sista, we are all a hot mess express and it is perfectly okay.