Back To School 2013: Classroom Tour

Whew!

This chick is T-I-R-E-D. & just to think...students haven't even started back to school!  

What's the saying?  

That being said...this post will be heavy on pictures & light on text.

I know there has been the ongoing debate of Cuteness Vs. Not which has been a hot topic again in the teacher world lately.  My view is I remember being in school as a child and really appreciating the visually appealing & print rich rooms.  I want to make my classroom a fun and inviting place for my students (some of them need an escape from their home life).  We also spend more time in our classrooms than our own homes, so I like to make it a place I "enjoy" being in.  If I can have a "cute" room and still have the time to provide my students with wonderful, rigorous lessons, why not?!

Here is my First Grade Math, Science & Writing classroom for the 2013-2014 school year.  

(I also included pictures from orientation including my station set up...loved it!)

This year I did stations for the parents to visit around the room during orientation.  It gave me the opportunity to speak with all of them, make sure all paperwork was filled out & for the parents to explore the room.  I didn't feel overwhelmed with questions & was able to spend ample time with everyone.  I had coloring sheets spread out for the kiddos to color & draw while their parents did the boring stuff...  I will definitely do this again next year!

Transportation Station

Find your child's cubby & seat.  Take home the folder at their seat with info inside.

Sign up for Remind101

Students dropped off supplies by labeled areas (if they brought them) 

&

If parents could donate a regularly used supply, they took home an owl with the item written on it.

Here's to a wonderful year to my fellow teacher friends!  May you experience success, keep a smile on your face & find the perfect balance!

Aloha,

Juliana

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Fashion Finds

Vacation & a new school year always makes me feel like I have a legitimate reason to buy some new clothes, accessories, shoes & products.  Only makes sense, right?

Here are some of my recent purchases (& maybe a couple wants...):

Flipped Heart Convertible Portofino Shirt 

from Express

HERE

Wide Stripe Sleeveless Portofino Shirt

from Express

HERE

Light Wash Denim Shirt

from Express

HERE

Want...

Stella Slim Flare Jeans

from Express

HERE

Catty Maxi

from The Rage

HERE

Hailey in Chambray

from Roxy

HERE

Woodland Garden

from Maaji

HERE

Maybe I'm A Mermaid trucker hat

from Billabong

 Open Roadz Pullover

from Billabong

HERE

Want

VS Siren Mid-Rise Skinny Jeans in Coral Dream

from Victoria's Secret

HERE

Color Enriched Anti-aging Lipstick in Tiger Lily

by Laura Geller

HERE

Original picture from mymoodymama.blogspot.com

Want

Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm in Unique Pink

Reacts to your PH, giving you a personal pink lip.

Found at Target

Want

Sabbath (perfect black/navy)

from Urban Decay

HERE

And because I dropped my iPhone 5 in the toilet the first day back to school...(teacher brain already):

LifeProof iPhone 5 Case in Rose Pink & Black

purchased from Ebay

Monogram with Bow Vinyl Decal, but in black font & white bow

(had to have something special for the LifeProof!)

from CuttinCrazy on Etsy

HERE

Everyone needs to treat themselves every now and then.  

"Style is not a display of wealth,

but an expression of imagination."

Aloha,

Juliana

Swollen Summer Fingers? Jeweler's Secret!

I have an autoimmune disease called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)...yeah, say that 5 times fast!  One of the symptoms of the disease is blood pooling in my extremities.  I especially swell in my hands and fingers...so the heat from the HOT Florida summers makes it worse!

I know a lot of people experience swelling in the fingers during the summer time, so I thought I'd share a trick I learned from a local jeweler in Destin.

Do your fingers swell to the point of not being able to comfortably remove your rings?

Mine do!!  I would nervously try to remove my rings at night knowing that they probably wouldn't come off. & if I gave up in the middle of the struggle, they would get stuck and be painful.  So in a panic, I'd run my fingers in cold water & soap pulling and tugging.  

A few months ago, Husband and I went to our local jeweler in Destin (McCaskill & Company) to pick up his new wedding band (long, sad story behind it...but McCaskill helped us find a perfect David Yurman for Hubby).  Of course, as any woman in a jewelry store does, I wanted to try on some rings of my own. Sadly, it was hot day and I couldn't remove my ring...not even for cleaning!  The nice man looked very concerned and asked if I'd thought of having my rings re-sized.  (I have and don't want to...it's really just a swelling issue...why put my shiny ring through torture?)  I explained to him my condition and the fact that it'll never go away.

So the lovely man at the store let me in on a jeweler's secret for getting rings & off swollen (or too big) fingers...

Today's swelling...some days are so bad

it starts hurting.  This is minimal for today's heat.

Ready for it?

WINDEX!

Yes, Windex.  I know...what?!  He grabbed a bottle from beneath their counter, spritzed my finger & low and behold...the ring slid right off.  

I asked the questions you are probably asking yourself...

Will this hurt my ring?  No.  In fact, it is much better than using water & soap, lotion, veggie oil (you never know...).  

Is this bad for my skin?  It could be...don't douse your hand in Windex & wash your hands after.  Simple as that.

Does it help get your rings on? Yes! On & off!

It works so well, I now keep a Windex Touch Ups on my bathroom counter.  I use it for taking off my rings & it's handy for quickly wiping down surfaces in my bathroom.  You can find coupons for the Windex Touch Ups often.

$1.00 off of 1 Windex Touch Ups printable coupon HERE

&

$1.00 off of 1 Windex Touch Ups printable coupon HERE

I hope some of you find this helpful, especially since this Summer weather is here to stay for a bit longer.

Aloha,

Juliana

Just Another Mani...Thursday?

We are back from our amazing trip to...Hawaii!  If we could move our families there, we would be residents without a second thought.  I truly believe our hearts are in the Islands.

Here are some pictures from our trip

China Walls in Hawaii Kai

Hiking Maunawili Falls BAREFOOT

Evidence of the bare feet...Desperately needed a pedi when I returned

Sunset from one of our balconies in Waikiki

Watching the storm roll in from Pali Highway

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, right?  We returned and I hit the ground running getting ready for back to school.  I'll do some posts and room tours in upcoming blog posts.  It seems to be the only thing I can think about these days...teacher probs.

I'm running behind on my usual Mani Monday post, but figured I'd go ahead and post on Thursday instead of making you wait until Monday.  You're welcome. 

This post is to show you don't have to spend a ton of $$$ to get good quality & fun polish!  While we were in HI, my husband and I stopped in one of the ABC Stores (one of a million...seriously).  I stopped in my tracks when I saw the Island Girl polish display.  There were tons of fun colors and glitters that resembled OPI & Deborah Lippmann polishes.  Hubby gave me the thumbs up to buy some since they were only $2.99 each..YES!  ONLY $2.99 a bottle!!

Island Surf by Island Girl

This fun polish is hot pink with multi-colored confetti and glitter.  When I first saw it, I told Hubby that it looks like cupcake sprinkles!  & There's nothing I love more than cupcakes with sprinkles!

Products Used

Sally Hansen Gel Cuticle Remover with Kiwi

Smooth Cuticle Pusher

Buffer Block

Orly Bonder

Island Girl Island Surf

Poshe Super Fast Drying Top Coat

I've spent every day this past week in my classroom & couldn't not post a picture of my mani using some new school supplies.  How cute are these neon Ticonderoga pencils (the best pencils IMO...teacher probs)?!

Give aloha every day!

Best,

Juliana