Toddler School Must Haves (and A Planner Freebie)!

Back to school? End of August? When did this happen!?

I don't know about you but I am so ready for summer to be over! Don't get me wrong, I love sunshine and all the fun summer activities but this summer was rough. Between potty training, crib training, Avery's I-can't-walk-but-think-I-can stage and then Cohen's I-hate-water-and-can't-get-wet phase, this mama is over it. O-V-E-R!

I am so ready to get back into a routine, wear my boots, drink my cocoa and start toddler school with BOTH of my boys (can you believe Avery is almost 1!?) We officially kick off toddler school this week with our Apple Theme 🍎🍏🍎

But before I jump back into the routine of toddler school I wanted to share some of my organization tips and must have items!

First things first, my weekly planner! I use this bad boy every week (usually while sipping a hot chocolate) to map out my ideal week. This is by no means set in stone because let's be honest nothing is when you have little kids. But it is nice to have an outline for the activities and outings I would like to accomplish! You can snag your freebie below! 👇

In addition to this weekly planner there are a couple of other items we use every week. These are staples in our house. We couldn't do toddler school without them! 

Sensory table 

Don't have one!? They are really easy to DIY (and super affordable too)! I used this DIY from A Teaching Mommy a few years ago and ours is still standing strong! Highly recommend! 

Liquid water color

This stuff is a miracle worker for sensory table fillers! Rice, beans, oats you name it! This stuff gives the most vibrant colors!

Bookshelf

We love our bookshelf! For just $12 this thing has been amazing. It has lasted 3 years. With boys. Who climb. On everything!

And that's it! 

 What about you guys? Any must have items for your little ones!?

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...September Currently!

Wow! I had to write that title 3 different times because I kept typing August. Wishful thinking I guess! 

I wish I could say that I've been a tad MIA lately because of something awesome like traveling outside of the country or spending countless hours on my TPT store. But the truth of the matter is, I went back to school last week! And boy oh boy is it tricky moving schools! Tomorrow is the first day with my new kiddos and I am so not ready. Not even close. 

I need to turn my teacher brain back on. Not that it was ever fully off but I'm not in teacher mode quite yet. I'm still in prep mode. 

In an attempt to get back into the swing of things I am linking up with the spunky Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for September Currently! Eeek! I love these currently's! 

Listening: Okay okay, I'll admit it. I have a problem. I am pretty sure I have been listening to Friends reruns every single time I have done my currently. It's one of my favorites! I'm not even sorry. 

Loving: I woke up this morning like a little kid on Christmas because it is officially September which means fall is here! I am love love loving this fall-esque weather! It's starting to cool down. Football is back. The leaves are changing to all of those beautiful colors. The PSL is back!

Which BTW did you know that you can get it decaf!? (I can't drink caffeine. I get physically ill). I don't know how I didn't know about this before last year. It has changed my world! 

Thinking: Exactly what everyone else is thinking. I am not ready to be back at school quite yet! Enough said. 

Wanting: Wouldn't it be great if our to-do lists could just finish themselves!? That is part of why I am not ready for school to start tomorrow, I still have so much to do! I don't even have all my curriculum/materials yet because of the new school. So stressful! 

Needing: I really need to take a shower. I got a massage this morning and part of it was a scalp massage which means that there are many kinds of massage lotions all up in my hair. And then I ran 3 miles… Luckily I don't sweat/smell! 

3 Trips: This one was so hard for me as I haven't done much traveling at all! You would think that would make it easier to choose 3 places I would like to visit but the choices are endless! I've decided that my top 3 would be Paris (I'm a girl, what can I say?), Germany (the culture/architecture is stunning) and New York (because we didn't get to go this summer)!

Well there's my September Currently! Back to lesson planning, prepping and organizing for tomorrow! Don't forget to go link up your September Currently! I love reading everyones! 

Good luck to everyone who is also starting next week!

Wordless Wednesday!

Well, I suppose I should start thinking about back to school. So I'm linking up with the lovely Christina Decarbo over at Sugar and Spice for Wordless Wedsneday! I've missed these! 

So my question for you is: How do you organize all those supplies students bring in on the first day of school? Do you make it an activity? Do you just have them put them in bins? That's how I've done it in the past but I want something a little more exciting! 

I can't wait to hear all of your fabulous ideas!

My 2014-2015 Goals!

Not that I'm ready to go back to school yet, but I saw this wonderful linky party hosted by Jess over at I {heart} Recess and I just couldn't resist!  

Being reflective is such a huge part of teaching. Although, I will admit, grad school kind of ruined me to the term "reflection". Like seriously, I have 'nam flashbacks just thinking about it! So I'm going to replace that word with another word that makes me happy, sunshine.

Personal: During the hustle and bustle of the school year, my brain shifts 110% to teacher mode. Have you seen this ecard before!? Well, that's exactly how I feel!

It is my priority to make more me time this year! I want to focus on getting back into running, reading more often (Well, reading period. I don't read much during the school year) and taking time to just relax. And by relax, I mean binge watch ridiculous T.V. I think I just solved the mystery of why I don't read much..

I also want to cook more! I swear as soon as school starts, I never cook! There is definitely more freezer cooking in my future!

Organization: My classroom library is in serious need of organizing! I'm in the middle of revamping it now, but it is taking me a lot of time!

Does anyone know of a good place to find clipart for library labels!? I've been having a heck of a time with that! 

Planning: Usually I plan the night before. I know it seems like procrastinating, but it is my way of making my lesson plans relevant. I reflect, er sunshine, every night and let that dictate the next days plans. I really liked this system, but it would free up a lot of time for me to tackle those personal goals if plans were done ahead of time!

Professional: I love love love the idea of interactive notebooks and I think it would be a great addition to my math structure (or lack there of right now). If anyone has any tips I would love you forever!

Students: "Sunshine" is also important for students! I am really good at posting goals for each lesson, but I am not as consistent as I would like to be with checking in at the end of each lesson.

Motto: Things have been so crazy lately that I just have to keep reminding myself to take things one day at a time! 

Click the button below to link up your goals! I can't wait to read them all :)