All about the SPARK

Y'all. Please tell me you've tried some of AdvoCare's Spark. If not, this is a MUST if you're like me and could use a little boost of energy every now and then. I started using it about three weeks ago - my last week of school. The end of the school year is very, very, VERY hectic. There's so many things to be done in and out of the classroom to finish out the year and to ensure that the start of the following year goes smoothly. Checking lockers. Stuffing report cards. Labeling furniture. Moving furniture.  Finalizing grades. Packing up and storing items....not to mention managing 102 seventh graders throughout the day who want absolutely nothing to do with school at that point. Although I love the kids -  It's exhausting. By mid-afternoon, right after lunch, I would usually be dragging.

Ahhh... And then there's Spark. Thank you AdvoCare!!!

I tried several times in the past year to stop drinking sodas and to drink nothing but water. It never failed. By day 2 or 3, the caffeine headaches were k i l l e r, and I'd give in. Spark has been my solution to this!! I have not had a soda in a month, and I really don't even miss them. My husband drinks them daily, so for them to be in my fridge and for me to STILL NOT drink them is epic!! Because Spark has caffeine, I have been able to kick those bad habits without feeling like death. And just like the picture above says, there are no jitters!!

Spark comes in the following flavors: Cherry, Fruit Punch, Grape, Green Apple, Mandarin Orange, Mango Strawberry, Pink Lemonade, and Watermelon.

Initial Reaction to DIY Essential Oil Products

I posted here about making make-up remover cloths and face cream using some essential oils from my Young Living Premium Starter Kit. I'm not going to be that girl that's super dramatical (thanks for the word, Flava Flav) and rave about how amazingly fantastic and life-changing these products are after only using them for two or three days. I'm not going to do a full review until after I've used them for a few weeks, but I do want to give you my initial reaction.

The makeup remover cloths were too wet. Next time I will have to adjust the amount of liquids I use and/or the amount of cloths. They were also too soapy at first, so I added in a little more water. What I've started doing is getting a dry cotton round and lightly pushing it in with the others so that it is damp. This has worked great. I typically don't wear a ton of makeup - except for mascara. Now that, I pile on. I have noticed that I do not have to rub my eyes near as long when taking off my mascara as I did when using the store bought ones. I was afraid that the oils would cause my face to sting, but they have not.

As for the cream, the texture of mine is perfect. However my mom's has stayed in a liquid state. She tried putting it in the refrigerator, but then it was completely hardened so she wasn't able to use it. We are working on this and will hopefully have something figured out soon. Any suggestions?!? The label on the coconut oil says that it turns from solid to liquid at 75 degrees, but there's no way her house is 75 degrees...and both of our creams were made at the same time..?

On another note, we've had a busy couple of days. We went from a family of 5 (mom, dad, two older brothers, me) to a family of 8 (spouses) 3 years ago. Yesterday at 9:41 a.m., we went from 8 to 9 as we welcomed my little niece, Charlee Grace, into the world. I am already a little bit obsessed. I can no longer go in a store without going to the baby section. Buying little girl clothes is so.much.fun!!! Before giving my sister-in-law a baby shower a while back, I went ahead and told her that I did not buy them anything they wanted off their registry (sorry!!). I bought stuff that I wanted her to have - which was cute clothes and accessories! I already have presents put up for later. According to my husband, "the girl already has tennis shoes for when she's five, and she can't even walk yet!" This is completely untrue. But his point is not. I am going a little overboard. But she's the first...I can't help it!

Pimping My Classroom

Anybody remember the show "Pimp My Ride?"

If she doesn't know what Pimp My Ride is, SHE'S TOO YOUNG FOR YOU, BRO! 
Did I really just say that?

   ANNDD create a meme?

 Well, I'm going to be Pimping My Classroom for next year. Should I even be using those words in the same sentence - pimp, classroom?!? Good thing my blog is fresh (insert blushing emoji).

For the past few years my classroom has been decorated with lots of colors - black and white, hot pink, neon green, and turquoise. And, it's cute, now. Don't get it twisted. But, I want a change. I'm thinking of just going to black, white, gray, and turquoise.

Before:

Teacher Toolbox
Thanks Pinterest!

View of the back of the classroom

Check out those awesome scale drawings!!

Front of Room

I will be taking everything pink and green down and replacing it with turquoise. I can't wait to decorate with what I've already bought!

Dollar Tree Finds!!!

Absolutely LOVE these!! (from Ross)

Y'all. I have the nosiest cutest dog. She has to check out everything that's going on.

Next Steps:
-get turquoise fabric for back bulletin boards
-get turquoise ribbon to replace the pink and green on my cart, desk, and table
-get turquoise rug

My Newest Obsession

Since being on my summer break, I have had the time to look up more ways to use my Young Living Essential Oils. I purchased the Premium Starter Kit almost two months ago, and I am so, so, so glad I did. They have already served many purposes in the Brown household. However, my hubby was so not convinced at first. He was all, "since when are you into voodoo?"...........i'm sorry, what?....men. smh

After explaining that I believe God put these oils on Earth for us to use, they're all natural and healthy - straight from the seed, and after him physically seeing and noticing a difference that they have provided, he's been on board!!

Today I experimented with making night face cream and makeup remover cloths. There's so much information out there about how to use the oils...it's a little overwhelming. I literally have 8 tabs up on different ways to make face cream.

  

My parents willingly decided (were made) to be my guinea pigs with the night cream.
Thanks mom! Thanks dad! :))
They will be applying the cream at night. I did take pictures of their faces so that I can compare their skin after a couple of weeks of using the cream. But I do enjoy living, so I will not be posting them. At least not any time soon. (what mama don't know won't hurt, right?!)

Ya girl is all about simplicity (laziness). Here are some links I referenced that did not use too many ingredients/were not too complicated:
http://lemonpeony.com/diy-all-natural-essential-oil-night-cream-recipe/
http://realfoodenthusiast.com/diy-luxurious-homemade-whipped-body-butter/
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2015/04/diy-makeup-remover-pads-for-every-skin-type.html
http://thecoconutmama.com/2015/04/homemade-makeup-remover-pads/

I ended up using the following oils in my cream:

-Lemon (evens skin tone, good for oily skin)
-Lavender (smells great, helps with acne and dark spots)
-Frankincense (helps with acne, reduces appearance of aging skin)
-Purification (helps with acne)

Frankincense is seriously thebomb.com for breakouts. I have used it on acne at night, and the following day, there was ZERO evidence of any acne!!

I'm super excited to see how these products work!! I'll keep y'all posted.

It's a smile, it's a kiss, it's a sip of wine, it's...

SUMMERTIME! Nobody said it better than my main squeeze, Kenny Chesney.

I'm two weeks into my summer break, and I.am.absolutely.loving.it!!!!  But before you know it, it'll be mid-August, my little seventh grade darlings will be entering the halls, and it will soon be gettin' real in room 207! :)

Before the school year ended I made a list of my professional goals for this summer:

1.) Look more into Standards-Based Grading
2.) Create more Math Calendars (especially since I will be teaching a new prep this year - 8th grade!)
3.) Use Blendspace to create more flipped lessons
4.) Create and/or find more foldables for students' Interactive Notebooks
5.) Create warm-ups
6.) Go ahead and customize some things in Digits for my 8th grade class

Now...I just have to DO these things...And in comes the struggle.