August Currently... Already?!?

Well, it happened. My first first day of school nightmare. That can only mean one thing- it's time to get my rear in gear!

Every year I have a different version of the same nightmare. It's the first day of school, I show up late, nothing is prepared, I'm stressed and crying and rushing around... it's, well, a nightmare!!!

So I thought, what can I do to ease my mind? Link up with Farley for this month's Currently! What else?! :)

So, my husband and I were supposed to move into a new house in July. It fell through. We found another house and are now in the middle of what seems to be never-ending negotiations. Meanwhile, we are renting our house out to tenants and becoming landlords for the very first time. Our things are in storage and we have no certain closing date. I'm trying hard not to lose it. All of this is happening as I'm trying to get myself ready for school! To say I'm about to pull my hair out is a massive understatement. But, I've got my big girl panties on and a forced smile on my face!

To get myself prepared for the first week of school, I always update my classroom management plan and script out my first three days (at least). I brew some fresh coffee, get cozy in front of the computer, and think and type away. I list out E.V.E.R.Y. procedure, routine, and material we will be using in the classroom and think about how best to spread those introductions out over the first week. I type up a classroom management plan that explains everything in detail for myself and a condensed version for my students and their parents. I plan out every single minute in great detail for the first week of school. A separate post on my management plan and first week scripts will be coming soon! Once those things are complete and my room is in order, my nightmares will subside! *hopefully*

I'm off to a family reunion this weekend and I'm going to try to relax and enjoy these last sweet days of summer!

Head on over, link up with Farley, and tell us what's going on with YOU!

SLANT Boxes from Lessons With Coffee! What a Great Idea!

I'm popping in quickly because I'm super excited to share this idea presented by Jameson at Lessons With Coffee!!

It's called the SLANT Box!

SLANT stands for Sending Love Across the Nation to Teachers. It's a monthly gift exchange for teachers!!

Each month you participate you will be paired up with partners. One teacher will be sending a gift box to YOU and you will send a box to the other partner. Who doesn't love getting presents?! And even better, who doesn't love giving presents!!

Each month will have a different theme and you'll be paired with different partners. It's not a year-long commitment- which is awesome. You can sign up one month and not the next. Then when you feel up for it again, you can sign up again- no questions asked! I love the flexibility of it. You'll fill your boxes with at least five items with a total value of at least $10. You'll write a hand-written note to your partner, send it off, and experience for the joy that comes with gift giving! By the end of the month you will have received your own box of goodies, too!

I absolutely love this idea! It's a great way to get to know other teachers around the country and share some love and support. Let's face it- we all could use some extra encouragement during the year!

If you'd like to sign up, head over to Lessons With Coffee. You don't have to be a blogger to participate! If you have an e-mail address and Facebook or some other form of social media, you are good to go! I hope you'll join me and sign up!!  This month's theme is "A Few of My Favorite Things." Yay!!