Ten for Tuesday

Ten things that are currently making me smile (because we all know it's not Room 106. Is that bad to say?!?! Nope, just my current reality.This too shall pass.)...

1. I recently booked a trip to visit my friends Kara and Craig in Denver. I am absolutely stoked and cannot wait for our adventure! I am so excited to pioneer out west! 

2. I was able to catch up with my dear friend Genna over dinner.

3. I was recently asked by my principal if I would like to go to a "Thinking Strategies" conference in DENVER. What the heck?!?! I have never been to Denver and I will be going twice within 4 months. CRAZY COOL!!!! I am excited to learn by the mountains. :)

4. I am following the comments a few readers left on one of my more recent posts. My friend Michelle suggested I checked out Pinterest for some easy recipes. There I found stuffed peppers. Oh.My.Goodness!!! So easy and so delicious!!! 
Ingredients:
1 lb of ground turkey
3 red bell peppers
2 cups of spaghetti sauce
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1/2 cup spinach
2 tbs Parmesan cheese + 6 tbs mozzarella to garnish over the top of each pepper

Before the oven!

After! SO YUM!!!

*Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil (helps with clean up).

*Wash red peppers. Remove the stem and cut the peppers in half.

*Cook ground turkey over medium-high heat. 

*When turkey is almost completely cooked through, add the sauce and the seasonings to the pan. 

*Stir and continue to cook until the turkey is completely cooked. 

*Add the spinach and Parmesan and stir until everything is well combined. 

*Scoop 1/2 cup of turkey mixture into each pepper.
*Sprinkle 1 tbs low fat mozzarella over each pepper.
*Bake (the recipe I saw said 20-30 minutes) I set my timer for 20 and took my peppers out at 17 minutes. The picture above is after 17 minutes and they tasted perfect. You may prefer a little less or a little more time. 

Not sure why, but I only bought 2 peppers and the recipe calls for 3. I still have some of the ground turkey mixture left. I am thinking it will go great with some whole wheat pasta.  

Next week its.....Taco Soup! 

5. 46 of 650 miles down. 604 to go!  

6. I have officially started round two of my National Boards work. I met with my new cohort for the first time over the weekend and I forked up a large sum of money. I CAN do this!!!! FOUR POINTS people!!!! Out of my four choices of retake selections I chose my Social Studies portfolio entry (Luckily that's the only entry I can redo.) and that darn Integrating the Arts Assessment. I am retaking two portions because I do not want to put all of my eggs in one basket.

7. I mean....how can this lovely face not make one smile?!?!

8. After school Monday I worked out with a few other teachers in our school gym. We chose Insanity as our workout of choice. Let me tell you....it's tough, but so worth it. I was so amazed at how much better I felt this time compared to my first every Insanity work out last spring. I can tell that my work is paying off. 

9. I am thankful that someone had the instinct to call me this evening. 

10. I have said this so many times, but I feel like it's so true that it deserves to be said over and over and never loses any value because it's so true. The people I work with are AMAZING!!!! From my awesome partner to my dear friend across the hall. To all of the teachers that I pass in the hall and by the copy machine. They all rock!

#11 just because. Tomorrow is a new day and that makes me smile. 

What's your ten for Tuesday?!?!

xoxo-Kim

The Beginner's Guide to Starting a Running Program

I came across an article on Active.Com that made me think a little bit. I'm not giving you a "guide" to start a running program because let's face it... I may be able to teach a bunch of crazy kiddos, but I am not a running instructor. Anywho...the article got me thinking. 

The article listed 3 basic rules to follow...

Rule #1: Know Why You Run

I like this rule because ultimately your why is going to be the reason you keep at it. 

Why do I run?

1. It helps me clear my mind. 

2. It helps me keep stress at bay.

3. It helps me feel better about myself.

4. It helps me build confidence.

5. It empowers me. 

6. I really do enjoy it. 

Rule #2: Compare Yourself to YOU, Not Others

I broke this rule last week. I am not a huge fan of running with others. I never have been. I feel oddly uncomfortable. I have always thought it's because I have shorter legs than most people and I tend to focus on how the person next to me can take 2 steps to my 4. I always feel like I am having to go so much faster when I am with other people. The other day I ran with two teachers from school. We ran about 3 1/2 miles. I felt totally comfortable that I would be able to complete the distance, but I finished about a minute later than them. I was and am so proud of them, but I was frustrated with myself. WHY couldn't I keep up?!?! We all chatted and I realized that in the end running with them helped me run better. I CANNOT compare myself to others because this is my journey, not theirs. It is up to me to choose to embrace and enjoy the moments that I am able to share achieving moments with others! 

Rule #3: Keep it Fun

How do I keep running fun or how am I going to keep running fun?

The article mentions that running is a lifestyle and to enjoy the process. I think that's a great way to look at how to keep it fun. I want to will keep setting my small goals that lead into larger ones. I want to will include people in my journey. I want to will cherish the gift of running. I want to will find others that will help me succeed and keep the cheerleaders I have now.

Last, but not least....the article says, "And remember: anybody who runs is a runner. Nobody can take that away from you, so lace up those shoes and go enjoy yourself!"

xoxo-Kim

Three Things Thursday!

1. The past few days have been pretty rough in Room 106. I've taken a gazillion deep breaths and leaned on a few colleagues. So many of the boys in my class are super moody. I mean SUPER. MOODY! How do you deal with moody boys?!?!? Usually it's the girls that are moody, but the girls in my class are AH-MAZING! They are so sweet and caring and put up with the boys. Tomorrow is a new day and I will treat it as such. 

2. I'm continuing to make running goals! I've signed up for FOUR spring races!!!! I am super stoked about these. It works out perfect because they build on each other. Each race will fit into training for the 1/2 marathon. This group of races is going to be a pretty big deal for me. One reason is because I am still at the beginning of my 2nd run go-around. The 2015 Derby Mini-Marathon will mark my 30th road race and my TENTH 1/2 marathon! The thought is keeping me pumped up! What do you do to keep yourself motivated to reach goals?!?! 

3. I made my 2nd new dish of the year. I made lasagna. I usually use ground turkey for things that call for beef, but I wanted to change things up a bit. I opted for Laura's Lean. It was a little more pricey, but worth the taste and lower calories. I was able to freeze a few servings, have dinner, and a few lunches. What dish should I try next?!?!

What's your 3 for Thursday?!?!?!

xoxo-Kim

Trucking Along in January

Some fun January tid-bits...

1. This is the 2nd week back to school since break and things are going....well. My kiddos have not been amazing, yet they have not been horrible. Maybe we have found a happy medium. One can hope right?!?!

2. Our new books came in last week and Room 106 is LOVING them! So thankful! 

3. Just like the good ole' days my gal pals and I had one of our famous Galt House nights. We went to dinner at Wild Rita's-which was yummy- followed by some drinks at Down One Bourbon Bar right around the corner from the hotel. It was a low-key evening, but the time I am able to spend catching up with my friends is cherished. 

Some of the old-school CPKers! 

4. I set a goal to try or make 6 new meals for the first half of the year. First up....chili! I used ground turkey and it tasted amazing! Tasted very similar to my mom's (she uses lean beef) and I think that makes this a success. I portioned it out into containers to freeze for some meals in the future. 

5. I went to a baby shower for my dear friend Jayne! Baby Greyson will be here before we know it. I am so incredibly sorry for her, but I am already missing her at school. Definitely going to be calling that girl a lot! 

6. Spent a little time with Baby Ryann last week. This is definitely going to be a reoccurring item on my list of awesomeness because I just cannot get enough of her. She is so darn adorable and I absolutely LOVE watching her grow! 

7. 24 of 650 miles down. 626 to go. 

8. Went to watch the Gilmore Lane Tigers play basketball. I love seeing the transformation from kiddos in the classroom to players on a court. Some of them are oh so different. 

9. I stumbled upon The Big Bang Theory pilot episode and that was fun. I think my favorite episode is the one where Leonard tells Penny the story of how he met Sheldon. HILARIOUS!!

That's all for now.

Hope you smile today!

xoxo-Kim

1.2.15

 it's

 2015!

A few thoughts on the New Year: I'm not really a big fan of making New Year's Resolutions for myself. I'm not sure that I have ever really made any that have completely stuck with and honestly cannot even remember when the last time I even made one. Last year, my first post of the new year discussed some of my insecurities and imperfectness. Looking back, I was right...some items fell off of the list. I think that is because I focused more on myself last year and that's a pretty good thing. Reflecting back I feel like my 2014 self-growth was what I had intended for 2013. I didn't make my "resolution" a priority. It was my 30th birthday (which was at the end of 2013) was a turning point for me and even then it took until about May/Juneish of 2014 for me to realize I was letting precious time slip away. I had a pretty darn good 2014 (and completed a lot of my challenges!) and feel like life is only continuing to get better. So for this year I am again not going to make a resolution but instead, I am going to continue working on being a better person that lives life one day at a time and makes the most of what is set in front of me. I do believe that there are a few things that will help me in my life journey. Some aspects of my life that I think will help me on my path is making more meaningful time for my faith. I also feel that I want to be a better friend. It's important that I make time for others in my life that I care about. 

Moving on to 5 bits of AWESOMENESS from the first few days of January.

1. I was introduced to The Big Bang Theory while traveling to and from the Belk Bowl. My Uncle brought them along for the ride. It made the drive FLY by. We watched all of Season 2 and a lot of Season 3. I do not watch a lot of sitcoms, but that show is HILARIOUS! I will definitely waste some time on the couch watching re-runs and catching up with the gang.

Do you have a favorite character?!?! I think Sheldon is a hoot!

2. I hadn't seen Ryann in a week and holding her just makes my heart smile! Added bonus is hanging out with Bub and Kath!

3. Had dinner with a couple of my favorites at their favorite hangout. (If you know me, then you know the who and where.) 

4. I started New Year's Day with a run. 

Getting used to the cold. I can do this! 

5. In talking with my sister-in-law she was telling me about how one of her friends had a goal to run 1,000 miles in 2014 and actually ran about 1,400. I thought this was super cool and was instantly intrigued and wanted to set a cool goal like this! I started running mid-July and ran 237 miles up through Dec. 31st. This included almost 3 weeks of slacking and the beginning building-up weeks. My goal is to run 650 miles this year. That's breaks down to 12.5 miles per week. That should be totally manageable and I hope to surpass that goal. Day 2 and I am 6.5 miles in...only 643.5 to go. :)

I hope you had a great start to the year! Best wishes for health and happiness.

xoxo-Kim

Go Cards....always and forever!