Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!

I'm linking up today with Andrea and Erika to share a few of my favorite things from the past week.

{one}
I realized last night that I have worn this necklace (I tried to link to it, but apparently it's sold out!) twice this week and these earrings four times.  That's in a four-day workweek!  I guess they can definitely qualify as favorites!!  They seriously go with everything.

{two}
I made Mix and Match Mama's Chicken Broccoli Bites for dinner on Tuesday night and, not only were they delicious, but the leftovers made an awesome lunch the next day.  (I completely meant to take a picture of these, but hunger won out.)

I also made her Oreo Bars, for no other reason than that they looked delicious.  They are AMAZING!!!  Seriously, such a phenomenal dessert really shouldn't have been that easy!

{three}
I got an embroidery machine this week and have been monogramming like crazy.  It is so much fun!  I'm planning a post about these projects next week.  For now, check out this adorable monster alphabet shirt I'm working on at the moment.

The cuteness is going to be unbearable!

{four}
While this week's episode of The Bachelor made me next-level uncomfortable (the face-eating is wearing me out this season!!!), I laughed to the point of tears while reading this recap.  (Side note- if you aren't reading this blog on the regular, you're missing out!  Seriously!)  Sheaffer is spot-on and so funny!  I've been a Bachelor fan since forever, but I seriously think you could enjoy her recaps without watching at all.  They're that good!
 

{five}
After the past few weeks of binging on junk food (which is NOT a favorite), I'm feeling pretty yucky and sluggish.  Enter this product plan.

I've done the ten-day cleanse before, both on its own and as a part of a 24-Day Challenge, and it's my favorite way to break out of bad nutritional habits.  It seriously gets all of the junk out of my system so my cravings change!  What I love about Advocare is that it is not a "quick fix" that promotes yo-yo weight loss.  (Although my parents are both in the middle of their first 24-Day Challenge and have both lost 10 pounds in about 2 weeks!  They rock!)  The changes I make with these products are lasting ones! 
I'm also throwing in some Catalyst (to help build and maintain muscle tone) and my usual Spark (in both watermelon and fruit punch, my for-real favorites!)
I am planning to do a Cleanse update after my ten days are over, so stay tuned to see what happens! :)
And, of course, this guy is always my favorite!!!!

Happy Friday, friends!

Show and Tell Tuesday

I'm linking up again with Andrea for Show and Tell Tuesday.

This week, we're sharing organizational tips and tricks, and I can't wait to see what other moms are doing to organize their lives and families.

Most of my organization seems to relate to my classroom, but I'm sharing a few of my tricks for home.  (There are more organizational classroom tips on Pinterest than I could ever hope to compete with!)  In all honesty, I never quite feel like my home is organized in the way I'd like it to be.  It's definitely a work in progress!

{one}
The one part of home organization that I definitely have under control is grocery planning and shopping.  I have a daily menu, which I typically put together while looking at recipe ideas from Mix and Match Mama and Advocare's Virtual Coach, which is awesome when I'm making an effort to eat healthier.  (Since John and I are starting a ten-day Herbal Cleanse later this week, I pulled a LOT from the virtual coach website during last weekend's meal planning.)  After planning a menu, I create a shopping list that is organized by the layout of our grocery store.  This makes my shopping trips MUCH quicker and more organized.  I think it may have also eliminated cut back on the number of times I have to pick up something I forgot during the week!
Here's a peek at the menu/shopping list I use.

{two}
When we changed Bryce's room over from a nursery to his new big boy room, we tried to be sure we bought furniture that would make it as easy as possible to keep his clothes and toys organized.  We wanted to be sure that he could put away his own things as much as possible.  We bought a beautiful daybed from IKEA that has deep drawers for organizing clothes and shoes.

Having a bed with built-in storage has made it so much easier to keep his room clean and organized!  We also have a shelf with fabric boxes for his toys, which are perfect for him to get out and put away his own things.

{three}
The one room in my house that is impressively organized is my laundry room.  A few years ago, during the pre-baby phase of settling into our current house, I redecorated our laundry room after seeing some beautiful pictures on Pinterest.  As part of this redo, I organized all of our cleaning and laundry supplies in a really simple way that is easy to maintain.  (Obviously, since it's lasted through the adjustment to life as parents!)

And lest you think I'm actually clean and organized, take a little peek at what I came home to find in my closet a few days ago.

Yep.  That's an entire rack of clothes laying on the ground.  Apparently the combination of the clothes hanging on that rack (which is honestly just the rack of dresses and scarves) with the folded jeans and sweatshirts stacked on top was too much for the poor brackets to handle.
And if you're thinking this means I got rid of a few pairs of jeans or dresses, you may be disappointed.  Instead, I John added an additional bracket to the wall to support the weight.





So, what are your secrets for keeping your home and family organized?  As we can all tell, I need all of the help I can get, friends!

Friday Favorites

It's Friday!

Truth.  And in about 7 hours I'll be starting a 3-day weekend!

Today, I'm linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci to share a few of my favorite things from this week!

1. On Monday I shared a few of the books I've been reading lately.  Basically, it was a post devoted to my love for Liane Mohiarty, who is a phenomenal author.  (Keep in mind that I'm reading for fun, not so much reading the classics.  This week, I finished Three Wishes, which is just as good as every other book I've read of hers.

2. I got a new Blender Bottle in the mail yesterday, and I'm obsessed with all of the fun little features it has!  (It's the little things, folks.)  I know I can't survive a day in 5th grade followed by a night of playing cowboys and pirates without my daily dose of Spark!  (Watermelon and Fruit punch are my jam!)

Early morning Spark makes that drive to school a little easier!

If you've never tried Advocare products and are interested in more information, drop me an email at myranda.peterson@gmail.com!  I'd love to help you reach your health goals!

2. I downloaded Kari Jobe's album (self-titled from 2009) on iTunes, and it's been on repeat every morning this week.  So good!

3. Bryce got a new pair of Toy Story cowboy boots last weekend as a reward for potty training.  (He was dry all weekend!  The angels sang!)  He has worn them every waking minute of the week.  I'm loving the overwhelming adorable-ness of the boots and cowboy hat on my little man!

He watches pirates in his "rocket skip," while dressed as a cowboy.  I love being this little guy's mommy!

That's it for today, friends!  Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Mid-Months Confessions

Today I'm linking up with Elizabeth at Teaching Sam and Scout and Heather at Notes from the Nelsons for January's Mid-Month Confessions.

I like to call this time "Owning My Crazy."   That says it all.

1. I love Valentine's candy.....like obsessively, eat the whole bag of candy hearts in one day, buy a ton on February 15th kind of love!  That being said, when I came home from Meijer with a bag of candy heart gummies and another bag of Gobstopper hearts.....well, you can imagine the outcome.  My teeth and my tummy are not agreeing with me on this, but I really want to go back to the grocery store and buy more immediately.  The only thing stopping me is the miserably cold weather and the toddler that would be tagging along.

My teeth hurt after eating a few, possibly because they are actually time jawbreakers.

This bag is my happy place!

 2.  After losing a bet with my 5th grade class, I reluctantly rapped the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution last Friday.  This is totally not in my comfort zone!  We do what we have to do to inspire our kiddos to learn though.  However (this is a BIG however)....
I found myself on YouTube last night.
Rapping.
On YouTube.
And dancing like M.C. Hammer.
Cue the embarrassment!

3. I LOVE buying unnecessary gifts for my toddler!  As in, I may like it more than he does sometimes.  For example, I saw a pair of cowboy boots recently that had Woody from Toy Story on the side.  (We all know that Woody is Bryce's hero and Toy Story is his jam!)  I may or may not have invented a random potty-related goal in order to have an excuse to buy him these boots.

I mean, really, how cute are these on his little feet?  And we're getting our money's worth out of them since he wears them everyday.  Case in point....

Saturday-

Sunday-

Yep, he wore the hat and boots to church.  We all worship in a our own way, I guess.

Monday- 

Totally worth it!

There it is for this month!  

What I'm Reading

Likely it is not surprising that a 5th grade reading teacher would be a avid reader.  I definitely am!  During the two weeks off of school for Christmas, I read A LOT.  The miserably cold temperatures we've had this week have also added to my desire to snuggle up with a good book....or with my Kindle!

I have had my Kindle for about 5 years, which apparently means it's no longer being sold. :(  However,  this one is what I bought for my mom for Christmas last year and she loves it!

I've read a few truly great books lately that I'd love to share!  (You can click on the cover photo of each book to link to it on Amazon.)  So here goes!

1. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty 

 I had heard about this book from other bloggers and it always seemed to have great reviews.  I'm honestly not sure why it took me so long to read it!  The basic premise of the story is that 39-year old Alice falls during a spin class at the gym and hits her head. This causes her to lose her memories of the last ten years, meaning that she thinks and acts like her 29-year old self.  I found that I could relate to both versions of Alice in different ways, and she's one of those characters you continue to think about long after finishing the book.  This was a fantastic story with a satisfying ending that I devoured in about two days!

2. Big Little Lies also by Liane Moriarty

So, when I enjoy an author, I tend to become obsessive and read all of her books immediately.  While I have read another book by Liane Moriarty in the past (The Husband's Secret, which was also pretty fantastic), I somehow missed jumping on her bandwagon until after reading What Alice Forgot.  This book did not disappoint!  I might have even enjoyed it even more, actually.  It basically tells the stories of three women living in very different families in an upper-class suburb in Australia.  This is another one that I read in an embarrassingly short amount of time because I honestly could not put it down.  I find myself wishing for a sequel because, while the ending was satisfying,  I want to read more about these three dynamic characters.

I'm currently working my way through Three Wishes and The Last Anniversary, and I'm thinking they are both going to be just as good.  I may have found myself a new favorite author.

3. Believing God: Day by Day by Beth Moore

 I've been reading one day of this book each morning since early December.  It's designed as a devotional of sorts, which a reading for each day of the year.  Each entry is pretty short, and it's a little on the sparse side for me to use as a devotional, with very little scripture contained in each day.  I like a little more of a study-type feel to my daily Bible study.  However, I've found that it perfect for the few minutes I have when I wake up to start my day on the right foot.

That's it for this month.  Have you read any of these books?  What did you think?  I'd love any suggestions of good books for the coming month as well.  It looks like this cold weather may be sticking around for a little while, so I'll need a good reading list to make it until spring!

 

Show and Tell Tuesday

Eeek...my first Link Up on the new blog!  This is one exciting Tuesday morning!  (And, let's be honest, Tuesday of the first week back from Christmas break needs a little excitement.)
So each Tuesday, I'll be linking up with Momfessionals each Tuesday for Show and Tell Tuesdays.

 

Fun, right?  I'd love for you to join me!

This week, we're talking about goals and resolutions.  I've already mentioned I'm not much of a New Year's Resolution girl....It's a little much for my Type-A personality to resolve to do something for a year.  When I've dropped the ball before the end of January, I feel like a bit of a failure.  Instead, I'm setting monthly goals this year.  Then, I can look back at the end of each month.  (I may or may not even check off the goals I met....Oh how I love a good checklist!)  So here goes....

1. Complete the She Reads Truth study of John.  If you saw Saturday's post about this devotional study, you know it's one of my favorites.
2. Clean out my car.  not exactly a profound and life-changing goal, I know.  My car is gross and covered in snacks and toys at the moment though, so this is definitely a must-do!
3. Write a personal note of encouragement to someone each week.  During the Christmas season, I love receiving all of the sweet cards and notes from friends and family.  That got me thinking.  Why don't we spend more time writing out our kind thoughts for those we care about?  I want to make a conscious effort this month to share a little encouragement with those around me.
4. Cook dinner more often.  We've gotten into a bad habit of eating out way too much.  I enjoy cooking, so I'm going to try to do it more often.
5. Be intentional in sharing Advocare.  You may or may not know that I'm an independent distributor for Advocare.  I am in no way a salesman, and I get incredibly uncomfortable in trying to sell anything.  (School fundraisers were torture for this girl!)  However, I really believe in Advocare's products, especially since using them has me weighing less than I did when I graduated college!  I know there are people I see everyday who would love to see the same improvement in their health that I have experienced, so I want to be a bit more intentional about sharing what I have.
6. Play with my class at recess once a week.  I always have so much fun when I actually play with my kiddos, not just sit and talk with them.  This should be a really easy thing to do with all of the inside recess that happens during the cold month of January.  Beyond that, I think it's an important way to let my students know that they are more to me than just a grade.

I'll check back in at the end of the month to see how I've done with these goals.  I hope you'll join me in this!
Happy Tuesday!

#shereadstruth

Happy Saturday friends! 

One thing I am really working on right now is making my time with God a priority.  I have the best of intentions, with plans to wake up early and start my day with a leisurely quiet time.  I can picture what a beautiful start that would be for each day....just me, my bible, and a good cup of coffee.  In reality, though, I usually wake up late and rush to get out of the house in time for school.  I've finally learned that I do much better to carve out this time with my Heavenly Father at the end of each day.

This is from yesterday's devotion....so good, right?

To begin this year, I've started a new study in the book of John, which is a part of the She Reads Truth study.  According to their website "She Reads Truth is an online community of women who are committed to reading God’s Word together." One of the things I really enjoy about is the sense of community- knowing that women around the country are reading the same scripture and devotional each day and sharing their thoughts via social media.  I'd love for you to join me in this study during the month of January.  You can access the #shereadstruth study by clicking of the image below.

Search for the hashtag #shereadstruth on Instagram or Twitter to see what women across the nation are saying as they read each day's devotion.

New Year, New Blog!

It seems fitting that I begin this blog at the start of a new year.  While I'm not really one for New Year's Resolutions (mostly because they rarely last past January), I do really love the idea of a fresh start.  So the beginning of a new year is one of my favorite times to try something new!
I've been kicking around the idea of starting a blog for a while, and I feel like it will mostly be a simple creative outlet.  If I gain a few followers and make some new friends along the way, that will be a definite added bonus.  Since most of what defines me at this point in my life revolves around trying the strike a balance between being the best wife and mommy I can be and being the kind of teacher who truly makes a difference, I believe that is what will define this space as well.  Thus, the title "Books and Blocks!"  As a reading teacher, I spend my days immersed in books....plus I'm a pretty avid reader in my spare time!  As the mommy to an "all boy" 2-year old, my house is covered in blocks.  As I try to find a balance between being the best I can at filling both of these important roles, I feel like most of my posts will focus on one or the other.
So here we go!!