Checking Things Off (and Adding TO) the List

It's kind of ridiculous how many things I had on my "to do" list ... things that had BEEN on the "to do" list for a long time ... but I've actually gotten done this week! And it's only week one of vacation!

photo credit: Claudio.Ar via photopin cc

(Wanted some sort of image for the post so we'll say I'm "looking toward the sun" ... but you're not getting me in a ponytail and workout clothes! Even though I don't think I'll workout today. Hamstring still HURTS from yesterday. :/ And SOME of this post is library related. SOME is not. Be forewarned. Also was the pic of my nephew yesterday not the cutest? My brother texted it to me on one of the last days of school. It made me smile.)


Checking OFF
1) Decluttering. Egads have I accumulated STUFF. It's so hard to organize and get rid of. Any of you follow the Unclutterer?
2) Finally ordered my contacts. After they'd been calling me since January. Call one? I was in the hospital with appendicitis. Call two? Visiting my sister and getting ... very, very ill. :P Call three? Middle of state testing. I don't wear them often due to allergies and the DUST at school but I like to have the option. So hard to make phone calls during the day at school I never remembered.
3) FB profile photo and banner made for my school library FB page!
4) Looking online at refabbing furniture blogs. Can I count that as checking off when I haven't DONE anything yet? I've never tried it. Summer is the time to do things! Anyone out there already good at it? I'm nervous to try.

Still on The List
1) Getting the oil changed. I hate that.
2) Dentist appointment. I hate that, too. Scheduled but haven't gone.

Adding TO
1) Powtoon. Caught that Katie Davis now was contributing art to the site. Watched the replay of her webinar and signed up for the edu account. $25 or so. Between that and the cool Videoscribe app on the iPad I want to try some flipped library videos. Thoughts on topics?




2) I can always find more books to add to the TBR pile. And apparently ... apparently I have misplaced one from the public library. I would have SWORN I returned it but it's not on their shelf. I can't find it. Will have to keep looking or pay for it and that's just embarrassing.
3) I have purchased more graphics. It's like an addiction, it really is. So I feel I should DO something with them. Working on a "baseball" inspired set of library posters since that's the framework our school will be using in the fall to talk about effort. Just got some super fun "treasure raider" ones yesterday for making some "Discover Hidden Treasures @ the School Library" or something like that. A couple new Melonheadz sets (one where you see the backs of kids ... I thought some bookmarks could be fun, making it look like the little kid in the picture was reading the book?). And more, I'm sure. A bunch of new FREEBIE summer themed stuff from an Etsy FB Fan Page Hop. And some cute patriotic clip art (and ... washi tape and baker's twine ... I forgot for a moment about how I want to declutter and hit the buy button).

Summer ABC To Dos

Yes, I am a lunatic who has been awake for over an hour on a Saturday morning. Thank you Mother Nature for a storm that woke me up. Technically my summer doesn't start for another two and a half weeks or so. And the kiddos? Boy howdy. They knew the storm was coming cause behavior was crazy yesterday. This was a bit therapeutic. ;)

Head over to What the Teacher Wants for the template. What will you be doing?



PS 500th post!

Goals: Teaching

Teaching
1) MORE RESEARCH. Dear Teachers ... Please let us do more research? PLEASE!
2) Also more booktalks. Teacher librarians ... best way to deal with the overwhelming response to booktalks? How you can never have enough of the books that you talked about? Without having to prepare 50 different booktalks?
3) Reaching out to new teachers. We will have two newbies just in January, not even counting the newbies from September. So do whatever I can to help them get a good impression of the library. Drives me batty when I read teacher blogs where they are either afraid of or not impressed by their teacher librarian.

Goals: Creativity

Creativity
1) Photoshop Elements. I have it. I'm a little scared of it. (Yay Ribbet! And iPiccy. And Picmonkey!) On a related note ... take more pics!
2) Try VINYL with the Silhouette Cameo. Only done paper. #silly
3) Can I count cooking here? Have some time to plan ... won't have the new kitchen until the new digs (see goals posting tomorrow) but my dad made sure I was ready. His Christmas presents to me? Toaster. Knives. Plates. Kitchen utensils. In storage for now but hey. I have time to plan and learn. Oh and a personal crock pot that I can use now. Will have to hide it behind some books seeing as how I have no office and am out in front of EVERYONE but I can heat up lunches at work. Without having to wait in the interminable line for the nasty microwave that sets things on fire in the staff lounge. :/

Goals: Reading

Reading
1) Make reviews a little more useful. No need for the review to be longer than the book but specifics are helpful.
2) Figure out a better way to link Goodreads reviews on MsOReadsBooks. Full reposting once a week on What Are You Reading Monday is a little overwhelming.
3) Read more! Less vegging in front of TV. More listening to audiobooks while on the treadmill?

Didn't make my Goodreads goal this year. It was 400. I've read 330. Which is still pretty good compared to many, I guess. Might make my goal 350 for next year. More doable. :]

Goals: Life in General

Life in General
1) DECLUTTER & ORGANIZE. I feel surrounded by it. Not sure how to do this one, though. Ideas? Home is a little easier than work but both places are in dire need. Will be moving into a new place probably late in the summer so it's needed at home. At work? Just for my peace of mind. With so much action in the halls I would like inside our little circle of shelves to be a bit calmer and more orderly. Spend enough time putting things out and taking things down. Don't need to spend time looking for lost things!

     Well. If I had some good ideas for the linky I'd let everyone know. But I don't. Trying to move to electronic only files (hooray Google Drive and $5 for upgraded storage and access from anywhere!) but that's hard. Seems wasteful to reprint signs and station task cards and even extra copies of things. Got some matching apple green binders to try keeping what I could in page protectors. That's better than the mess it was before! Not super eco-friendly to get all new ... but the mismatching binders ... they didn't look nice. :/ And if I was really good and organized? I'd have pics of said nice apple green binders. #oops
     ONE GOOGLE CALENDAR for both home and school. Right now I'm using the free version of Calenmob on my phone. Don't necessarily love it, though. Anyone have one they like better? I actually don't mind paying if it works.

2) Less time online, more with people in REAL LIFE. This is another one I'm not quite sure how I'll go about. By the end of the day I'm pretty tired. So many people needing things all day. You know what I'm talking about. And I don't even have kids when I come home that still need me so I tend to retreat into my introvert's comfort zone. Some of that is fine and good and necessary. Some of that zone should be expanded. This could also include commenting on blogs, though. ;]

3) MEAL PLANNING. That was the key to better health last time. Last minute and I make very poor choices.

Goals: Tech

Well hmmm. I did not follow up as I should have on this year's goals. Not by a long shot. So 2013 ... here's to being more accountable.

Tech
1) Evernote. Been learning a little at a time but we're talking snail's pace here. Bump it up to maybe tortoise pace. ;]
2) Update posts on apps. Pester you all instead of the librarians in my district because sometimes I overwhelm them with emails and forum posts ... "Look at this cool app!" "Try this app!" "This app is free today!" ;]
3) Oh, this is coming up quickly! TCEA presentations on QR Codes and E-Readers.
4) Update Pinterest & Teacher Librarians post. Seems to be a favorite. I wish Pinterest would give more info on people you repin the most from. I know there's the three up at the top but that changes.