Summer At Last!

What a year! My class was incredibly challenging, but I love every one of those darling little children... and they accomplished a lot. One of the best things about teaching first grade is that students usually start the year not reading.... and finish the year reading! It's so much fun to watch them learn.

But now, it's summer. Can I hear an "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh?" The routines at my house are more relaxed, and I'm already starting to catch up on projects that I just couldn't get around to during the school year. The clothes hampers are all empty, the freezer is full, the dog has been getting some long walks, and the stack of professional books on my nightstand has a "for fun" book on top! Yahoooo!

Of course, I brought home a few boxes of projects for the summer... some new units to create, laminated literacy and math materials to cut out, manipulatives to clean, files and binders to reorganize, CDs to load onto iTunes, books to repair, etc. The list is long, and I'm completely up for it!

This morning was my first real vacation day. I started the day with a walk to Starbuck's with my daughter and our pup. The weather in our area is usually pretty close to perfect, and today was no exception. We walked and sipped and chatted with neighbors and people we saw on the way, and when we got home I felt completely ready to get started on projects. Of course, I needed to make a list first, and decided to make it on my phone. And after a little exploring, I found a great app!

It's called abcNotes, and it's a way to organize notes and lists. I downloaded the free version first, but within ten minutes, I liked it enough to buy the full version for $2.99! It's very easy to use, and with the full version comes the option for 15 different desktops full of notes. You can choose different types and colors of notes and arrange them on each desktop, varying the size and font however you like.  I'm imagining workout notes and goals on one desktop, grocery lists on another, school tasks and ideas, and more...  I got started with just what I was hoping to accomplish today.I can tell already that this is an app that I will use a lot! I love to write things on my list, and cross them off as I complete each one! And though "sleep in" is at the top of my list, there are about a bazillion other projects that I plan to finish this summer. I'd better get right to work!