Lollipop, Lollipop

Congratulations to Camile from Classroom Confessions for winning the giveaway. Email me at arabianmagic1011 [at] gmail [dot] com with your contact information!

Check out the redecorating

One of my graduated 8th grade students, Dakota*, so generously offered to help me redecorate my classroom. Okay, I bribed her with pizza and ice cream... and she was desperated to get out of her house. Thanks to our efforts, my classroom is now organized and ready for the new year.



The students' work station. Notice the instructions on the board; last year the students would print out their assignments, and leave them for me to collect. It was a nightmare. This year, I'm decreeing that they need to staple and pass their work in themselves!



My desk-- notice the organization!



Alternative seating arrangments. I may teach computers, but the students still watch presentations and do group work off the computer. Still to come: a yoga ball and a bean bag chair.



Computer rules section complete with posters unearthed at a yard sale.



You "otter" love computer bulletin board. This is my favorite one because it features recycled salad containers as keys. The kids get a kick out of it too, and it helps them to learn where the keys are as they are waiting in line to be dismissed. It is a pain in the A$$ to put up, and I literally cried when I was told to take it down at the end of the year.



This is my "Catch of the Week" wall where I post student exemplars.





Back wall with my lights, flower garland, and bandana "curtains"?



Mini fridge with drawers for headphone storage for each class.



The pitifully incomplete tree.

Don't forget, comments on this or any of my other posts between now and August 26 will enter you in the giveaway!

Goals 34 & 102 accomplished + a giveaway!

This post is #102 of my 101+ things to in 1001 days: nude sunbathing. I'm currently laying on my parents' pool deck, sipping iced tea, and listening to my new musical obsession: Theory of a Dead Man in the pursuit of ITLs (Invisible Tan Lines.) It's in the middle of the day in the middle of a work week, so I'm hoping that no one will notice. Pictures of this particular accomplishment will NOT be posted.

I'm already starting to see the value of the DayZero Project. It was a slow, laborious process to compile my list, and I thought more than once about setting fewer goals-- hence #101- finish this list.

I've noticed an interesting phenomenon in the few days since I completed the list. As I've gone through my daily life, I've thought of others to add! I've taken to writing them down in the notebook I keep in my purse, and will add them to my list in a few days.

According to www.selfgrowth.com, it has been estimated that over 90% of the total population in the United States alone fails to effectively set goals and act upon them.

I find this extremely disturbing. When I was losing the weight (I lost 100 lbs from 2003-2006), I accomplished it only by setting small, weekly goals for myself. I got away from that, and gained 50 lbs back. Now, I'm humbly back on the weight loss track. I do much better when there is structure, so the new school year will allow me to go to meetings, the gym, log my steps, and journal. I can't imagine that 90% of the population has never achieved a goal. To this day, watching the scale read 150when it previously read 250 had been my proudest moment.

In the spirit of goal setting, I am going to also accomplish #34 on my DayZero list. I'm giving away The Next Thing on My List, which is about a woman who sets out to accomplish the "bucket list" of a woman she accidentally killed in a car accident. It's one of those books meant to be read next to the pool or, my favorite, in a relaxing bubble bath. So, I'm also pairing the book with the Karma Bubble Bar from my favorite bath and body store: Lush. For the animal lovers out there (always thinking of you, Twinsie), the bar is Vegan and have not been tested on animals.




Here’s how to enter:

* Each legitimate comment on any post on Confessions of a Cocktail Napkin between today and August 26 will earn you one entry per comment into the giveaway.
* For one additional entry, please become a follower of my blog.
* For two additional entries, please add me to your blogroll and leave a comment on this post letting me know that you did.
* For two more entries, please mention this contest on your blog and leave a comment on this post with the link.


The winner will be drawn on August 26!