Currently September

I am linking up with Farley for her Currently party. I love doing this each month!


  • Listening to Naked and Afraid - it's oddly addicting! (#realityshowsaremysecretshame)
  • Loving that school has started and it's easier to go places in the day (sorry folks who are still teaching, but it's so nice not to have to fight the crowds!)
  • Thinking about something I want to make for my TpT store
  • Wanting Indiana Fever to win the WNBA championship! My Stars are out of it and I am rooting for Tamika Catchings and Coach Dunn (really, it's anyone but Phoenix - those tankers! Yes, I hold grudges. Sorry not sorry!)
  • Needing to finish cleaning out my closet and chest of drawers. I still need to purge some clothes I no longer wear.
  • Trips to Niagara Falls, Ireland, and Australia. I've been lucky to travel as much as I have, but these places are on my bucket list!

Now go check out the other partay goers! And don't forget the Rule of Three!
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Extend the Life of Classroom Library Books

It's time for a Bright Ideas Linky!


Today, I want to share with you a little thing I did to prolong the shelf life of my classroom library books.

If you are like me, you have a lot of money invested in your classroom library and want those books to last for a long time.

I found that using plain packing tape on the spine of my books kept them looking good for much longer. I just cut a length of tape the height of the book and applied it right over the spine, overlapping the front and back covers. If you cut the tape strip too long, just trim it after you have applied it. Easy peasy!

My books lasted much longer with less chance of damaged spines and covers.


Let me know if this idea works for you!

If you enjoyed this bright idea, please consider visiting my TeachersPayTeachers store and join me on Facebook for more great ideas.

For more bright ideas  from more than 100 different bloggers, please browse through the link-up below and choose a topic/grade level that interests you. Thanks for visiting!


5

Carpe Diem

I'm going to get real here. I write from experience. I have suffered from crippling depression and considered suicide. 

The news about Robin Williams hit me hard. Reading the reactions on Facebook has been troubling. It's only a short time since the news reported that Robin Williams is dead by his own hand, and the shame-blame games have begun.

He committed the ultimate sin.

Selfish.

Weak.

And that's complete crap. Suicide is not undertaken because someone is weak or selfish. Suicide is the last hope far too many people have for ending pain. These people are not weak. They have been strong for so long, but they just can't keep on being so strong.

What people don't realize is that a person reaches a point when their own pain is so overwhelming that all they want is to make it stop. They are no longer thinking clearly; the pain is everything, all-consuming, and overwhelming. They believe they're doing what's right for everyone.

Blaming someone for having depression is like blaming someone for having diabetes. Blaming someone for needing medication to control it is like blaming a diabetic for needing insulin. We don't choose the diseases that invade us, and no one should have to defend the medications that control them.

And yet, that's what happens.

If you suffer from depression, you already know that many people don't understand depression. The things they say not only don't help, they often hurt. It doesn't help that you know it's not intentional; you're backed into a corner where nothing is really helping. Those shadows get darker, thicker, and it's just so hard to see anything where the light is, and it's so incredibly fatiguing to keep trying.

But I'm begging you to reach out.

Find those who DO know what to do, and who know the right words and the order in which they should tumble out of one's mouth.

Try to reach through that thick molasses of fog, the one that makes your arms feel like they weigh a ton and a half, and pick up the phone.

Believe me, this world is so much better with you in it than not. There are people who have been trained, who know how to help you cope, and will never, ever blame you.

And if you're one of those people who think depression is weakness, selfishness, and something that a good attitude check will fix, then listen up.

Depression is a disease. Blame doesn't help and can only make things worse.

In the U.S., call 1-800-273-TALK (8255). They also have a website

Bookmark that site.

Call if you need to.

It's okay to call.

4

Currently....August

Wow! Can you believe it's already August? Time to link up with Farley for her Currently monthly linky party.

  • Listening - I love this show - I am a proud nerd myself. These are my people!
  • Loving - I am besties with Farley's mom. This week has been our WNBA team's Breast Health Awareness Week. Farley's mom is a survivor. We are so incredibly grateful to celebrate and honor her and other survivors this week. Here's a link to a video the Stars filmed starring our friend.
  • Thinking - We are leaving at dark thirty tomorrow morning to check something else off our bucket list. We are following our San Antonio Stars to Seattle to take in a road game! I am also excited to go to Portland to visit my uncle and cousins.
  • Wanting - Tomorrow to hurry up and get here!
  • Needing - My life is pretty good right now.
  • First Day - I'll be having brunch with some other retired teachers and thinking of all of y'all.
Be sure to go check out all the other blogs in Farley's party - and don't forget the Rule of Three!


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