Christmas vacation has come to a close!

The close of Christmas vacation leaves me with some mixed emotions.

SAD to see the days of resting, relaxing and just doing "whatever" gone; to say goodbye to my sweatshirt, blue jeans and flip flops; to have to set my alarm clock for 6:30 a.m. *sigh* and to wave farewell to my new friend "free time."

HOWEVER...I am HAPPY to see the smiles on my students faces again; to get back into a routine; to see my friends and colleagues that I have missed over the break; and to have a reason to look forward to weekends again! lol

To fuel my excitement for getting "back to the drawing board" as some may say, I took a little time today to be creative (thank you pinterest) and create a project for my classroom. It didn't turn out exactly as I had planned, but I learned a few valuable lessons and ended up with a pretty cool new sign with my name on it that I can hang on my desk (that I never sit at) at school.

First the valuable lessons:
1. Crayons melt with a hairdryer. Something every elementary school teacher should have been taught in college. The possibilities are endless!
2. My computer (thanks to my mommy-in-law) has some really awesome teacher fonts. AbcBulletin types every letter with cute dots at the end of each line. Something every elementary school teacher should have been handed with their diploma (the font program, of course!)
3. And finally and perhaps most beneficially, my new homemade, all natural cleaning supplies work wonders on melted wax on all possible bathroom surfaces. That's right...the crayon wax made it onto the mirror, floor, sink, toilet, shower, etc. I think it even decorated my tube of toothpaste on the counter and my new cleaning supplies had it all cleaned up and smelling fresh in no time at all!

With all that said...here is my new "Mrs. Beach" sign for my desk!

Typically you are supposed to paint your name on first and let the melted wax drizzle over it; however, I still don't quite trust myself with a paint brush so this is what I ended up with! A learning experience if nothing else!

Anyway, here's to another new day, in the new year, and to getting back to work in style!

Stay tuned for my upcoming blogs on my next homemade, natural product...homemade toothpaste! You heard me right...i'll be trying my hand at the homemade toothpaste as soon as I can find a store locally that sells peppermint essential oil!

Happy almost Monday, everyone!
-Kristy