Hello...it's me.

Hello, it's me....anyone else now have that Adele song in your head? I hope you have all had a wonderful start to the year. I can't believe it is mid September. Do you ever feel like you have so many ideas and things you want to do but you also want to just make sure you are on top of everything that you need to do? #storyofmylife

I often have ideas running through my head constantly about school whether I am driving, in the shower, cooking dinner...it never stops. Thank goodness for running to do lists.

I have a few things I would like to share with you all today (one of them is a bit embarrassing but we will get to that later).

Some of you had asked if I was going to share my office this school year. It is nothing fancy and, honestly, it is quite simple. This year I really just wanted to create a collaborative, open space. Last year, I hated to meet with staff members and students behind a big bulky desk.

Over the summer, my principal and I both wanted to clear out our offices. We wanted to make spaces that people would be comfortable in and not full of furniture that felt like barriers. I prefer to sit beside people when I meet with them or in a more casual setting. Money was limited so I had to work with what I had.

I found a standing desk (it adjusts and can be at a normal height or at a standing height). I used that as a little table between the two chairs I already had. We (well really my principal) took off part of my huge desk and turned it facing the wall so I could still have desk space and use it for storage.

It has made a huge difference! I must say that I love it!

 The decal on the door was created by the daughters of one of our sweet teachers.

 Now, my dream office would look like this. Can't all schools be like Google offices?

I could just slide on down to visit classrooms!!!

The other thing I wanted to share with you is a little embarrassing. I had shared my 2017-2018 Office pack over the summer (you can find that post HERE). If you purchased it, you may have noticed a whole bunch of letters....but I did not provide an example of what they were for. Luckily, our sweet counselor figured out the puzzle!! Below is what it looks like!

The other day, I noticed some kiddos playing with Pokemon cards at lunch. I must say I am amazed by how strong Pokemon is still going. I remember my little brother playing with those (and he is about to turn 27). I was thinking it would be so cool if there were Character Cards. Students could create their own characters with character traits. They could leave them for friends or for other students to find, they could collect them, or share with students who are displaying that trait.

I have this posted in my TPT store for FREE!!! Below are some examples. I wanted my kiddos to create them but they are not home, I am sure theirs would have been much more creative! Get your copy for FREE HERE!!!

I am so excited about my next post and I hope you come back to check it out. Have a wonderful, restful weekend!





Melanie

Back to School, A Must Have, and a FREEBIE!!!

Hey y'all. I hope you are all doing great. I went back to work in late July and it has been full speed ahead since then. Today, I have been reflecting a lot on my new position as an assistant principal and my past position as a counselor. I have realized a job is what you make it. I have a very different role and completely new tasks but how I handle and react to things is very much the same. I am sharing this because no matter where you are or what position you are in...it's all about how you make it. You can't control the things that happen, the situations your kids come from...but you can control your attitude and what YOU can do to make a change!! Speaking of back to school, bright outfits and Starbucks have helped me get hyped up!!!

                         

A new school year is upon us. I can't believe it. I will have a Kindergartener and a 2nd grader and my Mommy heart is in shock. Luckily, they will be with my hubby so I will know they are in the best hands! So with a new school year comes a new Office Pack. You can purchase your own HERE! Here is a little peek into this year's pack. I am kinda in love with it!

I think the motivational signs are my favorite. I love the adventure one and am in a bit of an arrow phase!


One of my Must Have items to kick off this school year is a Keep Collective bracelet. Y'all...they are doing a Keep Kind campaign and it is perfect for counselors. They even have bracelets that say "Be Kind" and "You can sit with me." Melts.my.heart.  I don't personally sell these but my sister in law does and I have a party open if you would like to order. It will be open until August 26th and you can access it HERE! As soon as you order, your goodies will ship pretty soon (as in 3-4 days) even if the party is still open! This is great for people who are too impatient to wait for it like me!
You can customize them however you want. You can do one to rep your school colors or mascot, create a Mrs. one, a Mommy one, or just a pretty wrap! Here are some I am loving that I saw online!

And because I want to wish you all a great start back to school..I have a freebie for you!!! This printable is great to frame or print poster size for the hall. This is how I feel everyday!

Want your own? Click HERE for your FREE download. I have been keeping busy with all of your amazing Facebook requests. Next up...a YouTube office video!!!

Have a blessed weekend, friends!

A Peek Into My Office

Hey y'all! I went back to work on Friday and can I just say that I forgot what it is like to wake up at 5:30 a.m.??? Praise the Lord for Starbuck's because my trusty baristas at my local one have started my drink from the moment I step through the door.

My kiddos aren't back at school and my hubby still has almost 2 weeks so they get to sleep in. I love seeing their sweet, sleeping faces as I head out but it has been nice having my Starbucks trips in the morning.

So, I wanted to share a peek into my office with you. I feel like I finally have my office somewhat put together after a year...haha!!! So here is a look inside

I am loving this! This is my 2014-15 calendar turned into a desk pad!!! I LOVE it! One of our coach's dad has a printing business and turned the calendar into this!! Maybe we will be collaborating with products soon!!???

I used this as a door banner. This is from my 2014-15 Office Pack!!!

I love this sign I got from Kirkland's for $4.99!!!

I am loving my office more this year! A sweet teacher at Joey's school was selling some of her stuff when she was moving and I was lucky enough to catch it! I am loving the purple (our school's colors), green, black, and turquoise.

I am excited to hang up my confidentiality and small group counseling rules in black frames. If you can't tell I am in a black and white mood with pops of color. I am trying to keep it simple, clean, and organized. If you are interested in picking up my NEW office pack, check it out HERE!!!

 I will be doing a post on organization and will also have some binder label FREEBIES on my next post. I am really excited about this year. I feel like the worst blogger ever with this past year. Honestly, I felt I was learning all over again with a new level. But now I am ready, excited, and full of ideas!

Also, coming up is a SUPER FUN post with JyJoyner Counselor, Andrea! We will be sharing some ways to wear your summer clothes back to work in a professional way!! So look for that tomorrow!!

Back to School.....

It will be back to school for me and many of you!!! I go back August 1st but start back with meetings and things in the next 2 weeks. I am excited but sad because I feel like I have been in my own wonderful bubble with the kids. Sleeping in until 8:30 a.m., wearing a bathing suit and cover up with no makeup, and making plans with friends every week sure has spoiled me. On the positive side, I am so excited to see students and get the year going...then we have the holidays to look forward to!!!

I won't lie, this year will be a little scary. As many of you know, last year was my first year on the campus and this year most of the administrative team I worked with and loved will be gone. They moved on to other things and it is bittersweet. I am so happy for their new ventures but geez....I just really loved those people and learned so much from them! Our new administrator seems fabulous so I am sure it will be a great year. Change is just hard but usually ends up bringing so many neat experiences!

Okay.....so with back to school comes getting our offices ready. When I say ready, I hope to have mine decorated and organized. With that, I wanted to get my 2014-15 Office Starter Pack together in case anyone needed it to help get them started and I will be using it too. This is not just stuff I make to sell, it is stuff that I actually use. I am excited about this year's pack because I made it somewhat neutral and trendy so that it can be versatile. You can purchase it HERE!

I am still working on some units and powerpoints for guidance. I hope you find this helpful. I will also be posting a freebie this week so be on the lookout for that!!

I also wanted to share an awesome video many of you might have seen but I would hate to not share and someone miss out on it. Colbie Cailat came out with a beautiful song called "Try." Oh.my.word! I can't wait to use this for a self esteem group. Don't get me wrong, I love me some makeup and getting dolled up but I know that is not who I am. It does help me feel good about myself but at the same time, what example do we as women set for girls? This is a great video that shows how beautiful people can be....just being them. Our outward appearance should not define us...our hearts should.
Here is the video.

I hope y'all have a great week and soak up every bit of summer!

Marketing our job...

Hey, y'all!! I have been so super busy as I am sure all of you have but I finally had a little time to relax and blog...which I love to do because it makes me feel like we are all just havin' a little chat!! I have a hodge podge of things to talk about today so bear with me....you may see some ADHD tendencies goin' on!

As counselors...of course, we love counseling but there are so many other aspects of our job as school counselors. I think we have to be the biggest advocate for school counselors by our actions, words, and attitude. The past two weeks, I have witnessed great speeches and great staff developments. I have been blessed in every district I have ever been in and this new one is no different. In convocation, we heard from Dr. John Draper and he said we have to market our district, school, and profession. When we make comments about how we don't like doing this part of our job but we love doing this part...we really aren't marketing our job as counselors. Now, are there things I don't prefer as much as other things?? Yes... but I know that BOTH parts make up my job! In schools, we can't just show that we are counselors who provide guidance, individual and group counseling but we have to show that, yes, we do schedules and support teachers and meet with parents and do LOTS of paperwork!! It shows accountability for us! I try to be positive and save any "venting" for a close friend or my husband because I want to advertise my profession and show the people in my school that I keep going and I am there to support our students and staff every day with a smile!! !

Sorry, y'all! I was just feeling so passionate about that today because I think sometimes we do a disservice to ourselves when we have a negative attitude. There are already sooo many people who don't understand the importance of school counselors and I want to show them we are the heartbeat of the school!!

So...I have been missing lately because I have been doing schedules which has made me realize how stinkin' important us counselors are at the beginning of the year (see that advertising)??? Haha!

We also went to Meet the Teacher night for our first, sweet baby who is going to Kindergarten. Oh my word, Monday will be super tough....I better wear water proof mascara!

We couldn't ask for more amazing teachers for our sweet boy!! He absolutely loved visiting the school!! My hubby works there so he will love having Daddy as his PE teacher. And look how cute the bulletin board is.....isn't this wire like ribbon fabulous border??? It would look darling on some counseling bulletin boards!!!



Now on to counseling!!!! I attended an absolutely fabulous counseling staff development and can I say that our district Guidance Director is amazing!!??? Ms. West is so stinkin' cute and shared with us such a neat intro activity. First, she showed us this video clip from the movie " How Do You Know"? (After seeing the clip, I rented the movie and it was pretty cute).

Pretty sweet? Huh? Then Ms. West gave us all a small play dough container with the quote: ""We're all just one small adjustment away from making our lives work." She said she had used this in a training with other staff members and had them take the playdough and create something and pass it around the table with each person making a small adjustment and it was really cool to see the outcome. She related this to, us counselors, as an example of also being flexible in our jobs. Do things get stressful? Yes! Are things in education always changing? Yes! But instead of being negative and complaining, we can be flexible and ever changing like playdough to adapt to our situations and environment which can make it all work!! I loved this activity, example, and movie quote so much....I created a little sign that I plan to hang in my office...so on those tough days, I can take a gander at it and remember that!!!

You can a free printable of this: HERE

This got me thinking about play dough and all the great uses in counseling. I especially thought about doing a similar activity in possibly a self esteem small group and having students describe how they feel about themselves and what they would want to change, what they can and can't change and possibly creating something with the play dough (maybe how they think they look, how they think others thing they look, etc). I hope to create a Small Group Counseling activity book in my TPT store pretty soon, so be on the lookout for that!!!

I also wanted to share an exciting Dollar Tree find!! I tried one of these wall stick ons and they had a lot of good counseling-type quotes there. I picked this one out to see how it would work and it was easy to put up and you can't beat a $1!!! I added it to my Believe. Dream. Achieve printables which you can also find HERE for free!!!

In other news...we are just waiting to see if the contract and everything else will go through on our current house and then we will start building!! We are just praying and seeing what happens. But here is a picture of where we will start  building if everything works out!!

Our students start tomorrow so I have enjoyed this last weekend before school REALLY starts with a wild manicure, shopping with my sweet family, and prepping for our sweet boy's first day of Kindergarten!!

I hope you all have a great start to your year! Please know that you are such an integral part of your campus and to "advertise" yourself and profession!!!! Keep a positive attitude and be flexible!!! I know I will keep that in mind this year!!!

Relaxation, Organization, and Games....say what?

Hey y'all! I have missed you so much!! I have so been neglecting my blog! I have been busy starting my new position and prepping for the year. I hope you all are having time to get ready while finding time to still relax. Relaxation is SOOO important even if it means grabbing Starbucks and getting a pedi/mani. I know that and shopping are my ways to relax! : )
I know many readers on here are super busy and have a lot going on outside of counseling, so that is why it is super important to make sure you get your YOU time in. It seems that counselors are the worse about this (even though we know how important it is) because we juggle so many things at work and many times juggle so many things at home (family, outside activities, keeping up the house, Pinterest). I found this quote online and created a little picture below...this quote is so stinkin' true!

This quote is so true. I think about this in regards to being a counselor and a wife and mom. If I don't take rest, how will I be effective to my students and give them my all while I am at work?? If I don't take rest, how will I have the energy and calm mind set to play outside with my kids or spend time with my husband? I thought it was a quote worth sharing!

So I experienced my first day in my new district and by.golly do I love it!!

me trying to be cool and not sure why I wore a cardigan in 100 degree Texas weather...haha


I have my office, for the most part, complete. I have some things to hang and I would love a shelf to store games and activities. I think it's pretty cozy but it feels so empty. After being in elementary for so long, I am used to having tons of stuff everywhere!!

I can't wait to hang my dream.believe.achieve signs somewhere on the wall in a cluster. I want all my kiddos to see them because I want them to have big dreams, believe they can accomplish them, and achieve it!!!

You can get your own copy of these signs for FREE, here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Inspirational-Posters-Set-of-3-783919
I just purchased some cheap $3 frames to put them in! 

And if you haven't downloaded this for your office, here is the link for FREE counseling signs. They are great for testing and to let people know when you're in a session so they won't interrupt.

You can get them here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Freebie-Signs-801442

I have been posting on facebook how I would try to blog about organization. I think it will be in small parts because there are so many things to cover. Today, I will start with the basic thing that I can't.live.without.....and that would be my calendars. I have blogged about my love for Erin Condren calendars which you can still order here: http://www.erincondren.com/store/

I use this mostly for personal/family stuff like appointments, birthdays, and reminders but if I have a big meeting or something important at work I record it here so if I am trying to make an appointment for my kids I will know what day not to do it.

At work, I created a binder using my calendar in my TPT store which you can find here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/2013-2014-Calendar-717126

I created a cover and I put all of the important notes/reference pages that I know I will use often in the front pocket.

This is my absolute.must.have item!!! I record any meetings, appointments, staff development, special days (Red Ribbon Week, Education Week, etc) here! I love technology but I am the type of person that has to write it all down. So basically this little binder is my BFF!

I feel that forgetting a meeting or important date is a horrible feeling! So this is my first key to organization, this is also where I map things out in guidance or small group.

Another way I keep myself together is with binders. I am not a file folder kinda gal. I like having everything clear to see and a place to go.

I like having everything hole punched and behind labeled dividers so if I am looking for something I can flip to it, copy it, and put it right back. That's just me and maybe I am weird. Well, probably...haha.

The next thing and I promise last thing I wanted to highlight are the use of games in counseling sessions. I am a big believer of play therapy and I think kids express the most through play. Below are some games I have used and have heard of people using. I am sure the possibilities are endless with how you use them. I will try to link up where you can purchase them.

 

This game is Bullies, Victims, and ByStanders. I used this game A WHOLE LOT last year. The kids loved it and it had really good scenarios. I used it a lot in my Friendship group and it was great to hear the conversations that would come up just from reading the cards. 

http://www.amazon.com/toys-games/dp/B003ZFXGIA

 

I have seen some counselors even tape scenarios to the jenga blocks in group and I have also seen this in team building activities. http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-A2120-Jenga-Classic-Refresh/dp/B00ABA0ZOA/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1375813483&sr=1-1&keywords=jenga+game 

How cool is this? I found this on an AMAZING site called Child Therapy Toys....I am so starting a wish list tonight!!! This would be great as an introductory activity for a group or for a social skills group. 

http://www.childtherapytoys.com/store/product6917.html

I know there are plenty more and I would love any comments about games you use and how you use them!!!

I also wanted to show you a new pack I created. It is great for starting up your counseling office if you're new or starting fresh. 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Counseling-Office-Starter-Pack-793679 

This pack includes the August through June calendar, a check in scale, small group rules (which I always have posted), Rules of Confidentiality (I always have posted, too), to do list, counseling log, and a little activity!



If you have started this school year already, I hope you are having a fabulous start and if you haven't started yet, I wish you the best!!! Don't forget to RELAX!!! : )