Aloha my friends! Happy New Year's Eve day. My daughters and I just returned last night from our trip to Colorado. We had an absolutely marvelous time and I am a little sad to be home. I purposely did not take my computer or any sort of work with me so that I would relax. Wow, I really needed that!
I slept in EVERYDAY, watched movies, played in the snow, shopped, and ate lots of yummy holiday treats! My sister was a wonderful hostess and I could not have asked for a better time.
Here are a few pictures of our fantastic time, which you may have already seen on Instagram.
My girls were in heaven in the snow! The cabin we rented with my sister and her in-laws is behind them. It was gorgeous!
Adults playing Headbandz on a snowy day.
Uncle Jim helping with the Gingerbread house.
We got a permit to cut a tree from the forest nearby.
Trimming the tree
My daughter looks like a little fox in the snow. We actually did see a beautiful red fox a few times. He didn't say anything.
The uncles built some awesome tubing runs on Christmas Day.
That's me!
Whew, made it!
One of the most wonderful things about this trip was reconnecting with my sister and having my daughters spend time with their cousins. They grew up apart, but were just really happy to be together.
Another big moment for me was realizing how different my girls are being raised on a little island without television and commercial exposure. Honestly, all these girls wanted was a "white" Christmas. They did not ask for any toys or presents of any kind. Seriously, I asked them to write a letter to Santa and neither one of them could think of anything they wanted.
I saw this a few days ago and it really rang true for me.
As a teacher you know that we did not enter this profession to become wealthy, we did it to make a difference in the lives of our students. When I became a mother I didn't have a Mission Statement or goal, except to do the best I could to raise my kids to be happy, healthy and to be able to take care of themselves.
Going to the mainland was a huge eye opener for me. There was so much material wealth and store after store after store. Don't get me wrong, I love me some shopping, but it really made me appreciate our quiet little town and the simple things that others take for granted.
Here in Hawaii we call this
Paradise Tax. The high cost of living takes away from material goods that we might otherwise be able to purchase somewhere else.
I am thrilled that my children took the experience from this trip and the memories over the material goods that would quickly be lost or broken.
That being said, I want to spend this year finding the balance that I need with my family and work. I feel this last year I spent a lot more time working than I did playing. It goes hand in hand, I need to work to be able to play, but sometimes I think work pushed out my play time.
Denise over at Sunny Days In Second is asking what your One Little Word for the year is.
So how am I going to do this? Well for a type A personality such as myself I need a planner. I am going to make sure I schedule in my play time. Sounds crazy, but with work, my daughter's after school activities, blogging, and creating items for TpT, I am going to have to carve out the time for myself and my family. Simple things like going to the beach, watching a movie together or just watching the sunset get pushed aside by all of our "other" activities. I really want to bring back some of the simple things that I used to do when my kids were babies.
The fun part is now finding a planner that will help me organize my home life. I know there are tons of options and I will keep you posted on what I find.
I hope your Christmas was wonderful and you were able to spend some time with family. Do you have any goals for this New Year? How do you balance out your busy days?
I also want to thank each and every one of you for your support and kind comments over the past year. I have grown so much as an educator from trying new ideas and learning from other teachers around the world. I hope that you have taken away a few ideas and tips to make your teaching life a bit easier.
I have included a Black and White version if you want to save on ink or print on colored card stock. My class always loves new centers and I can't wait to share these with them.
