Inside Bell's Brain

I love the idea of Monday Made It with 4th Grade Frolics , but I've never done one before.  I've been a busy little bee this summer though getting my office overhaul crossed off my "to do" list .  One of the finishing touches was FINALLY hanging up my diploma from, oh, four years ago when I graduated with my Master's.   I knew I didn't want anything traditional per se.  Not that there's anything wrong with traditional; I just wanted to think outside the box .  I did know that I wanted something to hang my tassel to the right of my diploma.  A few weeks back I blogged about this really cool drawer shelf , and since then I've wanted something drawer-esque somewhere in my house.  That wasn't my plan for the diploma frame, but then I saw this drawer photo frame at Hobby Lobby and fell in love. And it was 50% off !  Even better.  I can't find the exact frame I bought on the website now, but it's in the same color sche...

Summer is gone , and teachers across the nation are gearing up for an awesome 2015-2016 school year.  My summer went by so quickly that there were several posts and linkies that I was unable to do for time's sake.  So I've made lemonade from lemons and decided to "double dip" on these two-part posts.  In this post, I'll join up with Mrs. D's Corner and several other teachers to share my goals and dreams for the year ahead (and what went right last year).   Let me start with the part 1 of this post... looking back .  This was the part that I missed earlier this year, but you can't properly look forward until what's behind you is in perspective.  Communication My parent communication was stronger than ever this last year.  I opened a private class Facebook group/page for my students and their parents.  We share our classroom photos, ask questions, translate school announcements, and more on this page.  I believe it has been a ...

When this summer began, there were so many things I wanted to accomplish !  Among them was reorganizing and decluttering my office and digging my way out of the piles of stuff that I had accumulated by not assigning each thing its proper home in my home.  So office overhaul was certainly on this summer's bucket list .  Joining my blogger/IG friends @laugheatlearn @proudtobeprimary @onesharpbunch to share my #summerbucketlist. #teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers #teacherthoughts A photo posted by Erika Bell (@insidebellsbrain) on Jun 10, 2015 at 9:35am PDT I'm so thrilled that I can finally cross it off my list this week!  Of course, there are still a few small tasks left to accomplish, but I have significantly reduced the number of piles in the floor...and that's DEFINITELY progress in my book!  Take a look at my new spread . I am so excited at how well my inspiration wall came together.  I wanted a vinyl quote ...

I'm challenging myself to do more linky parties this year, but I've almost run out of time on this one!  I love the idea of Plan with Me Sundays because that is when I do my planning for the week ahead .  Since this is my first time to link up on this party, I'm going for a minimalist approach until I learn from a few of the other, more "seasoned" bloggers. First up: My Planning Space The office overhaul on my summer bucket list is coming along well, but I've had to put it on pause for a little bit with the activities of the last few weeks.  I did get to hang up my photo lines and my vinyl last week though, and I'm really excited about how it turned out.  Now, when I sit down to plan in this coming school year, I can do so in front of my "inspiration space" to remind me of all the reasons I want to do more, be more, and achieve more! Next up: My Planning Materials I'm big on the idea of color coordination , so I t...

I must begin this post by reminding myself of that ever-meaningful adage, "Comparison is the thief of joy."  When I look at all the other amazingly cute work spaces, so pristine and color-coordinated , I feel so disorganized and (honestly) a little jelly at how appealing my peers' work areas are. So I must remind myself that my home office space is a work in progress (and for that matter, I am too)!  Literally...I'm in the middle of an office overhaul right now. That's one of my major summer projects. But here's my work so far... (I will not compare myself to others, I will not compare myself to others, I will not compare myself to others...LOL!) So here's a sneak peek into my current situation ... The main attraction is my new desk area, created by two filing cabinets and a wooden door.  I wish I had taken a "before" pic of the monstrosity of a desk that was there before.  I had had it since I was a teenager, so it had a go...