Aruba, Jamaica, Ooooo, I wanna take ya...

Are you singing the Beach Boys now? You're welcome. 

Since this week marks my first week of "summer break," which is still comprised of curriculum writing and an AP summer institute, a few colleagues and I hung out at my co-teacher's pool. I needed to visit human resources after I left, so I brought a change of clothes. I decided that showing up to the Board of Education in flip flops, shorts, and a bikini was a tad unprofessional. I threw on this outfit that I might have to put on repeat because I feel swishy, islandy, and a teensy bit sultry while I wear it. 

Everybody come see how good I look.

Fran, I posed right here at this moment because I know how much you love the lighting. Look at me thinking of my blogging buddies. 

All I can really tell you about this look is that I bought the skirt at NY & Co. last summer. 

Who wants to take me to an island now? I've got just the outfit for the occasion! 

In case you needed to hear it...

I make no apologies for the earbug I just implanted. 

Check out some lovely ladies over at Molly's for YOLO Mondays and Laura's for the floral trend.
Edit: I just so happened to wear Marionberry's trend of the month this week, and I didn't even realize it! Look at me being all trendy. 

Liebster Award Part Deux

It appears another lovely blogger, Kaara, finds me worthy of the Liebster award. What is this honor you ask? Apparently, it is bestowed upon those of us who are "up and coming bloggers" with fewer than 200 followers. Someone nominates you and four other bloggers, and then you nominate five more bloggers. It's a fun pay-it-forward kind of deal amongst bloggers. 

Here are the rules:

1.  Each person must post 5 things about themselves. 

2.  Answer the questions that the tagger set for you, and create 5 questions for the people you choose 

to nominate.

3.  Choose 5 bloggers to nominate and link them in your post.

4.  Go to their page and tell them about the nomination.

5. Follow and social media connect with everyone tagged. 

Five Things About Me:

1. My students and everyone at work calls me Mrs. Wo, the Reader's Digest version of my last name. Well, my maiden name. As a result, I have yet to change my name because I'm too lazy, and teacher ladies who get married still end up being called by their maiden name anyway. 

2. In high school, I had to be home schooled for a month because I contracted mono so badly that I ended up with inch-thick hives all over my body. Find me in the dictionary under "hot mess." 

3. We've lived in our current home for just over three years, and I've painted nearly every room in the house...twice. My husband refers to me as Picasso. I'm such a baller that I don't even need painter's tape. 

4. During college, I worked at an independently owned toy store. I painted faces, listened to far too many children's CDs on repeat, dressed up as an elf for Christmas (during which time creepy, intoxicated Santa hit on   me), and ran birthday parties (one of which involved a small child biting my boss who then flicked her in the forehead). I worked for the kindest couple who believed that playtime should be powered by the imagination, not batteries. During this time, I was also introduced to the children's author and illustrator David Wisniewski whose illustrations were made entirely of cut paper. Mind blowing. Check out some of his books here. My favorites are Rain Player and Golem. (If you teach the Holocaust, consider using Golem.) 

5. When I was little, my favorite shows (aside from ANY and EVERYthing on Nick at Nite) were Rugrats, Ren and Stimpy, and Beavis and Butthead. If you knew me in real life, this bit of information would explain a lot. 

Questions from Kaara:

1. Why did you begin blogging?

For those of you who are new to this neck of the woods, allow me to enlighten you: I teach High School English. You know all of those grammatical blunders you hate or that you are guilty of littering all over the interwebs (which I sincerely hope is not the case)? Well, compound all of those errors into one stack of essays written by a gaggle of teenagers who would rather be liking photographs of eyeballs on Instagram (or taking part in the new eyeball licking fad) than writing an essay for my class. As a result, I needed an outlet that would allow me to cope with their egregious errors. No, the texture is not ruff. Dogs do that. Sand paper is rough. That character in the book that we read in class? He's clearly a he, not a she. Oh, and if you refer to Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird as a boy, I know you didn't read the book. Harper Lee calls her Jean Louise Finch, not John Louis Finch. At least clutter up the paper with something wrong yet witty. Even a drawing of aliens landing on Mars would suffice. 

2. What is the number one thing you love about yourself?

My sense of humor--a delightful combination of self-depracation and candor, passed down from a line of women who are so flat that they're nearly inverted and a father who thinks farting could be a viable olympic sport. This trait serves me well in the classroom, but it will prove more useful if my husband and I are blessed with the ability to procreate. Any spawn from my husband's sperm will be a flesh-bound fireball of energy, and I will need to find a way to drink coffee without spurring intestinal distress. Or, I need to add "duct tape wizard" to my skill set. 

3. If you could take a trip anywhere, where and with who?

In August 2013, my husband and I will have been together for NINE years. Hot dog. Although he grew up in Italy and speaks the language, he has yet to take me to his motherland despite the number of times I've made him endure Under the Tuscan Sun. (Admittedly, he loves it as much as I do. We also love French Kiss, one of the movies before Meg Ryan went all Stretch Armstrong in the face.) I know everyone says, "take a trip just the two of you," but we love being surrounded by our familial peeps. One day, I hope we travel with all of our DNA-sharers to the land of romance. Maybe I'll even end up with a mini me out of the experience. 

4. What is your favorite meal?

One of my students claimed that I eat bird food. A slew of dietary restrictions led me to a life of lettuce and its compatriots. I live a life of veggie tales and animal farm. I'm not too picky outside of that. 

5. What is your summer must-have or special summer place?

I rather enjoy the people watching in good ol' Ocean City, a beach in my lovely homestate of Maryland. 

My summer must have is most definitely watermelon. I might go eat some right now, in fact.

My questions for my nominees to answer:

1. What is your most embarrassing childhood memory?

2. What is the best book you've ever read and why?

3. Which one of your family members are you the most like?

4. What's the best trip you've ever taken?

5. Worst fashion trend? Best fashion trend?

I nominate:

Fellow teacher Terri over at Stylish Sass

Brynn (who might have already nominated me?) over at The Original Brynn

Natalie over at The Second Best Blog

Inge over at This Ever Evolving Life

Nichol over at Chol Fable (why can't we Americans be as cool as the people over the pond?)

 

Cobalt and Lime

School ends this week, and my brain is at a complete loss for words. I'm lucky I remember to wear shoes to work let alone offer you anything witty for contemplation. 

I'll tell you a few things:

1. I love bright colors.

2. Cobalt is my favorite color.

3. Lime might be my second favorite color (either that or yellow)

4. This dress feels like pajamas. 

I particularly love it when my hair blows across my face in such a way that it looks like I have a mustache. 

Thank you, sun, for making me look so angelic.

Awesome wind.

The Outfit

Dress: Apt. 9 via Kohl's (exact)

Cardigan & Earrings: Target (similar)

Shoes: Jennifer Lopez via Kohl's (exact)

Linking up with Molly.

Jailbird Lace

We attended a graduation party and a birthday party today. It goes without saying that I wanted to be comfortable, but I said it anyway. I tried to put on pants, but that didn't end well after I slathered on lotion. You'd think lotion would lube up my legs and make the putting on of pants like a slip and slide. No. I can't touch my toes without bending my knees, so the gymnastic ability it requires to put pants onto my well-lotioned legs is beyond my skill set. I settled for this black maxi skirt that I bought while shopping at Kohl's with Momma dukes yesterday. She liked this shirt and skirt combo when I tried it on, so I went with it today. Any time Mom thumbs ups something, the world gives it a gold star, so I stuck with it. I thought about tucking in the shirt, but that would decrease the comfort factor, and who am I to spit in the face of comfort? Is it too loose and free? It's okay if you say yes, I'll still wear it again because I do what I want. Plus, I like walking into public wearing something that's as comfortable as pajamas without being pajamas. You feel me? 

Outfit:

- Top: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's 

- Skirt: Elle via Kohl's 

- Wedges: Aerosoles (need to replace them)

Pep Talk & an $8 dress

It's that time of year again. No, it's not a jolly 'oliday with Mary. (I might be the only one on the inside of that joke.) It's the end of the school year. The end of the school year brings with it bucket loads of stress for so many people. I find myself wanting to throat punch students who obnoxiously whine (is there any other kind?) because they have to study since they didn't pay attention the first fifty times their teachers covered the material that will now end up on their exams. Teachers are spread thin with exam creation, make-up work from students who should've had better sense to complete it sooner, frantic, my-kid-has-to-earn-an-A parents, and all other sorts of nonsense. I used to be type A, but I've taught myself to just say, "whatever. It'll get done." I've probably tacked ten years back onto my life by adopting this mindset. The truth is that I know that I won't accomplish things any quicker by stressing about them. In fact, I'm the kind of person who's paralyzed by stress. (I'm aware that some of you are fueled by it, and I sure do feel sorry for you.) If I feel overwhelmed, I shut down. To avoid this tragic outcome, I take a few deep breaths and remind myself, "It's cool. It'll get done, Danielle. You always get it done." Good pep talk, self. 

I think we so desperately want to please everyone--our bosses, our kids, our students, our clients, our spouses, our parents, our friends, our whatever--that we leave nearly no room for ourselves. When that happens, almost no one gets the best of who we can be. We say yes so often that we sometimes cannot remember what we've said yes to doing. As a result, tasks remain undone and favors end up forgotten. Later, we kick ourselves for not being good enough when the problem is not our being good enough; it's our taking on too much because we care so much. Whoever said "I can only please one person a day and today is just not your day" is probably off drinking a delicious beverage with an umbrella in it because they've figured it all out in a way most of us have not. (I'd stereotype and say that "us" really means women, but I know that would be unfair. A lot of dudes are the same way. I guess.) 

Here's the thing: no is one of the first words we overuse as toddlers and one of the first words we don't say enough as adults. To save your sanity, improve one of your relationships, get more sleep, or feel less cranky, I challenge all of you to reteach yourself the word that two-year-old you was so wise to love.

And on to the real reason you visit me here at this little ol' blog. My awesome fashion sense. 

My husband decided to take a selfie first. 

Based on my wardrobe choices, I'm pretty sure my favorite colors are yellow and blue. I can't stop wearing them.  

I think this bow completes the entire ensemble.

The following image freaked me out on Google+ (when did it start making these!?), so I'm freaking you out, too. I feel like the image's soundbite should say, "WEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

The Outfit:

Dress: Target for $8 on the clearance rack

(I own it in black and stripes. IT HAS POCKETS.)

Flats: Nine West via Marshall's

Belt: New York & Co.

Blazer: Express

Arrow necklace: Stella and Dot

Bow clip: Forever 21

While taking these pictures, Jeff exclaimed, "you need a tan." Thank you for the vote of confidence, sweet husband of mine. 

Linking up here, here, and here. 

It's like a SOW-nah.

Let me just throw down some randomness today.

One: my classroom was like a SOW-nah today. (See this video if you don't know what I mean.) 

During fifth period, I hunted down the head custodian and explained the following, "You see, my room is sort of like a swamp today, and while that's manageable right now, my freshmen will arrive in sixth period. Since freshmen have not yet realized the beauty of deodorant, my room will smell like swamp ass. No one wants that." I'm hoping that I made him laugh hard enough to rectify the situation. We measured the temperature, and it clocked in at a whopping 86 degrees, which felt like 110 inside of a Georgian's armpit. I'm wearing a sports bra and shorts to work if someone doesn't stock my classroom full of ice cubes tomorrow. 

Two: I teach a student who's going to be a stand-up comedian. I'm sure of it. Every day he makes me laugh until my stomach hurts. Today, he delivered a priceless gem: "In my stocks group, we picked toilet paper because there's no off season for pooping." Truth. 

Three: THIS happened. I'm dying. 

Four: This skirt was $7 at Target. Be on the lookout for tomorrow's dress that cost $8. 

The word "excitement" doesn't even cover it. 

Would you like to know what's better than its price? (I know. What could be better!?) 

IT.HAS.POCKETS. 

I can stash the cash I saved in those pockets of mine. 

Look! Saving a dime makes me rhyme! 

Okay. I'm finished now. 

The Outfit:

Cardigan: Express (o-l-d)

Tank (which feels like buttah on my skin): White House Black Market

Skirt: Target (not the same one, but it's cuuuute. I want it.)

Shoes: Marc Fischer via Macy's (last year)

Necklace: American Eagle

Linking up with Style Elixir on Tuesday and Molly today.