The DIY Woman

We live in a DIY culture. With easy access to the internet and our beloved Pinterest, it has become increasingly popular to do everything ourselves. Whether it's a new recipe or doomsday prepping, Pinterest has it all. And I love it. In the midst of house shopping, I went on a pinning spree of DIY house remodeling. What? I can remodel a whole kitchen for under $500? That's amazing. *Pins* You can redo countertops with spraypaint? *Pins* And so on. 

Pinterest is especially wonderful for my classroom. When looking for a good Thanksgiving craft for my kids the other day, I didn't even bother with Google (what is this the Stone Ages?), I went straight there. And I love it. I love finding things I never thought I could do. I love pinning projects I know I will never complete or things I know I will never own. It's like window shopping on your couch. It's perfect.

 But here's what I think. (Take it or leave it). Sometimes Pinterest can make me feel...small. Let me explain. My husband and I recently went through the process of joining our church. Part of this process included thinking about your gifts and talents, and what you can get involved in doing for the church and for God. This is where the thought came from. There are A LOT of things that I wish I was good at. Singing, for one. I love worship music and my car is my personal concert. But I know that singing can't be my thing. Art is another thing. Back in the day before reality set in, I thought I would be an architect. Until I realized that I absolutely CANNOT draw. I can't build or fix things. I can't talk for long periods of time in front of crowds. I can't bake and decorate cakes that look like they should be on Cake Boss. (Another talent I wanted to have once upon a time). I can't build houses or fix computers or do anything other than drive my car.

And the thing about Pinterest and the DIY movement (as I'm calling it), is that it makes you think you CAN do it all. Homemade chapstick? I can make that! No, Hannah, you can't. You can't make a homemade cake. Don't even go there. Build your own farmhouse table? What? I can do that! No, Hannah, you can't. You can't even hammer a nail properly. If someone on Pinterest says it's "DIY" or "Make it Yourself", I should be able to do it, right?! That's where I think we're wrong.

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) says, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms". Similarly, Romans 12:6 says, "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us".

What I'm getting at is that "DIY" is not a gift. I cannot do everything. You cannot do everything. Not every project I take on will be successful, and I shouldn't feel bad if it doesn't. As social media has taught us, not everything is as good as it seems. If you follow me on Instagram, chances are you won't see me post a "I woke up like this" selfie, because that is a truly terrifying site to behold. I don't let my husband video me when I'm grumpy because I wouldn't have any Facebook "friends" after that. We show what we want others to see. If my "DIY" project didn't turn out, I'm not going to post it on Pinterest for others to try out.

But here's the good news. God tells us we are "fearfully and wonderfully made". In Jeremiah 1:5 He says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart". God doesn't expect us to do everything. My worth to Him is not determined by my Pinterest projects or my craftiness. 

I think another fuel to this fire is our obsession with the Proverbs 31 woman and being just like her. "She makes coverings for her bed" (v. 22). "She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes." (v. 24)

Here are the verses I want to draw your attention to: "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue" (v. 26), "She is clothed with strength and dignity" (v. 25), and "Honor her for all that her hands have done" (v. 31). Here's the thing, I don't think God is calling me to be the perfect woman. I don't think God wants me to spend my days making "linen garments" or sashes. First of all, because they would suck. Second of all, it's not my thing. I should let someone that is actually good at that, do that. Instead, I choose to focus on the "honor" and "strength" and "dignity" and "wisdom" that I know he wants to give me.

God gives us what we need. Not what we want. Not a perfect singing voice to me (probably because he knows I would be selfish about it and not God-glorifying). Not the mind or hand of a mathematician, carpenter, computer worker, or artist to me. But He did give me the magcial, powerful patience it takes to be a teacher. And He did give me a sprinkling of creativity to go along with that. 

So my point is this. Shake off the pressure of a DIY culture. Take Pinterest projects with a grain of salt. Stop obsessing over the Proverbs 31 woman. God fearfully and wonderfully made you. Just as you are. And though he wants you to grow and improve, He doesn't expect you to do it yourself.

P.S. - If you need to feel better about your DIY skills, or just need a laugh, check out http://pinterestfail.com/  

      

Yes, I'm Still Alive! What I've been up to and some test prep literacy centers.

Hello, world!

Sorry I have been completely AWOL lately. I've been a little busy surviving my first year of teaching!!

This teaching thing is no joke! There are so many "firsts" to take care of. Teaching everything for the first time, learning what I like and don't like, what works and doesn't work, what to do and what not to do...the list goes on and on.
Anywho, I've (obviously) had to take a step back from the blogging world to get used to all of the craziness that is teaching and still having a life (as much as possible, anyway). 

I am currently on Spring Break (woohoo!) so I am coming out of my crazy-teacher-cave to say hi and share a little bit of what I've been up to. 

It would take so many more posts to catch you up on all that my fourthies and I have done this year. There have been ups and there have been downs. There have been crying days and there have been proud days. So, I will save that all for a post at the end of the year with some advice for newbie teachers or even just a good laugh for more seasoned teachers. 

For a glimpse, however, you can check out my TPT store. Though I am not able at the time to create as many new products as I would like, I have been posting the products I create for my kiddos and my classroom throughout the year. 
Currently, I just posted something I have been working super hard on lately- my "Grammar is Great" Literacy Centers. A week after spring break, my fourthies are taking The Big Test. You know the one. To make our review week more hands-on, I worked up six centers for my kiddos and I to work on. These are cute sorting activities for everything from parts of speech to fragments and run-on's. 

So I am off to enjoy the last few days of my break and two more crazy months of school. And then I'll be back for good!
In the mean time, follow me on TPT and Pinterest, two of my favorite places :)

Much love,

Favorite Pins Friday and a Freebie!

Happy weekend everyone! Today I am linking up with Favorite Pins Friday from Cara at The First Grade Parade.

I LOVE Pinterest. It's my go-to for everything these days...ideas, projects, school stuff, outfits, recipes, inspiration. I just love it. Speaking of, you should follow me!

Now for some of my favorites...

 

This pin is from Mrs. Tabb over at Another Day in First Grade. In this post she talks about how she decorated her classroom for under 25 dollars! WHAT. When I saw this pin, I just had to click on it. I wish I could say that's how much I spent on my classroom! However, I was really inspired by her ideas. For example, I love this statement from her:

"I have come to realize that if I have access to butcher paper and a color printer, I can decorate my entire room and barely spend any money."

And honestly, though I have of course spent more than 25 dollars on my classroom, this is so true. Though I did buy a few teacher-store items (Creative Teaching Press borders, Class Job Charts, Welcome poster, etc.), I have found that through blogging and TPT you can make most of the things you need for cheap! Seriously. Between my printer and a $10 pack of scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby, I have completed so many projects. Like my Chevron Classroom Numbers and Library Labels! Just $1 in my TPT store or free for Facebook fans that comment with their email ;) I also love love her idea about using scrunched up butcher paper as border. Genius!!! Why have I never thought of this? Since reading her post, I've already used butcher paper as borders for two of my bulletin boards in my room. So unique, easy, and of course, cheap! Check out how she does it in her post. Later on, when I post classroom pictures (hopefully soon...) I will show you guys how I adapted her idea.

Another favorite pin! This one's from Eryn at Elementary Organization. Or at least that's where it took me to. I couldn't find it on her blog, so if you do, help me out! I love the idea of Log-In cards for the computer, or even having a set for my own sanity! At my last school, passwords changed a lot, so I don't know if this idea would work. Maybe a dry-erase version? (See- any excuse to laminate!) I'm thinking of making a set for my "technology technicians" once the school year gets started.

And now for a completely un-teaching-related pin...

Otherwise known as confessions of a shoe-a-holic! Haha. And that i definitely am. These beauties linked to Red Dress Boutique. Although they apparently exist there no longer :( Oh well, I guess they'll just be eye candy! But their site still had some cute things to look at (and not very expensive)!

Ahhh. Don't you love that? It's like chapstick for your soul. What a great reminder. I think I pinned this back when I was on the job hunt (not that long ago!). And God certainly answered that prayer! I always appreciate a good reminder to trust Him and His plans. 

Aaaaaaand one final teacher-y pin for the day...

These are file folder lapbooks from Denise at Sunny Days in Second Grade (Super cute blog!) Her post explains them like this: "Lapbooks are file folders with informative minibooks and/or games pasted inside them. They are great for organizing information that students have researched, reinforcing skills taught in the classroom, as a portfolio assessment at the end of a unit, and so on."

How cute, right? It's like a mini scrapbook! What a unique way to combine so  many things...assessment, research, creativity, summary, vocabulary, art....I love this! I can definitely see myself using this idea for a unit or research project. And so much cheaper than posterboard, am I right?

So anywho, those are some of my favorite pins! It was really hard to choose though. I love my Pinterest. I guess I'll just have to link up again sometime! ;) 

Oh, and I almost forgot! I posted a freebie in my store last night! I love inspiring quotes for the classroom. Especially quotes about reading and learning. So I scoured the "interwebs" (as my hubs says) to find my favorites. I typed them up in some cutesy fonts (thank you, Jen Jones) and pasted them on some scrapbook paper and ta-da! They are ready to go! After I laminate them, of course, because I'm a mad woman. But, getting to the point here, I posted the file for free in my store! So go get them and do the same!

Have a great weekend!