Interview Time!!

Long time, no blog. I know...

I had an opportunity to go to Florida with my boyfriend's family and took them up on the offer. I was off of work for a total of about 13 days!! Good Friday, spring break, Weekends, and my vacation all helped me relax.

With summer approaching I have been a hot mess wondering what I am going to do when summer comes around. I have told you I'm a teacher, why would I need an interview for a job so badly, right? Well... I've been paid as a sub for the past year and a half and have finally been offered an interview... (for the job I'm already doing) if it sounds weird and confusing, then yes, you're following along.

Anyway, Friday is the big day! I am nervous considering this will be my first serious interview. Plus, this could be the difference between me working a cash register all summer or working on my tan instead. I'm opting for the latter. In order to ensure I will be the number one candidate I have obviously been preparing since the phone call came in on Monday. These have been my main focuses:
1. Have Up to date resumes to distribute to each individual on the interviewing panel. I also made copies at Staples on thicker, ivory paper to stand out and look professional.
2. Think of my outfit! I want no controversy when I walk in the room. I am going to interview in basic black pants from Express and a grey with black lapel blazer by Rampage. I'll probably wear a black ruffle blouse underneath (because my white button down has a sauce stain on the collar) . For shoes I will wear black alligator esque pumps that I can easily walk and teach a mini lesson in. I'll wear a watch and maybe pearls and my hair will be away from my face, but still down. (I look like a toddler when my hair is up and I'm trying to be a big girl.)
3. Extreme attention to detail on my mini lesson plan! I have plenty of copies of my lesson plan so they can see my objectives. I am also engaging them in the lesson by reading them a two line imagist poem and asking them to draw what they envisioned in their head when I read to them. I will then break them into groups and have each group do a different task based on their accelerated reading scores. Each group will focus on the same intervention skill though: understanding author's craft.
4. Organizing my teaching portfolio. I want to be prepared to show data driven decision making, differentiated instruction, out of the box assessment methods, etc.
5. Reviewing possible interview questions. Even though I work in the school in the very position I'm interviewing for, I'm still nervous that they may bring up educational jargon that I am not familiar with.
6. Preparing questions for them.
7. Reviewing data/demographics/CAPT scores of school.
8. Of course there's a million other little things I'm doing because when it comes to having a salary or not I absolutely need to be a perfectionist and be over prepared. I want to come across as confident, capable, and worthy.

Any tips for miss?

Night to Day

As young professionals, we tend to have more "night" wear and fewer "day" pieces. On a beginners budget, it only makes sense to re-use what you have and pray it works (or pray for a promotion)!

I have a gorge underwire corset top strapless dress with a bubbly-esque bottom. I usually wear it with fierce black platform open toe pumps... But black can be a bit much during the day.

Here's a solution to transform it from night to day:
1. Layer a simple black tank with thicker straps underneath
2. Choose flats or wedges to tone down the va va voom
3. Accessorize black with teal, coral, and gold. The black makes these bright colors pop. In my opinion, try to stay away from hot pink and black because if done incorrectly it looks cheap.

What do you do to transform night wear to day wear?

Recycle your wraps/sandwiches

Quick Lunch Hint: (You may already do this, but just in case you don't...)

Scenario: You're out for lunch or dinner and order a wrap. You eat half because you're watching your girlish figure. But funds are tight and you'd hate to see half your wrap go to waste. You're apprehensive to bring the wrap home because you know you won't eat a soggy wrap.

Solution: Bring the wrap home and empty the contents for a salad.

Example: Chicken Caesar Wrap into a Chicken Caesar Salad. Voila! (I added croutons.)

What are your favorite left overs from restaurants? Do you change them up like I did?

Spring is black!

For those of us on a budget, we don't always have the ability to buy the newest seasonal trends. We have to re-use our clothes and rock them to the best of our ability. Black is a color that everyone has plenty of... With that being said, it doesn't really liven up a room the way bright colors would for spring. Since black goes with practically everything, I say you enhance the black that you have with two colors: teal and coral. What's brighter than those two colors? And what color makes them pop more than white? BLACK

I'm on a gold kick lately, but silver has always been a fav of mine too... I think the gold just makes it all look cultured and chic. Take a look below at some of my favorite coral and teal/turquoise pieces.

I made the gold chain necklace; the coral, wood, and gold chain necklace; and the silver and teal disc necklace. The gold bangle was my grandmothers. Some of the other pieces I bought from Charlotte russe and American Eagle.

Look how I stack my brackets:

Notice how in this picture I'm wearing a khaki colored jacket. This has been my go-to spring piece so far! It even goes well with a black shirt underneath. I wear it out and to school and sometimes don't even bother to take it off.

What's your favorite color with black? Or what's your favorite color combo for spring?