E-Mail Organization Tips

In checking my free, web-based (Yahoo!) e-mail this morning, I made some pretty amazing revelations...

{Revelation 1} I've had this free, web-based (Yahoo!) e-mail account since, oh, middle school!?!? (That's like 14 or 15 years ago, people!)

{Revelation 2} I have somehow been able to maintain this free, web-based (Yahoo!) e-mail account despite the constant threat of spam, junk mail, inbox overload, etc.

{Revelation 3} My husband (and probably many others), who also has a free, web-based (Gmail) e-mail account, has over 400 e-mails in his inbox. Most of it is junk, and it is so overwhelming to him, he has pretty much stopped using it.

Here are a few simple tips I've kept up with over the years in order to make my free, web-based e-mail account work for me.

{Tip 1} I check my e-mail often. I'm not going to say daily, but pretty frequently. I have a work-based e-mail, but I'm a teacher, so it has some pretty crazy filters on it. Not like I want to get racy e-mails or anything, but I can't even check my Yahoo! account at school (it is blocked), so I can only check it at home. Really the only thing that gets in the way of checking my e-mail daily is if I'm on vacation. Or...let's be honest, sometimes I just don't feel like it. However, checking your e-mail often will help to prevent inbox build-up!

{Tip 2} I create and use folders - lots of 'em! Whenever I have the rare occasion of seeing someone else's e-mail account (whether it be my husband's or a colleague's), I am shocked and appalled at the minimal use of folders. Come on, people! It's like your e-mail is just BEGGING to be organized! Folders are the internet gods' gift to un-organized people to get their rears in gear. When I read an e-mail, I always make the decision of whether or not I want to keep it or delete it. I only keep e-mails if they have sentimental value to me, or if I might need to look at them later. This will make sense in a moment when I give some examples of the types of folders I use. I delete a lot more than I keep. This is key! It's like getting rid of crap in your house...do you really need that sweater you used to wear in high school? Nope. Toss it. Same with your e-mail. Once you read it, yay! Great! Move on, and click on that little trash can. Anyway...here are the folders I have in my personal e-mail account:

• Blog (Stuff I e-mail myself regarding my blog, might include some pictures)
• Cheer (As a cheer coach at an all star cheer gym, I get weekly update e-mails from our gym owner, competition itineraries, etc.)
• Compass (A foreign exchange student program I almost taught English for last summer. It fell through, but we are going to try again in 2012.)
• Employment (From 2006 to 2010, I was in a perpetual state of looking for teaching jobs due to the fact that I was on one-year contracts for four years in a row. This is probably a folder I can now delete since I have a continuing contract - ThankYouJesus!)
• Family (Again sentimental e-mails...mostly from my grandma. It sounds silly to keep these, but they are nice to look back through from time to time.)
• Forwards (Another folder I can probably delete. Thankfully I don't receive too many forwards anymore - can anyone say annoying? - but there were a few that were keep-worthy.)
• Friends (Where I keep sentimental e-mails from girlfriends :o)
• Glamour Girl (A teen girls' ministry I was involved with. It is on hold for now, but I can easily look back if there's anything we need for the future.)
• Josh (My hubby. Sometime he sends me sweet e-mails. :o)
• Ooma (This is the service we use for our home's land line. It is entirely run through your wireless internet connection. They communicate with us solely through e-mail, so this is pretty important stuff!)
• Puppy (You never know when we, or someone we know, might want to get a new dog! We keep old breeder info. here.)
• Shopping (Anytime I buy something online and they send me those semi-annoying confirmation e-mails, I put 'em here.)
• Travel (With the many trips we plan with family and friends, a lot of ideas are thrown out there. This is where I deposit the on-going e-mail discussions.)
• Triumph (A high school leadership summer camp I work at. Lots of ideas e-mailed back and forth for planning.)
• Wedding (Even though I've been married for four years now, I just can't bring myself to delete this one. I've had friends and family members ask me various questions about my wedding, and I have actually referred back to this folder more than once!)
• Work (Self-explanatory! Anything teacher-related...)

{Tip 3} I use that "unsubscribe" link A LOT. It might take an extra 15 seconds out of your day, but if Staples is still sending you 10% off coupons, and you haven't been to that store in months - get rid it! This is something I have offered to do for my husband's e-mail account because random companies have completely infiltrated his inbox and taken over! It is always in the small print at the bottom of any .com's e-mail, and all you usually have to do is click, it'll take you to another website, and you say "ok" or exit out. Bam. Inbox instantly free'd up, I tell ya.

{Tip 4} I manage the stuff from companies I actually care about/shop at.{I'm not saying you can't have any type of shopping-related e-mail in your inbox, but I'm saying figure out how to use them. What I do is I only allow one e-mail from each company in my inbox at any one time. For example: Bath and Body Works sends me an email on the 1st of the month with a BOGO offer. Ten days later, I receive another B&BW e-mail with a 50% off offer. I delete the previous offer, and keep the most recent offer present in my inbox. That way, the most recent "deal" is always present for me to refer back to whenever I need some online retail therapy. Here are the companies I "allow" to be in my inbox: 

• Old Navy
• Bath & Body Works
• TOMS
• Better Homes & Gardens
• Victoria's Secret
• MyPublisher
• Alaska Airlines
• Banana Republic Factory Store
• Shutterfly

If keeping ONE of your favorite stores' e-mails in your inbox doesn't work for you because its too cluttered, I have a solution for that, too. I mainly only keep the ones that have special codes to use @ the check-out for free shipping, etc. However, I found a great website that you can search the store of your choice, and it will usually just give you the code. It is called Retail Me Not, and it is fabulous!

{Tip 5} If all else fails, delete your old account and start over. Even though I've never had to do this, this is the advice I would currently prescribe to my wonderful, loving, organizationally-challenged husband. (Love you, babe!) His account is so full of garbage that he really just needs a do-over. What better time for that than the New Year!

I'll do a future Teacher Tip Tuesday blog about my work e-mail account. This is a whole new ball game, folks! How do you manage your e-mail account(s)?

Bergman Christmas Cards 2011 Edition

Simply Jolly Christmas Card

Turn your favorite photos into Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Colorful Joy Christmas Card

Shutterfly Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Tree All Aglow Christmas Card

Find unique and Personalized Christmas cards at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

I Love Guns & Coffee

This knock-off/parody of a sticker/t-shirt/coffee mug company basically epitomizes my marriage. Today was an example of that: it started with church and coffee (in my I Love Guns & Coffee traveling mug) and ended with target shooting in the woods with friends and both of our brothers. It was one of those rare days that filled up both mine and my husbands' love tanks. How often does that happen for the both of us? Not often enough. We kind of have to be creative to think of an outing (dare I say "date?") that truly fits both our interests.

You see - he is your ultimate man's man. He LOVES guns. Like loves, loves, loves, loves, loves exercising his 2nd Amendment rights. Since one of our first dates was going target shooting with a group of friends from college, I should have known guns would be a permanent fixture in our relationship. Eight years later, I am absolutely correct; however, sometimes this passion of his is semi-annoying. You see - you can't just be a casual fan of guns. You have to go all out. At least if your name is Josh Bergman, you do.

{This is Josh opening a Christmas present last year. It is something gun-related. I couldn't even tell you what it is, exactly. However, he is super-stoked in this pic!}

{This is him explaining to everyone what this gun accessory actually is. He is very happy here.} 

{pure joy}

When his gun collection grew from one handgun and one rifle (manageable) to a few more (like five more?) - plus some of his dad's and my brother's guns - I was like, "WHOA. Our house is not Cabela's." (Thank goodness.) I requested that we get a safe, and we did. This is probably one of the best requests I have ever made in the entirety of our relationship, in my husbands' opinion. If you could imagine the look on his face when I was the one that suggested we make this purchase: priceless. The safe now holds my husbands' firearms and all of our important life documents. It was certainly an investment, but one that I'm okay with because I can lay my head on my pillow at night knowing we don't have pistols laying around all over the house. Sheesh.

{A big, bad, mama-jama, not messin' around safe - except ours is black}

Which brings me to the second half of our relationship: ME! I am pretty much your ultimate girl's girl. I LOVE coffee. Like love, love, love, love, love exercising my teeth chattering, I-need-caffeine-now gene. (Thanks, Mom!) Anyway, I'm sure my coffee addiction gets semi-annoying to my husband sometimes ~ actually, I know it does. Obviously a latte doesn't equal the price of a new gun, but this is the trade-off we mutually agreed to enter into when we said "I do" four years ago.

{Me with coffee in the Bahamas on our cruise in 2010. I was soooo happy to finally find good coffee after six days at sea!}

I love my husband with all my heart - guns blazin' and all. I also know he loves me: coffee stains continuously plaguing my car's cup-holders, coffee tumblers and accessories that easily take up one entire cupboard in our kitchen, my typical request of, "Can we stop for coffee?" anytime we go anywhere to do anything, etc. He accepts that this is me, and I accept that the guns are a part of him. One of the sweetest things Josh has ever done for me was last year on my first day of school in a new district. He went to the effort of stopping at a local coffee stand and buying a 16 oz. iced non-fat hazelnut latte and bringing it to my new classroom to say hi. Such a sweetie. The best part was that he got my drink order correct without asking, which shows he pays attention and knows me.

Its these small gestures - buying coffee and going shooting - that have helped our marriage to last so far (and hopefully for many years to come)... This is why that goofy sticker = my marriage. If you can honestly say you love guns and coffee, then you honestly love my husband and me!

Perspective

People often ask me how I can work at a school like I do. They always say, "No offense, but isn't it a little depressing to be around those kind of kids?" I typically respond with a question like, "What kind of kids?" to which they generally reply, "You know - tough, unmotivated kids from tough neighborhoods - like the one where your school is." I always try to tell them how great our kids are; that despite some tough ones we also have tons of really good ones who show up everyday, work hard in every class, and try to make something better for themselves. I also remind them that we have chosen this path because we believe that it is worth it to make the effort to help kids try and make a better life for themselves. Not only because it makes their life better, but because it makes the life of the people around them - brothers and sisters, moms and dads - better, and it has the potential to make the lives of their children and grandchildren better. How many other careers can you say that about?

I go home exhausted most nights as I know most if not all of you do as well. Exhausted from standing in the gap between the next generation of poverty and success. Exhausted from trying to figure out why its not yet working for this kid or that kid. Exhausted from dealing with the emotional weight of trying to fix what's broken with limited time, resources, and constant pressure from outside our building to do it better, faster. This is hard work. Nothing good is easy. Nothing worthwhile comes from coasting. We have chosen this responsibility because we believe we can still change the world one child at a time.

As you finish 2011, and you prepare to celebrate the holidays with your friends and families, remember as you start to join in the complaining about "what's wrong" with education today (and believe me, the list is long), remind yourselves that what you do everyday is part of "what's right." You might be the only person who reminds students that they matter, and what happens to them matters. You might be the only one who speaks kindly to them and calls them by their name rather than "Hey, you." You are what's right with education today. Your courage and willingness to "gut it out" are what motivates me to get up everyday and come back to a school like this one, roll up my sleeves, and wade through the muck beside you again and again.

I will celebrate this holiday with my friends and family secure in the knowledge that what we do matters and look forward to starting 2012 with such a dedicated group of professionals striving to help kids make their lives better. May God bless you and your families with laughter, good food, rest, and peace this Christmas.

This letter was in my teacher mailbox this morning. My Assistant Principal wrote it. It confirms that I have one of the greatest jobs in the world. My bosses truly care about our "work" (students) and the people who do the work (teachers). I could not be more grateful. If you are a teacher - thank you! I am proud to call myself a teacher alongside you. Hats off to the extremely intricate, detailed, individualized work you do everyday. If you're not a teacher - be one of the few to stand up for those of us who are "what's right."

Cheers to Christmas Break 2011-2012...

Teacher Tip Tuesday

Its not much, but here is one of the best ideas I've ever put to use in my classroom: day-of-the-week missing work folders. Where else to put all those extra handouts at the end of the day? In the past I've used boring old manila folders (blech). This year, I got creative and went to Staples to find some patterned ones (woop).

What to do at the end of the week when Monday creeps up on you all over again? I have a binder set-up underneath each bulletin board that I put the previous week's papers into. At the end of each unit, quarter, semester, etc. (whenever I need more room in the binder). I clean it out.

This is a great tool to put the responsibility on the student for getting missed work/handouts instead of the teacher. By now, the kids pretty much know the drill or are gently reminded by my pointing finger steering them in the right direction.

I've seen other teachers laminate their manila folders so they can write on the cover of the folder what the contents were (with a thin-tip dry erase marker). I've thought about doing this as a way to keep a running (weekly) list of previous Learning Targets ("I can" statements or objectives you might call them).

I hope this Teacher Tip finds you...well...ready for Winter Break! ;o)

{Social Studies}

{Language Arts}

{AVId}

Boots Were Made for Birthdays!

My birthday ways last month (happy 28 to me!), and my gracious mother-in-law betrothed me with a Nordstrom's gift card - Holla, thankyouverymuch!


My husband (who got a Cabela's card for his birthday - lame-o) and I set out a couple of nights ago to spend our money and get outta the house. I have a bad habit of letting gift cards sit, and I did not want this pretty to go to waste. Little did I know these little puppies would be calling my name the second I turned down the size 8 aisle...

So soft! And leather-y! And sassy. And a grrrrrrrrrrrreat deal. And I love them. So much so that I've worn them three days in a row (I know, that's a lot).


Also...I chose to showcase them in my new O.o.t.W. {Outfit of the Week}.

cardigan=Gap * top=Kohl's * leggings+boots=Nordstrom Rack

Where was it worn? To my husband's company Christmas Sunday brunch. Yum!

From Messy to Merry

Well. This is the first time I've intentionally taken before and after photos for the purpose of this blog. I'm not going to lie, it took some extra planning and foresight, but I am excited to bring you my first official b. & a. blog post!

I believe that anytime following the day after Thanksgiving is fair game for Christmas decorations to start popping up. My life-long love of ALL holidays persuades me to believe that each holiday should have its time in the spotlight. That means the day after a big holiday, you can fairly begin to decorate for the next one.

Since I was out of town for Thanksgiving and the Apple Cup last weekend, I was unable to decorate my home using my above-mentioned "rule." Even though I am one weekend-late, I am happy to present my before and after decorating attempt. By the way - I did not clean up at all for the before shots, so you're seeing my home as-is!

{living room before}

{living room after}

{mantle before}

{mantle after}

In my attempt to bring some creativity to this post, I taught myself how to make an online photo collage - real quick like. The one below literally took me five minutes, tops? Super easy (thanks to photovisi). It features some close up shots of some of my other decorations like the nativity, table centerpiece, and a close up of our UW Huskies themed tree (all photos taken with instagr.am).

My decorations aren't all etsy or trendy-like. Most of my decorations come from Target with a couple of hand-made hand-me-downs from my grandparents. My husband buys all of our Husky ornaments online, and I don't even have personalized stockings. I'm saving that for when we have kiddos someday. I think more than anything this season is about bringing warmth to your home by celebrating of the birth of Jesus. Merry {early} Christmas!

Keep your eyes open for a semi-consistent post that I'm planning on calling O.o.t.W. {Outfit of the Week}.

My fav TV shows

I love TV. Maybe its because I'm a product of the 80's/90's when TV was all we had (pre-internet, people). Maybe its because I have to have SOMETHING playing in the background while I grade piles of papers on the weekends. Maybe its because I like good ol' fashioned entertainment. These are a few of my faves...

Dancing With the Stars (DWTS as I like to call it). Here's why: I grew up taking tap and ballet classes, so dance has always been a part of me. I love watching people (celebrities) go from zero skills to beautiful dancers with intricate footwork and flowing arms to match. This past season was one of the best ones yet. With Rob Kardashian, J.R. Martinez, and Ricki Lake as the finalists, I literally did not care who won. They all made such amazing transformations throughout the season that they all deserved that sparkly mirror ball trophy. Turning point when I knew this show was for me: I cry when certain celebs are finally voted off: most recently Ricki Lake was the recipient of my tears. Lucky gal. They don't come around too often.

Revenge. Here's why: I like the main character (Emily VanCamp) because I first saw her star as a teacher in a made-for-TV-movie last year. As cheesy/cliche' as most made-for-TV-movies are, her character reminded me a lot of myself my first year of teaching. Inadequate. Clumsy. Idealistic. So when abc began blaring the previews for fall's new shows all over the place, I thought I'd give Revenge a try. It seemed the most mysterious/enjoyable compared side-by-side with Pan Am (eh...) and Charlie's Angels (flop). I also wanted to see Connor Paolo from Gossip Girl in a different role. He's pulling it off. Turning point when I knew this show was for me: VanCamp plays a character who most viewers could easily despise, yet she does it in such a way that doesn't put you off. It makes you want to be on her side - cheer for her - as she seeks to reconcile her father's wrongful fate with the monsters who got away with it all.

Criminal Minds. Here's why: My brother has been a diehard viewer since the very beginning. I joined in two seasons ago when he convinced me it was a "good show." Now most women would not trust their brothers' suggestions for "good" TV. However, my brother and I are sort of a different breed. We have pretty similar taste in most things, and we usually trust each others' judgment. Here's the deal: Criminal Minds is dark. Scary. Creepy. Makes-you-look-over-your-shoulder type stuff. SO I grudgingly decided to watch with him on one condition: that he would watch it with me because it was too scary for me to watch solo. Turning point when I knew this show was for me: My brother moved out, leaving me all alone to brave Criminal Minds on my own. I kept watching - not for the gruesome, freak-you-out type criminal stories, but for the layered, round, intertwining, moving story lines of the team you see above. They function as a family. There for each other when life gets tough: sick spouses, death, skeletons in the closet coming to the surface without warning/notice, reveling in grief (personal and professional), etc. I love their candid honesty with each other - especially Dr. Spencer Reid's Aspberger-esque comments. Finally, each show begins and ends with a quote of some kind, and as an English teacher, who wouldn't love that?

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Here's why: Because my life is nothing like these ladies'. It serves as a complete escape from anything remotely close to MY reality. Turning point when I knew this show was for me: I was flipping through the channels one Saturday when I was home alone, doing laundry, cleaning house. I needed a good marathon to get me through. SEVEN HOURS LATER...I was still glued to the TV watching the drama of season one unfold. Sheesh.

What TV shows are at the top of your fav list? Get you through your busy work week? Give you that feel-good-feeling in your gut?

Shutt-a-fly Gurl

I love shutterfly. In the last week I've created three different flat Christmas cards. (Who wants just one boring design?) A new set of return address labels. A cute little desk calendar full of pics with my hubs. It will sit on my desk at work, and I'll finally have something to show when my students exclaim, "You're married?! What does he look like?" <-- This seems like a semi-odd question until you take into account the fact that a 12 year old is asking it. I literally get some variation of this Q. about once per week. Anyway. I love shutterfly. If you're still looking for a website to fulfill your Christmas photography needs, I highly recommend!

Easter Sunday

I am thankful for His love for us. That He would die, lay in a grave, and rise from the dead. Sweep me away with your overwhelming love, Lord! (wordle)

Bring Spreak

Thank goodness for spring break, 2011!

Life has been insanely busy on the professional side of things - conferences last week, revision unit all wrapped up today (now on to grading those 95 puppies), planning novel curriculum for when we return (Tangerine by Edward Bloor), making work packets to get failing kids caught up, finishing up registration for next year, planning a retreat for next year's mentors this spring, etc.

In my personal life, I'm planning lessons to teach to a group of students from China this summer. The all star cheer season "wrapped-up" only to start again April 11. It is play-off hockey time, and the Chiefs are up 3-1 in a seven game series against Chilliwack. At the end of the month (hello, April!), I will help a local ministry put on a conference for young girls.

I love my life, but I have to figure out balance. There are so many more things I wish I could add-in, but I obviously cannot. Here are my "wish-list" items to add...

daily workouts
read for pleasure
paint: moulding, entryway, rec room, husky room, and "man cave"
clean out the garage and donate our crap stuff
vacuum out the cars
cook healthy, balanced meals
clean out my closet and go "re-fill" shopping
create some fun art projects to hang on the walls of my home
rake the leaves that got buried under our November snow
get my hair cut (bangs, anyone?)
get my nails painted with "shellac"
steal a weekend away for some girl time
steal a weekend away to Vegas!
install the above-mentioned moulding (might need hubby's help for this)
sleep
clean my house

What do you want to accomplish with the time you've been given?

Snow Day = Blog Day

I am not a profesh blogger by any means. Today, we had a snow day due to crazy winds and snow. This is the first snow day of the year, so I thought I would use it wisely. What better activity than blogging my day away? I couldn't think of one. Unfortunately, I am teaching myself how to design my blog and make it make sense, so it is still very amateur. I figured out how to add some new tags, friends, etc. but I still feel like my blog is lacking something extravagant. I only have two friends that follow right now - so this is really just for fun at this point in time. I know someday I will enter the world of "mom blogs," but we're not quite there yet! I am now so much more fascinated by this whole blog world. People really put some time into this - time I'm worried I don't have. Between teaching, coaching, my home, my marriage, my friends - I am tapped out! That is why I am grateful for this snow day. Any free time I didn't plan on having originally is a gift to me! What could be better than catching up on Gossip Girl and maneuvering my way through the tangled web of blog land. Any tips to help me out? I'd love to hear 'em. Until next time...

i.love.wintertime

I mean seriously - look at that!? This pic was taken a couple of Sundays ago at my parents' lake home on Loon Lake, WA. Family and friends skating, a pick-up game of hockey, and dogs chasing pucks all around. I love the balance of structure and chaos that winter brings. There is school, so life is pretty structured (at least for a teacher lady like me), but there is also the chaotic feeling that the weather causes us to experience. For instance: Will it snow? Will we have school? Ohp! Two weeks off for Christmas and New Years! Ohp! Two Mondays off for MLK and the Presidents! I'm okay with it. Also - I thankfully live in a warm home with warm clothes and plenty of warm food. Many do not. That is why winter also pushes us to be more giving and forgiving of others. Did I mention -BAM- the beginning of a new year is in the middle of this lovely season as well? What a fresh start, a new beginning, a chance to re-define yourself. Right in the midst of cold, snow, wind, and ice. The juxtaposition of death and new life is held in perfect balance during the winter season. Cold? Throw on a scarf. Hot? Take off your top layer. I love it. Did I also mention one of my favorite classic novels is set in the winter season? Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is one of my faves. I read it as a senior in AP English, and I think I'm quite due to read it again. I leave you with a quote from the novel:
"When I had been there a little longer, and had seen this phase of crystal clearness followed by long stretches of sunless cold; when the storms of February had pitched their white tents about the devoted village and the wild cavalry of March winds had charged down to their support; I began to understand why Starkfield emerged from its six months’ siege like a starved garrison capitulating without quarter" (Wharton).