Online Shopping

Thank goodness for online shopping! After just one visit to a mall this Christmas weekend, I'm eternally grateful for purchasing nearly all of my Christmas gifts from the comforts of my condo. Honolulu is known for its traffic, but I could've never imagined witnessing a 15-20 minute traffic jam just to exit the mall parking lot!

This year I relied on Ebay.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, and some specialty online retailers to find all of my gifts. Shipping to Hawaii can be an issue, but because of my upcoming mainland trip, I was able to have everything shipped to Louisiana. Courtney and I did venture to Ala Moana, a super-nice mall in Honolulu, to baby shop. We found some cute outfits for my godson, Nate, and her friend's baby shower.

On another note, I've found it difficult once again to get swept up into the Christmas spirit here in Hawaii. With the sunshine and warm weather, Christmas seems like a foreign concept. It has been a little chillier than usual (high 81, low 70), but we also haven't decorated, which could be a contributing factor.

Three more days of teaching before the voyage home! Can't wait!

Honolulu Marathon - 2 days away!

DonorsChoose.org

I've heard about this site for a while now, but it was just recently opened up to Hawaii teachers. It's a site designed specifically for teachers, and it allows them to post grant proposals on anything that will influence student learning. Anyone can donate, funding all or part of a proposal. I'm not sure who is out there giving, but there certainly are some generous folks helping out.

Courtney has submitted two proposals that were fully funded, so I decided to give it a try. I have a pretty extensive classroom library, but am missing books that catch the low end of my readers. I submitted a proposal for $260 worth of books, third-fourth grade level adventure books that would expose my students to different parts of the world. Within two days it was fully funded! At the beginning of January, I should receive all of my books. My students will be stoked!

Here's a link to my proposal (already funded). With Christmas around the corner, sending a gift to a teacher through donorschoose.org would be a fabulous way to spread some holiday love :)