napa
Posted: 03/29/2012 Filed under: outfits, trips | Tags: carneros inn, f21, fashion, h&m, j.crew, madewell, napa, outfit of the day, oxbow market Leave a comment »This is what I’ve been doing since yesterday:
B was on a work trip in Napa this week, so I took advantage of my spring break to crash in on him at his work event. Lucky me, he was staying at the Carneros Inn, a suuuper nice place. Our room was pretty insane. There was an outdoor shower!
We left Napa today, but stopped at the Oxbow Public Market on the way home. This place is basically just like the Ferry Building, but with Ritual Roasters instead of Blue Bottle and a Kara’s Cupcakes instead of Miette. I bought 3 cupcakes for myself (2 for later) and B only got one. =) B, being 6’4″ also got stuck sitting at the kids table. 
I decided to wear my pizza shirt today, since pizza goes so well with wine. right? And, I seriously love these Forever 21 sunglasses. They were cheap as heck ($6!!) and so darn cheeky. I love cheeky, off beat-ish things.
sunnies: F21 – cardigan: j. crew – tshirt: h&m – jeans: madewell – bag: pour la victore – boots: ZigiNy – nails: Essie Chinchilly
spring break is almost over! Tomorrow: snowboarding. Quite possibly the last time this winter season.
spring break whites
Posted: 03/26/2012 Filed under: outfits | Tags: anthropologie, f21, fashion, h&m, j.crew, madewell, outfit of the day 3 Comments »
I know it’s only spring break and not summer. But if I don’t start busting out the summer clothes soon, I’m going to start feeling depressed. There’s no school this week!!! woot! I went browsing through Downtown SF yesterday and of course had to check out the Madewell sale section. Surprise! The skirt I’ve been lusting after for so long is finally on sale! In my size! It was my lucky day. Still, it was super hard to fork over the plastic for an $80 skirt (the sale price even!). I think I stood in the store for a good 15 min debating over the purchase before deciding to buy it so that I could debate over it some more at home. $80 is a lot for a skirt, no? I’ve decided to keep it though, justifying the price by thinking about how it would be perfect for a really hot day, and it’s breathable since it’s silk. I’ve been thinking about the skirt ever since I saw the Madewell spring lookbook, and I’m going to wear the sh*t out of this skirt come summer. I wore it today to get a start on summer.
sunnies: F21 – sweater: anthropologie (old) – necklace and skirt: madewell – bag: pour la victoire – sandals: sweedish hasbeens for h&m – leather wrap bracelet and belt: j.crew – watch: marc by marc jacobs (old) – other wrist: the usual, paracord and an old bracelet from my grandma – bambi’s collar: from noe valley pet co.
The ThirtyOnes
Posted: 03/25/2012 Filed under: outfits, parties | Tags: birthday, fashion, urban outfitters 1 Comment »B turned 31 last thursday. So friday night, we all went out to celebrate, meaning really good steak at Harris’. I bought him a Cheap Monday Chambray shirt for his birthday. He hated it at first, begrudgingly tried it on to humor me, and ended up loving it, wearing it out that night. He rarely lets me dress him, so, success!! Happy Birthday, loves.
very quick, badly set up photo in B’s kitchen before we headed out for the night:
I love this Vasia dress. It looks like a dark and stormy windy night. I found it a while ago deep in the mess that is the Urban Outfitters sale section when they were having an extra 30% off sales promotion. Not bad for $27 right?
nude at school
Posted: 03/23/2012 Filed under: outfits | Tags: dolce vita, f21, fashion, gap, j.crew, spring, teacher outfits, teaching, urban outfitters Leave a comment »
sunnies: borrowed from aimee – shirt: gap – cardigan and belt: j.crew – wallet: UO – booties: dolce vita
Today was a minimum day at school, the day before spring break. SPRING BREAK!! At my school, we celebrate the beginning of spring with a festival where all the clubs set up tables and sell food to fund raise. I made like a good teacher and bought myself a snack from every table. No complaints from my belly yet! I should have planned accordingly though…my outfit was not very springy at all, just very neutral. Thanks to Aimee for letting me borrow her shades! And to my student A, who informed me today that it bugs her when her mom shops at F21, and so therefore, I should stop shopping at teen places also. Is she right? While I muse over that friendly comment from A, here are some other photos from Spring Fest, along with a cute one of my co-worker Nicole (english teacher) and her daughter Kira. Student faces are blurred out, so they look a little weird.
Blue Flowers
Posted: 03/21/2012 Filed under: outfits | Tags: bass, fashion, j.crew, karen walker, nail art, outfit of the day, teacher outfits, Warby parker 1 Comment »
The back is still getting better, kids have been calling me grandma for the past 3 days. I’ve been wearing the don’t-even-have-to-think-in-the-morning black pants/sweater combo for the past couple of days, so I decided to break out the prints today. I bought this dress a couple summers ago when I was in Perth for a few weeks. I still love it and in fact I picked up the old school saddle shoes a while ago to wear with this dress specifically.
These photos were snapped during lunch time. I was on the lookout for kids. By the way, my health class noticed how my nails matched my dress today. A happy coincidence.
glasses: warby parker – cardigan, shirt (layered for the cold SF weather) and bag: j.crew – dress:hello by karen walker – belt/sash: taken from another shirt, F21 – tights: h&m – shoes: bass – watch: marc by marc jacobs
sunny sundays
Posted: 03/18/2012 Filed under: outfits | Tags: f21, fashion, frye, gap, madewell 1 Comment »
It’s a sunny sunday, with hella cold wind whipping around. B and I met a couple friends for brunch at Bar Tartine earlier. We wanted to chill out at Dolores Park for a bit after, but the San Francisco weather today is prohibitively cold. So instead, like any good little SF techie/teacher, we are both now sitting inside, staring at our laptops. I blame my bad back. Last friday, my back decided it was time to sieze up on me, like it does at least once a year. It hurts. a lot. And, as well as wincing in pain with every step, I was stuck at a 45 degree angle for the past two days. Today I’m more at a 80 degree angle from horizontal. I stuck on a happy face so that B could snap some photos in front of my neighbor’s garage.
I wore this dress last time to a girl’s night out here. Not much of a mix up this time, but the cold weather called for leggings, boots and my beat up but loved 6 year old pea coat. What’s hidden underneath it all is one of those grandpa style back braces that employees of Home Depot wear. It’s seriously un-sexy.
sunnies: f21 – coat: hella old Gap – dress: madewell – leggings: target – boots: frye – tote: Marc by Marc Jacobs (gift from my sis), last seen here - necklace and bracelet: old family heirlooms
P.S. check out how Rachel from That’s Chic wears my same dress here. I love this dress!
put your hand on your heart and tell me…
Posted: 03/14/2012 Filed under: fun stuffs | Tags: dissection, heart, high school, physiology, science class, teaching science 2 Comments »
We dissected sheep hearts today in my Physiology class. ”this was the highlight of my year, Ms. Scheck”, a student said. That one tugged at my heart strings for sure. Which by the way, if you’ve never dissected a heart before, heart strings are a real thing. They hold your valves in place so to speak. Here they are below:
Today was a good day.
the teacher uniform
Posted: 03/14/2012 Filed under: fun stuffs | Tags: blogging, dress codes, teacher outfits, teaching 4 Comments »Teachers generally are not known for dressing well. It’s all about comfort and functionality when you are on your feet all day. Not to mention sweating like crazy when the sun is shining in the classroom but shivering like a mad woman when it’s overcast, getting white board maker crap all over your face/hands/hair/clothes, and getting boogered on. Yes, I’ve had to deal with boogers, even at the high school level.
I am not one of those teachers who follow the teacher wardrobe mantra of:
- wear loose shapeless clothing
- no make-up (well ok, only neutrals)
- shoes for comfort over style, all the time
- neutral colors so that students focus on you and not your outfit
- cover all skin, shoulders and legs included
- try look older than you are, to look like you mean business and to prevent from being mistaken as a student
- avoid shopping at the same stores as the students
Instead of subscribing to this boring teacher’s uniform, I’ve have:
- shown up to class wearing matching sweaters with a student
- worn bright lipstick on cloudy boring testing days
- regularly wear kitchy funny t-shirts that help illustrate the day’s lesson such as this one. Also a big fan of this, this and this.
Do all students take me seriously at all times? Of course not. Doesn’t matter what you put on in the morning, you will always have those students who don’t take you seriously. For the most part though, students know that when I mean business, they better mean business too. I tell them, “this is my serious face” and they hop right in line (just kidding). If anything, I really believe that my fashion sense (or lack of sense) helps make me more relatable and authentic for my students. Students from urban areas do not automatically view teachers as authority figures and afford respect. Teachers have to earn their trust and their respect. I learned that my second day of teaching. My personality helps me build relationships with my students. It’s Bio/Physiology/Health during class time, and nail art, fashion shopping, etc during lunch and after school.
On that same note…..one student has found this blog so far. He’s peeked at it once, mentioned it in class and has since completely forgotten about it. No google searches for Ms Schenck recently =)
Here are a few outstanding blogs I read (or have read) regularly who are also authored by teachers. Are there any more out there?
Past the Mission – of course, my lovely fellow teacher!
Complex Cardigans (sadly, recently ended but with a great archive of posts)
Academichic (also defunct but with a great archive)
the regulars
Posted: 03/13/2012 Filed under: fun stuffs | Tags: bare minerals, beauty, benefit, kiehls, makeup, tarte Leave a comment »The 5 things I put on my face every morning, for the past 5 years:
1) moisturizer/sunscreen: Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer SPF 15 - The best basic. No smell, non-greasy, protective and hydrating. Not to mention fairly affordable at $31 for a bottle that lasts about 2.5 years. Are there expiration dates for stuff like this? shrug
2) concealer: Benefit’s Play Sticks - I only put it on whatever spots I happen to have that morning, and around the edges of my nose where I’m always red. 30 seconds and I’m done. The best non-drying, full coverage concealer ever, though it is marketed as a foundation. One $34 stick will last me almost exactly a year.
3) and 4) powder foundation: Bare Minerals Matte Foundation/Bare Minerals Mineral Veil – No need to talk about it right? Hasn’t everyone and their mama tried this out at least once? I hate having to put two things on for the same purpose, but the Mineral Veil does make a difference. One $28 tub of the foundations will last me about 6 months and one $20 tub of mineral veil will last me a year.
5) blush: Finally, my favorite product of all time, Tarte Cheek Stain in the color Blushing Bride (stupid name). I look like a colorless zombie without at least some cheek color on. This stuff is the best. All natural, smells great, sheer, no shimmer (I hate shimmery stuff) and versatile. Makes a great lip color too. $30 and I’ve had the same tube for 2 years so far. More than half the stick is still left. Granted, I do switch out this item for others here and there, but I always go right back to it eventually.
All in all, my 5 step morning routine takes 3 min, tops (not including teeth brushing and face washing – otherwise it would be 6 min). Not bad right?
oh, and something fun I saw in the Mission a while ago out with Aimee and Anne: holla!!
a few things
Posted: 03/12/2012 Filed under: fun stuffs | Tags: fitbit, health, nail art 2 Comments »I got a Fitbit last thursday! A Fitbit is basically a glorified pedometer that tracks steps and flights of stairs all day with the aim to have at least 10,000 steps a day. B got one a few months ago and loved it, so I started getting curious about my steps as well. Now I’m getting competitive. 13,046 steps yesterday while snowboarding. 13,645 today (and there are still more to come). I’m kicking butt. The average American gets in about 5,000 steps a day, so I’m ahead of the game. yay. 13,645 steps for me = my average day teaching + taking bambi on a 2.5 mile walk.
After the long walk, and planning my lessons for tomorrow, it was nail art time. I followed this tutorial, I loved the pattern and my new bronze nail polish by Milani.
I love this new polish. Also used last friday when Aimee and I unwound from the week watching movies and “getting our nails did” (like the kids say).
And lastly, I went browsing at the mall the other day and picked up this dress at Forever 31 (that’s what I’m calling it now a days since “I’m 10 years too old to be shopping there”– a witty student from health class). Cute, no?
