Giveaway Winner Time

It's Giveaway Winner Time (from the Tuesday "Monday" Made It)!  

Using my cute assistant, he chose a name from the bowl.   

Then he didn't want to give it to me since he thought he could keep it.

But I finally got it away from him.  Congrats!  I'll email you right now.  :)  

Read More

Donors Choose

I love this website.

Last Friday when I was all tired from the last day of school, I got on the computer and uploaded 2 projects.

Project 1 is Heavy Duty Book Boxes for my entire class. 

Project 2 is an iPad 2 for more internet access for my students.

I checked school email (yes, I check during summer), and found out that for the first week of the projects the site is matching donations.  I clicked on the iPad project, and then I blinked since my $570 project is $96 away from being funded.  I'm like - say what???  So excited!

I'm thankful for partnership funding - they want to help my class!!!

So - come Friday if it hasn't been funded, I will be coughing up the $48 with the code "Inspire" (to match) and then next year I'll get the iPad for my kiddos.

SOOO excited!!!

Read More

Pinterest Professional Development

Good Morning!

Today I wanted to share some pins that I've been looking at as a possible thing for next year.  Ideas by Jivey is having "Pinterest Professional Development" linky in June.  Here are some of mine.  :)

My Writing Board

This Spelling Roll a Word is something I'm looking forward to trying next year as part of my Word Work station.  

I'm also looking forward to using this clip goal chart in my classroom.  

The big new writing thing I will be doing is using Nancy Fetzer's writing ideas.  I went to her training this past year.  Her website has a ton of free ideas and printables.  

My Math Board   

My students love Legos - so this next year I want to use the idea in my classroom for Area/Perimeter, and also for arrays and the properties of multiplication.  

When we get to fractions, I'm going to use this idea and hand out felt for the students to create felt fractions.  I love the idea that little paper bits won't go flying in the classroom.  

Another new to me fraction idea is using playing cards to review changing improper fractions, adding fractions, etc...

My Reading Board

I want to use this idea in all the different areas - just having a brainstorm center.  

  

I need to prep this - these are reading comprehension activities.

  

I really love this vocabulary idea to have kids unscramble the word with the definition right there.

Okay, that's it for the moment.  :)  I need to take all 3 boys to the dentist this morning for their 6 month check up (by myself this time around) - wish me luck!   

Read More

Monday Made It: Table Signs and Popsicle Place Value

I did it - I made something - I got my creativity back!  

So, I'm linking up with Tara for Monday Made It.  A day late, but if you read what I dealt with yesterday you will totally understand.  

What did I make?  Well, I decided to redo those poofy table numbers that have been flying high all last year.  I took them down last week - they were dusty and then they were hard to store...  So last night as I was wandering around Michael's looking for inspiration (I thought painting might lower my blood pressure), I found these big plywood shapes in the clearance aisle.  

Yes, I know apples are my main theme in my room and I still love them, I just also like the idea of a garden with these little birds...

...and these little birdhouses flying overhead.  

So I painted both sides the 2 of the colors that are throughout my classroom, bubble drew #1-6, and then painted the numbers white.  

I then traced over the outline edge of the white with red sharpie to finish it up.  

Here they are in my hallway.

I also finished up my Popsicle Place Value to Hundred Millions Activity Pack.  Place Value is the first unit I teach, so I made up task cards for intermediate students to identify digits and a matching game for students to identify values.  Since this will be taught in August/September, it was all about popsicles.  :)  

Want to win a copy of the Activity Pack?  Just leave a comment below (make sure you leave your email or have your email connected to your profile).  I'll choose a random winner on Thursday night!  

Have a great day!

Read More

Twas the First Day of Vacation...

Hi everyone.

I hope you have had a wonderful day.  Mine has been unexpected.

Today was the first official day of summer - not counting this past weekend - the day that I was supposed to be super mommy and snap my fingers to create a clean house and a Monday Made It.

Instead I woke up to an alarm clock (completely forgot to turn mine off), then my husband pulled a back muscle getting ready for work, which left him unable to stand/walk/crawl/move without screaming like a woman in labor - let alone head to work, so I called the advice nurse to get some advice as to how to get him off the ground, and they wanted to call an "non emergency ambulance" but he refused... so somehow he got downstairs and in the car while I got our 3 boys ready to head out the door to the hospital.

Thankfully we were able to drop little bits off at daycare since they do a special drop in thing for teachers on break... so then I didn't have to deal with his needing to go potty every 30 seconds.  The older 2 came with us.

The nice people at the ER took care of hubby and sent him home after 3 hours and 2 shots of medication - not a slipped disc like we feared, just a pulled muscle which means he needed some heavy duty pain meds that I had to go and pick up for him.  My boys were perfect little angels as we waited in the lobby area for the 3 hours - so thankful for electronics.

In the meantime, my boys have decided they like having breakfast in the hospital cafeteria.  Pancakes and a breakfast sandwich... which totally beats what I would have fixed for them at home.

They also appreciated the lunch from Jack in the Box as we were on our way home from the hospital after picking up little one at daycare.  I think they would eat every meal out if they could.

I did go over to school for approx. 10 minutes this afternoon to pick up my Sharpies since I can't believe I left them there on Friday.  I wouldn't want for them to miss me too much over the 9 1/2 weeks of summer.  I had great plans of working in my room - mainly just cleaning out my desk - but that thought fizzled as the heat of my classroom turned oven hit me as I opened the door.

Let me also mention the pile of dog puke and little bits pooping twice on the floor in his efforts to reach the toilet in time.

It's been quite the day... let me recap.

So - no Monday Made It.  No clean house. No finished TPT Place Value project.  No packing started.

Is it bedtime yet?  Hoping this day gets better...

Read More

June Goals and Currently

It's June... IT'S JUNE!

Today is my middle son's birthday - he's 7.  I can't believe he's already 7.  This June is a very busy month for us in regards to his birthday, my husband's 40th birthday, and Father's Day.  Add in the end of school, a messy "end of school" house, my dad's birthday 2 days ago, and needing to pack for a 10 day Alaska cruise, and it's starting to feel a little overwhelming.  

Onto goals...

First linking up with I <3 Recess

 

to share my June Goals.

How am I supposed to pack 5 of us for a 10 day cruise to Alaska in enough bags that the 2 of us adults can manage it all?  I have no clue since little bits is just starting week 3 of potty training... how much of what to pack?  The weather is so different than around here...

But it's Alaska - and it's going to be beautiful... and even if my boys wear the same thing over and over again I'm sure it won't really matter... since other than the 15 of our family members who will really care?  It's mainly just the potty training thing that might throw us for a loop.

As for the Blog/TPT goal - I feel really guilty that I haven't made anything new in a while.  I did bring home all my teacher editions and a copy of my classroom read alouds so I can take my time planning meaningful activities to go with it all.  I just have been feeling like I'm letting someone down by not being able to balance family and work and life.  I have had fun buying stuff though.  :)  

But it's only day 2 of vacation - so plenty of time to get it all accomplished, right?  I'll keep telling myself that.

...and then it's Currently Time with Farley

Pretty self explanatory.... I don't like the heat wave - already miss my spring temperatures.  Loving family time (we played Monopoly last night around the kitchen table) and vacation (hubby and I watched a marathon of Netflix last night).  Vacation essentials for me would be my Kindle, my new iPod Nano with armband so I can go walking (my phone is just too big and bulky to try and carry on my arm), and my Diet Berry Ice Tea.  

Better get ready for the rest of the day.  Breakfast, church, and family birthday party.

Have a great day!  

Read More

Random Moments and Motivation

Linking up with Doodlebugs to share about my week.

I know I have told you a lot about my week already - basically minute by minute over the past 5 school days...

Maybe it bored you.  :)

Anyhow, wanted to show you the less glamorous side of the week.  Don't judge me with the pictures.  By the end of it all I was in the stuffing mood and I DON'T CARE (at least I don't care right now, I will probably care as of Monday or Tuesday next week and make a trip into school to reorganize it all).

I shoved. 

Shoved many things into the cabinets.

I popped.  

...and popped popcorn.

I pushed.

Yes, I pushed the furniture around.  

I stapled.

I put up 3 bulletin board to get ready for next year - my Voices/Face, Info/Behavior, and my Vocabulary Wall.  

I stacked.

There was a lot of stacking on everything up high - but somehow everything got off the ground.  

.... and then I looked around and smiled :)

I also froze!  Otter Pops that is.  Isn't food just the greatest incentive?!!  Yes, that deserves a question mark since it's totally rhetorical and TWO exclamation points because it's so true.  This week with the darlings they wanted to be completely nuts.  Like overboard excited.  I was right there with them, but I held myself in check... barely...

These past 5 days, as part of our countdown, I was giving out treats right and left... and if they weren't behaving as nicely as they should I didn't give it to them when everyone else got theirs.  They had to be patient.  They had to be respectful.  They had to be kind to others... and when they could show me that they were on their best behavior they got their treat.  

Last Friday was the Smore's Cone.

Tuesday was our Pizza Party and Summer Birthday Celebration.

Wednesday was our Ice Cream in a Bag.

Thursday was our Reading Buddy Otter Pop Party.

Friday was Popcorn as part of our Movie Day.  

Lots and lots of treats.  :)  The kids brought in $5 to cover the cost of it all.  

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!  

Read More