Using Donors Choose

Hello to all.  It has been months since I have posted a new update.  I am back to my old teaching stomping ground.  This year, I am teaching 2nd grade.  It is very exciting.  However, I am absolutely exhausted.  So I will make this post short and sweet.  I have just submitted my first project to Donors Choose.  I would like to know if you have been successful using it or if there are any tips that I should consider when posting projects.  Thanks:)!

Manic Monday at Classroom Freebies and Made It Monday at 4th Grade Frolics

Howdy all!  I haven't blogged in forever!  I am still waiting for news on next year.  But I have started some projects that I can use next year should I ever find out I have a job.  Today my freebie is crayon jar labels.  I was inspired by Pinterest, of course, to make a jar for each basic crayon color.  Then, should a student need a crayon in a specific color, they can go to that particular jar and grab that color.   Easy peasy right?  Below is a somewhat blurry photo of my jars.  They are half pint canning jars.  I spray painted the lids with a flat black, grabbed some ribbon, attached my freebie label, and voila!  Feel free to use the labels in any way you like!

I am also linking up with Made It Monday over at 4th Grade Frolics. This is one of the first projects, my crayon jars, that I have actually finished in the hopes of having a job next year. I am trying to complete projects that can work in multiple grade levels because I have no idea where I will end up. Next on my long list of to dos is creating a teacher binder, completing my teacher toolbox, and painting all of my bookshelves flat black. Wish me luck and go link up with your back to school projects. Oh and by the way, I went to my local Walmart today. School supplies are beginning to appear where summer stuff used to be! Is summer almost over?



Crayon Jar Labels

Gorgeous!

For those of you who read my blog, I am still playing the waiting game as far as next year. I hope to have details by the end of this week. We shall see!

And I just had to share this beautiful photo of the Mackinaw Bridge. It is a gorgeous Father's Day in Northern Michigan.

Mrs. Stanford's First Linky: Good Reads!

Mrs. Stanford is having her first linky party and I am joining up!  I am a little late to the party.  But I still wanted to join because maybe someone is looking for good reads for the summer or books to read in their classroom.  Because I was laid off this year, I don't really have any recommendations as far as teachers books, but I have written down a ton of them from the other linky party participants.  So if you haven't read through all the other links, go do so now!

Before I get started, I have a tip to share from my favorite retired teacher friend.  She keeps a small spiral bound notebook in her purse with all of the books she wants to read.  She has pages dedicated to her favorite authors or authors with more than one book she would like to read.  Once she reads them, she crosses them off carefully so you can still see the title.  That way she never rereads accidentally!  I have recently started my own notebook, which by the way says Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake!  I have dedicated the front half to specific author pages and the back half to stand alone books that I want to read.  Just had to share in case you were looking for a way to organize and remember!

Onto my good reads that I have read before:>!  Aside from these, I love James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult, and the Detective D.D. Warren series from Lisa Gardner. 

I read this book earlier this year and it was a great read.  Be sure to read the specific details to know if it would right for you.  I loved it.  It is unlike anything I read before.

Fabulous book that talks about slavery from two different viewpoints with a story of love laced in between.

I am part of a book club with some other teacher friends where I used to work and hope to go back to next year.  Most of the books on my want to read list below come from there.  I am currently in the middle of the second book in the Fifty Shades Trilogy too.  Very interesting to say the least!



This is our book club book pick for June. Who doesn't love dogs?!  This is a story about a woman's journey through life and those that helped her along the way.  Can't wait to get started!

This is one of the books I hope we pick this year during book club.  If not, I will read it anyways.  It is a tale of an Autistic boy, Merlin, and his mother, who makes Merlin the center of her life, leaving no room for another man.  However, as Merlin grows, she tries dating again and meets a wonderful man for both her and her son.  Then, Merlin's father shows up begging for a second chance.  Does Lucy need a real father for Merlin-or a real man for herself?  That is the books description, leaving me wanting to know how it all ends!  Sounds like a must read to me!

And one more before I end the longest post ever!  One of my favorite picture book read alouds.

A teacher read this book to my class in college.  I have been in love ever since.  It is a wonderful story about loving yourself the way you are and the I love the illustrations.  Be sure to check it out if you haven't before!

  

And I suppose that is all for now.  Have you read any of these books?  Do you recommend them?  Feel free to leave a comment and let me know.  And thanks to Mrs.Stanford for hosting this great party!

Waiting...

That is what I am doing at this point.  Waiting.  My state has changed teachers retirement something or other once again.  I should probably know more about it, but I will not be retiring for about 30 years, so at this point, it doesn't affect me as far as my retirement.  The school district I worked at for three years offered a buyout this year.  At this point, there are TEN takers!  I am third on the list to be called back as far as elementary teachers go, so I am hoping to get the call in mid June saying I get to come back and my grade level.  But until then, once again, just waiting.  Cross your fingers and toes for me if you would.  I am dying to be back in a classroom again!  Being a teacher without a classroom for one year is long enough!

Manic Monday Freebie

I am linking up with Charity at Classroom Freebies once more to share a fun freebie!

Last week, I shared my Crafty Cupcake Mystery Message.  This week, I am sharing my Pajama Day Mystery Message.  Mystery Messages are a great management strategy, helping your students working together to earn a fabulous surprise.  And what student, and teacher, doesn't love pajama day!?!?  I use it as an excuse to buy new pajamas usually, which is always fun too:).  Enjoy.  And if you love great freebies, be sure to click on the Manic Monday button above and it will bring you to a bunch of great ones!
Pajama Day Mystery Message

Winner & A Freebie

Hey all.  Sorry I didn't share my giveaway winner yesterday.  However, it was an extremely busy day and it left me all kinds of exhausting.  But without further ado, the winner of my $20 gift card to Amazon.com or Teachers Pay Teachers is Jennifer at Keys4Education!  Congrats:>!  Jennifer, I will send you an email so we can get the details nailed down!

And for those of you that didn't win, I am sharing a freebie!  It is a Summer Fun Word Search, ideal for any of the primary grades.  When doing word searches in my classroom, I had students work independently for a bit, then for those who struggled, they got to ask their friends for help during the last few minutes.  This really allows everyone to be successful!  And I found my students love word searches, especially this way!  Enjoy the freebie, as well as the rest of the weekend.  It is 55 degrees and beautiful in Northern Michigan!  We are grilling out tonight and I can't wait!
 
Summer Fun Word Search

Rule Breaker!

Today, I am being a rule breaker, posting twice in one day.  Farley posted her Currently Linky Party and I just had to join.  So here's what I am doing, thinking, and feeling currently!

As far as my pageant title, when I was laid off from my previous district, along with 19 others, my school gave out awards to everyone at a little ceremony.  I was given sparklers for being the "spark" that got things going at my school.  I still remember the day and the nickname so fondly.  I hope and pray that I get to go back to my friends and my fabulous school family!

Oh and be sure to enter my giveaway for the chance to win a $20 gift card to either Teachers Pay Teachers or Amazon.com.  It is the last night to enter!

A Reminder...Plus a Cutie

Just wanted to remind all of my fabulous followers that today is the last day to enter my 20 dollar giveaway. It's just a few posts down!

Also, if you loved the Otter Creek recognition idea from my last post so much you pinned it, there's been a little change. If you could delete that pin and replace it with the one where the child's face is covered, both the handsome young mans teacher and I would appreciate it.  I kind of wondered when I posted, but I just loved the idea so much, I had to pin it right away!    Please and thank you bunches!  Also, in Patty's email, she mentioned that when a student passes an individual test, they get to stand on their chair while the class cheers on.  She calls them Chair Cheers.  LOVE that idea too!  I will definitely implement all of this should I be in a district with Otter Creek or a program like it!

And now I leave you with this little cutie.  This is my nine and a half month old niece, Miss Emma.  While being Stay At Home Auntie yesterday, I helped her create this masterpiece to give her mom for Mother's Day.  Her first art project!  It was messy but I think it turned out absolutely adorable.  

 

One more day until the weekend.  Enjoy my friends!

What I'm Pinning Wednesday

Today I am linking up with Laura from Kinder Kraziness for What I'm Pinning Wednesday!  Who doesn't love a little Pinterest linky?!  Here's what I am pinning lately!

This is the new and improved playroom from Jen over at IHeart Organizing.  I absolutely love every single thing she posts!  And if I had her skills, I would do this in my home someday too!  But what I really fell in love with is the shelving unit from Ikea.  I think these would be perfect for classroom library shelves.  They come in bigger units as well.  They are a little pricey, but I hope they would be a forever investment for the classroom.

This pin comes from Patty at Second in Line.  And no, your eyes are not fooling you.  That is a child standing on the teacher's desk!  As a reward for passing Otter Creek, a math facts program, students get the coolest rewards.  If they pass the addition tests, they get to stand on their desk and have their picture taken.  If they pass the subtraction tests, they get to stand on the teacher's desk and have their picture taken.  If they pass the multiplication tests, Patty has a window ledge students get to stand on as their classmates cheer for them.  And if they pass the division tests, they get to stand on the same ledge and cover their friends in silly string.  Each time they reach one of these goals, their picture goes on a wall of fame too!  How easy and FREE is that!

This colorful pin comes from Kylie at Down Under Teacher.  She did not have room for a word wall so she utilized her windows.  I doubt I will ever have a classroom with such a large wall of windows, but I was still greatly inspired by this photo.  Next year, I want to have a carnival/circus theme classroom.  I think, using a bulletin board, and covering it with a background color, then adding the individual colored paper for each letter would be adorable.  It may also help students distinguish where the words belong.  Plus I think it would add a lot to the theme.  Cuh-ute!

So this last pin has absolutely nothing to do with being a teacher, but I would love to find these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes, from Kevin & Amanda, on the teachers lounge table.

Be sure to link up with your Pin loves!  And don't forget to enter my giveaway if you want a chance to win a $20 gift card to Amazon or Teachers Pay Teachers!

Tippy Tuesday-Candy In The Classroom?!

My first year of teaching, after trying many other ideas, candy became my go to behavior management tool.  The behavior challenges I faced that year were hopefully the most difficult I will ever face in my teaching career.  I know how awful that sounds, but the challenges I faced that year in kindergarten were nothing short of super stressful.  I was a happy first year teacher, happy to go to work everyday, but near the end it was difficult.

This brings me to today's Tippy Tuesday post.  I am challenging myself to use candy as less of a reward when I get back in the classroom, fingers crossed, next year.  I want to choose more positive, healthier rewards for my students.  Plus, if it is not in my room, I won't eat it, and hopefully next time at the dentist, I won't have 10 cavities!  Of course, for those special occasions and  holidays, bring out the candy!  But other than that, I want to limit it! 

So here is today's tip.  Use positive notes to let students know you are proud of them or that they are on the right track.  I know this is nothing new, but it is definitely something I could of done more of that first year I taught.  The example below is test week homework.  It comes from the blog TIPS (Teach, Inspire, and Prepare Students) and I love the message it sends:>!  Head over to Mrs. Jordan's blog to check it out!

What do you think about candy in the classroom?  Leave me a comment with your opinion.



Another Manic Monday & Giveaway Reminder

Once again, I am linking up with Charity over at Classroom Freebies.  I am so excited to see what everyone else has to offer, as well as get more blog exposure.  If you have a freebie you want to share, click on the button below to head over.

Today I am sharing a freebie that is great for the end of the year!  It is coming to the time where the children no longer have shining halos.  Instead, their little heads may begin to sprout horns.  Enter the Mystery Message.  That is what I call my version of this behavior management tool.  I have seen these on Pinterest as well.  They could be called other things too, but I call my version the Mystery Message.  All you have to do is print these cards, cut, glue them to pretty paper (or leave them as white cards), laminate, and arrange them on the board or wall space to say CrAfTy CuPcAkEs!  When students are all on their best behavior, walking in the hall quietly, or doing something that makes you PROUD, flip over a letter.  In my room, the rules are once you figure out the message, you cannot say it aloud.  If someone tells the secret mystery message, then it will disappear.  When all of the letters are exposed, the students can read/shout it out together.  Then, the very next day, the students get the reward.  Crafty Cupcakes is not one that I came up with on my own.  I was inspired by Teri at A Cupcake for the Teacher for this Mystery Message idea.  Be sure to check out her post to see all the great toppings the children got to use to craft their cupcakes!  Here's the Mystery Message letters for you!  I promise they are cuter when you download!

Crafty Cupcakes

And be sure to go to my last post and follow my blog and leave a comment to be entered to win a $20 gift card to Teachers Pay Teachers or Amazon.com!  Until next time:>!

Wacky War Math Center & A Giveaway

Happy Thursday!  Only one more day until the weekend and I am sure you all, like me, are super excited!  Today I am linking up with Laura at Corkboard Connections: Super Math Centers Linky Party.  This game is something I shared over at Klinger Cafe as a guest blogger and I wanted the chance to share it on my own blog too.  Now is the perfect opportunity. 

The game is called Wacky War.  It is played exactly like the card game war, but with an added twist.  Instead of having the person with the higher number keep the cards, the person who can give the sum or product first, depending on grade level, gets to keep the cards!  There are two versions, one for addition and one for addition or multiplication.  The first set I created, for addition only, has my own version of a tens frame for those kindergarten and first grade friends who may need a visual to help them add the two numbers together.  This set goes to ten.  The second set can be used for addition or multiplication because they have a star in the middle of the card that has nothing to do with the number on the actual card.  They just add a little fancy.  This set goes to twelve. 
Cards

Multiplication Cards

Hopefully you can use one of these versions of Wacky War! 

Now, onto the giveaway!  I am very excited because I recently hit 100 followers!  To celebrate, I am giving away a $20 gift card.  The winner will have their choice of a gift certificate from either

Teachers Pay Teachers

OR

Amazon.com

There are two ways to enter.  Follow my blog and leave a comment and/or blog about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment.  Totally easy right?!  And who couldn't use a gift certificate to one of these two awesome places?!  The giveaway will end one week from today, Thursday, May 3rd.   Good luck to all who enter!

Pinterest Blogger Exchange Treasures & Tippy Tuesday!

Hello bloggy friends!  Before I share this weeks Tippy Tuesday Tip, I wanted to share the crafts I sent to my Pinterest Blogger Exchange partner, as well as the treasures that were sent to me.  First, this is what I sent to Ms Jennifer White from First Grade Blue Skies.

This is a photo frame used as a Post-It holder.  I absolutely love the colors!

This is a picture frame that I spray painted.  I added the scrapbook paper to make a pretty background and spray painted the magnetic clip as well.  I added the clip with a little hot glue and voila!  An easy to update photo frame! 

These are the 3 (yes 3!) treasures that I got today from Sharon McBee over at Ms. McBee's Kinderbugs.  She sent me a Post-It note holder which is perfect for me because I can never find them when I need them.  She also sent me a picture frame and a crayon pencil holder.  I have always wanted to make a crayon craft like this, but was a little chicken.  I love the one she sent!  And they all have rainbow ribbon on them.  That is perfect for me because I love bright colors and patterns!   Thanks Ms. McBee!

And this is today's Tippy Tuesday Tip.  I have taught kindergarten and first grade.  Sometimes students in these grades have trouble with finger spacing.  There are so many options of how to help students make finger spaces, but these are a few of mine.  The first is a wiggly eye hot glued to a popsicle stick.  I like to call this the wiggly eye that helps see where finger spaces are needed.  The second is a bingo dobber.  Once taught the proper procedure for using bingo dobbers, students can use a bingo dot for their space marker.  The last idea in the picture is a fake fingernail hot glued to a popsicle stick.  It may look a little silly, but students love using these to help them make finger spaces.  Sometimes just having these tools on their desk can help students remember finger spaces without needing to actually use them. 

And that is all for today.  I made another trip to the dentist today and got two more cavities filled.  Nine down, one to go!

Manic Monday Freebie!

Tonight I am linking up with Charity Preston's Manic Monday at Classroom Freebies.  What an awesome way to share freebies with so many!  So if you have a fab freebie be sure to go link up!


 

This freebie was inspired by two things.  First, I was inspired by the book called Maybe A Bear Ate It! by Robie H. Harris.  I just purchased it from Scholastic Book Clubs, but it is also available at Amazon.com.  It's cute and inspires a love for books!

My second inspiration came from, of course, Pinterest.  I found a Mad Lib today and had an AHA moment.  I used to love to do Mad Libs and thought maybe children today would like to as well. So without further ado here's what you all are here for!  I have yet to figure out GoogleDocs, so Scribd is what I am using for now.  If you have any tips for using GoogleDocs, feel free to leave a comment!

Maybe A Bear Ate It!

Happy Manic Monday!

Field Day Fun Ideas

Hey everybody.  Happy Sunday!  Blogger has officially changed, making it seem so complicated:>!  Hopefully I can get it all figured out!  Anywho, I would love to make a Field Day Fun packet full of ideas for field day.  I like to have field day at the end of the year when everybody needs a break.  I plan to do some Internet research to find ideas. Just curious, do any of you, my bloggy friends, have any ideas to add to the book?  I will make sure to give the creator credit!  Leave a comment with any ideas!  I will hopefully post it by the end of this week.  Have a great week!

Pinterest Project

Isn't it fantastic?!?!  I am participating in A Very Pinteresting Spring Exchange through the Teacher Blogger Exchange and this is one of the two crafts I am making for my exchange partner.  This is actually the one I made for me.  The one I made for her I will have to share after the exchange.  But I think it is even cuter than mine!

And what do a wiggly eye, a meatball, a bingo dobber, and a fake fingernail have in common?  Check back tomorrow to find out:>!

Pinterest Exchange

Does anyone else get really stressed about participating in the Teacher Blogger Exchange?  I love participating, giving and receiving a gift.  However, I get super duper stressed about finding the perfect gift for my partner.  And then, after I figure it out, I have to make sure every detail is perfect.  Well this time around is even more stressful because it has to be created by me!  Deep breaths.  Super nervous.  I know I should pick something already, but I want it to be just perfect.  Does anyone else have such issues or am I all alone?! 

What I'm Pinning Wednesday

Today I am linking up with Laura at Kinder Kraziness to share some of my favorite pins from this week!

First up is a great anchor chart from Abby at The Inspired Apple!  I know you all know about her fantabulous artistic abilities!  Where does she (and all you others out there) get the artsy fartsy ability?!  Most importantly, where can I pick some up?  What store?  Because I need them ASAP!







Next up is the perfect solution for not having carpet squares!  In my last classroom, I had one of those fabulous carpets with the rows and boxes, so each student got their own square.  In my next classroom, I fear I won't have that carpet for management.  So I love these ViveVita My Spot spots.  I think students could put these in their cubbies and grab them when it is time to sit together as a class.  Plus, they are cute and colorful.  What's not to like?!

And lastly is a great organizational pin from Fern Smith's Classroom Ideas!  It is a way to organize read alouds by author and month.  I have wondered many times about how other teachers organize their read alouds.  This is just one example.  Does anyone else have a great way to organize read alouds?  I would love more ideas for organizing these books!



And that's all for today!  If you have some great pins to share, be sure to link up with Laura!





Tippy Tuesday~All About Numbers

I have seen so many great All About Numbers activity pages flying around on blogs and Pinterest too!  However, today I discovered an All About Numbers activity that makes a great center and I was SUPER excited!  I found the idea for creating an All About Numbers center at Make, Take & Teach, one of my new absolute favorite blogs!  Julie, the blogger, is a fellow Northern Michigan gal and I am so glad I found her.  She shares such great stuff and I love her Cookie Sheet Challenge, which is sort of where this idea stems from. 

The idea is to use an Oil Drip Pan as a giant cookie sheet.  Julie used her Oil Drip Pan as an alphabet center, which is pretty awesome.  However, she posted a friends All About Numbers math center, which is new to me as a center, and I fell in love. 

This particular center comes from Sweet Life of Teaching!  Isn't it FAB?!?!  If you haven't checked out these gals yet, you should.  They've got a lot going on!  And now I am off.  I may challenge myself to come up with as many ideas as possible for using popsicle sticks.  Check back for next weeks Tippy Tuesday post on that!  But of course, come back before then too!





Guest Blogger Debut & A Freebie Too!

I am making my guest blogger debut today over at Klinger Cafe!  If you have a chance, go check it out.  I blogged about a great math game called Wacky War and left a freebie!  Happy Monday to all!

End of the Year Activity Freebie & Question

I had planned to create a sample to go with this little freebie, but life got away from me these last few days.  So here is a freebie that would work great for the end of the year!  It is a little speech bubble activity asking students to write about their favorite part of the year in their current grade level.  I created a page for each grade level, kindergarten through forth grade.  Then display these activities for next years students at Open House in the hallway or a display board to give them an idea of what they have to look forward to!  You could display them on some sort of fancy scrapbook paper if you use the full sheet or the students could create themselves out of construction paper and just use the speech bubble.  If you wanted to be totally awesome, you could also take photos of the students and attach them!  Any way you want to do it would be spectacular I am sure!

Flower from www.scrappindoodles.com!

My Favorite...Freebie

And before I go, I suddenly am following no blogs on blogger.  Can anyone tell me what in the world happened?  Or at least venture a guess?  Weird! 

Happy Easter to all!

So Many Giveaways...

There are so many FABULOUS giveaways going on out in blogland right now. And though I am hesitant to share because I would love to win them all myself, I know you all would probably love the chance as well! So here are just a few that are floating around!

Jenn Bates @ Finally in First is having a Giveaway A Day for five days to count down to her spring break. She is giving away some awesome products, including a HearALL Assessment Recorder from Learning Resources!  Heidi from Swamp Frog First Graders is also giving away a Learning Resources product, the Easy Speak USB Recorder.  Teri over at A Cupcake for the Teacher is also having a giveaway!  She has just hit 1000 followers in four months!  To celebrate, she is giving away 10 prizes to ten different winners.  And you can have up to 10 entries!  And I just have to include her little picture because it is adorable!

 

There are so many great things you could do with all of these products! Too fabulous!  So if you haven't already entered these three giveaways, go do so now! You could win something fabulous. I would say I am cheering for you, however, I am cheering for myself! I have never won a giveaway and would probably faint if I did!

Tippy Tuesday

Is anyone else super excited that it is makeover week on The Biggest Loser tonight?!?!  Only 50 more minutes until it starts.  I love the show, especially trainer Bob Harper!  So this post shall be a quick one.

Today's Tippy Tuesday tip comes from Deborah at Teach Preschool.  She created the DIY Yarn Machine for use in her preschool classroom and I think it would be great for primary classrooms too!  It is easy, requires few supplies, and is super cheap!  Instead of leaving yarn in a drawer to become all tangled up (am I the only one?), she uses empty, small cube shaped tissue boxes to keep her yarn neat.  One ball of yarn is placed in the box, a small hole is poked through the side, and the yarn is pulled through.  Then students, or the teacher, can pull the amount of yarn needed and cut it off, leaving a small amount left to pull through next time.  For those using more than one color at a time, she suggests taping the boxes together.  So smart!

And that is all for now.  Have a great week all!

Currently April

For the first time ever on my little blog here, I am posting twice in one day!  Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade is having her Currently Linky Party and I just could not wait!  Here it is!

I would love the super power that makes all food that is deliciously unhealthy magically healthy.  As much ice cream, chips, and chocolate as I want?  I am in!  What would your super power be?  Link up to share!  (I kept it short.  I'm not in trouble right?)

A Little Random & A Linky!

Hey all. Happy Spring Break to many Michigan teachers! Today, I went back to work at the movie theater I worked at for ten years while in high school, college, and my first two years of teaching. Being laid off right now, I am forced to work again this summer. It won't make me millions, but I will make some cash and go to the movies for free! The added benefits of as much popcorn, pop, and candy as I want is both a positive and negative.

Anywho, that's the reason that I have a lunch to pack on a Sunday. And that allows me to join up in the lunch box linky party thrown by Tara from 4th Grade Frolics.  As usual, I'm late to the party, but better late then never.



Here's my lunch for today. It's very similar to what I would take for lunch when teaching!

Sorry it is kind of blurry as well as boring!  The bag is cute though!  It is from Thirty-One, like so many other lunch boxes and totes that I have already seen in this linky.  As far as food, I had Quaker Oatmeal Apples & Cinnamon, a strawberry banana yogurt, a Nature Valley Granola Thin, and a green apple.  I don't enjoy red apples.  Yuck!  It seems like a lot of food, but it keeps me from snacking on popcorn and candy.  It is so addicting once you start, so I am trying not to even start.  And as far as pop, I let myself have 8 ounces per week.  Crazy, I know, but I am trying to live a healthier lifestyle.  So today was a successful day as far as not eating movie theater junk, but we will see what happens when I begin to work more!

And that is it!  If you haven't linked up yet, it's okay to go link up now!  You can join me, late to the party!  Who doesn't love peeking at what others eat?  Happy Packing!

Who Doesn't Love Food, Shoes, & Books?

Tammy over at Klinger Cafe is having a GiVeAwAy!  There are three chances to win and the prizes are mondo FABULOUS!  First place wins a $30 Zappos gift card.  Second place wins a $15 gift card for Chili's.  And third place, but still an awesome prize, is a $15 Amazon gift card.  Are those awesome prizes or what?  Who couldn't need more shoes, food, or books?  I certainly could.  Head on over to Klinger Cafe to enter!  And good luck to you (and ME)!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

I was back in the classroom today for the first time in months as a substitute teacher and it really is just like riding a bicycle!  Though I was afraid I would not remember what to do, it came back to me.  Easy peasy!  However, I am quite tired.  It could be that I woke up at 3:45 this morning worrying that I might not remember how to teach or that I turn the big 2-7 this weekend so I am just getting old!  I hope it is the first.

Now, onto the reason you all are here, THE GIVEAWAY!  THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who entered my very first giveaway!  I discovered giveaways are so much fun!  I hope to win one too!  Someday!  Anyways, onto the winner of THIS giveaway.  Drum roll please...The winner is Jess from Rambling About Reading!!  Jess, send me an email with your address and I will mail out your Satin Hands on Monday.  I can't this weekend because I am leaving town for a few days to see Mrs. Blake Shelton (Miranda Lambert) in concert!!!  So excited.  Anyways, that is all for now.  I hope you all trust me.  I used random.org but couldn't figure out how to transfer it to the blog to show everyone.  Honestly, I am just too tired!  Have a great weekend y'all!

A Reminder & A Question

Hey all!  It is a whopping 85 degrees in Northern Michigan at the moment!  In March!  Just crazy, but from what I see on the news, colder weather is on the way!  Hope you all are enjoying great weather where ever you are!  Just a quick post today as I deal with a teething 8 month old who is just not a happy camper.  I wanted to remind you if you have not entered for the Golden Giveaway yet, today is your last day!  A special thanks to those who blogged about the giveaway and helped me get more followers in the process.  Also, I am looking for some tens rods and units, or tens and ones, or place value clip art.  Does anybody know where I can find such a thing?  Any help would be appreciated!  Have an awesome Wednesday!

Tippy Tuesday

I am a basket girl. I organize everything in baskets. My teaching BFF usually made fun of me for it, before she retired. But I love baskets. I buy them even when I have nothing to store in them thinking that I can come up with something. Plus, what if they run out?! I would be so sad! Anyways, I never realized that having a basket for everything can sometimes make things take longer than they should!

When I was in the classroom, my individual student white boards had a basket, along with the markers and the erasers having there own baskets. That means three students to pass them out. Pokily! Until recently when I saw a geniusly simple idea to make it SO much faster. I don't remember where I saw this idea, but if it's yours please let me know!

Instead of having all three items in separate baskets, I put them in a Ziploc bag.  The one gallon bags are a little small, but if the bags were bigger, there would be leftover space in the bag, causing air to stay in the bag and make it puffy.  So I am good with the one gallon size!  I also numbered the bags so each student would know which bag is theirs!  This will make it a lot easier when passing them out.  I could even continue with my love for baskets and sort them by table to organize further! 

And that is todays tip!  Does everyone else already do this?  Am I the last one to the party?  Are you basket crazy too?  Leave me a comment and let me know:>!

Welcome To The Dog House Freebie

Weeks ago, I was inspired by Mrs. Cooley's Rule Breakers poster, created to help students remember a few of the rule breakers that sound different then they are spelled!  Yesterday, after thinking about it for a long time, I finally created my own version of Mrs. Cooley's Rule Breakers.  It is called Welcome To The Dog House and I think it is AdOrAbLe!  My favorite creation of my own yet!  I wasn't quite sure how you would want to use it, so I thought of two ways.  You can hang it on the word wall, using the Dog House graphic as a heading for the misspelled words and placing the correctly spelled words next to those that are misspelled.  If you would rather, I also created a sorting sheet if you want to use it as a center.  If you come up with another way to use it, let me know.  Also, if you come up with words to add, let me know and I will add those too!  Feel free to leave a comment if you just love it too!

Welcome to the Doghouse

Giveaway Reminder & Soon To Come

Happy Sunday!  It was absolutely gorgeous today.  I hope you all got out to enjoy it!  Just wanted to remind everyone that my Golden Giveaway ends on Wednesday.  Hopefully I can get some more comments to make it a little more interesting and a little less sad.  Good luck!  And for your information, I am working on a freebie that I think is just adorable!  I will hopefully have it posted tomorrow!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend friends!

Golden Giveaway

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all! It is a beautiful 70 degrees in Northern Michigan. In March! Unbelievable! In case you haven't noticed, I have reached 50 followers! Hence, the Golden Giveaway! 

There are two ways to enter.  Follow my blog and leave me a comment saying so.  And for a bonus entry, blog about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment saying you did!  I would be ThRiLlEd to get a few more followers:)!

Now onto the good stuff!  The winner of this giveaway will receive a Satin Hands set, a $34 dollar value.  In case you all don't know what it is, Satin Hands is a product from Mary Kary that leaves your hands (or feet) feeling smooth as a baby's bottom.  At this point in the school year, or really any time, teachers can use a pampering session.  That is what this set provides, and you don't even have to change out of your jammies!   Here's what it looks like.



Pretty exciting!  So follow, blog, and comment away!  The contest ends on Wednesday, March 21st, the first day of spring!  I will choose a winner using Random.org on Thursday morning.  Have a great St. Pattie's Day everyone!

So Blessed and Tippy Tuesday on Another Wednesday

I am blessed for so many reasons.  I have a great family, including a grandma, who is also my next door neighbor, that is celebrating her 80th birthday today!  She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a few years ago so everyday with her is a blessing.  I took her to Dairy Queen to get one of her favorite things, a sweet treat.  And though she didn't remember it a few hours later, it was fun during!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!  Though she would never be on the computer to see it, I am telling y'all anyways! 

Another reason I am feeling blessed today is because I received a second blog award.  Two people have now rated my blog Top 10.  Not only that, but I believe I have figured out how to post the label here.  Fingers crossed!



Ta Da!  I did it!  A special thank you to Lori over at Fun For First for giving me this award!  I am going to pass it on, hopefully tomorrow!  Tonight, it is my goal to get serious and figure out who I want to pass it on to.

Lastly, I believe it is my third week doing Tippy Tuesday on a day that is not Tuesday.  However, I know you all are busy, so it is okay.  This weeks awesome tip comes from Erica Bohrer over at Erica Bohrer's First Grade.  Earlier this year, she shared a fantastic idea on personalizing the birthday chart.  You know, the chart that every primary teacher has hanging in their classroom that has student birthdays on it?  In my classroom, it was really more a decoration and nothing else.  Not a fan!  So I love Erica's idea.  She took pictures of each of her students, grouped by birthday month, holding a piece of paper with the actual date of their birthday.  Then she labeled each photo with the month and hung them in her classroom. 



I love it!  And I feel more attention may be paid to the birthday chart (at least by me) if it has student photos on it.  So I will be doing this for sure, as soon as I am back in the classroom.  If you want to see Erica's original blog post, click on the link above.  And that is all for today!  Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday friends!