Yippeeee!!! 100+ Followers!!! And Wondering of the Day...Fabric or Fadeless Paper?

I am humbled.  The fact that over 100 people have viewed my blog and decided it was something they would like to follow blows me away...I feel like this guy...

I am working on a fun giveaway...so, check back soon!  Thank you for your support...I am a much better teacher because of all of you.  I sat with a teacher from another school sharing ideas that I have picked up from all the fabulous blogs and Pinterest boards I follow...I felt like I was boasting about friends.  What a special group of people all of you are!

 I have many things that I am pondering, and I want to get opinions from the experts...all of you! So, question of today...fabric on bulletin boards or fadeless paper? Please weigh in...

Made it Monday! My First Power Point Printable Creations!!!

Is it me or are the Mondays of summer flying by at alarming rate?  It is so funny how different they feel during the summer.  Sundays too.  I usually start DREADING the beginning of the week around lunch time on Sunday during the school year...summer is truly bliss!

Brought to you by the fabulous Tara at Fourth Grade Frolics...
Well, with the help of some talented ladies' tutorials, I have tackled my first power point printable!  It was so easy and really so much fun.  Can't wait to use them in the classroom.  So, thank you to Ladybug's Teacher Files and Mrs. Russell's Room for sharing their talents with others.  I have learned so much from both of you.

The first printable I made was my Kind of Sentence Task Cards.

 

 I was amazed out how easy they were to make once I watched the tutorials and found the papers and frames that I wanted.

  

I plan on playing this as a Scoot game for a little review.  Our Catholic school has English maintenance sheets with sentence diagramming starting in fifth grade.  It is so important that they get this skill down to be successful in the coming years.  This question should always be a freebie, but it amazed me that fifth graders were still unsure.  Combined with Jivey's and Collaboration Cuties's mentor sentences, they should be more than ready for the following years' challenges.

I also finally decided on a color scheme for my room!  I chose:

Funny where one's motivations come from!  I don't remember where I picked this up.  The middle color is actually a blue.  I am finally convinced that my iPhone takes the absolute most horrible pictures ever.

So, then I made the following:

I am taking them to be laminated at school tomorrow, and then I will put them together with pretty ribbon (the "l" shows up on my printable).

I have had this fun get-to-know-me activity that doubles as a little grammar review in my head all summer.  I finally got it down on paper (on Publisher):

I will have them ask six different people (3 girls, 3 boys) to respond to the different tasks.  They will write down the person's name and his/her answer.  Fun but effective.  Plus, it will show me what they know or remember.

So, that's what I've been up to!  Crossing more things off my list makes me super happy!

Have a great week!  My sister will be in town this week, so I am looking forward to some fun!

Liebster Award...Aw Shucks!

Good morning!  I am really excited that I have been nominated for the Liebster Blog Award!  It's my first one, so I am super excited!  I just started this blog in February, but I really didn't get going until last month, so I am honored.  Thanks to Courtney at Polka Dot Lesson Plans and Christin at Shifting Teacher K-2 for the shout out!  Their blogs inspire me!

 

I must say that writing this blog and connecting with all of you has been one of the most positive and supportive experiences I have ever had.  I was just telling my mom that I have yet to see anything but positive posts and comments of hard-working teachers.  I cannot tell you how many people have reached out to offer help with my blog or my transition to a new grade (fourth).  It truly has been an amazing experience that has given me much more than I ever anticipated.  So, thank you to all of you who inspire me daily to be a better teacher.

To accept the nomination I must:
1. Link back to the blog that nominated me
2. Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers
3. Answer the questions posted for you by your nominator
4. Share 11 random facts about yourself
5. Create 11 questions for your nominees
6. Contact your nominees and let them know you nominated them

My Nominees Are (drumroll please):

Allison at Adventures in Room 204

Susan at Middle School OCD

Miss B at Real Teachers Learn

Wendy at Read with Me ABC
Veronica at Teaching with the Middle Sister

 Check them out and throw a little love their way?  Thanks!

And here are the 11 questions that you'll need to answer: 

1. If you could choose any 2 consecutive months of the year to have your "summer" break which months would you choose? 

I absolutely would choose June and July as I absolutely love summer!  I am a beach chick at heart.
 

2.  If you could take a field trip anywhere, where would it be?

This was a tough one I think.  I am lucky enough to teach fourth grade and actually be able to take my students to Colonial Williamsburg.  It doesn't get much better than that!

3. If you weren't a teacher what would you be? 

If I weren't a teacher, I would be a stay-at-home-mom (another honorable profession), but my checkbook will not allow this.  I always ask "Why....why....WHY" when that alarm goes off on Monday mornings during the school year.  I always wanted to be an architect. But, I am better suited as a teacher.  I would hate sitting in an office.

4. If you have a day all to yourself what is your favorite way to spend it? 

I would spend it on the beach.  There is something really peaceful about sitting on the beach with a good book, all by myself, toes on the sand!  Great idea...think I'll go tomorrow.  I am ridiculously spoiled with the Chesapeake Bay under 5 minutes and the Atlantic oceanfront a short 15.
 

5. What is your favorite food? 

My favorite food is any kind of seafood, but I have a special affinity for fish tacos at the moment.  Now I'm hungry.
 

6. If you were stuck on an island and could only have 3 items with you what would they be? 

Since I do not want to label my children as "items", I will include my dog as she isn't a tax write off, a cooler stocked with food and water, and a tent.
 

7. What is your favorite vacation spot? (this white text background color is driving me crazy, and after many attempts, I cannot figure out how to turn it off :( )

Another toughie as I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to travel.  Did I mention that I love to travel?  I must cheat a bit as I can't choose just one, so....Hilton Head, SC; Sarasota, FL; and St. Micheal's and Baltimore, MD

8. Do you have any pets?

I have an adorable dog named Lilly who is an expensive mutt designer breed called a Cavachon (cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Bichon Frise).  I love her so much!
 

9. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? 

No big surprise...the beach, although I have loved my time in the mountains as well.  Just not as much! :)
 

10. What is your favorite tv show? 

Once again...can't decide between Mad Men (Don Draper is the best looking cad evah!) or Downton Abbey.  
 

11. What book have you read recently that you would recommend? 

I have been catching up on my fourth grade lit, and I absolutely adored The One and Only Ivan. The characters were so rich, even though they were animals.  The lessons in compassion and friendship were lovely.  It made me cry....as I read it on the beach. (it was a sentimental, touching kinda cry...not the big, ugly cry that would have made my sons move their beach chairs)

Thanks for listening, and your kind comments and support have touched my  heart more than I could ever say!  {{Hugs}} to you all!

I have a Pinterest button! I have a Pinterest button!

I am so incredibly excited as I have a Pinterest button...wait.  You already heard that a few times.

I literally was driving down Virginia Beach Blvd. yesterday thinking about how I would like a Pinterest button on my blog and thinking it must be super confusing to figure out.  Then I got distracted by the yummy smells coming out of P.F.Changs and the Cheesecake Factory and started thinking about food instead.  So, today, I open my blogfeed on bloglovin'...sometimes on Goggle Reader that mysteriously still exists...and this awesome post from Crofts' Classroom appeared.  She did all the leg work for me.  And it was super simple, which I like!  So, if you have pondered or coveted the ever elusive Pinterest button, pop on over to her blog.  It couldn't be easier!

Check it out!

Shameless picture of my stuffed animal cute pup Lilly.

 

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Monday Made It and a Confession

Happy Monday!  I am in serious tennis withdrawal with Wimbledon wrapping up yesterday.  But, I must admit that my favorite part of the legendary match yesterday was this:

Why couldn't I have sat between these two?  I don't take up much room....they are two of my favorites...in suits...watching my favorite sporting event and taking selfies...does it get better than this?

Oh, yea.  I'm just a teacher sitting in her jammies in Virginia Beach.  Back to reality.  I must admit that I have been way overwhelmed.  I am a think-outside-of-the-box kinda girl, so when your assistant principal tells you to throw out the basal (or use it minimally) and spelling can be whatever program I want as we discuss my new position in fourth, that tends to open Pandora's box.  Pinterest, TpT, and fabulous blogs only added fuel to my fire.  I finally decided to stop collecting ideas and actually get something planning-wise on paper yesterday, and that has made all the difference.

I also finally decided to use Words Their Way for spelling.  I had given the inventory to my future students the last week of school.  Once I took the 6+ hours to score and collect the data for all 75 kiddos, I realized the vast range of abilities.  This will help me differentiate and encourage understanding as opposed to memorization.

Does anyone else get overwhelmed by all the ideas? 

Another thing that made me focus in was this great idea from Pinterest that is my Monday Made It.I am also linking up with Optimum Organization.  Both linkies have such fabulous ideas!!!

 

 

It all started with this pin on Pinterest from That's So Second Grade:(please excuse my horrible pics :)

I wanted to organize my files according to the curriculum.  As I teach at a Catholic school, we use our Diocese Consensus Curriculum. I first created these super cute stickers on shipping labels using the template from Avery.  Had to add the cute borders...

 

 I took each standard and created a folder for each.

And then bought an awesome storage box complete with lid and handle.It's completely transportable.  And, a huge plus is that my Erin Condren planner fits right in the back.

Now when I get a great idea, I can print it off and pop it in the file...all ready to go for printing.  It has really helped me reel in the madness and also decide whether I really will use the idea or not.

Going on a Bloghunt!

Hi all!  Just saw this and wanted to join before it's too late...talk about pressure!  I am all joined an in with Bloglovin' and must admit that I am lovin' it.  I think it is so easy to read my favorite blog...especially when they send me an email each morning of my feed.  So easy over coffee. 

Join in over at Laura Candler at Corkboard Creations!

Monday Made Its! Cross them off my list!!!

I am so excited to link up with the fabulous Tara from Fourth Grade Frolics!

 

I saw this on Pinterest many moons ago and loved it, so I finally made it today.  I think it will be so cute above where my students make their lunch choices.  I went back to the original pin, but it stated that it was linked to a place that I didn't want to go. So if you were the creator of this, please let me know and I would love to give you credit.

I was so excited to head to The School Box today and purchase some black and white borders for my classroom, and I thought this one set off the red and white so well.  Please excuse my icky picture...can't hang it yet as I will paint my walls.  And, I don't like the clear plastic silverware, so they aren't glued down yet. Plus, they are crooked!! I also want to print the words on cardstock as you can see where I spliced them.  I am a little anal...the checkerboard pattern drove me crazy!  I put the lunch calendar in a sheet protector to allow easy monthly updates.  Cross it off my list!

My next made-it is one of which I am extremely proud.  I wanted to make numbers for the Five for Friday linky as I had admired them on others' blogs, and I love things all matchy-matchy and pretty.  So, with the help of the wonderfully talented Megan at I teach. What's your superpower?'s video tutorials about how to enhance your blog, I made them.  I had never used pixlr before, but it truly was as easy as she stated.  I watched her video on how to make a button. So, here is one of the five that I made. I thought they turned out super cute!

Do you ever see words written out and think they just don't look right?  I had that sensation when I spelled the number words on each button.  Could be because they were typed vertically.

Anyway, at least I can cross two things off my list of 425,698 things I need to do this summer.  I exaggerate.  It's only 350,000. ;)

Cheers! Time for a cocktail! :)