Thankful Hearts

It's been sooo long since I've written anything.  MONTHS, people!  I could give a million & one excuses, but I'll spare you all the drama. You're welcome.

Anyway...

It's finally Thanksgiving break!

Take this week to reflect on all the wonderful blessings in your life, big & small.  Be thankful for them.  Not just on Thanksgiving, but every day.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Mental Prep!

It's here! It's here!

I can't get in my room just yet, but I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for the HUGEMONGO task ahead.

Do you set up your class the same way each year or do you always completely rearrange???

If you need some organizational bins to help make your classroom look fantastic, head over to Teaching with Love & Laughter and check out her fabulous Lakeshore giveaway!

Hurry!!!

The BIG B2S Sale is almost over! If you haven't stocked up on all of your wishlist items yet, you'd better hurry on up!

You can grab my latest little fun for only $1.00!

You can also check out all of these other fun goodies I snagged up in the sale!

*Addition & Subraction Review Math Stations from Amy Lemons

*Mr. Putter & Tabby Writing Prompt from The Applicious Teacher

*Data Notebooks for Students from First Grade & Flip Flops

*Some fabulous clip art from Creative Clips

What did you stock up on?!

Currently, I'm...

Just another day in August!  I'm beginning to prep for school... finally.

But for now, I'll just give you a little peek at what I'm up to at the moment with Oh Boy, Fourth Grade.

Listening:  It's been so spring-like this past week.  I love leaving my door open & listening to all of the robins chirping outside.  Sooo relaxing.

Loving:  If you haven't tried Chocolate Shop wine yet, what are you waiting for??  This stuff is fabulous.  It's like drinking a chocolate covered cherry.  And I don't even like chocolate covered cherries.  Or cherries for that matter.  But YUM!

Thinking:  So, there's a story behind my "it's 5 o'clock somewhere" date with a glass of chocolate shop wine.  It's that my lovely iPhone just happened to decide it was finally going to update to iOS7 whether I liked it or not. {Yes.  I was STILL ignoring the update and living blissfully in iOS6 land.  Don't judge me.}  The kicker is that it updated in the middle of a convo with my deployed husband.  Then kept telling me to click "restore factory settings."  Sweet goodness! I was beside myself.

Who wants to restory factory settings ever??? What about all of my stuff?!??! Hello! I was in the middle of an important conversation here, phone!!!

I ran drove to Verizon pronto.  They said I was out of luck.  I had to click the factory settings button and hope my things were backed up in the cloud. When I said, "What CLOUD????"  I think the worker about died.

So, I came home, hit the button, said a pray, & opened a bottle of wine for good measure. {Ok, and the leftover Tagalongs, too.  They go so well together.}  Great news - all is well! Except for this whole iOS7 thing, but eh, could have been worse.

Wanting:  Before the phone incident, I had  been working on setting up my new homework folders.  They are looking swell, but only half are completed.  More to come on this!

Needing:  I need a mani so badly.  I've literally picked my nails down to nothing in the past few weeks.  It's a terrible habit, but I tend to let them grow beautifully when I have a fresh gel mani.  And after my phone debacle, let's throw in a nice massage, too.

I can't believe it's already August.  School is coming soo fast!

Any advice on a good polish color for my nails??? :)

TGIF!

So, I realize that in the summer Friday is really no different from any other day.  They all just kind of blend together in a blissful "What day is it?!" kind of feeling.  Love it.

But Friday is always a cause for celebration.  So after another super long hiatus {I promise I have a boat load of excuses}, I it seemed like the perfect day to jump back in to blog world.

Here's my #notevenclosetoschoolrelated week so far:

1. I spent quite a few days in PA at my parents house.  It's the middle of nowhere & incredibly relaxing.  I enjoyed laying on the couch watching this momma doe and her twin fawns playing in the yard.

2. The reason for my trip home? I had some super sweet friends get married this past weekend - 3 to be exact!  What a popular wedding weekend!? I was honored to be able to stand by this sweet high school friend as she married an amazing guy. #weddingsmakemeteary

3. One of my goals for this fall is to run the Bay Bridge - I have a goal time to beat, so I've officially started "training" {ya know, eating more veggies :)} in preparation for this awesome event.

4. Perks of living close to the beach? I have spent many days, including some this past week, just laying in the sand & soaking up the sun.

5. Aaaaand I FINALLY got my first Stitch Fix! This was like Christmas morning all wrapped up in a sweet little box!  My stylist was fantastic, but I consider myself cheap, er, thrifty.  Sooo, I didn't keep everything.  But I had had HAD to keep these adorable mint skinny jeans & polka dot tie front top.

{sorry for the blurry iphone pic}

I promise, now that it's August, I'll get myself into school mode ASAP.

Don't forget the HUGE Back to School Sale coming up on Monday & Tuesday!  Stock up your wish lists!

#WordlessWednesday

I'm busy busy busy working it out!  I am a bit obsessed with Jillian workouts.

Her techniques are soo controversial.  I know.  #dontcare :)

They're perfect for days when I need a break from running.

On that note... Time for this morning's workout Round 2!

#cantstopwontstop

#omgstopwiththehashtagsalready

Two for Tuesday!

It's so strange to me that my summer is just beginning, & yet it's already the last week of JUNE!

I can't even believe I just said that.

Such an awful thought.

I'm going to go wash my mouth out for saying it... with chocolate. :)

We could really use a little bit of brightness in our day after that sad thought.

So, let's turn that frown upside down and grab up some goodies in the Teaching Tribune's Two for Tuesday sale!

My kiddos and I are obsessed with Scoot games.  I have quite a few in my store.

Here are two of our favorites.

And if you're not a Scoot fan, they're perfect for small group review/skill practice.  Sometimes we use them to play "I Spy" or "Hunt the Room" as another way to get the kiddos up, moving, & learning!

See what other Tuesday delights are on sale to brighten your summer day!

You're Tougher Than You Think

Mud. Electrodes. Ice Water Dunks. High Dives.

All of these things sound ridiculous.

All of these things were just a small fraction of the latest obstacle course craze.

Tough Mudder.

I'd been asked by friends to try this event before, but I could never bring myself to do it.  Really?! I thought these people must've gone mad.  That all sounds downright awful.

Turns out, my husband and some of his co-workers wanted to give it a go.

I was hesitant.  Not of the 10-12 mile long run.  I don't mind pushing my running limits.  But electrodes?! Torturous.

I finally agreed to be a part of the team, if only for the opportunity to do something else "fun" before my husband's upcoming deployment.  But I was nervous.  Right up to the very minute the pumped up announcer shouted "GO!"

Turns out, it was SO FUN!  I felt tough.

Even though I'll admit that I chickened out and snuck around the electrodes at the end of the course instead of running through them.  I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

It was super exciting to get an orange headband.  Who knows? Maybe next year, I'll go for the green one!

What have you tried lately???

I Finally MADE IT!

It's hard to believe I've been MIA for a whole month! There's been far too much fun being had around here, I just couldn't pull myself away for even a minute.

But.. I'm back! And feeling {slightly} refreshed, because it's pretty much SUMMER!

Unfortunately, I will continue sitting in meetings or my classroom through most of this week. Thanks Polar Vortex. But, those hour long in-service lunch breaks are a nice bit of consulation. And BONUS! You can leave the building for lunch! The possibilities are endless. :)

{Can you tell I've had to REALLY syke myself up for all these extra days?!}

It took me a bit to decide what to make for my kiddos to end the year.  I knew I'd put all of our pictures into a sweet little slideshow, but I needed something they'd love and use over the summer.

After much Pinteresting, I came across some adorable clipboards modge podged with sweet word cloud cut outs and knew I'd found perfection.  We can't get enough of clipboards in our room.  They would use them here.  Or there.  They'd use those clipboards anywhere!

Here's how it turned out.

I started by printing out a star shaped word cloud for each kiddo. I used tagxedo to do this.

Then I used modge podge to secure the star to each clipboard {I raided my local Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree to get these on the cheap.}

I pulled some unused, leftover supplies from this year out of my closet.  I was able to tie a mechanical pencil and marker to each kiddo's board.

I printed off these adorable review booklets to avoid some summer slump and secured them to the clipboards.

I also enticed my students with a fall reward for completing the entire booklet this summer and returning it to me.

Add on my Rock Star photo DVD and there you have it!  These were so loved.  The kids couldn't believe they were allowed to take them home and keep them!

Life's a Beach!

I typically don't do Mondays very well.  If you do, please send me your secrets.  I've always thought that people who were super fabulous and fresh on Mondays were freaks of nature.  Or they've had one too many cups of coffee for their own good.

 

We officially have ONE MONTH until my sweet kiddos move on to 3rd grade.  One.  That's it!  That thought {kind of} made it a teensy bit easier to get out of bed this morning.  {That & the sun that has so wonderfully decided to rise by 5:52 AM - kind of love that though, too.}

 

To celebrate that the year is officially winding down, I have some beachy math centers to keep your kiddos occupied and reviewing their math skills throughout these last few weeks.  Your kiddos will be super engaged instead of longingly gazing out the window and daydreaming of spending all day in the sunshine on a sandy beach with drink in hand... Oh. Wait.  That was my daydream. :)

Here's a freebie one!

 

 

 If you'd just LOVE to have all of these beachy math centers {in color to boot}, you can find them here!

 

 

Hope your Monday was bright, sunny, & has you feelin' beachy!





A Rule to Live By

 

Especially at the beginning and END of the school year, teachers become crazy busy!

Just breathe and remember that everything will get done - the end of the year will come and go - no matter how much or little you work your weekends away.

Take time to step away from your computer & LIVE LIFE! :)

 

 

 

 



'Cause I'm Happy... that it's Our Week!

 

Just taking a moment to send a BIG thank you to all of my fellow teachers!

The work you do everyday - day in and day out - is truly remarkable.  You rarely get credit or thanks for all of the work that you do each day wrangling, entertaining, consoling, etc. :)

And yet you do it ANYWAY!  Amazing.

 

Let's celebrate this week with a fabulous sale.  Because as teachers, you deserve it.

 



Spring Break Friday Edition!

Is it really Friday of Spring Break week already?! Ugh! It's been an Ahhmazing break, but it's definitely left me totally antsy for summer.  HURRY SUMMER!

Our kiddos have 7 weeks left yet... & let's be real: it's going to be a loooong 7 weeks.

 

 

Back to Spring Break though.  Adventures! Adventures! Adventures!

The elementary teacher in me always starts off any adventure with the Bear Hunt song. Can't you just heart it now?? "We're goin' on an adventure!" {C'mon people, don't tell me I'm the only one with an elementary school soundtrack constantly playing in my head!}

 

1. We kicked off the week with some Easter celebrating in our hometown.  It was a gorgeous weekend, so a little walk near the World's Steepest Vehicular Inclined Plane {say that 5x's fast} was in order.

 

2. FINALLY it was off to Savannah for a "honeymoon" adventure!

We stayed at the Old Harbour Inn on River Street {It was a combination of a hotel/bed & breakfast.  Just adorable and perfect for Savannah's old historic town feel.} & took lots of "selfies" while strolling through the historic city.  We LOVED the Savannah SlowRide pub tour we took & even made some friends who were from our hometown - what are the odds?!

 

 {The SlowRide's fun party lights are responsible for the variety of photo colors.}

 

3. We had dinner on the rooftop of the Bohemian Hotel & at the Olde Pink House {just to name a few} where the adorable waitress helped us celebrate!

 

4. We ate, ate, ate, ate, AND ATE! No joke. Somehow this vacation turned into what we thought was our complete license to splurge!  But just let met tell ya - it was ALL FABULOUS!  If you ever need to know where to eat in Savannah, I'm your girl!

 

5. We ate so much downright delicious food, that within a half hour of arriving home, I felt the need to hit the gym for not one, but TWO hour long workout classes in a row, followed by a short run.  It was definitely necessary. :)

 

 

I'm going to try and make the most of this last little bit of spring break.  Although mounds of laundry seem to be looming between me and the sunshine - better get it done!  Happy Friday!