Lazy Summer Fridays

Friday.  It doesn't ring quite the same in the summer.

To be honest, Tuesday was my first day off & as I drove to the gas station, I was already concerned thinking, Why are all of the poor construction workers out slaving away on a Saturday??

Not Saturday.

Just Tuesday.

Oops!

{I secretly love it.}

So week one of summer FLEW by! Really summer? One week gone already?

Thankfully it was a pretty decent couple of days.

1. Before I left for the year, I treated my amazing secretaries & custodian to a little summer surprise.  It's soo important to show you appreciate those people who make the school work as well as it does. You can't make it through the year without them!

These adorable mug tumblers were from Wal-Mart, & they're loaded with a little Starbucks gift card.  I made a tag {that you can download here} to go with it.

I think they turned out so cute!

2. I have been loving the #tptsellerchallenge.

My favorite products got some serious facelifts.

These addition & subtraction scoot games are my best sellers. Don't they look SO much better?? Praise the Lord for some fresh Cara Carroll fonts!

They are updated with all new fonts, clip art, backgrounds, AND now are in color and black & white versions.

These beach themed math centers are perfect for 2nd graders in May & June! Or for 3rd graders in August!

3. Data! Data! Data!

My trusty data binder received an update this week, too!

Doesn't it look adorable? Makes me want to look at data alllll day!

Ok, not really. But, it's a little more fun.

I LOVE how perfectly simple the inside is, too! I will post all about it next week {with some freebies, of course}, so make sure to come back and check it out!

4. This week is clearly all about simple fixes for things I already love & adore.

Daily 5 had a revisit this week!

I've sworn by the original Daily 5 book for several years now.  It's nice & worn. I carry it around with me often.

I snagged this 2nd edition copy to borrow from a co-worker during one of our summer tanning sessions & have been reading and notetaking non-stop!

While it's not incredibly different, it was just the refresher I needed.  Sometimes just seeing something in a different way/format can make all of the difference.

5. My sweet, talented photographer friend has opened an Etsy shop! It's adorable. Just like her.  Not all of her products are posted yet, but she has a few you can check out, & they're perfect for some refreshing summer decor!

If you love anything rustic or beach-y, you should favorite her Etsy shop!

Want to win one of my new Makeover Challenge products?

You can choose from either the Life's a Beach Math Centers or BOTH Scoot games!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summer Makeover!

It's my FIRST official day of summer break!

I have been lazy. Finally fit in a workout. Relaxed in the sun.

Now, I figured it was time for a little after lunch spruce up on my Beachy Math Centers. #tptsellerchallenge

What do you think?

You can check out these second grade geared, sunshine loving center activities here!

That's enough work for today.  It's back to the sun for me!

Oh, June!

Oh, June! I thought you'd never get here!

It's been an interesting, exciting, and crazy-filled year.  This tired teacher needs a morning to sleep in and sip coffee on the deck {under the sunshine-y sky, of course}.

With just over a week of school left to wrap up the year, my brain is on overdrive and really may actually explode.

Like a volcano.

My kids would probably find it hilarious.

Here's what's currently happening inside my molten lava churning brain...

Listening - My house is quiet. No TV, no music. The clock is literally just ticking away reminding me that I have 10 less hours in the day than I actually need right now.

Loving - It's soooo close to summer, I can feel it! It has been a YEAR my friends, and I'm ready to sleep in and kick my feet up for a whole day before I get back to all of the summer planning for next year and cleaning the house I've neglected since last August.

Thinking - Speaking of next year... My brain is already planning, reorganizing, lesson planning, prepping, and I haven't even cranked out report cards for this year's little gems yet! Please tell me I'm not alone in this, am I? #teacherproblems

Wanting - On that first, glorious day of summer {the one where I sleep in}, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll squeeze in an afternoon nap between the excitement of nothingness. Can't. Wait. YES!

Needing - I've consistently had to skip a run at least once or more a week because of crazy schedules or crazy weather.  Running is my sanity. We all know too well that teachers desperately need their sanity at the end of the year.

Summer Lovin' - We have a ton of happenings planned for this summer already.  So many in fact, that all of the Saturdays are booked pretty much until October. They are all filled with family, friends, and travel time {say it with me: "HAWAII"}, so I'm really not mad about it one bit.

How are you feeling now that it's FINALLY JUNE? :)

A Day Late & A Dollar Short

It may be Saturday, but is there really a better time to write a Friday post about our week???

I think not! Saturday wins.

There are 33 school days until summer {35 for us teachers}. Not that I'm counting... yet.

Our days at this point are hit or miss, but I'm aiming for more hits.

1. FOOD! My kiddos this year will do ANYTHING for food.  I will feed them every darn day if I have to.  We chowed on some gummy worms & leaves while writing *quietly* about compost piles.  I had a REALLY hard time not just eating all of this delicious gumminess myself!

2. Accountability is key!  Especially these last few weeks.  We have SO much to learn yet, and I need to make sure my little learners are with me.  We use post-its and this wonderful Stick It To Me chart {idea credit: The Inspired Apple} before, during, or after lessons to help me keep track of learning.

My kiddos LOVE taking turns being the "Tell Us Teacher" and choosing 3 answers or ideas from the chart to share aloud with the class.

3. Math Bins were a hit this week thanks to my Buggy Math Centers!  They were perfect for spring, reviewing key math standards, & I love hearing the little giggles of excitement when they read each centers' funny name. You can find them HERE! They're even on sale for the week - just because!

4. Confession... I have a HUGE planning problem!!! It's OUT. OF. CONTROL.

So bad, that when anyone asks my husband to do something or hang out, he always tells them, "You'll have to get in touch with my personal planner."

If I leave my planner anywhere, or (heaven forbid) lose it... well that's just not going to be any bit of okay!

I am a crazy planner person & I need help!  Just kidding.  {Sort of.}

I love, love, LOVE being a planner.  It makes me happy.  It keeps me kind of sane.  Aaaaand I don't "plan" on givng up my ridiculous planning tendincies anytime soon. ;)

I've been fretting for WEEKS now because my planner ends in June, and folks, I've got major plans that happen after June! The running list in the back of my current planner just isn't cutting it for me.  I NEED to write those plans in neat little boxes with bright, colorful pens {or pencils... because life is messy & my planner needs to be erasable}, in my fanciest handwriting.

We finally made it to Target last night (romantic date night, ya know).

Straight to the planner aisle, after a quick stop at the Dollar Spot, of course... and ALL of their planners were January-December!!! WHAT?!

As a teacher, I live from July-June and need my planner to be on the same page.

I sulked.

As we were walking away, my amazing husband spotted a side rack of THESE:

Adorable July-June planners! They came in teal, pink, and royal blue with adorable designs.

I choose the royal blue. To match my classroom of course.

My everything/life planner came in a Monthly/Weekly format (necessary).

The larger planner is only Monthly & is used to sketch out tenative lesson plans.

Yay, Target!!!

5. I've been enjoying the beauty that is spring all week! Hope you are, too!

Sunshine & Freebies!

This weekend's forecast: Sunny. Sunnier. Sunniest! And WARM to boot!

LOVE. IT.

This was our first week back from Spring Break, and it was a bit rough for the teacher.

I was dragging myself out of bed, waaaay later than normal.

My husband actually told me to, "Get it together, already!"  Apparently he's not a fan of my week long snooze button addiction.

Somehow, by the grace of God, I pulled myself together in time for school each day.

Only spilled my coffee all over the kitchen floor once. WIN!

Here's how the week ended up:

1. We've been playing a TON of games to get us through & keep the kiddos motivated.  They really, really, REALLY need to be moving at this point in the year when their attention spans are about thislong.  We've been using our Slap It slappers for everything from social studies to math!

2. Biographies are in full swing, & I'm LOVIN' it!  We've studied politicians and now sports stars!  My second graders eat up these biographies!

3. Keeping with the theme... we've changed up our Daily 5 Listening to Reading station for a bit.  It's currently Biography Bags. Huuuuge hit!

4. We've finally wrapped up our engineering unit on Bridges!  It was exciting and difficult learning all about how forces act upon different structures.  To help drive the idea home, we read The Three Little Pigs & identified the forces acting on the brick house.  You can grab yourself the FREEBIE I whipped up for us, HERE!

5. I'm working on not cheating on my healthy eating, BIG time, because somehow I can always find an excuse to eat an entire bag of Reese's mini peanut butter eggs.

This Caprese salad was delicious & super good for my body!

However, it's Friday afternoon & I'm REALLY feeling like this... EEEK!

Pray real hard that I don't find the Oreos any time soon!

Have a SUNNY weekend, friends!

Surviving!

Spring break is A-Mazing!

...Until you have to go back to work.  It's like a taste of summer getting to play in the sun, sleep in till 6 AM, and actually get your house clean.

{I mean, I can't be the only one who only has a clean house in the summer... please tell me you're with me!}

That sunshine, though.  Makes it sooo hard to be in a classroom all day.

But, there's learning to be done! So here's how I'm surviving the 4th quarter...

Games, games, & more games!  Anything to keep the littles interested in the MOUND of learning we still need to trudge through.

Writing on desks. Writing on tables. Writing on any imaginable surface that some dry erase makers can't damage.  Thank goodness Expos are so easily erased!

Brain breaks. EVERY. DAY. EVERY. HOUR.

Go Noodle is my lifesaver. Ice cream & guacamole, anyone?

And when the sunshine really gets to my brain, & I just can't take one more second of school work. I hit up TJMaxx for some fun Hawaiian vacation shopping! Hurry July!

The #fourthquarterstruggles are real.  But keep on keeping on, friends!

We can make it!

Once Upon a Spring Break!

This past week was spring break! Best week of the year! There's just something wonderful about sunny, spring weather...

except that it's been RAINING (just about all week).

Seriously?!

I shouldn't complain, though.  I accomplished a good bit around the house, & even FINALLY finished filing my taxes. Hallelujah!

Here are 5 exciting ways I spent my break:

1. I had a sleepover with the sweetest littles.  When it was too rainy to be outside, we played The Ladybug Game.  It has soo many awesome reviews, and let me tell you... they don't lie! This game was perfect for counting, and even a 3 and 4 year old were able to play successfully (and I wasn't losing my mind trying to get them to follow the directions either)!

2. Hubby & I ventured to Cabella's for an afternoon.

Don't worry.

He was kind enough to endure a trip to Target afterwards.  

If that's not love, I don't know what is.

3. What's spring break without a beach day?!

Clouds & raindrops can't stop us from having a girls day at the beach... even if it's spent searching for wild beach horses instead of tanning in the sand.

4. Hubby was deployed for my 30th, so we (finally, finally, finally) had a chance to celebrate late this week.  We spent a rainy day at Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Then went to see...

WICKED!

AaaaaMAZING!

I'm in love. And feeling like defying gravity. :)

5. Because I'll have to be getting back into school mode here shortly, I'll leave you with some fairy tale writing.

In 2nd, we studied a lot of fairy tales, including different versions of each.

At the end of our unit, we LOVED writing our own fairy tales.

I whipped up a graphic organizer, fancy fairy tale final draft paper, & a prince/princess crown for display.

You can get your own here!