Its a New Year... a New Start

Okay so the packets will be done by tomorrow FOR SURE! The boyfriend has been sick with the flu, so I've been acting as maid and as his uncle called me yesterday his "mother." On top of having my hands full with him, yesterday was his--our family Christmas party. I love his family so much. And I love how much they accept me and like me for me and not just because I'm "Iggy's girlfriend." (Iggy is his nickname btw.) Case in point, yesterday I was doing my own thing at his uncle's house. I go to actually find him because it is present time and he is asleep at his NAN'S house. Not at the house we were at. But he had walked across the street and decided to fall asleep on the couch. No one could find him for about 10 minutes.

Anyways... as I was talking to his Nan the other day asking her what I should bring she told me a "veggie tray." Wanting to make it holiday-ish, I decided to head to our favorite site- pinterest of course! So here it is, my pinterest inspired Holiday/Christmas Veggie Tray! (It's a "snow-covered" Christmas tree!)

(sorry the picture is a tad blurry! I thought I took two pictures, but couldn't find the non-blurry one!)

Okay... so tonights the night! Out with the old and in with the new? Right? Bye-Bye 2012, Hello 2013? I'd love to say that 2012 was the BEST year of my life... but it wasn't. The good news, it wasn't a terrible year either.

Probably the best thing was the boyfriend finding a job. Not only did he find one to help pay the bills, but it's a very flexible job that allows him to work from home when he needs to!

Speaking of home, thats another GREAT thing that happened in 2012. No, we weren't lucky enough to buy a house but we did find a great house to rent. I love my home. And if one day I was lucky enough, I would definitely buy this house as a starter home.

So in with the new? What is going to make 2013 a great year? What am I going to do to ensure that it is everything I want it to be? Well here's my game plan!

As far as my personal life goes... I would really like to build up my credit. Before and during college my credit was awesome. But after college I was doing all that I could to just make ends meet, so those pesky loans got pushed to the waste side. Unfortunately that decision wasn't a good one and has now caused me once AMAZING credit to suffer significantly.

On with the blog... I would REALLY REALLY like to start blogging again readily. I've been a terrible blogger lately (I'm so sorry). I won't even begin to make promises on how often I'm going to post. I know it won't be everyday like it used to be. There is just not enough for me to say. And at one point I was wanting it to be every other day, but that also fell through. But I am going to try and get...be better. The key word: try!

So those are my two resolutions. However, for those that truly want to know... I will give you a list of not resolutions, but things that I would LIKE to happen in 2013- my hopes and dreams for 2013 I suppose.

1. I would like to get engaged/married.
2. I would like to become pregnant. I really want to start my own little family.
3. I would like to lose about 70 lbs (before either 1 or 2 happens).
4. I would still like to move closer to my family... so I would like to find a job in Wilson Co.
5. I would like to furnish the rest of my house! (so just finished the dining room and hallway - despite a few little decorations we would like to add. See pictures below!)

(new dining room table)

(Less than a week ago, this hallway was FULL of boxes. Now it is pretty, simple, and ALMOST complete! I have to either paint the mirror or change it out for a darker one!)


That's it. They aren't resolutions, because well 1 and 2 are almost completely out of my hands. #3 I have said time and time again and I still haven't actually done it. #4 I have tried to do two times now and it still hasn't worked out. and #5.... this is probably the most likely, but it takes money... which we are short on most of the time.

So what are your resolutions for 2013? Head on over to The Teacher's Cauldron to link up in this New Years Resolution Linky Party!

I'm dreaming of...

Hey! It's me again! You know that blogger that keeps saying she is going to get better at doing this... and then doesn't? Well yea, I'm back. But this time I'm not making any promises about posting again tomorrow... because let's just be honest I've been very sparatic this year with my posts. It doesn't mean I love you any less. It just means that I've been a very bad blogger. Oh well! Here's to hoping it gets better in the New Year? --I'm pretty sure that could be a New Year's Resolution! :)

Anyways, as I'm sitting in my PJS this morning/afternoon... whatever, I began thinking about my dreams from the last few nights. Now I don't remember the entirety of the dream, nor do I really remember the moral. So what then do I remember? I remember seeing my student's faces. I remember waking up and missing them. I feel like one of my dreams had me and another one of my co-workers and I suppose we hadn't been at work in forever (2 weeks feels like forever sometimes, eh?) and we ended up going into each other classrooms and being really confused. When we finally figured out that those faces (the students) that we were seeing did not look familiar and we ended up in our own classrooms we felt much better.

Does this make me strange? Am I the only one that has dreams about my students?

I remember the first year I taught, at the very end of the year after I had passed all of my students, I had a dream that I failed them all. It wasn't because they were bad or not ready to pass to the next grade, it was because I wanted to keep them with me. The next year, whenever I saw them I missed them like crazy! They were still my babies.

 In fact, during our Christmas party this year one of my very first kindergarteners came in to give me a hug. He's a big second grader now, but oh me! oh my! Does he (and in this particular case- his family) still have a place in my heart!

So I have one more week left on this wonderful Christmas break! I have already accomplished so much! We bought a brand new kitchen table (the one I've been wanting since October). You couldn't get the smile off of my face for hours and instead of working on the couch, I've been working at the table! I love it!

Speaking of working, I have two packets just about ready for you! I have already posted the first one, and I'm hoping to get the second one posted today! I'll TRY my best to be back tomorrow or Monday to share them with you. But one thing is for sure, whenever I actually do get back they will be on sale for the first 24 hours after the post!

Okay, well I'm out! It was good seeing you again! Hopefully it won't be so long until the next time! 

Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary

My thoughts.

Yesterday I saw a father come home and give his child a million kisses. When asked if he had missed him that day, he replied "I couldn't imagine had it been him." I am in shock of the things that happen in this nation everyday, but this was simply frightening. I couldn't imagine being a teacher in that school and watching the panic on my student's faces as we hid in horror of what might happen. I couldn't imagine being a parent that sent my child to that school that a grown man violated and killed 26 innocent children and adults. I couldn't imagine being the parent of any one of those 26 innocent victims and coming home to an empty room where they used to sleep and play. My heart is broken for those that are having to deal personally with this tragedy. What in the world could have been so bad for that grown man to kill so many people in a place where innocent children go everyday. I hope that those children who survived can find peace so that their learning is not stunted from this terrible act of violence. I hope that the teachers who survived can find perseverance in their hearts so that they will stay and teach and continue to make a difference in the lives of those children who were able to come home safely yesterday. May God be with you all and give you peace and hope for a better, safer tomorrow.

 

12 in 12 (a day late)

Okay, so I missed it! The day that won't happen again in my lifetime! I found this linky party yesterday celebrating 12.12.12 and I MEANT to join. But I fell asleep. I was so tired yesterday that I ended up sleeping from 8 yesterday evening until 6 this morning... and when I woke up I felt like I could continue sleeping without a problem! So without further ado, here it is 12 in 12! Thanks Kristen and Hadar for hosting this linky!

Here are my 12 favorite things...

12. Favorite movie you watched: 

The boyfriend is a movie buff, so we are watching movies ALL of the time. However, if I had to choose just ONE move as my favorite 2012 movie it would be 50/50. It was a funny, yet sad comedy and I loved it! 

11. Favorite TV series:

This summer I began watching The Big Bang Theory. I LOVE that show. Its super funny and here recently they have added some love stories... which I just adore! 

My other favorite TV series is The Walking Dead! It's got plenty of gore and suspense to keep me on the edge of my seat, yet a storyline that is captivating and leaves me crying half the time! 

10. Favorite restaurant:

Easy! Outback! I love it! The boyfriend and I went there this past Wednesday for the first time in quite a long time and after we ate I was probably the happiest I had been in a long long time! If you have never been to Outback then I HIGHLY recommend going and eating!

9. Favorite new thing you tried:

crocheting! I love creating something beautiful out of yarn! I need to learn more patterns so that I can make more than just blankets! 

8. Favorite gift you got:

My bamboo purse and leather wallet I got this year for my birthday! Its super cute. But more importantly it hold a bunch of stuff and is a pretty good size! And my leather wallet, the color is BEAUTIFUL! 

7. Favorite thing you pinned:

Okay, I don't have kids yet, but I have to say that a lot of my favorite pins are ideas that I have seen for when I do have kids. I mean just look at this beautiful seating! 

It serves multiple purposes by being seating and storage!

6. Favorite blog post:

Oh! I don't know. I'm gonna go with this one.

Why, well it was a FUN day and it inspired one of my favorite TPT packets!

5. Best accomplishment:
 Graduating college and getting a job as a teacher immediately after graduating! I still have several friends from college that have not been able to get a job, so not only is it my best accomplishment, but I have to admit I feel VERY lucky!

4. Favorite picture:

I love this picture because it was the first time I met my nephew, who is the love of my life! He has grown so much over the past year! I love him to pieces!

3. Favorite memory:
This summer meet up with Erin, Greg, Laura and her friend!

2. Goal for 2013:
To be happy and healthy. To get financially stable. And to finally get that ring on my finger!
 

1. One Little Word:
Faith.

(Faith in yourself. Faith in others. Faith in love.)

Hope your year has been as grand as mine has been!

 

300 Follower Giveawy

Okay... so this is a LONG time coming! But I've got it together and I am super excited about it!!!

My 300 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY! I have not been the best blogger lately. I've been slacking on blogging regularly and for that I am sorry! But somehow I still have 301 AMAZING followers! I hope that something I have said has made a difference or something I have given as a freebie as helped you teach an important concept.

To show you how thankful I am I have gathered a few bloggers together and asked them to help me out in showing you how grateful I am!




Joni over at KinderKids Fun is offering her Gingerbread Unit to one lucky follower.

Mrs. C from Little Miss Kindergarten is donating the following two packets to one lucky winner.

Donna from Peace, Love, and Learning is donating one packet (winner's choice) from her TPT store to one lucky winner.




And I am donating two packets (winner's choice) to one lucky winner.

To enter all you will have to do is head over to each blog, click follow. Then head on over to their TPT store and follow their store! Plus get an extra entry for sharing the giveaway on your blog and leaving a comment!! How easy could that be?

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December Currently

Hey ya'll! I hope everyone is getting into the Christmas mood! We decorated our classroom today. I usually do it all on my own, but I told the students that if they were good that I would let them help me! They loved being able to hang the Christmas ornaments on the tree! And I loved letting them!
I'll try and take and upload some pictures of our Christmas tree, fireplace, and Christmas-inspired student work that is decorating our classroom right now! I'm awful at taking pictures (if you haven't already noticed!)

I have to say though, I am thoroughly surprised at how FAST this year is going! It blows my mind that it is already December! However, it is! So you know what that means! It is time for Farley's Currently! Woohoo! I love these things! Thanks Farley for putting them together for us!

So wanna know what irks me? The fact that when I fall asleep at 7 at night, the boyfriend messes with me. But if I was to mess with him right now for being asleep at 7, he'd be upset! LOL. Does anyone else have this problem??

OKay... I don't know about you. But we have 11 days before Christmas Break begins! This is super exciting!! Of course we still have lots to cover this semester, and lots of testing to do, and lots of events coming up! So it's going to be BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! But that's kinda the way I like it! Friday we are having our Gingerbread House Construction Party! Each student will be constructing their own Gingerbread House out of a milk carton and candy! I am hoping that lots of parent volunteers show up that day. I am sure I will need all the help I can get with these things!

OMG! I am SOOOOOO behind! I usually have our Christmas tree up AND decorated THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING! So someone please tell me WHY it is December 5th and I still do not have my tree decorated! We went all out and got a real tree this year (we finally got it on Saturday) but that still has left me with time to decorate it! Right? When do you put up your Christmas tree? Am I the only one behind? OH! and shopping for Christmas presents??? I've barely made a dent. And after talking to the boyfriend, it is sounding like nothing else can be bought until the 14th! I don't know what I am going to do!!

Finally my RAK (RANDOM act of kindness)... I hope this counts. One of my classroom parents is pregnant. However, she is the only parent that comes in RELIGIOUSLY on Thursdays and does whatever I need her to do! She makes my copies, sharpens my pencils, passes out papers, laminates and cuts center pieces, takes down hallway displays, tutors a student.... basically ANYTHING I need her to do, she does for me! I am beyond grateful for everything she has done for me! Therefore, back a few weeks ago I decided to begin crocheting her a baby blanket.

So thats my currently for December! What's yours? Head on over to Oh' Boy 4th Grade to link up now!

(Oh and come back tomorrow. I will be posting my 300 Follower Giveaway!)

Christmas in the Classroom (and freebie!)

Jingle Bells. Jingle Bells. Jingle All the Way! Oh what fun it is to ride on a one horse open sleigh!!!

I can barely believe it is already time for Christmas! But I am doing all that I can do to get myself into the Christmas Spirit! (I still have Halloween decorations up... so the first step is to take those down, lol.) But I am ready to decorate, turn up those Christmas songs, and have myself a cup of eggnog while cuddling with the boyfriend and watching a Christmas movie. I love the Holidays. I really do!

I love incorporating the Holidays into my classroom as well. Because lets all face it... kids are just as excited as we are (if not more excited) about Christmas! So in order to incorporate the Holidays into my classroom I've got a few things planned.

First off in unit this week we will be talking about Needs and Wants. We are going to be relating it to Christmas. I have this awesome activity that we are going to do using my Santa Sack and items from around my house. We will be sorting the items by needs and wants. Then we will be creating a wall display of items that are needs and wants. Here is the inspiration via Krazy for Kindergarten.

For the display the kids will be using magazines to cut out pictures of items that are needs and wants. And then we will be creating presents and writing about what we want for Christmas.

Over in math we will be discussing length. In order to get Christmas involved we will be measuring using Candy Canes. They will then choose an item that is shorter to write about. (Click the picture below to get the free worksheets.)

Then for the following 2 weeks we will be talking about Gingerbread Men, Reindeer, and discussing Christmas around the world, specifically comparing Christmas with Hanukkah using the Venn Diagram that you can find in my new Holiday Literacy Packet. Read all about this packet below and click on the picture to go on over and grab this packet.

This packet is jam packed with activities to help your students practice literacy skills while having a little holiday fun!

This 88 page packet includes
"All I Want for Christmas" brainstorming and writing page
Christmas vs. Hanukah venn diagram- with chart pieces included
Reindeer Tree Map with writing pages - chart pieces included
Label a Reindeer
and 11 Holiday Literacy Centers
1. Holiday Endings (RF.K.2d) - ending sounds
2. Spin the Letter (RF.K.2d) - beginning sounds
3. Snowman Sentences (RF.K.3c) - sight words
4. Rudolph’s Rhymes (RF.K.2a) - rhyming words
5. Santa’s Beginning Sounds (RF.K.2d) - beginning sounds
6. Words in a Wreath (RF.K.3c) - sight words
7. Snowflake Syllables (RF.K.2b) -syllables
8. The Alphabet Workshop (RF.K.1d) - abc order/missing letters
9. Elf’s Silly Words (RF.K.3a) - nonsense words
10. Alphabet Games – (RF.K.1d)
Memory Match, Alphabet Roll Say Keep, ABC Order
11. Holly BANG! (RF.K.3c) - sight words

This packet was designed for kindergarten but can be used as a review for first grade or a challenge packet for pre-K.

I am Thankful (giveaway)

Hey everyone! I hope that you are having a wonderful week. Thanksgiving week is such a bittersweet time for me this year. I am thankful for having time with my family and thankful that I will get to turn another year older (Thanksgiving is my birthday!!)... but its bitter because my mom will still be in the hospital and it is the second year of having Thanksgiving without my dad. I love holidays but I miss him and seem to get depressed this time of year knowing that I won't get to see him wearing his green "Gift to the World" present shirt or get to taste his wonderful and famous pumpkin pie and banana pudding.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time of thanks. So I wanted to let you in on the list of things that I am very thankful for this year and every year.

1. Family. I truly believe family is the most important thing. They support you in (almost) every decision you make- even if it is not the best decision you have ever made. They love you unconditionally, which to me is the best type of love you can ever give anyone.
2. The boyfriend. After 4 years of dating, he is still my best friend, my confident, my constant. We have been through some very rough times and very good times. But through it all, even if we didn't see eye to eye on something, we have stood side by side. I told him the other day that I loved him more than I did the day before but not as much as I would tomorrow and even though that is probably the cheesiest line I could have every said, it was the truth.
3. My friends. I used to think that the more friends you had, the better your life was. But as I have gotten older, I have learned that isn't true. What is true though is that you should choose your friends carefully. I have friends that I don't see as much as I would like.... but when I do see them it is like we haven't spent a minute apart. That is what is important. I have friends that I truly believe would have my back in any situation. Friends that are family. Friends that are unique and special in their own ways. I am grateful for the friends that I have.
4. My job. I am given the opportunity every single day to work with some amazing little children. I am not only responsible for their learning, but I am responsible for making sure that they have fun and stay safe. There may be days when I wake up and don't want to go to work because I simply want to be lazy... but when it is all said and done, they make me happy. I told them today that I wanted them to know how thankful I am for each and everyone of them. And one of my little cuties told me "I am thankful for my teacher." It made me smile. Oh! and lets not forget my co-workers. I feel like I have grown closer to them this year.... and that is SUPER important to me. They may look at me like I am a little nuts sometimes... because I am. But they are an amazing team of educators and I am thankful to be a part of the group. The amazing part about this whole thing is I get paid to work with them, to teach them, and to guide them!
5. The boyfriend's job. If you know me then you know just how long the boyfriend looked for a job. It was a tortuous process. He looked for any type of job that he could get and nothing seemed to work out. But finally a few months ago he landed a job that is amazing! Although his hours are not ideal, he gets plenty of hours and his boss is very flexible! However, the best part of his job is that he is able to help support our family unit, taking some of the stress off of my shoulders.
6. Blogging. I may not be the best blogger or the most well-known blogger. I may go MIA from time to time. But the network of bloggers and teachers that I have been introduced to is beyond amazing. I am thankful that you share ideas freely, share products, and share yourself... your story. You will probably never know how important you are to me and how much I have learned from you.

So what are you thankful for?

Leave a comment below telling me what you are thankful for and enter my little giveaway! One of my lucky readers will receive 1 of my TPT products of their choosing. I will choose a winner of my mini giveaway on Thursday!

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Whose Garden Is It and Freebie!

Whew! I am so tired! Thursdays are always a long day for me. I get to work early (like always) and then stay VERY late! However, I will admit if it was not for my faithful parent that comes in EVERY Thursday that we have school or don't have a field trip it would be a much longer day and I probably would never get everything I needed to accomplished!

But alas, she makes my copies for the next week and does other odds and ends for me. And then after school I stay late to get all my lesson plans done for the following week and get everything I need set up.

Another thing that has been a huge help the past several weeks is the wonderful literacy and math packets that Jennifer over at KinderTrips makes. If you don't know her go check out her blog!

If you use Scott Foresman then you definitely need to check out her math and literacy packets. They are totally worth the money! They give you everything you need to plan for reading whole group, literacy centers and math centers!

Next week we are doing Whose Garden Is It? Now despite my better judgement (I really don't understand why the basal has us doing a story about gardens when it is cold outside and everything green is dying.) I went ahead and got prepared for it!

Jennifer has some awesome activities for Whose Garden Is It? They are common core based and give you everything you need to score high when being observed. Go check out the literacy packet here and the math packet here!

To go along with the story I have also made 2 worksheets that I would like to share with you as a freebie. One is a page for your students to illustrate something that shows realism/fantasy in the story Whose Garden Is It? and another has the students illustrate 2 different types of gardens (flower gardens and vegetable gardens).

Click here to grab these worksheets and make sure you leave me some love!

P.S. Don't forget to sign up for the TN Blogger Holiday Meet-Up on Dec. 15th in Nashville! (Click the icon below to get the scoop!)

TN Blogger Holiday Meet-Up!

So if you are a TN teacher and are part of the facebook page, you may have already heard the news. But incase you haven't we are having a TN Holiday Meet-Up in Nashville!

The plan is that we will meet up at the entrance of ICE at 10am (located in the Opryland Plaza area). They are featuring there DreamWorks Shrek the Halls made completely out of 2 MILLION pounds of ice! So its gonna be freezing! So make sure if you do get to come you wear WARM clothes and bring mittens. They will give you a blue parka to wear, but if your hands aren't wearing gloves your gonna be cold!

price- 24.95

After that we'll head on over to Opry Land Hotel to see the lights (which are ALWAYS spectacular).

price - FREE

From there we will head on over to the mall and eat lunch (location- up for suggestions!). During lunch we will be having an ornament exchange.

price - depends on what you get :)

So if you are interested in getting together with other TN teachers and coming down to Nashville for our Holiday Meet-Up e-mail me at buggyinkindergarten@gmail.com. When you e-mail me send me your first/last name and blog so that I can get some cute badges together!

Oh, and make sure to spread the word! I'm sure not all TN bloggers follow or even know about my little old blog and I would like to get as many of us teachers together as possible! The way I see it, the more the merrier!

Sub Help and Currently

I'm loving this weekend! It feels like it is lasting forever! By the time I went to bed last night, I already thought it was Sunday night and it was just Friday. I'm thinking it was the fact that I took a half day. It was my first day off this year. One of my students told me that they would miss me as I was leaving. It was precious! I was hoping everything would go well... and it may of... but 1) I got an e-mail last night from a parent saying that another parent had called her because their daughter's study buddy had come home with her. 2) When I went to school today to get some things done, my room was a disaster! I have never had a sub leave my room looking like it did today.

So here's what I need to know: what do you do to get ready for a sub? What is your best advice to make sure your students have a great day with their sub?

On another note.... it is November! There are MANY MANY reasons that I love this month. 1)My birthday (22nd). 2)Thanksgiving 3)Black Friday/Christmas shopping and last but not least.... 5)I get to participate in another "Currently"!!!

 

Head on over and link up with Farley!

Life Update, Freebie, and Halloween Sale!

Hey everyone! Sorry its been awhile since I posted. I've had a lot going on this past week and just hadn't taken the time to sit down and write. I can hardly believe that tomorrow is going to be Halloween! Ugh! This year has flown by so fast.

Since the last post that I wrote was from the hospital, I thought I would start with an update. She has now woken from the medical-induced coma that she was in and they have decreased the amount of oxygen they have her on from 61% to 35%! I am so happy and relieved that she is doing much better! Thank you all for the prayers and the well wishes!


On an educational note, tomorrow is Halloween! I don't know about your school... but we are not allowed to celebrate "Halloween." So instead we allow students to dress up as their favorite storybook character (as long as they have the book with them) and we do pumpkin and other fall related activities.

I have to admit that I have not been a GREAT kindergarten teacher this year. We have not explored the pumpkin like we should have. We have talked about the pumpkin and it's life cycle, we have sorted pumpkins by size, and done other activities. But there are a ton of other activities that I wish I had of had time for. I'm kinda sad we didn't get to estimate/measure the pumpkin,  do pumpkin glyphs, and a few other pumpkin activities.... but it's okay. I'll take a deep breath and know that many my students are WRITING (several are even writing several sentences at a time), most of my students know all of their popcorn words, and all but 3 student know all of their letters.

Anyways... because we have been working hard at those academic skills, I have tried to tie in as many seasonal activities into centers as I can I have one more freebie for you! If you are a Dibels teacher than you have been working on FSF skills and this freebie is all about those first sounds!

If you download, please leave a some love and let me know what you think!

UPDATE: The link is now working! I am so sorry that it was not available before! But I found the glitch and you will be able to view the freebie now without having to request permission to view!

In case I don't make it on here tomorrow, HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

P.S. I have put my Boo! Common Core Math Packet on sale for 50% off! So until tomorrow night you can get it for just $3.00.

Personal.

Hey ya'll! Sorry its been so long since I posted. This week was crazy busy! Thursday was our annual field trip to the pumpkin patch. The kiddos had a blast! But I was one EXHAUSTED teacher afterwards. I fell asleep at 7:30 that night and slept until about 6:30 the next morning... the kicker: I woke up and I was still tired!

Thursday also brought some bad news for my family. My mother who is only 48 was put in the hospital for having pneumonia. On Friday, she was put on the breathing tube. So Friday night I came up here and sat with her. She is still in the hospital. She is responsive and aware, but is drugged up and can't talk. She is sleeping right now, so I thought I'd take a minute and post.

 The nurse said she is not out of the woods yet, but says that she thinks she will bounce back from it. So I'm hoping she's right. I have never had a problem with hospitals, but I am starting to hate them. The last 2 times (before this one) that I have been in the hospital someone close to my family has died. So while talking to the nurse yesterday I started bawling asking her if I should prepare myself to lose another parent. I really don't think I can handle it ya'll.

It looks really bad. She is hooked up to so many different machines and wires. I just don't like the way it looks. But I am trying to be strong.

Last night when I got here, I held her hand to let her know that I was here. She looked at me and started chocking up with sadness. I could tell she was about to cry, which just about killed me.

I almost feel responsible for this. Last year when my dad died she started smoking heavily. She hadn't smoked since they were just dating, almost 30 years ago. And when he died, she started smoking heavily. It was like any time she started thinking about him, in order to stop or to focus her attention elsewhere she would light one up. It might have helped her.... I don't know. But she was hospitalized last year for the same thing. Pneumonia. She was put into a medical coma then in order to get better. After that she quit smoking.

However, she started smoking again this summer. A lot of people in my family told her that we did not think that it was a good idea. Especially after what had happened last Christmas. But she did was she wanted because she is a grown woman and she felt like she could. Now she is back in the hospital... and I feel responsible. Even though I made it clear that I didn't think that she should smoke.

But please, please, please... pray for her. I can't stand to lose another parent.

Thanks for listening. I appreciate it.

I've Been "Boo"ed!

Hey! I hope your having a great week so far! Yesterday was harsh for me. Not because the students weren't great... but because fall break is a tease! I love it when its here and hate it when it goes. I miss staying up to whatever hour of the day I feel like (although, last night I was passed out on the couch by 10!) and just chilling with the boyfriend. But it's life. And I'm lucky to have a job!

Tonight the boyfriend and I decided to get in the Halloween mood. So we're making a pumpkin pie and painting our hideously ugly and BUMPY pumpkin. (See exhibit A.)


Exhibit A:

We are going to paint it into a bumpy troll. I'm super excited!! I'll show you how it goes. :)

So in staying with the Halloween feel I decided tonight was the night that I would BOO someone!

My friend and co-worker, Mrs. Tilton over at Kindertrips "Boo"ed me a few days ago.

Unfortunately I am not able to find that post for some reason, I can't find that post. So I don't have the rules verbatim. So I'm going to tell you like I remember.

1. Boo 3 people. 1 person that has MORE followers, 1 person that has ABOUT THE SAME followers, and 1 person that has FEWER followers than you.
2. Let the 3 bloggers that you chose to "Boo" know by going to their blog and leaving a comment.
3. Give that person a treat... but no tricks.

So here are my 3 picks!!

My blogging friend, Laura over at Kinder Kraziness! Because of her my blog blossomed and my kids really REALLY understand decomposing numbers!

My fellow hometown girl, Becky over at Teaching, Learning & Loving! You should go check out her blog! She's great.

 

And finally my college classmate... Savanah! This girl is as sweet as it comes. She's super sweet, super smart, and talented at so many things! She has a very new blog (180 Days in Kindergarten) and I really think that you should go check it out! 

So what are you doing to get ready for Halloween?

If your getting ready to do Halloween in your classroom, consider checking out my "Boo! Common Core Math Packet"

Blessed

I am so blessed!

Today I want to take the time to share some personal thoughts with you. I hope that will be okay. I know this is an educational blog... or is about 75% of the time... but today I have a personal post to make.

This past year has not been the easiest on me. For several reasons. You all may, or may not, know those reasons. The main reason is due to the loss of my father. Then there was some health scares of my own... which finally I said that I give it up to the father above. And haven't went back to the doctor since (which may or may not be stupid...) and I feel fine now. I have not had any pains or aches in a long while and that is good. Then this summer we were so broke we had to move in with my mother and family and give up the life that we were accustomed to. Then the boyfriends dad passed away. School started and I had (at one time) 25 students in my class... some of which were very challenging... one of which who hit me on the very first day of school.

So you ask... if this year has been so hard why do I feel blessed?

Well... its simple really.

*I have a family that loves me and supports me both emotionally and financially.
*The boyfriend is the best guy (after my dad) that I have ever met, and even after all of his faults and my faults, day by day we are still perfect for each other.
*I have been able to spend ample amount of time with my family and my nephew.
*I have a job that helps to pay the bills.
*The boyfriend finally, after searching for close to 3 years, found a job that helps to support me and pay the bills. This income helps to even give us a little spending money so that we can pay for things that we need (like a lawnmower) and things that we have to pay for unexpectedly (like the tire that blew on Tuesday when we were riding around in town). 

And then there is those things that happened today.

After a year of driving my mothers van around (she signed it over to us about a month ago) we were finally able to get new tires, a new battery, and an oil/service change which helped to fix my car that had been sitting in my mothers drive way for the past year. And then by the grace of God my car PASSED emissions and I was able to get tags so that I can now legally drive my car around and won't have to be stuck when the boyfriend is at work and I am at home.

I am very blessed to have a mother that helps me all the time, even though I am 24 and should be able to do it all on my own.

And then there is this...

My father, the best man I have ever known, the "Gift to the world" as one of his favorite t-shirts proclaimed...even a year after his death I am still meeting people that I have never met that knew him and miss him just the same. Today when I was getting my oil changed I talked to the owner and just seeing him made think about my dad. My dad really liked this man. And this man was really fond of my dad. In fact, I didn't realize how long they had known each other. My dad had known this man since he was a little boy. This man is now in his 50's. So my dad knew him all of his life and whenever it came to getting his oil change would ONLY go to his shop. And then there is the unexpected. While I was getting my tags renewed, the woman said that since my car was in my mom and dads name they would need to come in and do it. I told the woman that my dad has passed. She proceeded to say, "I know. Your dad taught me Japanese when I worked with him at the bank." She proceeded to tell me that she had really been fond of my dad.

I know this may seem small to you... but to know that my dad made impressions on so many people is amazing to me. It makes me happy that not only will my family and I never forget him, but neither will tons of other people.

I just feel blessed today. And there are so many reasons why.

I hope that you are blessed and have a blessed day!

Getting ready for Halloween!

So far Fall Break 2012 has been a successful one! I've gotten to hang out with friends that I haven't seen in a while, head on a day trip to explore the next town over, which happened to be in a different state... so technically I went "out of town" during my vacation, I got a tire replaced (which didn't start off as a good thing... but we'll look at it on the bright side) and I decorated some for Halloween.

All in all... a success. And I still have 4 days. Tomorrow we will be heading "out of town" again but this time just going to my moms house and hoping to get my car fixed so that I can have a car again.

Getting back to decorating for Halloween, let me show you the newest addition to my wreath collection.

Isn't it adorable? After getting our tire replaced yesterday, the boyfriend and I headed to my favorite store... Hobby Lobby... to find some fabric and the wreath shape. After spending about an hour looking at things that we would love to have, we finally found our way over to the fabric isle to get the fabric.

This morning my girl Kim came over and we got to crafting. It was pretty easy. To recreate this wreath you will need:
1 wreath frame (picture via Hobby Lobby website)

2 yards of fabric (I did 5 different fabrics, equaling 2 total yards.)
Ribbon
Wooden Letters (mine says "Boo" but you can do just about any short word you want.)
Paint (any color... you'll just want to match your wreath. I did black and white.)
A glue gun/glue sticks

So once you've gathered your materials from Hobby Lobby or your local craft store, you will cut the fabric into 1 inch wide and 2-3inches long strips. After you get your fabric cut, you will tie the ribbons around each wire rod. You can make your wreath as full as you would like. Then paint your letters and let dry. Once your letters are dry, use your glue gun to attach the ribbon to the back of the letters. Tie ribbon around the rod in desired space to get them to hang where you want them to.

And viola! Your beautiful, fabric wreath is ready to be hung.

It took me about 3 hours to get my wreath done this morning and I've been admiring it ever since. I absolutely love the way it looks on my front porch!

What are you doing to get your home ready for Halloween/Fall? Leave me a comment and let me know below!

Technology Tuesday

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope that you are enjoying yours as much as I plan to enjoy mine. I have a few things to get done around the house today and then a craft or two to make. But before I did all of that, I wanted to take the time to sit down and tell you about one of my favorite resources for teaching with informational texts. (Click the picture below to go read all of the Kindergarten Common Core State Standards for Informational texts.)

Last year my librarian introduced us to a great resources called PebbleGo!

PebbleGo is strictly informational and is divided into 3 different sections. "PebbleGo Animals," "PebbleGo Earth and Space" and "Biographies." From the screen above you would select your category. More often than not, in kindergarten, we have clicked into the animal database.

 In the animal database you will find 12 categories. You can either click on one of those categories or you can type into the search button what you are looking for. Now, I will be honest with you and tell you that there have been times when I have been disappointed and haven't been able to find what I am looking for... but when I do find what I am looking for I am in Teacher Heaven.

For example, this next week we will be reading "Armadillo Orange." On Monday, before we have even read the story, we are going to be building some background on armadillos. So I searched into the search bar "armadillos" and found that they had it in their data base.

So on the Monday that we return we will be learning about the body, habitat, food (that they eat), life cycle, and some fun facts about armadillos! It is engaging, fun, and best of all they are learning!

If you are like me, however, you feel the need to take things just one step further. So if you are an older grade you can click the button that says "Share What You Know" or if you are PK, K, or maybe even 1st you can get creative and create a worksheet for your class to do like I have done for this one.

For this lesson I plan to do a tree map as a whole class and then each student will get their own writing sheet for them to use to "show what they know" about armadillos. If you would like to get the sheets I plan on using, click on the picture below.

The next wonderful resource is Bookflix. But to read all about that one you'll have to make a pit stop to my friend Greg's blog. He asked me to guest blog since he is honeymooning in Key West right now! Woohoo! So make sure you head on over there to get the scope about Bookflix and how it can engage your students too!

New Blog Layout!

I finally found something that I like and that my boyfriend (the designer in the family) thinks looks presentable. Whew! We almost had it out when looking for a blog layout for my teaching blog. He said I needed something that looked professional, that looked good, that well he liked. Thank God we finally settled on something and I was able to work all of the kinks out of it. I hope you like it! The best part for me is that I can REPLY to your comments! Therefore, I will no longer feel like a big bad blogger who leaves you hanging for a response! :) And that makes me happy!

So tell me... what do you think about my new blog layout? Do you like it? Hate it? I will have to get a new blog button created soon. I would do it tonight, but I am about to have to start getting ready so I can go hang out with some friends. Woohoo! I'm loving fall break!

Say What You Want Sunday

Whew... yesterday was BUSY! But fun! I went to one of my friend's from college weddings. It was great seeing her marry her best friend. The wedding was very simple, but she looked very pretty and happy in her dress. After the wedding, we headed to Opry Mills. It is the first time since it has re-opened that I have been there (except to eat with a few of my favorite blogging friends). It was fun shopping and looking around.

We started off in Bass Pro Shop looking at boats. Friends, I REALLY REALLY want a boat. I would love to be able to go boating on the weekends and just have a really good time. But when I looked at the price I think my heart died just a little. $$27,000. I don't know about you... but for this 24 year old, 3rd year teacher, bills stacked so high I could suffocate girl... I just don't have 27,000 that I can spend on a boat. So maybe, just maybe, it'll happen 5...10...15 years from now. The sooner the better.... but I've got other things I have to get first... like a new car?

We did get to buy one thing that we REALLY needed yesterday. I think I was just as excited about this new toy as I would be about a new car. (Okay... maybe that's a stretch... but I was really excited!) We got a new (*drumroll please*) lawnmower!!! Yippee! No, it's not a riding lawn mower. No, there is nothing really special about this lawnmower. But it works! It was a good deal (or what I consider a good deal- almost $300).... but the most important thing--- my grass will no longer be up to my knees. And I won't get a citation from the city because my grass is overgrown. And my neighbors won't look at me like I am too lazy to mow my yard. (We've been saving up to get a lawnmower so that none of these things would happen.... so fyi:it wasn't because we were lazy, we just couldn't afford it yet.)

The only thing else that we need to buy in order to make me super happy... but it'll have to wait until November... is a dining room table. Right now my dining room is the house to my puppies kennels (that they only use on rainy days).

But I feel like everything is starting to come together. And that makes me feel good!

Oh... thinking about things that we need.... I need a new layout. Because of my big purchase yesterday I don't have any money to spend on one... so does anyone know of any good places to get a new layout? The only thing that it must have is a way for me to REPLY to your comments. Because for some reason, this layout does not have that wonderful feature and it makes me sad that I can't reply to you! :(

Currently

Is it Friday yet?? Actually, Thank God it IS Friday! And to make it an even better Friday it is: Farley has her new Currently out! So without further ado, lets get to it!

So let's discuss:
Listening... while writing my currently, I was listening to The Big Bang Theory! This is one of my favorite shows! I can not believe it took me as long as it did to get hooked on the show! I really think I need to buy all of the seasons so that I can completely caught up.

Oh and teachers.... I think I chose the wrong profession. According to wikipedia Sheldon, Leonard, and Penny began the series making $60,000 PER episode! Friends, I don't know about you, but that is DOUBLE my YEARLY salary. And they get that PER episode. Could you imagine??? I guess it's true what they say: we don't choose to teach for the money.

Loving: Did I mention that I am now on Fall Break? Yippee!!! I'm not going to be having a lot of fun... instead I'll be doing some sleeping and lots of house work. We are getting a lawnmower this weekend so we'll FINALLY get to mow our yard. And I am *crossing my fingers* that we will be able to get a new dining room table. We'll have to see though. Other bills come first.

Wanting: Okay so it's 7o'clock. And I am hungry! But I have absolutely no desire to cook. How bad is that? I really just want to call for carry out. Do you cook every night? What does your family do for dinner during the week?

Needing: a new car. With both the boyfriend and I working... having only one car is miserable! But the good thing is I feel like I have made a friend in the teacher that has been bringing me home almost every day. Her family is awesome!

Book: Have you ever read this? I read it as a teenager and it is still one of my top 10 favorite books! It was an amazing vampire/werewolf book BEFORE Twilight even came out!

So there you have it. My October Currently! Thanks for reading what is going on in my little ol life! 

180 Days in Kindergarten, Blog Alert!

Hey ya'll! I hope you are having a happy Saturday! I just woke up not too long ago... but I am hoping to get out and enjoy life today. I mean, if you can't enjoy it... then what is the point in it? And *cross my fingers* I will be able to get my car fixed so that I am not continuously stuck in the house day after day while my boyfriend works and has the vehicle.

ANYWAY.... so this morning while cruising around facebook, I saw that a friend from college has now started her very own teaching blog! I read through it this morning and she has some really great ideas. (Click the picture to head on over to her blog!)

She is a kindergarten teacher. She was always full of great ideas (which is EVIDENT by viewing her blog) and loved to share them with others. But what I remember most about her from college was how sweet and down to earth she was. I hope that you will take a minute to stop over at her blog, 180 Days in Kindergarten, and make her feel welcome!

One of the things that I saw her doing, that I personally had never thought to do, is creating felt story pieces. I think this idea is great! She has created a green monster for "Go Away Big Green Monster" and another one for "Pete the Cat." Although I am sure she has created more.

Is this something you are already doing in your class?

She has some really great items in here TPT store too! Most of the items are free. You can go check out her store here.

Freebie Friday: Graph the Alphabet

Okay... so you don't know how happy I am that I am actually posting tonight. Considering I fell asleep at 7:30 and was in bed by 8. After sleeping what I felt like was an ENTIRE night, I woke up because I was thirsty. After putting on my contacts I read the clock and it said "9:54." Wait a minute... what did that say? Yea, thats right. It was just 9:54. I had been asleep less that 3 hours, even though it felt like it should have been at least 1am. Because I was so thirsty and there was nothing to drink in the house I decided a run to WalMart was in order.

Anyways! So on to what I have for you! Today while I was trying to figure out what I was going to be doing in my game center next week, it dawned on me how much my kids love my "Graph the Number" game. So I decided to create "Graph the Alphabet." To make it differentiated I created two different spinners. One with pictures (to work with FSF) and one with the letters (to work on letter identification). You can purchase the entire pack here or download this weeks freebie by downloading the "Download Preview."

Head on over now to get your Friday Freebie by downloading the "Download Preview."