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!