Blog Post Brought to You By a Late Cup of Coffee

I took my car to Toyota today to get my sun visor re-attached. It stopped staying folded up and the husband took it off because it was driving me bananas trying to peek underneath it to see to drive. Really, I think he knows how amazingly awesome I am at driving and didn't want anything to get in the way of that skill (complete sarcasm by the way).  That was almost 2 months ago {{sorry Dad}}. It was under a recall so I took it in and 4 hours later it was fixed. During that wait time I decided that a coffee would be a fab idea even at 4:00...now at 12:32 when everyone else is sleeping in this house...not so fab of a decision. Side note: I wonder what dogs dream about? Mine has his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his tail is wagging non stop. In other news, our internet/cable provider peaced out on us for a solid 4-5 hour period eliminating my Pinterest marathon I had planned for the rainy afternoon. I mean seriously, what else is someone expected to do during a rain storm when their husband is playing a video game && said girl is so jacked up on caffeine a nap is out of the question (what does Panera put in their coffee??).  I almost considered going to the gym for the second time today just to get some Wifi in my life...quickly decided against that. Sooooo I'm getting a late start on my blog/pinterest fix for the day.

I've personally been in denial that August would be creeping into my life with such a quickness. Now that August (and the back to school commercials) are here, it's impossible to pretend that summer is going to last forever. Every year I try to make goals for the upcoming school year (not a new concept I'm sure every teacher does the same thing). In my late night blog hopping expedition I found a blog link up to get my brain wrapped around the new school year. Tonight {{{uhhhhh this morning}}} I'm liking up with Jessica at I {Heart} Recess f0r Back to School Goals. Here we go...

 

 

Personal:

{{Find a Balance}}

Finding a balance between work, home, and working out has always been a struggle of mine. I'm a perfectionist so I tend to be a work-a-holic. This year my goal is to leave the school building by 3:30 every day (except for those meeting days). Leaving at 3:30 gives me plenty of time to focus on my life at home and to keep working on my fitness. I've done a pretty decent job this summer forcing myself to go to the gym. I'm far from a gym rat, but I've graduated from the couch potato category.

 

Organization:

{{Keep It Simple}}

I'm pretty solid with my skills in organizing. I despise clutter so I've developed a pretty effective file it, return it, or toss it policy. There's always room for improvement, but my goal is to keep it simple. Pinterest has some pretty amazing ideas, but there are a lot of time consuming things that are more for show than for a purpose. It's easy to get sucked into them... I swear I'm like a moth to a bright light when there are cute upgraded options to be done.

 

Planning:

{{Stay Ahead}}

Staying 2 weeks ahead has always been my thing. This year is going to be really hard with changes flying in at every direction. Our district is fully implementing the CCSS this year for ELA. Not a big deal...I'm not scared of them. The big deal comes with the district created units for math and ELA that every teacher has to teach && they're not even posted yet (surprised? not in the least). All of the planning that I hoped to get done over the summer hasn't happened at all so maybe staying 2 weeks ahead is going to be a bit unrealistic this year...about as unrealistic as expecting my dog not to snap at every bumble bee she sees on walks near flowers...ain't gonna happen. Soooo maybe the outline for each month filled in with copies being completed by Thursday of each week. Uggggh I already have a headache.

 

Professional:

{{Keep Calm and Teach On}}

Changes are stressful and lord knows we've got a lot of those going on this year. BUT the stress doesn't have to ruin your day...it's always going to be there, but it doesn't have to consume you. Keeping a positive attitude is definitely going to be a challenge, but I'm up for it. . .I think.

 

Students:

{{Find the Sprinkles and Rainbows}}

This is my seventh year in the classroom so I'm well aware that teaching isn't always sprinkles and rainbows. Everything doesn't always sparkle. Kids are going to have their moods, tantrums are going to occur, arguments are going to fire up with BFFs who have had it with their copycat friend, chicken nuggets are going to touch gravy && the sky will begin to fall because of this. Moments like these can make you want to pull your hair out and scream as loud as humanly possible. Teaching will drive you crazy if you don't find the humor in the crazy moments. Focusing more on the hilarity of the day to day life within my classroom is my ultimate goal && in the process loving my kids for WHO they are (tantrums & quirks included). Unicorns might not exist, but I can hot glue a wooden horn onto a plain old horse's head, sprinkle some glitter on it and pretend it's a unicorn.

 

Motto:

{{Ain't Nobody Got Time for That}}

Ridiculousness...Ain't Nobody Got Time for That....Enough said

 

Until next time. . .live, love, &&& just say no to afternoon lattes.

 

 

Meet the Teacher Part 2 && Fashionable Pin-spiration

Last night I blogged about Meet the Teacher Night...check it {{here}}. It was way too late for my brain to care about staging my focus table so I saved that for today. Like I said last night, decorating and planning are kinda my things. I might not have gotten my moms blue eyes but I sure did get her talent of making things look good.With all of the whats and wheres mapped out last night, today was all about putting the pieces together && filling in the missing design gaps. This is what I put together today...

Now, keep in mind a few things are missing and obviously the table will be different (that standard light colored school wood instead of my rich cherry), but not too shabby! The frame to the left (pink) is my sign in reminder. The pink frame has this sign inside of it:

A mason jar with pens will go next to it. In the picture the "pens" are really straws, but who has a gazillion matching pens at home? Not this chick. The metal owl came from Hancock Fabrics (thanks Rachel @ A Tall Drink of Water for the heads up). In the middle of the table I have 3 different sized mason jars sitting on a silver serving tray (wedding gift finally coming to good use). The hydrangeas in the jars are fake in the picture (they'll be real the night of MTT). To the right of the serving tray is my "Guess-timation Jar." The orange frame has this little sign inside of it:

 

The "Guess'timation Jar" is empty right now (to the left of the orange frame) && I have a good reason for it. I'm going on a cruise in 2 weeks && I have absolutely zero will power when candy is around. If I bought Starbursts to fill it up for the photo op they would be gone by the time MTT Night rolled around and I would have to fill it up again. I hate working out as it is...I don't need any extra calories to burn. To the right of the orange frame is a mason jar with markers in it for the kids to fill out their guess-timation slips. I used the same chevron ribbon that I wrapped the pen jar with to wrap the marker jar. I need to get another bow so that they match and that jar will be finished. The guess-timation slips are not pictured...I'm saving my ink at home && waiting until I get to school to print them out, but they're pictured on my last blog. The table runner is made up of 3 different colored place mats that one of my sweet little babies from last year gave me as an end of the year/house warming gift. This will more than likely change when I have the task of covering my not so attractive kidney table that is  light school colored wood. I'm thinking a solid table cloth with a chevron runner in the middle.

Now for everyone's favorite part, the treats. I mentioned last night that I bake cookies every year (I'm crazy I know). There's something about a cookie baked from scratch that just can't be beat...even the ease of buying them already made is no match for the taste of a fresh cookie. I also like knowing what's going into the cookies so if a parent asks a question about an allergin I know what I used (you just never know with store bought ones). So after they cool (and my husband has taste tested them) I put 2 cookies into each clear treat bag. I tie it up with curly ribbon (and think about my favorite movie The Elf while I curl them). Then comes the cute part...the tag. Last year I used sticky labels, but this year I'm kicking it up a notch. I re-discovered my Slice tool and all of the fabulous things that it can do this summer & was dying to use it again on another project. For the labels I designed them on Publisher and then printed them out. They're 2.5 inches in diameter so I used my circle punch to cut them out (bought it from Michaels for pretty cheap...before Hobs came to town). Then I used my slice to make a 3 inch scalloped circle tag and glued it all together. So cute & so easy...seriously the hardest thing was making a decision on what colored paper to use.
 

There you have it...MTT Night in a nutshell. Simple, cute, && easy. But wait, it's about to get even easier...everything  MTT that I've blogged about will be going into my TPT store by Monday. If owls aren't your thing I'll be putting a few different themes up. I have a few loose ends to tie up before it's the way I like it, but it'll be up on Monday at the latest and will be part of my Monday Made It link up blog. With clipart added into the package I can't offer it as a freebie (that requires purchasing a special license), but it won't cost you an arm and a leg.


After putting all of my teaching stuff back into my hoarding closet...I mean temporary teaching storage closet... I was blog hopping and found a linky for back to school outfits. I'm still in complete denial that I have to go back to work soon so I'm not thinking about a meet the teacher outfit or a first day of school outfit just yet. Buuuut there's still tons of summer fun to be had and putting your best foot forward is imperative. My closet is full of cute dresses, colorful tank tops, and skinny skinnies. I definitely know how to throw things together and look put together (atleast I hope). However, I'll be the first to admit that my normal attire for this summer looks like this hot little number...

Too hot to trot I know, I know. I personally love yoga pant type pants and a tank top...ocassionally I even make it to the gym because I'm dressed like this. When I actually do go out in public for something other than a gym session (or grocery shopping) I clean up nicely. Pinterest has been my inspiration for a lot of my outfits... && some I think of all on my own only to find that Pinterest thought it was cute too. Love it when that happens right?!?! The last part of tonight's blog is dedicated to the outfits I wear/plan to wear...you know when yoga pants just don't cut it as appropriate. I might be on a teacher's budget, but just because you're on a teacher's budget doesn't mean you have to look frumpy dumpy. High end names have never appealed to me...I work hard for my money and I'm not going to blow it on one shirt just because some magazine says you'll be cool if you buy it.  You can get the same look for a fourth of the price. The majority of my closet is budget friendly. Yes I have a few splurge pieces (mostly shoes and jewelry), but what girl doesn't?  Here are a few trends that I LOVE more than frozen grapes....

Trend #1: Coral {{anything coral}} Everywhere you look coral is one of the hottest colors around. Paired with navy blue stripes && it's {{shut the front door material}}. I'm not a big shorts person--I'm really insecure about my legs (I think it's God's way of getting back at me for stressing my Dad out when I wore all of the short shorts that I wore in high school). I should be thankful that I have 2 functional legs I know && I am..but every woman out there has an area that they aren't completely secure with and for me it's my legs. I really break out into a sweat at the thought of wearing them. Ironic because I have so many cute outfits that involve shorts. Anywho, my pinspiration is on the left and my {{got it in my closet}} version is on the right...

I changed the top from being long sleeved to a tank top--it's summer time in Charleston...do I really need to give another reason??
Top: American Eagle
Shorts: Target
Shoes: Steve Madden (looooooovvve Steve Madden)

Trend #2: White Shorts {{with a frayed hemline}} Nothing says summer better than a pair of white shorts && a great tan. While my tan is fading quickly, the white shorts are stocked and ready to go.

I've never been a huge fan of the flowy tops...I'll save those for when I'm prego (maybe)...so in my version I have a more fitted top. If there's one thing about a trend it's that you've got to take it and make it your own.
Shirt: TJ Maxx (shout out to the budget Barbies out there)
Shorts: Jessica Simpson
Shoes: GAP

Trend #3: Chevron {{any and all chevron}}
Hi, my name is Amy and I'm addicted to chevron. That is a support group I wouldn't mind being a part of because chevron addicts are pretty fabulous. My choice of chevron comes in the form of a dress. It's not hard to copy an outfit on Pinterest when there's a link to the store that sells it && it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to get it into your closet.

Dress: Red Dress Boutique
Shoes: Steve Madden
Belt: Nine West?? (on sale at Belk...not a splurge)

Trend #4: Maxi Skirts
There's an Ecard pin floating around out there in the land of Pinterest that explains maxi skirts the best...you feel dressed up, but they're just crotchless yoga pants. Whatever it is...I love them. I was hesitant to buy one because I'm short (5'4") and I didn't want to trip over my skirt (I'm clumsy as all get out). But when I saw this one on the Red Dress Boutique's website I took my chances and I'm so glad I did.

Top: Target
Skirt: Red Dress Boutique
Shoes: Nine West (even though you can't see them...again on sale at Belk)

Now that I've officially missed the entire beginning of the movie we rented, I'm getting the evil eye to shut this lap top down for the night. Soooo until next time, live, love, && make yourself feel beautiful...even if it's in yoga pants!

Meet the Teacher

Back to school emails have been pouring in lately && I'm just not ready to face the reality of the working world yet (working from home on teaching stuff...yes...working in my classroom teaching...not yet). Sooooo each time my phone dings with a new email I close my eyes, take a deep breath and pretend that it will be an email saying that I won a shopping spree (crazier things have happened and a girl can dream). The first time my work email dinged it was saying not to come up to the school until further notice because new carpets are going in. I'm stoked about new carpets (no more mystery stains YAY!), but not being able to get into my room until the week before we go back (and 3 days before I set sail on a cruise) has put me into panic mode. && now hearing that every first grade teacher's stuff is out in the hallway while the carpet is being laid 1 room per day has me freaking out even more. I'm a control freak, and self diagnosed O.C.D...my stuff being in a hodge podge in the middle of the hallway is officially my.worst.nightmare!  Here's what I'm workin' with...

August 5: Estimated completion date
August 6: Annual Summer's End Pool Day
August 7: Road Trip to Florida
August 8-August 11: Cruisin' the Ocean
August 12: Back to Work
August 15: Meet the Teacher

I'm not stressed about being able to get it done if they finish on time. If I have the 5th and part of the 7th before we hit the road to assess any damage that may have more than likely occured in the move && start setting up, I'm golden. I can push things into place and get my new stuff hung up before I even start packing for the cruise. If they finish behind schedule, I'm up the creek without a paddle drowning my sorrows && worries in an umbrella drink.

With getting into my classroom completely out of the question I've got to do as much work at home as I can. Time is going to be tight that first week back--we don't have a full work day until the day of Meet the Teacher. M.T.T. night is always really exciting, but I'm always stressed out trying to get things put away, decorated, and set up just right. First impressions are everything and I wouldn't be my mother's daughter without caring about the presentation of my classroom. Our M.T.T. night is done "drop-in" style from 5:00-7:00. Our students and their parents get to come into our rooms, check everything out, and get any of their questions answered. I always give my kids a checklist of what they need to do with their crew while they're in the classroom. Mine for this year is up to the left.

There are packets of information/forms at their seats that they need to take home with them && an estimation jar on the back table. I always, always bake cookies  as a little sweet treat welcoming them into first grade. I tie them up in clear treat bags with curly ribbons and a label (bear with me I know I'm crazy). The whole process takes each family maybe 10 minutes (sometimes longer if they have a lot of questions/anxiety).

My back table is where everything is set up... && I set it up as the focal point. When you walk into a party (not a college frat party, but a grown woman party...a shower of some type) there's always a table that's the focal point. Most of the time it's where the food is, but ain't nobody got time to cater a M.T.T. night && I'm definitely not having any time for food and drinks on my new carpet. My table is set up with the sign in sheet, the estimation jar, some fresh flowers, etc, etc, etc. A table cloth goes down to pull it all together. Of course I spaced out and didn't take a picture of my table from last year. It wasn't anything spectacular...don't get me wrong I had elaborate plans, but they got the boot when I ran out of time (and the power to not be frazzled). It was cute, but it wasn't something to jump on a couch professing your love for (sorry Tom Cruise). This year I got an early start && I'll just go ahead and say that it's going to be absolutely fabulous. Last year I took the simple route and used a folded piece of cardstock for my table signs...this year my signs are frame worthy...so I bought some frames from the Hobs (Hobby Lobby) and fired up Publisher to make these beauties.
 

The sign in frame will obviously go next to the sign in sheet (can't make that until I know who is in my class) && that will go on a glammed up clipboard (on the to do/order list). In the past I put their treats at their seats (rhyme not intentional), but after last year's running of younger siblings I decided against that for this year. This M.T.T. night I'm putting all of the treat bags into a basket next to me at the front door. That way I can make sure that only my students leave with a treat bag (and only 1 treat bag). I would love for everyone in the school to have fresh made from scratch cookies, but not when I'm the one baking them.

Another yearly tradition of mine is to have an estimation jar on the back table. Each student makes an estimation and writes it on a piece of paper. Mine last year were very plain Jane (I was a little embarassed when I saw them) so they got an update to this...

Something to hoot about huh?!? On the first day of school we sit down as a group to count the candies in the jar (I usually use Starbursts because they're wrapped). The person that gets the closest (without going over) gets to take all of the treats home...after they give everyone in the class 1 piece of candy (there will be no riots on the first day of school if I can control it). There are always at least 80 pieces of candy packed in the jar so they still have plenty to themselves even after being forced to share a 17 pieces.

My to do list is still a mile long && what teacher's list isn't at this point in the summer?? Of all the things on my list shopping would have to be my favorite. It's on my list of things to do because I need owl stuff- -ok need is a stretch--I realize that my "needs" are actually "wants." Either way I went shopping looking like the sweaty hot mess pot that I am after working out and picked up some pretty cute things. I'm loving this owl stuff! Who knew switching themes could be so much fun? My brain has officially turned into a pumpkin && it's way past the time I said I was going to make myself go to bed so until next time blogging world...live, love, and shop a little...ok a lot...shop a lot! :)

Something to Hoot About...

After going back and forth over this all summer, I've finally decided to change my classroom up  from the beach. I love the beachy feel, but going into my 7th year of teaching I feel like a change is due. The entire first grade hallway is getting new carpet (insert kart wheel and fist bump combo here) so a fresh and clean design scheme fits into the brand new classroom feel that I've been dreaming of ever since I got the "stay out of your classroom until carpet is installed" email. The only thing that could make it better would be a fresh coat of paint on the walls...and I know that ain't happenin. I considered changing things up last year and chickened out. I had a new design scheme picked out and everything...just didn't have the guts to part ways with the beach. So this year when everywhere I went had "so cute I can't stand it" owl stuff I took it as a sign and rolled with it. I held back for a while, but finally the cuteness became too much and I said yes to the dress...I mean owls. This year in B-104 First Grade Will Be a Hoot! I'll be keeping my bright tropically colors, my chair pockets, my umbrella tree, my rug...all the big stuff. I'll just be putting the ocean stuff away and replacing with cute hoot stuff...so not a big deal right?? If I can handle moving to a different grade level and putting my classroom together perfectly in 2 weeks I've so got this change-a-roo in the bag...easy as pie.

The first item on the re-do list: F.I.S.H. Binders. You can't have fish in an owl themed classroom...it would be like eating peanut butter and tuna fish sandwiches...ain't nobody got time for that! A couple blogs ago I mentioned the F.I.S.H. Binders that I used in my classroom to help keep homework organized and in one place. It's a simple yet amazing concept that I found through a Google search (years before Pinterest was born). There are thousands of different acronyms out there to fit the theme that you've assigned your classroom so no worries if fish or owls don't cut the mustard for your classroom. F.I.S.H. stands for Family Involvement Starts Here and O.W.L. stands for Organized While Learning. The concept is simple: everything that goes home or comes to school is kept in the binder.

To make this happen, there are a few quick steps to take: 

Step 1: Get a Binder for Every Child
I buy binders (1 inch clear view) for each of my kids. You could definitely ask your students to bring one in on their own, but that approach hasn't been very successful for me. Plus I like for things to match && buying them myself ensures that it happens. Inside the clear view pouch I slipped a cute owl cutout. Student names will go on the owls so you can keep track of which random binder found hanging out on the floor by the door belongs to which sidetracked kid...trust me...it happens...and it happens a lot. After a class set of binders is collected and labled...BOOM!  Step 1 is done!

Step 2: Label the Pockets
 Inside the binder I label one side “Return to School” and the other side “Keep at Home”…pretty simple concept. Just handwrote it with a Sharpie...nothing fancy. Homework and forms that need to be filled out/signed would go in the return to school pocket and any papers that I don't need back would go in the keep at home pocket.

Step: 3 Pop in a Pencil Pouch
I also bought a class set of pencil pouches. I got the canvas ones from Walmart that were about $1 each. Again, you could ask your kids to bring their own as part of their supply list, but I like for everything to match. Plus they make the super cheap plastic ones that always break within a week of use...and it's beyond frustrating to me when things don't work/break so I buy the good stuff from the get go. Any money, notes, and duh, pencils can be stored in the pouch.

Step 4: Coo-Coo for Communication Clip Ins
Communication between home and school is a requirement for a functional/successful classroom. If your parents don't know what's going on, the kids won't know what's going on and then chances are you won't know what's going on when they hit you up with a "7 A.M. woke up on the wrong side of the bed" phone call. Aye caramba! To keep my parents up to date with what's for homework I put a homework sheet into a page protector. It isn't anything fancy, but you can find a picture of it here. A monthly reading log goes into the page protector as well...this way it stays neat, clean, and wrinkle free (not crumpled up at the bottom of the book bag). A school agenda completes the communication round up. The agenda is where the daily behavior reports are recorded. It's also where any notes that I write home go. A kid can easily throw away a note written on a seperate piece of paper, but when a page from the agenda goes missing it sends up red flags (or at least it should).


&&& that's how simple communication binders are to put together. I've used them for six years and couldn't imagine running a classroom without them. It takes all of the guess work out of the equation when everything is laid out for the person helping one of your students with their homework. They go home with the kids every day and come back to school the next morning with them. My kids drop them off in a basket by my desk so I can go through them and check for homework/notes/money/etc. Of course I send home a letter && a contract at the beginning of the year. The letter explains the purpose and the expectations for using the binders. I only buy 1 binder for each student...if it gets destroyed their parents are responsible for replacing it. In six years, I've only had one binder get completely destroyed to where a new one was purchased. Some of them get pretty raggy by the end of the year, but miraculously they hold it together until the end. The contract is something that I keep on file just in case anybody gets crazy and demands a new one...afterall my money tree died a few years ago && binders are expensive when it's not back to school time. I'll be uploading my letter and contract to TPT as a freebie so if owls are your thing, feel free to grab yourself a copy!

Until next time friends... find something to hoot about! :)

Sweet Summer Time

What's not to love about summer time? Ok so it's not June, July AND August like every non-teacher/teacher spouse/teacher friend/teacher family member thinks.  BUT most of June, all of July and some of August are still absolutely fabulous. I love summer just as much as the next person. Sitting at the beach all day, getting a tan, not having to set an alarm, and not having a lesson plan in sight are a few of my most favorite things in life. However, reality started to sink in a few weeks ago that the new school year was quickly approaching and so it began. I did what any other insanely and ridiculously OCD teacher would do. . .I took off my fun hat, put on my teacher hat and I started organizing plans.

As I opened up my lesson plans from the beginning of the year I discovered that they were not. so. cutesy. SHOCK. . .complete shock set in and then I remembered:
1. At the beginning of last year I made the decision to come back to first grade after teaching the GT (gifted and talented) second graders for a year. Needless to say I got pretty spoiled with the level of independence my second grade lovelies demonstrated on a daily basis. I apparently spent the first few weeks trying to keep my head above water as I desperately tried to re-adjust to life with not so independent 6 year olds.  

2. My amazingly awesome relationship with Microsoft Publisher didn't officially get it's obsessive start until after Christmas break last year.

I knew I would be 50 kinds of crazy if I didn't get started soon, so I  reluctantly got to work and slowly (I do mean slowly) plans started coming together. I started with my traditional 2 week unit on nursery rhymes. I did some major revamping and "Goose on the Loose" was born.

I chose 10 nursery rhymes:
1. Little Miss Muffet
2. Humpty Dumpty
3. Hey Diddle, Diddle
4. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
5. The Muffin Man
6. Old Mother Hubbard
7. Little Bo Peep
8. This Little Piggy
9. Hickory Dickory Dock
10. There Was an Old Woman

Then I searched through all of my notes and picked out all of the adorable ideas that I had in my mind to do last year (and never got to). Goose on the Loose is packed with activities that provide practice with initial sounds, syllables, ending sounds, and rhyming words. There are also writing activities and of course. . .CRAFTIVITIES (honestly who didn't see that one coming?). You can get your own copy of this unit HERE.

As always, my brain never stops working. After uploading this to Teachers Pay Teachers, I was inspired by some of my grad school tutoring plans and decided to add a snack option into the mix for This Little Piggy. So, anyone that is following my neglected piece of the internet can find a link HERE that will allow them to upload the snack activity completely FREE. The file includes a letter from Porky C. Pig (the little pig that went to the market) an ingredient list, and directions to make the snack. In his letter, Porky explains that he went to the market to get supplies for the class to make his favorite snack. The plan. . . get someone to deliver Porky's letter and a grocery bag (with the snack supplies, ingredient list, and directions) to your classroom so that it looks authentic. Your lovelies will then have to help you use the directions to make the snack and of course pig out on the deliciousness! Simple. Cute. Fun. && they LEARN about one of the many reasons to READ! It doesn't get much better than that. . .except for clean sheets and much needed sleep.