Saturday, May 25, 2013

My Summer Bucket List Linky Party!!

Happy Weekend Friends!!!,

As I sit here thinking of all of the must dos during my summer break, I figured what better way to organize my thoughts than to link up for the Summer Bucket List linky party hosted by some of my favorite peeps, Hadar at Miss Kindergarten, Teri from A Cupcake for the Teacher, and April from A Modern Teacher!


1. Create a baby nursery!

We are transforming my daughter's playroom into a nursery for baby #2. We have decided to paint the nursery a lavender color. I think I have narrowed down my bedding choices to 2 choices--


or


What do you think? I'm leaning toward the 2nd one, but not quite sure yet. :-) I would love to hear your opinion!

2. Organize, organize, organize...

Every year I vow that I will be more organized. I said that I would this year...well didn't quite happen the way that I hoped. I would like to make a master copies binder of all of the amazing ideas that I have found from fellow bloggers for easy access. I saw this idea on Pinterest...

Master Copies Binder:  So much easier than shoving everything in a filing cabinet.

I also love this idea for my craftivities (from none other than Hadar!!)

freebie...Organizing Crafts monthly cards


3. Teachers Pay Teachers!!

TeachersPayTeachers  - Lesson Plans,Teaching Materials and Other Teacher-Created Resources

I plan to do a lot of creating over the summer. I have a big notebook of ideas written down. I just need to get motivated to get back into the swing of things. It has been quite a few months since I've created anything due to being exhausted day in and day out. I'm feeling the urge to get creating again! I am very excited to start doing just that!! Wish me luck!

4. Spending time with my little girl...


I am so excited to spend as much time as possible with this little face right here! She is so excited to spend summer with Mommy too. We have big plans to go to the beach, zoo, movies, and I am excited to sign her up for her first organized activity (besides school)...gymnastics!!! I am looking forward to spending lots of quality time with this little munchkin!

5. Lots of resting!!

Besides all of the summer fun that I plan on having with my daughter, I plan on spending much time in the cold air conditioning of my house as I grow bigger with pregnancy lol. I swelled up like a balloon last time I was pregnant and I'm hoping that it won't happen so bad again! I have been exhausted over the past few months so I am looking forward to destressing and feeling human again!

I hope you have many exciting plans for your summer bucket list!!! :-) Hang in there, summertime is near!!

Friday, May 24, 2013

Five for Friday...5-24-13

Haaapppy Friday Friends!!!

I know for some of you it is a very happy Friday because you celebrated the last day of school this week. I am still anxiously awaiting that celebration. I have 6 days left of school, but a fun filled week ahead with my students, so I'm looking forward to every moment, because my students deserve some fun after working hard this year.

I am linking up with Kacey from Doodlebugs Teaching for another Five for Friday!!!

fiveforfriday

Here's what I've been up to...

1. Drumroll please.......It's a......

Photo: We're having another girl!!!!! :-)

GIRL!!!!

I finally went to get my ultrasound done! Everything appears to be normal and healthy and we are expecting our second girl. My daughter Summer is so excited to be a big sister!!! My husband and I can't seem to agree on ANYTHING when it comes to names. Does anyone have any unique suggestions???? We don't want a name that is very common. I would love to hear your ideas!

2. Now that I know what we are having, my friends have been spoiling me rotten. Here are some collages of baby clothes that my friends bought me. I just love, love, love frilly girly clothes!!!!



How am I ever going to get enough of this!?!??!

3. Prayers for Oklahoma

My heart literally broke when I heard about the tragedy in Moore, Oklahoma. It really hit home when I read the countless stories about teachers who were shielding their students from the tornado. May God bless all of the victims of this tragedy.


I'm sure you may have heard already, but there are several teachers banning together to help! Teachers Notebook has organized this amazing donation drive where you can donate anywhere from $20-100 and receive $2200 worth of teaching lessons from various sellers. I donated to this worthy cause, because it's the least that I could do to help!

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Also, Ashley from The Teacher's Treasure Chest has also put together an amazing donation drive that you must check out!!!


She has come together with several bloggers to put together an amazing package of goodies for a donation of $25! I am amazed at the stories of generosity that I have heard come from both of these fundraisers. It makes me proud to be a teacher!

4. Field Day

Today was our annual field day!!! We had so much fun! Some of our fun included chicken flinging, tricycles, jumbo egg and spoon relay, scooters, a running relay, a water relay, and snow cones. This really made me realize how much I am going to miss yet another group of amazing kiddos! Here are some pictures of our day...


My daughter, who also attends pre-k at my school, got to participate. I think I was more excited for her than she was. She had a blast!! I am so glad that I can be around to witness these precious moments. Here are some pictures of her field day fun...


How time flies! I can't believe this precious little girl of mine is going to be 4 years old in a month!

5. Summertime is near!!!

As summertime approaches, I am hanging on by a thread lol!!! June 4th is our students' last day and my official last day is June 5th. Ahhhhh!!!! I love all of the sayings that I've been finding on facebook and pinterest. Here are a few of my favorites...

Photo: This end of the year stuff---all this paperwork--is EXHAUSTING.  Why do I never remember it being like this at the end of every year? (must be the old age!)

Ha! I don't think I've heard a single teacher say that, especially this year!!


Oh believe me, I know!!! I will miss my students, but I am in desperate need for some R & R!!

I am so excited, because thanks to Katie at Queen of the First Grade Jungle, I bought this shirt last night for the last day of school!!!!


I am SO ready to sport this shirt on the last day of school!!! Head over to Teaching Blog Addict to check them out!! :-)

Oh and can I tell you how much I am LOVING Instagram?!?!? If you are on there, stop on by to say hi! I would love to follow you. My username is: learningissomethingtotreasure

Well, that's about all folks!! I hope you have a fabulous weekend!! I'll be catching you soon!!

Friday, May 10, 2013

Five For Friday- May 10th!!!

It's My Favorite Day of the Week (and quite possibly yours too!!)...FRIDAY!!!

Happy Friday friends!! We have made it to another weekend and a very important one! I want to wish all of the mothers a very Happy Mother's Day!! I hope you enjoy the day with your loved ones. =-)

It's another Five For Friday with Doodle Bugs Teaching!! 

fiveforfriday

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite linky parties, because I love taking pictures! I post a lot of my school pictures on Instagram, so if you want to follow me there, my user name is learningissomethingtotreasure. I would love to follow you back, as well, so stop on by!!

1. Mother's Day Gifts!! 

We were hard at work at Mother's Day gifts this week. I found this idea on Pinterest and just fell in love with it! Here is an example of a bag that one of my lovely students made...


So off to Wal Mart my teaching buddy and I went and stocked up on tote bags, fabric paint, and fabric markers. I think they came out adorable. My students had a wonderful time creating these bags and were so proud of the final product!! I think we will definitely be doing these again next year.

2. Shopping the BIG TPT sale!!!


Raise your hand if you hit up the big TPT Teacher Appreciation Sale!!!! I was so excited to shop 'til I dropped!! Here are some of my purchases (which by the way, I had A LOT more in my cart, but had to cut back a little bit). After all, I don't think the hubs would've appreciated me spending our tax return on Teachers Pay Teachers!


I LOVE some clip art!!! I might look into a clip art addicts anonymous if I keep this up!!! 
I also bought this...


Have I mentioned how much I love Ashley Hughes's clip art?!?! Let's see if you can notice a trend here...
What else do you think I purchased?? Take a look....


Shocker!!! More clip art!!! And then I bought...


Yes, yes you guessed it...MORE clip art!!! And finally, let's guess what I bought last...


You've got it!!! Even more clip art!! If Ashley Hughes is out there, please don't tell my hubby how much I spend on your clip art! lol :-) I have big plans for creating this summer and I was so excited to stock up on all of the great deals out there. What great deals did you stock up on?? Please share!!!

3. True Blue or Think Pink?!?!?!?

I am now 18 weeks pregnant and I am finally able to get my ultrasound to check everything out and find out what we are having!!! I am SOOOOO excited!! Thursday is the big day! I can't wait to let you know what we're having. I am wondering if I can wait 6 more days. The suspense is driving me crazy!!!!



4. Teacher Appreciation Week

As everyone knows, this week was teacher appreciation week. I really felt the love from my students this year. I received so many cards, pictures, flowers, and presents of school supplies, candles, and candy. I truly was spoiled! Despite all of these goodies, the truly treasure lies in my students. They make me excited to come to work every day. I truly am thankful for my career, despite the challenges that teachers face on a day to day basis.


I just love how my students pay close attention to the candy that I eat and know what I love!! Baby R and I were extremely happy to put this to use! I felt a lot of kicks of approval in my belly. :-) My students always know how to put a smile on my face!!!


5. Spending some sick time home with my little one...

My poor daughter, who is almost 4, has been battling a stomach bug/cough/fever on and off for a week now. This morning was supposed to be her first field trip, but I got a call from the office that she was up there sick. Despite not feeling well, my daughter is always a trooper and never shows it. Look at that smile...


So after checking her out of school this morning, we headed to the doctor's office. It turns out after some chest x-rays that she has pneumonia in her left lung. My poor baby!!! We have some antibiotics and luckily we caught it well before it became serious. So I have some TLC and snuggling to give my little one this weekend. :-)

Share your week in pictures and link up with Kacey over at Doodle Bugs Teaching for her Five for Friday!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!! The summer is near!!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Fabulous Feedback Linky + Teacher Appreciation Sale!!

Happy Monday Friends,

I hope this finds you having a great Monday! It's that crazy busy time of year where all of this paperwork is piling high on my desk, but as they say, this too shall pass. I am stopping by to remind you of tomorrow's BIG sale!!!

All the items in my store will be 20% off!! With the code TAD13, you can take an extra 8% off. What a deal!! Click HERE to check out some of the products in my TPT store!

Without further adieu, I am linking up with Christina from Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge for her Fabulous Feedback linky.


I'm taking some of my top products (that are also on sale tomorrow!!) and picking a top comment from each that is near and dear to my heart. Let's make it fun...if it's your comment, leave me a comment below and you win anything you want from my TPT store!

Here we go...first up is from my Kids of Character Pack!!


Sara says...

Click on the picture above to see my Kids of Character pack.

Next up is my Be a Buddy, Not a Bully resource pack!


This feedback was just precious to me... This pack was near and dear to my heart because I went through bullying while growing up, so I am happy to hear that it makes a difference.


If you are interested in adding this anti-bullying resource pack to your curriculum, click HERE.

And finally, my best seller... Duck For President Election Unit!


I love to hear how my ideas work in other people's classrooms! This feedback by sunnydail put a big smile on my face...


Click HERE to see this in my TPT store!
So if you are reading this Sara, Elizabethandzoe, or sunnydail, leave me a comment and you can get something for free from my TPT store.

Check out these favorites that you can snatch up from tomorrow's sale...


Happy Shopping!!,

Sunday, May 5, 2013

It's The Biggest Sale of the Year + a FB Giveaway That You Don't Want to Miss!!

Happy Sunday Friends!,

Today has been kind of a whirlwind for me! I am in a bit of a daze, trying to finish my final evaluation, new units, read FB posts, etc... so I wanted to stop by and let you know about a few exciting events going on very soon.

First of all, Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! We can truly appreciate each other and what we do everyday. It is an often thankless profession, but knowing that we make a difference in the lives of many children makes up for that.

Next, have you heard about the BIG Teacher Appreciation Sale at Teachers Pay Teachers on Tuesday & Wednesday?!?! Many stores will be marked down 20%, including my store, with an additional 8% off using the code TAD13.


Thanks to Beth from Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah Designs for creating the awesome banner!!! :-)

Don't miss out on scooping up some summery products, such as my Wild and Wacky Watermelons Unit!


or Everything's Beachy (which will be up soon!!)


or get ready for next year with some of these fan favorites...


So stop on by my TPT store on Tuesday and happy shopping!!
Click HERE to check it out!!

Now for the giveaway you don't want to miss out on!!! Exclusively for Facebook fans, I'm giving away a $10 TPT gift certificate just in time for the big sale. So stop on by my FB page and follow along to partake in the fun!! The winner will be announced tomorrow night. :-)
Click HERE to head on over to my FB page!

Have a great evening!!,

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Five for Friday, Currently!!

Happy Saturday Friends,

Another week has come and gone! I'm hoping all of the weeks go as fast as this one through the end of the school year. Today I'm linking up for 2 of my favorite linky parties...5 for Friday by Doodle Bugs Teaching and Currently with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade!

First up...Five For Friday

fiveforfriday

1. My week started off with completing some of my Deliberate Plan Paperwork which is a percentage of my final evaluation. Well, I guess my computer did not like this, because my laptop wire started sparking while sitting in my lap. I don't think I've ever jumped up so fast in my life. Luckily, I did not set myself on fire. After examining the wire, I can see why it started sparking.


2. Monday was a lot better!! I was honored at our faculty meeting for being Teacher of the Year. We had cake, I was given a beautiful scrapbook that our faculty put together, and I received this plaque that I put up in my classroom. It has been such an honor to represent my school this year. :-)


3. This week consisted of a lot of sight word fun! I like to mix it up with sight word practice. The first picture is "What's the Password?" Each week, I put new sight words on the poster for students to practice. This is their exit slip when we go out to lunch, playground, or dismissal. I pick different students who have mastered the words to be the "quizzer". My kids love it!


With my 1 and only iPad, I use it with my intervention students to work on sight words that they may be struggling with. I hope we are able to get some more in the future to use in the classroom! ;)


4. We ventured into 3D shapes in math. I used this amazing 3D Shapes pack from Kelley at Teacher Idea Factory. We made a 3D shapes book where my students identified faces and vertices, as well as drew real life examples for each. We loved it!

This student was drawing a globe as his real life example!


Doesn't this ice cream cone look yummy?!? lol :)


5. And finally, now that I'm feeling human again, I'm trying to create more products again. This is the next one that I'm trying to get off of the ground!! I just find it so hard to juggle between family time, personal time, work time, and creating time. Do you face this problem?!?


Next up is May's Currently with Farley!


This is the time of year where I'm a little nutso!! All of the end of the year paperwork, conferences, taking down my room, etc. starts to overwhelm me. Even reading my summer bucket list is overwhelming right now. There's a lot of excitement going on! I am going to be finding out in the next week or two if I'm having a boy or a girl. I can't wait!!! Then I don't have to refer to my little one as "IT" anymore lol. 
I plan on having a busy summer. I have to clean out my daughter's playroom, which is going to be our new baby's nursery. I have to get everything prepared for my maternity leave, which will be in October. I definitely don't want to procrastinate on this. I also have a notebook full of ideas that I would like to put together for TPT...and in my down time, go to the beach. I'm not quite sure that I will be able to squeeze all of this in, but it's worth a shot! :-)

Well, I'm going to try to check off some of those to-do list items! Have a super Saturday!!