Teaching Blog, Instagram, and New Year goals linky parties: The motherload!

Happy Winter Break folks!,

 

I am taking the time in this post to make up for lost time. I don't like making New Years Resolutions, but if I'm to make one, it's to BLOG MORE!

I used to be so good at blogging. I would blog everyday, then life hit me & a baby later plus more demands in teaching= lack of time!

So today, I'm linking up with a few linkies from instagram & my 2014 goals at First Grade Nest.
 First up is the instagram linky party from Kickin' It in Kindergarten.

*If you don't follow me on instagram yet, my username is @learningissomethingtotreasure. I would love for you to follow along!

I'm kinda (okay maybe EXTREMELY) obsessed with instagram. It involves one of my favorite hobbies: picture taking!

Okay here it goes:

 

3. This is the most popular picture that I posted on Instagram. These are the birthday cups that I made at the beginning of the year for my students. As you see, they look like ice cream floats! :)

My students absolutely love receiving these on their birthdays. I definitely plan on making these again next year!

 

Next up...

 

2. I love posting quotes & sayings and when I stumbled across this, I knew I had to post it! With all we go through with teaching, this describes our career perfectly. Although it is tough at times, I am sure many of us wouldn't trade it for the world. Teaching is filled with the most passionate professionals that I know, which inspires me to be the best that I can be!

 

And finally...

 

This is our first official family portrait. It is impossible to get my husband to take pictures, so I was so excited when I was finally able to convince him to do it! This is always a picture that I will treasure!!

 

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram as we make more photographic memories: @learningissomethingtotreasure

 

Next up is always a goodie... my goals for 2014. This linky party is from Jessica at First Grade Nest!

 

 

 

1. I have started juicing as of 5 days ago. My Christmas present to myself was to buy a juicer. My years of bad eating have caught up to me & now I'm having some health issues due to this. Now my goal is to make myself healthier again.

 

2. Folks, I admit it...I've been a bad blogger. Having a baby this year consumed my time. Now I'm starting to renew that spark that blogging & TPT creating has brought to my life. My goal is to blog 2-3 times a week, so I am not making an unreasonable goal.

 

3. I also want to be better prepared each day. I am bad about prepping everything last minute. I want to try to prepare everything for school the week before so I'm not running around like crazy the day of.

 

4. Avoid people that bring me down! Unfortunately there are some negative, hateful people out there. Sometimes you don't have to do anything to make them resent you. Unfortunately there are 1 or 2 out there that are like that toward me. I have come to the realization that there is not anything I can do to make them like me, so oh well. There's no sense in beating myself up to figure out how these people will like me. I am who I am & I love myself for who I am!

 

5. Maximize my family time! I want to spend more time enjoying activities with my kids and just having fun being the best mom I can be to them!

 

Thanks to Jessica for this great linky!

 

One more thing...looking for more blogs to follow. Check out this linky from Simply Kinder!!

 

 

There are so many new bloggers out there every time I turn around. Check out this linky for some new blogs to follow!!

 

Wow this was a long one!! I'll see you soon! 

 



Currently December, Holidays Interactive Notebook Winner, and CYBER SALE!!

Happy December 1st Sweet Friends!,

 

What?!?! December 1st already?!? Where did the year go? I can't believe how busy life has been lately. Since it's December already, here is my Currently from Farley over at Oh Boy 4th Grade!

 

I am loving that the Christmas season is upon us! I went out Black Friday shopping Thursday night and Friday morning to kick off the season. It gets me in the Christmas spirit (not the pushing, fighting, or meanness of people), just the shopping!

 

We had our first family portraits done last night!! I am so excited to share one with you. This is our first picture since the baby was born!

Changing gears, I need to announce a winner of my Holidays Around the World Interactive Student Notebook!!

 

I did the random # generator & it was #9!!!

The winner is....Tina from Crofts' Classroom!!! Tina, I will be emailing you the pack shortly!! If you are interested in this pack, click on the picture above & check it out in-depth in my TPT store!

 

Lastly, I am sure that you have heard about the awesome Cyber Monday & Tuesday sale at TPT!!!

 

Come & fill your sack with some of these goodies:

 

 

Click on the pictures above to take a look at my TPT store!!

 

 

Have a wonderful week!,

 



 



Black Friday Bonanza SALE + Holidays Around The World Interactive Notebook GIVEAWAY!

Good Morning Sweet Friends,

 

I hope you & your loved ones had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! I wanted to stop by & tell you about a few things that I've had in the works!! First, I am having the biggest sale of the year in my TPT store!!

 

In the spirit of my most favorite shopping day of the year, I am having a Black Friday Bonanza in my TPT store. 40% off all Christmas/Winter themed products!! The catch is that it's TODAY only, so don't miss out. Head over to my store HERE!!

I also wanted to share with you my newest creation: Holidays Around the World Interactive Student Notebook.

 

This pack includes a table of contents, ticket, passport with stamps, an interactive information sheet for 15 countries, as well as a foldable of information for each country to make learning more effective. Here are some pictures of it in action:

 

                   

 

 

 

I am SO excited to use this with my students when I get back from maternity leave in a week!! It's a great keepsake for them to have to remember the different traditions around the world. It's marked 40% off at my TPT store for the Black Friday Bonanza today only, so click HERE to check it out!

Alright folks, here's the deal:

Leave a comment below & tell me your favorite thing about Christmas and I will pick a winner to send this pack to tomorrow morning! Don't forget to leave your email address with your comment!

 

Well I'm off to go out for round 2 of Black Friday shopping!! Have a great day!!



Amazing First Grade Bundle + Giveaway!

Classroom routines are settling a bit, students are getting into the groove of things, and we are really starting to dig deeper into our curriculum!  So I have teamed up with Educents and some other bloggers to offer you this great First Grade Literacy Bundle at a huge discount for a limited time!  (And keep reading for an opportunity to win an item from my store!)

You get 18 amazing literacy items to help your learners become better readers and writers!  Included are centers, printables, posters, readers, and even a little science and social studies because those are literacy too!


My Making Words Mega Pack is included in this pack!!

There are 17 other products in our bundle to get your kids learning!  Hop along to see all the goodies you will get!  

But that's not all!   I am giving you a chance to Pin It to Win It (well you win any item from my store.)  Pin any image from my blog and enter below to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So head on over to Educents when you are ready and stock up on amazing literacy resources for first!

Reading Best Seller Linky *Giveaway*

Hello Sweet Friends!!,

Where oh where have I been?!? I have been busy chopping away at 8 weeks of maternity leave plans because my sweet bundle of joy is due in.....3 WEEKS!!! Oh my goodness, it doesn't seem like a reality! So that has kept me busy day in & day out.

I did want to stop by because I am participating in a fun linky with Table Talk with C & C!

 

 

My best seller is something that I have been doing for quite a few years in my classroom & has been a huge success in getting my students reading. It's my Making Words Mega Pack: Word Building for the Entire Year.

It includes 115 making words lessons for various short & long vowel word families, blends, r controlled vowels, and digraphs. I use these for homework every week, but it is also great for whole group reading & intervention groups. The best part about this is that you can print, set, and forget. All of the letters and tiles are prepared for you! Here is an example of an -at page that is included in the pack...

 

Here are some of my customer reviews of this pack!:

"Our phonics program focuses a lot on switching out sounds to make new words. I have always struggled to find quality, hands-on activities for this, but now I have everything I need! Thanks so much for all of the time & work you put into this awesome pack!"
- Katy

 

"These are fabulous for introducing new word families at word work AND for intervention groups! Perfect for my firsties:)"- Tammy

 

You can head over to Table Talk With C & C for a GIVEAWAY- you will have a chance to win a LOT of reading best seller packs & to link up your own reading best seller if you have one!

If you are interested in taking a closer look at this pack, click HERE!

 

Have a great night sweet friends! I will be back later in the week with some MORE exciting news!



It's Currently September!!!

Happy September Friends!!,

 

I'm sooo sorry for my absence lately! Back to school has taken it's T-O-L-L on ME! I have a lot of pictures to share over the next week of what we've been up to since school started, so stay tuned.

Happy Labor Day!! I have been looking forward to this day since we've started school on August 19th. I just need this extra day to rejuvenate.

Well, since it's September that means 2 things for me...

1- I have 1 month until my sweet baby is due to be born (I am so super excited!!) and

 2- It's time for Currently with Farley!

Here we go--

 

Have I told you how much I am enjoying this LONG weekend?!? I have so much to work on *even though it's Labor Day- doesn't that mean I'm NOT supposed to work??? Oh well!

I am taking 8 weeks of maternity leave & I have 3 weeks planned. I feel like it will never get done, but I'm trying to plan a week each day, so I should be done sooner than I think. It's just hard to get everything organized into one place!

While all of this is going on, I am severely lacking on SLEEP! Baby Reagan likes to have a dance party in my tummy every night at 3 AM, so I know the term "3AM feedings" will have a truth to it with this sweet baby girl. Besides that, returning to school has already given me my first cold of the school year, so I'm trying to catch a few zzz's whenever I can!

So along with all of this prep & lack of sleep, I need...more hours in the day!!! ;)

So things I would like to accomplish this month...

#1- Finishing my maternity sub plans- for obvious reasons!! :)

#2- Blogging & TPT creating- Folks, I feel so guilty when I stay away from both of those things. You all are like a second family. I miss you when I'm gone!

#3- Stay organized- I have to stay organized!! I can feel the mounds of paper building on my desk already although I swore I would be neat this year.

 

I will be back in the next few days to share some pictures of my classroom this year & what we've been up to!!



Today's the day!!!!

Today's the big day friends!!!

I, along with many other of your favorite bloggers, are participating in the BIG back to school TPT sale!!

Everything in my store is 20% off, plus don't forget to type in the special promo code: BTS13 and save an additional 8%!!!

You may want to fill your cart up with some of these goodies!:

 

 

Click HERE to go to my store!! Happy Shopping Friends!!



Flash Giveaway!!!

Hi sweet friends,

 

Sorry for the double post, but I don't want my faithful blogger followers to miss out on my Flash Giveaway!! Since tomorrow is the BIG sale, I'm giving away a $10 TPT gift certificate on my Facebook page!!

Don't miss out...head HERE and follow my facebook page to enter!!! Look for the post!

I will choose a winner at 8:00 AM EST tomorrow morning, JUST in time for the big sale!! :)

Best and Most TPT linky!!

Good Morning Friends!!,

 

Whew! Sorry for my absence, but it has been a crazy busy first week back to work! I had my preplanning week with 4 days to get my classroom set up (in between meeting after meeting!) and I had my Meet the Teacher yesterday. It was my best turnout yet!! 14 out of 15 of my little sweeties came and they are just as excited about the new school year as I am!!

 

Another thing that I am excited about is the TPT sale tomorrow!! Whoop Whoop!!!

 I am linking up with the fabulous Christina over at Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge for her TPT Back to School Best and Most Linky!

 

Teacher's Pet

 

This would have to be my Keys to Success Incentives Pack!!

 

This pack includes 75 incentive and celebration tags that students can earn throughout the year and 10 editable ones that you can make for your classroom needs! I'm giving each of my students a key ring to proudly display their tags on and they will keep them either on their backpacks or they can even loop a chain in their key ring and make a necklace if they wish! I have mine all printed out & ready to go! Here's a preview of what's included in the pack...

 

Most Likely to Help Your Students Succeed

 

I wholeheartedly believe in students being able to recognize and manipulate word patterns in their quest of learning how to read. I could never find enough making words activities in my curriculum to work on this as much as I would've liked to. This is how my Making Words Mega Pack was born!

 

This pack has 115 different word building lessons that you can use in your whole or small groups throughout the year. It includes different word families, blends, digraphs, and diphthongs. No more scrambling around to find word building lessons. Here's a preview of what's included:

 

Best Couple

 

The products that would compliment each other the most are my best selling Kids of Character Pack

 

with my Be a Buddy, Not a Bully anti bullying curriculum pack!

My Kids of Character Pack includes over 40 character traits to discuss with your students. There is a poster a week and a journal for your students to fill out as they learn about each character trait.

The Be a Buddy Not a Bully pack includes several lessons and craftivities on the signs and steps to take if you are bullied and provides your students with the tools to stand up against bullying!!

 

Don't forget, tomorrow and Monday are the big days!! My store will be 20% off plus an extra 8% off if you enter the code BTS 13!!

 

Happy Shopping!,

 



Getting to Know Me!

Happy Monday Friends!,

I'm back again today!! Today I also wanted to link up with Blog Hoppin for Teacher Week! What better way to kick off the week that I'm going back to school. I officially go back tomorrow (WAAAHH!!) I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my summer!

I am so excited to get to know many of the bloggers out there, especially since there have been so many new bloggers out there since I did this last year! So without further adieu...

 

1. I live in sunny Florida about 30 minutes away from Daytona Beach and 30 minutes away from Orlando. To give you an idea of where I live, see the map!

I have lived in sunny Florida for 27 years now. I am originally from New Jersey where I was born, but have been down here so long that if you ask me where I'm from, it's Florida! :) I do love living so close to the beach where the weather allows me to utilize it most of the year. There is also a lot to do here, like theme parks, even though they surely break the bank. There's not too many dull moments. Downside of FL: the humidity! The weather is killing me right now!

 

2. I have an amazing family! I have been married for 4 years now. I have a 4 year old daughter named Summer and a little one on the way in a few months (due October 9th). Here are some pictures of my 2 loves:

Here is Summer- she is going into her 2nd year of Pre-K. She is headstrong, beautiful, loving, and FULL of personality (as you can see in this picture). Many days are challenging, but I love her to pieces!

Here is our soon to be daughter, Reagan. We got to have a sneak peek at her last Friday for our 3D/4D ultrasound!

 

3. I have been teaching for 9 years now. All of this time has been in 1st grade!! I absolutely love what I do! I have been thinking about a change lately in grades, but we'll see what the future holds in store for me!

 

4. Last year was one of the most memorable of my career. I was voted Teacher of the Year by my fellow faculty. That was truly a dream come true for me and one of the biggest honors of my life!

 

5. I bleed Garnet & Gold!! I am a diehard Seminoles fan! I went to Florida State University, which was also one of the most exciting times of my life for me, because I learned what it was like to be on my own. Some of my best memories are from my college days! 

 

6. My personality: Very down to earth! I am a go with the flow kind of gal. I DO NOT like conflict. I am in constant fear of offending people, which is not an easy trait to deal with. I just don't like to make people mad, but I have learned over time that you can't please everyone. There are people that are going to like me & people who don't & I have to learn to live with that!

 

7. Favorite hobbies include going to the beach, spending time with family and friends, shopping, making things for school, and just relaxing! I'm not a huge fan of exercise, although in a few months, I won't have any choice if I want this baby weight to come off! lol

8. Did I mention that last year one of my students was featured on Good Morning America holding my 1st Day of School picture frame? It was only for 2 seconds, but it was just amazing to be contacted by the executive producer of GMA at all!

 

9. Must Haves in Life: COFFEE, pedicures, massages, and icing. Yes, I said icing. My mother passed down her sweet tooth gene to me, so I am a sugar junkie. I will eat icing by the tub (not while pregnant...). I just can't help myself!! ;) Besides that, don't come near me if I haven't had my coffee in the morning. It is near impossible for me to function without it!

 

10. My phobias: Heights (although I did go skydiving at 15,000 feet in the air), Roaches, Snakes, Bees or anything that stings (I've never been stung in my life, so it's probably just the unknown I'm scared of). :)

See you tomorrow with some classroom pictures!! :)