Pssssstttt!!! Come Visit Me....

Today on the Primary Chalkboard!!! I am posting over there with my true life friend and colleague, Leigh, The Applicious Teacher!! 

Learn more about us and grab some *EXCLUSIVE* Primary Chalkboard freebies while you are there!

Click on the chalkboard to take you there!! 

First Week in Pictures

Happy Sunday everyone!!! Got my first week done with my firsties and I love them! They are a cute bunch of kiddos (don't we say that every year?) and I was tired! Hence the reason I have been MIA in my posts here and on FB. I usually post regularly but I cannot seem to catch my breath. It is my 2nd week and I already need these

At least this year my district has decided NOT to give us so many mandates and I can actually concentrate on teaching a bit more! This will be our 2nd year fully implemented in Common Core and I feel pretty comfortable with the material and ready for the year. Ready meaning I understand the Core verbiage but not ready as in ready lesson plan wise or set up right now! Still have LOTS of ideas swirling in my head!!! So let's get started on some pictures! 

As every teacher, we got all our procedures out of the way! The good thing is that they knew where the places were but just had to review the new procedures. One of the new things I really wanted to do this year was math journals. I bought Anna Brantley's Math Journals and I am in LOVE!! They are great and I got the set during the Back to School sale. I loved the first question of "What is your favourite number?" and even myself, I had no idea what my favourite number is and neither did the kids. It was so powerful to hear their answers. Some littles said their favourite number was "6 or 7" because that is how old they were. Some said 100 because they wanted $100! 

We also started a little bit of centers so they would get used to the rotations, the flow of the room, and center expectations. I do not do Daily 5 in my classroom (although have heard GREAT things) but we decided after much debate and tears, we will go with the 100 minute walk-to grouping and Daily 5 just doesn't work with that structure. My kids did a great job with their centers using the book:

If you want the writing center activity and label a cricket center...click on the slide where you see the activity to take you to the downloads. 

Our first week in science is all about scientists and what do scientists do. Our county has encouraged us to do an experiment a week (I usually did anyway!!) and my kids had a BLAST exploring the different science tools!

Next week, we will be doing Science for Kids Gummy Bear Lab. Click on her button to take you to her store. 

She has got amazing science experiments for kids! I bought her Gnome Engineers packet and I cannot wait to use that with my class!!! She is just fabulous!!!  So that was just Monday through Friday!!! Then Saturday, I had my annual health assessment at my old high school!!

And it was mildly funny-- not that funny but more in an oxymoron way! My blood pressure was high, I had high stress (Do they know what my job is??) and overweight. BUT my good cholesterol was good and overall health score was good!!! The sad reality is I think my sugars are out of control (I had gestational diabetes and my dad is diabetic) and I think I may have to go on medicine...:-( So I have an appointment made and know that this will be another adjustment for me!!! All I know is that we gotta do it for ourselves and our family!!! Will keep you posted!

Then I sat for almost an hour with these!!

Sharpening pencils is such a TEDIOUS TASK!!!! I thought my arm would fall off but I am telling you!!! This sharpener is the best!!!!

If you would like to win this sharpener, my sweet friend, Daina from Sticky Notes and Glitter is giving one away in PINK!!!!! Yes!! PINK!! Click on her button to enter!!! I wish I had a pink one but I already have 3 of these..... 

And now.... I had to choose another winner for my Glam Back to School Winner.... So....Amy B. 

You are the WINNER!!! Please check your e-mail!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

As you finish reading this already long post-- I know you held on because you love me!!! Please go on over to our Primary Chalkboard and meet the fabulous author's behind our blog! So far you have met: Tamara and Alyssha, Faith and Lisa, and now Stacy and Katie!!! When you visit, please leave some love for us! We adore comments and READ them!!! Click on the chalkboard to take you there!

Stacy and Lisa (the other girls did, too, in case you missed it!!) have some fab freebies and a giveaway for you!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by and hope you all have a fantastic week!!! My friend, Leigh, the Applicious Teacher and I will be on "The Board" Wednesday! Come and see us!!!

Back to School and I am T.I.R.E.D!!!! Oh, and 2 freebies for you!!!

Whoa! Happy Friday Eve!!! Forgive me that it's been a while since I've posted!! School happened this week and I have been Oh-So-Busy! But you as my fellow teachers knew that!!! I have to say that I have been on the computer (haha! On it again now!) every night this week planning and trying to get ready for the next day. Hopefully I'll be better prepared for next week. I have my plans *in my head* but need to get them on paper! 

So, I am going to keep this post really short tonight as I still have some planning to do. I am still in need of a winner! Sara S.. I have e-mailed you-- Please e-mail me to claim your prizes. If not, I will be choosing a new winner Saturday! Thanks!!! 

Tomorrow I will be reading 

as a introductory story to get my kids used to literacy centers. They have kinda been doing "center" like activities this week but tomorrow I will be rotating them throughout the room and working on various skills. I will be posting some pics of my classroom and some activities that we do this weekend but I wanted to leave you with some goodies to go along with this book in case you wanted to teach it, too!!!! This is a great book to introduce first graders to similes.  The pictures are vivid and are just appealing to students. I love teaching this book at the beginning of the year. 

I also wanted to make sure you check out 

and meet two of my sweet Chalkie friends, Tamara and Alyssha! Every week, we will be posting and introducing ourselves and offering up exclusive Primary Chalkboard Freebies just for you! Click on our chalkboard to take you there and meet them! There are 20 of us who are just so excited to meet you! And I have to say that they are just the sweetest ladies ever and I really adore collaborating with them!

So, now before I say goodnight, two freebies for you! Just really simple files for you to use! 

Click on the pictures to download. 

**Graphics by Scrappin'Doodles and Fonts by KG Fonts**

Thanks so much for stopping by!!! Have a great night!!!

Classroom Reveal, a Sale, a freebie, and the Winner Is....

This has been a VERY busy week! My first week back with pre-planning and I am totally exhausted! In fact, I was so tired yesterday I just hurt all over. I pretty much slept all day today and left my house to encounter the bedlam that is back to school shopping at Target at 6:00 p.m. this evening. I attempted Publix but decided to leave that bit of fun for tomorrow! Yay for me!! Haha! 

So all summer, I have been going on and on about my Wizard of Oz room and here are some pictures of my room. So excited!!

Each of my tables are labeled with a hot air balloon and are named after each of the characters. Sorry... there is no Flying Monkey table! LOL!

My reading corner and cute (albeit ghetto sign because I ran out of time) sign for my door. 

Classroom Jobs-- Still needs a sign but posted up at least! 

Wow! Sorry it's blurry!!! My classroom view from the doorway. 

Advice to a Future First Grader! I had my kids from last year write some words of wisdom and I displayed them in my hallway just for meet the teacher! I wasn't sure if this was a good idea because they wrote things like "First Grade Math is tricky!" or "You work hard in first grade" and all of that is true. I didn't want to scare them but it'd the truth. You know kinda like in college-- you asked around about classes and 

professors! 

This cute guy pointed the way to my classroom for Meet the Teacher! I actually did a bit of trash picking but it was in good condition! I never trash pick but I was desperate and low on funds! Plus I was driving by and saw it and knew it was meant to be!!! 

The Yellow Brick Road that lead up to my classroom!!! 

Love this picture angle! My hallway portion and the field of poppies! I hung up some cock board with sticker chalkboard frames with their names on them. I cannot wait to display their "Wonderous Work!" 

I am also excited this year to be working with some new team members! I can honestly say that I love my team! I cannot imagine working with a better team and we work so well together. One of my longtime teammates left to work as a teacher-on-assignment for our county and I will miss her greatly but I know it time for her to move on. I am not sure I could do that. I wish her the best! Here is a picture of my new team: 

These lovely ladies are just fabulous and I am excited to be in such good company!

Speaking of good companies... I am excited for the Teachers pay Teachers back to school sale! 

Take a look at your wishlists or if you haven't yet.. start placing items in your wishlist cart now! The savings and prizes (your new teaching packs) will be amazing!!!! My wishlist is out of control! I think I am at like 97 items! Not sure I can afford all 97 items but I know I will spending some money tonight. And if you have provided feedback on all your items on TPT you can use your credits to purchase some of your items at the discounted price! Even better!!!! I am all about saving money but the grocery store savings thing still baffles me! 

Another store that I love is 

If you noticed in my previous post I bought this dress

and I wore it Friday and everyone LOVED it!!! SO thanks!!!

And now for the WINNER of the Glam Back to School Giveaway!:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats Sara!! I will e-mail you and get with you so you can pick out your 3 items from my store!!!

And now, since you have been so patient with me in reading my post, a little freebie for you to go along with the big TPT sale going on:

Click on the picture to take you to my store to download! 

Remember the sale is going on August 18-19! Stock up now for Back to School!

Introducing the Primary Chalkboard!!

Raise your hand if LOVE being a teacher of first and second graders?? I see your hand raised!!! Me, too!! Me, too! So, My exciting news to share with you is a new collaborative group exclusively for first and second grade teachers that will knock your socks off!! Introducing 

Some of your favourite first and second grade bloggers all in one spot-- just for you! And to start off our debut with a bang we have compiled 20 Back to School Tips to bring you bliss! We all know how tiring and difficult those first few days can be! We have been there, done that, got the t-shirt several times! 

So, my fabulous Chalkies and I have compiled an easy to download (no links-- just an easy PDF download) Back to School Survival Kit with tips and helpful sheets to make your transition from summer to school as easy as can be! Click on the picture below to take you to our chalkboard, meet us, and enter for a FABULOUS giveaway just in time for back to school! Can't wait to see you there!   

I am so looking forward to this collaborative adventure with you as well as still seeing you on my First Grade and Flip Flops Blog! 

Have a great week!!

It's Back to School and a Glam Giveaway!!

I have to say...let the lamenting begin! Summer went by way too fast! I am not ready for summer to be over. I want to enjoy summer a little bit more and be with my two munchkins (who do drive me crazy as I type with their constant getting up 500 times before they go to bed only to have the nerve to tell me they are tired the next day!!!) a little bit more. I want to sleep in and enjoy my day with nothing to do and be in my pajamas and if I don't want to do my hair and make-up then I don't have to kinda days!!! Waaaaaa!!!! It really was my most unproductive summer ever. And that is ok! I have a very Type-A personality where I work-work-work and don't let it go but after this past school year, I was just pooped! I have been creating here and there and have gone to my classroom a few times to unpack but not like I used to. I used to be really obsessive (still am to a certain degree) but in my old age these days I have had to let it go a little. Some pictures of my summer lovin' highlights:

(Thank You KG Fonts, Mrs.RussellsRoom, FDS ClipArt) 

I officially don't start back until Tuesday but I have been busy getting some things ready for my room!

This cute little basket will be hanging from my lantern to make my hot air balloon!!

My tornado for my reading corner. I am going to buy some silver thread to wrap around it so that it looks like it is whirring around. I really do not want to put lights around it because I don't want the fire marshall up my grill over it! I plan on hanging some book jackets from the ceiling and will title my reading corner: "Get caught up in a good book!" 

Chevron border for my bulletin boards! Can't wait!! 

Lastly, I already bought the tissue paper and need to start making these this weekend although I am not sure where I can buy brown tissue paper!

I also have my mini-Emerald City bulletin Board ready to put up in addition to laminating my Wizard of Oz classroom set! I might have had a moment of insanity when I decided to to a re-do of my classroom but I am the type that when I do something, I need to go all out! 

Have to admit that I am a little scurred to laminate myself for the first time but I gotta do it... before Friday 'cuz that's when Meet the Teacher is! Speaking of Meet the Teacher....got to thinking what I was going to wear! 

As a mom now I really don't buy too much for myself as far as clothes. The minute Gabriel was born I pledged that he came first and that was it. No more mani's or pedi's. My kids came first and honestly right now, I really don't have the extra money for clothes for me! One thing  I refused to give up was my hair and make-up as evidenced by my counter! Don't judge the messiness!!

I LOVE MAC make-up!! These are some of my favourite colours!!! 

Yep... I have more make-up wedged in the back!!! I really need a make-up organizer! 

These are almost all my products! Brian's has just a little space off to the left! 

I will not even go into my closet because that is another hot mess.Brian gets upset because I have a lot of clothes-- mostly dresses and some are just very teacher-ish! Like I said, right now I don't really have the money to buy some new clothes as my money has gone to my kids or school supplies for my classroom. Or some clothes I've had for years, like since I started teaching 10 years ago and some pieces I just got a few weeks ago when I found a great new online boutique that has got the CUTE-EST clothes ever!!! I admit that I am a purse whore (I love purses!!!) first then a clothes whore second--if only my thighs and spare tire would accommodate the clothes I WANT to wear versus the clothes I can wear! LOL! Luckily, I found this dress while browsing online:

Totally fell in LOVE with it! And I fell in love with the store, too! This is the Shea Dress. I have a few other dresses, too but this is my favourite!

I'd like to say that some of my hard earned TPT money went to purchasing groceries and such-- it did! But some of it went to some cute outfits from here! Ha! I even got a cute infinity scarf as a gift from buying a dress from them! They are fabulous and the owner is the sweetest!!! So, teacher friends, I'd like to help YOU out with a Back to School Glam Giveaway!!

(Thank You KG Fonts, Mrs.RussellsRoom, Lovin Lit, KPM Doodles )

Sass My Style Boutique has offered to give a $40 Gift Card to one lucky teacher for Back to School! And you can choose any 3 items from my store for you, too, to help ease your prep for back to school! Just enter the Rafflecopter below! Teachers are important and we love new clothes and new teaching supplies, too!!! 

Best of Luck to You! Winner will be announced on Saturday, the 17th once the twitching from pre-planning week has gone away! LOL!!  

Have a great week!