Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

Sunday, February 12, 2012

New TpT Unit

I have posted Unit 5, Week 4 for 1st Grade Treasures to my TpT store.  Below are a few of the items included.  If you would like to purchase this unit, just click on the picture below.



I am feeling just a little overwhelmed these days.  I feel like there is not enough time in the day to work, take care of my family, cook, clean, and work on school things.  Today, I was working on another TpT unit and my 7 year old said, "Mom, come watch cartoons with me."  How could I say no?  Of course, I didn't get everything done for school this week that I wanted...I'm not even sure I'm ready for Valentine's Day.  I am hoping that this feeling will go away as soon as I have my drop in evaluation.  Why must everything be so stressful?

Oh well, I hope everyone has a great Monday!

Monday, February 6, 2012

Giveaway Ending Soon

Hello everyone! Be sure to enter the I Love 2nd Grade giveaway that is ending soon.  You can win some wonderful resources from a bunch of awesome bloggers. Head over to the giveaway by clicking the image below. Good luck! Be sure to enter on the giveaway post on Swimming Into Second.



Saturday, February 4, 2012

Tag...I'm It

Stacy over at 2nd Grade Paradise tagged me earlier in the week and I'm just now getting around to participating.

So here are the rules:

1. You must post the rules.
2. Post 12 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 12 new questions for the people you tagged.
4. Tag 12 people and link them on your post.
5. Let them know you've tagged them!

12 Fun Facts...

1.  I am married to my husband for the second time (we were divorced for a few years and he wised up, lol).
2.  I am raising my 7 year old nephew and have a son who is 19.
3.  I love watching football!
4.  I love to spend the summers on the water...I love to swim, boat, and float!
5.  I could be a professional college student.  I love to learn new things.
6.  I have a hard time telling people no.
7.  I would try anything once to prove that I can do it.
8.  I was a legal secretary (1 semester away from being a paralegal) before I went back to school to   become a teacher.
9.  I love to cook and try new things.
10.  I want to visit Australia one day soon.
11.  I secretly want to own a restaraunt.
12. 

So...onto the 12 questions left for me...

1. How long have you been blogging? a little more than 6 months
2. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?  chocolate chip cookie dough
3. Who is your number one blogging addiction, as in, gotta' read their new post every day??  Amy Lemons
4. Best find on Pinterest to date? (slightly selfish motivation)  various anchor charts
5. Most memorable freebie from the blog world to date? (more selfish...)  too many to pick one
6. Worst experience as a teacher?  I have a very challenging class this year that makes me feel every day to be the worst.
7. Best?  Seeing a student barely reading at the beginning of school to being on grade level after Christmas.
8. Why did you become a teacher?  It was my childhood dream to help others.
9. What are you obsessed with BESIDES blogging?  My children
10. I feel the best when __________________ (not really a question and yet, it so is!)  I am on the water somewhere...lake...ocean...pool...
11. What celebrities have you met if any?  Hmm...not anyone that is really a celebrity
12. What shows can you NOT live without watching?   Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice

Here are the questions for my 12 to answer...

1.  How long have you been teaching?
2.  Where do you get your clipart and backgrounds?
3.  What is your best find on Pinterest?
4.  What is your favorite lesson to teach at school?
5.  Do you purchase things from TpT or TN?
6.  What is your goal this year when it comes to your class?
7.  What is your best organizational tip for your classroom?
8.  Do you have a classroom "theme"?
9.  What is your favorite food to cook?
10.  What is your favorite Valentine's Day activity?
11.  What is your worst experience as a teacher?
12.  What is your best experience as a teacher?

Now...I'm tagging the following bloggers....

Anyone that hasn't got tagged yet...it seemed like everyone I was going to tag had already been tagged and I didn't want to do it again.



Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Huge Giveaway

Hello friends!  I wanted to let you know that my teaching partner has put together a HUGE giveaway!
Lots of bloggers have teamed up to offer a huge giveaway just in time for Valentine's day.  Please stop by Swimming Into Second's blog and enter.




Check out the amazing resources that you can win!







Here's how you can enter the giveaway.
(1) Follow all 23 blogs. Leave a comment that says, "I follow all 23 blogs."
(2) Follow all 22 stores. Leave a comment that says, "I follow all 22 stores."
You can find links to all the blogs and all the stores above.
Please leave your email so we can each send you the resources. 
The giveaway will end on Tuesday, February 6th. 
The winner will be announced on Wednesday, February 7th. 
Be sure to enter your comments on Swimming into Second.
Good luck!
 
 
Over the past few weeks, we have been working on writing friendly letters.  On Friday, my class each wrote the Tooth Fairy a letter after we read the book Dear Tooth Fairy.  When class started on Tuesday morning, one of my students noticed a big envelope addressed to our class.  The Tooth Fairy had written each student back.  We also made kids in their pajamas.  


Today our math lesson was making new shapes out of pattern blocks.  I love to see how creative the students can be.


The best part of my week has been....
I LOVE DonorsChoose.org!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

The Winner Is . . .

The winner of the $10 Gift Certificate is. . .


Congrats Lisa!  Send me your e-mail address please.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Giveaway Ending Soon

Don't forget to enter my giveaway by midnight tonight!  You could be the lucky winner of


Click here to enter.  Be sure to leave your e-mail address with your comment.  I will announce the winner tomorrow.  Good luck!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Giveaway and a Freebie

We are having a book study at school over the next six weeks.  We are reading and discussing The End of Molasses Classes by Ron Clark.  It is such an inspiring book!  My dream is now to go to RCA for a Educator Training Program...it would be so awesome!  I seem to be having a rough year and need all the inspiration I can get.  Each day I come home and reflect - wondering what I could do different...what could I do to stop a child from exploding several times a day.  It's exhausting!

Don't forget about the giveaway I'm having that ends on Friday.  If you haven't stopped by, click here.  Who couldn't use a gift certificate to TpT! 

I have also just uploaded a freebie to TpT.  There are two board games for students to practice math addition facts.  Just click on the picture to go get them.




I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head of things to make...I just can't seem to find any spare time to work on them.  Maybe I will find some time this weekend....