Happy New Year- A Chuckle, Happiness, and New Unit!

I saw this and it made me burst out laughing....so true!  Please tell me I'm not the only one this happens to! ;)  I hope everyone that went back to school today had a great first day back!  I don't go back to school until Monday, so I am still enjoying sleeping, relaxing, reading, seeing family and friends, as well as sneaking in some time for my lesson plans!

My OLW is happiness.  I want to find happiness in each and every day!  Today, just relaxing and cuddling with my husband watching a Lifetime movie brings me happiness (yes, Lifetime- haha! ).  Celebrating Christmas and a New Year tonight with my aunts and family makes me happy! :)  I hope you find some happiness in your day today!

Speaking of being happy, I've been really happy creating some new units for TPT!  It is something I just started before the holidays.  I hope you will check out my shop and some of my units.  There are some great freebies I hope you will love as well!  Here is my newest unit with activities for teaching Cause and Effect.

Click here to purchase this unit!!

This unit includes

-3 different cause and effect signs/posters

-9 different cause and effect flip books

-3 cut and glue sorts

-Whole Class or Center Matching Game

-Picture sentence activity

-Scavenger Hunt

-3 worksheets to use with any story

It'll be on sale for the first few days it's posted in my shop!  I hope you'll grab it and enjoy it with your students.  I know I don't have many followers yet- but I'd love to give away a copy of this unit to the first person to comment!

Currently and a Giveaway!!

I'm linking up with Farley for my very first Currently - a great way to start the year!  Without further ado...

My husband and I have been super pumped for the new Dance Moms season to start.  I know, I know...please don't think any less of me.  I hope you're still reading this.  It's a complete guilty pleasure!  I really do love watching their dances though- not just seeing all the drama unfold! :)

Loving-  I still have break until next Monday.  I have so much fun to still have and I am stoked!!  Also- this coming week, most of the tv shows will be starting up again.  Some of my favs...

Thinking- I wish I could not think about school while on break- but who am I kidding?  I have a few changes I'm throwing around in my head.  We'll see what I come up with over the rest of this week!

Wanting-  I love ice skating!  I actually got some ice skates of my very own for Christmas this year!  I've already been ice skating once over break.  My husband promised me we'd go at the end of the week- I cannot wait.  Ice skating outside in the winter is one of my favorite things!

Needing- I wish it wasn't true, but it is.  The holidays got to me!  Please don't judge! ;)

OLW- I am a pretty happy person generally!  I want to really work on finding happiness in the small things and everyday life.  Sometimes school can be stressful, I want to work on finding the happiness with my students and the successes that are happening in my classroom daily.  

Tonya from Tonya's Treats for Teachers is having a 13 in 2013 giveaway.  I love reading Tonya's blog and she has some awesome items in her store.  My favorite is the monthly journal prompts.  My kids love them and I love that it gives them guided choice while doing journal writing developing some fluency with writing!  Check out her giveaway- there is still time to enter!

Click here to enter!  Time is almost up!

Happy New Year!!

  

Winter Addition Fun and a Funny Story!

Looking for a way to rid your kiddos of the winter blues?  How about a fun-filled 63 page pack of addition fun and games.  I created this fun and exciting winter unit and I am pumped to start using it when we get back to school in January!  I hope you enjoy it!!  It's only $3.00 but I'll have it on sale for the next two days!

Click here!!

Have a wonderful New Years Eve!  I am excited to spend some time with some great friends as we ring in the New Year!  We are having a wine and cheese party... can you say YUM?!

And since you made your way through this post, here's  a good chuckle for you!  We were reliving Christmas memories and this one just cracks us up every time!  It's Christmas morning and we are about to open presents with our immediate family.  My sister asks my mom what kind of Nook she got my dadd.  (We were all going to pitch in since that's all he REALLY REALLY wanted!)    My mom then proceeded to laugh and say what do you mean...you got the Nook!  This led to some funny glances and  a burst of laugher after an initial freak out!  That's right... neither of them had gotten the Nook.  We had no present for my dad! AHH!  WE whipped up a quick little note on the computer telling him we wanted him to pick out the exact one he wanted! HAHAHA :)  No worries, we came clean to him!   

Have a New Year full of love and LAUGHTER...LAUGHTER is key! ;)

Some Fun Freebies!!

I have a few new freebies that I posted yesterday in my tpt shop!  I am thinking about doing a little updating when I get back in my classroom in January so I made some fun new numbers that I can use for everything and anything for labels!  My students have numbers as well, so I see many uses in their future! haha :)  Here's a little peek!

Click here to download it!

I also created some winter BUMP boards!  Have you played bump with your class?  Do they LOVE LOVE LOVE it as much as mine? My class is obsessed with bump.  It is not my original idea.  It is originally Shari Sloan's brainwork.  Click here for a website full of some more great math games and ideas from her.  Anyways, if you haven't played bump before- download these free winter playing mats and go to town!  The directions on the tpt page!

Click here to download it!

I'm almost done with my newest creation.  Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I'll have it uploaded to tpt.  I'm working on a giant pack full of winter addition fact fun!  Doesn't that sound fabulous?!  After that, I'll move onto subtraction.  My little kiddos need lots and lots of repetition and practice with their facts.  Why not make it fun? 

I think I need to do more resting over break! haha ;)  I did rest most of the first week off, but I'm trying to take advantage of the extra time we have!!  Have a happy Sunday everyone!

One last thing- like my new blog design?  I love it!!  Thanks to Alicia at DreamlikeMagic Designs.  She's the best!

Monday Made It...Way late? Super early? Nonetheless, FUN!

So, I know it's Sunday, but I've been wanting to post these all week.  I have anther one to post tomorrow, so I figured what the heck!?  Well, I am excited to finally participate in Tara's Monday Made It.  Check out all the inspiring ideas every week!  

Then, I made this super simple ruler holder.  I just have the rulers laying in my green bins from Walmart, but they make a mess.  This was just a pringles container wrapped in scrapbook paper.  Found the idea here on pinterest!  FABULOUS!!  My husband needs to finish the other pringles container so I can make one more.  It'll be perfect!

I'm thinking of adding some black ribbon around the top.  I'm thinking I want my classroom colors to be bright colors with some black mixed in.   
Supplies:  empty pringles container, tombo adhesive, scrapbook paper!
Inspiration:  Classroom DIY blog  (i'm obsessed!!)


I also made the ever-so-popular teacher toolbox!  I got my box from Ace Hardware.  I will eventually spray paint the outside black I think.  Here's a picture of my version...I am so excited to be super organized this school year!!

Inspiration:  Create-Teach-Share

She even has a pdf of her labels.  I used them but then downloaded the font Howser to make a few more that she didn't include. I still have two empty small spaces.  I think I'm going to wait until school starts and see what I need to fill them with!!

Thanks for stopping by!  I'll be back tomorrow with another DIY-  I have a great school one, and a WAY FUN home DIY project!!  Thank you, Pinterest and Tara!!!

Have you checked out Tonya's Blog?!

Tonya over at Tonya's Treats for Teaching is almost at 200 followers.  If you don't follow her already, go on over and check it out!  She has some great ideas.  I love her test button idea, scratch off tickets, and so much more!!  Her scratch off tickets are my fav!!  She has made them for many different themes!  I'm a rather new follower of her blog and love checking it out!  Don't miss out!!

Summer Reading!!

Hello to my 11 friends! :)

HAPPY SUMMER!!I'm back and going to start blogging a lot more this summer!!  Here's my summer reading list...

It's an old one, but I want to read it before I see the movie (I know, I'm way behind...)

I also found this one on my shelf and want to read.  I love Emily Giffen!

I also hope to get on the 50 Shades of Grey bandwagon, but we'll see!!

When it comes to school, here are the reads I'm excited to read or reread....

and I just love Debbie Miller...

What are you reading this summer??