Craziest Winter Ever

So, I'm a lifelong Marylander. I grew up in Baltimore City, and I moved the Eastern Shore to attend college (yeah, WAC!) when I was eighteen. In all of my thirty-five years as a Maryland native, though, I can't remember a winter as nutty as this one. Don't get me wrong: we've had our share of random blizzards and freak March snow. This winter has been different. Since the first of the year, we've had six snow days and more delayed openings than I can count. In fact, school was closed last Thursday and Friday, so we missed our Valentine's Day party. Thankfully, our principal is allowing us to have our celebrations tomorrow at the end of the day...that's if it doesn't snow again tonight.

Siiiigh. 

I'm grateful for the extra few days. It gave me the opportunity to get a lot of things done that I wouldn't have gotten to otherwise. For example, I actually got around to making Valentines for my students (with the help of my trusty assistants, Princess A and Deedle, of course).

Target had these super cute crayon sets on sale for $0.48! So, I grabbed enough for all of my boys.

Don't worry! I didn't forget my girls! Again, on sale for $0.72!

My tireless helper, putting crayons and Hershey's Kisses into snack-size Ziploc bags.

No, he didn't dress up for the occasion. It's a sweater with the tie knitted into it.

I found these adorable tags here. Cute, free, and they print six to a page, so they conserve ink.

The finished products!

I think they turned out really nicely! I know my kiddos will love and appreciate them...they are a very grateful group!

Well, I'm off to check the weather and catch up on my Bravo TV shows. 

P.S. There you go, Mom...I finally updated my blog!

SNOW Much Going On

I haven't seen my students in a full week. Crazy, right? We had last Monday off for Martin Luther King's birthday, and the following day, we got about five inches of snow, along with freezing temperatures and strong winds. Schools were closed Wednesday through Friday, as a result.

I took this pic on Thursday afternoon when we got a second round of snow. It probably doesn't look like much to those of you from the midwest, but the roads were ridiculous. 

I spent my days off, getting organized and cleaning (after I finished my grades and data, of course). I rearranged my crafting supplies, went through my recipe binder and got rid of the recipes that I've never tried, and I even finished getting my math manipulatives organized and re-labeled!

These Dollar Tree "Gladware" containers are UH-mazing. I bought twenty of them, and I labeled them with polka dot labels to match my classroom.

Cute, right?

I also grabbed three packs of these adorable small containers. Ten for $1.00! I use these to put dice in when my students are playing math games (the containers keep the dice from flying across the room!).

Before our unexpected week off, my students had been working hard on animal research projects in writing. I've been using Susan Moran-Jones' Common Core Writing for 1st Grade pack, and I have been amazed by what my students have been able to do! They have chosen an animal that they'd like to learn more about, completed their research (using library books and other resources), and they have been working on their illustrations and captions.

This little guy was SO excited to learn more about lions!

This little cutie was really into learning about hippos. He was concentrating so hard!

I love how this project has brought students together who might not have worked together otherwise.

A completed illustration and caption. I love it!

I'm excited to get back to work on our writing tomorrow! I hope my kiddos haven't lost their enthusiasm during their week off!

I'm really excited to share the other project that I've been working on. I completed a Valentine's Day literacy pack, and I'm tickled with how it turned out (especially considering that it's my first attempt at something like this). The pack has six different activities, most of which are Common Core aligned.

Cover Page

Write the Room (so fun!)

Vowel Sort Coloring Page

Click on any of the pics to go to my TPT store. I'd love your feedback!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and stay warm!

January Currently

I'm so excited to link up with Farley for her January Currently linky party!

Listening: It's cold and rainy here, and the kids and KShaf have built an impressive tent under the dining room table. There is a lot of squealing and screaming going on because the dog keeps trying to join in the fun.

Loving: We returned to school on Thursday of this past week, only to have a 90-minute fog delay (I love teaching on the Eastern Shore!). On Friday, we had a snow day! I have gotten so much accomplished in the past three days...I wish we had a three-day weekend every weekend.

Thinking: We were sitting around in our PJs this morning after breakfast (made by my kind and talented husband) when there was a knock on our back door. One of KShaf's coworkers stopped by to drop off a dozen and a half fresh, raw oysters. Too bad I can't stomach oysters...but I'm sure that KShaf and Deedle will enjoy them!

Wanting: Facebook is a dangerous thing. I saw this great link to Charlotte Russe's riding boot sale, and I grabbed two pairs of awesome boots (one black, one brown) for less than $50 (plus, they accept PayPal, so I was able to pay for part of it with my TPT profits)!

Needing: Between an overactive dog and two small children, my throw pillows have taken a beating the past few years. I think it's time to invest in some new ones, ASAP!

Memory and/or Tradition: Since we spend the holidays in Pennsylvania with KShaf's family, we almost always have a white Christmas. One of my favorite memories of this past Christmas was watching the kiddos sprinkle reindeer food in the freshly fallen snow for Santa's reindeer. 

Head on over to Farley's blog and link up! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Five for Friday

It's been ages since I linked up with Doodle Bugs Five for Friday linky party...I'm so excited!

I'd like to say that I've been up to all kinds of exciting things this past week, but honestly, I've been doing a lot of reading and more than my share of hot chocolate drinking.

We spent a wonderful week in Pennsylvania, celebrating Christmas with KShaf's family. We even had a white Christmas!

Notice that both kids are wearing rain boots, not snow boots. It rained nonstop for the first weekend that we were there, but on Christmas Eve, the rain magically turned to snow.

We had a few days at home to recover from the long drive, and then on Sunday, we went to my parents' house to celebrate with my family.

Princess A got the entire Barbie: A Pony Tale line of toys (and the movie, of course!). Notice KShaf in the background, assembling Deedle's new train track. 

On New Year's Eve, I finally motivated to get a long overdue haircut. I started growing my hair long last year (partly for my hubby, but also, because I'd like to donate it when it gets long enough), and I've only gotten it trimmed a handful of times. My hair is crazy thick and super heavy, so I asked my new stylist to add some style to it (translation: long layers). 

I'm still getting used to having layers...I've never been a big fan of them, but I have to admit, my hair feels 30 pounds lighter! (Sidenote: KShaf hates these glasses, but I am so in love with them, I wear them almost every day! Thoughts? Opinions?)

We had made plans for New Year's Eve months in advance, but the day before NYE, our plans fell through. So, at the last minute, we decided to go here for dinner with the kiddos.

I had a ridiculously good filet with grilled asparagus and mashed potatoes (and a glass of amazing Cabernet Sauvignon), and KShaf had the prime rib. Our kids don't like typical kids' menu food (chicken tenders, mac and cheese, pizza, etc.), so they shared with us. They love a good steak! We came home, watched Up!, and we were all in bed by 10:00. Now, that's the way to spend New Year's Eve!

On New Year's Day, the kids and I met up with a friend and her twins for coffee at my favorite coffee place in town. 

Hot chocolate and a banana-blueberry muffin for the kidlets, and a Chai tea latte for me. Great way to kick off the new year!

Today, we have a legitimate snow day: we got about six inches of snow, here on the Eastern Shore! They made the call last night, so we all got to "sleep in" this morning (I use that term loosely, since my kids don't typically sleep past 6:00!). Unfortunately, it was also incredibly cold and windy, and the kids couldn't spend much time outside, playing in the snow. But, they managed about ten minutes before they insisted coming inside for PJs and hot chocolate.

Yes, Deedle is drinking his hot chocolate in his Titanic mug that Gram and Pop Pop gave him for Christmas.

Off to finish dinner (Chicken, Rice, and Cheddar Soup and Corn and Cheddar Muffins...thanks, Iowa Girl Eats!)...enjoy your weekend, and be sure to go link up!

December Recap and Happy Holidays!!

Merry Christmas Eve! So, I've been MIA for awhile. Sorry about that. I'm going to try to fill you in on all of the December happenings as best I can!

First, this little cutie had a birthday:

I'm not quite sure where the past six years have gone, but I do know that I am incredibly proud of the little girl that Princess A has become. 

We had her birthday party here, and it was a huge hit!

In early December, both kids participated in school holiday programs, and dear goodness, were they adorable (yes, I'm biased!)!

Deedle LOVED receiving cards from his classmates (although, I have to admit, signing his very long first name twenty times became tedious quickly). This card was his favorite because the dog on the front looks like our Border Collie, McKinley.

That's my little one on the left in the plaid dress. She was so tickled that she was asked by her music teacher to be a sugar plum fairy in the "big kid" portion of the program. She rocked it, too!

As we approached the holiday break, I tried to incorporate some fun thematic activities, even though I had a good deal of curriculum to get through (I don't want to admit how far behind I am in Language Arts...with all of the assessments we have to get done, I feel like I don't have time to teach!). We had fun, using A Cupcake for the Teacher's reindeer craftivity (unfortunately, we got the writing portion of the lesson finished, but we never had the chance to make the craft because I was home with a sick kiddo...maybe next year!).

We had an unexpected "snow" delay on the last day before Winter Break (originally, the day had been an early dismissal day, so the delayed opening really messed with my head!), so we spent the entire afternoon, working with The Polar Express. After reading the book, we completed some of the activities below (and in between each activity, the students participated in The Daily Five rotations):

Click on either picture above to grab your own copy of the Notebook file that I created for this lesson, along with all of the accompanying activities!

For my gifts for my students this year, I made them reindeer food. It's inexpensive and easy to make, and it's always a hit with my kiddos (I put my own kids to work this year, helping me assemble the gifts).

Princess A was not feeling well in this pic, but she insisted on helping out. Deedle helped himself to more than his fair share of candy canes...he bounced off the wall all evening!

The finished product!

One last random thought before I go enjoy some family time: I was lucky enough to find a team of bloggers from the Eastern Shore of Maryland (shout out to Kelly and Kim's Kindergarten Kreations!). We'd love to put together a Maryland blogger meet-up sometime in the new year. Are there any other Maryland bloggers who are interested? If so, let me know! I'd love to put something together.

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!! Enjoy some well-deserved time with your family and friends...you've earned it!

Veterans Day

I am a huge blogging slacker. I could give you a million excuses for why I've been such a no-show lately, but you get it: we're all busy.

On Wednesday, our first quarter report cards went home with students. I was ridiculously excited to get my own kiddos' progress reports. (Warning: shameless bragging ahead.) Princess A rocked hers: she was "secure" in all of the Kindergarten skills except one. My heart swelled when her teacher told me that besides being a good student, she is a fantastic role model and friend to her classmates. Deedle did great, too (although, apparently, he is still working on following the class rules and routines...no surprise there). He is struggling with his pencil grip, but the Pre-K teacher at my school gave me an awesome grip to use with him, and it seems to be working. He's such a hard little worker: I know he'll figure it out in no time, especially if we keep practicing at home.

I had this past Friday off because of Waterfowl Festival. You know you live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland when an entire long weekend is devoted to the appreciation of ducks and geese. But believe me, I'm OK with it. KShaf and I took in some of the sites (and food!) with the kiddos. We even managed to visit the historical gardens where we got married eight years ago!

Our wedding day. (Dear God, we were young!)

Our kiddos, eight years later, standing in the same entryway. Pretty cool!

I spent the rest of the weekend, shopping and cleaning. I don't think I even thought about work until 2:00 yesterday afternoon!

Today, I managed to work in a mini-lesson about Veterans Day. I used A Cupcake for the Teacher's adorable Veterans Day freebie, and my students' writing turned out so nicely, I decided on a whim to mail them A Million Thanks!

One of my little ones, working on his letter to a military hero.

"Dear Hero, You have made our country a better place. Thank you for fighting in the war. Love, Kathryn."

"Dear Hero, Thank you for saving our life. Thank you for fighting in the war. Sincerely, Hayley."

If you'd like to grab the Notebook file that I created for this lesson, click here.

Now, I'm off to drink my nightly cup of chamomile tea while I read in bed. I heart "me time." Happy Monday!