Monday Made It {I'm On a Roll!}

I've already mentioned this, but it bears repeating...I have been one lazy teacher this summer!

My sweet kiddos have been kind enough to allow me to sleep until 7:30 each morning {this may not seem late to some, but Princess A has been an early riser since birth...she is up almost every day at 5:00!}. They have gotten into the habit of turning on PBS {remember, we did away with dish TV several months ago, so their viewing options are limited}, making themselves breakfast, and reading or playing on their tablets. Ah, I'm loving this phase.

I've also mastered the art of the nap. Seriously. I could win a prize for my napping skills. I'm not talking about cat naps, either. I'm talking about three-hour-long, deep-sleeping, don't-wake-me-up-or-I'll-bite-your-head-off naps. I'm going to have some serious adjusting to do when August 15th rolls around, and I won't get my daily nap. But, I don't care to think about that just yet.

I've also been reading voraciously. Since we don't have TV anymore and my beloved Bravo TV is no more {there was a pretty substantial mourning period, but I'm OK now}, I've been downloading books onto my Kindle like it's my job. I stayed up until midnight last night to finish this one:

Let me clarify: I didn't stay up late to finish it because it was such an amazing book. Rather, I wanted to get it finished so I could start reading this one:

I. Can't. Wait.

But in between my marathon napping and reading, I've also managed to get some work-related things accomplished. So, I'm linking up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics to share what I've been up to!

I never thought Monday would be my favorite day of the week!

If you like me on Facebook or follow me on Instagram {if you don't, I'd love it if you did!}, you know that I started taking classes this summer for my Administration I certificate. I've never really dreamed of being anything other than an early childhood teacher, but my former principal {who I adore and respect} kept suggesting that I look into pursuing my administration certification. So, when a good friend and colleague told me that they were offering all of the classes that I need at a local college twenty minutes from my house, I decided to go for it! And, of course, I had to get myself organized!

I nabbed these free chevron binder covers from Write in the Middle and made myself a binder to keep all of my course materials organized.

How do you celebrate birthdays in your classroom? I had always given out crowns or pencils, but last summer, I came across the idea of making birthday blogs on social media. I made them for my kiddos last year, and they were a HUGE hit! This year, I got everything I needed from Dollar Tree, and I spent less than twenty dollars!

Slinkies and tops and yoyos and pencils...oh, my! And they are color-coordinated, too! {I may have added a little sweet treat, too. I couldn't resist!}

I grabbed Primarily Speaking's adorable birthday homework passes, and they completed the bags perfectly. 

The finished product!

I wanted to get a jump on making little gifts for my kiddos to give to their teachers on the first day of school. I nabbed some cute pens and notepads in {what else?} the Dollar Spot at Target, downloaded some adorable free tags, and wrapped everything up with a cute raffia ribbon.

Simple, but cute!

OH! I forgot to mention something super awesome and exciting! I met my blogging buddy, Ashley, from The Sassy School Teacher last week! 

We talked. And talked. And talked. We had SUCH a good time! I can't wait to see her again in a few short weeks at our Maryland Teacher Meet Up in Baltimore! Speaking of the Meet Up...

Spread the word! Share the news! 

{Click on the image above to head over to the event on Facebook to sign up!}

This Meet Up is for all Delmarva teachers {you don't have to be a blogger}, and we have some amazing giveaways planned! Seriously, y'all. Here are just a few of our giveaways:

• TPT gift certificates to Apples and ABC's, The Kindergarten Smorgasbord, Miss DeCarbo, First Grade and Blue Skies, Fun in First Grade, and The Tutu Teacher
• Products from Lucky to be in First and Miss Kindergarten
• Gift certificates to Schoolgirl Style and Sit Spots
• Goodies from GoNoodle, C Jayne Teach, Seat Sack, Pampered Teacher, Younique, Perfectly Posh, and Arbonne

And those are just some of the items being given away at our Meet Up! We'd love for you to join us if you're in the Delmarva area!!

Head on over to 4th Grade Frolics and link up!

 

Monday Made It (Two Weeks in a Row!)

I can't believe I remembered to participate in another Monday Made It!

My brain has been on vacation lately. No, really. It has literally been on vacation. We just returned from a week in western Pennsylvania, visiting my husband's amazing family. There was a lot of napping, eating, four-wheeling, exploring, berry picking, and s'mores. Lots and lots of s'mores.

This was Deedle at 4:00 in the afternoon on the second day we were there. I had to wake him up from a three hour nap. Not an easy task...the boy is a beast when he is woken up.

My three favorite people, watching a painted turtle make its way back into the pond. 

While we were away, I had a huge burst of creative energy, and I started updating//editing/improving the products in my TPT store. It was long overdue! 

I decided that a couple of my freebies needed some attention. The first project I tackled was my Reading Interest Survey. It has been downloaded 1,200 times on TPT, but it needed a major overhaul.

Old version. Ew.

New version. Better, right? {Click on the pic above to grab this freebie!)}

I also decided to whip up a simple writing checklist for my students to use when writing independently. Is it just me, or do you find yourself saying the same things, over and over again? "Did you remember to use a capital letter at the beginning of your sentence? Did you add a period to the end? Did you use finger spaces between your words?" Hopefully, this checklist will encourage your students to review and revise their writing without being reminded.

{Click on any of the pics above to go grab this freebie for yourself!}

My next Monday Made It has absolutely nothing to do with school, but with one of my other favorite things: food. My husband, who is really into healthy living and eating, found this amazing recipe for chicken and avocado quesadillas. 

Mashed avocado, diced chicken, chopped red pepper, black beans (I didn't have any, so I left them out), goat cheese (YUM!), and shredded mozzarella. UH-mazing. I didn't take this photo, by the way; the food disappeared too quickly for me to snap a pic!

It's a rainy, gloomy evening here on the Shore, so my evening plans include my Kindle and a cup of hot tea. Hopefully, we'll get to see some fireworks tomorrow.

Happy Fourth of July!

Monday Made It

Ah, summer. Sweet, sweet summer. There are sooooooo many things that I love about summer {being with my kiddos, time to read for leisure, going to the beach, staying up late}, but one of my very favorite things is having the time (and creative energy) to link up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made It linky.

So, school only ended for me about a week and a half ago. To say I've been lazy would be an understatement. I've been doing a lot of napping, reading, beaching, reading, napping, eating, and reading.

But, as much as I've tried not to, I've started thinking about the upcoming school year. I can't help myself. So, I created some handy Summer To Do Lists to keep me organized, both at home and for work {you can grab them for free in my TPT store}.

I keep these lists printed and on a clipboard on my desk. They are fantastic for keeping me organized and on track.

I'll admit, I'm kind of excited about my next project. I started using a Teacher Binder about three years ago to keep all of my important papers organized. I love being able to grab it and go before staff meetings, IEP meetings, and parent/teacher conferences. Everything I need is in my binder, including to-do lists for the week, lesson planner, grade book, and parent contact information. 

I've updated my Black and White Polka Dot Teacher Binder for the 2016-2017 school year, and I love how it turned out! I love it so much, in fact, that I'd love to give one away! Just enter the giveaway below for a chance to win one. But first, take a peek at what's inside. {Did I mention that the entire pack is editable???}

Front cover.

Binder spines.

I use these weekly planners to keep me on track {especially since I'm notorious for having "issues" with pacing}.

{NEW this year!} I am loving these new lists! I have these copied, hole-punched, and at the ready at the front of my binder. You could either write your lists for the week directly on the pages provided OR you could laminate the page and write your lists on Post-Its. 

Want to win a Teacher Binder for yourself? Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summer Time = Linky Time

Two things I love: Molly over at Lucky to Be In First and reading! So when I saw that she had created a Summer Reading List Linky, I had to link up!

Here are my choices for the books that you should definitely make time to check out.

I discovered Me and My Sisters on Facebook. I got it on crazy sale for $0.99, and once I started it, I couldn't put it down. The dialogue is fantastic, and if you have a sister {or two!}, you will love this book!

A teacher I follow on Instagram posted about The Husband's Secret, and once I read this book by Liane Moriarty, I downloaded two other books by her. I haven't been disappointed!

Orphan Train is a book that I've seen recommended over and over again, and as expected after reading the reviews, this book got me right in the heart.

Oh, The Nightingale. I adore anything by Kristin Hannah, but this story is unlike any of her other books. This one stayed with me for a long time, and if you read it {or have already read it}, you'll know why.

When We Fall got me hooked on all things Emily Liebert. I've also read Some Women, Those Secrets We Keep, and You Knew Me When. They are all wonderful! 

Oh, June and July: you hurt my bank account. All amazing new summer releases come out in late June and early July, it seems. 

The new Elin Hilderbrand book came out late last week, and I could wait to snag it! I'm more than halfway finished with it, and I have to admit that I'm not all that impressed with it. I usually love Hilderbrand's characters and I adore the setting of her books {Nantucket!!}, but this one isn't doing it for me. I'm not done with it yet, though, so maybe I'll change my mind.

The Vacationers has been out for a year already, but I saw it on a list of this summer's must-reads. It's already downloaded and waiting for me on my Kindle!

I don't think I've read any of Mary Kay Andrews' books before which, quite frankly, is kind of surprising. I love stories set at the beach, particularly North Carolina beaches {I grew up, vacationing on the Outer Banks}. I'm really looking forward to reading The Weekenders!

The last three books that I want to read this summer haven't come out yet {hurry up, July!}. All three authors are my favorites!

If you have some "Should Reads" and "Want to Reads," head over to Molly's blog and link up!

Busy, Busy, Busy

It's that time of year. The end of the school year. Mixed emotions abound: on one hand, I am going to miss my exceptional group of hard-working first grade students, but on the other hand, I can't wait to spend lazy summer days at the local beach with Deedle and Princess A. Oh, the conflict.

So, I've been busy, busy, busy these past few months. I spent my birthday weekend in Ocean City, MD presenting at the Common Ground Conference with my colleague, Dr. D.

We were surprised and humbled by the number of fellow educators who were interested in the daily live news program that we've developed for 4th and 5th grade students.

{If you've thought about starting your own live TV program, head here to check out the pack that I created for TPT! It has everything you need!}

Early last month, I took my firsties to Pickering Creek on their last field trip of the year to explore animal life cycles and habitats. Even though the weather was yucky, the kids still had a blast!

Every one of my students held this little tadpole without squealing, screaming, or freaking out. Proud teacher moment.

This game was just like Headbandz, except with animals!

Happiness is ponding!

Here, the kiddos are learning all about the water cycle.

As I was trolling Facebook and Pinterest for some cute ideas for Mother's Day gifts in early May, this one kept popping up over and over again:

Adorable, right?

So, I put my own spin on it, and I came up with this:

I mean, come on. What mother wouldn't love receiving this picture as a gift?

I whipped up this simple writing paper to accompany this picture, and voila! 

Click on the pic above if you're interested in grabbing this paper for next year!

After working on them since December, we finally finished our Animal Research Projects in writing! I know what you're thinking: you've been working on them since when? As I've posted here before, I happily work at my own pace, and I like my students to do the same thing. Don't worry, though: we continued with other long-term writing projects and "on demand" writing assignments while we worked on our research projects. 

I love the look of pride on this little guy's face. His cover is amazing!

We had our "Author Celebration" last Friday, and it was a huge success!

We had so many family members come and join in the fun! Animal crackers and goldfish for everyone!

Last weekend, after 9 months of "training" {I use that term loosely...we ran a few long runs and a handful of mid-week maintenance runs}, SpurDog and I ran our first {and possibly last} half-marathon! I was anticipating warm temps and sunny skies, but instead,  it gully-washed and was in the mid-fifties for all 13.1 miles.

Not sure how I managed to maintain this silly smile throughout, but I did, and we finished! Check that off the bucket list.

By later that afternoon, however, I thought I was going to die. This was the text I sent to SpurDog. While my body felt better by the next morning, I woke up feel totally crappy: sore throat, cough, congesting, headache. A week later, I don't feel much better. Bleccch. Lesson learned: when running 13.1 miles, try to do it in decent weather.

As of tomorrow, we only have 8 1/2 days of school left. Say WHAT? Where did this year go? It amazes me, though, that even as the school year winds down, my kiddos manage stay engaged and are still willing to help one another out. They are a remarkable group of children!

I love catching them being kind to one another. It's even better when they don't know that I've been watching and noticing!

One last thing: Caitlin from Cait's Cool School, Ashley from The Sassy Schoolteacher, Michelle from Pocketful of Primary, and I are up to something BIG!!!! I mean, BIG!!! So, all Maryland teacher bloggers, stay tuned!