Five For Friday!

This first week back felt a little long, but we were busy, busy, busy and it was lovely to see my littles again.

Time to Five it up with Five for Friday!

Started by week off at a 4 year old's dinosaur birthday party at a pizza place.  My friend (another "grown up") and I had fun playing "Land Before Time."  In actuality, I had fun taking pictures of the dinosaurs and recalling the movie.... I guess that is basically the same thing.

Right at the end of my break, I spent more hours than I care to admit organizing and rearranging a bit in my classroom.  My stamps are *finally* in order and not just in a basket.  It is so much more efficient this way.  I also bought Deedee Will's Writing Work Station for January and found a place to put it. (I got creative and am loving strong velcro right now!).

My colleague one door down across the hall has a class pet.  She forgot briefly about him and one day when I was in she asked if I was able to smell the scent of death coming from here room.  Well after lunch with a teammate I went in to check... Didn't smell anything. I got close to the cage and his cute little head popped out of his fluff to great me.  He was so cute.  I noticed he was out of water so I filled it up and he was so cute sitting there drinking.  I mean just look at those sweet little paws.

I got to order some things for my classroom.  I don't know how your school does it, but I have a little free choice at the end of each day, and on our early out days in the morning so that my half day kiddos get a chance to work on social skills and enjoy some of the awesome learning toys we have.  I didn't get a picture of everything, but they are loving the new toys.  The big picture are toys called Geo Builders. In the top right corner the kids had taken out the ocean/sea life counters and were sorting (and telling me how they sorted...it was too cute!) and I was excited to get my multicultural baby dolls.  We also got a cool bamboo villiage that they are going nuts over.  I ordered some other counters and double dice as well in addition to some other things.  It was an exciting time. :)

My tootsies were tired by the end of today.  I do not have a plan period on Friday and we were just go go go.  I hope to update more about my week this weekend...but at the end of the day today I needed to sit for a few minutes.  I have my small group table low to the ground to better utilize our file crate seats and it is perfect for propping up my feet.  I also just love my boots.  I have gotten compliments from kids and adults alike (even in public)... makes my day.

Happy Friday!

You can go link up too! :)

Crafting and Creating 2014 Resulution

I am a little behind in actually posting, BUT I am feeling good about actually posting...and not just thinking about it. Ha.Ha.

I have always enjoyed crafts.  I love creating things for my classroom (I LOVE even more that I have a little more time).  I have been making things from the beginning of my teaching career, but I didn't do a lot of classroom decor, until more recently.  This is due partially to moving grades and schools in the first few years of teaching (due to pink slips and short term contracts) and then having grad school the last few years.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my school and where I am at now, and I know that everything happened for a reason.

I love making things for my classroom, but I want to find/make more time to do things I love at home too.  I went to a cool place in my city in which you have a drink and paint a canvas.  You can paint the picture you signed up for or whatever you want.  I painted the peacock like they were teaching, just using my own colors and such.  I am a little a lot messy when I paint... but there is something so relaxing about painting. 

I painted a few things at home as well, in addition to using my cameo to add vinyl to things.  I want to create more projects using the vinyl because it is just so.much. fun.  I made a craft table earlier this year, I just have yet to paint the top.. at the moment it is covered with a table cloth.  I also have made a few homemade cards.

 I didn't finish adding the pictures, but I made this cool exploding box.  I found it on Pinterest and the directions were great (you can find them here).

I started a scrapbook after my first trip to DC... I think back in 2011... and it has yet to be finished... I need to make more time to do these things I enjoy... and also finishing my friend's wedding album...from 2010... I'm ok if you judge me a little. haha.

Ever since my friend's baby shower a year ago, I have made a bunch of banners for friend's parties and for my classroom.  I am kind of addicted and am looking forward to making more.

All in all, I hope to do more of what I have shown in these pictures.

You can link up too!

Monday Monday

I always dread going back to work after a break... Ok not always, but I think, man I enjoyed not worrying about getting this or that done, and I really enjoy wearing sweats or pjs or yoga pants. all.day.long.  However the second I saw my kiddos this morning, I had missed them!  It was lovely to see them and even better when they attack you with hugs.  There is nothing better.  I think the break did them good and I know it did good for me.  We had some great listeners today (YAY).  We wrote in our Monday Journals as we do every Monday, but instead of writing about our weekends, we wrote about what we did over break.  I am so amazed at how far my kinders have come.  I always forget that they came in, most could write their name, (a few couldn't) and now they are writing sentences. I love it!  We work on adding detail to our drawings as well as to our writing.  I love that my kinders are getting better at stretching out words and being able to read what they are writing (often without their help).  I didn't take pictures of it today, but it was great.

I have a unique situation in my school due to funding and such, in which some of my kiddos are half day students while others are full day.  This can be tricky and its always a juggling act of getting everything in.  One thing I do in the afternoon is centers. Oh.My.Goodness do my littles love centers.  Every so often we have centers in the morning too, and on special days I make sure to include the majority of stuff in the morning so everyone can participate.  Anyway, back to centers.  I often make my own centers (I have since I started teaching) but have also recently splurged a bit on TPT.  I don't know about your kinders, but boy do mine like using the dotters. There is something about those dotters that they just love.  Once activity I started last year is dotting and graphing.  I have a few varieties, but this week we are dotting sight words and graphing the amount of each.  When explaining centers I pulled this one out and you could hear the excitement and the "Yes!" coming from the kids. It was pretty cute. (click on the picture to get a copy for yourself).

I have recently created a reindeer version and a Christmas tree version (which I realize won't help now that it is January, but help yourself and tuck them away for December. :) )  Stay tuned for more versions (math and literacy), as I make them, I will share.

Back to the Grind

I may or may not be in denial about going back to work tomorrow... Ok...I am in denial. I admit it.  I love my kiddos, but the days of yoga pants, sweatpants, pj pants etc. and staying in them all day if I want, are over.  I went into my classroom Friday and Saturday... for many, many hours.  To tide, clean up/clean out/do a bit of organizing.  I did make a huge dent and feel much better and more centered about going back in.  I am a stacker.  I stack things in many places, generally with the good intentions of getting to it later that day... or by the end of the week...or by a specific day.  The next thing you know, it is a scary place to go (my office) because you have the feeling it might be able to eat you alive.  Thankfully, it is not such a scary place anymore.  There are a few more mini stacks I'd like to get to.. and the plan (for realio) is to get to them in the next week or two.

These pictures are from the summer, right before school started. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture of how bad it had gotten.  The picture on the left was mid process of getting stuff put away.  The picture in the middle and the right are oh--so-organized.  I am very happy to say, they are, for the post part, still this way! (yay me!).

Here's off to getting a few things done (maybe haha). Before getting up bright and early.  Hope everyone, who is going back, has a wonderful day.  For those of you who have snow days, or teacher plan/inservice days, LUCKY! :)

Fun & Family

I am linking up with Rachel over at Blog Hoppin' for a New Years Linky.

There is nothing better than family and fun.  I enjoy spending time with my family any chance I get.  It is more difficult to get all my family together as we live all over the place.  My brother and family is stationed in Hawaii and one of my sisters and husband are in DC, and my mom, dad and other sister live here in Arizona.

When my family gets together we laugh. a lot.  I am thankful for the sense of humor we have grown up with.  My goals are to get to Hawaii to visit my family there and possibly make it back to DC or hope that any of them can make the trip to Arizona.

I have 3 nieces and 2 nephews who I absolutely adore.  I can't believe how big they are all getting (it means I am getting older...and I just don't feel like I am.) :)

A goal this year is to skype more with my family that is out of town and have weekly dinner with the family that lives in town.

images for buttons & icons

Thirteen in '13

Although I have been possibly the worst blogger around...I am linking up for the Thirteen in '13.  I plan to update what I have done the last month and a half to keep a record for myself.  I have a goal of being a better blogger in 2014.  I will say I am great at thinking about my posts, it's the execution of posting that needs some work. :)  I digress... Here is my 13 in '13!

(you can link up too!)

[one]

In January I had the honor of co-hosting a baby shower for one of my very best friends.  It was a blast getting to plan and create all the details.  She is one beautiful momma.

[two]

In February, near the end we get two days off for Rodeo Break (gotta love living in the southwest).  The day before break, we do a kinder rodeo breakfast.  Later that day, right around lunch or so, it started to snow!  We never, rarely get snow here in the southwest.  It is beautiful to see, especially on the cactus! (no photos of cactus this time)

[three]

In March, that beautiful, handsome, amazing baby boy was born (the one we threw the baby shower for).  This kid is one of my favorite people around. I adore him.  I mean, really how can you not, he is so stinking adorable!  I have so many pictures of this sweet face.  I LOVE spending any time with him I can.  He is getting so big now, and I am ready to help him make messes.

[four]

I was SO excited to see Wicked coming back to my city.  It has been a time or two before, but I was not able to see it.  I bought tickets around Christmas to go in March.  I was supposed to go with my friend who had that sweet baby, but she had that sweet baby too close to the date of the show, so I went with my mom.  It was such a fun mother/daughter day.  I can say, I am looking forward to Wicked coming again soon (hopefully!) because it was awesome.

[five]

Another spectacular event from this year was finishing grad school and earning my Master's degree!  Two years of full time teaching, full time grad student was exhausting...but sometimes I miss parts of it.

Not only did I get to celebrate with my friends and family.  I celebrated with my littles in class as well.  I got my degree through the U of A (go cats!)  and the colors are red and  blue (love).  We we celebrated by making silly hats, playing with red and blue balloons, I arranged the desks to be in the shape of an "A," and we even had red and blue jello.  I had a sub the day I had to go present to the panel as a final step towards graduation.  I texted my sub when I was done, and I received a cute picture of all my littles in a cheering mode and came back to a sweet note.

[six]

Summer finally came around and I got to visit a friend of mine who had moved to San Diego back in December.  I had a blast with her and her fiance going to The Hash House A Go-Go (oh.my.word. the food they brought was massive and oh so tasty).  We went to the Wild Animal Park, and my favorite...the beach!  It was hard to come home.

[seven]

I attended my 10 year high school reunion.  I wasn't going to go, but glad I did.  It was nice to catch up with a few people I hadn't seen in 10 years.  This picture is of one of my best friends to this day (since middle school!) and one of our favorite teachers.

[eight]

I was so blessed to get to be a part of my friends' wedding day in Santa Barbara.  For one, it was held on the beach and another, it was beautiful and just perfect for them.

[nine]

Over my fall break, I visited my sister in DC.  It was incredible to not have any obligations (aka grad school homework and projects to do).  I got to spend about a week with her and her husband and doggy and enjoy every second of it... and enjoy actual fall scenery!

[ten]

In November, I was able to attend another beautiful wedding. 

[eleven]

At work, I was part of a committee that put together an K-8 assembly to honor the Veterans who have connections to our school.  I was really proud of what came together and am looking forward to making it even better next year.  Another big thank you to all the men and women who have served our country or are currently serving.

[twelve]

This year I did two Color Runs and one Run or Dye.  It was a blast to do each 5k and end up very colorful by the end.  The first Color Run I did was in January (it's Arizona so it's great weather) except this day it was raining. The whole time.  It was still fun, but I was glad to get my shoes off and not have soggy feet.  The other two were fun and dry...what a different experience.  I am looking forward to more activities like this in 2014.  I might try the "Kiss Me Dirty Series" or if it comes near my city, and "Cupid Run."

[thirteen]

For as long as I can remember, ever since I have had access to taking pictures myself (I think as far back as middle school with a 35mm film camera) I enjoy taking pictures of pretty skies and beautiful scenes.  Here are some of the skies I have been lucky enough to see and enjoy this year.

I am looking forward to 2014 and all the experiences and love with family and friends.