Bright Ideas Blog Hop.....

This will be my third Bright Ideas hop and I am so happy to have an idea to share! I always read through these posts and I am amazed at how much I learn.... we have some SMARTIES among us! :) 

My Bright Idea....

Highlighters!

They have become invaluable with my little ELL's. 

(any of my little people actually... even my son!)

I'm all for printing practice, but I try to limit the copies and worksheets I run, so highlighters are a fast and easy way to get my little ones to practice writing their name, numbers, letters.... without having to run off a bunch of handwriting sheets. It is especially useful at the beginning of the year when so many of my kids don't know how to write their name! I write their name on the paper we were already planning to do - and they trace over it in pencil! BAM. DONE!

I hope you like my bright idea... please click on any of the links below for more bright ideas! :) 

Happy hopping!

An InLinkz Link-up

Super Slacker Here and The Best Thing Eva....

Hey friends....

Long time no post.

Let's just say that life got a little crazy.....

The amazing boyfriend... turned out to be not so amazing.... but definitely crazy.

And I will survive.

Today was my only post-planning day {all the others were furloughed} 

SO - 

It was my LAST DAY! 

I'm pretty pumped.

I found out today that I might be moving to a new classroom {ahem...trailer} next year - so that is nagging me now. I really dislike moving. REALLY, really... but - there isn't a thing I can do about it so I will put my head down and drive on. {and try not to obsess about where I'm going or if my room has a smart board or not...}

I will be teaching summer school again this year - but I have a few days off before that starts to get some well deserved rest. 

The BEST thing eva- 

The kids and I are heading to Fripp Island in 18 days.

That's right.... 18 days sucka! 

I. Can. Not. Wait!

We have been making this trek for the last four years with my good friend Stacy and her two kidlettes. This was the one thing I looked forward to the most while I was going through my divorce a few years ago. It pretty much kept me going... We have another bestie joining us this year with her two kids and I am beyond excited {she makes some kick-butt fruit pizza .... that I may or may not have eaten most of last year...} While I loathe the idea of getting into a bathing suit, g1 and g2 have been asking about the daily countdown as well - so they look forward to this trip as much as I do - which makes my heart happy. 

My little bubby (g2) is on the end... he was still in diapers the first time we went. 

I will soon be hearing the never-ending chant....

"I see your hiney.... so white and shiny"

I've lost my groove somewhere in the last two months - so if you see Stella - send her my way please. ;)

Educents Books Bundle, 20 days, and I Think I Can...

Well - It's Sunday again - How is it that the weekends go by SO quickly? It's always a toss up for me... stay in and relax, prep for the upcoming week

OR

go out, make plans, do something fun....

It usually ends up being a little bit of both. Today has been mostly sleeping and reading up for this week, planning, with some laundry (what? I know... so exciting...) But I did manage a short trip to Savannah to visit Target :) {Target trips are just good for the soul....}

I think I can - twenty days left of this school year.

The end of the year gets super crazy for us - I have two little ones in school with me now so we are prepping for their end of the year field trips, field days, and recognition ceremonies while also getting ready to participate in all these same activities as a teacher at the school. Add on meetings and end of the year paperwork .... HECTIC...

How many days do you all have left??? 

Lastly - 

I am part of a new Educents bundle! This one is Books, Books, Books! This bundle is for grades 2-3 and includes 10 instant downloads and 792 pages of materials including book studies, printables, interactive notebooks, games, centers, posters, and so much more for fiction and non-fiction. Activities are for  individual, small, and whole group. Go check it out - You will find some great stuff! :) 

Have a great Sunday and an even better week!

To Do Lists and Another Meme ;)

I cannot believe how quickly that week off flew by! I mean, really? 

It was busy for sure... .and fun filled.... but FAST - dagnabit! {as my son would say...}

I did want to share something that I did today. I posted it on my fb page, but wanted to share here as well. It's so simple - you are probably going to be shaking your heads at me - but for me - it was TRUELY an ah-ha moment. 

My life has been super chaotic lately. [Who's isn't?]

My friend suggested making to-do lists so that I could organize my tasks and feel a sense of accomplishment when I was able to cross something off. {Great plan!}

But what really happened....

I would write out all these lists - and stick them in my planner, or notebook, or purse, school bag....

only to find them a week later - still full of stuff - that hadn't been finished. 

<<<<>>>>

[insert dramatic music here]

I had this simple idea to use one of my photo editing apps to make a daily to-do list. 

THEN.... 

I saved it as a photo

AND THEN...

I used that photo as my lock screen picture on my iPhone!

What? Tell you more? 

OKAY! 

I actually got 3 of the 4 things on my list - DONE! 

holla! 

Yes - I realize that I am a HUGE dork. Some days I'm okay with that.... today would be one of those days. 

Links to some photo editing apps...

Phonto - I love this one b/c I can import all my favorite KG fonts in....

A Beautiful Mess - super cute designs in this one

Rhonna Designs - I love this one b/c of the vintage feel to the embellishments... but it can be time consuming... IMHO...

And... I will leave you with a meme... just 'cause it's Meme Monday... and I can... ;)

This is SO wrong... but so funny at the same time.... 

Have a great week friends! It's the homestretch!

It's Giveaway Time!

In the past year or so I've met some personal milestones.... you won't see my name on any best seller list, but I'm blown away with the growth of my little page. 

I hit 700 followers in my tpt store last week! {what? I know.. still in shock..}

I more than halfway to 500 on my fb page 

Over 1000 followers on pinterest

AND

I have over 350 blog followers!

So...to celebrate....

I'm having a little giveaway! 

{YAY!}

The prizes: 

A $10 Starbucks giftcard

And one of the following....

A set of 25 personalized magnets from tea and coffee {$20 value}

OR

 $20 worth of items from my tpt store! :) 

There are a few choices for entry!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bright Ideas Blog Hop!

Here is the bright idea I'd like to share.... this idea came from a fellow teacher and this is a picture of Stacy's behavior stick {Funky Fresh Firsties}

Introducing……

The Behavior Stick!

This was a new addition to our building this year – it is a building wide policy that all teachers carry this to and from lunch, recess, and specials. Super easy to make – yard stick… paint that coordinates to your classroom behavior board – write student names on clothespins – decorate with washi tape – and wah-la – a behavior board that can go anywhere with you!

Next on the hop is Em from Curious Firsties. She has some amazing ideas about writing to share with you... I will DEFINATELY be hopping her way... writing isn't one of my strengths as a teacher! :) Don't hesitate to visit the linky at the bottom of this post to hop onto another blog either! {I know you will come back and leave us some love!} :)

pure bliss.....

That's right peeps.... pure bliss....

FALL BREAK! :) 

1 day left on the big giveaway - have you entered yet? 

I have been updating and posting a few things this week. It's always easier to get it done when I have time off. Being a mom and a teacher can be tough some days! Heck, most days! But.... 

Here is what I've been working on so far. :) 

Journals - up for free for a few more hours! I know we are already into October.... but I couldn't resist making a cute journal pack to work on when we go back next week! 

 Nikki at Melonheadz finished up my Wild West peeps... aren't they cute! I love Nikki! Writing these non-fiction passages and comprehension questions.... not looking forward to it.... I have a few done, but it will be my fall break project.... {yay me}

Then, there is my costume confusion.... I love writing these inference ones! They are so much fun! {And my daughter loves testing them out for me when I'm almost finished...}

I uploaded my BIG 'ol BUNDLE of Famous Americans.... It is basically most of my Americans in one place. Please click on the picture to download the pdf preview... it is too large to upload to tpt. BUMMER. 

Last is a picture of my landforms posters and vocabulary pocket cards. I uploaded this one a while ago, but I finally got the previews finished. I am working on updating my landform pack to add the peninsula and bay...

Currently August {what, what!}

I am SOOOOOOOOO excited to be the sponsor for Farley's Currently Linky this month! 

I signed up forever ago - and it's actually my turn! 

{Now start singing the what, what part from Thrift Shop} :)

So - here are my Currently's 

AND

Don't forget to hop over to Oh Boy 4th Grade and link up!

Listening

to Scooby Doo.... entertaining my two littles.... now that they are both with me after school! 

Loving

The Back to School Stuff! 

crayons, markers, pencils, notebooks.... gosh - it makes me so happy....

#littlethings

Thinking

Uh - where the heckito did my summer go? 

Today is my first day with kiddos in the building! 

And {sniffle} my little man starts Pre-K today! {sniffle, sniffle}

{more sniffles....starting to look like it's going to be an ugly cry}

My sweet girl is starting THIRD grade! 

{BOOOOHOOOO}

Where has the time gone? 

I put make-up on this morning - but don't anticipate having any left by the end of the day.
{But I do!}

I'm just hoping to make it through the day - in one piece - with NO embarrassing episodes {well, maybe one would be okay}.
{Made it.... only cried once....}

I mean, it feels like yesterday I was in the hospital trying to push that 10 pounder out! Now he's going to pre-k. OMGEEEEE. 

Wanting

Ice Cream

Lots of Ice Cream. 

'Nuff Said.

Needing

A way to be more productive! I'd prefer minions to clones - that way everyone would know which was really me {plus minions are way cuter}.... but heck, at this point - I'm not picky! I'll take what I can get! :) 

Back to School Must Haves
A new notebook, pens, and a new planner! I've already hit up Target, but I'm still on the lookout for a super cute planner. Maybe I should search on tpt - there have been a LOT of cute ones being made!

Thanks for stopping by!
And a BIG thanks to Farley for the opportunity to sponsor Currently!
{It's kinda a big deal for me...}
I hope you link up! 

What are you CURRENTLY up to? 

;)

Just One of Those Days...

Hello friends... :)

Today was one of those, no good, very bad, pretty awful days...

I get them every once in a while... You?

I wanted to stay in bed  - all day - but I couldn't :(

So - I snuggled with my babies and played with bear

(my schnoodle - he's been at the kennel for a few days).

I *thought* the kids movie was at 10 am.... but it wasn't...

So I put some pretty shoes on and did my make-up ...

(for those of you who hate feet - sorry... these shoes are fabulous!)

So Deal... :)

and took the kids to see Monsters University.

I didn't get to see very much of it.

(There was this really annoying little boy who kept trying to drink all my Coke...)

oh - wait - that was MY little boy.

Darn.

THEN

we went to the grocery store.

BIG MISTAKE.

two kids

one mom

grocery store

If you are a mom - you know how bad that can get...

(it wasn't pretty)

I made my 8 almost 9 year old ride in the back of the cart

you feeling me?

yeah.

I walked out praying to God that these three hours between the grocery store and bed time went REALLY fast... like add some wings and stuff....

I am currently consuming large amounts of milk chocolate with hazelnuts...

and I think my smile will return shortly.

The make-up and shoes bit helped... albeit temporarily.

Anyone else a shoe person?

Chocolate?

:)

fonts - KG Payphone and KG Cold Coffee  

hey! 

WAIT! I did manage to upload something to tpt today! 

all the cool kids were doing it!

 - I made a bundle...

It's a pick your own bundle! 

Pick any three of my non-fiction units! 

AND I added Annie Oakley! 

Maybe I'm not doing SO bad... :) 

Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils.... and a Sharpener...

Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils....

:)

Loved that movie, and love pencils too!

I was lucky enough to try out the Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener. Now I'm here to profess my love for said sharpener and to give one away! 

{I *might* try and get another one.... because my dd and I are currently fighting over the one we have.} 

Let's just say we love this sharpener so much - 

that it comes home with us every night...

and goes back to school with me everyday. 

Love? Yeppers...

This sharpener is pretty amazing. It's fairly quiet. It has a stopping mechanism (so the kids don't sit there all day - when the pencil is sharp - the guide is back to the beginning...) 

It makes a perfect point on ANY - yes - ANY pencil you put in it.

{I am a Ticonderoga snob...but this thing will even sharpen the cheap pencils}

It has two little black grips in the opening to hold onto the pencil as you sharpen and a clear shavings cup so you can see when it needs to be emptied. It even comes with a vice grip to attach it to my desk! 

I tried to tell my dd that it wouldn't come off my desk, but she figured that out pretty quickly. :(

She brings it home every night to sharpen her colored pencils. She even tried to hide it in her room. sneaky, sneaky... :) 

Watch this....

You can even register to do your own giveaway here! 

If you'd rather just buy your own - you can do that here! 

So - here are the giveaway 'rules'

1. Like Classroom Friendly Supplies...

2. Pin this Giveaway!

3. Become a Follower

4. Tell me which color you would like to have! :) 

Go Enter and Good Luck! :) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Five for Friday

I am linking up with DoodleBugs for the Five for Friday linky. :) 

Here are a few pictures from my week...

My first picture is of my countdown app... yep... weird? maybe. I actually have less than 51 days until my beach vacation with my bf. I am so excited - a week of beach, pool, sun, and sand. Getting around only by golf cart. No cares or plans to adhere to. Eating and napping and eating again. This is truly one week of my year where I am stress-free. Quality time with kids and friends. I can't wait. Really, can't wait...

{this whole trip is very funny, because I hate the beach. 

say what? 

YEP. I grew up a block from the beach. I've been beached out. BUT this is one week that I look forward too. and the way 'we' do the beach....makes me love it again... 

small doses... then showers and food, naps, then back to the water.}

Next picture: more washi tape

I blogged about it the other day. 

I *think* I *might* have a problem. 

{first step, admit problem - check}

This time I used it to redo the labels in an old moleskin notebook. 

Third picture: Korean idioms book. :) 

We have been working on idioms this week...

of course - idioms do not literally translate... so...

one of my loves bought in a book about idioms in Korean. 

It was so cool to see. 

I admit - I sat there... looking at the pictures... trying to figure out some of the idioms...

I seriously wondered how these children were able to come to the US, speak no English, and survive... let alone thrive after a short period of time. 

Could I do that? 

NOPE. 

{I'd be that kid, under my desk, crying...}

They also found a website (naver.com) that has a bunch of translations. 

My favorite idiom that we did - drop in the bucket. 

That one took some work - but once those little light bulbs went off - they were bright! :) 

Fourth picture - my g2 on the iPad. 

Our current favorite app - 

Endless ABC's. 

This app has some *outstanding* words for the kids to build their vocabulary with.

The characters act out a little skit to illustrate the meaning of the word, and the definition is given. 

Then - they all run across the screen and the letters fly everywhere. The kids need to put the letters back in the right places (you can see an outline to match them too). 

But - while you are moving the letters, they make their letter sounds... which is hysterical.

We spent a few hours over the past week playing with this one as a family. :) 

Good times. 

Fifth picture - my commute to work...

Yes, that is what you think it is...

I wish I was joking some days... This time of year it is pretty common to end up behind a tractor of some sort. They are great about pulling over and letting cars pass. I couldn't pass up a picture of the rear end - to post on my fb, and tease all my *big city* friends! :) 

And that... is my week....

How was yours? 

Thankful on Thursday Linky

Be Thankful...Be Happy...

What are you thankful for? 

Link up and tell me more!

I am thankful for Happy Hour at Steak and Shake... 55 cents for an iced tea that will last me at least an hour! (like I said... it's the little things...) 

I'm not a big drinker... I did enough of that in college, so bars and real happy hours don't hold any appeal to me. I rarely drink, when I do .... It's a nice, cold beer! :) 

(yeah - not your average girl...)

SO

these 'faux' happy hours at steak and shake or sonic 

totally up my alley! 

(i think they know me!)

{the people at steak and shake actually do... is that sad?}

Five for .... {Sunday} ... better late then never

I had every intention of posting this a few days ago - and then - LIFE happened...

{gee, I know, what's that???} :)

So here are my five random things from this week in pictures. 

This sequence is our breakfast yesterday a.m.

<<<<<<<<< Bubby and I making silly faces....

with his super cool 'spikes' hair. 

And then my mini-me - looking like he wants "One Million Dollars"... :)

I am rocking my glasses... I hate pictures of myself, and really hate pictures of me with glasses... but these were too cute not to share! IMHO! :) 

I know - I'm partial...

 Here is g1 and me. Silly faces first - (duh!) 

and then a serious smile. I can't wait until her teeth grow in! That girl has one gappy smile!  

I realized this weekend just how much she was like me.... I busted her reading in the middle of the night. She had been such a pain lovely child to wake up in the morning, until recently. I went in to hug her goodnight - and found a book under her pillow... {been there...}

Then I found a flashlight {yup...}

A few weeks ago, I found her with a headlamp. {Only my child would think of that} 

 I asked her the other day how late she had been 

staying up to read. She turned around, looked at me and said, "You know about that?" 

HAHAHAHA! I was the QUEEN of reading late into the night. It gets frustrating in the morning at times when I have to wake her - but it makes me so happy to see that she is loving books as much as I did at that age. I'll admit - I was a little worried about her last year - she hated reading, it was such a chore for her. She's a little bit of a 

perfectionist, so she hated it when she didn't know a word, or couldn't sound it out. I'm happy to say

she's gotten over that! :) 

                                                                      <<<<<< This was her at dinner tonight... Asking her to put a bookmark in her book so that she could eat her food was like asking for her last sip of milkshake. Oy Vay!   What makes me giggle the most - she's in love with Nancy Drew. {Waves hand madly - me to! me to!}  There is no denying this child is mine. {There are days I still wonder about Bubs....} :) joking! 

 Check out the other links! :)