Quick Thanks, HearALL Assessment Recorder Giveaway, Monsterous Giveaway, 100 Follower Giveaway, How Do You Know You're a Teacher??

First and foremost, I just want to say thank you to all of you who are reading my blog and following me! It means so much to log in here and see that I have had 2400+ views in the 13 days that I've had the blog running. 19 followers. That's 19 people who really care about what I have to say. That's awesome! If I can get to 50 followers, I'll have my very first giveaway! :)


Now, let's talk giveaways. Learning Resources is giving away a HearALL Assessment Recorder. It's really sweet!!!

Here is the recorder being used while students play a game!

Alright, here are some really neat features that you need to know about:

1. It can hold 62 tracks no matter how long each track is.
2. It focuses in on the noise close to it and quiets the background noise. This is ideal for small group recordings.
3. No software installation to use this device! Just plug it in to your computer via USB port and drag the files to the folder where you want to save them! Easy peasy!
4. Works with PC and Mac!
5. You can plug headphones into it!
6. Saves files as MP3 or WAV.
7. Rechargable! NO BATTERIES!!!!!

Ok...these bad boys are normally $99.99. To win one, click here! This link will take you to the giveaway! There are several opportunities to enter. A winner will be chosen August 6th! This is such a cool prize!!!

Next, another giveaway! A Year of Many Firsts has reached 500 followers. To commemorate this glorious occasion, Lyndsey is having a giveaway. Several other blogs have joined. There is so much being given away. This is why I love the teaching blog community. Everyone is so incredible!

Here are the blogs who joined in the fun as well as what they are offering!

1. First Grader...At Last! - A packet from Sarah Cooley's TpT shop
2. Jumping Jax Designs - $35 towards a new blog design
3. Teaching with Love and Laughter - a packet from Lori Rosenberg's TpT Shop
4. Mrs. Jump's Class - Deanna Jump's Back-2-School Packet
5. Schoolgirl Style - YOUR CHOICE of an entire classroom theme
6. Creekside Teacher Tales - Tracy Tegeler's Olympic Packet
7. Queen of the First Grade - a packed from Katie King's TpT Shop
8. A Cupcake for the Teacher - A packet from Teri's TpT Shop
9. KPM Doodles - Gift certificate for 3 combo sets or 6 single clip art sets
10. Life in First Grade - Leslie Ann's Back-2-School Pocket Chart Activities
11. First Grade Blue Skies - Any ready-made packet from Jen White's TpT Shop
12. One Extra Degree - a packet from Amanda Nickerson's TpT Shop

Wow!!!! AWESOME PRIZES! Go enter! :)

ANOTHER giveaway!? WHAAAAAAT!

Ashley Nicole over at Fierce in Fourth has reached 100 followers!!!!!! Crazy, right?! Everyone is doing so well!!! Yay! She's giving away a $15 Starbucks Gift Card! If you don't love Starbucks, we don't need to be friends! Actually, wait, if you don't love Starbucks, enter the giveaway anyway and give the card to me! :) :) :) Check her blog out. It's pretty awesome!

Last thing. Something that should make you smile!!! (I got this from Fierce in Fourth who got it from Diary of a Public School Teacher who got it from Jeff Foxworthy ;) Doesn't everyone love him??)

How Do You Know You're a Teacher?
1. You get a secret thrill out of laminating things.
2. You can hear 25 voices behind you and know exactly which one belongs to the child out of line.
3. You walk into a store and hear the words, "It's Ms./Mr. ________________ and know you have been spotted.
4. You have 25 people who accidentally call you Mom/Dad at one time or another.
5. You can eat a multi-course meal in under 25 minutes.
6. You've trained yourself to go to the bathroom at two distinct times of the day, lunch and planning period.
7.  You start saving other people's trash, because most likely, you can use that toilet paper tube or plastic butter tub for something in the classroom.
8. You believe the Teacher's Lounge should be equipped with a margarita machine.
9. You want to slap the next person who says, "Must be nice to work 7 to 3 and have summers off."
10. You believe chocolate is a food group.
11. You can tell if it's a full moon without ever looking outside.
12. You believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says, "Boy, the kids are sure mellow today."
13. You feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior when you are out in public.
14. You believe in aerial spraying of Ritalin.
15. You think caffeine should be available in intravenous form.
16. You spend more money on school stuff than you do on your own children.
17. You can't pass the school supply aisle without getting at least 5 items.
18. You ask your friends to use their words and explain if the left hand turn he made was a "good choice" or a "bad choice."
19. You find true beauty in a can full of perfectly sharpened pencils.
20. You are secretly addicted to hand sanitizer.
21. You understand, instantaneously, why a child behaves in a certain way after meeting his/her parents.

My Very 1st Monday Made It!

So, I keep seeing these Monday Made It posts everywhere! Everyone is linking up with 4th Grade Frolics so, I reckon I will too! :)

I've recently begun DIYing EVERYTHING for my classroom. It's so much cheaper than buying things and it's a lot of fun as well. I'm a really crafty person and love to make things. I just had never thought of taking that into my classroom (which is strange because I feel like a classroom is supposed to be DIY, right?).

Last week, I posted my DIY To-Do Lists with instructions! Here is another picture of those along with a link to the original post!

Original Post :)

I have been admiring this teacher's toolbox that I keep seeing all over Pinterest. Lately, it's been making it's way all over my friends' blogs. Now, it's my turn.

Here is the finished product:

Cute, right? I love it. It is going to be so wonderful to get all of this stuff out of my desk drawer and organized. Best of all, it is absolutely precious. I'll be proud to display this in my room!

Alright, now time for the how-to!

I went to Lowe's (Ugh, how I hate that store) and finally got someone to help me find this storage container. Next time, I'm just ordering online and picking it up at my store. That way, it'll be ready for me when I get there. No searching for someone to help me...only to have them send me on a wild goose chase...and be kinda snotty too...(ok, rant over).

The toolbox was only $16.47 at Lowe's. It's called a Stack-On 22 Drawer Storage Cabinet (in case you're looking for it). I hear that they also carry them at Home Depot. :)

Other than the toolbox, you'll need:

• glue
• Scotch tape
• scrapbook paper
• colored cardstock
• scissors
• a printer

Here is the template for the labels. (Drawer Labels) I printed one page of them on one color cardstock. I printed the second page on a second color that went well with the first color. Then, I cut them out and made the larger boxes look pretty by adding a strip of scrapbook paper to the labels (this is where you'll use the glue).

To stick the labels on the drawers, I used Scotch tape. You can't see the tape and it works fine. (Make sure you stick the label on the inside of the drawer.)

After that was done, it was time to do the handles to the drawers. I did this the same way. I cut strips of scrapbook paper and taped it underneath the little handles. You can't see the tape and it holds the paper in place.

I plan to spray paint the box itself black. They only have this in blue. I have the spray paint that is made for plastic. This means that I don't have to sand or prime anything! Just spray it on and let it dry. It's also supposed to be non-toxic paint. Woo Hoo! :)

I spray painted it black and then coated it with a layer of Mod Podge for a sealant! Here is what it looks like now that it is black! I'm much happier now that it's black!

Ta-da! We have a toolbox! :) Lucky me, I only had to buy the toolbox. I had everything else around the house! :)

Here is the link to the blog where I originally found the instructions! Create. Teach. Share.


I also went ahead and tackled my Student Intervention Box. Here is how that turned out:

How-to:

• Create your labels. I made these really fun labels on PicMonkey. It's free. All I needed was a blank jpg file. I used one that was 2550x3300 pixels (which is the equivalent of an 8.5x11 piece of paper). 
• I then added a few labels in black and white, four flower icons, and my text. 
• I printed them out as 5x7s through Picasa (which is awesome and also free!).
• Then, I cut them evenly using my paper slicer.
• I put a thin layer of Mod Podge on the surface that I was sticking the label to and then laid down the label, making sure to smooth out all air bubbles. 
• I waited until that was dry and added a layer of Mod Podge on top of the label as a sealant. It dries clear so it doesn't matter that I put it over the black parts too!

The pictures above are my finished product! I'm going to use this as a place to store my student behavioral interventions. With 70+ kids, it'll be nice to have a separate area for this!

If you have any questions, please, please, please leave a comment. I will answer you!

Enjoy! XOXO

New (School) Year Resolutions - Linky Party

Amanda over at Teaching Maddeness had the best idea today! Don't get me wrong, her ideas are normally fantastic, but this one was something that I really loved! She is hosting a linky party all about New Year Resolutions. However, she wants us to make them for the school year!

Now, I love New Year's Resolutions. I make them religiously every year. I blog about them. I put them on Facebook. I harass my boyfriend until he makes at least one good resolution that he thinks he can stick to. I love them. I'm really excited about doing this because 1) it gives me a reason to make them in the middle of the calendar year and 2) I can make resolutions that are completely school-centered. Yay! :)



This school year, I hope to...
Resolution #1: Make all copies (at least) one day before I need them. I had a bad habit last year of making copies at the last second and would be in a panic in the morning. Occasionally, I hate to admit, I would be waiting on my last 20 copies while I was on duty at the bathrooms (making sure students didn't sneak in there in the morning). This year, it will be better...even if that means I stay at work a little longer to make it happen.
Resolution #2: Grade papers for 15+ minutes a day (Monday - Thursday). I tend to let grading get out of hand. This year, with the shift to the Common Core, the students are going to be writing a LOT. This requires almost immediate feedback on what they are writing. Not just "good job" or "great work" but real, specific critiques and praise based on their work. In order to give the students what they need, I'm going to have to grade daily. 
Resolution #3: Weekends are reserved for family time. No school work from Friday at 4 pm until 8 pm on Sunday, if I have to do anything at all. I'd like to work really hard Monday through Thursday so that I don't have to spend my weekend with work. I need a life of my own outside of my job and I think that, if I stay on top of everything, I'll be alright :)
Resolution #4: FlyLady rules apply to the classroom. At the end of the school year, I spent a good amount of time creating a School Control Journal. It has all of my routines, cleaning zones, etc. in it waiting on me to come back in August. I want to use it every day. I know that it will be helpful if I do use it. My life will feel less chaotic if I use it. I will use it.
Resolution #5: For every negative phone call, e-mail, or note that I sent to a parent, I must send a positive one. I feel like so much of my parent contact was negative last year and that's not a good thing. I need to get a handle on my classroom management and then spend just as much time praising as punishing.

So there you have it. Five reasonable goals that I plan to stick to all year. I'm sure I will post and tell you how it is going as the year progresses.
What are your resolutions? Link up! 
XOXO

TpT Products - Discipline Record

Hi! So, I've started my own Teachers Pay Teachers store and have added a few documents.

Today, I added a discipline record. It's nothing fancy...but I've put it up in case anyone is looking for a good form to use for any grade level.

Here is a link to my TpT store. I'm sure that I'll put more "interesting" things up later. Right now, I'm going to go take care of my screaming child! Guess that nap is over! Lol!

XOXO

Updated To-Do List! (now with links!) - Linky Party!

Alright, I've had my blog up for ten days and I'm at almost 1350 page views. That makes me happy! I feel blessed that y'all would want to read what I have to write.

Anyway, I figured it was time to update my to-do list! Here it is as of 10:52 pm!
^^Editing again on Sunday. Leaving the original date the same...but adding a LINKY PARTY! YAY!!!

I'm linking up with Fabulous 4th Grade Froggies for a Back To School To-Do List linky party! Yay!

These are all of the things that I need to do to go back to school and feel 100% ready!

1. Print off all items for 1st Unit (Google Apps).
2. Mark pages in textbook to which I will need to refer. Make sure to print the excerpt of Tom Sawyer.
3. Read stories for 1st Unit (textbook and online).
4. Finish creating materials for 1st Unit.
5. E-mail Joy about WWW for this year.
6. Decorate clipboard (Pinterest idea).
7. Buy binder and decorate for missed work/notes. New Plan: Create ISN. Keep it updated throughout the year so that kids who miss notes and assignments have something to reference.
8. Back to school shopping (maybe) - Tax Free Weekend is August 3-5.
9. Organize books by genre. Label the genres.
10. Revise procedures, rules/expectations, welcome back letter, and supply list.
11. Picture frames with lined paper and a cute bow = dry-erase boards for to-do list (Pinterest idea)
12. Teacher Toolbox (Pinterest idea)
13. Create file box for documentation (Pinterest idea).
14. Create ice-breakers and 1st day activities.
15. Word Wall/Concept Map sketch for one of my whiteboards.
16. Ask my hall if I can do the August/September welcome back board. Show them the idea for the football board.
17. Create hanging file box for lesson plans, folders that I'm currently using, and calendar (Pinterest idea).
18. Create an all-in-one teacher binder (or this one from Clutter-Free Classroom) and/or a master notebook with one copy of every worksheet that I use. (I want to do this but, with the new curriculum starting this year, I may just make it as I go along...and stick a post-it on it with the standards that it helps me teach???)
19. Get this for my desk! Help me with the organization and the staying on task! Decorate it with the labels - Need to Grade, Graded, Make Copies
20. Create a birthday chart (need my rosters first!). Each month, I'll put up the birthdays! Each child gets some sort of prize on his/her b-day. Ideas?
21. Create a "behavior bingo" for management? It seems too juvenile for 7th graders...but I think they'll really like it once they start getting prizes! Here's where I got the idea: Fabulous 4th Grade Froggies
22. Create a station for enrichment. A place students can go to get something else to do that will enrich their minds (not just busy work...). What to have there??? Hmmm....

I swear, I just keep adding to this! Lol! Stupid Pinterest! ;)

XOXO

My 1st Classroom

Alright, I was talking to Stephanie over at The Secret Life of a Teacher about using a Cricut for the classroom. I have used it not only to cut out shapes for vocabulary words but also to cut vinyl letters! How awesome, right?!

I thought that I would post pictures of my classroom from last year. By the end of the year, it looked a lot different. For one, I added a lot more flowers and flowerpots to the walls! :)

This is what I walked into on Day 1. I wanted to cry!

Here is what I did with my back counter. I added a poster to every cabinet door. I have two sets of trays back there. One set (on the left) is the work that I have to pass out that day...graded papers. The set on the right is where students turn their papers in. I have three classes and each set of trays has 3 shelves.

Here is my gown from high school. I graduated from the same high school that my students will graduate from. I graduated in 2007. My first students will graduate in 2017! I also added (where the orange post-it is) my gown from UNC. Above each gown, I had signs that said "Class of 2017" and "Class of 2021." Those are their high school and college graduation years.

This is almost what the front of my room looked like at the beginning of school. On the left, you'll see my Dry Erase Easel that I use as an Agenda board. Then, I have my "word garden" with the flowers and flowerpots. Next to that is my rules poster. I later added "Just Rewards" - consequences - and every 2 weeks, I added two more flowerpots with 5 flowers per pot!

Here is a close up of my rules poster and my vocabulary words. You can't see this...but each flower has ONE vocabulary word on it and each pot has a stem. For example, a pot may say bio and the flowers around it would say biology, biographer, etc.

This was my bulletin board and my desk. TRUST ME, my desk never looked like this again. My bulletin board is divided in half. The left side displayed student work and the right side, my favorite part of my classroom, is my "What Did You Say???" board. This was my grammar board. Every time a students said something that was grammatically incorrect, I would say "Jane Doe - Post-It!" and that student would have to go to the back of the room, grab a post-it, write what he/she said, correct it, sign their name, and place it on the board. After 2 six weeks, I pulled down all of the post-its, counted and recorded the number of post-its each student had, and gave prizes to those students who did not have to write anything! The kids got SO into this that they began correcting their friends in other classes and even would correct the other teachers (the sweeter kids would just tattle on their teachers once they walked through my door). I do not allow the word "ain't" in my classroom. Also, another common mistake was "That's mines" or "I ain't got mines." Oh, the look on my students' faces when I told them that I was glad they didn't have "mines" because I didn't feel like dying today from an explosion. :)

I also had my name above my door. I used the Cricut to cut out vinyl letters and put them above my door in the hallway. It looks like they were painted on! They're still up. I'll have to run out to the school next week and snap a picture (I had one on my other phone before it was stolen back in November).

Oh, how I have changed. I hardly had ANYTHING to use. I had ZERO novels for my classroom. Hardly any bulletin board materials. No experience setting anything like this up...and I did it alone. My mom was kind enough to help me cut out the decorations but I hung everything up. I was so overwhelmed. I'm much more prepared to do it again this year...but BETTER!!! By the end of the year, my classroom looked so different! It was so colorful and full of student materials!

I have begun planning my classroom for next year. It will have a lot of the same things. However, I plan to turn one of my white boards into a GIANT "word wall" or concept map type thing. I'll explain later :)

Thanks for reading! If you made it through this GIANT post, you're a trooper!

XOXO

1000 views!

I can't believe it! I just logged on to respond to a comment (got notified by mail) and I saw that I'm at 1019 page views. How awesome is that!? I've had my blog up and running for 9 days now and am at 1019 views. I feel very special.

I guess I just wanted to write a post to let everyone know how excited I am!


Thank you for showing your interest in my blog! :)

Hey, you never know...if I could get to 50 followers, there might be something in it for everyone ;) *hint hint*


XOXO

Fabulous Find Friday

Hi! I'm linking up with Fun in Room 4B for my very first Fabulous Find Friday!

I know that a LOT of teachers are working on their "teacher toolboxes." I thought I would share where I got mine!

If you click on the picture, it will take you to the link where you can buy this FABULOUS storage container. This is what all of the teachers are using to make their toolboxes. I got mine at Lowe's. It was $16.47. They sell this cabinet in blue.

However, I just found it online at NorthernTool.com for $9.99. This one is red! Unfortunately, it's back-ordered right now and who knows how much shipping is! Here is the link for that box: Northern Tool - Stack-On 22 Drawer Storage Cabinet

Here it is again at Home Depot. This is where you can get the gray storage cabinet. It's $16.92

Thought I'd share!

Have a Fabulous Friday! :)

XOXO

Thought on Interactive Notebooks....and NERVES

I've been contemplating using ISNs (Interactive Student Notebooks) for my classroom this year. I feel like it would make my life SO MUCH EASIER. Binders get messy. They're difficult to check. Papers fall out. Kids lose things. It's aggravating!

Anyway, I keep looking through the ISN guidelines online and I see this left side/right side concept. It seems really difficult. I'm not sure that I like it.

Here's my thought (for all of you more experienced teachers out there): Could I not just get rid of the left side/right side thing and add things in the notebook as we do them...as long as we keep up with the Table of Contents?

Also, can anyone give me tips for using these? A good list of rules to follow...anything? I can't find anything concise that tells me how to use them exactly. So far, I know that the kids make a cover page...then a table of contents (how many pages should I tell them to leave blank for this...or should this be another page where we just glue/tape another page in when/if we run out of room?

I'm thinking about asking each student to purchase a 5 subject notebook as well as a composition book. The 5 subject notebook will be for their ISN and the comp. book will be for their journals. Sound good? I think so. I'm beginning to get really skeptical about all of this. I just really think that, with all of the curriculum changes and the fact that students are about to be thrown for a loop with the HIGHER expectations that come with the CCSS (which, BTW, I love), the ISN will be a great resource for them.

Finally, any thoughts on book projects with the CCSS? I was led to believe that we shouldn't be "teaching" full novels. That's fine with me. I can get what I need out of specific pieces of novels and short stories. However, I should still be pushing these kids to read full novels. I'm wanting to continue my 18 Book Project...but *tweak* it a little for this year. It didn't go as well as I wanted it to last year. I may raise the expectations for the project and lower the number of books I require them to read to 12 (2/6 weeks). I really wanted to do 18 but I think that, if I add more to the project, they will need the extra week to work on them???

I hope someone reads through this garbage and decides that they can help ease my nerves. See, my First Day Jitters post was not far off from the truth. I'm getting really anxious!

HELP!?

XOXO

First Day Jitters!

Today, I'm linking up with Fierce in Fourth to talk about my First Day Jitters!

For this Blog Hop, you're supposed to talk about three things that you're nervous about when it comes to the first day of school! I'm not sure how I'm going to pick just three things. I'm nervous about everything.

3 Things About the First Day of School that Make Me Jittery:

1. I am super nervous about the new curriculum. Yes, I understand it. Yes, I have all of the things I need to be successful teaching it. I'm still very nervous about it. I got so comfortable with how I did things last year that this change is really hard!
2. I'm anxious about all of the changes on my hall. I'm on a whole new team this year. There are only three teachers on the hall that were 7th grade teachers last year. I'm teamed with one of them and the other was on my team last year. Other than that, everyone is new or moving from another hall. I hope we all get along!
3. Testing is going to be different this year. It's all going to be online and I'm not sure how it's going to work. Sigh.

I have about ten million more things that I could tell you about...but those are the first three that came to mind.

What makes you nervous about the first day of school?

XOXO

Poor baby :(

My poor little man has his first diaper rash. I think we did pretty well considering he's 13 months old and has never had one before. He screams and screams every time we have to change his diaper AND anytime he feels like he has to use the bathroom (pee or poop...but especially poop). Every time I put Desitin on his bum and put the diaper on him, he almost immediately poops. I guess it just helps him relax enough to poo? Soothes his rash long enough for him to get it out?

Anyway, he took a bath and then played naked for about 25 minutes to air out his bum. This supposedly helps with the rash. I was tempted to let him sleep naked too...but I.....just don't know about that. He stinkies every morning and I wouldn't be happy about that clean up (and Kevin is too squeamish to do it. He wretches every time he changes a poopie diaper). I put a diaper on him as loose as possible and put him to bed. Poor baby.

Here are some cute baby pictures! :)

XOXO

DIY To-Do List

Woo Hoo! I have finally DIYed my first thing for my classroom. I also made one for my mom (the assistant principal) and my sister (the college student who plans to teach one day in the future). I thought it would be neat if we could all have one.

Here is a picture:

In case you are wondering how to make them:

Things You Need:
--5x7 picture frame
--1 sheet of wide ruled notebook paper
--Hot glue gun
--Scissors
--Ribbon (a wide piece and a coordinating thinner piece)

Steps:
1. Remove the back from the frame.
2. Using the insert (the fake photo they include in every frame) as a guide, trim the notebook paper to the size that you would need to fit the frame - 5x7.
3. Insert the paper into the frame and replace the back of the frame.
4. Create a bow with the wide ribbon.
5. Tie the thinner piece of ribbon around the bow.
6. Using your hot glue gun, attach the bow to the top left corner of the frame.
7. Ta-da!

The whole project probably cost me $3 per frame. I had to buy everything from scratch...except the hot glue, hot glue gun, and scissors. The frames were about $2.50 a piece and then I used very little ribbon!

For $3, I have a great little addition to my desk area at school! Woo Hoo! :)

Enjoy. XOXO

Filetastic!!!

Oh, Mrs. Pollard. Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this on your blog.

Mrs. Pollard has such cute ideas for classroom organization. This was one of her ideas. The store she got them from is having a 20% off sale. I just ordered mine (and, BTW, I looked at WalMart and Amazon for these...and they are much cheaper from Mardel - $5 vs. $10).

Here is the link to Mrs. Pollard's blog telling you all about the filetastic (hanging file organizer) and she even has a cute little picture of hers! Tales of a Teacherista

Here is a link to Mardel's website. Search for Filetastic to find the product in a ton of different colors and designs: Mardel

Also, here's a coupon code that will save you a SMALL amount! It saved me like...$.50 :) The code is GSPN

I'm so excited about this. I plan to use mine for important information, detention slips/referrals (booooooo!), missed work, that weeks copies, etc. Woo Hoo!!!

Enjoy!

XOXO

Back to School - 600 Follower Giveaway!

Hi y'all!

Lisa over at Learning is Something to Treasure is having a giveaway because she reached 650 followers! To keep with the spirit of 600, she's giving away 6 prizes! Each prize is a $10 giftcard to a different store: TpT, MPM School Supplies, Amazon, Dollar Tree, Scrappin Doodles, and Target! These are some awesome prizes.

I thought I would share with my followers because you should all go and check out her blog! Follow her! She has so really neat ideas and this giveaway is pretty great too ;)

The link to her blog above is actually a link to the giveaway! Here is a link to her blog: Learning is Something to Treasure

Enjoy!

XOXO

Tell Me More, Tell Me More (Linking Up!)

Woo Hoo! I love linky parties! Today, I'm linking up with Mrs. Lemons at Step Into 2nd Grade With Mrs. Lemons for a "Tell Me More, Tell Me More" linky party! Guess it's time for you to learn a little more about me!

The ABCs of Me :)

A - Age:  22

B - Bed Size: Queen! I'm telling you that MY bed is the most comfy bed that I have ever slept in/on. Any family member/friend who has slept in it will agree - super comfy!

C - Chore I Hate: Hmmmm....I'm honestly not sure. Once I get started, I LOVE cleaning. I hate cleaning out the fridge though...opening containers...smelling those smells. Bleh. Also, trash is a man's job. Just sayin'

D - Dogs: Love them! Want one. Miss having one. Will probably get one soon.

E: Essential to Start My day: Coffee. Coffee. More Coffee. Without it, I'm the Grinch. My family, boyfriend, and students will agree. Those are the days that you want to stay out of my way.

F: Favorite Color: Cerise. It's a shade of pink. See?

G - Gold or Silver: Silver. Definitely Silver (unless you want to splurge for white gold!!)

H - Height: I'm 5'9''. Tall lady!

I - Instruments I Play: Piano. I also sing and can play a little bit on the guitar...but I'm not very good at that.

J - Job Title: 7th Grade ELA Teacher. Believe it or not, I requested 7th grade!!! People think I'm crazy when I tell them that, but it's true. I love those crazy, mixed up kids with their hormones flying all over the place. Drama. Drama. Drama. My life is never boring!

K - Kids: I have a son, Christian. He is 13 months old!

L - Live: Yes, I do live. Rockingham, NC - Born & Raised.

M - My Mom's Name: Mom. :)

N - Nicknames: Actually, Andi is a nickname for Andrea :)

O - Overnight Hospital Stay: This has happened twice. The first time was after my appendectomy in 2004. The second time was in 2011 while in labor and for the next two days after I gave birth to the most beautiful little boy that God has ever put on this planet! <3

P - Pet Peeves: BAD GRAMMAR! Listen, I'm not perfect. I admit that. However, there are some rules that should NEVER be broken. For example, know the difference between 'sale' and 'sell.' You don't have items up 'for sell.' You aren't trying to 'sale' some items. Ugh. Also, alot = a lot. Last thing, you should have comma confidence and not comma confusion. If you don't think there should be a comma, you're probably right. Come on. Get it together.

Q - Quote From A Movie: "Did you know that scars are the road map to the soul?" --The Air I Breathe

R - Righty/Lefty: Righty but I am pretty ambidextrous as well.

S - Siblings: I have two older half-sisters and one younger sister. They're all pretty great.

T - Time I Wake Up: Differs from day-to-day. During the school year, I'm up around 6 AM pretty consistently. During the summer, I'm up whenever my child starts moving around and making noise loud enough for the baby monitor to pick it up (this could be 7 AM or as late as 11 AM).

U - Underwear: Yes. I wear it. I like to shop at Victoria's Secret but my NEW love is the Jockey outlet at Tanger Outlets! Great deals and the undies are super comfy!

V - Veggies I Dislike: I'm not a huge veggie fan...but I REALLY don't like squash.

W - What Makes Me Run Late: Procrastination. Losing my keys. My child throwing up on my clothes as I try to walk out the door to get him to day care. Lol.

X - X-Rays I've Had: Oh gosh! Arms (right arm multiple times, left arm once), right foot, several others...but I'm not sure. I've been in an x-ray room WAY too many times.

Y - Yummy Food I Make: I'm a pretty decent cook. My favorite thing to make is either Honey Mustard Mozzarella Chicken OR this chicken that I top with a cheesy, creamy sauce. I think it's called Cheesy Crispy Chicken. Idk. I just LOVE to cook!

Z - Zoo Animal: I don't know, honestly. My favorite animal is a white tiger...but I haven't seen one in a zoo in a long time :(

My Favorite Things :)

Ok, I have a LOT of favorite things. These are just the first things that came to mind!

Buffy!!! Especially Season 2 (but they're all epic)

Couponing (new obsession)

Family Guy (because who doesn't love that!)

Kindle Fire (I'd be lost without mine. Just wish it worked better in the sun!)

Beth Moore. She's an amazing Christian role model. Plus, this book is ahhh-mazing.

I'm a Tar Heel born. I'm a Tar Heel bred. When I die, I'm a Tar Heel dead!!! UNC BABY!

These are my favorite flowers. White & Pink Roses!

White Chocolate (YUM). It's not really chocolate though. That's a misnomer.

The 5 Love Languages. Thought this was going to be lame. Totally changed my relationship.

Ok, that's enough about me. Comment and tell me some things about you! I'd love to know more! :)

XOXO

Liebster Award! Woo Hoo! :)

I am fortunate enough to be given another blog award today. I have to thank Gina over at Third Grade Tidbits for this one.


Liebster Blog Award To-Do List:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link to their site...Thanks again, Mrs. S.2. Present to 5 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers and let them know by commenting on their blog and linking to their site.


I present the Liebster Blog Award to:


Elaina at The Classy Teacher
Christine at Tales From Rm. 17
Joan at Teaching Isn't For Wimps
Kayee at The World As I Know It
Ms. G at Ms. G in Grade 3


Congrats, guys! :)


XOXO

To-Do...Update #1

Earlier this week, I created a to-do list. Time to update!

1. Print off all items for 1st Unit (Google Apps).
2. Mark pages in textbook to which I will need to refer.
3. Read stories for 1st Unit (textbook and online).
4. Finish creating materials for 1st Unit.
5. E-mail Joy about WWW for this year.
6. Decorate my clipboard (Pinterest idea).
7. Buy binder and decorate for missed work/notes.
8. Back to school shopping - Tax Free Weekend (August 3-5)
9. Make a sample ISN to show kids (not sure if I really want to do this one...)
10. Organize my books by genre. Label genres.
11. Make a table caddy (Pinterest idea)
12. Create procedures.
13. Create rules/expectations.
14. Revise consequences.
15. Picture frames with lined paper and a cute bow = dry-erase boards for to-do list (Pinterest idea)
16. Teacher Toolbox (Pinterest idea)

I'm getting more and more stressed out about this school year. With all of the changes, I'm just not sure what to do with myself. I just want to sit down and have a day to plan this out...but I'm such a procrastinator that I fear that I would wasted my day on pointless stuff instead.

STRESS. STRESS. STRESS


.

No power, No blog?

So sad. The power is out at my house. I'm posting this on my phone. It's just me and my very wide awake 13 month old...in the semi-darkness that is my creepy, quiet, warm house. Sigh.

Hopefully, the power will come back in and I'll be able to post today...a real post. Otherwise, this is me checking in for the day.

Now to go play with Christian...in the dark...

CCSS Myths Debunked :)

In my search for awesome blogs to follow, I came across The Line. This is an edublog written by 7th grade ELA teacher Dina Strasser and it is actually a pretty great resource. Her most recent blog is basically just a link to an article that she co-wrote with another woman, Cheryl Dobbertin. This article was written with one purpose: debunk 4 common myths about the ELA Common Core State Standards.

I can honestly say that I'm a better person for reading it. I already knew this stuff, but there is something to be said about reading the things your thinking in an educational article. I feel like I am RIGHT and that "ah-ha" moment is worth the 6 minutes it took me to read through this article.

Teachers, read it for yourselves...especially if you teach ELA. It makes me feel a lot better about this coming year!

Link to the article: Four Myths About the ELA Common-Core Standards

Enjoy!

XOXO
--Andi :)

Linking up for the BEST BLOG POST EVER!

Ok, ladies and gents...prepare yourself for this one.

Now, you know that I try not to use language that is quite this colorful in my personal life. I don't want to use it in front of my child. That's just not right for me and my family. However, if you do...great...whatever...who cares.

I'm linking up with the fabulous Kat Porterfield for this post. She talks about several things that really resonate with me....especially writing a child up for using ugly language. Let me go ahead and say something that she does say later in a comment "If he’s calling someone a piece of shit, definitely referral. If he’s saying someone is the shit, I give him the raised eyebrows, maybe a mini lecture, then move on while smiling in my head. High fives for any compliments, but sometimes they have to be mental high fives. " I love this. I don't want to have this "us against them" mentality.

Just read the blog. It's awesome.

Here's your link: I Love Me An F-Bomb

Enjoy.

XOXO
--Andi :)