Just Another Year Older

Happy Birthday to Me!

My friends and I went to a lovely dinner this past weekend at Pig and Finch. It was a lot of fun and so good to hang out with friends. My dinner was delicious but my dessert of white chocolate bread pudding was decadent. I enjoyed every bite.

Head on over to my TPT shop today! Everything is 20% off. 

Just a little TGIF!

I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for their weekly Linky Party.

Awhile back, I watched this video on Empathy vs. Sympathy. I watched it again this week to help refresh my mind . . . ground me to what is *REALLY* important in education. As teachers, we are asked the same questions thousands of times . . . in interviews, by parents, by colleagues/administrators, by family and friends.

Why did you become a teacher? What made you want to be a teacher? Why did you go into education?

Normally, my answer varies depending on the type of day/week/month I'm having. :)

However, I always come back to one thing . . . CONNECTION. Teaching is about making connections. Teachers need to be Connection Connoisseurs.

Just watch the video. It will help you "get it."

My parents are visiting us! This is their first time to our new house and I am *so* excited they are here. This morning while I am at a district professional development meeting, they will be going on an adventure with Maeve and Gibson. The first Friday of every month there is a Jazz Storytelling at the American Jazz Museum in downtown Kansas City. I can't wait to hear how it is!





I have been working hard on my literature packets and hope to add some more to my TPT shop very soon. In addition to the literature packets, I have also been working on nonfiction packets for small groups. These nonfiction packets supplement various nonfiction texts (such as the Scholastic series "True or False" and the Scholastic series "Smart Words Reader") and include 10 days of literacy/writing activities.

Check them out below. They are $2.50 - $3.00 each and are challenging, engaging, and thought-provoking. They are great tools to integrate different areas of study to small/cooperative learning groups. Click on the pictures to take you to my TPT store.

Next week, we have our Valentine's Day Party (the parents are bringing in a chocolate fountain - YUM!), Parent/Teacher Conferences, AND it's my birthday.{Tuesday the 11th ~ be on the lookout for a little birthday sale in my TPT shop ~ } My birthday is actually the same day as our Valentine's Day party so it should be an *energetic* day to say the least. Although it is a busy week I am looking forward to talking with all of the parents about their child's accomplishments.

Back to my birthday . . . Mr. T always makes me a birthday cake or the dessert of my choice. I am thinking of the possibilities . . .

You guys, I *LOVE* chocolate and mint together. I have a serious weakness for chocolate mint brownies with that mouthwatering mint buttercream layered between chocolate ganache and a dense chocolate cake. The thing is . . . I don't have a *go to* recipe for them. When I search Pinterest in hopes of finding a recipe, I become a little overwhelmed. I mean, I want the best recipe out there! And I can't realistically make every single mint chocolate recipe out there (shhhhh . . . the reason is not time, it is because I will eat all of them!).

Seriously, if you have a *tried and true* chocolate mint recipe SEND IT MY WAY!



We no longer have babies in our house. We have a toddler and a pre-schooler. However, I am searching the internet for the perfect blankies because my children *LOVE* their shredded, ripped, worn-through blankies and they are on their last leg.

When they were born my sister bought them each a four pack of the Aden + Anais muslin blankets. Mr. T and I thought it was perfect - there were four in a pack so if one was dirty, no biggie; if one was torn, throw it away; if one was stained by a glob of spaghetti sauce, go ahead and toss it . . . you get the picture.

We are now down to 2 shredded, torn, faded, embarrassments for (1 for each of them) blankies but Maeve and Gibson *LOVE* them. It is such a comfort for them.

That settles it! The kids are getting new blankies for Valentine's Day!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Let me leave you with a few quick photos from our week of snow.

Just a Little Extra

My mom introduced me to the most fabulous blog. Many of you have probably heard of her before but if not, please don't miss it! Check out Glennon Doyle Melton's blog, Momastery. Her super power is WORDS. Oh my! Her words have such POWER. She has this way of blending words together to create these powerful messages that are thought-provoking, gut-wrenching, dynamic pieces of ART.

As a teacher you've probably seen this post floating around Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. I love her message to teachers. She "gets it." Read it, if you haven't already.

My personal favorite of her posts is how Disney's Frozen is the Story of our Lives. Upon looking at the title, I honestly thought it was a little silly. I mean, how in the world are our lives like a Disney movie?

Let me preface this by saying that I have a 4 and 2 year old. We know ALL of the words to ALL of the songs by heart - including Mr. T. He is a big fan of the music! We have read the book too many times to count. We even watch the song clips on YouTube (Mr. T's idea!). We haven't seen the movie yet (yes, I know . . . we are probably the only ones) but I feel like I know the story pretty well and could tell it to anyone who asked.

When I started reading her post, I thought *OH MY GOSH! THIS IS ME*. How did she nail it? How did she know? I have always had anxieties and worries but could never put a "name" to it. I don't have the same story as Glennon but I have had feelings inside of me since I was little that I couldn't explain. I always thought of these feelings as a burden; a hindrance; an obstacle. I always thought I had to learn how to "get over them" or "move past them."

Little did I know, that one day I would read some powerful words that would change the way I look at myself.

Now that is something I can work with! The thought that I could USE these feelings (or my *Extra* as Glennon so beautifully calls it) for GOOD is amazing. I can channel this energy for things that matter and be ME. I can finally let some things go . . .

Pretty powerful stuff, right?

And I KNOW that a lot of teachers carry these burdens . . . anxieties . . . worries. 

We want to help. We want to solve. We want to shape. The thought that maybe we failed is hard! The thought that maybe we let someone down is hard! The thought that we let ourselves down is almost unbearable! We feel pulled at school, at home, with family, with friends . . . because we want to be there for everyone.

But I also want to point out that the children in our classroom may be having the SAME EXACT FEELINGS. So what can we do?

We can PAY ATTENTION.
We can LISTEN to them.
We can READ between the lines.
We can PRAY.
We can LOVE them.
We can SHOW UP with a SMILE.
We can EMBRACE their EXTRA and find ways to help them channel their SUPER POWER.

Well Glennon . . . thank you for putting what I cannot into WORDS. Your post was a blessing to me. I'm thankful you are EXTRA.

Just Loving My Snow Day

I L*O*V*E snow days! What teacher doesn't? The anticipation is like Christmas Eve . . . waiting for the snow day to be announced. Will they cancel? Are they really going to make us go? So many parents will be upset if we go/don't go . . . Should I have another glass of wine . . . I better refresh the webpage and check Facebook just to be sure. Ah, the important questions. 

On snow days we get to stay in our PJs, hang out with our kids and husbands, play in the snow, catch up a *little bit*, enjoy our coffee, read a good book, enjoy the latest show on DVR . . . the list goes on and on. 

Snow days are an unexpected and brief respite from reality. They allow us teachers a chance to rest and recharge so we are ready to take on our classes with 100%.

As I am writing this post, I can't help but reflect on the month of January. It FLEW by. Our school continues to grow and we had a lot of new kiddos join us after Winter Break. Even though we have large classes, each member of my grade level teaching team strives to fit everyone's needs.

I will admit . . . It is quite a challenge for me having 6 or 7 reading groups to fit in during our Daily Five literacy block. Each reading group needs my full attention and I have to ensure that *authentic* learning is taking place in each component. I mean, the little sweeties are still in first grade.

Even though we practice and practice our Daily Five expectations, there are still some kiddos who need a hug or an arm squeeze to let them know their teacher notices them . . . and even though I LOVE  each and every one of them, it does take my attention away from my reading group - I know you understand. :)

In order to increase independence, I created a few literature packets to supplement texts that we would be working on in reading groups. This way, if an "emergency" does arise (I use the term emergency loosely, because . . . well . . . ya know . . . some of us are still learning that a little hang nail is not a true emergency), I can help the student and be back to my reading group without them even noticing. 

So far, there three different literature packets to go along with the following books:

Little Bear, by Else Holmelund Minarik, 

Amber Brown is Not a Crayon, by Paula Danziger,

and Weird Stories from the Lonesome Cafe, by Judy Cox.

After the success of these in my classroom, I plan on creating many more literature packets. Time is really not on my side with these because they take a long time to create but I am steadily working and working. 

My goal with these packets is to aid in building close reading skills, develop questioning techniques, foster discussions, and promote higher level thinking.  Each packet consists of 10 days of literacy activities. These may be used as is or may be supplemented with your own material. My firsties loved these packets! They were challenged and engaged throughout the 10 days. 

Click on the picture to take you to my TPT store. Each packet is $2.50. The Little Bear packet is $3.00 because Literature Circle task cards and instructions are included.

Below, you will see some example pages from the packets. These pictures will give you more of an idea of what is included. 

Little Bear

 

 

Amber Brown is Not a Crayon

 

Weird Stories from the Lonesome Cafe

So . . . Mr. Superintendent . . . will we have Snow Day #2 tomorrow? Will you give me the opportunity to create some more literacy fun? Let the anticipation begin. The teachers are counting on you!

Just So Whimsical and Magical

I want to start this post by stating that I am in no way affiliated with Sarah Jane Studios nor do I even know Sarah. I am just an admirer of her artwork and her blog and think you should be too!

******

I came across this wonderful website when I was looking for creative childhood prints for Maeve and Gibson's bedrooms. I think I found her on the website, Houzz, (oh my goodness . . . you could lose yourself in this website!). . . seriously, grab a latte and a comfy blankie . . . tell everyone you will see them in a few hours . . . and take a look at all of the beautiful photographs on Houzz. You can thank me later. :)

Back to Sarah Jane Studios . . . Her illustrations are whimsical and magical. They evoke imagination and happiness. 

She also is generous and offers different freebies on her blog such as art printables, paper dolls, lunch box notes, etc. Below are a few of her freebies. Click on the picture or caption to take you to the PDF.

Sarah Jane Studios  

Sarah Jane Studios

Sarah Jane Studios

She wrote a post that really struck a chord with me back in December. She created 6 PDF holiday cards to help a family in need. You can read their story at her blog. She decided she would donate 100% of the proceeds to help this family. What a kind and generous heart! Her post really made me think about the true meaning of the holiday season.

My favorite is the one with Clara holding the nutcracker. Maeve has been truly mesmerized by ballet in the past 6 months and fell in love with "The Nutcracker" this holiday season. 

We didn't take her to see the ballet (she is only 4 but we will definitely take her next year) but watched 2 different versions of the movie. Santa brought her this book which includes the story book, 3 different stages, and at least 40 different paper dolls. It is AWESOME! 

Santa also brought Maeve the book, Ella Bella Ballerina and the Nutcracker, by James Mayhew. She cannot read it enough. It has beautiful illustrations and tells the story of "The Nutcracker." 

But I digress . . . as I was saying . . . Sarah Jane created these truly fabulous holiday cards and is kind enough to help a family in need. I adore everything she creates and like her even more now that I know what a generous person she is!

I  LOVE the print of Clara and I CANNOT wait to put it in Maeve's bedroom at Christmastime. :)

Just My Five for Friday

It is *Friday* and I am back from Winter Break. Teachers report for a 1/2 day this afternoon.

AND . . . IT IS *FRIDAY*.

I think I can handle working 1/2 day before the weekend! :)

I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching today!

I spent some time with my family over break and it was WONDERFUL! Mr. T and I even got to go to dinner (alone!!) for our 6th wedding anniversary. We were back east visiting my parents so we had some awesome babysitters willing and able to watch the kiddos.

Here's a flashback to 6 years ago . . . 

It snowed the day before our wedding and left us with such breathtaking winter scenery. 

Ah! Such fun memories. :)

Mr. T and I saw the most fabulous play on New Year's Eve. It was called Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and was playing at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Malcolm-Jamal Warner was in it (Theo, anyone?) along with a wonderful cast. The play was full of incredible messages, truths, pains, and laughs. 

I can't wait to watch the movie with Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy!

 

I worked in my classroom today to finish up grades and get ready for the next semester. As I walked into school, it made me *so happy* to see the writing and creative work my kiddos did before Winter Break. It definitely made me excited about seeing their eager, smiling  faces and hearing about their adventures from break.

Mr. T and I got a new camera for Christmas. I will no longer have to rely on my iPhone and/or Coolpix for my pictures. You will have the *opportunity* to view lovely photos from my new camera. Ha!

I will be busy teaching myself all about it and may even take a beginning photography class. :)

I am super excited about it!

My firsties are *in love* with the game, "I Have, Who Has." I have a bunch of different versions that I have made and/or found floating around Pinterest. BUT, I promised my class I would make a new version for when they returned from Winter Break so . . . that is what I did. :)

You can find this fun little activity in my TPT shop.



 It is super fun, super easy, and super cheap ($2.50)!

It is also an effective tool for teaching, practicing, and/or assessing sight words.

Included are the first 60 Fry Sight Words.

This fun little gem is perfect on it's own

OR

you can use it to supplement the super fun "A Sight for Sore Eyes: A Fresh Look at the First 60 Fry Sight Words" packet.

I have included a color version for those who like to use a lot of ink and a black/white version for those whose printing budget is tight due to all of your holiday shopping. :)

There are also a few variations to this activity. You may choose to do it whole group, in small groups, or with partners. There are detailed directions for all variations.





I am super pumped about introducing the new version of "I Have, Who Has" to my kiddos.

Well, that's my Five for Friday. I am off to learn about my *new* camera!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Happy New Year!