Hello, December...

Y'all.. .it's December!  How did that even happen?  I am rested, rejuvenated and excited that there are only 15 days of school separating me and Christmas break {insert heavenly sounding music here}.  It also happens that I have a teacher workday and another allergist appointment... so technically that leaves me 13 days with students {translation: 104 hours}.

Even more exciting that that is that I finally get to sponsor a Currently!  I got in touch with Farley almost a year ago and signed up... and my month is finally here!  I kinda love her and the way she writes...  it's a perfect blend of funny + real life.  Be sure to check it out over at Oh Boy Fourth Grade to get in on the fun!

Listening to Christmas music on Pandora.  In all fairness... I have been listening to Christmas music on Pandora since way before Thanksgiving.  It is calming to me...  I'd much rather have the TV off and some music on any day (except Sunday when Walking Dead comes one).

Loving my monthly Stitch Fix boxes.  My 2nd one just came and they are getting better at figuring me out.  I got 5 items as usual in this box.  I liked most of them, but some were a bit too snug {ahem, totally my fault}.  I kept the scarf for sure.  Excited that my next box will come in December right before Christmas.  Have you signed up for Stitch Fix yet?  You fill out a style profile, give them the links to your style Pinterest boards (if you have them) and answer some quick questions.  Then a stylist gets busy selecting 5 items to send your way.  Anything you want... you checkout online.  Anything you don't want... throw in the pre-paid bag and drop in the mailbox. Easy peasy!

Thinking that I need to finish Christmas shopping.  I have most of it done... now it's just the small-ish type things.  I have already bought for my 2 closest friends...  bought the big techy gifts for my little people.  Teacher gifts, check!  I started early this year {have I mentioned I am excited about Christmas?} and have been stocking up since September.  Thinking that most of my shopping will be happening on Amazon since they are offering a free month of Amazon Prime!  My boys are asking for some random things, too... like metal detectors...  who knew?

Wanting the Teachers Pay Teachers sale to go ahead and start!  I have a Christmas wish list for my classroom the length of my arm.  I am ready to use my feedback credits and score some clip art!  I'm sure you know about the sale already... but if not it is running this Monday and Tuesday.  Most stores are marked down up to 28% off including MINE!  Be sure to use code CYBER!

Needing to whittle down my to-do list.  I have lots of things I want to accomplish over the next few weeks leading into Christmas break.  I also need to write sub plans for my workday tomorrow as well as lesson plans for the week.... guess the Sunday night blues are back for awhile.

I hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving break and will head back to school feeling rested and ready to push through into December.  Thanks for stopping by and hanging out.  Before you leave... remember I am still running my $20 Starbucks eGift card giveaway.  {it ends Monday night}  I hope that you will enter...  the entry options are super easy!  Good luck my peeps... and talk to y'all soon!

Summer in December... A FB Hop

Oh holy night...  there's a new FB hop and I'm so excited to be a part of it.  Me and my Primary Chalkboard peeps are doing a Summer in December hop over on Facebook.  You can start on my page and hop all the way through... scoring a summer-ish themed freebie on each page.  Click the picture below to get started in on the fun!

I hope that y'all had a super fab Thanksgiving and that if you stayed awake all night getting ready for Black Friday shopping... that you have made it back home safely.  I'm more of a buy it on Amazon and have it shipped to the front door kinda girl.  I am also busy adding stuff to my wishlist on Teachers Pay Teachers because the Cyber Monday sale is almost here!  Have you heard about this yet?  I am so excited!!!  It will last for 2 days (December 2nd and 3rd).  Most shops will be discounted up to 28% off... WINNING!

I have many Christmas packs that I have been eyeing... and a TON of clipart that I need want to scoop up! What is the top thing on your list?  Be sure to leave feedback for any purchases you have made recently... because feedback = credits to use towards new purchases.  Combine credits and a sale...  I'm in TpT heaven!

I have been enjoying this week off... maybe a little more than I should.  I could really rock this stay at home thing {just sayin'}.  The laundry is caught up, I have time to read, dinner has been made, etc!  I have brewed a pot of coffee each morning and it is so stinkin' calming.... much different than my sprint out the door at 630am thing I normally have going on!  I'm so excited that you're here and I hope you enjoy the FB hop... before you go... be sure to enter below for my Starbucks gift card giveaway...

a Rafflecopter giveaway OHHHHH... and don't forget to check back soon for the December Currently {I get to sponsor this month and I am so very ecstatic!}...
Talk to y'all soon!

Five For Friday {Ahem, Sunday}

My intentions were good.  Five for Friday post... check.  Ummmm, uncheck!  Sooooo, I'm doing the Sunday version.  Better late than never, right?  I hope that your week was super awesome.  I am so very happy to be on Thanksgiving break.  We get the whole week off and I am beside myself with joy!  The best part... we go back next Monday and only have 15 days until Christmas break.  Oh HOLY NIGHT!
I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs for her Five for Friday linky party for what might be the first time since school started on August 1st (wowza!).  Without further ado...

My week last week was a day shorter because I took Thursday off for some allergy testing.  This is not my first rodeo and I knew that my back was gong to look awesome.  It didn't disappoint.  The doctor and the nurse kept saying, "Wow!"...  So... pretty much everything responded except a few weird things like cow hair.  Guess I could get a class cow for a pet since the guinea pig thing didn't work out {achoo!}.  So... looks like I"m headed for allergy shots again.  He is hoping to keep it to 5 shots a week.  I am now armed with epi-pens again... and I have to go back in a few weeks for more fun and food testing!

Side note:  do you have to carry an epi-pen?  I went to get the Rx filled and it was going to be $80 after insurance.  Ummmm, Christmas is coming, y'all... and I wasn't quite prepared to take out a loan for medicine.  One of the friendly CVS girls recommended going to the epi-pen website to see if I could find some type of discount.  I went and found a way to bring my cost to $0.  That's right... $0.  Santa I was very happy to print that out!

The local pottery place in my town was having a contest recently where the winning classroom would win a pottery/ornament painting party.  I won (thank you to all who helped vote!!!)  We decided to go ahead and do the party this past Friday so that the ornaments could be fired in the kiln over Thanksgiving break.  Then I can pick them up and get them wrapped pretty and ready to go home to the parental units! :)   The kids had a blast painting their trees... they minded their manners {I may have scared them into being the best behaved children EVER}... and I can't wait to see their faces when their ornaments are done and ready!

Hunger Games anyone?  I went and bought tickets on Thursday afternoon and it's a good thing because Friday night's 815 showing was sold out and jam packed!  I read all 3 books in 3 days awhile back... loved the first movie and this one was even better!  Nothing screams girl date like sushi and a Hunger Games movie!

I did manage to finish some TpT projects this week.  I uploaded a freebie for you and also my Polar Express book companion.  I have so many things that I want to accomplish this week, but I think I am going to close down my laptop and enjoy my kidlets!  If you want to check out either... just click the pictures below!  There are more freebies to come and I don't always get to come post on my blog... so be sure to follow my TpT store and my FB blog page HERE!  

The snowman craft is a simple print and create craft where the kiddos make a snowman using shapes.  It looks really cute glued down onto scrapbook paper and hung in the hallway.  You could pair it with student work or holiday writing!  

The Polar Express unit is finished!  Be sure to click the link and check out the preview.  

Inside there is... 

1) story map

2) graphic organizer
3) point of view creative writing opportunity
4) craft... make the Polar Express using shapes
5) graphing activity 
7) Venn diagram to compare and contrast the book to the movie
8) bulletin board letters spelling out "The Polar Express" to use with displaying student work.
9) Polar Express tickets with a list of suggested uses 

Lastly...  I want to say thank you to my readers and followers!  The last year of my life has been very difficult and having this blog as an outlet...and TpT as a diversion have been so helpful.  I am grateful for the encouragement I have received from so many of you.  I hope that when you read my blog... you come away feeling as though it is real and authentic.  I try to mix the good and the bad.  I want you to see the messy classroom pictures and hear about the lessons that failed.  I want to share my grief in losing a baby and my joy when life is amazing.  Life is messy... and I want my blog to reflect that.  Thanks again for going on this ride with me.  Hold on tight... we've only just begun!  Happy Thanksgiving to all my teacher peeps!  Talk to y'all soon!  

It's Currently November and a Freebie Hop

Soooo..... it's been like 4 score and 7 years since I've blogged.  I'm sorry... please forgive me!  I'm hoping that with a week off in November as well as Christmas break... that I can gear my butt in gear {fingers crossed}  We had the fair here in town week before last... this week was Red Ribbon Week, Halloween, and our Willy Wonka party!  Holy crazy kids, Batman!

OK... so it's currently November.  While I'm surprised... I am also really excited.  I love fall... and I love the holiday season.  Time changes tonight... and Starbucks has started with the red cups... life is GOOD!

I'm linking up with Farley ...  and here goes:

Listening to complete silence.  Boys went to a movie with their dad after karate today which gave me a few hours to catch up on laundry, eat a quiet lunch, and spend some horizontal time on the couch.

Loving the cooler-ish weather.  Most days lately have been high 70s to mid 80s, but I can tell that it is cooling off.  I don't have to turn on the AC everyday... and that is progress!

Thinking of more way to be gracious to people.  I am trying to be not so random with my acts of kindness... but very deliberate and more consistent.

Wanting my 2nd Stitch Fix box to come.  I had my first one in September and it was so very cool to get a box of clothes delivered to my door.  I only kept 1 shirt last time, but I left really good feedback and am really optimistic with this 2nd box coming.  Have you signed up yet?  It really is a nifty idea!  You fill out a style profile, they select clothes they think fit your profile and mail them to you.  You pick out what you want and pay online... anything that you don't want just gets mailed back to them in a prepaid package!  Easy peasy!  Click HERE to check it out!

Needing to think about our Christmas card for this year.  I didn't send a Christmas card last year.  If you have followed my blog for any length of time you probably know that I found out right before (6 days) Christmas last year that the baby I was carrying did not have a heartbeat and would need to be delivered.  Needless to say Christmas was a blur... I don't even remember what presents I bought for the boys.  I am hoping that I can redeem it this year... so I am excited about Christmas since I didn't really have one last year.  Now... to get my boys to cooperate for a card worthy picture...

A yummy pin.... yeah.... I love pinning and my NomNomNom board on Pinterest overflows with food ideas.  Have I ever told you that I met my husband at a restaurant that I managed in college... and he's a food salesman!?!?!  We love {like puffy heart} food!  I found this picture last week from  Simply Delicious... and let's just say... it's at the top of my list of things to make when the weather drops in the 60s here!  I have a thing for comfort foods!  Do you follow me on Pinterest yet?  Click HERE to find me!  Click the yummy picture below to go straight to the Simply Delicious Blog!

In other exciting news...  I am participating in a Facebook Freebie hop with some of my first grade homies for the next 2 days.  If you like me on Facebook then you can grab one of my persuasive writing packs... then hop onto the next Facebook page for even more goodies!  You can find me HERE to start hopping!

I also need new blogs to follow...  leave me a comment below if you have a blog that I definitely need to be stalking reading !  Hope y'all will have a FAB Sunday..... talk to y'all soon!

A TpT Flash Sale.... Who Knew?

Hey, y'all!  Yesterday Teachers Pay Teachers hit 100,000 likes on Facebook and to celebrate... they announced a flash sale.  If you use code FB100K then you will save 10%.... but that's not all... a ton of TpT sellers are also throwing a sale to maximize the savings.  I am excited about shopping from my wishlist!!!

My fall break is coming to an end today...  gotta remember to set my alarm for tomorrow morning {weeping}.  It was a good break though...  lots of fun with my own kidlets!  When they went down for the night... I got busy creating for my class and also uploaded some things to TpT.  Check out what I've been up to below!

Let's Talk Turkey has 3 informational passages (1 for Native Americans, 1 for Pilgrims, and 1 Thanksgiving Then and Now)... each passage has comprehension questions.  There are also graphic organizers and themed writing papers.

I may possibly have recruited my own personal 2nd grader to try it out... just for quality assurance!  Hey... the kids around here have to earn their keep, right?

I also added a bat craft freebie...  The kids and I also had fun making these...  Click the picture to head to my TpT store and download it for free.  Be sure to follow my store so that you can catch on the freebies coming up over the next few holidays!

Last, but not least... my Elf Graphtivity... the best chance to combine math, writing, and art!  Click the picture below to check it out!

One of my friends gave it to her daughter to try out... she made this elf and attached it to her Christmas list and stuck it to the fridge!  What a thoughtful kid.... bwahaha!

I hope that y'all have had a great weekend... and that today will go by super slowly.  I have already counted how many school days until our week off at Thanksgiving...  it is still really crazy that we're already 1/2 way thru October!  Seriously...  I am already buying Christmas presents!  Holy wrapping paper, Batman!  I digress...  be sure to check out the sale today on TpT... and I'll talk to y'all soon!

Oh Snap... It's Currently OCTOBER {and also HUMP DAY!}

Surely I can't be the only one who LOVES the Geico camel hump day commercial.  I maybe watch every Wednesday with my class.  My own personal kidlets also love it!  Ok... let's be REAL...  I feel like I have developed adult ADHD since school has started.  Some days I am honestly impressed that I even get all of us to school, in clothes, bathed and back in bed.  All the stuff that happens in the middle just seems like a blur.  I mean... HOW the heck is it already October?  That being said... please indulge me on this ADHD ride!  This post is going to slightly random, but showcasing LOTS of different things including a MASSIVE amount of giveaways and prizes.  First thing first... I'm linking up with Farley for this month's currently!

Listening: the the kiddos laughing while watching Cartoon Network.  Our school day is over, their homework is done... I have signed their planners, checked their papers, etc.  No soccer today {and the congregation says AMEN!}.

Loving: that we are on fall break next week.  That's right... we have been in school almost 50 days and we have NO school all next week.  I don't even have plans, but I am excited about the prospect of laying around in my pajamas, scouring Pinterest, eating late breakfast, grocery shopping leisurely... you get the point!  It's still warm enough here that we might even head to the beach for the day...

Thinking: that adult life sure is complicated.  I think I've been watching too much news.  It is hard to find a balance between knowing what's going on with the world and our country... and just needing to turn it off.... and tune out!  My life feels very complicated recently... hoping to slow down and regroup next week!

Wanting:  a laundry clone.  It isn't even that we have a crazy amount of laundry... it's just that it never feels DONE!  Soccer 3x a week means constant stinky socks {bleh}.  I don't even mind washing and drying the clothes, but MAN... I hate putting the laundry away.  Anyone else struggle with that last part?

Needing: to refill my stash of candy corn.  I sure do love this candy.  A lot of people don't really care for it.... and I don't eat it any other time of the year, but it screams OCTOBER to me!  Do you love it or hate it?

Treat:  I just discovered Stitch Fix and I am in love.  I will certainly have to do a blog post about it soon, but in the meantime... If you're in the market for some clothes to come straight to your door... that are handpicked for YOU... then check them out HERE!  Here's some of what came in my Stitch Fix box this month!  Eeeek!  :)

OK... so are you ready for the ADHD part and all the giveaways, etc. that I mentioned?  Me, too!  First up... I am so excited to be a part of the MONSTERous giveaway over at the Primary Chalkboard.  Seriously... there is a 1st grade bundle, a 2nd grade bundle, a fire safety bundle... then clipart, pencil sharpeners, and a bag that is to DIE for.  Oh... and a chair pocket and BUNTING!  Who doesn't love bunting?  Right?

Seriously... isn't it GORGEOUS?  I'm jealous {in advance} of whoever wins this tote!!!   from Ooh Baby Designs.  Check out all the cool stuff she has in her Etsy store.

I am also teaming up with Tara (my real life friend) over at ...and they all fall down to do a fall giveaway.  We are both donating fall products and including a $20 Starbucks card ... perfect for filling up with Pumpkin Spice Lattes (we both indulge often... notice the coffee in our hands below in the rafflecopter?!?!  Tara is giving away these 2 products:

and... from me:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Last, but not least... have you checked out the 1st grade Educents deal going on?  It is 18 different products made just for firsties (or advanced kinders... or struggling 2nd graders).  The whole bundle is only $24.99... but it ends soon {Friday night} so don't delay... Check it out HERE... or click the picture!!!

Thanks for going along with me on my ADHD adventure.  I hope that you will have an evening of fun checking out all the links and giveaways... and good luck!  I hope one of my readers will be lucky enough to win that bag {did I mention how jealous I am already?}  Talk to y'all soon!