Blue Ribbon Pizza Party! {FREEBIE ALERT}

Our kiddos practice reading and math skills on a website called Study Island.  I go in to create assignments based on skills that we have been working on in class, and I differentiate for students by putting them on different levels within the system.  Some of my kiddos were working on the Third Grade Ohio Content Standards version, some were working on the Third Grade Common Core version, and some were on the Fourth Grade Common Core version.  {If I haven't mentioned it already, we haven't completely made the leap to Common Core in Ohio yet.  I've been creating away and tucking it into my lessons so I will be ready for it though!}

Any-who, we set a goal every nine-weeks for each level that is consistent from classroom to classroom.  If a student earns a predetermined amount of blue ribbons, he or she gets to attend a special shindig.  Usually it's a brief dance party or kickball game.  Because I wanted my students to go above and beyond, I also bribed them encouraged them by saying I would throw a special pizza party for anyone who earned ALL of the reading ribbons by the end of the school year.  Well, it's that time! We are having our pizza party this week, and I just created a simple invitation that I will be sticking into their mailboxes tomorrow.  It's available for FREE on TpT.  You can snag it HERE!  Happy Sunday!

Five For Funday?

I know, I know.  I'm late to the party.  I'd like to think that I am fashionably late, nonetheless.  :)  Let's look at my week in review, shall we?

1.  Last week was my birthday week, and my students spoiled me.  On Monday, one of my sweet kiddos brought cookies in for the whole class to celebrate a little early.  ;)  I even got a monogrammed cookie with my initial on it.  She brought in cookies for my partner's class too... complete with another monogrammed cookie for my work wife!  {Her birthday was the 7th, and mine was the 8th!}  How sweet is that?  {No pun intended.}

On Tuesday, another student brought in another class set of cookies to celebrate.  After passing them out, he handed a cookie to me and said, "I woke up early to bake these cookies myself, and I saved the biggest one for you."  Precious!!!

That same day was Teacher Appreciation Day, so I also received pretty flowers, a cute little apple locket from an old student, and McDonald's sweet tea from a sweet mom who knows me very well.  I couldn't resist snapping a picture of course.  What kind of a blogger would I be otherwise?! Ha!

A doughnut showed up on Wednesday! Who doesn't love a hot pink doughnut with sprinkles?

I wasn't at school on Thursday, but Friday one of my kiddos celebrated his birthday with more cookies.  We also had a special Jimmy Johns lunch to celebrate!  SO delish! :)

2.  I know this is kind of old news, but I wanted to share more about Tuesday's big surprise!  Mid-lesson, I was SHOCKED to find out that I won an award from NEA for my Pinterest boards.  That is the LAST thing I ever expected!   I am so grateful for the recognition from NEA, and I am also so blessed to be a part of such a supportive school district.  Literally, EVERYONE from central office packed into my room to show their support... with my principal, some building reps, and my sweet hubs.  Mr. Wonderful even picked up flowers and cake for the kiddos on the way there!  I was speechless... and if you know me in real life... you know that doesn't happen too often!  Ha!   If you want to read my initial post from earlier in the week, you can check it out HERE.  Otherwise, here's a peek at what was inside THE BOX.  The silly string will make our last day pretty unforgettable, if I do say so myself!

 

3.  In other super old news, I also got my braces off!  I swear I am wearing my retainer!  It's not my favorite, but at least I can take it out for pictures now, and I won't have to wear it to an upcoming wedding!  I was super excited to cash in all of these "WAHOOS" for a giftcard... and obviously I am still pretty excited about everything as evidenced by the second selfie of the week!  Ha!

3.  General Ization came to visit this week!  In fact, he was "visiting" when my visitors came!  This is part of my Generalization Gurus pack. 

4.  We also made cute little portraits for Mother's Day!  I purchased the file from Lesson Plan S.O.S. three years ago, and I have used it ever since!  I just love it!

5.  We have been finishing our basement a little at a time over the course of the past year. We still have a lot of work to do, but I finally have a few pictures worth sharing!  We're making progress!  My hubs is currently coating the bathroom floor with polyurethane, but I am LOVING it!  The chalkboard was a Craigslist find!  It's hanging next to where we usually keep the ping pong table that was gifted to us by my in-laws after they decided they no longer wanted it in their own basement.  :)  It will be such a fun way to keep score... and I am in love with its vintage charm... and its understated significance in the home of a teacher.  The last picture is our tiny little future dry bar.  As you can see, this is going to be our casual, home entertainment area!  We are looking forward to entertaining and lounging around in our new space... eventually!  Whenever that is!  I'm also really looking forward to decorating the space!  Yay!   Happy Mother's Day, friends! :)

Responding to Literature: Response Sheets for Reading Workshop!

Hi, friends!  I hope you are having a wonderful weekend wherever you are!  We are experiencing a bit of a cold front, so I decided that today would be a great day to stay indoors and wrap up my Responding to Literature: Response Sheets for Reading Workshop bundle.  It's been a labor of love for sure! This project has been SO time consuming, but SO worth it!  :) I created 103 reader response sheets for fiction, and I am really excited about them.  This may be my Magnum Opus.  For real.  I can't wait to use them!  Here's a little sampling of what's included, if you're interested!  Happy Saturday!!!

Peace Out Braces!!!

This is the first truly uninhibited, most joyful smile I have smiled in almost two years.  HAPPY DAY!!!

BIG WOW!

Today, I was supposed to have the day off to get my braces off and have impressions done for an upcoming surgery.  That appointment was abruptly rescheduled yesterday, and I didn't know why.  This was devastating to me.  Absolutely heartbreaking!   If you're my friend in real life or you've been following for a while, you know that I despise my braces.  They have been my Achilles heel for two years, and I honestly could not WAIT to get them off of my face.  Today was going to be the day... until it wasn't.  

I was feeling pretty bummed when I woke up for school.  I started to get ready, and my husband said, "Amanda, why don't you wear something cute today?!  That will make you feel better and take your mind off of your braces."  I pouted dramatically, and I put on sad-looking brown clothing.  I let my naturally curly hair stay curly.  I said, "I don't FEEL like dressing cute today.  Today is a brown day."  Looking back, I DO realize how ridiculous I was being.  I admit it!  I just didn't want to put on a fake happy face.  I felt like I had been waiting for Christmas to come... and then it got cancelled!  Ha!  

So, after putting on my sad-looking brown clothing, I headed to school.  Today started like any other day... except for the fact that I was not as cheerful as normal.  ;)  I chatted with my sweet partner, I got ready for my day, the kiddos did morning work, and I took them to specials.  I worked in my room and made a few copies before going to pick them up from art.  Then we did our routine restroom break, and we headed back to class.  One of the sweet ladies from our district office came into my room from my partner's room through an adjoining door and started to snap pictures of my room.  I didn't think anything of it.  I thought she was taking pictures of everyone's classrooms for the school website or something.  I thought that until a TON of administrators started to walk into my room with my husband and a few other people.   They were carrying balloons, flowers, a present, and cake.  Immediately, I thought, "Well, this is interesting."  My birthday is tomorrow, but I KNEW that my 29th birthday was not a big deal to anyone else, so I had NO idea why they were all in my classroom, but I immediately knew how my dental appointment got the axe.  

To make a very long story short, I was presented with an award from NEA for my contributions online... Pinterest in particular.  I was literally floored.  I am still completely flabbergasted.  Apparently they scoured Pinterest for teachers, and after a screening/voting process, I was chosen as one of five national award winners.  I am not sure what made an impression.  There are SO many wonderful teachers out there.  There are so many other bloggers who are just as deserving... even more deserving than me.  I am completely honored, humbled, and grateful.  It's just crazy.  If you're interested in reading the article, you can check it out HERE.  You can see a video of the hullaballoo HERE.   I LOVE hearing how my students reacted to everything!  Happy Monday!

Catch the Worm!

By now you have heard about THE sale of the year!  Right?!  It's inescapable!  It's everywhere!  :)  

The good news is, if you are impatient (like me) you can get a 20% discount on EVERYTHING in my store starting today!  {TpT's big site wide sale starts on Tuesday, May 7th and runs through May 8th.} 

I am already loading my cart for some shopping fun!  :)  I know that I still have a few more weeks of school, but I am already planning my attack for next fall.  This is the FUN part! 

Here are the deets about the site-wide sale!  It's running on  Tuesday and Wednesday!  

The Game Plan:

1.  Look at my past purchases.   Have I left feedback on these?   I love those points! Sometimes the TpT system slows down on big sale days, so I want to get those feedbacks in! I want to rack-up those beautiful points and turn them into purchasing power!  I am freely admitting that I don't NEED anymore clip art... but I always WANT more clip art!

  

This is also a great time to go back to those sellers and see what other treasures they have in their store.

2.   I move my items from my "Wishlist" over to my "Cart."   Seriously, I have this mental image of a puma ready to pounce on its prey.

3. Think ahead... As I think about my classroom instruction, what things will I want to implement for next year.   This is a great time to be reflective!

It is easier to "Keep Calm and Shop On" when you have a plan!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Whew!  It's been a crazy weekend!  :)  I went into my school for a few hours on Saturday to grade and do a little spring cleaning.  I needed to get away from home in order to get work done, because I kept finding things to do around the house.  So, I digress.  Being an adult is crazy,  isn't it?  We have jobs that keep us busy, but then there are all of those LIFE things that we have to do.  You know, the things that pile up during the week when we're busy working!?  So crazy.  So endless.   I feel a little like a juggler sometimes, and I'm not even a mom yet.  I have no idea how parents do it, which is why we haven't started a family yet.  If you are a mom, please know that I admire you!  You honestly have to be a rockstar to be a teacher and a mom!  I am 100% convinced.

Any-who!  Like I said, I spent a few hours at school, and then I came home around lunch time.  I pruned a little bit... pulled weeds... cooked dinner... cleaned the house... worked on two units... and pretty much collapsed on the couch to watch a few shows with my love.  If I did anything else yesterday, I honestly can't remember.  I have blocked it out of my memory entirely.

Today, I woke up early to get ready for church and draft our grocery list.  After church and grocery shopping, we came back, and I started pruning, weeding, and shaping our plants again.  I came inside momentarily to start a crock pot meal, and then went back out for a bit.  Eventually, I came inside to continue working on my Cinco de Mayo stuff.  I just couldn't get inspired this weekend, but eventually the ideas started flowing, and I knew I just HAD to get to work!!! Ha!  Literally, as soon as I sat down, my hubs came in asking me to go to Home Depot with him to buy a new edger.  He convinced me to go by saying something about starting my herb garden now.  I have been meaning to get it started for a few weeks, but it kept slipping to the bottom of my list, so I went.  I picked up some potting soil, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, and cilantro.  I LOVE cooking with fresh herbs, and now I am set for the summer!  Yay!

Eventually, I sat down and pumped out the rest of my Cinco de Mayo unit.  I finished right before I had to finish preparing dinner and FaceTime with the in-laws.  I am happy to say that I have finally uploaded it to TpT, and because it's so late, I have reduced the price for the rest of the night.  {Sunday night.}   If you're looking for a few last minute ideas, or if you are looking for something to spruce up your cultural unit, head over to check out Shout All About Cultures: Cultural Capers, Cinco de Mayo Style!  This is such a fun way to kick off my birthday week!  :)  Hope you can use it!