12 Kinds of Exhausted

Tonight, I am - you guessed it - 12 kinds of exhausted.  I had the second of two yearly-observations this morning, a necessary evil of being an untenured teacher.  In all honesty, it's not the observation that I mind.  It's the planning and preparation and pressure of the lesson that really takes it out of me.  I'm slightly a type-A personality, so everything has to be, in a word: perfect.  And while I had the idea for my observation lesson in mind all along, it wasn't until last night that my creativity really started kicking in and I was up until 1am polishing off my activities and resources.  Combine that with MAP testing for an hour, plus a conference with a parent, and all the bribes I had to bestow upon my firsties to get them through the day without turning into whackadoos and you've got ONE TIRED TEACHER.  And if it gives you any idea just how tired I am, I'm probably going to have to DVR Teen Mom 2.  That's tired, you all.

Becks and B are at the Depot, buying who knows what.  I'm kind of just enjoying the quiet, and another episode of House Hunters.  Happy Wednesday, ya'll :)

{If I magically get a second wind, I'll be posting a super fun activity!  If not tonight, then hopefully tomorrow! }

R to the andom

1.  Is there anyone else who could watch Househunters all day long?  Really, we usually fall asleep on the couch watching it every. single. night. 

2.  I get really disappointed when the forecast includes snow at only a 20% chance.  I either want a 0% chance or a 100% chance.  Flurries are just annoying.  Unless its Christmas.  Then, they're enchanting.

3.  I have totally had it with my semi-not-blonde-but-not-brunette-either hair.  OVER. IT.  I'm going back to blonde. 

4.  Sometimes I wonder if I'm really 80-years-old in a 28-year-old body.  Mainly because I sit with a heating pad behind my back and wrapped up in fleece blankets every night just to keep warm while I blogstalk.

5.  Totally loving The Secret Life of Cee Cee Wilkes.  I'm probably the last one to jump on this book club favorite, but I seriously read a non-school-related book like twice a year.  It's something I need to work on.

6.  There is a lot of nudity in our home lately.  Beck would be clothesless all day, every day if we would let him. 

7.  Did you know that one of the top ten phrases that turns up my blog when Googled is "J Woww hair?"  That is a little disconcerting.  {I hope "nudity in our home" doesn't start sending people here, too...}

8.  I have the baby bug something awful.  I am doodling baby names again...

9.  The environment hates me right now.  We have gone through a ridiculous amount of plastic, styrofoam, and paper plates, cups, and bowls since we are sinkless and dishwasherless.  Not to mention the sweet 360 piece set of plastic forks, spoons, and knives my mom picked up for me at Sam's. 

10.  I've fallen off The Bachelor bandwagon.  Brad just wasn't doing anything for me.  And they had a VAMPIRE on there.  I mean, I like Twilight just as much as the next girl, but not in real life.  Really, ABC?  REALLY?!

Busy, busy!

Oh mah word, we have had a busy weekend.  The kitchen isn't complete, so don't get excited.  We're working on a DIY schedule, which means that progress is regularly interrupted by we-don't-know-what-the-heck-we're-doing moments.  So, we have to call on the experts.  The experts being B's dad and Matt, my brother-in-law, and of course Google.  {Please note: My husband is also an expert and is single-handedly attacking this kitchen with more know-how than I could even imagine having.  He's kind of awesome like that.}

When it finally stopped snowing, our super sweet built-in electrician {i.e. Matt} came over to move and add new outlets to the kitchen, and B and his dad made it out to Lowes to exchange half of what we bought last Monday.  Measurements were a wee bit off.  The drywalling is almost complete, with one more round of joint-compound to go on  tomorrow (it takes fo-eva).  I'm going to quit saying we're going to paint and do the floors because every time I think it's going to happen, it doesn't. 

*****

In other news, my son has created a new dance that we've coined the Booty-Shaker.  It looks a little something like this: 

Kid's got moves.  Probably from watching his momma belt it out to Britney into a hairbrush.

I, too, was doing the Booty-Shaker when I saw how many of you have ordered my Clipboard Classroom Activities at TpT.  THANK YOU!!!!  I mean, I was 12 kinds of excited to sell one, but y'all made me more like 1200 kinds of excited!  Again: thank you, thank you, thank you!

We also celebrated my nephew Sutton's birthday this weekend.  As if it weren't enough to have one crazy two-year-old boy in our family, now we have two!  And boy do those boys keep us busy.  My sister and I already talk about the crazy shananigans we're going to get calls about in a few years. 

I hope y'all had a great weekend!  Have a super week :)

New Literacy Printables!

Hello, friends!

I've uploaded a new product at Teachers Pay Teachers called Clipboard Classroom Activities!

I was inspired to create these activities to use in my literacy centers after I spent FAR TOO LONG trying to make new activities for every week.  While I love to add new things in every now and then, these activities are reusable every week all year long and keep students engaged and focused.

Furthermore, my students *love* using a clipboard!  It's like they're "in charge" of something important while they're working :) 

{Now, of course you don't have to use a clipboard with these activities, but it's certainly adds a little somethin' extra!}

There are 18 usable pages that can be purchased at TpT that include reading response logs, read/write the room activities, sticker story templates, and more!

You can download a free printable of one of the pages by clicking the picture below.  You can purchase the whole packet by clicking HERE. 

Have a great Friday!

What I Love...

What I Love... {Thursday Edition}

I love that Beckham came downstairs today, proudly announcing that he was wearing "boxers." He had no diaper on, the "boxers" were on backwards, and were hiked up in all the wrong places. LOVE. HIM

I love the sound of Rick's voice. He's the guy who records our snow delays and closings and then all-calls everyone in the county. Every time the number comes up on my phone, I tell B that my boyfriend is calling ;) {Off again tomorrow - it will be the first day we have to make up at the end of the year. Boo.}

I love Snooki's faceplant into the sand {"Where's the beach?!}. Bwah ha ha ha! If you need a little happy in your life, please youtube it.

I love Michelle from Fantastic First Grade for creating THIS amazing resource. If you teacher K or 1st you MUST download it!

I love Kroger's new flavors of CarbMaster yogurts. Not because they're low-carb {I could seriously care less}, but because of the *FUN* flavors! Strawberry Colada, Vanilla Chai, & Carrot Cake = YUM. Particularly when frozen.

I love the delicious pumpkin-devilsfood muffins that my lovely neighbor brought over. Especially because I've been cah-raving chocolate ANYTHING. I miss my oven and its ability to bake chocolate chip cookies :(

I love that Teacher Week is going to come back in the very near future! This time with a co-host and special contributors {you'll have to wait to see who they are}! Right now, I'm looking at late February or early March. It was so fun in August, and I think we could all use a winter pick-me-up. Get excited!

I love Diet Coke. I know you already probably know that about me, but its tastiness and ability to calm my nerves and/or recharge my battery can always be reiterated.

I love that my husband doesn't think its completely abnormal that Becks and I were dancing, remote-control microphones in hand to old school Britney Spears today. I mean, I was breaking. it. down. Kicking and punching the air with my super-sweet dance moves, swinging my hair around, and basically channelling my inner popstar. B knows me and knows this is totally normal.

I love the new white cabinets staring at me from the dining room. Now if they could just find their way onto the walls of the kitchen...


TGIalmostF!



Contraction Activities {First Grade}

You're never going to believe it: MORE SNOW is coming my way.  I would like to act like it bothers me that I'm going to spend the first part of June in a school building, but let's be honest - the last week of school is always fluff anyway, so I'm okay with a few extra days at the end of the year.  My motto: embrace the snow. I can't control the weather, so why complain about it?

Anyways...

We've been working on the not-contractions the past few days in language arts, and as nerdy as it sounds, I've really liked teaching it!  

I started with the chart pictured below.  I wrote the little poem at the top, which we've been reciting each day as reminder about what a contraction is.  I showed them how you can substitute the 'o' with an apostrophe for every one except "cannot."  We used green painters tape to eliminate the 'o' and then the students volunteered to write the contraction to complete the "contraction equation."

We also played Contraction Kid Match-Up.  I gave each student a pre-printed name tag with either a contraction on it or the two words that make the contraction (if you want the Word doc, email me!).  Then, they had to search the room for their partner.  Once they matched up, the students returned to me and I gave them a paper "contraction kid" to decorate and to put their name tag on.  We hung them up on our cubbies as a visual reminder of the not-contractions.  The kids LOVED finding their match and it was a great physical reminder {for those kinesthetic learners!} that 2 words make up a single contraction.  I thought they turned out pretty stinkin' cute :)

Of course, we're also doing contraction activities in one of our literacy centers.  I stole this idea from the amazingly creative Sarah Cooley of First Grader...at Last!.  I purchased the cupcakes from our local school supply store.  I also made a recording sheet for my students to use.  You can download it by clicking the picture below.

I also made a contraction memory game.  You can also download it by clicking the picture below. 

Lastly, to ensure their learning, the students completed a quick contraction quiz.  You can download it by clicking the picture below.

* * * * *

Some other exciting things going on in first grade lately have included:

More of Deanna Jumps' Snow Unit & timelines in math. {Does anyone dislike Everyday Math as much as I do?!  It bounces around so much it drives me bananas!!!}

Deanna, if you're reading: EVERYONE has complimented this activity!  They are DARLING!

{As always, please let me know if a link isn't working!  You can always email me for a document, too!!  I'd also love to hear if you have any great contraction activities!!!!!}

Happy Wednesday and, if you're in the midwest: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

Coming to you *LIVE* from the craziness!

Hey, y'all.  I am in such a good mood.  It could be the fact that the work week bypassed Monday, or that I'm getting ready to indulge in an enormous glass of rich, chocolaty Ovaltine, but - either way - Tuesday has been a great day.  {Or it could be that I'm watching Teen Mom 2 - which is ridiculously my new most favorite show...}

Anyway, B and I spent last night going back and forth to Lowes to pick up about 85% of our new kitchen -   cabinets, sink, faucet, dishwasher, an over-the-counter microwave {my heart literally just skipped 12 kinds of beats typing that because THINK OF ALL THE COUNTERSPACE it will free up!  eeh!}, paint, handles, and knobs.  It was pretty exhilarating.  And exhausting.  I ate porkchops close to midnight last night because we didn't get home until very very late.  Too late to be eating porkchops, that's for sure, but omiword I was hungry

So, everything is crazily displaced.  The dining room table is in our living room now and Becks thinks everything is pretty dang awesome.  He walked into the house wide-eyed at 11pm last night, staring and pointing and exclaiming "WOW!" all the while.  Precious.  Even more precious?  Becks on the floor with his daddy and Papa M using a level.  Love it.

If all goes as planned {crossing fingers...toes...and eyes}, we should be painting and installing the floor this weekend!  And with an anticipated snowday {again, crossing everything on my being}, maybe we'll even hook up the stove.  I'm telling you, it's been a good Tuesday :)