Five for Friday - Classroom Prep, Videos, and Stitch Fix

Hey there! I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs again for Five for Friday. 

1

I did it!

I actually went to my classroom and stayed there this time--despite the mess that awaited me.

I'm pretty excited about the things I got accomplished. Here's a peek:

A - Smart Tags prepped--yes, I changed the name. It is a play on making "Smart" choices and it fits my classroom better than the more common name. I made some of them, but most are from Lucky Little Learners.

B - Prepped my "Dealing with Math Homework" instruction cards (Amanda Madden). You can see how I use them in my classroom here and find links to Amanda's post about them.

C - My son got in on the action with the bulletin board. He was actually finished already, but had to pose. Ha!

D - I got my Math Helpers printed and laminated. I love these things!

2

I made a back-to-school video for my kids! It tells them about making an "About Me Bag" and I shared mine so they could get to know me. Be kind--it is for them so who cares if I'm a bit of a dork! At least that is what I keep telling myself. :-)

3

I've been meaning to share my graphics and fonts binder for awhile now and never got around to uploading pictures. Then I decided this would be easier. Plus I haven't made you a video since last summer!

4

My first Stitch Fix was awesome! Too awesome! I asked for all tops in this fix (you can do that, request certain things). 
My stylist definitely used my Pinterest style board and sent me things I had pinned.
I loved every piece and really wanted to keep them all! 
I would have, too, except for this black beauty.

Dry clean only with a price tag of $78. I just couldn't do it. I knew I needed to send it back. But if I bought all five, I was going to get a $75 discount which would make it practically free. 

So then I knew I had to send something else back or it just didn't make sense. So I chose to send back the cardigan. Then I realized that for $40 more, I could keep both so I had to send one more thing back or it just didn't make any sense to send anything back! So I chose to send back this striped top also.

I think I am going to request that they send me the cardigan again and the striped top in black and gray (if possible)...like I said I really liked them so it was hard to send them back! The cardigan especially--because it was a color I wouldn't have picked for myself  which is kind of why I wanted to try Stitch Fix (to get out of my comfort zone).

That left me with my two absolute favorites that I just couldn't part with and it was more friendly on my wallet too. :-)

I have never even tried on polka dots before - LOVE this! 

I had pinned this one...knew I would like it. AWESOME!

I'm so excited about my first fix, I already scheduled my next one for September. You can choose to have a fix as often as you like, but with my budget every other month should be about right.

If you're like me...fashion challenged and hate shopping or if you just want a little push out of your comfort zone, you might want consider it.

**Disclaimer: If you use the links here and end up scheduling your first fix, I will receive a one-time $25 credit. I'd very much appreciate it, but of course, it is not necessary. If you don't want to give me credit, just type in their web address and go for it!**

Also, no need to worry that this is going to become a fashion blog because while I enjoyed using their style cards and trying on the outfits, I did not enjoy the pictures! Ha! I won't be doing that again!

5



So this happens this weekend--starts tomorrow! Stop back by to see what goodies we are giving away. :-)

Have a great day!

Wisdom for Wednesday Rerun - Swamped!

Good morning! 

As I sat down to work on today's Wisdom post, I ran across this one from last year. It was a great reminder for me as I start into the back-to-school craziness (about 3 weeks to go...). I know from the posts I'm seeing that a lot of you are already back to work, so I thought it might be helpful to you also.

So here's a little "wisdom" from August 20, 2014:

Tonight I will be meeting my kiddos as they bring in their school supplies and tomorrow will be it--first day with my kiddos!

Yikes!

That's why I thought this would be the perfect bit of wisdom for me today!

Can I get an amen?

I know this quote goes with many others I have posted about priorities, embracing the day, and keeping things in perspective, but that is because it is one of my biggest personal challenges.

I can't help it! 

When I see a quote that reminds me not to be overwhelmed with the here and now, it speaks to me every. single. time.

(By the way, where did that period in the middle of a sentence thing start? It must be a bloggy thing because I have found myself wanting to do it lately, and it must be from reading blogs. I've resisted until now because it is not grammatically correct and I am a perfectionist, you know...)

This is a perfect reminder for me as I begin this school year. I love the way it is worded. The word refuse implies that I have a choice (and I do). I also like the word swamped...so fitting for how I feel much of the time.

I wonder...

In order to refuse to be swamped...could it mean that I might have to say "no" more often? 

And as for those things that I don't have an option to say "no" to, could it be that I can choose not to be swamped by them?

I think if I keep my focus on the Lord where it should be, the answer to both questions is yes. 

What about you?

Must Read Monday-Just for Fun

I have linked up with:

The books this week are the books that you love to read just for fun.  I have so many that it was hard to pick but here are a few of mine.  

1.  

This is a cute book where the kids are misbehaving in class and the teacher comes back disguised as a sub who is not as nice.  

2.  

This is a great book that teaches the kids that some days may not always turn out the way you want them to.

3.  

This book is about a little boy who wants to color but to his surprise all the colors have quit and don't want to be a color for certain reasons. 

4.  

In this book, Chicken gets ready for the bedtime story, but has a hard time not interrupting her father during the story.

5.  

The kids absolutely love Pete the Cat books, so you have to read some of them from time to time.

Make sure you link up and share your favorite books that you like to read just for fun!

Project Command Center - DIY Chalkboard Calendar

Well, hello there!

I have been pinning "command center" ideas for quite some time and planned to work on mine this summer. Now summer is getting away from me, so I decided to get busy. 

Well, really I found out our school is not printing a paper calendar this year, so I knew I needed something to keep us organized. Nothing like a little motivation!

Here's a few of my favorites so you get an idea of where I am headed. Click the picture to visit the website.

I couldn't get to source on this one, so it links to where I found it.

Love, love this type of menu planner!

Okay, on to my DIY chalkboard calendar (mess-ups and all)!

Here's what you need:

Chalkboard - size of your choice. Mine is 18 x 22 inches.

Metallic or white? permanent marker and magnetic dots and/or roll. The magnets are probably not necessary if you like your own handwriting! Ha! I'll explain later.

 First, you'll want to draw out your grid. 

I drew mine with chalk first until I found the perfect size. 

My Sunday/Saturday boxes are 3.25 x 2 inches. The rest are 2.75 x 2 inches. Then erase your chalk lines and use the permanent marker to draw the lines. Mine worked pretty well in that I could still kind of "see" where my lines had been.

Allow time to dry!

Don't panic like I did and think it isn't going to work.

The marker looked funny at first, kind of bubbly. I thought it wasn't going to work so I tried Plan B - paint. Here is my result:

So back to Plan A. 

The marker. 

This time I allowed time to dry. 

The "bubbling" was okay because it turned out looking like chalk. 

Now I realize I could rewrite the numbers each month with chalk. 

I could also write the months and days of the week with chalk; however, I don't really like my handwriting. Plus I wanted the ease of just moving the calendar numbers. So I took to the printer to create my numbers, days of the week, and months.

My months are color-coded by season, as any good teacher would do. LOL!
Fonts used: KG Broken Vessels Sketch and KG Makes You Stronger.

I used this color for my numbers and days of the week because they will stay up year round and that is the accent color in my dining room where the command center will be. Cutting the circles would have been a pain, but I asked my 15-year-old son to do it and he did because it was my birthday week. Ha!

Here's my calendar after I added the "finishing touches."

A couple of close-ups for you!

First day of school - August 20th!!

My family picks words and/or phrases to focus on throughout the year. I used each of ours for this year to decorate the bottom of our calendar. 

And finally, here is my lonely calendar on what will become my command center wall. I hope to add more pieces soon!

My must haves: a menu board similar to above, key rack, drawers or something for chargers, phones, etc., and maybe a place for my home management binder. If I can work that in, I will get rid of my old "command center" in the kitchen.

I'm linking up with Tara for Monday Made-It -- even though it isn't Monday! My first time linking up this summer, which must mean I have a lot more projects to get to.... Yikes!

Thanks for stopping by!

Five for Friday--B2S Panic, Periscope Ugh, and Dollar Spot Disappointment!

Happy Friday, Friends!

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs for Five for Friday to give you a peek at my week!

1

Confession! 

I am an end of the year "stuffer!" I stuff things on these shelves--up and out of the way for the cleaners--instead of putting things where they belong. :(

Every year, I try to talk myself into not being a "stuffer," but it hasn't worked yet. 

I've been seeing all these classroom setup pictures, so I thought I'd go in and just take a peek at what awaited me. I snapped this picture and then RAN away...FAR, FAR away!

2

#DollarSpotDisappointment

Why, oh why?

This is what awaits me when I go to my closest Target--45 minutes away--after seeing all the great teacher finds on Instagram.

I have to know... 

Does yours look like this?

Do you dig for those golden treasures?

3

I did buy this at Target. Today I'm busy turning it into a family calendar for a new "command center" project I'm working on at home.

4

I finished my Monsters Theme Classroom Decor Pack this week!

I love how it turned out--especially this preview!

I made it with Picasa after watching Amy's tutorial (Step into 2nd Grade). It was so much easier than making a collage in PowerPoint! 

I mean, seriously. 

This topic made me sign up for Periscope. 

I still missed it--but thankfully Amy put it on her blog! 

Thanks, Amy!

I have since tried to watch some other periscopes.

I don't like it...at all!

I know it is all the rage, and maybe I'll warm up to it.

But right now, I would much prefer to read it in a blog or watch a video where the presenter (and me) isn't distracted by the hearts and comments. 

Is that awful?

Please, I mean no offense to those who are loving it. 

I can see the interaction part could be fun...

Maybe I'm just too easily distracted!

Moving on... 

My Bugs Theme Classroom Decor Pack is also listed!

This preview was made in PowerPoint...before I knew the Picasa trick. I really like how this one turned out, but it took WAY longer than Picasa.

5

Last, but certainly not least...

Disclosure: If you are interested in scheduling a "fix," I will receive $25 credit if you use the links in this post--which I would very much appreciate! :-)

I finally did it! 

I scheduled my first Stitch Fix.

I actually signed up for Stitch Fix over a year ago, but I have been too chicken to schedule one!

I know it will be pricey--which scares me--but considering I hate to shop and struggle with fashion, I'm hoping it will be worth it!

I'll let you know how it goes. ;-)

Wisdom for Wednesday-Enjoy Life

Welcome to this week's:

HMMM....I am guilty for sure.  I do at times think about the past, but I think I'm probably really bad about thinking about tomorrow.  My mind tends to run a lot and I think often of what needs to get done or what I might want to do tomorrow.  When I do that then I'm not taking time to enjoy the moment.  So instead of thinking about the past (which is done and gone, and worrying about tomorrow (which we are not promised), I should be living for the current day and moment and enjoying every minute of it.  

Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

Have a great day!

Winners--And Aren't These Monsters Cute???

 Good morning!

Our celebration ended at midnight, so I've been busy picking the winners--and verifying their entries! Thank you to all who participated in our celebration--either through the giveaways, the $1 Deals, or the Facebook games.

The winners are...

Those of you who won the giveaways, your gift cards are on the way! Please let me know when you receive them--and happy shopping!

Our Facebook game had only two participants, so we decided they could both be winners! I'll be getting in touch with you both on FB very soon in order to send you your free requested item.

As for the graphic... I just had to use these monsters from Graphics From the Pond and the paper and frames from Lovin' Lit. These are two of my favorite designers! And Robyn Hyndman's "Maple" fonts are my go to right now! This is the "face" of my next classroom decor pack--Monsters--hopefully listed this week!

Thanks again for being fantastic followers! We appreciate you!

Must Read Monday: Books for Rhyming and last day for our Giveaway

I have linked up with:

This linky has been so fun and the only problem that I have is that my shopping list has gotten so long!  LOL!  I have found some great ideas for books.  Here are the books that I like to read for rhyming.

1.  

I absolutely love the illustrations in this book.  It has a lot of rhyming and is a great book that repeats.  Good one for kids that are just learning to read.

2.  

This is a funny book about animals that get on a sled and one by one they fall off and then leap back on.  

3.  

Of course, you can't leave out Dr. Seuss.  I love all of his books and they all have a lot of rhyming in them.  

4.  

In this book, Bear's cave gets lots of animals that come out of the cold while he is sleeping.

5.  

All the animals in this book are so scared that elephant is going to sneeze.  They are afraid of what it will do to all the animals.  So, they beg him not to sneeze.

Make sure you link up and share your favorite books about rhyming!

Also, if you haven't already, today is the last day to sign up for our giveaway:

Three winners. 

$50 to Target. 

$25 to Etsy. 

$25 to Amazon. 

Plus it is the last day for our $1 deal which today is:

Daily Math and Language Hot Topics 

Review - 1st Nine Weeks

This pack includes the following skills:

Money – Pennies, Nickels, Dimes

Time – To the Hour and Half-Hour

Basic Facts (including turn around facts)

Addition and Subtraction without Regrouping

Numbers of the Day – Range from 1-150

Capitals, End Marks and Common Misspellings

Have a great day!