Five for Friday: Hello July!

This summer is a mix of planning for my two mornings a weeks as a 3rd grade teacher and planning for what the days with two boys will look like. :) Not that we are feeling more normal after all of our busy travels, I have been able to put more effort into all the things that need to get done for the rest of the summer! 

Here's a taste of what went on this week! 

{one}

the best part of baking is getting to lick the spoon. :)

{two} 

Alex loves to pull out the math tub. As I have been sorting through the remnants of my first grade life, I have found a lot of great math activities and Alex has had fun using them!

I love listening to him count and talk about needing "one more". He also puts the bears in patterns!

This was my favorite yard sale find ever! I could do pattern blocks all day! :) I want to have a little structure in our day, while making sure that learning stays fun, so this is a great way to do it!

{three}

more time at home means more time to sort through the seven years of classroom STUFF that is currently residing in my spare room. Of course as I went through the books, I barely got rid of any, but Liam and Alex have already loved reading the new books. One box is making its way to my yard sale pile. Mostly because it was duplicates, or not favorites! ;)

I am a major office supply addict. I have a million sharpies, and pens of all kinds! Combining it has kind of been a challenge, but its getting there! My house has been getting a good clean as I figure out what things add in from my classroom and then what needs to be added to the yard sale pile! 

{four}
I'm trying to navigate the world of third grade as I write my Long Range Plans for Reading and Writing.  I enjoy planning ahead, but it's also hard to think through everything when I have never taught it before. I will work closely with the 4th and 5th grade teachers, so that is helpful, but I have to do it bits at a time or I get really frustrated! I am looking forward to when I can start to see all the pieces come together once the school year starts.

{five}
I thought the July 4th celebrations needed to start with a SALE! My store will be 20% today through Sunday! Click on the picture to head to my store. Be sure to check out the back to school category too for lots of great resources to get you started off on the right foot!

I'm linking up with Kacey's Five for Friday! Be sure to check out how all the other teachers are spending their summer! I know lots of people are getting ready for some fun in Vegas! Maybe one day! ;)

4th of July Sale!

My TPT store is on sale this weekend to add to your July 4th celebrations!

Check out some of these products to help get your year started off on the right foot!

Click on the pictures for more details!

Classroom job signs

Agenda circles! These coordinate perfectly with the classroom jobs! :)

teacher planners

Around the World Factbooks

Decoding Strategy pack!

Reading Comprehension posters

Writing Resources

Go HERE to see all my Back to School Products!

And be sure to download some of the freebies as well! ;)

Currently July

It's July! That means it's time for Farley's Currently! :) 

{listening}

I love it when i find a new show on netflix. I love murder/crime dramas, and British accents are always a plus so Death in Paradise is perfect! ;) But it takes place in the Caribbean, so it makes me want to be next to the beach!

{loving} 

After a busy June (read about it here), its been nice to have a lazy week at home, except of course, how lazy can you be with two kiddos at home! 

{thinking}

Next year I am teaching 3rd grade in a new setting! Today I did some work to redesign my blog to match! :) I have been meeting with some of the teachers I will be working with to plan out some stuff so my brain has been running a mile a minute! It's a part time position, so I am looking forward to some preschool fun at home too! 

{wanting}

I have a whole list of projects to work on to get ready for next year, but I am having so much trouble focusing on one thing too long. I work on a little bit here and there, but my boys are taking up lots of attention (and rightly so!) I need to figure out how to manage my time and our days a little bit better, especially with lots more time at home next year!

{needing}

I REALLY need to get into an exercise routine. And I can't use the hot weather as an excuse! Now that we are done traveling and I can start building some routines that are not just summer based, I need to get on track!!

{All Star} 

I love being able to help others. If I have a resource, I love to pass it along--ideas, strategies, making treats for the hallway. I always feel happier when I can be a help to others! I think that is why I have enjoyed selling on TPTs too, because I get to see how sometime I make has helped others! :)

Hopefully in July I will actually find time to start blogging more too! The break from everything has been needed, but I've been thinking about lots of things in THIRD grade that I am looking forward to sharing! I need to start connecting with some more 3rd grade teachers too, so I can get more ideas!

Five for Friday: Road Trip Edition

We just got back Wednesday from an almost 3000 mile road trip! Over the last two weeks I have been totally absent from the blogging world and my computer in general, but it was a great way to recharge and reconnect with lots of family and friends! 

In the 2800 miles we went to 5 states so this Five for Friday will be a quick recap of how we started our summer!

Let me just say these boys are amazing travelers! Alex stayed so busy with a variety of activity books and Liam did a great job spreading it all over the car.  By the end of the two weeks Liam did much better too! :)

It was supposed to be a 15 hour trip but it took a LOT longer with all the stops. We went to meet the boys newest cousin! My brother and his wife moved up there towards the beginning of the year. The boys loved baby Donald! 

We loved being with family, and pretty much froze in Wisconsin weather. It rained a lot so my brother took us to the Kohler's Design Center. The boys thought it was the most amazing place ever! 

I mean really. Who knew cool shower heads and tubs could be so interesting. ;)

Next up was Chicago for a dear college friend's wedding. 

We stayed with some friends in Chicago who have a boy a couple years older than Alex. 

Alex LOVED playing with him!

We spent Saturday afternoon downtown with Will's brother who also lives in the city. The boys had a blast at the new Maggie Daley Park! 

Of course Paul would know a great Italian cafe so the boys had gelato for lunch! 

 Then we dressed up for the wedding and had a great time seeing friends and catching up!

We drove up to Grand Rapids to meet up with a friend I have known since middle school in Japan! We have stayed in touch throughout the years, even though it has usually meant traveling long distances to do so! I loved seeing our boys play so well together! Alex had such a hard time leaving! 

He hates goodbyes as much as I do! After a busy couple of days, we had such a fun time hanging out with them.

 We finally parked in Ohio for almost a week. My family met up at Lake Hope for our vacation. 

We are very spread out so its difficult to get us all in one place, but this was a great week to spend time together and watch the kiddos run around! When you have littles it definitely becomes more about making life easier for them and the lake was perfect for that! 

Also. Family pictures with 8 littles. 

It's not for the fainthearted!

The last stop was Pennsylvania for my Dad's family reunion. My grandpa passed away in October, and it was the first time we had all gathered together since then. Lots of cousins couldn't make it, but it was good to catch up and hear about all the interesting things everyone is doing!

The kids called it the castle! It was a beautiful building and the grounds were amazing!

One day Will, the boys and I got away to visit another dear friend from high school. Actually, all the way from elementary! She has kids who are both about 3 months older than our boys. They had a great evening together. 

We had such a wonderful time, but it was just as great to finally be home too! I'm ready to get started on some new TPT ideas that have been going on in my head, so we will see how far I get on those! ;) I have some planning for next year to do too!

Well sorry for the really long post! Be sure to check out everyone else's Five for Friday post too! :)

Five for Friday: Last day of school!

Today is bittersweet. It's the last day of school. 

I'm linking up with Kacey's Five For Friday to share some of the fun things that have been going on this week!

{one}

Wednesday we had our class celebration. I passed out awards and their summer packets! It was a fun celebration and they loved their awards and prizes from Fabulous in First!

{two}

Okay. This is the sweetest book! I love the author/illustrator team, and they put together a precious book. I read it to the kids and could not keep the tears away!

{three}

I used this fun build a teacher bundle from Melonheadz (its like paper dolls on the computer! so fun!) to make teacher presents for my teammates! Our literacy coach kindly did some detective work and gave each of my teammates a little break and asked the kiddos to describe their teacher. The kids did a great job keeping it a secret! Then I typed them up, added a picture of each teacher, and decoupaged it onto a 8X10 canvas! With all the changes our team is going through this year, I thought it would be a special way to remember this year. 

and a bonus, they were a hit! ;)

{four}

Is it bad I am so shocked that stuff is actually growing? On the edges are the massive sunflowers, in the middle are lima beans, and to the side is some watermelon! I wish we had more time to watch them keep growing and enjoy the produce! 

{five}

7 years, close to 140 students, 20 different teammates, 1 grade, 1 classroom, 1 school.

I know lots of people have spent a lot longer in one place. 

In the grand scheme 7 years of teaching is not that long, but it has been very special. 

Lots of challenges and joys. 

But now its time to say good bye to Room 105, and say hello to new adventures!

Hope you all have a great summer!

Just a rocking chair

My car is cleaned out so I was going to go ahead and take my rocking chair home. 

But I couldn't. Taking it home makes it real. 

Countless read alouds, morning meetings, heart to heart talks, author's spotlights and student reading has happened in that chair. 

Seven years of learning, sharing, teaching. It's hard to realize that is over.

For some reason, I couldn't take that chair home today. There is still one day left. One more morning meeting. One more read aloud. One more closing circle. Seven years of a story that is coming to an end.

Even in happy endings there is still sorrow because it is over. 

But is a story really ever over? Within every ending there is a new beginning. New adventures. 

To someone else it is just a rocking chair. But oh the stories that rocking chair holds. 

Currently June!

It's definitely the end of the school year! I am having trouble keeping up. :) 

But, I'm only 3 days late for Farley's Currently! Here is what is going on...

{listening}

silence is golden right now. School day is done, kids are in bed, and I am learning to enjoy the sound of silence more and more!

{loving}

last year the format of our end of year awards changed and it went from being a grade level assembly to a classroom celebration. I love the change because it has become a lot more special to our class. I used the awards from Fabulous in First and The Sweetest Thing. I made a slide show for the class using smilebox.com and then read the sweetest book, I Wish You More, at the end. If you don't already own it, you HAVE to get it! I had quite a few parents, so it was special. It was especially bittersweet because they are my last group of first graders to celebrate for a while!

{thinking}

2 more days! Half days with kiddos at that! The last days will be filled with some fun times and cleaning up the classroom! 

{wanting}

Our spare room is filled to the brim with stuff I have been bringing home from school. It is a serious mess and I am really wanting to start sorting through everything, but its not a project I have time to start right now! 

{needing}

I usually live by lists, but have not been able to keep up with everything that is going on! I know I will forget something if I don't take time to sit down and write out what I need to do... If I accomplish anything tonight I guess it should be that!

{summer lovin}

June is busy with a wedding and two family reunions in Illinois, Ohio and PA. We have one more wedding in July and then I fully intend to make sure we have some DO NOTHING time! I am so wiped out I know I am going to need to make sure we take it easy and don't take time to get caught up on rest. Ending out the school year is never very restful! 

Well that is what is going on! Be sure to check out what others are up to as well! :)