Liebster Award

Thank you, Becky for nominating me for the Liebster Award!

1. What was your favorite year in school?

My absolute favorite year was Second Grade because my teacher rocked. 

2. What do you miss most about being a kid?

I miss being able to come home from school, eat ice cream, and watch cartoons.  Now I have to stay at school, eat fruit, and watch other blogs my lesson plans.

3. What story does your family always tell about you?

The time when I picked the runt of the litter and named her Babes for my first dog. 

4. Do you have a special talent?

Hmm...I can organize like crazy.  Does that count?

5. Where's your favorite vacation spot?

I would say the beach.  Hands down.

6. Is there any grade you would NOT teach?  Why?

Anything older than fourth grade scares me.  
In first grade kids laugh with me, in middle school kids would laugh at me.

7. What is your favorite band/artist?

I don't have a favorite at the moment, but my guilty pleasure has always been Celine Dion.

8. What's the number one played song on your iTunes?

The Main Title from the Notebook.
Weird. 

9. What's your favorite book?

Hmph.  

Just one?

All-time favorite kids book is Beauty by Bill Wallace.

It was the first book I ever cried while reading.
*Spoiler Alert*
It was fourth grade.  The teacher assigned us a chapter to read at home each night.

The horse died.  I cried my lil eyes out.  

When I got to school the next day I was SO embarrassed to admit I cried, but then I talked with all of my friends and found out they had cried too.

That's when I knew I loved reading.  

And that it was acceptable to cry while reading a book.

10. What's the best or worst date you've ever been on?

Best Date: We once put a love sac in the back of a pickup truck and drove to the drive in movies.

Worst Date: We got pulled over *a separate time* from the drive in movies and were not allowed to leave for almost two hours.  The cops never gave us an explanation of why we were pulled over.

11. Who is your hero?  Why?

This is cheesy but my Freshman English teacher, Mrs. Rogers.  

She was so intimidating as a teacher.

Think Research Paper.

But she took the time to get to know me as a student and offered support when I needed it most.

She believed in me when I didn't.  

I think that's the most important thing a teacher can do for a student.

11 Random Facts about The Frizz:

1. I have crazy frizzy hair.

2. I am not a dog person.

3. I drove my sweet 16 car until it wouldn't  run any longer....for 8 years. It was 20 years old.

4. My favorite color is green.

5. I love giraffes.

6. I'm a "asleep when I hit the pillow" kind of gal.

7. I am addicted to my iphone.

8. My favorite number is 8.

9. I don't like odd numbers.

10. I have a dell.

11. My husband and I have been living in our apartment for 3 years and last week we switched our bedroom with our spare bedroom.  Switched everything.  Bed. Clothes. Furniture. Everything. It's like a brand new apt.  And we are also very confused.

And now, to spread the wealth, I am nominating: 

Surviving the Little People

Mrs. Bartels School Family

Leach Teach

Blooming In First

Mrs. Christy's Leaping Loopers

All of these ladies are wonderful! Go check them out and give them some comment love :)


To accept the nomination you must:
1. Link back to the blog that nominated you
2. Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers
3. Answer the questions posted for you by your nominator
4. Share 11 random facts about yourself
5. Create 11 questions for your nominees
6. Contact your nominees and let them know you nominated them

My 11 questions:

1. What is your blogging goal?

2. What is the silliest thing you have done while teaching?

3. Are you a bring your lunchbox teacher or eat a school lunch gal?

4. Who was your favorite teacher in school and why?

5. What is your favorite book?

6. What is the most influential professional development book you've read?

7. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

8. You have ten minutes to kill, what will you do?

9. What is one word of advice for a first year teacher?

10. Is there any grade you would not teach? Why?

11. Who is your hero? Why?

:)

Chevron Vs. ZigZag

It's not quite Monday yet, but since this is the FIRST thing I have made all summer, I decided I can link up any day of the week!  Right?

I have this nasty shelf in my classroom that has been passed on from teacher to teacher for a while now.  

It needed a face lift or two, so I took it home this weekend and Viola:

Step one: Paint with primer.

Step two: Spray paint base color. I used white.

Step three: Use painters tape to get the design you want.

Step four: Spray paint.  Let dry.  Repeat.

Step five: Peel off tape!

Do you know the difference between chevron and zigzag?

My husband continues to make fun of me because I use them interchangeably when in fact they are not the same thing.

Google it. 

You will be shocked to find out that most of the pinterest world is using chevron incorrectly. 

I can't wait to show you a picture of the shelf inside my new classroom.  

Fingers crossed we will be able to move in by the end of next week!

Currently July

Howdy!

I'm linking up with Farley again to tell you what I'm currently doing.  

I cannot believe it is already July. JULY! 

June, where did you go?

Can somebody tell me where the brakes are located? I need to slow this summer train down.

Way down.

Down town.

Downtown, Mr. Brown.

(and I digress.)

I blame it on the pinterest and tv.

Most of this is self explanatory.

My husband and I signed up for a free month of Spotify so I get to listen to all the Adele and Amy Winehouse I want except for when the Mr. is around. 

I'm teaching summer school these days, which means I wake up early, spend the morning with the kiddos, come home for lunch and have the afternoons all to myself!  I could get used to this kind of teaching!

Yesterday we got a new new-to-us sofa and matching chair that we put upstairs in the spare bedroom.  The husband and I started daydreaming of what it would be like to switch our bedroom with the extra room.  We just might rearrange our entire apartment for the last year we will live there.  What an adventure!

My school is being renovated (hip hip horray!) which means we are not allowed inside (whomp.whomp.)  There's a rumor that they will be close to finished next week, and that we might be able to get back in the week after that!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Needing to make dr. appointments. Am I the only one who schedules all the meetings during the summer?  I hate taking off school to go visit the girly dr.  That is the last thing I want to write sub plans for! Can I get an amen?

Since I am new to this (I will celebrate my one year blogaversary next Tuesday so bring your party hats!) the only advice I have to offer is BLOG baby BLOG! I think the more you do it, the better you will get.  At least that's what the girly dr tells me I'm hoping for!

Now I'm off to type up the summer school assessment.  I had cut and pasted from different materials I had to make the test, but when the master copy went to be copied, it printed so light the kids could not read some of the answers!  The easiest way to fix that was to RE-TYPE everything! (Yes, I work way harder not smarter.)

I will leave you with my lifesavers.

These products have SAVED my life teaching summer school to EOY 2nd graders!

Around the Room

2nd Grade Common Core Cumulative Math Review Activity

by Second Story Window

Summary: Includes 30 questions to post around the room as well as a handy dandy recording sheet.

This is perfect for a review, reteach, or mini-assessment!

2nd Grade Common Core Morning Work Book

by Second Story Window

Summary: We use this as our Do Now every day (or bell ringer).  It includes Math and Reading concepts.  Has a great spiraling set of skills.  

This is probably my FAVORITE product I have purchased EVER!

Finding Proof! Citing Evidence! Making Inferences! Using Context Clues!

by Lisa Mattes

Summary: This pack is full of helpful comprehension strategies and stories.  This guides students step.by.step in becoming better readers.

Reading Comprehension Practice Pack 2

Non Fiction Edition

by Christine Stazel

Summary: Nonfiction stories with four multiple choice questions (recalling details) and one short answer questions (making connections).  A great resource.

Click the pictures to check them out! 

RIP Google Reader.