Currently 2015!

Wow, how in the world is it 2015 almost....in just a few hours.  It seems like we are way in the future, ooooh.  Future.....

Ok, enough weirdness.  Below you will find the link to Farley's currently.

Listening- we started a Harry Potter marathon during Halloween but ran out of time.  So, we are finishing the marathon and we have 2 movies left.  I am so obsessed with HP that I have actually gone to the London behind the scenes/making of HP tour.  It was amazing...I cried a little.  My kids and hubby weren't as amazed but they liked it.  They did it for me though.  :)

Loving- I posted earlier about my new boots from Dillard's after Christmas sale.  Oh my, I wore them the other day and love them even more.  They are actually comfy too!

Thinking- it makes me stress a little about all the stuff I have to get done before we head back to school.  Sigh.  Always so much to get done!

Wanting- please, someone help me stop eating all the yummy cookies!!!!!  We don't have junk in the house often...because I have no self control... no really I don't.  I should throw them all away, but they are just so yummy.  

Needing-  I need to get all my papers in order since I did a bit of "stuff and go" toward the end of Dec, right before break.  So, I need to go through it all and get it back in order.

Yes, maybe, wish- 1st two are self explanatory but I really have had a hard time getting any products made this year.  New school, new everything, lots to do and no time left for anything but teaching.  This makes it tricky to get TpT on the to do list.  So, my thought is that I will get back in the swing during summer.  I already have a LONG list started for summer and it's pretty far away.  Yikes.

Happy New Year everyone and may your January be amazing!

Top 14 of '14 linky

I am joining the 2014 linky below.  Feel free to click and join along.  I love their blog!

I did the numbers counting up instead of down.  

Not on purpose- it's just how it loaded on to the page and I decided to go with it!

The biggest change this year occurred for my daughters and I.  We switched schools.  We had been working/attending a private school for a very long time.  We switched to a public school close to our home.  This was a hard decision but the girls are doing well and I am learning the routines and procedures.  It is completely different than what I am used to- in all manners and aspects.  So, it has been tricky but I enjoy the lovely people I work with and am learning so much about technology.  Next year will probably be a breeze and I will be able to throw my own twist into the daily ins and outs.

 Oh boy, there are a good many goals for the new year.  Most importantly, I would like to continue to find ways to get more family time.  It has been a tricky year for that.

 Phew.  I don't know.  2014 was a busy year.  Maybe seeing my kids do all their tv and media appearances- they are little actresses.  Our whole family gets to do a local commercial shoot next week.  Tehe! :) It should be fun with all of us doing it.

My 2 beautiful daughters

I think at the end of our school year, it will be my favorite accomplishment having taught 2 grades in 1 year, in 1 classroom.  It is definitely the most challenging thing I have ever done in education.

I think it was one of my recent ones.  It took a lot of work to go through and create the STEM parties that we do for our holidays.  We had one for fall/Halloween and one for Winter/Christmas.

Click the pic above to go to the TpT site where this came from.  This began the whole thought process for the STEM themed holiday parties (and the fact that I work at a STEM school).  I took it from there and used ideas found on the web and my own variations and creations.

Ohhhh, I am so excited about this!  I have been saying all school year - "I'm not getting enough sleep; I'm not eating right; I need more time!!!!"  So, I wanted to get this cool fitbit wrist band/watch/tracker thing-a-mo-bob that keeps track of it all!  I got the Charge.  It tells the time, has alarms (so I don't forget to line kids up at certain times...who me???) counts calories burned, stairs climbed, steps walked, distance walked in miles, etc.  I am also tracking/logging food with it as well.  The best part: it tracks my sleep with no help from me.  I sleep with it on and it tells me the amount of restless sleep times/wake times I had in the night, the time I went to bed and woke up, and how much good sleep I got.  I have used it only 2 days and I am fascinated!!  The interesting part should come when I go back to school and get very little sleep.  My hope: this will give me good incentive to take my health more seriously.  I will have data to back up when I need to force myself to put down the plans/grading and GO TO BED!!!

At the beginning of this school year, as I mentioned, I moved schools.  Well, the way this new school works out the backpack spacing/spots is new to me.  At first I thought, well this is weird- keeping the backpacks in the hallway on hooks, but if everyone else does it and it works for them.....I'll do it.

Well, my room didn't have a hook system so my awesome hubby made one for me before school started.  Since we live in the Emtns of the Albuquerque, NM area- he made the hooks into a big rattle snake!  He's so good.

I have several.
Flying Star- amazing desserts!  

Taj Palace- super yummy Indian food.  

P.F. Chang's- ohhh my, those lettuce wraps!!  

The Melting Pot fondue restaurant- for a very needed friend's night out once a year or 2.  

        
So You Think You Can Dance, although- I wish I could really dance.  It is something I have done my whole life but am not very good at it.  I just wish I were a prima ballerina!!!
I love Sonya Tayeh and Napoleon and Tabitha.  They are so good at what they do.

Oh my goodness!  I LOVED this movie.  I have only read the first book.  I can't wait to go through the whole series...this summer..... when I have time!

Holy Cow, folks.  I just got some amazing new boots and shoes from the Dillards after Christmas sale and this has to be my favorite foot-wear for the year.  Eek, can't wait to wear them!

I don't really do quote "stuff" a lot.  I like quotes and find them fun to read, but don't have any that I live by.  BUT if I were to choose one that I need to be more like, it would be the one below.  I tend to be a people pleaser and forget to treat myself with care.


Happy New Year Everyone!

GingerSTEM Man

We had a fun party in my class.  We read a variety of versions of The Gingerbread Man leading up to the party.  We discussed them in great detail.  We talked about our favorites.  But in the end- we had a GingerSTEM Man party!  Since I teach at a STEM school, I threw in STEM to our ginger fun!
The stations were as follows:

Graph decorations-
The kids decorated a gingerbread person of their own and graphed the resulting candies they used.  Then they got to eat the character they made.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find large gingerbread men to decorate so they did 2 small ones.  Technically, I could have baked them....but who has time for that?!?!?

Help the Fox-
Poor misunderstood Fox.  He needs help.  So, we helped him catch the GingerSTEM Man.  This station needed more time- so next year I may format a bit differently.

Help the GingerSTEM Man cross the river-
He never wants to get wet, so we created boats to sail him across the river.

Soluble or In-Soluble-
We help GingerSTEM find the best candies to decorate with so he does not melt as fast in the water.  This station went the fastest and the kids had a bit of trouble waiting to watch the effect of the water on the candy.  Patience is hard.  When the kids were done observing, they got to go and eat some of our food that was brought in by the families.

I also filmed the kids doing parts in a video in front of a green screen.  My hubby created the background, put the parts in order and so forth.  I had the easy part of filming the kiddos and making up the lines.  The video was to introduce the party and explain the stations. 

Hope your end of December parties and activities were fun!

Ahhhhh, I'm not ready for Currently!!!!

Well, ready or not, here is December.  Ok, so we have our tree up and it's decorated.  My house has smatterings of Christmas...but I already feel like I am hurrying and it's only the 3rd day of December!

Breath....enjoy.  That is what I need to do.  So, I will try.
See below to join in on Farley's fun.

Listening and loving are self explanatory.  

Thinking- My oldest is on her 3rd round of strep throat.  She is now on mega-antibiotics.  Poor thing has missed a bunch of school and keeps going through the roller coaster of better, not better.  Hopefully this batch of meds will do the trick.  My youngest is having asthma issues right now and is not sleeping, hence I am not sleeping either.  She has mild asthma but it flares up every now and again.

Giving- at my school we are doing Secret Santa amongst the teachers/staff.  I am excited to get started and surprise my person with fun things.  

Happy December!

Cyber sale

Hi there folks....sigh.  Sleep is so wonderful, isn't it?!?  I actually had a great night of sleep due to being on BBBBBRRRRRREEEEAAAKKKK!  Wahoo!

Well, I am going to join in with many other TpT folks and hold a Cyber Sale on my entire store.

Monday and Tuesday I had conferences.  After my conferences were finished on Tuesday I had about 3 hours to work on my room before I had to leave.  I spent almost all of it on my closet!  I had said I would post before and after pictures....but I forgot to do the before picture!  Ugh.  I remembered when I had 90% of the closet emptied.  So, there are during and after pics below.  

 Ooops, I just remembered to take a picture.

 All my closet stuff on the floor being sorted into groups.

I finished sorting and put all items back in spaces that made sense for me.  I have 2 grades this year, so I have a 1st grade and 2nd grade side to keep my materials straight.  I also sorted based on curriculum/subject.  Later, when I have more time I will label it all.  For now, it is good enough and much more accessible/findable.

I am going to fill up my online cart now.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Conferences and 5 for Sunday

Well, this is a first, I am doing 5 for Friday on a Sunday.  Ha!

Well, conferences are upon us at my school.  I have had 1 and most are tomorrow for me.  I have a half day of conferences on Tuesday, so the rest of my Tues I will be completely emptying my room's closet and organizing.  I LITERALLY can not go 2 steps into it and it's a big closet!  I know there are lots of great things hiding in there that I'd love to use.  When I started the year, I only had 3 days before school started to switch gears from thinking I was a 2nd grade teacher to a 1-2 combo.  All of a sudden, I had to get 2 sets of curriculum for everything....where does all that go....closet!!!!  So, I did the old shove into a closet trick.  I haven't had any time since then to get it organized.  So here is my opportunity.

I will take before and after pictures so you can see the mess go to marvelous.  Ha!  :)

This past week my 1st graders used a packet I created a while ago.  It can be found below and is free.  I know you don't need it now, but next year!!!

My second graders worked on the first Thanksgiving as well but in a more complex manner.  They learned about the Mayflower and what made it a difficult adventure as well as learned about the Wampanoag people.  

Both grades got to see a fun video about Thanksgiving on BrainPopJr.  If you don't already use this....you should!  This is my 1st year using it and the kids and I love it!  We think Moby is hilarious.  

We also like to use Discovery Ed and I found a fun video about Thanksgiving, a food drive, and the Pilgrims and Wampanoag people.  

I may not have 9 days off like most folks, but I have 3 and that is better than nothin'!  I am so excited about Wednesday.  I get to hang with just my 2 daughters.  We can have some much needed girl time.

I will also use that time off to plan for December.  I will be using my Unit 4 Math Menu packet to practice thermometer reading and measurement skills with my 1st graders.  

Have a great week!