Top 10 Spring Things

Well my Spring Break is nearly coming to a close. Below are the top 10 things I Did and Didn't Do:

1. I slept each day till..I mean I stayed in bed until 7:30

2. I got a jump on my Spring Cleaning

3. Re-listed our house for the third time...crossing our fingers that 3rd time is the charm.

4.Crocheted

5. Started reading Insurgent..loved Divergent! BTW our dog got a hold of it! Bad Dog!


6. I am not a shopper but my girls are...so I took them shopping for a few things for Easter Sunday.

7. Worked at the Food Pantry

8. Pulled out my winter jacket again! It was actually in the 30's for a few days. Really??Winter has been relentless in Jersey!

9. Did an Easter Egg Hunt for the children of the church.

10. Still can not figure out my Professional Improvement Plan for next year.....ideas anyone?


Wow I actually got a great deal accomplished this vacation! #11..I  learned how to download my pictures to the CVS AP and have them printed to boot!...pretty impressed with myself since I am not tech savvy!

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time

 Today was a warm fuzzy type day! About a week ago I handed out over 600 flyers with a paper bag attached! I wanted the children to each bring in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for someone in need. If they were allergic or were unable to bring in a sandwich they were asked to bring in a can of soup. My goal was 350 sandwiches.
I got a hold of two giant carts and two of my aides along with 4 of my students went one way and I along with 3 students and another aide went another way. We went door to door collecting bag after bag!
We met back in our room and began sorting. Some children didn't just send in one sandwich, they sent in several. Some put either an orange, an apple ,Hershey Kiss , napkins and even a Bible scripture in their bag. Bread ranged from white to even English Muffins. Some classes even made more sandwiches and used the activity as a learning center.
We counted the sandwiches by tens, estimated, and even tied our Service Learning into Dr. King's belief that regardless we are all equal.!We then proceeded to box.
We wound up collecting 475 sandwiches along with 197 cans of soup!! Yahoo!
The children were so excited and so was I.
All of our sandwiches and soup were donated to a local shelter.

The above read was a great spring board for this activity.  My class and I had a great discussion about volunteering. 

Remember  that no matter how small you are....Even children in grades PreK-2nd grade ... Something so simple as a sandwich ..... can make a difference.

It's All About Me

http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2013/12/1-for-me-linkyd.html

It's so difficult to put yourself first when you are trying to run a household while teaching full time.

Well I have decided along with Tara and a few of her closest friends to do something for "Me' this year.

I started doing for "Me" over our Christmas Break..I started to "slow down!" Imagine that? During my break of 13 days I actually didn't get dressed ..yes you heard me..I stayed in my pajamas all day and I even stayed in them during dinner time. Funny thing is, no one asked me why I was still in my PJ's.

It felt good not having to figure out what to wear,not putting make up on,doing what I wanted to do! I watched television, took a nap here and there and I actually knitted! It felt great to "slow down!

Now mind you that might prove difficult in the days ahead when my youngest is starting her basketball season, and school is  gearing up again. My goal for me at least once a month on the weekend is to have a pajama day and do what I love to do..be it watch the cooking shows, read a good book, knit, craft...you get the picture. Sure I could say get organized, weed out, lose weight, eat healthy..which by the way I am taking the 30 Day  Challenge of having a green smoothie each day in January:http://simplegreensmoothies.com/3...slowing down allows us to enjoy our guilty pleasures from time to time.

What are you going to do for you this year?

13 is a Lucky Number

Well..with the close of yet another year..I find myself reflecting..and linking up with...

http://www.miss-kindergarten.com/2013/12/13-in-13-linky-party.html

http://www.ateenytinyteacher.com/2013/12/13-in-13-linky-party.html
http://www.dragonfliesinfirst.com/2013/12/13-in-13.html

Favorite Article of Clothing:

After a long day...... Give me my Hanes hoodie and I am a happy camper! I actually asked for another color for Christmas and my girls hooked me up with a teal color. It sure is comfy!


Favorite Movie

Before Christmas break we took our students to see the movie Frozen. I simply loved it along with all the special effects! It was beautiful.

Favorite TV Series

I have been a diehard Greys' Anatomy fan from the get go.

Favorite Restaurant:
We don't eat out too often..I'd like to think that the Teise restaurant is pretty darn good. I am always looking for new things to make.

Favorite Thing you Tried:

This Christmas students and I RAK'd someone each and every day before Christmas. We made and decorated doors, snowman soup,gave out  cookies,special cards, framed poems..you get the picture. My students felt real special doing for others. It warmed my heart to say the least.

Favorite Gift You Got:

My Mother passed away suddenly 3 years ago of Lung Cancer the week before Christmas. She gave me a gift card that I held onto up until a few days ago. It was to expire this month on the 31st. So during the course of 3 years I have debated as to what to purchase since this would be her last gift to me. To honor her love of Santa's I purchased a Santa that I will keep out year round to remember her by. I simply love it!

Favorite thing You Pinned
I am a pinning fool. I have made so many different things from Pinterest, that honestly I don't have a favorite.

Favorite Blog Post
I am guilty of not keeping up with my blog. My last post was back in October.

Best Accomplishment
I would have to say that knowing my teenage girls are making the right choices this year in social situations is a reflection of my husband and me. We are both very proud especially with all of the temptations for young people.

Favorite Picture:

During Thanksgiving Break my family and I traveled 17 hours down to South Carolina to see my brother and his family. Mind you it doesn't normally take 17 hours..we hit the crazy weather along the way. It was so worth it though.

Favorite Memory:
When my students would look for our Elf Ollie each morning with wide eyed amazement.

Goal for 2014
I have a few: Eat Healthy,Exercise,Blog more,find new tips and tricks.

One Word:

Enough Said.
Here's to a Happy and Healthy 2014!

http://www.miss-kindergarten.com/2013/12/13-in-13-linky-party.html

Hump Day

Well..if you can't beat them join them! lol
On a weekly basis I have had a student come in on Wednesday and say it's Hump Day! Of course he is trying to do it in the voice from the commercial . It makes us all laugh every time!
So this past week I decided to run with it. During our Morning Meeting I surprised the class with this anchor chart, minus the words. :

Needless to say they cracked up at my camel and his teeth! We started generating UMP words. I have to admit they really got into it...even my aides that are working with me added to the list.
Later in the afternoon we had our Dump Cake that we made the day before.

Here is the recipe:

This recipe is designed for kids to bake. It's incredibly easy with no mixing involved. Canned fruits are dumped into a baking pan, topped with cake mix, butter, andnuts, then baked. The result is something in between a cake and a cobbler, and amazingly delicious. Adults will also love this recipe.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 (20 ounces) can crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 (21 ounces) can prepared more fruit cherry pie filling
• 1 (18.25 ounces) box yellow cake mix
• 2 sticks (1 cup or 16 Tablespoons) of butter or margarine, each cut into 12 slices
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, pistachios,cashews, peanuts, etc., your choice)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 for glass baking dish). Have a 9 by 13-inch baking pan ready.

Dump undrained pineapple baking dish or pan and spread it out evenly.

Using a spoon, dump globs of cherry pie filling evenly on top of the pineapple.

Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the cherry and pineapple layers.

Cut butter into slices with a butter knife and place slices evenly over cake mix.

Sprinkle nuts on top if you're using them.

Bake for one hour. Use heavy oven mitts to remove the dump cake from oven or let your older helper do it.

To serve, scoop cake out with a large spoon like a cobbler, and dump it on a nice plate. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is delicious with dump cake. Serve warm or cold.

Yield: about 10 to 12 servings 

Now the jury is out..some of my class loved it while others didn't. My class knows though,that they have to at least try it.
Throughout the week I noticed students trying to put "ump" words in their writing. So that is a positive in my book!
Now I realize that their are schools that are banning anyone from saying, "It's Hump Day!" It is supposedly causing a disruption in the classroom. Me personally, I address it and then we quickly move on. I really don't see what the fuss is all about.

Here is something else I worked on this week. Next week I am doing a Spider Unit. My students are going to be greeted by this on Tuesday since we are off for Columbus Day.

Hope they like it! :)

It' 5 for Friday..But I Only Have 4!

 How can it be the last Friday of September already? Where has the time gone? It's a blur to say the least. Moving to a new building as been rewarding and challenging at the same time. I love my little guys. Their since of wonder and amazement in the little things is simply refreshing. Irt's quite the change from the back talking,cursing Middle Schoolers I have had to deal with in the past.
It's 5 for Friday and I am linking up with

                                                     http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/.
First up we did an apple unit this week. I was actually brave and taught the class how to make these:
Apple Dumplings.......

 This recipe is soooo very easy..crescent rolls, 2 apples, a bunch of butter and sugar and a can of all things Mountain Dew. You can find it over at http://thepioneerwoman.com/. My class was so proud of themselves. I actually had them peeling and measuring! I found myself missing my kitchen over at the Middle School though. I had to do the prep in class and then lug the pan back to my house to bake...and then return the next day with the pan. Wish I had a kitchen in my classroom again.

Next up.....this was the week I indulged in two of my favorite shows:

Dancing with the Stars

and Grey's Anatomy

It's just nice to set school stuff aside and enjoy mindless TV.

Third.. I live near the shore ..so this week we had a field trip to the beach...looking for trash,animals,rocks and shells. The kids had a blast. The highlight of our trip was:

That's right...a very large pod of dolphins were literally coming out of the water. I thought for sure I would have to fish some of my students out as well. They were squealing and yelling...and yes, running towards the ocean. What a great experience for them. I feel really blessed to live within driving distance of the beach.

Fourth:

We just finished making these:

My class along with another self contained class made 50 of these. We were able to raise $100. I purchased books from Scholastic and they in turn will be donated to a local Urgent Care. This way the children that are waiting can look at books and take their minds off of their illnesses and or injuries. Each month we will be making something and then donating the money to charity.

I realize that this only 4 but that's all I've got.

Enjoy your weekend!

You Know It's Fall When....

You know it's fall when:

Halloween decorations are already on the shelves!

You know it's fall when...

You might find yourself watching some Sunday football... when you are really not a football fan.

You know it's fall when.....

You find yourself starting to gravitate to comfort food.

You know it's fall when.....

 You start wearing socks to bed.

You know it's fall when...

You start hearing Christmas music in the stores already????

How do you know it's fall you all?