Where I've Been

I have been slacking a bit on keeping up on my blog. Okay, I have been slacking A LOT. But I have 2 really good excuses...

First...we bought a house!

 

It is our first house and we are loving it! It's so fun and so nice to be out of an apartment!

 

My second excuse..this sweet little baby boy!!

 

We had a beautiful baby boy on April 30th and we love him so so much!! I love being a mama.

 

Even though I haven't been the greatest at blogging, I still managed to add a few products to my TPT store. Not as many as I would have hoped though because, let's be honest, once I left school for the day all I could really think about was baby stuff and decorating our new house.

 

We had our last day of school this past Friday. Even though I was still on maternity leave, I went back to school to say my goodbyes. It was an especially sad last day of school because I will not be returning in the fall. I am taking a break from teaching to stay at home with my little one. Being a mom is THE BEST and there is no where else in the world I would rather be than with my son at home. I'm so very blessed and grateful that we have the financial means for me to stay home with him. But even so...goodbyes are hard. Teaching has been a huge part of my life for the last 6 years. I LOVE teaching and being in the classroom. I know I will miss it. I've also been with the same group of 1st grade teachers for the last 6 years and will miss them dearly. I know I'll still see them, but I won't see them every day. And that makes me so sad. I'm so lucky to have been able to teach at an amazing school with an amazing group of teachers. This was my BEST year of teaching...I had an AMAZING class and I got to teach half time and share my class with an extremely talented teacher that I learned so much from. It was the perfect way to end my time as a teacher.

 

Even though I won't be in the classroom, I still LOVE to create teacher products and would really like to continue to do so. I'm hoping to stay in close contact with my team so I can create products they (and others) are in need of. I'm planning on creating products while I raise this little guy...we'll see how it goes :) For the time being, all of my focus and energy is going into this baby boy and adjusting to being a mom until we get into some sort of routine.



Classroom Pics

I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin' for teacher week! 

Now, I know I'm a day late in taking you on a tour of my classroom. But better late than never, right?

I'm teaching half time this year, which I'm SUPER excited about. AND I'm sharing a class with an AMAZING teacher that has been on my team since we were both hired (5 years ago)...so I'm double excited! :) I'm loving our classroom so far! Take a look!

 

Our book boxes and table bins...sorry about the dark picture! :(

 

This is where we will put our I Can Statements we are focusing on each week. 

This is hanging on the wall above our easel. In one box we will put our I Can statement for Modeled Reading, another box will have our reading strategy we are focusing on that week, and the last box will be our word families.

On this board we will have our weekly spelling lists (we separate our class into 3 spelling groups). The numbers next to it are for table points.

A closer look at our table buckets. I LOVE using these. Each bucket has enough scissors and glue sticks for each person at the table. Each table has a 'Table Captain.' The Table Captain is responsible for getting the buckets when we need them and bringing them to the table. They also check to make sure all of the scissors and glue sticks got returned at the end of the activity before putting the bucket back on the shelf.

There you have it! Our home away from home! Make sure you visit Blog Hoppin' to link up and to see LOTS of other classroom decor ideas! 

Monday Made It!

I'm joining up with 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made it series. I'm excited to show you what I've been working on!

I made some Pinterest inspired alphabet magnets! These are fun and SUPER easy to make! I bought the clear stones from the dollar store then just traced them onto scrapbook paper and put on a letter sticker. Then you just attach the paper onto the stone with mod podge. When that's dry, use a hot glue gun to put on a magnet and then you're done! Easy peasy!

In case you missed my post the other day, here is a free Classroom Scavenger Hunt I like to use at open house night. If you want it, click the picture below!

We just got back from a trip where we spent 18 HOURS driving. How did I entertain myself? I played on my computer and whipped up these fun fix it up sentences! I used them last year (only they were not as cute looking) and my kiddos loved them! It's a great way to get them in the habit of checking for capitals, periods, spelling, etc. You can click the picture below to take you to my store!

 

Back to School Scavenger Hunt

Wow, can you believe how fast the summer is going? I've been updating my back-to-school stuff since we start school in a little less than a month. That time is going to go QUICK!

The day before school starts we have an open house where the kiddos come and meet their teacher. I like to have a little scavenger hunt for them to do when they come to help them get a little familiar with the room. And of course there are times when you have 3 kids coming in while you are currently talking with another parent...so this way they have something to do while you finish up your conversation. 

Click the picture below to download!

Classroom Coupons Freebie

I've got another freebie for you! I made these classroom coupons last year and my kids LOVED them! Especially the show and tell, stuffed animal, and shoes coupons. Those 3 were definitely the most popular ones. Click on the picture below to grab them!

I'm a brunette!!!

I've been a blonde my entire life. For awhile, I've been wanting to try going dark brown but have never gotten up the guts....until now! I figure since it's summertime, if I hate it, I can hide in my room and be a hermit until I get it changed back...during the school year I don't have that luxury :)

My before/after shot. SO different...but I really like it! It's fun to have a change!

Monday Made it!

I am joining up with 4th grade frolics for the Monday Made It series! I love seeing what projects everyone has been working on!

In case you missed my post yesterday, I made some cute editable labels this week. There are bin labels, binder covers, and binder spines. You can find them for free at my TPT store HERE.

I also made this wreath for my craft area at home. I LOVED doing this project. I just popped in a movie (The Help) poured myself a Dr. Pepper and let my creative juices flow :) So fun!