Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Why'd I buy it? Classroom rug...


Hey there!  I'm popping in really quick to join in on a fun new linky that my sweet friend AMC is starting this month!
Now, this girl likes to shop, but I do feel better when I can justify a purchase, you know?

Last year I bought a zebra print rug for my floor gathering area.

Here is a picture of this rug, in use, last year.  Now, it's a blurry picture, but can you see how the white is already looking dingy?  Yeah.  Yuck.  For some reason, it got really yucky pretty fast.  And, I even had one sweet child color with marker on the white part.  Yep.  Grrrr.

So, this year, I knew the wonderful custodians at my school would clean this carpet and it would look better.  But, I thought, I could move this carpet to another seating space in my room, that wasn't used as much, and I'd get another bright carpet for my room.  (See, justifying my purchase!  I needed a new rug, right?)

So, I saw this...didn't buy it, and then convinced myself that I needed it, and went back to get it!
It's beautiful, right?  It's really prettier in person.  It's aqua, my favorite color!

Um, do you see a problem with this?  Maybe the same problem I had last year?  Yeah.  I didn't see it until I'd bought it, rolled it out, loved it, and then took a second to think.

It has white.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to threaten them with their lives to be nice to my new rug.  What was I thinking????  Oh, I know.  It's aqua, and it's prettyyyyyyyyyy.  Pretty rug!!

So, now I have two rugs, both with white.  When I do my classroom reveal, I'll show you my two spaces.  Apparently, I haven't gotten very good pictures of it yet.  Maybe that's because I went back to school yesterday and I'm in that "back to school" zone of chaos and overwhelm?  I promise to take photos and show you my room!  But for now, I bought this carpet from Lowes because I needed it.  Yep, needed it.  Although I MIGHT should have done a better job of thinking that through.  Would I have changed my mind?  Heck no!!  It's AQUA!!!!!  I LOVE it!  I'll just threaten them....for real...

;O)

I can't wait to see what everyone links up!  I mean, I probably should wait because then I'm going to want to go shopping, but, I'm sure I can justify it, you know?  ;O)

By the way, my friend Lisa is having a giveaway!  Please make sure to stop by and enter to win!
I hope you have a great Wednesday! I have to do a presentation for fourth and fifth grade today so send good thoughts my way if you can!  I appreciate it!  ;O)


Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Sentences Packs- Two for Tuesday 50% OFF DEAL




Hey friends!

I am here to share a Two For Tuesday deal with you!  Please check out  The Teaching Tribune for all the amazing deals! There are ALWAYS great deals!



Today we are linking up 2 of our Language Arts units focused on SENTENCES! We always start the year teaching parts of speech and building sentences and types of sentences and sentences versus fragments, etc....so these 2 packs come in very handy.

They are on SALE today for 50% off, so if you are interested, please take a look...




We are back at school for DAY 1 of PREPLANNING today!!! Wish us Luck!  :)  Can't believe summer flew by like this!

Thank you for stopping by! Happy Tuesday!


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

What I'm Wearing Wednesday- Back to School Stitch Fix Score



Hey there!  My friend Jessica has a linky party called What I'm Wearing Wednesday and she has asked me to join a few times.  I told her I couldn't because I don't know how to take selfies.  So, she showed me how while we were in Vegas, but I'm still not very good at it!
Buuuuuuut, I totally scored on my last Stitch Fix and wanted to share it with you!  If you don't know what Stitch Fix is, click HERE and you can check it out for yourself!  Basically you answer some questions about your body and style and a stylist picks out clothes for you and then sends them to your house!  You try them on and send back anything that doesn't fit or you don't like (for FREE).

I've had four fixes I think.  I tried to look it up but I couldn't find how many.  I think it's 4.  I usually keep one or two items.  If you like all 5 pieces, you get 25% off the items.  So, I wanted to keep all 5 each time but usually the fit wasn't quite right.

See, my problem area is my lower half.  I'd say I'm pear shaped.  So dresses would fit on my bottom half but be too big on the top.  Or, it would be a shirt that fit well up top but was too tight in my hips.  So annoying.  I hate being pear shaped.  And I hate tight things.  Not my style.  So I started working out this summer and guess what?  I lost inches UP TOP and not in my problem areas (yep, still have all that junk in my trunk!)!  Ugh.  How does that happen?  I'm spinning my legs off but I'm losing weight in my chest?  Just doesn't seem right...anyway...

For the last three fixes I've had the same stylist.  She is AWESOME!  After each fix you give them feedback on their website about each item.  I try to be very specific.  I told her in June that I'm pear shaped, I hate it, and I don't like anything tight around my hips.  And guess what?  She LISTENED!  And, I kept all 5 items in my July fix!!  So, let me show you what she sent me!

(Now, please forgive the pictures!  I told you I don't take good selfies.  My 9 year old daughter took them.  She is about a foot shorter than me.  So she was angling the phone up to take the pictures which is so unflattering but I couldn't be upset that she's shorter than me!)

Daaaarn!  The pictures are a lot darker on here than they look on my phone!!  Well, here are two pieces from my fix!  Now, I told you before, I do NOT like tight.  And these are skinny jeans.  So they are tight.  Very tight.  But, they have stretch in them so they are comfortable.  They are a really pretty kelly green (which you can't see in this picture...grrrr).  Now, I almost said no to them because they are so tight.  But I asked Jessica to give me her opinion and she said they are just right for skinny jeans (tight, but not too tight) so I'm trusting her on that.  The blue polka dotted shirt is super comfy!  It's loose and flowy, without looking too big.  There is a cross across my back, but I was not about to show you a picture of my backside!  ;O)

Here is a dress from my fix.  Now, again, it's very form fitting which is not generally something I'd go for in a dress, especially with horizontal stripes on the lower half, but again, it's SUPER comfortable and I can throw pretty much any colored cardigan over it and even leggings under it in the winter.
Also, I'm 5'4" so I'm an odd height.  I'm not short enough for petites but not quite tall enough for regular length.  Ankle pants usually hit me weird, so I was so excited about the green pants!  It can also be a problem with dresses and skirts.  I know for sure one skirt my stylist sent me was very A-lined and flowy and it made me look stumpy.  Well, my stylist mentioned that with the skirt below.  She said she picked an A-line that wasn't as flowy and she nailed it!  (I love that she looks back to see what she sent and why it didn't work, and then adjusts!)
The coral shirt is see-through and has adorable flutter sleeves.  I'm not sure if it was meant to go with this skirt but I put them together and I think it works.  The houndstooth skirt is awesome and comfortable!  A teacher I work with is a huge Alabama fan and she is going to freak over this!  The angle my daughter took the picture from doesn't do it justice.  It's the perfect fit, style, and length.  I should have put shoes on with all of these but it was enough trying to get pictures of three outfits with two boys running in and out of the pictures, so I was trying to change quick!  I think you get the idea though!  ;O)

I love that everything is comfortable, can be worn back to school immediately, and she kept the shirts flowy on top.  I've always loved everything sent to me!  Seriously!  I always open the box and pull it out and oooooo and ahhhhhhh!  It's kind of sad, though, when something adorable comes and it doesn't fit.  This time, I was soooooo excited when it all worked!  I know some people have used Stitch Fix and haven't had the same stylist each time.  I guess I got lucky because it totally makes a difference!  Now that she knows where my head is at with my body issues and my style, I think she'll keep nailing it!!

If you haven't tried Stitch Fix, go check it out!  They didn't ask me to blog about it and I get nothing in return.  I just wanted to share my happiness about my last fix!  What are YOU wearing?  ;O)

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Two for Tuesday Deal- Mentor Sentences and Science Fossils!



Hey y'all!

I am here to share a Two For Tuesday deal with you! I LOVE this linky! :) Thank you to The Teaching Tribune for hosting each week!!!


This will be a short post because I have just returned from my big vacation this summer- my husband and I went  to Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, Canada! I had never been to either city before, and they are BOTH BEAUTIFUL! We had such a wonderful time! :)  I was VERY sad to miss the big TPT Conference, especially since my best friend and other half, Amanda, went, but we did have an amazing trip. And Amanda shared all the conference scoop with me!  :)  Here's a pic of us (on top of the Seattle Space Needle)- so fun!


Okay, on to the linky! We have 2 products at 50% off today ONLY!  Yay! The first is my newest unit- Fossils! It is very similar to our Light Unit- 5 nonfiction articles, interactive notebook flip books, comprehension questions, answer keys and an assessment! Great for your study of fossils or for nonfiction close reading or comprehension practice.  Click here to see our fossils unit!



The second is our Mentor Sentence Unit for Back to School- This is perfect for the first few weeks! The sentences and lesson plans are included as well as assessments and answer keys! Click here to check it out.



Thanks for stopping by! Please visit The Teaching Tribune to see all of the other 2 for Tuesday Deals! :)
Have a great day!  


Thursday, July 17, 2014

Vegas!!!



Hey there!  I'm sorry, it's been awhile!  I sort of went to Vegas and lost track of time!  The 3-hour time difference does that to you (which I never got used to, by the way!).   I'm sure by this point you've heard about the TpT Conference that they held there in Las Vegas!  My husband has sort of always wanted to go to Vegas so when I mentioned that I wanted to go to the TpT Conference in Vegas over the summer he was like "When do we leave?"  LOL!  Major arm twisting there!  ;O)

So, I went to learn about how to be a better business person, but truth be told, I really went to meet some of my blogging friends, and the TpT Conference was an excuse side benefit.  ;O)

I'm linking up my escapades with my sweet friend Deirdre from A Burst of First!

I traveled with my good friend Jessica from Ideas By Jivey  who also brought her fiance!  (The boys had fun while we were at the conference so again, very little arm twisting!)  Here we are about to board the plane!

We met up with our sweet blogging friend Christy from Teaching Tales Along the Yellow Brick Road, who also came in on Wednesday!  We were sooooooo excited to meet in person!!!  Here we are at the Hoover Dam!
We went to the Stratosphere Thursday for dinner!  It rotates above Vegas and we went at the perfect time!  We got to see it during the "day" and at night!!
  
The food was AMAZING and it was an awesome experience! When we sat down my husband said "We are SO blessed!" and he is so right!
I know you wanted to see my food, right??  ;O)

I'm getting ahead of myself though!  We went to a blogger meet-up on Wednesday night and it was CRAZY seeing so many bloggers!!!  I met Katie Knight from Teacher to the Core!  She was one of the first bloggers to really reach out and help us when we first got started over a year ago!  She was completely humble and sweet and denied doing anything to really help, but that's why I love her!!  You can see that from the GIANT smile on my face!
I also got to meet Lisa from Growing Firsties but I didn't get a picture!  She is also super sweet and had the kindest things to say to me!!!  Love her!

Now, there's nothing like being in a room full (and I mean full!) of bloggers and hear your name being yelled across the room!  Yep, that's what happened and it was Ms. Molly from Lucky to Be in First yelling at me!  She is adorable, funny, and super sweet!  A bunch of us got together for a picture!
In this picture is Molly, Deirdre, Christy, Jessica, and me!!

Speaking of Deirdre (from A Burst of First), we are like long lost friends!  Two moms with three kids, we were on the same page the entire time!!  :O)
Friday we had the TpT Conference and got a group picture with a my favorites!
In this picture is:  Christy from Teaching Tales Along the Yellow Brick Road, Diane from Fifth in the Middle, Joanne from Head Over Heels for Teaching, Holly from Fourth Grade Flipper, Jessica from Ideas by Jivey, Rosie from Rosie's Rambles, Michele from Coffee Cups and Lesson Plans, Me, Molly from Lucky to Be in First, and Deirdre from A Burst of First!

Here is some photo booth fun that we had after the conference!  These crazy hooligans (me, Joanne, Jessica, and Erin from I'm Lovin Lit) are hanging on my fridge!  (Cracks me up!!!  Obviously based on my face in the last picture!)

After the conference we had dinner with more blogger friends and then another blogger meet up with Courtney from Ramona Recommends!  (Which apparently I didn't get a photo of...grrrr, I was not so fast with the pictures.  Something I will do better with next time!)  But, I did get to meet the ABSOLUTELY sweet Molly from Lessons with Laughter!  Love her!
We had a little Bridal Shower for Jessica since she's getting married this year!  How awesome is it that people who have never met in real life still get together and throw a shower for our fellow blogger friend?!?
This is me, Jessica, and Joanne!

Saturday night we went on the High Roller, which is a giant ferris wheel that goes over Vegas!  So awesome!  Here we are, me, Jessica, Christy, and Diane!  Also a picture of me and the hubby (who is terrified of heights but wanted to go anyway!)
  
 

It really was an amazing experience!  My only regrets are that I'm pretty shy and so in a room full of bloggers it was hard for me to step outside of my shell and just walk up and meet people!  Well, ok two regrets- not getting enough pictures!  But the battery on my phone kept getting the life sucked out of it!  Next time, I'll have a better plan!

There really isn't anything like this blogging world we are a part of and I am so thankful for all of our fellow bloggers AND all of our readers!  It really is so fun to meet in real life!!

Have a great week friends!  I'm on countdown to going back to school!  Only 11 days left for me!!!!  
PS- If you don't follow me on Instagram, you may want to since I'm way faster at that these days than blogging!  (eeeeeek, sorry!!!!)  Did I mention I saw "Bruce Willis?"

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Winners and a Two for Tuesday Deal for you!



Hey there!  I'm here with some winners of our New Nation and Government articles!  I appreciate it so much that you all repinned it for me!!  Here are the winners! (Apparently I said I'd pick two.  I got a little trigger happy on the random number generator!  Oops!)  ;O)
Congratulations!  I have emailed you!!

But do not despair friends!  If you didn't win, guess what?????  I am putting it on sale for HALF OFF today in our Two for Tuesday sale!
What what????  I know, right?  Lots of blood sweat and tears went into it but I appreciate y'all so much that I'm marking it down!!  Take a look!

Here is an example of the articles with the flipbooks:
You can go to our post HERE to see how we use these.

Our second product that we are placing on half off today is our Light Articles!!


 

I hope you enjoy these deals!!

Well, I am off to Vegas for the TpT Conference tomorrow!!  I'm bringing my husband with me.  I don't think he's going to mind while I'm at the conference all day Friday!  I'm pretty sure he'll find something to do!  ;O)

I'm praying we have a safe trip!  It's our first trip leaving our three kids.  We haven't had a vacation just the two of us in 10 years!  I'm actually nervous!  I hope all goes well!  And, Stacia is heading to Seattle to visit family and then to Canada!!  Please send positive thoughts and prayers our way for safe travels!  I can't wait to share what I learned when I get back!!