Climbing Out From Under My Rock!

Wow!!! I can't believe it's been a month since my last post! The end of the year was truly a whirlwind. With testing, testing and more testing, I have been so busy helping teachers that I had nothing interesting to blog about (and was lacking the energy as well!) Today is day 1 of my summer vacation and I am excited about doing fun stuff with the twins! Of course I have grand plans for us, we will see how much gets done!!! Today we will be enjoying a lazy day at home and swimming in the pool. They LOVE to swim (in 2 feet of water) and have been waiting for this day for weeks.

We also have booked our Disney Trip for September!!!! The girls are going to be so excited! I had no clue that Disney offered free dinning during the fall! We have almost always been to Disney in July, can you say HOT! As we were beginning to make plans a friend told me about free dinning in the fall and I began to investigate. Depending on which resort you stay at, you are eligible for different dinning packages- FOR FREE!! We are staying at Disney All Star Movies Resort. We have never stayed on the Disney properties, always opting to stay at a condo or house off property, thinking it was cheaper. Not the case when you have free dinning! We were eligible for 2 quick service meals and 1 snack a day, we upgraded to 1 sit down meal a day. This means we are doing a character meal Every.Single.Day. Stay tuned for more info on our trip later!

The best news is the trip is already 100% paid for! Yes you read that correct. I am using money made selling Pampered Chef this month to pay for it! I became a consultant a little over 3 months ago and God is blessing my business!!! I am doing something fun and enjoyable and getting paid to do it! I have also added a link to my PC store right on my blog, so if you need something and don't have a consultant, please use me!!! Items can be directly shipped right to your home! Right now PC is offering something they have NEVER done....FREE new consultant kits!!! You can try out Pampered Chef for nothing this month! If you want more info on making extra money, getting free products, or just being recognized for the work your doing, I would love to talk to you about this wonderful opportunity!

Well I'm off to play in the pool with my girlies!

Another One Bites the Dust

Another summer break is coming to an end!  The school year will officially begin tomorrow.  This past week and a half have been one big whirlwind of meetings, planning, and setting up for the kiddos to come Monday!  I am embarrassed that I have gone over a week without posting, but each day I have been working until at least 6, coming home and playing with the girls until they go to bed, then working until 12ish each night on school stuff! Needless to say, I have been a sleep zombie!

While I don't have a classroom of kiddos to prepare for, I do have a staff full of teachers to assist in implementing a brand new curriculum.  Moving to the Common Core, meant that everything changed! 

Our district is now using Pearson Math Investigations (which I LOVE!)

 

Lucy Calkins Reading and Writing Workshop (another of my faves!)

Foutas and Pinnell Word Study

I used Investigations and Calkins in my classroom last year, so I knew my knowledge would be an asset to my teachers.  We have been busy mapping out the new curriculum,  learning new procedures, and making tons of copies!  

While my new school has made me feel welcome, I still call my former school home!  I had lunch with my friends and principal  Rebecca on Friday at , guess where......my favorite Mexican restaurant!  Not only do they have the $1 tacos on Monday, they have a lunch buffet, EVERYDAY! We gorged ourselves on yummy Mexican faves and talked about the new staff, kiddos, and all the changes happening.  The teacher who took my room told me that a handful of kids came down on orientation night to see me :( and she told them I wasn't there this year!!!!!  I cried right there in the restaurant.  I knew it was going to happen as soon as I applied for the new job, but I haven't had to see kids all summer, so it hasn't been real.  Enter new school year and reality!

There was also significant time spent talking about Big Brother!!!  Do ya'll watch that?  I am addicted!  I read spoilers, watch After Dark and yell at the TV during the show (pathetic, but please don't judge!) Sonya, a teacher at my former school my friend, loves it just as much as I do so we were having an overly excited convo about it!  Man do I miss these ladies!!!!!  

On my last post I gave away a set of my new Common Core I Can Statements to the first 3 comments.  But only my K-2 was done then!  I am happy to say I have 3-5 finished now!  In honor of the new school year, I will give a set away to the first 3 comments.  Leave your email address and grade level and I will send them to you!  

I am almost at 200 followers and am planning a big giveaway for 200!  Stay tuned for that :)

Its HAWT and Currently

That's right you didn't read it wrong, its HAWT (hot for those of you not suffering in the heat)  These triple digit heat days are doing me and the twins in!  We got a break today, only 98, gee thanks!  I know I shouldn't be complaining because there are worse things happening around the world, but I feel like I am going to melt into a giant puddle and I can't help but think about the movie, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

Any of you remember this????  Please know that me and the twins are all keeping our clothes on, just staying in the house!

Anywho, I LOVE Farley's Currently and her new rule of 3 is a keeper!  I love the idea of showing the love to other bloggers and meeting new bloggy friends to stalk follow!

So I am pumped for my new role as an Instructional Facilitator, but dang its now JULY I have got to get my learn on!!!  (insert anxious face here!)

My go to read aloud every year is Stone Fox.  It is an amazing story of Little Willie who lives with his grandfather and his dog Searchlight.  Grandfather hasn't paid his taxes and Willie enters a dogsled race to try and win $500 to save the farm.  It is a short read, it should be on your list :D

My professional book that I re-read EVERY summer is Guiding Readers and Writers by Fountas and Pinnell.  When I first decided to move into the Reading Workshop framework over 5 years ago, I found this laying around my school and took it home over the summer.  It changed my whole reading program in my classroom.  I find that with each new summer I find something else I can change or tweak.  

I'm off to complete the rule of 3!  Hope everyone is staying cool :)

Who Knew Vacation Was This Tiring!!!!

So this has been my first real week of summer break.  Between cleaning, packing, new school, trainings, meetings and all that other stuff teachers do , I haven't had time to just RELAX.  Well this week I planned on it, but clearly it just wasn't in the plan for the twins!  They are really good sleepers, so I shouldn't complain, but just once I would like to make it past a 7am wakeup!  


Our days have been spent playing in the sandbox, Playing in our disaster room of fun Playroom, Blowing Bubbles and Eating!!!!  (what a hard life!)  They really keep me hopping as 18month olds get bored with an activity rather quickly!  

Monday and Tuesday are a blur and last night I had a night out on the town!  For my birthday (back in April)  my mom bought tickets for she and I to see the Broadway play Beauty and the Beast!!!!  

It was AH-Mazing!  I LOVE theater and musicals so it was a perfect night!  We had great seats and even though I am very familiar with the story (I am a Disney fanatic!) there were new things to be seen.  

I had a math meeting this morning to get ready for the 2nd round of Common Core Trainings to help teachers implement Pearson Math Investigations.  Do any of you use this program?  

So for my first week of summer break, I am ready for a BREAK!  Anyone else with me????  Summer time seems to be the time teachers use to get ready for a new year, instead of taking a break :)  What Rock Stars we are!!!!

Summer...We Meet Again!

Today was the last day of school FINALLY!!! It was a bittersweet day.  I am ready for summer, but wasn't ready to let this bunch go.  They have been one of the best groups I have worked with.  It was an emotional day full of water works, but I won't bore you with the details of that.  This week was one huge blur, but I want to share some of what went on.  Monday we had Field Day and Water Day.  It was a blast!

Tire Roll

Awesome Mid Air Jump!

Check out that form!

Tug Of War...We beat my teammate, Erica's Class! That was the highlight of the day.  

Tuesday was Minute to Win It Classroom edition.  The kids had been reading Harry Potter and were sorted into their houses, so we let them compete by house.  They had the best time.

Breakfast Scramble

This Blows

Elephant Walk

Thursday I planned a school wide Carnival to celebrate all the success the kids have had this year.  It was Ah-Mazing!!!!!  The kids had the best time and were very well behaved, especially for the day before the last day.

We had a dunk tank where teachers volunteered to get dunked by their students.  Those who met the state standard in their assessments were able to have a shot at dunking our awesome principal.  Isn't she awesome????

Our wonderful custodian even got in the mix by allowing kids to pie him in the face!

Spray Away Game

I also found out today that I will not be returning to my classroom next year.  I have accepted a job as an instructional facilitator in my district.  I will be working at a different school helping teachers implement the new common core.  I am excited for this new opportunity, but am sad to leave my classroom.  

Also, don't forget about my sale I'm having at my TpT and TN Stores.  My giveaway closes out Sunday.  I'm giving my everything in my store away, so you want to enter!!!!!

Happy Weekend Everyone!!!!!!