Teacher Gifts & Back to School

The back to school craziness has finally caught up to me - and I have neglected my blog.  BUT today I shall let you know all about my co-worker back to school gifts, and few quick little planning clips I made on spur of the moment, and my plan for the new year.  School starts tomorrow for us - and I haven't thought about school all weekend.  My mother and father-in-law have been in town this weekend and while the men have been doing "home projects" like putting up tons of shelves in the garage and hanging up our bedroom lights, my mother-in-law and I have been shopping and reading outside because it has been gorgeous.

Today I finally went up to school to finish up my plans for the week and then came home to get my house in order. The husband is at a Fantasy Football draft so I'm busy reading blogs, WRITING blogs, and doing some creating. :)

I work with some of the best teachers in the district.  Not only is my school second to none but I work with 4 of the best first grade teachers.  They are so caring for our students and really seeking to make their year great.  They give up so much of their time that I wanted to start our year off with a little gift that we all got to "share" in a sense.  I saw Farley over at Oh Boy Fourth Grade post a picture of the teacher gifts she gives her sons teacher and decided I needed to make them for my team. So I grabbed some chalkboard paint, white paint pens (a fat tip and a small tip) and a wooden letter for each of my coworkers.


I spray painted them them, let them dry, and then wrote their last names on them along with a "Mrs" or "Miss" I then added some little colored ribbon to hang from a door.  The cool thing about this gift is it literally only cost me around 1.50 a person - it was really cheap and when you go to Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon on your phone or when they are 50% off, you really save big.  The only thing that was over $5.00 was the chalkboard paint but it got me 9 letters.  I made not only some for my team but for our instructional coach, a 3rd grade teacher, another first grade teacher at a different school, and our former Literacy In Action surgery that I will miss dearly. We all decided to hang them from our small windows in our classroom with a command hook and it looks so cool walking down the hallway and seeing the same "thing" as you look in the windows.  I also added some cute little candy containers with their names on them filled with their little candy because lets be honest - every teacher needs some candy that first week right?

The Twix and Reeses were a little hard to get into these milk cartons but it looked too cute to give up.  The stickers are Chalkboard Vinyl Stickers from Hobby Lobby and the Milk Cartons are from the same place.  I went to Hobby Lobby multiple times a week this summer to get inspiration - crafting is my "release" and a really fun thing for me to do.
I then just decorated some bags that came in a pack of 10 filled with different color tissue paper and a "quote" that really was singled for each person. Let me just say that my coworkers and friends LOVED them.  Such a simple gesture that they all adored. It's never too late to give your coworkers some small token of appreciation to let them know how much you like working with them and what a difference they make in your work day!

While my hubs and I were running around town a few weekends ago I got the quick thinking idea to make some clothespin clips to make my planning and organization way better and more time efficient - because, as teachers we don't have time in the day to sort through papers all the time. I just picked up some clothespins from the dollar store, used the wash tape I already had, and then laminated some clothespin bubbles I made.

I just put some wash tape on the clothespins and then hot glued the laminated pieces of paper onto the clothespins. I've already used them getting ready for the first week and they have been so easy.  I just simply write with a Vis-a-Vis or dry erase marker on the bubble the number of copies that I need.  I made different versions - some are for laminating, some or for copying/cutting, etc.  I was going to do a little "beginning of the year" blog post, but after reading what I read last year, I figured it still sums up my ideas perfectly.  You can read that blog over here - it's full of my hopes and dreams for the beginning of the year. At the bottom if says "Here's to 2014-2015" but I"ll just change that to 2015-2016.

"Although my alarm will come too soon, my coffee won't be in my cup soon enough, my butterflies will be going crazy, my heart is full of love for the kiddos that I haven't yet "fully" met.  My heart is full because Jesus has given me such a passion - my heart is full because this is going to be a great year."

Blog Hoppin: Day 1

Today was our first day back at work - teachers and open house. Whew! What a whirlwind of a day.  I'm thankful to be home and blogging a bit, and doing a fantasy football draft while watching some Bachelor in Paradise.  It was a great first day back and to meet all my little firsties - I think I already remember all their names!

We have the rest of the week filled with meetings and PD and somewhere in there we're suppose to fit planning of the first week.  Wish me luck!

I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin for their Teacher Week!

Number One

Ryan and I grew up together when we were little - we went to the same church, same youth group, he was just a few years older than me and definitely in the cool crowd.  We never actually were really close friends until he moved away to college, and then in his final year of high school we got closer.  I started crushing when I was a junior and it's all kind of a high school sweetheart news from there. 

This was actually one of the first pictures we took together when we first started officially dating.  Mind you, our courting (if you want to call it that) process took 3 or so months. I was pretty preoccupied by softball at the time and Ryan had just moved back home from college for the summer.  Mind you, after we started dating I knew pretty quickly that he was the one I'd spend the rest of my life with.  Took some convincing on his part, but we're 3 years in and I think I'll keep him.  I'm so thankful that I really devoted and gave our relationship over to Christ so that we could grow apart first, and then came together at just the right time.

Number Two

I played softball my WHOLE life.  My dad was a coach for almost my whole years of softball playing as well.  I started as a 6 year old in tee-ball and never missed a summer after that. My dad was a pitching coach, but he always told my sister and I to make sure we tried every position before we committed.  My sister ended up being a first basemen and didn't end up enjoying softball as much as I did, but I followed my pops and became a pitcher.  I loved it when I did it.  Lots of pressure, lots of excitement, it was great.  Sometimes I miss those days.

Number Three

I knew I wanted to be a teacher since I was in the 2nd grade.  I even knew I wanted to teach first grade.  I shifted and even argued with God for long hours when I was in middle and high school because I knew of the commitment that I'd be putting on my life by being a teacher.  We were in North Carolina when I felt the true calling again and had to stop arguing with God.  Never changed my mind after that - committed to a Elementary Education degree my first year as a freshman and never strayed from it.  I love going to work everyday and know it's exactly where I'm suppose to be.

Number Four

I have been to Fiji!  The first time I went out of the country was in college with Ryan and we went to Mexico.  Ryan planned the honeymoon and surprised me the day we left for it.  All I knew was that it was tropical - and he let it slip in the hotel room that we were going to Fiji.  

 We took a 10 hour plane ride ( and it was horrible) from LA.  Sleeping in a plane sitting up is not ideal. When we arrived it Fiji it was the next morning - but we basically skipped a day with the timezones. But once we got there it was so beautiful.  The water was crystal clear and our resort had a coral reef all around it.  We snorkeled almost every single day. I'd go back in a heartbeat.  It was the most romantic and relaxing time on the beach.  And it was super warm so even better. :)

Number Five

I'm actually a pretty shy person at first.  In high school I had quite a few friends but in college I started to realize how more introverted I was.  so, I'm way more of a close friend type of person.  Once I really open up to people I really start to trust them, and it's really hard for me to not become quite good friends with them.  I stick my neck out for a lot of people.  I have 3 really close girl friends, and consider myself to have 2 best guy friends - number on including the hubs.

Link up with the people over at Blog Hoppin or each day the rest of the week to learn more about each other! Here's to 2015!

Five for Friday: August 14

With today being a Friday - I only have 2 Fridays left of summer break - EEK!  I'm sure I'm a broken record but what happened to the time. My summer mornings are slowly dwindling away.  This way I had to get decently back into the routine again because I had class all week - but I'll tell you more about that below since I'm linking up with Doodlebugs Teaching for Five for Friday.

This week I was in class for 3 days learning all about Responsive Classroom and how to incorporate it with my plan this year.  I have always built up a classroom culture of respect and kindness but I also know that there are always ways to improve and little things that my kids were doing the past two years were starting to REALLY bug me. Like not keeping their desk organized, how putting the lids on their markers, their lockers being a disaster zone, etc.  So with Guided Discoveries of EVERYTHING in our room I have faith that we can get things done, organized, and hopefully not have to deal with those problems all the time.  At the end of our class I got to dive into the "First Six Weeks of School" book and found it to be really helpful to set up that classroom culture right away. If you don't have this book - even if your NOT doing Responsive Classroom get it anyways.  It's so useful.

I'M GETTING RID OF MY CLIPCHART.  And I have never been more excited about it.  I came into First Grade not wanting to do anything like that with my little nuggets - and because I didn't stick to expectations, I ended up having to find something for management. First year I used a chip system, and then last year I used a clip chart.  For some people it works really well - and they notice a difference in their kids but for me it was the same kids always at the top and the same kids always at the bottom.  And it really wasn't "fair" by any means. I hated having it out in the open for others to see and that the kids were obsessed with it - and not wit how to just be good because it's the right thing to do.  I felt guilty for making my kids please me with actions when I shouldn't have lowered my expectations and let them get away with it.  So this year I'm sticking to strictly Take A Break - and using Logical Consequences and the Buddy Room. There are always going to be those kiddos that might need something MORE but for the most part, I really learned in my class that if you have high expectations for your kids, and don't let your line slide, your kiddos can live up to their expectations. My goal as a teacher its o help my kids be self managers - and self regulators instead of clones to pleasing me.  I'll do more on Take a Break and how I introduced it when the time comes. If you have any tips let me know!

Tonight at our church we are having a worship experience that is unreal.  This is the third one that we've done as a church, and each one is so powerful and touches you in new ways.  My husband and his team have been working on it so hard - the music, lights, special effects, and I'm so excited to see it come together and to worship a God who is so worth worshiping. 

I am working on and hoping to wrap up a new product in the next few days.  At the start of each month I always like to introduce fun month words and activities to go with it.  I don't know about you by my kids really liked word searches my first two years - and I'm thinking they will this year too.  So I'm making word activities that are centered around a "month" - not sight words necessarily but just fun words that will come up in the month. September is all focused back to school so that's what I'm working on now. It's going to have fun word puzzles, word searches, write the room cards, and a few other printable.  Check back on the blog when I release it and when it goes up in my store!

I'm still working on my BUILD math stations for the first unit of Investigations.  If you have any people that you know have already done this that I could look at to get some ideas I'd be so thankful!  That will also be in my store but don't expect that for a while sadly - I'm still mapping out how to make it all work!  

Link up and share your Five for Friday!  I'm so thankful for a summer to rest and get inspired in our jobs.  Not many jobs get to do that, they don't get to start over every fall so today I'm thankful for work time, rest and relaxation, and time to rethink and be better.

Have a great weekend!

Five for Friday: August 7.

Time for my link up with Doodlebugs Teaching for her Five for Friday linky!  I can't believe it's the end of the week already - yikes! These last few weeks of summer are going so quickly!

We had a goodbye, going away dinner for a friend this week as she moves onto a new adventure in another city!  She was a second year teacher in 3rd grade when I started my position at my current school- her and one of my other really good friends from college and I formed a "Teaching Trio" and we really helped each other out throughout that tough first year, and were huge support systems.  She's moving to Minnesota to teach in an inner city school and she is going to so  well there.  While we're sad to see her move away, I'm so excited (and a bit jealous!) for her new team and kiddos that get to have her! 

I added a few new products to my TPT store this week - some writing portfolio covers and some following direction task cards! The writing portfolio covers are pretty simple, but I'm really excited about the task cards!

At the beginning of the year, I am so exhausted and have way more patience to work and help students follow directions with my guidance, but mid year, I get really tired of repeating directions 100 times. Anyone else hear me?  So, I created these following direction picture and task cards to implement at the beginning of the year and help my nuggets become independent direction followers early on.  These are also incredibly helpful for my English Language Learners that come into our school (though rare, they do come through!) to help them feel successful.

I have been creeping on Dragonflies in First and her weekly digital planner for lesson planning and decided this morning at our local coffee shop - after reading countless blogs and looking at other options - to take the plunge.  I really like to handwrite my calendars and yearly plans but my weekly lesson plans I always type.  And usually, I have to custom make my own table with word and it's a nightmare at the beginning of the year, and can I be honest I HATE IT. It's so time consuming. So I downloaded it today and purchased it on her TPT store, and am really excited to use it this year. I like that you can import your standards to easy access, make things clickable for easy viewing, and print it onto a page or two.  I don't usually make my lesson plans really detailed unless it's for a sub (or it's the beginning of the year) so this was perfect - and so versatile!  I'm planning on doing a blog entry about it when I get it up and going and some tricks that I find while I make it happen. Stay tuned!

I worked a little in my classroom this week, and created these cute lap desks for my writers this year with leftover, unused ones from my mother-in-law.  You can check out my blog post on them over here. They turned out great and I think my students are going to love them for writing workshop.

One of the many things I discovered after starting to date my husband was that Ace Hardware sells amazing and bomb Colorado Peaches.  Ace Hardware - I KNOW!  But, they are really good and they have them come in in different shipments when they are fresher than fresh.  Last week the hubs was getting frustrated with me because I kept forgetting to get over there to order some - and if I'm being honest, there is no excuse for me not getting over there because we live literally a mile away from one but I digress - I headed over there earlier this week, got some ordered, and they arrived for pick up today.  Guys, I've already had 3.  And one cut up in my water infuser bottle. Call me crazy but they are the peaches of heaven. 

Link up and tell us 5 things about your week! Until next time.

Repurposed Lap Desks

  I've been getting really crafty on my days at home - lots of the things I want to buy for my classroom, I'm realizing that I can just make instead or at least do something different for way less money.  Besides the laminating cutting, bookmark making, and TPT projects today, I got to work on some cute little lap desks.

  Thanks to my mother in law last weekend - and my nieces that didn't like them - she brought me three pretty girly lap desk that she was willing to let me have for my classroom if I wanted.  I really don't like turning stuff away if it's practical so I hopped on board and took them.  At first I was going to just leave them as is, but let's be honest, they're quite girly and I think the boys in my room would panic if they were asked to use them. With the purple and the hearts, I could just see most of my boys saying "no way" to these lap desks.

  So, a drive in the car on the way home last weekend from dinner with the husband and mother in law, brought me a brilliant (and really random) idea to repurpose them with some simple materials so that they boys would want to use them too!  Last year with my Daily 5 - I always drew sticks for kids to sit in "special spots" in our library - which is covered with pillows and lounge places and the kids really liked that area.  As I was playing around with my classroom this year I decided to make a similar "special spot" area for writing - and when we were at IKEA a few weekends ago, I snagged this table that I thought I'd be able to use.  My idea was to have some special gel pens at the table that they could use if they got drawn to sit at the special writing spot - and also, use these lap tables if they wanted.  I usually only draw 2 people for special spots with Daily 5, but figure I could probably do 4 with this little writing table and the lap desks.

I went to hobby lobby and looked for some theme matching wrapping paper that wouldn't be too girly.  I knew I couldn't change the color of the bottom of the lap desks - they are bright purple - but the tops I knew it could.  I got some black and white chevron wrapping paper for the tops.  I was going to modge podge them onto the top of the desks but as I was looking for a paintbrush in my house - and dreading the messiness that would occur - I came across some clear contact paper in our closet that I thought might work even better and be WAY less messy.

I outlined the tables upside down on the wrapping paper - a little bigger than I needed - and then cut it out. I sprayed a little spray adhesive onto the lap table and very carefully placed the wrapping paper down onto the table.  And lets me honest - if you aren't careful and mess up, spray adhesive is TERRIBLE to redo because it's so sticky.  If I were to mess up, it'd be really hard to get it back to where I wanted it. I then measured out the contact paper, cut it out, and placed it very carefully on the top as well.  I was going to just use a scissors to cut around it but realized pretty quickly that wasn't going to work so I went and dug in the husbands toolbox to find an Xacto knife or something similar, and found one that worked perfect.  I just cut around the outside of the desks to get rid of the excess paper and contact paper. After the first one got finished I did a little happy dance because I loved them, and everything in my mind worked out.  Don't you just love when you create something in your brain, execute it without instructions (or Pinterest) and it comes out perfectly?  I felt like I deserved a big thing of ice cream afterwards.  Now I have three cute little lap desks that my writers can use during writing workshop - and they're not too girly and will be super durable to withstand some first grader hands.

What have you been crafting for your classroom this summer?  What have you done yourself that your super proud of?  Share and let me know! I'm off to drink some lemonade and relax - and pretend I'm eating ice cream. ;)

Until next time.

BTS: Meet the Teacher

  I've been spending the day relaxing, watching lots of Greys Anatomy (such a guilty pleasure) and catching up on reading all of the fabulous blog posts that are out there.  In between my product making, instagram stalking, and TPT buying - there's a sale going on for another 7 hours so hop on over to MY STORE to get your buying on and use the promo code: BTS15 for an extra bit of saving!

Even though I don't go back to school until the end of August and students start on the first week in September my mind is definitely in school mode to get things done and organized.

Thanks to Mrs. D's corner for hosting this linky and for letting us not so huge named bloggers get out there and meet more people and get our blog looked at!

I haven't thought much about Meet the Teacher night, and since our school does it different than others in our district, it'll be something that I work on closer to school starting.  In my school, we do 3 short little presentations throughout the day that tells parents about our classroom, ourselves, and things to keep in mind when they come to school the following week.  Last year I made these cute little flip books that I found on Pinterest and thanks to Chalk & Apples and her inspiration I was able to make them to fit my kiddos and parents needs.

I had lots of parents follow along as I was giving my presentation last year, and they were so so cute and pretty that I'll do them again this year.  I also had parents fill out a 3-2-1 form to give me more information about their kiddo so I was ready for the school year and getting to know them. I ended up reading through them the next day during some downtime and loved reading the parents wishes for their kiddos.  I often came back to them as well throughout the year when the frustration was coming in (and we all have those times, right teachers?) I'm not sure where this form came from but if you know PLEASE tell me so I can give some credit.

I like to have a "wishlist" that parents can look at and choose to bring and give to our class if they want.  Last year I did it electronically and think this year I'll make a poster board with some little cardstock shapes that the parents can take with them when they want (or not), with our wishlist items on them.  Sometimes a real "something" in a hand can be a better reminder than an email.

Those are just a few of my Meet the Teacher tips for back to school - link up and share yours and meet some GREAT teachers long the way.

Currently: August

WHAT?!!?  How in the world is it already August?!  This summer has flown by like I always knew it would but I'm still so shocked with how fast the days and time go!  Feels like just a few weeks ago we were lounging around in Mexico! It's already time for the monthly link up with Farley at Oh Boy Fourth Grade!

Listening:  Sundays (when it's NOT football season) usually consists of golf in our house.  It's a nice little background noise that is quiet and calm while we got some house cleaning and organizing done.  The squeak toy is courtesy of my sweet puppy and her love for balls that squeak - and loudly I might add.

Loving: I've been really plugging along on my TPT store - you can check it out here - mind you I'm still in the beginning stages but this summer I'm actually taking the time to make them TPT worthy so that after I'm done printing them off and readying them for my classroom I can make sure other people have the opportunity to buy it as well.  And can I just say, that TPT is such a great community because people really DO buy your stuff - even when your a beginning like me!

Thinking: I've been in my classroom last week for a few days, and stuff was all over that I had to just walk out with it being a mess.  There is still so much to do and everytime I think I'm going to accomplish something and get something off my list - I end up adding 4 more things.  Teachers understand. I know it.

Wanting: Although I am a nerd and get really excited for the beginning of the school year, I am going to miss my summer days.  Waking up and working out, sitting outside and reading with a cup of coffee, getting things checked off my to-do list on TIME and fire pits with friends at night.  Summertime is my favorite season.  Seriously, it's the best.

Needing: Like any teacher, I need to work in my room.  Luckily we don't go back until August 31 and students start September 8, but I have some classes and meetings sprinkled in before then and so my days of being able to just work in my classroom will be numbered.  I also need to start dinner for my little family soon! :)

Back 2 School RAK:  I'm making some teacher gifts for some friends (shhh! You'll hear more about them on a blog post later after I hand them out!) and I'm planning on leaving little notes that first week back to encourage each other.  I also leave little notes for my kids on their desk that first week with an EXPO marker to help them feel welcomed and more relaxed.

Link up and tell us what your CURRENTLY doing for the month! :)

Bulletin Boards & BUILD

Today was day one of getting back at it - wahoo!  I spent a good amount of time in there organizing and trying to get a few things set up - it's so hard to focus on just one item in the classroom when there are SO many things I want to get done.

So here was where I started - the janitors had just finished cleaning my room a few days ago so it was fresh out of being newly cleaned. I came in and knew I wanted to get at least my bulletin boards redone today - I made a few pennant banners and wanted to double border them and make them more lively.  I ended up literally jumping from end to end to end and trying to get something done.  Next time, I need to make like a "to do" list for each section of the room and stick to doing one thing. That being said I am in love with my bulletin boards.  They are really great with the banners and I love the double banners. Here's a cool tip - instead of buying two borders, I just bought one and then added some cheap ribbon from hobby lobby.  The orange one needs to be finished still - I ran out of ribbon. Go me. I'm using the math talk wall for all of our math vocabulary words and strategies that come up - my computer is a bit in front of it but it's not an interactive board so I think it'll be okay.  My new "desk" area is just a table now and I have never been happier with the choice to get rid of my big clunky desk.  The calendar wall will hold our days of the week, date writing, and weather mapping.  I have to go out and find a better calendar - mine is pretty beat up. I love the banners and headers for the boards though.

This one is in the back of the room with my easel and right outside the library.  I think I'll like having our strategy board so close to the easel where we do so much reading strategy work.  All of the banners that you see can be purchased in my TPT store in the next couple days after I finish them up. There are ones for math, calendar, reading, writing, CAFE, focus wall, and quite a few others.  Check back in a few!





I decided after bouncing around from spot to spot to really focus on the front of my room today - in my little "math zone" area.  I made the number line which is way better than the one I had before because we do so much 10 frame work so it'll be quite beneficial for my nuggets.  My BUILD math center zone is right below our SMARTboard - this will be where my nuggets pick their math zone for the day and they'll place their little letter tile on there. I got the little magnetic boards at IKEA and then am just making the tiles with things from Hobby Lobby.


My whiteboard will hold the kiddos jobs and our morning routine and schedule - I don't really use my whiteboard that much except with math and to write the date.  Otherwise I'm a big user of my SMARTboard and our easel.  I went to our teacher store in town yesterday and found this "magnetic border" which I am in love with - to separate off areas of the whiteboard for different ideas. The shelf below will hold our math BUILD baskets that they students can use when they go to each station.

This is how I left my classroom.  Yikes.  I had to walk out because it was so cluttered and messy and I was getting overwhelmed.  I still have a month or so before teachers have to be back so I have time - today I'm THANKFUL for time in there to really spend organizing and making it the best it can be. Check back for the full reveal in a few weeks! Until next time.  

Journey TPT

  Yesterday, I got the email that I sold my first teachers pay teachers product.  I really didn't think it would be that big of a deal - but I was so excited to know my products were going to impact more students besides my own and that someone found my work so beneficial that they were willing to PAY for something I created.  With the milestone of my first product selling, I thought it'd be great to blog about this whole journey that I've been going on with TPT. And it really has been a journey.

  Last summer I contemplated the idea of starting up a blog and opening a store on TPT. I followed so many teachers on instagram, read teacher blogs for ideas all the time, and I already made so many things for my own classroom and kiddos that I didn't think it would be that hard to really get started.  I was completely wrong.  I started in on my first product and realized the amount of work, energy, resources, and other things I hadn't thought about would need to be done. I gave up.  I put my creating on hold, didn't keep up with my blog, and continued to focus on my own classroom and kiddos.  I watched as one of my very good friends Kayla, over at Kayla In The Classroom launched her store, blog, and everything around the same time as me and she was succeeding and it was SO fun to watch - make more products, get feedback from people, and build her community. I was frustrated that I wasn't spending that much time with my store and products but I just wasn't motivated and had so much stuff I wanted to get ready as a second year teacher that building that community just wasn't important priority. What I didn't know was that creating products, selling them, and knowing they would be used in other classrooms to benefit other kids was important to me. I tried to keep up with blogging in the school year but I was so tired by the end of the day, and wanted to really spend time with my hubby and away from school.

Fast forward to January.  I finally built up courage to ask my friend about her journey and what she did to get started and posted my first FREE product into my store and thought if someone wanted it, they'd download it.  I didn't know how many people downloaded it, if anyone would really want it, or anything until I got my first comment in February - and I screamed in my car. I was that excited. Someone had looked at my posters, thought they were worth the download and EVEN left me some feedback.  I told myself I was really going to pray about this new journey - what would it mean for me this summer, how could I manage it in the school year, and was this really something I should pursue.

It took some major work on myself and my resources  but I decided I was going to do this.  I was going to do this TPT journey because it would make me a better teacher, it would help me reach my kiddos in new ways, it would push me to try different resources and to make myself BETTER.

I continued to be more consistent with my blogging and by following different linkups that other teacher bloggers have posted.  I started following more people on instagram [which you should follow me if you're not - clvanderbush!] and really started working on my products.  I bought people's clipart, read lots of forums on TPT, looked at other people's work, and knew that whatever I would make it could benefit myself and my kids but also other people and their students.  TPT and the teacher blogging world is SUCH a great community of friends that really will help you out if you need it - and they've inspired me to really be a better teacher.  I followed...
   The First Grade Parade
   Schroeders Shenanigans in 2nd
   Queen of the First Grade Jungle
   First Grade Blue Skies

And knew it would take a LONG time - if ever - to really be where they are as teachers, but they had to start somewhere too.  And after that first sale yesterday - and ANOTHER this morning, I'm invigorated to keep going.  I'm brainstorming my next thing, finding more ways to build community and market my blog, thinking of changing my blog name to something more teacher related and give it a BIG facelift.  So, to whoever "Carol Thompson" is, thank you for being my first buyer in my new journey.  Thank you for believing and liking my work enough to pay money for it.  Thank you for pushing me to keep going.

Five for Friday: July 10th

  This is the first year as a teacher that July 4th has come and gone and I haven't felt like my summer is over - wonderful news. Since we start school later this year I still feel like I have a couple relaxed weeks left before I really have to start thinking about and preparing for the year. Just what I need i tell you.
  I'm linking up with Doodlebugs Teaching for her Five for Friday posts - even though everyone is probably in Vegas for TPT Vegas 2015 I'm over here pretending I'm not missing out.

The husband and I have been working on making our outdoor space more "friendly" and with the sunshine and weather being pretty amazing here in South Dakota, I have been feeling guilty for not being outside and enjoying it more.  Besides being outside for my morning walk/run I don't really go outside and just ENJOY because we haven't had a place to do it.  Well, that now is put aside. We bought some cheap plastic lawn chairs from a local store and it has been my go to relax place.

The last couple mornings it has been beautiful to just sit outside and read in the morning - it hasn't been too hot and I've even needed a blanket in the shade because I got a little bit chilly.  The afternoons have been nice to just sit outside as well and the husky has loved it because we just tie her up to the little stake we have out side and she can just sit and watch people, or sometimes I'll be nice and play with her :) and our neighbors just love to see her and so she's gotten lots of attention being outside. I've been working on my tan a little bit in the afternoons and letting the sun get on my skin while doing some work - love summertime sitting.

If I'm being honest, I have never been much of a "runner" but this summer in our semi cool weather I have been more into giving it a try these last few days. And, of course when new Nike shoes are involved I always say they'll motivate me. So, last night the husband and I were at the mall looking for some new shoes for him [my husband has a slight addiction to shoes] and we ended up finding me a new pair. They are bright and pink and awesome and I am loving how comfy they are.  I've only had them for a day but they were super comfortable to walk/run in and I wore them most of the day just around town.  They're the Nike Free Flyknit and if your in the market for a new pair of shoes for running [or just wearing around town because they're so darn cute] check these out ASAP.

My desktop was becoming a cluster zone for everything summer related, TPT related, and future classroom so I had to do something about it.  I mad my own personal organizer for my desktop and feel so much better about how it looks. 

Now I feel like everything has a home and it doesn't look like a big ol' mess.

In my classroom I use a self assessment tool for my kiddos called "Fist to Five" where when we are learning a new topic I'll often ask them how they are feeling on a "Fist to Five" basis.  They'll use their hands to tell me what they're feeling and it really helps me figure out where they are at and it's a great way to teach them to be reflective. I've been working on it for a while but decided I needed to finish it up and get it posted in my TPT Store for others to check out if they wanted.  The best part if making things for your classroom that you are sure will be useful to other teachers as well.  Go check it out if your interested in something that involves self assessment on an easy scale and paper free!

Last year I used Shutterfly for a classroom website and it was pretty basic.  I would just upload photos, or files whenever and didn't really care about the layout but HATED the colors that were so basic and generic and didn't fit my style as a teacher very well period. That being said, I heard of a few people using Edublogs and pairing everything through Google Drive but really getting to personalize their website.  Well, I got a site, started playing around and realized I still really didn't like that either.  I was telling my husband how frustrated I was and when he looked at it he goes "it's just a wordpress site, you could probably just create you own." Duh Camie. Your husband is a web designer. So off he went to Wordpress and got me my own domain name and a website all set up - mrsvanderbush.com. He helped me with the layout a little bit but I did most of the creating and designing and just asked him questions along the way. Can I just say I am in love. It fits my style, has everything I want on it, is easy for parents to remember instead of the long shutterfly one, and I can easily edit everything on the site.  AND having my own domain name only cost me $12.00 a YEAR. I haven't been more excited for my classroom website.  It now has a blog where parents can learn about and see the learning we are doing, a place for parents to look at our calendar easily, and so many other things.  I'd love to help anyone get set up with one if they need help or designing anything for them!

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time - I'm off to enjoy that sunshine!