Five for Friday [linky party] - June 26

I haven't done a Five for Friday post in forever, and since we all know summer calls for more blogging, here I am blogging away with a Doodlebugs Teaching and posting my 5 for Friday so you can see what I've been up to this week, what is still to come in the weekend, and a few of my favorite things!

I have been deciding for a few months and doing lots of research on Young Living Essential Oils.  Toward the end of the school year and in the first few weeks of summer, my husband was in a constant state of sickness.  He got strep throat, and then pneumonia, which lead to a double ear infection, and it was just ridiculous.  He would start to feel better, and no more than 3 days later, we'd be back at the start of him going downhill again.  I'd clean, and clean, and clean and it was still a challenge. He also has trouble sleeping and shutting his mind off on occasion which leaves him really tired and more prone to get sick.  I heard that essential oils can do great things for mind and body, as well as helping with some of this sickness crap, so after weeks of research, blog reading, talking to friends who took the Young Living challenge, we decided to take the plunge.  We got the premium starter kit, and it shipped yesterday so I'm excited for it to get here next week and get to diffusing! It's a bit of an investment but I've heard of way to many success stories to not give it a shot - we're excited!

I'm starting to think about school a little bit more now that summer is a month or so in - and I'm slowly getting excited for another year with kiddos, learning, and getting my classroom set up.  I need to get to buying a lot of the stuff on my wishlist from TPT and prepping those products for the year.  I like having things prepped and in my monthly binders of activities so it's easy to just pull out during the year instead of always prepping them.

I'm really loving looking through A Year of Many First's shop and finding things I know will be useful those first few weeks and months of school.  

Summer is one of the few times that I really get into reading.  During the school year we always have articles to read, professional development books, so I love soaking up fun reads during the summer.  I finished the Selection Series - which is 4 books and fell in love with them.  They kept me reading.  I finished two of those books in Mexico - couldn't put them down.  I'm right in the middle of The Maze Runner right now and I'm liking it so far! I've seen the movie and it was really good and I'm happy to know that the book is just as good.  I'm going to grab The Good Girl next I think - but if you have any other books you'd recommend I'd love to hear them!  I love curling up on the couch with a cup of coffee ad my book.

We use Investigations math in our district and I really like it - the flow of the lessons are really great and it repeats games often so kids keeping getting the concepts at maybe a higher level.  It doesn't always run in a "Math Workshop" sort of way, but last year I decided to really take the math workshop model and daily 5 math and combine the two.  My students get the lesson from the curriculum with me in a small group, and then they rotate to a game station with friends where they work on a previous learned concept - whether in math journals or playing a game, and then their last rotation is iPad where they play Dreambox.  They really like math rotations and it keeps them busy and always moving.  We usually do a whole class discussion at the end of the lesson to wrap up what we've learned as well as have everyone hear strategies that may not have been mentioned in their group.  

I'm starting to build up my math game and center resources and started in January.  I like pulling out games that work on previous skills that people have made on TPT or that I've come up with instead of always using the Investigations games - which, can sometimes get boring for kiddos.  My plan in the next few weeks is to get lots of games printed and prepped so they are ready to go and really refine my math plan for the next year.

This weekend, we are going to be busy, busy, busy.  Tonight we are going to our friends house to do some grilling and have a fire pit - perfect Friday night in the summer and we haven't gotten together with our friends in a few weeks in between vacations and trips! 

Tomorrow we are having a bunch of friends come out to dinner at Ryan's favorite restaurant for his birthday after church.  Ryan's playing drums at our church this weekend so he'll be busy with the 5 services that go on.  

I'm headed to see my grandma and mom on Sunday for some lunch!

Link up and share our 5 things for Friday!

Monday Made It Linky

Even though it's a Tuesday, I figured I could still sneak in a Monday Made It and link up with Tara at Fourth Grade Frolics and show you what I've been up too these past few weeks.

We just got back from Mexico in the Riviera Maya on Friday for a week and it was so relaxing.  First few days there it was raining like crazy, and there was a tropical storm moving through so we did a lot of room service ordering, Netflix watching, spa enjoying, and married life cuddling.  It was just what we needed to get relaxed for the rest of the trip.  Once the clouds went away it was paradise and we layed by the water and in the sun almost everyday.  We even got to snorkel with some sea turtles! They were HUGE and there were tons of other little creatures that we got to see - the ocean is so neat!  I got to open up a coconut from a tree and try the milk and the inside of the coconut - I wouldn't recommend it, it tasted horrible and I love coconut. I was bummed. And we go to see this little animal come up to our window multiple times, and Ryan even gave him a name.  They just wandered around in the jungle at our resort!

 Since this is a Monday "Made it Post" I better get into what I actually MADE.  It was Ryan's birthday the day after we got back from our trip, and usually when we travel back from somewhere something terrible happens.  We get super delayed, our baggage gets lost, we have to sleep in an airport.  I'm not kidding when I say it's always SOMETHING.  So I decided to do a little countdown to his birthday on our trip back - he got a present and a note the morning we left to let him know what was going on and then I gave him one of his gifts at different times of the day.  He LOVED it.

 He got some clothes, a devotional, some new pens and a notepad, a Starbucks gift card, and then his big presents were some new shoes and a Movement watch.  The shoes and watch I gave to him on his actual birthday, but he got all the notes and little gifts throughout the airport.  Inside each note had 5 things that I loved about being his wife and who he is as a person.  I'm super lucky to have such a wonderful husband to do life with, who's heart is so God fearing and who strives to be more like Christ everyday.  We didn't get stuck in an airport, and the travel back home was long, but great. :)

A few summers ago, I attempted planting flowers in the front of our house - I just got one pot of flowers and put then by our door.  Well, to say the least I picked the wrong type of flowers and they died pretty quickly.  Either because they were too hot, in the sun way to much, or because I forgot to water them - (I'm a terrible person when it comes to plants).  So last year I decided not to do anything with flowers and just give up on my "gardening" dream - until this year.  Yesterday Ryan and I went out and bought a few plants and pots of sale at our greenhouse in town.  I went from killing one my first year to getting 3 my second try. Go me! 

I was pretty picky with the flowers that I chose - I picked ones that need tons of sun and even some that said "heat and drought resistant" so I'm hoping they work out.  First night we had them outside there was a HUGE storm with like 80 mile an hour winds and down pouring rain, so I woke up at 4:30 and made my husband come out with me to pull them in the garage - I truly am committed I tell you. If someone gets up at 4:30 to get their flowers and risk getting soaked, it's commitment.  I'm glad I did though because our neighbors flowers the next morning were looking shabby! I'm really into making our house look more like a home this summer with outdoor and entry way things so I'm excited for the flowers to work out.

 I can't believe it's almost the Fourth of July - June is flying by!  I'm starting to get a few things ready for the school year and getting organized but I'm also just enjoying summer and seeing friends, going out to LUNCH (since I eat out of a lunchbox for 9 months of the year) and actually drinking my coffee on the couch with a book or a bible.  Summer looks good on me.

Currently: June

Yes, I'm still alive.  Can you believe that I'm finally posting something.  I stink at this whole blog thing. Oh well, I'll just think of it as when I do blog it's a big present for everyone. :) It has officially been summer for 2 weeks and I am already LOVING IT. And if this is a sign of how fast the summer is going to go then help me hold onto it! I can't believe it's already June.  With that being said I'm linking up with Farley At Oh Boy Fourth Grade for this months linky.  I love these things. Probably my favorite link up - although I really like Five for Friday and the Monday Made it ones, this one might be my favorite month one.

Listening: The husband came home early today with a stomach bug that has had him down and out - I'm not kidding you, we cannot get healthy in my house.  It's disgusting and I have been sanitizing and even using essential oils to rid us of the sickness.  Ryan had strep throat followed by a double ear infection that was so bad it could have burst his ear drum, he was starting to feel better and I came down with the classic "end of the year cold" and now he's got some nasty stomach bug.  So I'm letting him take over the remote for the evening.  Praying he heals and is on the mend quickly!

Loving: It's summer. End of sentence.  Can I get an amen?

Thinking: MEXICO.  At the end of every school year we try to take a trip somewhere to reconnect and relax as a couple.  Not always Mexico but it has been our go to place the last few years.  We are headed to Rivera Maya this year for a week and I am so excited to sit by the beach, read some great books, and get a nice tan on.  We're also going to see the Mayan ruins and possibly swim with some dolphins and snorkel.  We leave in a week and a half!

Wanting: I was outside mowing the lawn today and I realized how unbelievably white I am.  Mexico better bring a nice tan with it because my legs are yucky!  I always slather on the sunscreen in Mexico and with my skin I still manage to get a nice tan. It's great.

Needing: Sitting on my desktop for months now have been products I threw together for my kiddos and for teaching but haven't finished them to post on TPT.  A lot of them just need some things added and maybe changed a little after I tried them in my classroom but it NEEDS TO GET DONE.  So, that's hopefully on the list for the next few weeks and to start some new products for next year!

Summer Loving: First of all, Mexico.  Second big thing we're doing is going to see my all time favorite band, Needtobreathe in Minneapolis with my former youth pastor and his wife, my hot husband, my cousin and his fiancé (which is so weird to write because they JUST got engaged! AHH!) and my lovely sister. It's going to be great. Third, I have such a hard time working on in the school year in the morning because it is SO EARLY. In the summer however I can get up and work out and it be done before 8:30 and it's great.  I love it.  Hoping I can get into a routine so I can keep it up in the school year.  I'm rocking through T25 right now and it is still killing me everyday - but in a good way.

Link up and look at some other people!  Help me get better at my blogging by visiting! Happy summer!