Five for Funday, Tell All, Dreams & A Winner!

Well I am a total rule breaker today! I have been trying to complete a blog post for a few days now, and for reasons I'll go into in a bit, it just hasn't happened. This week I wanted to join the Tell Tall Tuesday linky...missed it. I needed to post my TpT Challenge Dreams...before Sunday night. I love joining the Five for Friday...it is Sunday. So I decided to throw caution to the wind and roll all three of those posts into one. Real rebel here! 

Part of the reason I didn't get my posts done earlier is that I bought a Macbook Pro almost 4 months ago and have never copied all my files over and have been dragging my feet to figure out how to really use it. I decided this was the week, no more excuses. It took me a little longer than usual. But, I can see already that once I get used to it I am gonna love my Mac and don't see myself going back to a PC ever again. First up I am joining the fabulous Kacey at Doodle Bugs teaching for Five for Friday Funday! 

This week I attended a local Tech boot camp and it was 3 days of great training. In addition to teaching my kindergarten class I am the tech coach/support for our school. I have attended this conference for the last three years and it rarely disappoints.

This last week I learned all about App Smashing, using Advanced Google Apps, Augmented Reality, Google Classroom and so much more! I have to organize my notes and I will be posting to share all the great things I learned. 

I am joining up with my friends Diana at My Day in K and Jayme from Think Talk Inspire for Tell All Tuesday.

This week was your Teacher Bucket List. Here are my professional goals.

Shortly after completing my teaching credential I entered the masters in administration program. However, life started getting busier than ever with babies and toddlers and I decided to take a break from classes for a while. I have decided that it is time to get back to it and finish up. I am going to be the K-2 Lead teacher this next year and feel like this is a step moving me in the right direction. So in September I am starting classes again. 

I love creating products to use in my room. Last August when I started my TpT store to share some of my ideas I really had no idea what I was doing. I have since seen what a wonderful opportunity I have before me. By getting serious about my products I have the potential to create an extra stream of income for my family that can allow us to fulfill some of our dreams that might otherwise not be possible. 

My third item on my professional bucket list is to be a presenter at conferences. I love working with other teachers and helping them to learn ways they can reach each and every student in their class. By presenting I would be able to do just that! 

I am linking up with Sparkling in Second, Teach Create Motivate, Third in Hollywood and Peppy Zesty Teacherista for this week's TpT Challenge task was Dare to Dream. We had to think about what would be on our dream list, personal or professional that TpT could help us to make a reality. Mine is a mix of both.

The first thing on my dream list is travel. There are so many places I would like to travel to. Europe, Australia, Sweden, not to mention many places within the US, just to name a few. 

I love being at the beach and the lake. It is just so peaceful.  A definite dream would be able to purchase a vacation home or even everyday home at one of those locations.

I would love to be able to make enough money creating products to do TpT full time if I wanted to. Right now I love being with my kiddos everyday, but wouldn't it be nice to have the choice. 

I think it is so important to give back to those less fortunate. We volunteer at a local homeless shelter a couple of times a year, donate small amounts to local charities and tithe at our church. However, I would love to be able to fund an orphanage. I have a friend that is lucky enough to almost fully fund an orphanage overseas. Having the ability to do that would be a dream come true!

This week I got some super fun mail. I am super exited to be going to the I Teach K and TpT conferences and had to have some goodies to take with me.

Thanks to the wonderful A+ Images I got this super cute T-shirt for Free. Yes you read that right. They are offering a free T-shirt to bloggers and you still have time to get one, even if you are not going to Vegas. They also have a ton of cute teacher designs if you don't have a blog. You will want to check them out! I also got these 2 super cute logo buttons from Zazzle. If you see me in Vegas, be sure you stop me and say Hi!

Last year I got my very first Erin Condren Lifeplanner and let me just say it was worth every penny. Several weeks ago I saw that Jennifer at A Dab of Glue Will Do had gotten one with a custom cover. Well, I knew that was what I had to have. So when the new planners came out in June I got online and ordered one with a custom cover. I went with the new horizontal design for my weeks and I love it! If you want to get your own EC Planner you can use this code for $10 off.

I am ready to hand out my business cards. I got two different styles because I couldn't make a decision. One has QR codes on the back and the other back has the link addresses. Lastly, I had to have a custom notebook to take notes in right? These both came from Vista print and I couldn't be happier with them.

This past week I celebrated the first year anniversary of my blog. My giveaway ended last night and the rafflecopter has selected a winner! Congratulations!

It was a fabulous, but busy week. Hope you had a great week too!

TPT Seller Challenge ~ Makeover Madness

I am joining up with the fabulous Sparkling in Second, Teach Create Motivate, Third in Hollywood and Peppy ZestyTeacherista for their super fun TPT Seller Challenge.  

I just started my TPT journey last summer and so I have a ton to learn still. I figured this was the perfect way to kick it up a notch. Here are my beginning stats. 

It is pretty clear what my favorite form of social media is… I think it is also important to realize every one moves at their own pace and we cannot compare our journey to any one else's. I didn't start promoting on IG until the end of December and look how far I have come in such a short time. So I do know that if I put my mind to it, I can do it! Nonetheless, it is clear I have some work to do. So I rolled up my sleeves and got to it.

The first challenge was Makeover Madness. We were to take one of our products and makeover the cover or even the entire product. Well since I am so new and am still learning so much, I don’t have very many items in my store. So I looked at all 8 of them…lol, and decided I could improve the cover on my Jungle Number posters.

I really do like the changes I made. It stands out better and looks more professional. I have also noticed that many sellers are now using a square format for their covers. I love the way it looks. So I am heading back to the drawing board and doing some more improvements on all of my products. I guess that is one good thing about not having many items in your store. Always look for the positive I say!

Since I was in the makeover mood. I also decided to do a little update in my TPT store. I am not super tech savvy, but I get by. So I have to say I was super proud of myself for dressing up my quote box.

I am looking forward to our next challenge! Have a great week!

1 Year Bloggiversary Giveaway!

I can’t believe I started this blogging journey 1 year ago. It has been a whirlwind and life changing experience. I have met so many wonderful and supportive teachers, that I am so honored to be able to call my friends.  

Who would have thought that anyone would want to read my ramblings? I get so many fantastic ideas from other teachers and feel blessed to be able to share about the happenings in my own classroom.

To celebrate my first year in the blogging community, and to thank all the wonderful followers and friends I have made.  As well as celebrate 1,500 followers on IG, my favorite social media…if you are not on IG start now, I am hosting a giveaway! Enter the rafflecopter below to win…

A Dab of Glue Will Do/FirstGrade is A Fairy Tale/My Day In K

Pride and Primary/The Whole WheatClass/Literacy and Lattes

Mrs. B’s First Grade/Sara J’sCreations/Tales of the Sassy Teacher 

First Grade Stripes/The Scoop in SecondGrade/Owl Things First

I thank them so much for all their support on this journey of mine!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tell All Tuesday ~ Summer Snapshot

Hey all, hope you are having a fabulous week. Today I am joining my friends Diana from My Day in K and Jayme from Teach Talk Inspire, for their Tell all Tuesday linky.

This week our topic is called "Summer Snapshot" Think about a favorite summer memory current or new and post a picture or two about it. It could be a favorite summer trip, activity, or spot that you enjoy.  We can't wait to see and read all about your summer adventures.  Tell me about yours in the comments or even better link up with us!

So I am going to apologize up front. It is like photo overload in this post. I really tried to limit it, but there were just so many that I loved. It is not totally my fault, I am a recovering scrapbookaholic. Feel free to skim right on through, lol. Not to mention I couldn’t settle on one favorite summer place/memory. So I am breaking the rules a bit. 

One of our favorite places to go ever since I was a kid and the hubby's too, is the beach. We both have been going since we were little and we have continued that with our own boys. They have been at the beach since they were tiny. 

Our beach trips aren’t your “normal” beach trips. We camp in the sand. Ok, maybe not exactly camp, we have our trailer with push button electricity, via the generator, TV, X-Box and wifi thanks to the hot spot on my phone. However, from sun up til sun down we are out in the sand and the sun. It is only after dark that we hang out in the trailer or if it is not too chilly by the bon fire. It is great family fun for all and we usually have a group of 4-5 other trailers in our camp too, so all the kids, and adults, have a great time. We can’t wait to load up and head out, for at least for a few weekends this summer.

The boys just love riding in the rhino and on their ATV’s. This trip we had a little accident, broken tie rod, guess that’s what you get when you let your 12 year old jump the dunes in the rhino. In his defense, he does know how to drive, he’s been racing since he was 3, he is just a little crazy like his daddy!

The second place we really love is the lake.  At least they both have the water theme going. The boys love spending the day on the boat and tubing or wakeboarding. Our middle son even had his first weekend trip to the lake when he was only 3 weeks old. We are just an adventurous family, always heading out somewhere.

I know these are memories are ones that will last a lifetime for our family. Where is your favorite place/memory.

An InLinkz Link-up

Five for Friday ~ Year End Wrap Up and Truth Revealed

So excited to be linking up with Kacey at Doodle Bugs Teaching for her Five for Friday Fraturday.  This is one of my favorite linkys and I have been missing out with the crazy, busy, end of the school year. 

This is really a recap of our last week of school activities and then I am going to reveal my 2 Truths and 1 Lie from my post earlier this week.

Each year we do an end of school countdown.  We start when we have 10 days left.  I put up a chain for us to rip off one each day as we count down.  On each chain link is a fun activity that we get to do that day. Sadly with all the craziness I did not get pictures of all of our activities, but I did manage to get a few.

I think their favorite activity was lunch with the teacher.  There was a bit of arguing over who got to sit next to me, but I assured them that I was “near” everyone and I would switch up my seat a few times during our lunch.  I had several of my old students who told me they wanted to be in Kindergarten for the day too!  I even had a 2^nd grader say to me…”You’re eating with the Kinders?”  My kiddos all said, “Yes, it is lunch with the teacher day”, to which he replied, “Lucky!” Just goes to show you, your students want to be with you as much, if not more, than those “treats” or “prizes” that you might give out.

Our last week is all half days. Plus you throw in assemblies, practice for graduation, fun activities, etc and the week really flies by.

So during the last week of school we spend all our time, reading our favorite books from the year and we complete this super cute memory book from Lyndsey at A Year of Many Firsts.

I was super excited this year because I found this old thermal binding machine in the dark, depths of the teacher supply room. In years past I just stapled the book together, but by the end of the week the staples were coming out and would need to be replaced. This thing worked like a dream. You just put your pages in the thermal sleeve, insert into the machine and press it closed until it beeps, turn it over, repeat and voilà, a beautifully bound memory book. 

They did such a fantastic job filling in the pages of their book.  Some of the answers were just so sweet. One of my favorite sections is the “my class” page. I didn’t happen to snap a pic in all the excitement, but they write each classmates name and draw a picture of them. They were just adorable. 

I think the kiddos favorite part was the autograph page. They had a blast going around the room and getting all of their friends to sign their book.

Then I filled in the letter from the teacher page. It takes a while to write 20 letters to students, but totally worth it. I was able to let each of them know how much I enjoyed having them in my room and what makes them special. If you are looking for a memento of your year this a great one!

We had our graduation ceremony on Wednesday and they just looked adorable. For several, I almost hated to put the graduation gown over their beautiful dresses and suits. They were such cuties! They performed a song for all the parents and really rocked it! They had their motions down and were singing their little hearts out.

I also read the book “Oh the Places You Will Go”, by Dr. Seuss, one my favorites. I let them all know they could go anywhere and be anything they wanted to be. Then they received their diplomas.

After wards we enjoyed cake and punch in our gazebo area followed by our end of the year video. It was all I could do to keep from bawling like a baby during the video. I will really miss these kiddos.

Our last day of school was a blast. We gave out our class medallions. These are from Molly at Lucky to be inFirst. They just loved their awards and wore them with pride all day.

I also gave out their summer buckets. I put in a summer packet to keep them thinking during vacation. If they bring it back completed in August they get a lunch date and Popsicle party with me. They also get a box of crayons,(I purchase these at the back to school sales for cheap and save them all year), a pencil, an eraser and a sweet treat. The tag I use says…”Have buckets of fun this summer”. You can get it HERE, from Mrs. Payton's Precious Kindergartners.

They wanted to pose for one last class pic being silly with their medallions.

Then they were ready to head out the door! Sniff, sniff…

Monday we had our final teacher workday. I got my room all packed up and moved to the tile so they can clean my carpets. I will miss my kiddos, but I am looking forward to some summer fun too!

Now for my reveal!

I am obviously not a very good liar because almost all of you guessed right.  My lie was the 3^rd fact. I do live in the country, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I hate traffic, like really, and although I miss not having stores nearby I enjoy the quiet and open space of the country. You couldn’t pay me enough to move back to the city. I am a country girl at heart.

Since I had 3 facts and my lie was the 3^rd one I decided to choose 3 winners. So my son randomly chose 3 numbers (all the boys ages, lol). The winners of my new Theme box Labels are… Suzanne from Kindergarten Planet, Breanna from Learning, Labs & Lattes and Sarah from Mrs. B’s First Grade.

Email me to claim your prize. If you want to check them out, just click on the cover below to see them in my store.

It is race day, so I am off to the track. Have a wonderful weekend my friends! Don’t forget to go back and check out Doodle Bugs linky!