It's been a while...

Hi friends!

I'm back and in first grade again! Life has been full of changes these past few months. I have a 5mo son and a 5yo daughter who just started kindergarten!

I've set a new goal for myself to blog and publish more resources this year! I hope you'll continue to stop by my blog and TPT store for updates!

Anyone else changing grade levels this year? What are some goals you've made for yourself?

Classroom Reveal and First Day of 2nd Grade!

Yes, friends you read my new header correctly...I'M IN SECOND GRADE now! I was a little nervous at the end of last year when my principal asked me to move up from first grade but so far it's been a wonderful move! Here are a few pictures of my "new" room.

Click here for a copy of my so you can follow the links to all the wonderful resources I used!

 

B2S: Firstie Friends Giveaway!

What better way to start off your new school year then with a TPT gift card!! My friends and I are giving away FIVE $25 cards this week! Good luck and Happy Back to School!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let the fun begin...

Well friends my summer is almost officially OVER! My 4 month absence is coming to an end. My baby girl spent her first day with the sitter and I went to my room! I was able to move most of my furniture but I still have a lot of work ahead of me! Here are a few pictures of my progress!

Come back soon for an exciting announcement! I'll give you a hint...my Firstie Friends and I are planning a BIG back to school giveaway!!! YAY

In Remembrance...

Elf on the Shelf: Week 1

Our class elf arrived last week and so far so good! The kids are trying so hard to be on their best behavior! This is one of my favorite times of the year to be a teacher. The innocence of my kids warms my heart!

I was stalking Pinterest one night and found a great blog post by Maria over at Kinder-Craze and I thought to myself..."I can do that!" So, thank you Kinder-Craze for being my inspiration and getting me started this year! {click on the image to be directed to her blog}

Here's how my week went...
DAY 1: Writing Letters to Santa
We used Maria's freebie (from the pack above) to write letters to Santa to request our elf. First, we brainstormed ways we could convince Santa to send us one. As you know, I LOVE my Promethean Board so I created a flip chart page to record our ideas. My little lions did a fabulous job thinking of ways to persuade Santa! Then it was time to write our letters and send them off to the North Pole!!!

DAY 2: Our elf arrives...
Wow, Santa has super fast mail! We walked into our classroom and found a special delivery from Santa under our Christmas tree! So, we opened our gift and guess what we found...OUR ELF! I bought the Elf On the Shelf box last year at Barnes and Noble. It comes with the elf and the book.

If you've read the book, then you know you have to name your elf before it becomes magical. My lions came up with a variety of names...I'm a little OCD so I picked the top 3 and then they voted! Our elf's name this year is Jingles!

 DAY 3 & 4: Where's the Elf?

So of course the first thing the kids do when they come in now is locate the elf....even before they unpack! It's not hard to get them back on track though, all you have to say is "The elf is watching you so you need to unpack and get your day started." We found our elf in our Christmas tree on day 3 and the kids have decided that he feels safe being near the tree. Then on Day 4, we found him under the tree with a surprise and a little note! My lions thought it was so funny that Jingles used my Scentos markers!

Looking for more elf ideas? I've joined Mel D's linky party over at Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations and there are LOTS of great blog posts about how other teachers are using their elves! Simply click on the image below for a direct link! Thanks for stopping by!

TPT Cyber Sale 2013

I LOVE when Teachers Pay Teachers has a BIG sale! My wishlist is full for this year's cyber sale starting tomorrow Dec. 2nd and lasting through Dec. 3rd! If you're like me, Sunday is the best day to relax on the couch and fill up my wishlist. Trust me...makes the check out process much easier if you browse before the sale. That being said, click on the image above for a direct link to my TPT store and have FUN shopping! Thank you for all of your support this past year!

We are thankful for...

First of all, I'm thankful that my school system has given us the entire Thanksgiving week OFF!! Yippee...I really needed a break! Next, I'm thankful for my wonderful group of first graders and my fabulous first grade team!

Last week we read Junie B. Jones, First Grader: Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten by Barbara Parks to go along with everything Thanksgiving we did that week! If you haven't read that book, it is a MUST read. There were times when the kids and I were laughing so hard that I had to stop reading to them to catch my breath! So, to celebrate Junie B. Jones and Barbara Parks (RIP) we had pumpkin pie for our Thanksgiving treat! I had to lay some ground rules like...no spitting it in the sink if you don't like it! (read the book to get that statement)

Here are a few pictures of us enjoying our pumpkin pie!

Thank you all for being so supportive of my blog, Facebook, and Teachers Pay Teachers!  This past year has been a triumph because of you!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Lion Halloween

Whew, I'm so glad the day is over! While exciting, it was exhausting! Anyone else feel the same way? My firsties were so excited about trick-or-treating tonight that it was hard to focus on anything! Here are few pictures that capture exactly what I mean...

BIG News and Fall Freebie!

Hi friends. Sorry it's been such a long time since I've posted anything but life has changed in many ways over the past few months. First of all, I'm teaching first grade now and getting adjusted to a new grade has taken all of my energy. Speaking of energy, I haven't really had much since I found out I'm expecting in March! Baby Lanier has been sucking all the life out of me these past few months!I'm finally starting to feel like myself again! YAY

So, to beg for forgiveness make it up to all of y'all for being absent I'm posting a fall freebie which will part of my new "Falling Into First Grade" pack...COMING SOON! I hope y'all enjoy it!