Five for Friday (Early)

This week has been a much easier week than last week, although I have to say I am tired.  After packing up my room, knocking out our checklist, and trying to prep the craft room at home for summer, I have fallen into bed by 8:00 two nights this week.

Now all I'm thinking is what in the world will I blog about for two months and what freebies will I create?  For some reason, eating healthy, going to the gym, and pumping gas just don't sound like very entertaining blogs to me.  So, this weekend I am going to try to come up with some sort of fun blogging ideas.  I know a lot of people are doing book studies and blog link ups, so that will definitely help me out.  Your job is let me know what info you want me to blog about.  Leave me some comments.  I may be horrible at responding at times, but I promise I do read them.

Okay, time for Five for Friday :)  I'm also linking up with Manic Monday.  You will definitely want to check out both.  Five for Friday lets you get to know other bloggers and Manic Monday is where you can find TONS of freebies.

#1 - CLEAN UP TIME
I thought this would make you guys smile.  You see all the stuff on the left side of the hall?  That's mine.  The best investments I've ever made were buying the black storage cubes and all of my tubs.  My black storage cubes slid right under the desks, so it was easy to put them in a safe place.  Then, my tubs all stacked up perfectly.  I also cleaned out the tubs before we got out of school, so when I go back it should be pretty easy to find everything I need.  Oh, and you see my counter top?  I took my white bookshelves from Target and slid those up there.  I put one bookshelf at a time on the counter, filled it up, then added the next bookshelf.  I hate packing, but after 11 years, I think I'm officially a pro.

#2 - DINNER WITH MY TEAM
So, I'm not sure I've mentioned this, but I started watching everything I eat around two weeks ago.  I've been very careful to not drink sugary drinks, including diet drinks, to not eat much bread, and to only munch on fruit as snacks.  Seriously guys!  I haven't had a Coke in two weeks.  Craziness!

Anyway, Tuesday night was my night off from being healthy and dieting.  My teammates, a few other friends and I went to eat at Longhorns.  After eating very carefully, I swear this was one of the best meals I've had.  My friends were amazed by the size of my steak.  They said there was no way I could eat the whole thing, especially after a salad and sharing an appetizer.  Well, I guess I was hungry because I ate every bite.  It was incredible!  The best part is I jumped right back into "healthy/diet" mode.


#3 - TARGET
Last night, my hubby and I went to Target.  We were walking around and I saw this.  I took the picture to show you guys what is out there.  I have already been thinking a superhero unit could be fun, especially if I could integrate several things together.  Now that I've seen this, I'm definitely going to have to make that happen.  I figured if I liked it, you guys may like it, too.

#4 - PENS, PENCILS, HIGHLIGHTERS, OH MY!
So, I have this friend at school who is hilarious.  Well, yesterday morning she was showing off her purse.  She apparently has a thing for them.  Here's the funny part.  So, where do you buy purses?  Well, she found hers in the garden area of a store.  Yep!  That's right!  She has the SUPER purse because it is a garden bag.  People, she could fit a small infant, a popcorn, Coke, candy, and probably all her clothes for the week in the bag.  If you think I'm kidding, I'm not.

Anyway, as we are all discussing the fact that she could carry a 13 inch television in her purse, we start discussing what the rest of us carry in our purse.  I grab my little purse and pop out 30+ pens.  That cracked everyone up because according to my friend, my purse is only to carry pens.

Well, then this morning a friend of mine was talking online about pens.  All of this talk about pens made me think that you guys may be looking for the perfect pens for lesson plan books, writing letters (Do people still do that?), and for doodling in church (I'd never do that!).  Here are my favorite pens, pencils, and highlighters.  The pens are Sharpie fine tipped pens.  They do not bleed through paper and they are incredible!  My favorite pencils are Pentec Twist-Erase pencils with a .9 lead.  The .9 lead is a little thicker, so sometimes I let my students write with them.  They don't break easily and you can buy refill lead and erasers for them.  My favorite highlighters right now are Scentos.  I have Sharpie highlighters in my purse, but I use Scentos ones at home.  They smell incredible and I don't know.  They are just different.  They can be hard to find, so to give you a head's up - check Michael's.

#5 - FREEBIE
Okay, I know I already posted these once, but I always like to mention my freebies a little closer to the time you will actually use them.  Here are the summer book reports.  If you like them, click on any of the pages below and it will take you to download them.

Alright!  Off to play Candy Crush clean!

Summer = More Freebies

I'm not sure about you guys, but it was nice to catch my breath this weekend, not to mention get a few long naps and a chance to eat my first tomato sandwich of the summer.   I also spent time knocking out my To Do list today.  Of course, 90% of it involved computer work, but it was nice to knock out one item, play Candy Crush, knock out another item, play Candy Crush... I think you get the picture :)  I should probably be completely over that game by now, but it just sucks me in every time I start a game.  Then, this morning I found out if you go to settings and set your clock forward you can get more lives.  Seriously people!  Like I needed to know how to do that.

Oh, and I have a funny picture I saw on Pinterest this a.m.  So, do you remember balloon outfits?  I remember them well!  I had one in fifth grade and I thought it was the greatest thing in the world.  However, the worst thing in the world was my little sister that was three years younger had one that matched mine.  So, I saw a picture of one on Pinterest this a.m. and had immediate flashbacks.  Since it made me smile, I thought I'd show you the picture.  Sorry guys, you aren't seeing the fifth grade one of me, but this one is pretty great!

Okay, now for some old business.  That makes it sound like I should bang a hammer and say, "Order!" Yeah, not my style.  Anyway, I had someone ask about the labels on my buckets.  I had thought about putting them on here for free, but didn't think anyone would notice, but obviously I was wrong.  So, here's the deal.  If you click on the picture below, it will allow you to download a the PowerPoint file so you can use them.  I locked the pictures into place, but you can change the font where it says, "Edit".  The font I used was Wish I Were Taller.  It was a free font, so you will have to search for it and download it.  If you don't have time, a bold, fat font will work great.   If you missed my post about summer buckets, click on the picture of the list of summer bucket items and it will take you back to it.  Once you go there, you will be able to download the list if you want it.

Also, I know my kiddos are officially out for summer, but a lot of my friends are still in school.  Since the book reports are such a hit, I went ahead and made Summer Book Reports.  They would also be great to add to a summer packet.  You can click on any of the pictures and download them.  Make sure you pay attention when you print them because two of them are for just girls and two of them are for just boys.  I did make one that could be girls or boys.

To top my day off, my hubby just brought in the mail and I got the cutest mini portfolio in the mail today from Doodle Bugs Paper.  I ordered it a week or two ago and had completely forgotten about it until today.  Isn't it adorable?

Alright, time to go watch a movie with the hubby.  I'm living in my craft room, so I have to be reminded sometimes it is okay to walk away.  This room is definitely my happy place.

Have a great day tomorrow!

Five for Friday

I think I may officially be the worst blogger in the world.  It has been a crazy two weeks and between creating three new packets, starting a diet, end of the year stuff, blah, blah, blah.  You get the point.  If you are a teacher, not seeing me blog probably didn't surprise you.  You know what the last two weeks are like.  It is almost like you take two months and squash them into two weeks.  If you are like me, it means you crash when you get home if you aren't staying up until midnight making cute, little labels and adding polka dotted bows to everything.  You also have no idea at this point what may be happening on Survivor or any other popular television show because television doesn't exist during the last month of school.  Thank goodness Netflix, Hulu, and Tivo exist, right?

Anyway, here is my 5 for Friday... yes, I know... I am never ready on Friday, huh?  I guess better late than never.

#1 - I Heart Target
Target had some incredible stuff in their dollar area last week.  I found some cute new note pads and these books.  I thought these books would fit in perfect with some of the units I'm planning for next year, so I grabbed four of each.  That way I can use them with some of my small groups next year.

#2 - Dollar Store Craziness
Okay, so I don't know if you've ever heard about the Candy Bar Awards.  Well, I found something I like even better - The Dollar Store Superlatives.  Michelle Oakes came up with them and they are fantabulous!  I am in love!  I spent an hour grabbing up the stuff for the awards and they went off great!  Oh, and to top it off, she includes five editable awards, so if you see something and think of a new one you would like to do, you can use those.  They were a HUGE hit with my parents and my kiddos.

#3 - Summer Buckets
I wasn't going to do buckets this year, but I couldn't resist.  One trip to Michael's and I was hooked.  Here's a link to a list of all the things I found or that I know most people add to buckets.

Oh, and everything I got for the buckets was $1 or less.  I also sent specific requests to parents with where to find items this year.  In the past, I sent the whole list home, but this worked out great and I had several parents comment that it made it easier for them because they didn't have to spend lots of time searching or guessing.  I also included my 1st Grade Summer Packet with the bucket.  I went over it with my students' parents, so they would know how to use it.  If you are needing a summer packet, click one of the pictures below.  In each packet, I made the first week free in the preview, so feel free to download and check it out if you want.

#4 - Fake Toilet Paper
Okay, I know I probably shouldn't post this, but I saw this at The Dollar Store and I found it hilarious.  Since it was only $1, I grabbed it and switched it out with a normal roll of TP at school.  I made sure to leave a real roll close by and I did it in the teacher's restroom.  It was good for a lot of giggles in the middle of a crazy week.

#5 - Breakfast
Every year since I first started teaching I've done a breakfast for my kiddos.  I used to do it as part of my Awards Day, but the last two years, I've done it the day after.  This year, it was the best yet.  We had sausage, eggs, and pancakes.  I love doing this because I feel like I am giving my kids an extra memory.  When I was growing up, I remember my grandparents making us these amazing breakfasts for us when we spent the night.  They would make us eggs, grits, biscuits, bacon, sausage, and anything else we wanted.  We would spend the morning sitting in bean bag chairs with lap trays full of food watching our favorite cartoons and movies.  My Tanny would tape anything she thought we would like.  So, every time I do this, it reminds me of my memory and it makes me feel like I'm passing a little piece of that tradition to the students in my classroom.

#6 - Gifts, Gifts, and More Gifts
Yes, I know it's supposed to be Five for Friday, but since it is Saturday, I decided I could do Six for Saturday.  Gifts are always so tricky, especially when you have lots of volunteers.  This year, I decided to keep it simple.  I grabbed some candy, magazines, and popcorn and threw it into popcorn containers.  I figured sometimes the best gift is a gift that gives you a few minutes to just sit and relax.  I did three of them and as far as I know, they were a hit.

Alright everyone!  Go have a fun Saturday!

Two Freebie Sets

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!  My mom is going to probably get me tomorrow, but several of my friends and I were comparing early 80's pictures.  We were supposed to find a picture from 1980 with our mom, but the closest one I could find was 1982.  Since I was cute and it's over 30 years old, here's the picture I showed them :)  If your mom is like mine, she helped you with projects, took you swimming, made your favorite meals, played Nintendo with you (AND sent you to bed while she continued to play), took you shopping for first day of school outfits, banquets, and other special events, and is now the person you send pictures to if you want to make sure something isn't tacky.  Definitely in trouble tomorrow for the picture, but she loves me, so she will forgive me.  Plus, I'm her mini me, so the picture of her is a skinny version of me today.

This weekend has definitely been productive for me, but it has been one of those weekends where there's very little to share.  Last week, I fought allergies every day.  If it had been any other time of year, I probably would have take a day off to rest, but when it's this close to the end of the school year there are meetings almost every afternoon.  Plus, I have to be honest, I am kind of proud of the fact that I've only missed 3 1/3 days this year.  At this point, I should easily be able to make it until Summer Break, right?

Well, to make a long story short, I didn't end up taking a day, but by the time I got to Friday my voice was pretty much gone.  Not to mention, mornings are torture for me when I don't have my allergies under control.  I ended up spending the weekend getting my voice back, sleeping, and creating.

Before I forget, if you are a blogger that follows me feel free to link up on my Fab Friends page.  That way it will be easier for me to find you and for my other blogging friends to find you.

Also, don't forget, if you like these shirts click on the picture and go order one.  It will look great with jeans or shorts this summer and it will help someone give a little baby a home where they will be loved.

Alright, now I have two freebies.  One, I had Friday, but I forgot to post it.  I'm sorry guys because I know you can't use it now for Mother's Day, but it would still be cute for Father's Day or for an end of the year teacher gift.  Below are pictures of the pages.  If you want this set, click on it and grab it.

My other freebie is a set of two conjunction worksheets.  This is one skill that I haven't had a lot of time to cover, so I threw these together tonight.  I figured if I haven't had a chance to use them, then you may also need them.  If you like them, click on the pictures and it will take you to the sheets.

Stay tuned tomorrow!  My 2nd Grade Summer Fun packet is finished.  I have a few friends proofreading it and then I will post pictures and post it to TPT.