Five For Friday Linky Party (Feb. 7)

Keeping It Going

I'm keeping it moving, ya'll.  I'm trying to keep this weekly goal going by linking up with Doodle Bugs for their weekly linky.

 

On Wednesday, Mrs. Newton (our student teacher) had to go to her class so we decided to play catch up.  LOOOONG ago (more like 2 weeks) we wrapped up our "Objects In the Sky" focus in Science.  We had so much fun exploring the patterns of the sun and the moon.  We planned to do the ever-so-famous- idea of making Oreos into the 8 phases just to wrap it up with one last bit of fun.  Unfortunately, we ended up completely off schedule because of the Winter Weather Storm of 2014.  So the 3 packages of Oreos sat on the corner of my desk for several days.  The kiddos were so good about not asking us over and over again if/when we were going to do it, so I decided to get it done while she was MIA.  It went well.  This group is so easy to work with when we jump off course for a bit.  You know you've had those years when the schedule gets changed, they go crazy and can't take it well.  They completely enjoyed it and we were able to do the activity in less than 20 minutes.

Hey 2nd Grade teachers out there...let me see a show of hands of those of you who blow out a sigh of relief when your class finally seems to get that 2/3-digit subtraction strategy!!  I have been so worried all week long because it just didn't seem like it was ever going to click.  I think I get a serious bout of stress tension when I see that unit coming up on the calendar.  This year, I attacked that concept from all sides: base-ten blocks, songs, dances, rhymes, anchor charts, algorithms, problem solving, drawing, etc.  On Thursday, I was beginning a lesson of 3-digit subtraction with regrouping tens.  I was really nervous because I had a list of about 7 babies who seemed to still be struggling with 2-digit subtraction.  I'm not sure what happened but for some reason, they got it!!  Let's just hope it sticks.  Practice, practice, practice is the name of the game.

Woke up on Thursday morning to our 14 year old complaining about having to go out and wait at the bus stop in the snow.  SNOW??  Surely not here in Houston should I have heard the word snow.  Especially after those 2 "snow"-less days we had off last week and the week before.  I didn't believe him, of course (he is the one middle child that keeps up going).  Then I heard my hubby yelling for me as he went to start his car.  I ran to see what the fuss was and this is what I find:

 

It was the best pic I could get as I drove out of the driveway

There was snow (or really, really, small pellets of ice) all over the roofs of houses, cars and grass!  Figures that when it really does snow, we all head out to work/school.  It did bring about some excitement, though.  

Here's the pic my hubby grabbed when he left

We survived!!  My 2nd graders survived 100 days of school.  We decided to make a change and celebrate our accomplishment on the 101st day of school. And we are doing it SURVIVOR style!  I LOVE Survivor.  It's one of my guilty pleasures.  One day I'll admit to all of them.  Anyway, I found this great packet on TeachersNotebook with a way of celebrating the 100th day by paying homage to the long-running reality show.  It was so much fun last year that I could not pass up the opportunity to do it again.  I'm tweaking it a little to go along with our 101st day celebration, but I'm sure it will have the same effect.  Tomorrow, we will draw buffs (or florescent colored bandanas) to determine our teams.  Then they will create a team name and flag.  Then it is time for competition!!  Check out the packet HERE and join in the fun.  I also added some other great ideas found around Pinterest and my ever increasing habit of blog hopping.  We are hanging balloons with activities by the 100 101 to pop throughout the day.  They have the streamer hanging doorway and my favorite is the idea of creating an aged picture using the "Aging Booth" app.  I played with it last night and here are a few of the shots my hubby and I got.

   

The kids shot are HILARIOUS!!  I got them printed out and I'm going to put them on a poster board grid with a "Guess Who" title.  Then I'm going to let the kids figure out who is who.  I can hardly wait for them to see themselves at 101years old. 

What I'm sitting next to at the moment:

This is a picture of my hubby.  His brother lives in Reno, NV.  They have been spending the last couple of nights on FaceTime.  He has a new nephew so originally it began as a way to introduce us to the new baby.  The next thing I knew, they decided to take a walk down memory lane.  Both of them got out photo albums and began yelling, "hey look, do you remember this one?"  It was funny.  It really makes you think about how we connect to friends and family now a days.  I thought it was ironic to see the old-school way of keeping photos being shared with our new, modern technology.  Very cool!

Are we CURRENTLY in February??

Is it really February already??  I can't believe that January came and went that quickly.  It's time for our February CURRENTLY.  Linking up with Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for this Linky.

LISTENING - I can hear 3 various snores: my hubby, Kobe (our chocolate lab) and Archie (the weenie dog).  But unfortunately they are not drowning out the HORRIBLE comedy spewing from my TV.  Culprit #1 somehow was allowed to grab a movie from the RedBox without supervision and brought home one of those movies that was a waste of any penny put into it.  I DO NOT find this type of humor worthwhile.  So the laptop is blocking my view.

LOVING - My hubby surprised me last week by taking me into the Apple Store and unexpectedly purchasing me my very own MacBook Pro.  (I truly think he was just tired of me hogging the other one most of the time for blogging and creating)  So I made it MINE!  Complete with cute desktop organization and all my favorite fonts, clipart, borders, paper, and other things Blogger style.

THINKING - I've decided to begin my graduate work this summer and submitted my application for PVAMU and financial aid.  I'm so excited and nervous.  & Yes, that is Prairie View A&M.  How awesome will it be for both my husband and I to have our Masters Degrees from the same HBCU.

WANTING - Even though those 2 "snow" days we had the last couple of weeks have set us back in the classroom, I kind of got used to having that extra planning/snuggle time at home.  Remember, I use the term "snow" lightly since I do live in South TX and didn't see a single snowflake fall.

NEEDING - I want to get back to running.  My hubby and I keep telling each other that we will run tomorrow.  But that tomorrow doesn't seem to get here.  I NEED to get back to it!!  I really do enjoy it.

2 TRUTHS & A FIB - 1.  Yes it is true!  I danced throughout high school and when I was in college, I came across some friends that were putting together a HipHop group that toured schools to promote positivity.  I helped develop the show and danced with them for about a year.  I even got paid and we even opened for a concert in El Paso.  2.  No, I never actually started in a play.  I always have dreamed of it.  I think I was just too shy to really pursue that dream.  Instead, I devoted myself to sponsoring Drama Clubs at my schools for over 7 years.  I wish I was as bold and talented as those amazing kid stars I get to work with.  3. & Yes, we did it.  We drove across the country with all 5 of the kids plus the 2 dogs.  I don't know how, but we did.  It was filled with memories for sure.

Five For Friday Linky Party (Jan. 31st)

A Way to Keep My Weekly Blog Effort Going

I've found a way to hopefully keep my goal of blogging weekly.  I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs for the weekly Five for Five Linky.

Houston Ice Storm 2014!  

Another "Snow Day" for us on Tuesday.  We just had one on Friday.  I've never seen anything like this.  Not a snowflake in the sky but enough of a weather forecast to get districts around Harris County to shut down!  I'm really screaming inside because we are SO behind!!  Ugh!

I'M SO EXCITED (yet anxious)!  I just submitted my application for Graduate School. [yikes]  It has been 13 years since I was a college student.  I have to admit, I absolutely LOVE learning!!  Shhh...I am that one teacher that secretly enjoys signing up for professional development because I want to learn something new.  This has been a goal of mine since forever ago.  It just seemed that as I began to take the steps, life took over and made me refocus on something else.  NOW IT IS TIME!!  I hopefully begin in the summer.

This is our ChocoLab -- Kobe.  He is such a sweetheart!!  Ok - so in the mornings, I am usually the last one out of the door.  He usually looks oh-so depressed by the time I come out of the bedroom because everyone has left (he loves each of us SO much).  I typically find him at the bottom of the stairs sulking.  He does know the rules though.  My hubby doesn't allow the furbabies on the couch.  I know he knows this rule because usually you can hear his four paws hit the ground upstairs as soon as our bedroom door (downstairs) opens up.  So we sort-of know that he sleeps on the couch in the upstairs family room if no one lets him into their bedroom.  Well, Thursday morning I was really the last one out since I had a district meeting to be at.  I walked out of my room and began calling his name since he wasn't in his normal location.  Still no sound.  So I walked upstairs and this is what I found.  There was another blanket spread out on the floor in front of the kid's bedroom doors (probably left by Elijah, his closest pal).  I was talking to my hubby on the phone when I made the discovery of our new couch potato.  He had me put him on speaker so he could tell him to get down since he was obviously ignoring my requests, but our little defiant buddy simply tuned his head.  LOL!!  I couldn't help but snap a shot and send it out to the family to give them a little smile to start their day.

Reason #2 Why I Love Trainings/PD Meetings -- A REAL lunch time!!  It is always so nice to be able to eat something yummy at a leisurely pace instead of the 10minute quick inhale of something that teachers usually endure.  Plus you can get some great ideas to try and new resources to explore.

  

We did our 1st lesson with our NEW Chrome-Books!  Our school decided to buy some Chrome-Books for each grade level.  Each student in our district has their own Google Account and so I can only imagine all the unlimited things we could do.  This week we kicked off our Media Literacy unit.  I found a great web-quest activity.  Today, I paired up the students and gave them a Chrome-Book to work with.  They did Task #1 with a partner.  It allowed them to visit several different sites and determine if the purpose is to entertain or inform.  We discussed what features they might look for to determine the purpose.  They were so excited and did so well!  I can hardly wait till next week's lesson to complete Task #3.

I've already got big plans for these babies.   I'm thinking Google Doc publishing, Report presentations, a Virtual Flat Stanley emails, etc.

Have any great ideas to share?

She's Here!!

My student teacher is here!  I'm so excited to have a partner to share my wonderful class with.  Not only did she start yesterday…but she will be with us all the way through May!!  My students were so excited as well.  We have a class so full of eager learners and I guess they can't wait to share their enthusiasm also.  I wanted her to feel so welcome and so I searched all my favorite spots and found some great ideas.

I found this amazing packet by Rachelle Smith at whattheteacherwants:

I created it to have several sections with tabs for her to keep track of different things like: class info, school info, curriculum documents, meeting notes, ideas, notes, lesson plans, etc.  She immediately began to put things into it.  Yay!

I also found lots of neat teacher things and put them all into a basket crate (that I might also add is VERY useful).  She took it home and was so excited to find all the goodies inside.  The "Dollar Spot" at Target was full of some great things.  I <3 it!  I'm pretty sure I bought duplicate things for my own teacher collections.

Then I tried to bottle up my kiddos excitement and had them do a quick "Welcome To Our Class" book.  First they drew a quick "selfie" and wrote some things about themselves.  Then they picked their Top 5 things they thought she needed to know about our classroom.  Some of them were HILARIOUS!  I loved finding out what things each student felt were important parts of our classroom. For example, I recently changed my wall-space in the classroom to put all of our anchor charts.  I divided a wall into headings of Reading, Writing, Math, and Science.  I guess it really makes a difference in one friend's eyes because that was his #1: "We have new posters in the CORRECT space!"  A few others needed to let her know that I was the first and foremost teacher because the made it clear that  "Our REAL teacher is Mrs. Strang."  Teehee!  I love them too!!   Here's a couple of pics of the book.  You can find it at my TPT store HERE for FREE!

Are any of you hosting a student teacher this semester?  Any advice to keep her feeling a part of our classroom and help her to become one of those fabulous teachers?

Welcome 2014 - DAY 4 Professional Goals

So -- I'm excited to think about all these goals but now I'm beginning to wonder which ones will stick and which ones will fall by the wayside.  I almost feel like I'm adding to my never-ending checklist.  Do any of you have one of those?  My hubby is beginning his first year as a middle-school teacher this week and I keep telling his military mind to shut off because all those tasks/ideas he's got will eventually form into his own never-ending list of things to do.  He's about to understand my world up close and personally!  Any-who…Professional Goals are:

1. To really get into this amazing new dimension to my life as a teacher -- blogger/TPT store owner.  I am so in love with this world.  I don't know why I'm so late to the party.  I like how several others have put a true goal of blogging once a day and uploading freebies & products once a month.  I might try a little lower and if I attain that level, I will be able to celebrate bigger!  
2. Team, team, team!  I am so excited to collaborate and get ideas from this world.  I also know that there are many amazing teachers right in my own school.  This is only my 2nd year at this school and so I think it is time to make the rounds and get in some great collaboration groups at school.  Especially with my own 2nd grade team of teachers.  
3. I will have a Student Teacher join me in a week.  She will be here for the rest of the year.  I'm excited to help, lead, and learn from a young, eager, educator.  So that goal is not just lead but learn too.
4. It's time to get that Masters Degree.  My hubby and I keep talking about it.  Time to make it a reality!  I LOVE to learn so I'm going to put my student hat on too!

So what are your professional goals?  Any suggestions to help with mine?  Stop by Blog Hoppin' and link up with us.

Oops! Day 2 & 3 of 2014 Linky

Linking in with Blog Hoppin'

Welcome 2014 Day 2 - Craft & Creating 

I absolutely love to be creative!  Problem is…when??  When I lived in FL, I had a group of gals that encouraged the creativity with regular, fun-filled scrapbooking nights.  It at least gave me a fix of being able to create.  Before that, I used to spend countless hours creating elaborate bulletin boards at a school (oh the life of a new teacher).  But now, for some reason (hmmm), I just don't seem to get to be crafty/creative as much as I NEED.  With the exciting world of Pinterest and TPT, I have so many ideas.  And even made some feeble attempts.  I just need to find make the time to commit to those things.   So, I have my TPT store with a few items already posted.  Goal = spend time in the summer creating all the ideas I have floating around in my head.  Then I have scrapbooking.  Goal = print out some of the pics we've taken since the BIG move from FL to CA to TX.  And in the meantime, find ways to create some of those great ideas from Pinterest.  Here are a few I've done this past year:

Teacher Gift for one of Destiny's Teachers

Recent Bulletin Board idea from Pinterest

TX Homecoming Mums for Dejah & Elijah's girlfriend

Welcome 2014 Day 3 - Fitness

Ok -- let me be honest…I haven't thought much about my fitness goals for this year.  Not that I didn't need to.  So let me say, "thank you" Blog Hoppin' for helping me put some important ideas/resolutions into my already cramped space inside my head.  Here they are:

Yes -- last year I began my Ideal Protein journey.  I started in late July and by the end of November, I was down just about 40lbs!!  40 lbs!!  Whew!  Where did those things creep in?  I reached my goal with a lot of work, determination, and just a few break downs (yeah -- I'm talking tears and all).  I probably could stand to lose a few more.  But since it was time for the holidays and with that comes lots of yumminess (is that a word?), I decided to stop and maintain at this weight and move further with exercise and eating habits.  

                                      

186lbs

148lbs

Which leads me to my next goal.  Before I lost the weight, I actually took up running.  I used to Hate to run (that is with a capital H).  But in 2011, when Dennis went out on a 6 month deployment, I decided to try a silly little app called C25K.  I LOVED running!  I dropped a few pounds at that point too.  But the bigger reward was the enjoyment.  In September I ran my 1st 5k and finished it in about 45 minutes.  It was such an accomplishment.  Well now I want to get back to running.  Everybody keeps telling me that now that I lost the weight, I will probably enjoy running even more.  So it's time to lace back up.  We have even talked about doing a 5k together as a family.  You know…one of those fun ones like Color Run or something. 

And I guess if I'm doing the running thing, I'd better do the eating thing too.  All over Pinterest and Facebook I keep seeing posts about eating clean.  I got a little taste of that type of diet with IP.  There were some great recipes that I tried and so I think if we slowly began to take that approach to eating and cooking, I could get the whole family involved in thinking about how much better it would be for all of us to do it.  Plus, Dennis keeps reading information about how clean eating seems to be the way to go to get away from all the possible causes of cancer.  Maybe there is something to it.  I plan on looking further and getting us all on board (yes honey, you too!).