Finally

School is out for summer vacation! Whoohooo! This teacher is sure one happy girl. I'll be popping up on here a lot more...thank goodness! I've miss it! Stay tuned... xo

Straight hair, don't care

Yikes! Where the hey has the time gone! Sorry I've been MIA lately. School has been quite busy with end of the year testing, professional development classes, and never ending to-do lists. Also, I've been suffering from horrid allergies over the past couple of days and have been feeling (and looking) like a hot mess! Hopefully I can get some new fashion posts up real soon!

Oh yeah..great, great news...I just found out that I will be moving on up to teach SECOND GRADE next year! Whoohoo! FUN stuff, huh? I am up for the challenge and excited for all that is to come! Change is good.

Rain, rain go away...

Oh my, my, my. This rainy week is killing me. How about all of you? How's your week going so far? Am I the only one craving some sun and bright days?! Waking up has been so hard when all I want to do is crawl back into bed and snuggle with my hunnie.  Huuummpph.

On a happy note...today is our Teacher Appreciation Luncheon at school and I will be heading out for some dinner and drinks with friends this evening. So looking forward to it! Have a great day, loves!

Peace&Love

Happy Earth Day! I'll be spending today cleaning our school community with my first grade class. I figured a hippie headband and some tie-dye/tye-dye (however you spell it) would be just perfect for the job. At 3:00 Spring Vacation begins! Wahhhhoo! I can't even wait to have time to blog & chat with all of you next week! Until then my friends...peace out! ;) xo

a week of instagram

...Brooklyn loving up the Sunday sunshine...

...The Mr. working hard outside...

...Mint nails & long pony...

...Golden Top-Siders...

...Skinny Taste Chicken Piccata...

...My first grade class getting down & dirty, finger painting...

(Yes, all 17 of them...at the same time...)

...Finger painted spring flowers...

...Neat & tidy classroom all ready for open house...

Now on to another busy week

5 days until spring vacation...ready, set, go!

need a pick me up

Just one of those days. At school, getting ready for my firsties and feeling kinda mellow... wishing for the sun.

Grade 1 LOVES to read!

My school has been studying the author Kate DiCamillo as part of our author study/reading incentive program for the month of March. My grade 1 class was assigned the book Bink & Gollie. Saying that they have greatly enjoyed it is an understatement...they have LOVED each and every minute spent with this charming story. I highly recommend it to any teacher out there ranging from grades K-2. I used it along with my Inferring Unit in Readers Workshop and it worked out perfectly.

We have celebrated this author with many fun events around our school...a kick off pep rally, advisory meetings with different grade levels, a movie night, dress like your favorite character day, a door/bulletin board decorating contest (still waiting for the results...cross your fingers and toes for us) AND get this...we even danced and sang "Gotta Keep Reading" AKA The Black Eyed Peas...I Gotta Feeling ;) Guess who was in charge of teaching the entire school and staff the moves...uh huh, this girl right here! So so fun and also a great opportunity for me to share my love of theater and dance with my teacher friends! Being new to the school this year, I am happy to have the chance to share a bit of myself with them. We will be video taping our school jammin' out at some point this week! Hopefully I'll be able to share it on here with all of you!

Above are a couple of the pictures of our decorated door and bulletin board. The board is divided up by each chapter in the book. Each child researched pictures in magazines, old books, and/or the internet to make one GIANT Bink & Gollie picture research collage! I am still blown away by the amazing images they found and the personal connections they have made along the way. 

I am so pleased with the hard work and effort that the students have put in! Proud of them BIG time!

A well balanced life

Thinking of starting early morning yoga...suggestions?

This week was a busy, jam-packed school week. Meetings and professional development classes took over all after/before school prep and down time. I am happy to say that it is finally the weekend. As I got through each day, I was reminded just how important it is to be a balanced individual. In this busy life, it is of utmost importance that we stay well-rounded and focused. Focused on the most important things. Those aspects of life for me are my family, my work, and my health.

Family will always come first. No matter what. My husband, my sister, mom and dad...and Brookie, of course, are the most important people in my everyday life. They are there for me and I in turn, want/need to be my best self in order to be there for them. Family. My number one. Always.

My work is also a major aspect of who I am. It is what challenges me and gives me importance in this ever changing, busy world. The work that I embark upon each day with young children, makes me who I am. I strive to be the best teacher and role-model that I can be for the good of those I am guiding and teaching day in and day out.

My health and well-being is also important to me. I feel that it is so necessary to take the time to develop a routine; a time to walk away from the stresses, in order to take part in activities that are enjoyable and rejuvenating. For me, a date night with the Mr., a quick coffee run, visit with Mom, dinner/night out with friends, and/or family gatherings are all things that bring me back. Back to my happy place. I guess you can call it my state of harmony. A state of mind and body that enables me to be full and prepared to give to those I love most.

This weekend I am taking the time to come back, to let go, and to balance. I challenge you to do the same. Keep smiling. xo

Busy Bumble Bee

Wow, this week has taken a totally different spin than last week's laid back vacation. I've been so busy around here with school and after school commitments (The high school play that I have been choreographing opens this weekend...practices have been held each afternoon/night this week 'til 9:30pm...I'm pooped!).  I haven't had much time to relax (which I LOVE and NEED to do). Not to mention I haven't been able to do one of my most favorite things everrrr...grocery shop... Oh no! My lunches have been quite interesting and unsatisfying to say the least. Whomp,whomp.

Anyyywhooo... with that being said, it has honestly been a pretty good week so far. My firsties came back from vacation with enthusiasm and focus. I am feeling quite cheery and pleasant, as well! I think we all needed a little bit of down time. I am lucky to have a job that enables me to regroup and rest during week long vacation times.

What do you like to do to relax and refresh when you have little time to spend?

One Hundred Days

Fruit Loop Necklaces
Check out their shirts!

100th Day Hats

Sorting Fruit Loops by color in groups of 10 to 100

Almost done!

Today was our 100th day of school in my first grade classroom. All in all, I have to say, it was a perfect day filled with lots of paint, hat making, fruit loop necklaces, a Hershey kiss scavenger hunt and ice cream sundaes with colorful sprinkles. (Sorry for the so-so pictures...my camera had no battery power and for some reason the iPhone just wasn't doing the trick!) I enjoyed it and I hope my class did, too.
Happy 100th Day, friends. On to the next 80...I think we can handle it.