Giveaway!!

Happy weekend after Thanksgiving everyone!  I do hope you all enjoyed your holiday--and that it was filled with quality family time and delicious food!

I think I am still in a food coma....haha! BUT....the sad exciting part is that we will have leftovers for days! 

Now...as if November couldn't get any better....TPT is having a Cyber Monday Sale on November 27th and 28th.

This starts tomorrow people!!  

So stock up your carts today so you can get a 25% discount tomorrow! :) 

Want to know something even sweeter? There are lots of TPT sellers giving away gift cards, and I happen to be one of them!  Click here to enter!

Also....be sure to stalk on some other TPT sellers (Facebook, twitter, instagram, blogs, etc.) because there lots of opportunities out there!

Best of luck and happy shopping!! 

Back To School Sale with TPT!

By this point I am sure you have heard....... (and if you haven't....ummmmm where have you been???)

Teachers Pay Teachers is having their Back to School Sale.....and you only have a little over six hours left to save.

That is right.....six hours left!  So get those shopping carts loaded and checkout!

Throwback Thursday

In the spirit of Thursday...how about a little #TBT #throwbackthursday?

Last year I posted a tutorial on new-sew curtains....which are an easy and cheap way to decorate your classroom.  I am happy to report the curtains stayed up ALL YEAR....and I got loads of compliments on how "cute my room was."  We all know that a cute room makes us better teachers, right?! haha

To read the full tutorial click here, or on the pictures below.

Show and Tell Tuesday (Or Wednesday.....)

I love the linky party that Forever in Fifth Grade hosts every month!  I mean.....who doesn't love a show and tell??

 I'm still waiting on baby boy to arrive!  We are currently 38 weeks...and I am hoping it will be any day now.  The end of pregnancy combined with stifling summer heat is no fun at all!

I think summers were created to make memories and spend time with family.....and that is exactly what we have tried to do! :)  Earlier this summer we spent a few days at Table Rock Lake.....SO beautiful.....and SO fun!  We also have family dinners as much as we can. :)  

Summers are also meant for exploring.....especially the city or town in which you live. My sister, mom and I spent some time at Botanica, which is a local community garden in Wichita.  The flowers were beautiful!  Next year I plan on taking Baby Boy there often, as they have many kid geared activities each day of the week. If you have a local garden in your community--you should make a visit!

I can't believe the upcoming school year is right around the corner!  Last year I handed out "The Starfish Story" to my coworkers prior to the year starting.  The story is a great reminder about our impact as teachers....it truly is an inspiring and motivating piece of text.  Interested in using this to inspire your staff?  Click here or on the picture to download the freebie at my TPT store! 

Big (little) Announcement

So it is has been a hot minute (5 months of hot minutes...I guess) since I have last written a blog post.

And....y'all.....I have a really, really, really good reason! Did you happen to catch the blog title (Big (little) Announcement)?

You see.....I have been really busy creating a tiny human!

SO EXCITING, RIGHT?!?!   My husband and I are over the moon thrilled about our new adventure. AND...our families are equally enthusiastic! :)

 

Currently, I am 33 weeks (so the pictures above are a few weeks old.....just imagine me with a bigger baby bump!) Our little bundle is scheduled to arrive on August 5th....which is rapidly approaching.  AHHHHH!!!

I must admit my pregnancy has been pretty pain free (thank you Jesus!).  Prior to the pregnancy I had read all sorts of horror stories about morning sickness, back pain, aversions to foods, swelling of the hands and feet, etc.  You may hate me---but I have not gotten sick once.  Not. Ever!  As I am nearing the end of the third trimester it has been increasingly more difficult to walk, get out of bed, pick up something I have dropped....shave my legs. Ugh! But, in all honesty...I don't really have anything to complain about.

My blessings keep stacking up, too,  because baby and I have been checking out healthy at each appointment! :)  I am truly thankful!

In March, we had a fun little gender reveal party for family and close friends. Check out the pictures below!  I mean....how hilarious is that cake?!!?

 

Please excuse the dead grass......we were just coming off of winter and the grass hadn't had a chance to wake-up yet!

Anyway.....curious as to what we are having?? Everyone swore it was a girl........but.......

It's a BOY!!!!!

So.....I am very sorry I haven't posted in awhile.....but I do think you will forgive me (hopefully)...

Stay tuned for the nursery reveal and to read about the next chapter of our lives! :)

LOVETpT Sale!

Hi Friends.....

Just a quick post to remind (or tell you for the first time) that TPT is having a two day sale!

I mean Valentine's Day is right around the corner........so TPT might as well spread the love early! :)

You can save up to 28% off starting Tuesday, February 7th!

BUT......you better hurry because the sale ends Wednesday, February 8th!

Don't forget to enter LOVETpT at checkout!

Happy shopping!

The power of LETTER TILES

Happy Monday everyone!

I am sure many of you are enjoying your day off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but not me.....we have a teacher in-service today. Joy!

I honestly am surprised we are having it, because before the weekend even hit meteorologists were predicting the "Great Icepocalypse of 2017."  Supposedly we were supposed to have multiple waves of debilitating ice which would down power-lines, prevent driving and cancel EVERYTHING.

Did we get this ice.....Nope!  All we got was rain.....so there goes the day off I was hoping for.

Anyway...I can't really complain.  At least I have power at my house.....

Thanks to the rainy weather, I was able to stay home all weekend and put the finishing touches on my newest TPT products.....letter tiles! :) I am pretty excited about them! :)

Click the picture above....which will take you to my TPT store where you can download the letter tiles freebie! :) 

Most K-2 reading programs contain letter tile kits, which is amazing!  Letter tiles are A MUST when students are just learning how to read and spell.

These precious tiles allow students to manipulate the letters and sounds in words. AND building words takes on a multi-sensory approach.  We all know these little babes need to be able to do hands on exploration.

The kits at my school look like this:

Consonants are in yellow, and vowels are in pink for easy identification.    The dots at the bottom are "sound dots."  When students are spelling the word "dog", the teacher asks  "whats the first sound," and the student responds "/d/" and places the matching letter tile on sound dot one.  When the word is completely built, students point and say each sound and then say the whole word.  It is a pretty fantastic routine.

Not only do letter tiles provide many opportunities for students, it also affords endless opportunities for teachers to get students interacting with letters, sounds, word building, etc.  The ideas for letter tiles are endless!

Now...not everyone has access to letter tiles, or letters....especially teachers of older grades....so my newest product makes letter tiles accessible to everyone!  Whoop!  Just print, cut and your kiddos are ready to go!

My motivation for these product came from my  DESPERATE need for tiles that included advanced vowels, consonant+le, r control vowels, etc.  I wanted the older kiddos I have to be able to manipulate sounds in words, without running out of tiles and I also wanted them to see the words in chunks.  Many of the kits that are sold do not include these advanced word building concepts....thus I had to create my own.  My kids have loved it!

Click the pictures below to take you to TPT to download whichever tile set you need....and don't forget to download the freebie above!

The Highlights of 2016

I realize 2016 has already left us, but it is never too late to reflect.  Right?!?!

Today, I am linking up with Daisy Designs for her Highlights of 2016 Linky Party!

 My first highlight is accepting a new position at an elementary school in my district.  It is the same job (literacy and math interventionist) but at a K-4 school, instead of a 5-6 building.  I AM LOVING EVERY MINUTE! 

 My second highlight is the #silospringbreak trip my husband and I took in March.  For our spring break we traveled to see (with our own eyes!!!!) Waco, Texas and hopefully catch a glimpse of Chip and Joanna Gaines.  Although we didn't meet them, we did have a blast at the Silos, Magnolia Market, Harp Design Company and scoping out all of the sites we see from our TV as we watch our fav. show! 

My third highlight (although I should have ranked it #1) is that my sister moved back to the United States from Germany in August.  Her husband is in the military and they have lived in Germany for the past two years.  I was so excited to have her back stateside....and only two hours away from me!

 My fourth highlight is a combo of many days.  You see, we travel up to Manhattan for all of the KSU home football games and we have a TON OF FUN!  We probably attend 6-8 games a year--tailgate, spend time with family and watch some GREAT football. 

 My fifth and final highlight is all of the family time we had over the holidays!  We love Christmas around here.....and the best part is spending time with the ones we love!