objective frames update

When I posted about making my daily objective frames last summer, I had NO idea how "big" that post would get.  

As a little newbie blogger, just learning as I go, to see one of my posts get over 100 pageviews is an exciting milestone.  It affirms that there are people out there reading what I'm writing, and as I'm sure any blogger will tell you, that means a lot.

This post.....has, as of today, had almost 40 THOUSAND pageviews. 
I kid you not.  Mind-boggling.

I do attribute a lot of those views to the power of Pinterest.
I "pinned" my post, which was inspired originally by a pin I saw, and from there it must have just had some sort of crazy pin-domino-effect. 

A few other very fun things have developed after posting about that project....

*The original inspiration photo had no link attached to it, so I couldn't give credit to the pinspiration.  Until Jillian found my post and I was able to give credit where credit was due!

*A few other blogging teachers commented on my post letting me know that they not only made their own versions of these frames, but blogged about it....and linked back to my little ol' blog.  So sweet!

*A TON of readers asked for copies of the documents I made on my computer for the frames.   After sending out about thirty different emails, and not being able to figure out a way to link a PDF document to a blog post, I caved and opened a Teachers Pay Teachers seller account. 
If you go to the link to my store, you'll see that I not only have the vertical and horizontal frames (with many additions as suggested/requested by other teachers) for free, but I now have TWO more inexpensive products that I added on today!
     

• My black circle labels (link to TpT) started out as just cubby numbers, but I added a few other things to make the product more versatile for teachers who may be interested in it.

 

• My blue chevron labels (link to TpT) started out as a way for me to revamp the things I labeled all around my classroom, organizing the items in cupboards, drawers, and shelves.  Again, I added a few other things to the set to make it work for other teachers.

• I also have another product that is so close to being ready....look for a post about it soon!

And now onto the update....

Over the summer, one of my beloved frames either fell or was knocked down during the cleaning process.  In hindsight, I probably should have taken them down for the summer. 
Oh well, lesson learned.
Actually.....I'm kind of glad that it happened.....because I got to update my frames to something I love even more!

 

Magnetic Frames!

(sorry for the glare....my overhead lights made it hard to take a good picture)

 

 

So, when I made a trip to Michaels to pick up a replacement frame, I was sad to find that they didn't carry that brand anymore.  However, I found this gem.

At about 3 dollars a piece, they are slightly more expensive but definitely for those commenters who were worried about having glass in the classroom, these are the perfect solution!

 

(close up in case you wanted to see the specifics)

 

 

 

Check out those magnets on the back-- these aren't going anywhere!

 

 

And since I already had made the papers, assembly was SUPER quick and easy.

Simply slip the pages in...

 

Take down the old Command Strips....you're no longer needed. 

Thanks for your hard work last year.

Reposition everything in place on the board.

 

 

And just because I can't leave well enough alone....I broke out my favorite black and white polka dot craft tape (like washi tape) and framed my frames!

 

I've never been so glad to see something of mine broken before!  :)

 

If you haven't read my first post on how to make the frames, here's where you can get the PDF documents for the labels inside the frames-- go here (for vertical frames) and here (for the horizontal frames).

 

Here's to hoping that this post gets over 100 views.....time for Pinterest to work its magic!  :)

liebster award...sharing a little blog love!

Kristin over at the blog This Old Art Room was sweet enough to nominate me for a Liebster Award!

Of course, being a newbie blogger I had no idea what that meant so I hopped over to her blog to find out what this was all about.  Then I did a little more research because I thought it was such a fun, warm-fuzzy kind of recognition.  Not really an "award" per se, but more of a "keep up the good work and remember someone is reading your stuff" reminder.  No matter what, it has all good intentions and I intend to keep it rolling.

One blogger, Sopphey Vance, really dug deep and tried to discover the origins of this award.  You can read her blog post about it here. 

The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.  Pretty long list of adjectives there, but all together pretty positive as well.

It is given out to bloggers who have less than 200 followers, most likely as a way to support and encourage them to keep blogging!  If there's anything I learned from blogging so far is that if you feel supported and encouraged, you are more likely to keep doing it.  I know personally that once I realized people were (a) actually reading my blog and (b) getting something useful out of it, I knew that I was going to keep it up.

So here are the rules I was given to follow if I chose to "accept this mission". 
(Ha! That totally reminds me of Mission: Impossible....please say you're with me)

Back to the rules....

1. Link back to the blog that nominated me.   (The link to Kristin's blog is at the top of this post!)

2. Answer the questions posted for me by my nominator.

3. Share 11 random facts about myself.

4. Create 11 questions for my nominees.

5. Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers. 

6. Contact my nominees and let them know that I have nominated them.

Here are the 11 Questions Kristin gave to me:

1.  What is your favorite food?
Italian food....I love all kinds of pastas, pizzas, and anything with garlic and/or pesto!  Let's just say it would be very difficult for me to go on a no-carb diet.  :)

2. What do you collect?

Accessories!  Purses are my biggest weakness (I have six baskets of purses in my guest room closet- I think at last count I had over 50), but I also love buying scarves, necklaces, watches, rings, bracelets...basically anything that can dress up an outfit!

 

3.  What did you want to be when you were little?

Actually, I pretty much always wanted to be a teacher except for that one year in high school when I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. Crazy.  I also had dreams when I was younger of being a famous actress, or an archaeologist, or an interior designer.  Yep, when I was a kid I actually knew what an archaeologist and interior designer were!  :)

 

4. What is your biggest pet-peeve?

As a teacher, my biggest pet-peeve are pencils.  They break, kids lose them, they don't have one, someone stole theirs, they pop the erasers off, they drop all of their pencil shavings on the ground.....I could go on.   I often joke around with kids that I wish someone would invent the everlasting-never-needs-sharpening-or-replacing-pencil.

 

5.  What is something you've always wanted to learn?

I've always wanted to learn how to skydive, how to sew/crochet well, how to speak another language fluently, and how to play a musical instrument.

 

6.  What is your favorite movie?

I love movies way too much to choose one....sorry, I know that's a total cop out on this question.  Literally though, I go to the movies on an average once a week and I've seen SO many outstanding movies.  Last year, I literally saw all (nine) movies that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.  That's why I can't pick!!

 

7.  What would be your ideal Saturday night?

Either being with my family or friends.  If I'm with my family, it would be hanging out, playing games, eating, laughing and being goofballs.  If I'm with my friends, it would be hanging out, maybe having a few drinks, eating, laughing, and talking for hours.  Sometimes I love going out to a bar or dancing or a party, but for the most part I like being around smaller groups of people where you can just be yourself. 

 

8.  Are you a dog or cat person?

If I had to choose, I'd be a dog person because I loved all the dogs we had growing up....but honestly, I don't have any desire to have a pet myself.  I've lived with both cats and dogs, and it's just not "my thing" I guess.  I have a very sensitive sense of smell, and let's face it....animals stink.

 

9.  If they were going to make a movie about your life who would play you?

Well...since I love movies so much this is again a very hard question to answer.  I think I would want someone like Jennifer Garner, not because I think she looks like me because she's so down-to-earth and that's really close to my personality. 

 

10.  Did you play sports?

I played soccer all four years of high school, and soccer and volleyball (indoor and outdoor) on rec teams in college.  Now...I'm too out of shape to do either of those.  Maybe someday.... 

 

11. What is your favorite creative activity?

I definitely see blogging as a creative activity, but I also really love doing DIY projects around my house (painting, decorating, repurposing objects) as well as fun creative projects in the classroom, many of which I've blogged about!  I also love creating things on the computer (using Publisher) for my classroom, and will hopefully start selling some of them on Teachers Pay Teachers.   At one point in my teaching career, I considered going back to school to study graphic design so I could actually do that for a living (this was before TpT), but I realized I would miss my students too much!

Okay....and now 11 random facts about me.

1.  Since I go to the movies so often, I have a "Celebrity Card" with the movie theater's rewards program.  I like to pretend that it's cooler than it is, but really I just love the freebies I get.

2.  I love going antique shopping.  I could literally spend all day in one of those huge antique malls.  It's so fun to search for little treasures, but mostly I just love seeing all of those "vintage" collections.  I put vintage in quotes because some of those things are from my childhood and I don't think I'm old enough to be labeled as vintage yet!

3.  I have never had a professional manicure or pedicure.  I know, the girlie-girl in me is ashamed.  But when I can do it for myself for way less, I'm okay with that.

4.  I am extremely ticklish, and I bruise easily.  I don't know if they're related, but somehow in my head I thought they should be in the same category.

5.  I'm addicted to caffeine, but can't drink coffee.  Which is why I drink (too much) pop every day.

6.  I can not wear anything with leather against my skin.  I get a serious allergic reaction in the form of a large, very itchy rash.  Not being able to wear leather sandals and dress shoes without socks has seriously limited my wardrobe choices in the warmer months at work.

7.  I bought a house (by myself) almost four years ago.  It was the scariest, smartest, and most rewarding decision I ever made. 

8.  I own and have seen every season and episode of Gilmore Girls and The X-Files.   Even though those two shows are extremely different from each other, they are my two all-time favorite shows.  Which shouldn't surprise you knowing the eclectic variety of TV shows that I enjoy.

9.  I was born in and have lived in Michigan all my life, but my favorite baseball team is the Chicago White Sox.  It all originates with my dad who used to listen to baseball on the radio and the Chicago stations came in better than Detroit so he ended up being a Sox fan.....which of course meant I became one. 

10.  I only applied to one college during my senior year of high school- the University of Michigan.  For my whole life, that was the only place I wanted to go.  I had no back up plan in case I wasn't accepted.  Good thing I was! 

11.  My favorite smell is the smell of the beach.  Lake Michigan to be exact.  It just reminds me of home.  Well, that and the smell of my mom's homemade apple pie.  :)

Questions for my Nominees:

1. If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go and why?
2. What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
3. When you get a day (or for you parents, an hour?) to yourself, what do you like to do?
4.  If you could only pack three beauty products for a long trip (gasp!), what would they be?
5.  What is the best book you've read recently?
6.  Do you ever wish you were in a different career?  If so, what would you dream to be doing?
7.  If you had to pick one meal to eat the rest of your life, what would it be?
8. What is one of your favorite childhood memories?
9.  If you could live during any other decade/period in history, when would it be and why?
10.  When you go on vacation, would you rather be adventurous or relaxing (like on a beach)?
11.  What are three things you would like to be remembered for?

My Nominees:

1. Jackie at My Sunny Moments
2. Lindsay at A Boy, A Brunette, and a Baby
3. Calli at Living My Best Life
4. Teaching Tidbits and More with Jamie
5. Ali at Teaching Powered By Caffeine

Nominees....please let me know when you write your posts.  I can't wait to hear your answers!

Thanks again to Kristin for the award....this was a lot of fun!  :)

five for friday

Since I successfully did my first "link-up" with Throwback Thursday yesterday, I decided to try another one today- it's "Five for Friday", linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching.

I love how this linky is simple:  write about five things you did today or this week and link up your post to hers.  A fun way to quickly read about the great things that other bloggers are up to at this crazy time of year!  :)

Here's what I've been up to this week:

Number One:

Target Dollar Spot Pocket Chart

When I saw these little pocket charts at my Favorite Store in the World the other day, I thought "Hmm..I wonder if those would be good for my Reading Street Amazing Word cards?"

(Yes, I do realize that I have extremely riveting inner dialogue....you're jealous, right?)

The answer:  PERFECT. 

Eight slots and the maximum each week has is....you guessed it, eight.

And they fit so well it's almost like Target and Reading Street teamed up to make a teacher's life easier.  And cuter.  And more organized.  You get the idea.

 

Number Two:

New Jobs Display

Okay, so this is just a computer shot of the sign I designed to top my display.

The reason I'm not including any other pics is because I have a blog post in the works to explain and show the process I went through in making it.

I also like to make people wait for things.

Must be the teacher in me.

Number Three:

Cute Covered Bookshelves

This is an "After vs. Before" shot of the metal bookshelves in my classroom.

Note the lovely rust spots on the bottom one.

Gross.

With the extra contact paper I had from my other projects like these, those rusty shelves are now adorably bright and stylish.

And with the books now organized and back on the shelves, I'm so excited to share it with my new group of students in a few weeks!

Number Four:

Supply Labels

I used to have all of my shared class supplies in different areas of the room, in baskets and tubs and cans.  For a couple different reasons, I needed to change my organization of these items this year and decided on this seven-drawer cart.  I really wanted black (to match the other two rolling carts I have), but I went for function vs. fashion in this case. 

UPDATE:  You can get these labels, and many more like it, at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Go here for this set of labels.

Since I was changing some patterns and colors in my room already, I decided to create my own labels for these drawers.  After laminating and cutting out the labels, I attached them to the drawers with my favorite-- clear contact paper.

When I say favorite, I am being sarcastic.....I've had some issues with it in the past.

Not sticking right.  Not being able to get the backing off.  Curling up or getting stuck on things that I don't want it getting stuck on.  Ruining my hard work labeling something.  You get the point.



However, on this day....I won the battle.

I'm a tad bit obsessed with labeling things.

Please join my support group.

(oh right....I don't have one)

 

Number Five:

Day of Laziness....or Relaxation

After all of the work I put into my classroom this week, I decided to "take a personal day".

I'm still in my pajamas (and it's 5:00 PM).

I've either watched TV, gone on the computer, or cooked/ate all day.

Oh, and I did a little cutting out of laminated numbers, too....but it was while watching America's Next Top Model, so I really don't count that as work.  ;)

It's been a lovely day.

I needed it.

If you're a blogger, you should think about joining this "Five for Friday" linky....today or another Friday.  It's a fun way to write about the little things you want to share, all in one place! 

throwback thursday

It's Throwback Thursday!

If I'm doing this right, I'm "linking up" with Cara from The First Grade Parade for....

Basically, you repost something from the past and get a chance to read blog posts from bloggers who you haven't been following forever.  This isn't a teaching post, it isn't a DIY post, it's just one of those "stand alone" posts....a personal one....that was inspired by a simple moment of finding an object that I hadn't seen in years.

So here's my first attempt at participating in Throwback Thursday!!  :)

**********************************************************************************

This post....titled "Happiness is..." was originally posted on July 11, 2012.

So if you've read any of my facebook or instagram posts lately, you probably know I'm getting ready for a garage sale this week.  This was a goal of mine for the summer in order to clear my dumping-ground (a.k.a. spare bedroom downstairs) and reorganize my storage room. 

And wow.  I have accumulated a LOT of stuff over the years.

Of course, as with everything I do, it is not a quick process.  And while going through a bunch of my plastic tubs over the past couple days, I found myself stopping to reminisce on my childhood, adolescence, college years, and early years of teaching.

One item that I discovered was this:

About ten years ago, I bought this notebook with the idea that I would use it to write down daily the little things that make me happy.....to focus on the positives, and put some perspective on life's blessings.  This came at a great time, as I had just moved to a new city, was jobless for a few months, got a new job teaching middle schoolers (after three years of teaching second graders!), and was still struggling a little with the debt that college put me in......so I guess this was my own form of therapy.  :)

Here are some things that I wrote down in this journal:

Happiness is.....

*seeing my niece laugh at the smallest things, like me shuffling cards
*going for a long walk on a sunny spring day
*riding in my car with the windows down and the sunroof wide open
*finishing up my thank you notes
*fixing a computer problem on my own
*my soccer team winning their game vs. Cross Creek in double overtime
*having the windows open at night....in April!
*mailing out an Easter package to my nephew
*calling Mom
*finding out that I just have a pinched nerve in my leg-- nothing serious like I worried it was
*a good night's sleep-- eight hours!
*working out on my pilates machine
*renting movies
*not working at school all weekend
*balancing my checkbook
*having my voice back for teaching after a few days without it!
*being invited to my brother's for dinner- and seeing my niece crawl for the first time
*getting all of my grades entered in the computer
*fresh strawberries for a morning snack
*cooking a yummy dinner with leftovers for lunch
*going to Michael's for some scrapbooking supplies
*finishing a challenging crossword puzzle
*taking a short nap to get rid of a migraine
*the smell of freshly picked lilacs in my classroom....a gift from a student
*hearing from Joy and making plans to see her soon
*finally organizing my nightstand
*getting some very positive comments on my research paper
*shopping at Target
*hearing the birds chirping outside when I woke up this morning


I thought I'd add a few more, but new ones.   Things from the past couple days that make me happy.

Because even though this has been a very relaxing summer, it's been a packed summer.  Getting projects done, checking off things from my to-do list, running lots of errands, making phone calls, lots of trips to the home improvement stores, squeezing in things whenever I have time....it's busy, but it's a good busy.

I just don't want my summer to fly by....I want to stop and notice and appreciate the little things every day that make me happy.  I want to enjoy every small, seemingly insignificant part of my day while I can.  For teachers, summer is a time to rejuvenate ourselves.  We work hard.....really hard....all school year long.  Summer is the reward.....the bucket of gold at the end of the rainbow.

And since I can't resist making a Top Ten list.....

Happiness is:

1.  Getting packages in the mail two days in a row-- my Stickygrams came- and they're proudly displayed on my new fridge already! 

2.  Having my windows open all day and at night....after the Heat Wave of 2012, it feels great to have fresh air in my house again!

3.  Going through my old keepsakes and finding this gem.....my friend Joy made this for my birthday one year.  We dubbed ourselves the "Wondertwins" in college (and even had matching cheap superpower rings!) and I just love this picture of us "in disguise".  As if you could hide the fun that we brought to the party!  :)

4.  Reading old letters from my friends and family members when I went away to college.  Reading my old diaries.....from middle school, high school, and college.   They.  are.  hilarious.

5.  Finding small items I kept from my childhood.  Like this set of Scratch-and-Sniff stickers that came in boxes of the "monster cereals".  Count Chocula was my favorite, but I also liked Frankenberry and BooBerry, too. 

6.  Seeing the final step in the process of my kitchen tile backsplash.....pictures to come soon! 

7.  Ordering online some prints for my kitchen/dining room.....and seeing my vision for my kitchen remodel all coming together. 

8.  Cleaning out and reorganizing my storage room for the first time since I moved in to this house.
This one area.....is JUST Christmas stuff.  Totally serious. 

9.  Getting an iced capp from Tim Hortons.  Okay.....and a donut. 

10.  Looking up at the clouds on this gorgeous summer day.  Thick, puffy, fluffy cumulus clouds.....vibrant blue sky......love. it.

Hopefully this will inspire some of you to create your own lists, or even just stop and reflect on those little things that make you happy.  It just takes a few seconds out of your day, but let me tell you.....it's worth it.

favorite pins friday

I recently discovered Bloglovin as a way to organize all of the blogs that I like to follow, as well as discover new ones!  Now that August is almost here, and I'm slowly entering my teacher-mindset again, I've been reading through quite a few teacher's blogs and getting a lot of great ideas in the process.

Today, I saw this "Favorite Pins Friday" post from Fourth Grade Flipper, one of the blogs I follow.  She is linking up with The First Grade Parade to share the Pinterest love with everyone in Blogland. 

 

So basically, it's just a chance to share some of your favorite pins from Pinterest, linking them back to the original person who posted it, and explaining a little about them.

 

You're probably "supposed to" stick with what you pinned for that week, but being the first time I've done this, I think I might give myself a little wiggle room.  :)

 

Since I'm starting to get back in my classroom, I'll start with a few from those boards.  If you're not a teacher, scroll down to find some non-teaching ones!

 

TEACHING PINS

 

 

After seeing this pin from Timeouts and Tootsie Rolls, I was like......oh...my...goodness!!! 

This might be the solution to an enormous source of annoyance for me.  

As small as it might sound, dealing with student desk name tags is such a headache. Making them, cutting out the contact paper, putting them on, having them messed with/ripped off within days, and then being left with over twenty desks with no names on them....ugh.

 

This is the answer....and I have already bought two of these magical pens.

Can't wait to start labeling the desks!!

 

 

This jobs board....from a post from Clutter Free Classroom....is the inspiration for a new approach I'm going to take with classroom jobs this year.  Once I get it all hashed-out and put into action, I'll write a post about it.   Oooh, the anticipation.....

 

If you just can't wait, go to the link above to read about how this teacher does it. :)

 

 

 

This is a FREEBIE from Teachers Pay Teachers....thanks to the teacher at Elementary Endeavors for sharing it!   I've already printed it up, ready to be laminated for my classroom wall.

 

Now that I'm getting into my room to start setting up a few things, I decided to change up some of my bulletin boards/wall decorations that have been the same for a few years.

This poster goes well with the color/design theme I'm incorporating into my room.

I'll be blogging about that another time....lots of pictures to upload and edit.  :)

 

Speaking of freebie posters, here's another one from The Hands-on Teacher in First.

 

 

For both of these, it's not only the chevron that caught my eye, but it's also what they say.

I think with the shift to Common Core this year, it's really going to be important to help the kids shift their mindset as well.  A few reminders on the wall to refer back to might help.

 

 

I love this idea of the "Mystery Walker" from the teacher at What Happens in First Grade and will definitely be incorporating it into my classroom management this year. My class is usually pretty good in the hall, but there are times when we are transitioning from one class to another and they need to wait around...I'd also be paying attention to that "waiting time" as well.

Now I just need to come up with what the reward will be for my fourth graders.....

Any suggestions would be welcome! 

 PERSONAL PINS

And just so you don't think I'm only pinning teaching-related things.......here are some to prove you wrong.  I'm a bit of a pin-a-holic actually.

 

I really love the blog I Heart Organizing, probably because (a) I'm an organization freak, (b) she does a lot of DIY using inexpensive items, and (c) her stuff is so darn adorable.

 

 

This was one of the more recent pins I found from her blog. I love the idea of combining reusing items you already have, making them useful and cute. 

Those are cereal boxes, people......covered in cute paper and used as drawer dividers.

LOVE.

 

Another blogger I follow is The Pioneer Woman, and now that she has her own show on the Food Network, I love her even more.  She always seems so down-to-earth and has great ideas that even us non-moms and non-ranch-wives can use!  :)

 

 

Recently, she had an episode that was all about freezer cooking.

It was one of my favorite episodes of her show.....and this pin was a link to the blog post that she wrote about it.   Lots of great tips there!

 

Okay....so while this is related to teaching, it's actually was inspired by something on my DIY board.  I have a bookcase in my classroom that is inexpensive and the backing fell off as it was being moved over the summer.....enter this idea from a pin:

 

 

 

While I'm not actually using fabric like this blog post suggests, the idea inspired me to cover the back of my bookcase with some cute contact paper that I got at Home Goods the other day.  Since I need to reattach the backing, I figured I should make it prettier at the same time.

 

Speaking of DIY....I've been learning more about using spray paint on projects this summer....and I came across this pin that I am definitely going to try in the future. 

 

 

Although I'm not so sure if you can find these at the dollar store like the person who pinned this suggested.

Note:  the original post does not say that this was found at the dollar store....I think someone added that when they pinned it.

 

Lastly, I'll leave you with one of the most recent quotes from someecards.com that I pinned:

 

Truth.

(and now...I really want to go to Target....okay, when do I not?)

 

If you're a blogger, feel free to share a link in the comments below if you ever do a Favorite Pins Friday, or just if you think that your blog is something I'd be interested in following!

 

Also....if you know how I can link from a picture directly to the blog, instead of using the text link, let me know.  I have the "pin-it" button on my pictures now, so I wasn't sure how to make that work. 

 

 

 

tag....you're it!

I came across this post during my Pinterest-induced coma that I was in one day this past week....... 

http://fasttimesofamiddleschoolmathteacher.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2012-02-20T17:46:00-08:00&max-results=7

This blogger had a great idea to connect herself to other bloggers she follows.  I'm going to switch up the "rules" a little....because that's how I roll. 
But the basic reasoning is there.....a just-for-fun, get-to-know-each-other-post, to create a better sense of community.

Here were her rules:

1. You must post the rules.
2. Post 12 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 12 new questions for the people you tagged.
4. Tag 12 people and link them on your post.
5. Let them know you've tagged them

To make it easier on myself and those who I "tag"....I'm going to change the number to five.  Teachers are so busy at this time of year, but who doesn't have time to answer five questions and come up with five to ask?  Especially all in the name of fun. 

So....here are my revised rules:

1. You must post the rules.
2. Post 5 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 5 new questions for the people you tagged. 
4. Tag as many people as you'd like, and link them on your post.
5. Let them know you've tagged them-- I'm guessing the best way would be to send them an email (if you know it) or comment on a blog post with the link to your post.  :)

**Since I'm the first one in this game of tag, I'm just going to answer five of the questions this blogger used.

If you are tagged, and don't have the time to do this....I completely understand.  But maybe put it on your "to do" list......for a rainy day, when you're bored, have absolutely nothing to do, and just find yourself sitting around twiddling your thumbs.  Yeah, that would be no one.  Ever.  So just someday, when you have time.  :)

If you are NOT a blogger, but are reading this.....never fear--- you can participate, too!
Just comment on my post below with five fun facts about you, and five questions for me. 
I promise I'll answer them as soon as I have a chance.  You know, on that rainy day when I have nothing to do.  Or maybe sooner.

Here we go....

Five Fun Facts About Me
1.  My mom gave birth to seven kids...one on each day of the week.  I'm Saturday.   And I love that I was born on my favorite day of the week!
2.  When I get a new Sudoku puzzle book, I start at the back (the toughest ones) and do those first.  I love a challenge, and I'm a self-proclaimed nerd when it comes to puzzles.
3.  I'm notoriously late to things.  It's either that I don't figure in the travel time, that I get distracted when I'm getting ready to go, or that I just don't have great time management.  Who am I kidding--- it's all of the above!
4. I have a VERY hard time not changing fonts when I get a document that someone shares.  It's a bit of an obsession I have with fonts.  I really think I need an intervention, or at the least to join a support group.
5.  There are some foods that I used to say (when I was a kid, mind you) I didn't like, but actually never tried.  And now I love them.  Guacamole....Sour Cream....Hummus....Spinach.....Broccoli.....Cheesecake.   Really, most of those were because they either looked or sounded gross.  I'm just so glad that I grew up and gave them all a try. 

Five Questions....
1.  What is a scent that triggers a memory for you?
Strawberries.....reminds me of Strawberry Shortcake, one of my favorite toys growing up.   Apple Pie.....reminds me of Thanksgiving at my mom's house.   The beach.....one of the best smells ever.  Lake Michigan, minutes from where I grew up, always has this smell of "home".   Okay, I couldn't choose one!

2.  Do you drink Starbucks?  What's your usual order?
This is a tough one, because I love the smell of coffee, and I love the taste of many coffee drinks. But for most of them, I can't drink them without it upsetting my stomach.  Usually the "sweeter" ones aren't as tough to drink, so I'd say when I do get a drink there it's either a frappaccino, hot cocoa, or sweetened iced tea.  The one that I can always drink with no issues is the Iced Capp from Tim Hortons.....it's probably mostly sugar.  :)

3.  What's your favorite recipe you like to bring to parties?
I usually look to Pinterest for new ideas whenever I have the time, otherwise my old stand-by is a cheesy crab dip (with toasted baguette slices) that I first had at a Pampered Chef party years ago, and it's often requested when we have family get-togethers over the holidays. 

4. What's a TV show that you loved growing up?
The one show that I can remember watching every single episode of was "Who's the Boss?".  It's so cheesy, but I will still watch it if it's on TV when I'm flipping through the guide.   In fact, a few years ago they were replaying episodes of every season and there were parts of them that I could literally quote word for word because of this obsession.  And I'm not ashamed to admit-- I own season one on DVD. 

5. What is another job you have had besides teaching?
Well, since I have been teaching ever since I graduated college, I have to go back to my high school and college jobs, which were very illustrious, let me tell you......I was a cashier at Burger King and a gas station, I was a lifeguard/ride attendant at a waterpark, I worked in the office of the college newspaper at U of M, I was a nanny one summer, and the best one.....I put labels on the spines of books at the library in college. 

Alright....now, onto my five questions for you.....whether you're tagged or not, you can answer them! 

1.  Where is your favorite store to shop for clothes, and why do you love shopping there?
2.  What is one (or more) of your guilty pleasures?
3.  If you could go on vacation anywhere (and money wasn't an issue), where would you go?
4.  Who is your go-to person for advice about life?
5.  What is the best, or most memorable, meal you've ever eaten?

So here's who I'm tagging....you're up ladies!

Jackie at mysunnymoments
Melissa at The Athlete's Foot
Maggie at Pink Shoes
Lindsay at A Boy, A Brunette, & A Baby
Calli at Living My Best Life

I'm also tagging the original blogger that I got this idea from.....Liz from Fast Times of a Middle School Math Teacher, thanks for the inspiration!