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!  :)

monday made it: classroom jobs board

With all of the little projects I've been doing for my classroom lately, it wasn't hard to find one to write about to join the Monday Made It by Tara at Fourth Grade Frolics.
I'm getting a little addicted to all of these great teacher linky parties....they're a fun way to blog hop and learn some fabulous new ideas!  :)

 

One of the new changes I made this year was to revamp my classroom jobs.  Not only what the jobs board looks like, but the jobs I'm giving the kids, how they're getting the jobs, how often they're changing jobs, and how to move the responsibility from me to them.

 

I was inspired when I read this post on the Clutter-Free Classroom blog.

 

There were three things that I took away from reading this post:

 

1.  Instead of changing classroom jobs every week, and making sure that every student had every job at some point during the year....students have a job for a longer period of time- a trimester, semester, or marking period.  This gives them an adequate amount of time to learn their job well and get into the habit of actually doing the job (this was the struggle I had most- with students forgetting their jobs!).

 

2. Don't assign jobs until you know the students better...wait a few weeks so that you can best understand their personalities, strengths, and needs in the classroom.  For example, if you have a student who needs to have a "get up and move" break once in a while, maybe a "messenger" like job would be a perfect fit.  They have a purpose- to deliver something to the office or another teacher- and they get a movement break. 

 

3.  When it's time to switch jobs, students train each other.  So whoever was in charge of filing for the first trimester will train my second trimester filers.  The responsibility transitions from the teacher to the students.  Love this!!

 

Taking all of this in, I decided to go with this new philosophy, but I needed to add more jobs and my old pocket chart wasn't going to work.  So.....of course....I made a new one.  :)

 

Here's what new Jobs Chart looks like:

 

 

And here's how I put it together....

 

First, I made the sign for the top.   I loved how in the post I read, the shift went from "here's what we need to do" to "here's what we're responsible for".  So I went with that idea and made a sign to make that clear.

 

 

 

Then, I printed up labels for my job cards.  I used clear labels because I really wanted the adorable polka-dot envelopes to stand out.  I laid out the pockets on a table to create the color pattern first.

 

 

 

 

Then, I carefully stapled everything onto the black background that I had created when I put up my new bulletin boards a couple weeks ago.

 

 

And when I finally do assign each student their job, I'll simply put a large craft stick with their name on it inside that job's envelope.

 

 

Since I have 29 students and only 20 jobs, that will obviously mean that some jobs will be for more than one student.  Which is okay, because honestly some of them need more than one to do it well.

 

I'm super excited to implement this new job philosophy in my class this year.

Thanks again to the Clutter-Free Classroom for this wonderful new outlook on classroom jobs!

 

 

 

And for those of you who are like me and are wondering what all of those jobs are on my board, here's a list so you don't have to squint.  ;)

 

*Collecting Papers

(gathering the papers when students need to turn them in to be graded or recycled)

 

*Passing Papers

(except for tests which I always pass out myself)

 

*Microwaves

(cleaning them- I have 2 because we eat lunch in the classroom)

 

*Helping the Teacher

(for any jobs that come up that aren't on the job board)

 

*Filing Folders

(filing papers into our Friday Folders to go home)

 

*Pencils

(sharpening pencils in the "Dull" can, checking the floor for pencils at the end of the day)

 

*Lights and Doors

(turning on/off lights as needed, holding the outside doors for the class)

 

*Recycling

(taking the paper recycling out to our "Paper Gator" as needed)

 

*Calendar and Board

(changing the calendar at the end of the day and cleaning the board as needed)

 

*Lunch List

(taking the lunch order in the morning and reading off the lunch list each day)

 

*Cubbies

(checking the area under the cubbies at the end of each day so students don't forget anything)

 

*Chair Stacks

(making sure everyone's chairs are stacked and in the right place at the end of the day)

 

*Surface Dusting

(yep, I give my kids a Swiffer sheet and let them dust away!)

 

*Desks and Floors

(making sure the desks are lined up and floors are cleared at the end of each day)

 

*Checking in "Do Now"

(this is our morning work- last year I had a few students ask if they could check in what students turned in, put them in number order for me, etc.  I LOVED them for this!!)

 

*Messages

(delivering anything to other teachers or the front office)

 

*Class Library

(straightening up the shelves, making sure the books are in the correct baskets)

 

*Library Books

(collecting and delivering our school library books once a week)

 

*Absent Student's Jobs

(pretty self-explanatory)

 

*Pillows

(I have 8 or 9 pillows in my reading area and I can just imagine what they'll look like everyday if I didn't have someone trained to straighten them up for me.  I'm a tad OCD.)

 

If you have any fantastic ways that you've implemented class jobs into your teaching, I'd love to hear more about it!

 

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.

crafting in the classroom

I've been spending some quality time with my classroom over the past couple weeks....not full days, but for good chunks of time I've been productive.*
*When I'm not getting distracted by Bloglovin, Pinterest, Facebook, or....basically anything else that seems more interesting at the time. 

So just to prove that I actually have been getting things done, and to make myself feel better about spending my summer days working, here are a few things that I've accomplished. 

Project #1- Bookcase Backing
This bookcase, which I believe I got at Target a few years ago, needed a little face lift.  The backing came off when I moved it at the end of the year so I thought that was a sign to do something fun with it. 

Before

After

All I needed was some cute contact paper from Home Goods and a little patience.

I laid out the backing, measured and cut a length of the contact paper and sloooowwwly smoothed it down.

Unfortunately, the contact paper wasn't wide enough for the backing, so I had to do two pieces.

I tried to line up the pattern, but it was harder than I thought.

Here it is with everything back in the bookcase. 

Yes, I do realize that most of the beautiful paper isn't visible when I load up the shelves like this, but until I find a better home for my reference books, that's just how it has to be.  :)

Project #2- Table Cover
In the front of my classroom, I have a rectangular table which houses my Elmo, projector, and DVD player.  This is how it used to look:

Technically, there's nothing *wrong* with this.....I just wanted to (a) put something on it to hide the mess of cords underneath the table and (b) have another excuse to use my chevron fabric.

I just measured the fabric to make it long enough to go down both sides, and it was the perfect width to cover the top of my table as well as hang about halfway down the back.

My mom sewed the two side hems the same night that she sewed my four chevron pillow covers.

I just used Scotch brand foam mounting table on the edge of the table to secure the tablecloth in place.  If I do this again, I will probably use Velcro so that I can take off the fabric to wash it every summer.  Another teacher at my school did that with fabric she put around her front table, and I thought that was a brilliant idea!

But...I bought this and it will get the job done....for this year at least.

Yep, I put one loooooonnng strip of the tape down the edge of the table, removed the backing and pressed the fabric onto the tape.  Easy schmeasy!

Okay....I promise, no more chevron.

(Well, no more chevron fabric at least!)

Project #3- Filing Cabinet Makeover
When I first moved to this classroom from the middle school about eleven years ago, my filing cabinet had this on top of it:

It looked like someone left some photocopy or transparency on the top, and the ink transfer is permanently stamped on there.  I tried covering it with some fadeless paper and double sided tape, but after eleven years it was looking pretty ragged.

Enter my fabulous contact paper to the rescue!

After I measured and cut the piece, I used a ruler to really smooth down the paper as I adhered it to the top.

SO much better!

I also had a few other details to add to this makeover, including removing some old worn stickers.

And creating some new labels for the drawers (a.k.a. index cards cut and covered with the contact paper).   Someday, when I finally break down and buy a label maker, I'm going to make some labels to put on these.  For now, they can just sit there and look pretty.

And lastly, I couldn't help it.  I had some extra black and white polka-dot washi tape and just had to make a sweet border to finish off the cabinet's new look.

And here's the "after" picture:

Project #4- New Cubby Numbers
As I said in my last post, I used to have a "fish" theme in my classroom.  Once this slowly faded away, I decided that I wanted to change my cubby numbers since they.....of course....were on little fish.  While this seems like it should be an easy change, it actually took longer than the other three projects in this post.

First of all, I couldn't go the easy route and just buy new shapes to number by hand....no, I had to MAKE them.  Maybe I'll just put them on Teachers Pay Teachers at some point and that will make it all worth it.  :)

Secondly, I made circles.
Which, after laminating them, I realized are a PAIN to cut out.
Literally, my hand cramped up.  How lame is that?

Here are all thirty.  Even though I have 29 students, I decided to make an extra....just in case someday we go up to thirty students. 

And here they are....finally on the cubbies.

UPDATE:  I have uploaded these labels, along with a few other things I made with the same design, to my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  If you're interested in purchasing them, go here.

Sidebar Alert:  If you are a teacher who uses clear contact paper to attach things, you may understand my source of frustration here.

I almost lose my patience (that is HARD to do-- honest) when I use clear contact paper.

Whenever I cut it into small pieces to cover something, I can not for the life of me "find a corner" where I can easily remove the backing.  It.  Is.  Irritating.

Okay....sidebar done. 

Seriously though, if you have a better way of doing it....please share!

All of that hard work did pay off though.....I love my new cubby number tags!

Okay, so I was going to add one of the projects I did today (my new jobs board) to today's post, but after looking back at (a) the length of this post and (b) how much I really could just fall asleep right now, I'm going to postpone that for another day.

Something for you to look forward to!  ;)