Fact Family Franks

Halloween is in the air and the kids are counting down the hours to free bags of candy. I've been pumping my veins with Starbucks to gain patients with the behavior this week...I think it's helping. 

To keep the theme, we made Frankenstein Fact Families in math. They came out super cute! 

On the back there is: 

1. A two-three digit fact family

2. A definition for fact families

3. A spooky word problem with fact families 

The kids loved them and I think our Franks are simple adorable. :) 

How do you keep the theme going in math but keep it CCSS aligned? 

Vegan Pizza Puffs

Recently my doctor took me off everything good in life...and by everything I mean EVERYTHING.

No...gluten, soy, dairy, peanut butter, shellfish, pork, red meat, oranges (yes oranges...?), and certain sugars. 

This has been a fun adjustment. {sense the sarcasm?}

So here is my first attempt at pizza puffs I can actually eat...

Ingredients:

1. Gluten free pizza dough or dinner rolls--try Whole Foods! 

2. Pizza toppings...I used just green olives in mine. The pictures show my non-vegan boyfriend's chose of toppings. 

3. Organic pizza sauce

4. Diaya Mozzarella shreds

First, I flatted the rolls and added the cheese. I then topped it with what we wanted in our puffs. Mine just had green olives. 

Above is shown with my boyfriend's choice of toppings: pepperoni and black olives. 

NOTE: Out of each tube of rolls, I got about 6-7 puffs. 

From there, roll up the dough nice and snug. 

Last, bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes!

Super easy!

Super yummy! 

I served mine with a bruchetta salad and pizza sauce for dipping. Both sauces & dressing are vegan and organic. The salad dressing is a vegan cesar dressing from Whole Foods. 

Salad:

Chopped tomato, onion and basil with olive oil over a bead of spinach. 

I added some of the Daiya shreds for some cheese. 

How do you solve your pizza cravings? 

Leibster Nomination

So I woke up this morning just dreading dragging myself out of bed. To avoid getting my day started, I peeked at my email and saw that Jessica over at Lacquer, Teach, Repeat had nominated me for the Leibster Award. Needless to say, it got my butt out of bed with excitement! :) Thanks toots for thinking of me! xox

When and why did you start blogging?

I first started blogging my first year of teaching in 2011. I thought it would be a great outlet for how my year was going and what I was learning as a first year teacher in a brand new state. I knew little about blogging then and have learned SO much since! 

This year I hired a blog designer, changed my blog name, and relaunched the blog with the intentions of sharing my experiences, products, and connecting with other educators. I LOVE it! 

What is one word that sums of the heart of your blog and why?

Genuine. I feel my intentions with my blog are genuine when it comes to education, life, health, and everything in between. Whatever my post is about, I keep it true to myself and hope it will help connect with my readers. 

Is there something you learned late in your blog journey that you wish you learned earlier?

Yes!...the power of social media! My first round in blogging had no connections with a twitter, FB, Insta, Bloglovin' or ANYTHING! My relationships with other bloggers has grown and changed so much since incorporating social media. 

What is your favorite past time when you are not blogging?

Oh, goodness! Most of my friends would say shopping...and I have to agree with them. I LOVE to shop online and in stores. I also adore reading. That lead to me starting the Book Club Beauties on my blog. Sometimes, as teachers, we forget to take time for ourselves and even indulge in our favorite past times. My book club has the intentions to remind us to take time to relax doing something we love. 

I also love spending time outside and watching movies. 

How many hours a week do you dedicate to your blog?

Around 5-6 hours a week on average. It depends on if I am writing a post, editing, or creating a new product for the blog. 

What category of blog posts do you enjoy the most?

I can't narrow it to one...so how about four?! :) Crafting, foodie, reading, & teaching! 

Where does your blogging inspiration come from?

My inspiration comes from other teachers, my students, and my own personal experiences. 

Which of your posts are you most proud of?

I am most proud of my book club. I have had numerous bloggers email me and tell me it helped them take time to themselves and read. Even if they don't post to the book club questions or link up, I have some emails with the bloggers about the book of the month. It is so neat to make new relationships through it! 

Is there any posts you have been planning to do, but have put off for a while now?

I have been wanting to do a tour of my classroom post. I keep forgetting! 

What is your favorite aspect of blogging?

I would say meeting and connecting with other bloggers with the same interests is my favorite part. I feel like it has helped with deal with stress, given me new ideas, and pumped up my passion for my job. 

I nominate....DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

Krystyn at Ms. Richards's Musings

Check her out! Her blog adorable! 

To those who have been nominated, here are the "official" rules for accepting:

1. In your post, link back to the blogger who nominated you as a thank you and "shout out." (Follow their blog if you haven't already!)  

2. Answer the 10 questions given to you (the ones I answered above).

3. Nominate 5-10 blogs of your choice that each have less than 200 followers. Provide them with 10 questions to answer or have them answer the questions above.

4. Let your nominees know that they've been nominated and provide them with a link to your post so that they can accept.

5. Send your nominator a link to your post so that s/he can learn more about you as well! (You can just put your post link in the comments below!)

Have Fun!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Here is a short and sweet post for you all:

Parent/teacher conferences can bring on a whole new level of stress when it comes to organizing and preparing. Other than sucking down Starbucks, I have a couple other things that make the process less stressful.

In my conferences, I start with the usual answering any questions the parents have first. We will discuss the child's report card. I always save things the students have completed during the semester to back up my comments and show what each child has been up to. The parents love this! I have a product to organize these steps that will come in a later post.

One thing I always pass out are these conference reminders. It helps the parents, the students, and myself remember when and where the meetings are. I use these throughout the year whenever I set up a meeting with a family. These are great for IEP, MET, and any other meeting!

Click here to grab your free copy!

How do you all conduct your conferences?

Cookie Monster

Hi everyone! 

This week I have been on my fall break. I have to say...I think breaks come at the perfect moment to save me from emotional wreckage. 

To celebrate my fall break I have been doing yoga, snuggling with Phil, pinning my life away and cooking. 

One of my favorite thing to do with old bananas is make cookies. They are healthy, easy, and keep me from tossing away produce. 

You should try these out...even my kiddos like them! 

Ingredients:

1-2 Over ripped bananas 

2 tbsp Almond Butter 

2 cups rolled whole oats

Directions:

-preheat oven to 350F

-mash the banana(s) with the almond butter 

-mix in oats (I eyeball this if I want more or less)

-spray pan with olive oil

-use a spoon to scoop and form into cookies

-bake for 20mins 

--enjoy!

Some variations I have tried are:

-include protein powder 

-add craisins 

-add chocolate chips

-top with Greek yogurt 

-top with coconut milk ice cream

-add cinnamon/pumpkin spice

-use peanut butter instead of almond

I used Justin's Almond butter, organic bananas, and rolled oats from Whole Foods.

Yum!

"This is Where I Leave you" Linky

Hi all!

It is that time to start my first linky party! I am so excited to see this part of my blogging life grow.

A couple weeks back I started a book club for teachers via the internet. The first book we chose was "This is Where I Leave You" by Jonathan Trooper. This was great since the movie is now out. I heard great things about the movie, but the book was amazing!

In addition to meeting on Sunday with a couple lovely ladies online {with some wine} I am also creating a linky for the book club. I figure this would work out for those who haven't finished reading or people who have read the book before and want to join in on the fun!

So...I am not going to lie...there were some parts I was laughing at that I probably should not have been laughing at. The dysfunctional issues is this family had be giggling. I heard the movie makes you feel bad for them, but to me the book had a dark humor of dysfunctional families. 

Judd's mom had me laughing in an uncomfortable way...that woman knew no boundaries! 

I am thinking a lovey-dovey book for next time. I am feeling a romantic tone....or better get one of the other Gillian Flynn books if I want to throw it in a completely different genre. I read "Gone Girl" so I want to read her other ones too! 

So...here is goes to you!

Here is your own copy for posting: 

Other questions to ponder and discuss in the "comments" section:

1. What was your first impression of the narrator is this novel?

2. What was your impression of Jen? Do you think you would see her differently if it was from another characters point of view and not Judd's?

3. Discuss Judd's mother's relationship with her children.

4. How does each character deal with their unhappiness and traumatic events?

5. Why do you believe Judd's reoccurring nightmare is about a prosthetic limb?

6. Was the ending satisfying for you? Why or why not?

I will be choosing a new book for the club on November 1st. Any ideas or suggestions yet?

An InLinkz Link-up

October Currently

Hi everyone!

I am linkin' up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for this months "currently". Am I the only one who absolutely adores these?!

I am currently listening to about 10 kiddos play on the iPad...sounds like a piano app..."The Eye of the Tiger". I am in charge of morning care. The great thing about it is I can get work done while they just relax on iPads. The not-so-great part is I had to get used to getting to work at 7:15am instead of 8:00am. At least the productive side of me actually gets stuff done!

I am super excited for today to be over...not because it is a bad day or anything...but because I fly to Chicago in the morning! One of our good friends is getting married. I can't wait to see all my friends and family. It has been almost a year! 

Yes, I have learned two things about hot yoga...

1. Mascara will not last past the first minute. I scrub, scrub, scrub my make up off before I go, but I always manage to look like a have black tears running all over. 

2. Two times in one week is BRUTAL. 

Ummmm...have you all read "Gone Girl" yet??? This book was one of the best books I have read in a long time. I usually do not go for the suspense books, but after reading this, I must see the movie! 

Do you all get a fall break?....WE DO! :) A WHOLE WEEK! and it is one week from now. YAY! {Insert "It's the Final Countdown...do, do, doooo, do"!}

TRICK! 

Do you have a talkative line or chit chats during transitions? 

I project our sight words or quick math fluency on my white board. Kids are only allowed to say the word they see or answer to the math fact. It gets them focused on the bored and not on their friends! 

If you are not lucky enough to have a projector, then shout a number to start skip counting by. My kiddos whisper the numbers until they have fully transitioned or are in line.  I did not have a projector the past two years, but this worked like a charm! 

Have a happy and terrific Thursday!