December Book Club: The One and Only

Hi all!

It is that time to discuss our book.

Discussion Questions:

Respond to questions in the comment section.

1. What is your first reaction to Shea and Coach's relationship? Lucy and Coach's relationship?

2. Could you relate to any aspect of Shea or Lucy's life?

3. Was Shea a good friend/significant other?

4. Was the title fitting?

5. What are your thoughts on the ending? and the rape?

Overall,  how did you feel about the book? Would you recommend it?

REMEMBER LADIES: Leave your vote/suggestion for the next vote below too! I will pick the new book January 4th to take us to January 31st.

(For those of you who have a blog...here is your linky)

Operation: Get Organized

Hi all! 

I hope everyone is enjoying their break! I decided today was going to be my movie marathon day. I slept in really late, so might as well continue my day with a whole-lotta-nothin'. 

One of my goals in 2015 is to become more organized. This inspired me to create a New Years freebie for anyone with the same goal. 

I knew some of my headings wouldn't fit everyone, so I made a blank one as well. Just open in PP or KeyNote, and edit! I have been loving anything gold lately, so the new 3AM teachers packet was perfect! 

I hope you all can find it helpful. Make sure to leave feedback. I LOVE reading feedback. :) 

Preview 

(CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD)

Happy 2015! :) 

A Few of my Favorite Things

Hi all!

I am linking up with Erica's Ed-Ventures for a few of my favorite things! I am excited to do this one because I love seeing how much a like some of us are!

Here it goes:

Target {Duh}

Target and TJ Maxx are literally right across the street from me. This leads to weekend walks to the wonderland and over spending... I love every minute of it.

Dunkin Donuts Coffee

Well really any coffee...but if I had to choose it would be Dunkin. I stop there on a weekly basis. And now they offer almond milk! :) 

Beauty Items: 

I LOVE Lush and exploring Sephora. If you have not tried Lush yet, you must! I recommend the bath bombs for a newbie. This store has changed what I use on a daily basis. They are vegan, vegetarian, home made, and nothing touches an animal. It is amazing how everything smells and is well worth a visit. 

Pinterest...No picture of explanation needed. :) 

Tone It Up: 

These girls changed my eating habits and love for working out. I love this community! 

I am keeping it short and sweet today! If you want to link up with Erica too for some fun, you can click here! 

Happy Festivus everyone! ;) 

I have a problem...

I'm I love pinning...I mean, what girl/teacher doesn't??!

I find myself pinning all of these awesome treats, school ideas, and crafts...yet I ONLY try the school related pins! Is anyone else like this?

So I decided...what else goes great with watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. reruns and drinking vino?...Crafting...DUH! Now I have a new obsession....Here are some of my new projects!

Snowman Canvas:

"A Penny A Day":

A Christmas wreath: 

Ornament painting:

Now I'm out of ideas of things to make! 

Needless to say, I'll be on Pinterest all Sunday again. 

Merry, merry everyone!

Dec Currently

Good morning everyone!


I am linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for this month's currently again! I love this link up. :)

Most of mine are pretty self explanatory....

{Listening}..to Pandora...I am kinda obsessed over T.Swifts new CD, so I turned that on while the kiddos were in music class. I forget how relaxing it can be to have music on while I work!

{Loving}..all of the decor! I am one of those people who wants to start decorating as soon as November hits. The boyfriend asked me not to until Thanksgiving was over, so on Friday I exploded with ornaments and tinsel in our apartment. (Thanks to Target...of course) I will share some of my crafts I made for the holiday season soon!

{Thinking...and KNOWING}..I need a new computer. My Mac is from 2007. Enough said.

{Wanting}...an intuos graphic pen...is this what you all use for creating clip art?...I am a newb, can you tell?!

{Needing}...to take back all of the amazing food I ate this weekend. I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I know I did! I had two of them...and man, my body is hating me this week for eating pie like it was my job. Everything was just sooooo yummy though!

{Giving}...I am trying to find a community bank for the kiddos and I to get involved with this season. My students are so sweet and always thinking of others. I think it would be a great way for us all to give back to the community. How do you give back in your classroom?

Until next time..
Merry, Merry everyone! xox

November Currently

Hi all!

I am a little behind, but finally linkin' up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for this months currently! I can't believe it is November already! Can you?!

So, I don't know about you other Bears fans out there...but oh-my disappointment...I am listening to the start of the game now, and I am praying we do some work against the Pack. 

I am currently LOVING my new make up... went to Ulta to get foundation...ended up with foundation, lip stick, bronzer, mascara, and a highlighter. The sales lady even convinced me to buy night eye cream...now I am only 25...but MAN she was convincing. $200 later and I was feeling good...that was until my Ma and my boyfriend told me there is no way I need eye cream yet. I returned it, but kept all of my other goodies. 

I have the next two days off! Do you? I am thinking I should spend it reading and crafting. I have a wreath I need to finish still and this is the perfect time to get it done. 

So my currently-wanting...let me explain: 

This year I am doing 2nd grade- LOVE IT, but we are also moving away from sunny Arizona. Brian, my boyfriend, got an offer with the FAA. The FAA won't tell us where we are moving until next year. By the time we know where we are moving, it will be too late for me to get re-certified in a new state, and I will miss out on a school year. This has me thinking...what should my new path be? I LOVE blogging, organizing, planning and creating...if I can find something that combines all of those I will be completely enamored.  Any ideas? 

Currently needing nothing. :) Except maybe another tattoo soon... hmmmmmmm.... 

...and I am reading The One and Only by Emily Giffin. As some of you know, I started a book club with my blog with other teachers and TIU ladies. We started this book today and it will go until January 31st. Let me know if you are interested and I will email you the deets. We have about 9 girls in the club and I love seeing it grow!  

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! 

Fobie Friends

Hi all!

I am currently enjoying a quiet evening with some Sex And The City. This is such a perfect way to end my hectic week. Tried kicking the caffeine habit...needless to say, I have had a terrible headache and have been craving Starbucks like no other. Not to worry...I kicked off my weekend with Starbucks and my movie. ;) I am now headache free and full of energy again.

So, I wanted to share something amazing one of my parent's has going on. {By my parent's I mean one of my student's parents} They are this amazing duo that are also children's books authors. Their series is simply splendiferous, fun, and amazing.

One of the perks of having their daughter is that we get our very own copy and Leslie, one of the authors, comes to read to us! Below is a picture of her reading their newest edition of Fobie Friends to our class. The kids were thrilled we got the first copy!

...so what is "Fobie Friends"?

Leslie and Brian focus on children's fears. As an elementary teacher, I can appreciate this. Kids are afraid of water, starting a new school, heights, and so many things! Their books focus on these fobias but in a fun way. Each character faces their fear with the help of a silly "Fobie Friend" that shows them they can take charge of their fears and have fun! 

The beautiful illustrations and fun rhyming makes it great for k-3, but I even spy some of our older kiddos grabbing them in the library! If you are looking for something fun and different, I strongly suggest looking at them next time you are at Barnes & Noble.

This duo doesn't stop there! They are even writing CCSS curriculum to go with the books and traveling schools. How awesome is that?!

You can also check out their website HERE!

Happy reading everyone!

*These are my own opinions. I was not asked to write this post, but was given permission from the authors.

Common Core for Parents

Hi there!

I don't know about you all, but I am still struggling with being "beginning of the school year" tired. It has caused me to neglect a lot of things in my life...the blog being one of them.

Lately, I have had a lot of my parents email or come to me with severe concerns on how I am teaching due to Common Core. It is now at the point where I am having a "CCSS for the Parents" night in my classroom.

Many of my parents, myself included, were taught the classic lecture and question way. Things are much different now! Many of my parents struggle with helping on homework, and I completely understand. To help them learn the "new" way of thinking, I have put together a PowerPoint and a PDF to follow for them on my educational night.

I have uploaded it to TPT for you to grab your own copy. You can click HERE for it.

We are going to go over the following (all found in the PDF):
-What is CCSS?...what CCSS is NOT.
-Testing and CCSS
-Strategies for reading
-Strategies for math
-Videos on lesson that is CCSS VS 20th century learning

How do you educate your parents on Common Core?

New Design Giveaway!

I am so excited and obsessed with my new blog design. A HUGE thank you to Megan at A Bird in Hand Designs. Didn't she do an amazing job?! She was super easy to work with and kudos for her for having patients with me through the process!

To celebrate my beautiful new blog, I am hosting my first ever giveaway! {Insert loud cheers :)}

I will be giving away a few of my favorite things.

Some things you can expect from the giveaway are....

-My go-to lunch bar when I am too busy making copies to sit down to eat {Larabars}
-An adorable water bottle...because every teacher needs to sip his/her beverage in style
-Goodies for work...such as Sharpies & washi tape
...and the rest I will save for a surprise! :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Coming Soon} Book Club

Hey all! 

It is so wonderful to have a day off today. I actually got to finish one of my books I started over the summer!...imagine that! 

That got me thinking-we are only 4 weeks into our school year, and I already started to lose time to myself for reading and relaxing. Does this happen to you too?? I find plenty of time for grading papers, creating TPT products, and cleaning {insert eyeroll} but no time for just coffee, a book, & quiet time. 

This is why I created "The Book Club Beauties". This is a place were we can all vote on a book, read, relax, and sip wine. Also, I think it will be a great way to meet other teachers in the blogger-verse. 

I will be sending out an email to anyone who asked to join on my instagram {@cardigansandcaffeine}. If you want to join, send me an email and I will add you to the list. 

Our first job is to vote on a book. I will continue to grow the group in an open community to allow us all to chat at the end of our reads together. 

Post below if you have a book you would like to suggest and introduce yourself. I will take all of the suggestions and put them in a hat for a blind pick to keep it fair! 

Happy reading!

September Currently

Hi all!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Labor Day! Mine has been spent in comfy clothes with a cup of coffee...I can't complain. :)

Today I am linking up with Farley at "Oh' Boy 4th Grade". Have you seen her blog? It is ah-mazing!

So...here we go!

I am loving Lana Del Ray, but I need to update my iTunes! Any suggestions? I love all types of music. 

Isn't it great having today off?! Unfortunately, my boyfriend doesn't get that luxury. So I am enjoying having our whole apartment to myself. It feels like summer again with how quiet it is. ;) 

So, I have been seeing Jamberry Nails all over my Insta....they look adorable! I am really close to trying them, but I haven't heard much about reviews. What do you all think? Worth it? I am used to getting the shellac manicures...so I am worried they don't last as long. 

I need to take advantage of having today off...and maybe, I don't know...workout for a change! Buuuut my yoga studio is closed...that is a good enough reason to just relax today...I think? I am thinking about trying running. I have always been a yoga girl, but running "runs" in my family.

I hope you are all enjoying your long & well deserved weekend! Play safely today!

Sunday Funday Freebie

Second grade had a kick start with even and odd numbers this month. I decided to give a Sunday Funday freebie....only it is really like a Monday freebie because I forgot to publish it yesterday night!

We start each math class with our even and odd chant:

0,2,4,6,8 being even is just great! 

1,3,5,7,9 being odd is just fine! 

The kids love it! 

To end the week we did an even and odd sort in our interactive notebook. 

The students went threw and color coded each even number green and each odd number red. 

They then cut out the "even and odd" labels and numbers. In their notebooks, they used one page for even and the adjacent page for odd. 

For my early finishers I challenged them to put each number from least to greatest and challenged them to add groups of the numbers together. 

This lesson for review took about an hour. 

If you want to grab your Sunday Funday freebie click HERE! 

How do you review and teach even and odd? 

The Science of Plants

This week in science we started out unit on plants and flowers. Some of the activities I started with were a KWL, labeling a diagram on an anchor, a project in our interactive notebook, and reading our science book together. 

Fridays are my "fun" day or "Fun Friday"! This week I decided to do a craft with flowers and a paragraph explaining three new things that we're learned about plants. 

We started with choosing two colors; one for the middle of the flower and one for the petals. We also used a green. 

Fold it "hamburger, hot dog, hot dog, hot dog" and cut. It should look like this: 

We then took the color we chose for the middle color, looped it, and glued. 

The extra paper was shared or donated to our paper bin. We continued to

loop all of our petals. 

The students then glued the petals to the middle of the flower. 

We then created two leaves. 

We glued the two leaves to the stem and the stem to two petals. 

{voila!}

After creating our flowers we wrote a little paragraph of three new things learned with an intro and a conclusion. 

What activities did you do to teach about plants?