August 1st?! Ahh where did the summer go?

Hi Hi Hi! We moved!!! We're just about settled in and I have some pics for you of our new place! Check it out!!

guest bathroom

our bathroom

our balcony with new table set :)

hallway..boring, but we've never had one in an apartment!

dining area

kitchen! my favorite..still a little messy though

our view

guest bedroom

 Whew! So glad to be done and moved...next week we're taking a mini vacay to myrtle beach and then it's school mode central! 

My Summer Bucket List

I haven't had a fun, interesting post in a while and this linky party sounds like fun so I'm joining in...Hadar from Miss Kindergarten along with April and Teri are having a summer bucket list party. Here is (some of ) what's on my list...

1) Get a classroom job!! (I have interviews lined up for a second grade job and K or 1st job) Right now I'm deciding which grade I would want if I had to choose ;)

2) Save money for wedding

3) interview sweet photographer for wedding

4) learn how to make this...

5) maybe make one of these?.....

6) and make one of these...(once I secure that job of course!)

Of course there's so much more too! But just gotta wait and hopefully hear good news from a principal. Then I can have so much fun this summer buying and creating stuff for the classroom! :) 

Have a GREAT memorial day friends!

Getting Better

Happy Thursday! I am sad to write I never did get an email for a follow up interview for the district and my job is very much on the line at the charter school since I'm the newbie. :( Still not sure if I'll have the title job in the fall and still applying like crazy almost all over the nation! haha. I just applied to Tuscon, AZ and Lexington, KY. Any teachers out there have openings in your district??

On a happier note, look how much my first graders have grown in knowing their math facts. Earlier this year I had posted these same rockets and they were so white. You can read about how I do this program here. Now they are "rainbowed"! :) Yay! They are so excited to get their treats.

Yesterday I went to a Scholastic Warehouse Sale and spend too much money! (well granted a saved a ton!) I got about 20 books for $60. Love love the warehouse sales! I feel like I collect children's books like people collect baseball cards! hehe :D Some of the titles include Stuart Little, Alexander and the Wind Up Mouse, Pip and Squeak, ABC Animal Jamboree and Hibernation Station. I am so excited and read them all last night. Now to share them with that invisible classroom I have! haha. ughh...well have a good day and Thank God for the weekend tomorrow.

My Daily Chat with you

I went in to work this morning and one of the greatest things about being a title teacher is getting to throw all your lessons out the window if you're needed to sub! haha. So that's what I had to do. I subbed for first grade (yay) and we had a pretty good day. A few hiccups...kids being out of control at times, a child throwing up at recess, coloring on erasers and getting ink all over hands, but otherwise, ok day. I wanted to share with you a few pics! 

First up is the teacher's chart I saw in her room. She colors in a box when all the students have stayed on a green the entire day. They work up to classroom rewards and I thought this was a neat idea!

This other pic is a gift the teacher got for teacher appreciation week. Very cute and I bet the parent saw it somewhere on Pinterest!

And the best for last of course!...my first graders are doing Rocket Math and are almost all the way up their rockets or I should say have almost mastered their addition facts through 9! So I told them I would bring in a special treat once they passed their rocket. I saw these cute cupcake suckers at the dollar store on Monday and just knew I had to use them so I tied on a pencil and a tag. I can't wait to give it to them! :) 

The best part is you can snag yourself copies of the tags if you would like to do something similar! ;) Ok, off for a date with my fiance to celebrate our 6 year anniversary. (yes, I'm nerdy and I still like to celebrate it!)

Saturday Ramblings

Hi and Good Afternoon!

I am just catching up on the blog before I have to get ready to see 5 Year Engagement.:) Looks good!

Anyway, I was at school yesterday and during my down time, I am always checking out what's new on pinterest. I swear I must pin at least 20 new school things a day! It makes me absolutely LOVE teaching! We are truly in the best career ever because we get to be with kids and create so many cute and colorful things as a full time job! haha how awesome is that!? 

I am doing cart wheels today because yesterday when I got home from my neck surgery (it went well by the way and the needle didn't hurt as much as I thought!) I got an email from a local district asking to meet me next week for the first step in the hiring process. Evidently it goes, meet and greet, formal interview and I guess a sample teaching lesson in a classroom then you're considered for a job! It makes me feel great that knowing out of the hundreds of applicants, I stood out in some way! :) I tell my fiance everyday how much I so love teaching and I hope God gives me a chance this year because I know I would be the best teacher I could possibly be. Then with blogging and pinterest, there's just so many cute ideas to try! So anyway, the "meet and greet" is next thursday and I'm not supposed to bring anything, but made a small "brochure" about myself to leave with the principal. Ok friends, I'll let you go and talk to you soon! Have a good Saturday!

Cupcakes!

Hi friends!

Well this isn't an educational post, but wanted to share with you what I've been up to this evening after school. Tomorrow is our monthly potluck and I really wanted to bake something good so I tried this recipe I've wanted to make for a while now and I think it came out pretty good! They're strawberry cupcakes with champagne! Decadent right?! :) Easy peasy recipe to follow, the only changes I made was to put in 5 c of powdered sugar instead of 6 (I think that was too much). Also, my apartment temp is reading 82 degrees right now....mind you I'm in Ohio so this is stinkin crazy! So the icing was getting a little runny and I had to work fast. Overall, I think they came out very pretty and included the recipe for you! Enjoy! :)

Youtubin it!

So I just want to say, this feels like the longest week ever. For the past few weeks, we've had something going on, whether a holiday or in service and therefore, had a short week. This was a full week and it's draggin! haha TGI(almost)F!

So I've been finding some cute videos to supplement my lessons, especially kindergarten and I wanted to share two I played for them the other day. The first one is just a pirate subtraction video but my kids were enthralled and so excited when they got the right answers.

The other video (I didn't think I was going to get into it, but once it started playing and they were dancing, I found myself wiggling and swaying around!) Very cute!

I need your suggestions (esp. first grade teachers)

So my first graders are once again, back to reviewing money in our math curriculum. I watched the way the teacher taught the lesson today because I was confused with the way they present counting coins. I actually do not like the system at all and the teacher was getting frustrated with the kids because they were giving her wrong answers. Well duh, they didn't get it either! haha I have a pic of an example for you. I taught everyday math during my student teaching and I like the way they present counting coins. How do you do it with your kids? What do you find helps? I really want to help my little guys out and not be so mean like the teacher I watched.

Award and door decorating contest

So I first want to thank Patty from Second in Line for nominating me for the Liebster Award! I am honored and happy to get it. I know how the rules go, but I have to make dinner so I will explore other blogs to give it to tomorrow.

I also want to share with you a pic of my door. I know I just changed it last week, but I took that down temporarily to put up a tropical theme for our upcoming scholastic book fair. I used luau monkeys and since I'm a math teacher, pictures of math books to get the students excited to read them. And as you can see, my title is Monkey Around with Math Books. Cute right!? I liked it. :) The winner gets $25 worth of books or cds for the classroom! Hope I win!

Time to Relax

Yay! The week is over, testing is done and I have a long weekend! ahh..time for some much needed recouping. :)
Living in Cleveland, we're used to the snow, but it came so fast and brutal last night and continues into today that I'm just glad I'm home safe and sound. I'm beginning to think I don't like the snow. I think I'd like it just for Christmas eve and day and then it can go away! In the spring, I'd like to start looking for jobs in Kentucky. I love the country and south. :)