Winner!

Thank you all for entering my 500 follower giveaway! It's time to announce a winner....

Mary W!

Look out for your prizes in your email, Mary! :)

Meanwhile, folks, I have to get back to finishing report cards. Our system is computerized and requires numerical codes for all the grades, behavior reports, and comments. It seems like it would make life easier than writing it all out, but it actually takes forever to find the code for the comment you are thinking of! I have been putting them off "until tomorrow" for over a week now. I'm finally up against the deadline- so it's back to the grind.

Stay warm!

One of those fantastic days

I had such a fantastic day today. Seriously- it was great. The lessons I planned went off without a hitch, my kids were engaged and learning, and behavior was spectacular. Seriously- even my lunch tasted better than usual! It was the kind of day that leaves a smile on your face until you get into bed. :) Just had to share the happiness.

I hope you all have a spectacular day, too. :)

I saw this linky and LOVED it! I just had to link up with my bloggy friend, Where the Wild Things Are for "A Day Our Way."

My day *actually* starts around 7 or so usually with before school prep. Then, if I have duty that begins at 8:05. Then, the fun begins. :)

8:30 - 8:45 - Homeroom. Here, my kiddos unpack, get ready for the day, and do some morning work. Lots of this time is spent just settling in, usually.

8:45 -9:30 - Specials/my prep. The kids rotate through library, technology, music, art, and gym.

9:30 - 10:10 - Writing Workshop. Although I'd like to have my reading and writing as one big literacy block, I teach an integrated section of reading. A special ed. teacher pushes in for the following block, so we have to divide them up. C'est la vie. We spend our time in workshop doing mini-lessons, conferencing, and working in various stages of the writing process.

10:10 - 10:15 - Agenda books & snack. Fifth grade is a big year in my district- the kids get their very first district issued agenda books. Every day I write in one book on the ELMO and the kids copy it down.  The goal is to get them used to writing down all their own assignments in an agenda book before they go off to the middle school next year, where they are expected to copy down all their assignments in each class on their own.

10:15 - 11:00 - Reader's Workshop. Minilessons, independent reading, and guided reading. I really love guided reading- so this is a lot of fun for me! It's just so much fun to see kids who are really interested in a book. Their reactions and the conversations we have are phenomenal.

11:00 - 12:25 - Social Studies. That seems like such a long block! However, it's not just for my kiddos. We switch classes for science and social studies, and decided to try a block schedule this year. Every other day, my kiddos head off to science and I teach another class social studies. During this time, we read from our textbook, participate in some guided reading of social studies books, and work on projects.

12:25 - 1:05 - lunch & recess!

1:05 - 1:25 - whole group math lesson. This is my "teacher centered" teaching for math. We watch an instructional video from our textbook series and do some guided practice. Usually, we correct our homework during this time, also.

1:25 - 2:25 - Guided Math. I talked a bit about my guided math a bit before (also called math workshop). I've tweaked a few things, but the basics of the format are the same. I meet with my kiddos each day in small groups to work through some problems so I can really see where they are doing well and where they are struggling. They also play a math game, do independent practice, and do a "teacher choice" task (usually math facts or review of a previous topic).

2:25 - 2:45 - homeroom & busses called. My little darlings use this time to clean the room, do their classroom jobs, and socialize (of course). Walkers are dismissed at 2:45.

So, there you have it- that's my day!

Don't forget about my 500 follower giveaway! A few more days left to enter.

500 Follower Giveaway!

I am so excited to be finally posting my 500 followers on Bloglovin' giveaway!! I have been looking forward to this for a couple weeks now. Here it goes!

Tons of great prizes! Including:

Choice of item from Keepin' it Krazy with Mrs. Berns

$10 to Rockin' and Lovin' Learnin' TPT store

Adjective Wall Cards from Rosie's TpT store

Winter Parts of Speech Practice from Literacy Spark's TpT store

Winner's choice from Success in Second Grade's TpT Store

Morning Work for the Month of February from The Tutu Teacher

Cause & Effect Task Cards {40 Differentiated Cards, Poster, Game Board, +More!} 

from The 4th Grade Journey

Winner's Choice from TpT Store

3 Customizable Guided Reading Lesson Plan Templates from 

McDee's Busy Bees store

Black and White (Editable!) Polka Dot Teacher Binder from Shafer's Shenanigans

AND....

$15 Starbucks Gift Certificate from The Craft of Teaching

$20 TpT Gift Certificate from me, and your choice of item from my store!

Those are some seriously great prizes! I had product envy as I was typing in the names of each of the items above. :) Thanks again to all the great bloggers who donated items for this giveaway. So, enter the giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Post Holiday Blues

I don't know about you guys, but I've got some serious after vacation blues going on. I let myself get out of the regular work day routine, so I am SO not interested in getting up in the morning! It's SO cold here (polar vortex! Boo!), which only adds to my disdain. Beyond that, the bank account balance is seriously low. You all know it's not easy to do it all on a teacher's salary, which is why I'm loving a newly discovered blog, Surviving on a Teacher's Salary.  Crystal blogs tips for saving money and also posts great deals as she sees them online. The deals she posts are for anyone, not just teachers, so I was even able to pass a few good deals on to my parents. Check it out!

While you are at it, don't forget to check out my Teacher Discount Directory! There are so many places that will give you a little (or sometimes big) something off your price if you show proof of your profession. This has totally been a lifesaver for me. Offsetting the cost of classroom supplies can be tough, especially since congress let the educator expense tax deduction expire.  If you know of any that I haven't listed, let me know and I will update it.

Guys, I'm so close to 500 followers on Bloglovin'! I am so excited.  A giveaway is in the works, with the help of some of my favorite bloggy friends. If you are interested in donating an item, I would love to have you! Click here to give me your information for the giveaway- and THANK YOU!  Check back soon for the giveaway. :)

Currently... 2014!

Even with the countdown and preparing, the fact that a year has passed always hits me just after the ball drops. 2014- can you believe it? It's just wild to think about. I'll probably forget for the next month and write 2013 everything, anyway.

Have you linked up in the Blogs by Grade listing? If not, check it out! There are tons of bloggers listed by their grade level. Pre-K was just added today! If you fit into another category which I haven't listed, let me know and I'd be happy to make a new button.

For the first time in 2014 I have linked up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for the Currently linky! I totally loved these last year, even if I fell off the bandwagon after October.

In other news, the best timed storm ever is hitting the Boston area tonight! It will start snowing a little after midnight, and won't stop until Friday morning. It's not a huge blockbuster for snow amounts, but since the duration is so long our vacation was extended a bit by the superintendent. Schools are closed until Monday! I can totally get caught up on all that stuff I swore I'd do, but hadn't yet done. (Yea.... right.)

So, I logged into Bloglovin' today and saw that I am almost at 500 followers! I can't believe it. I am so excited to have reached this milestone! I am putting together a giveaway, so check back soon to enter. If you are interested in joining and donating to the giveaway, I'd love to have you! Click here and let me know what you'd like to donate- and THANK YOU!

End of the year linky parties!

There are so many cute end of the year linky parties right now, I just couldn't resist. What a fun way to wrap up the year!

The first one is Resolutions from A Peach for the Teach.

Next up is the Thirteen in '13 linky from A Teeny Tiny Teacher.

It's been an interesting year for clothes for me. I am almost 5 months pregnant and growing like crazy, so pretty much anything that fits is my favorite article of clothing. :) That being said, I'm obsessed with these boots I got in London this past April. Seriously. They are adorable AND comfortable. That's practically the shoe jackpot! 

Okay, here is my dirty little secret: I am really boring. Hubby and I usually wait until movies are out on DVD and we can watch them on Netflix or HBO before we watch them. I know, seriously. We are so boring! But, this year, I did actually see a movie in the theater. As luck would have it, I LOVED it. In typical nerdy fashion, that movie is my all time favorite F. Scott Fitzgerald novel: The Great Gatsby. It was quirky and modernized, for sure, but that is part of why I loved it so much. Fantastic movie.

Without a doubt my favorite TV series of 2013 was Downtown Abbey. Fitting, too, since I am obsessed with all things British. Who doesn't love a good period drama set in the English countryside, complete with lords, ladies, war, and love? So good. 

This is a tiny little restaurant that only has one location- 3 hours away from me no less- but Oh. My. GOSH. It is so good! Hubby and I are both vegetarian, so the prospect of going to a restaurant where we can order anything on the menu is really exciting. It sounds silly, but it's a great feeling! We have plenty of vegetarian restaurants near us in the Boston area, but this little gem in Southern Maine is so worth the drive. We discovered it on a short trip to visit friends, and keep going back because it is SO good. 

I've always loved outdoor running, and a few years ago my hubby go me into mountain biking. Last year, we starting hiking. Well, this year, he decided he wanted to try mountain climbing. Seriously. We're talking, tiny little iron ladders, rickety wooden stairs, cracking hand-pulls, and 1,530 foot climbs. Check out the teeny tiny trees in that picture! We weren't even 3/4 of the way up, either. It was HARD, but it was a lot of fun. The feeling when I got to the top was fantastic.... until I realized I had to get down somehow. Seriously. Remember those tiny little hand-pulls, rickety stairs, and tiny iron ladders? They are even less fun going down with shaky legs. EEK! It was a blast, though. We are totally hooked. 

For our 3rd wedding anniversary, my husband got me this Forevermark necklace. I absolutely love it. :) It's beautiful, he picked it out, and the necklace length is adjustable so I can wear it with any neckline. I wear it all the time. 

Seriously. These cookies. Ridiculously good. No other words are needed.

This post about Class Dojo. Mostly because I still use it all the time, and LOVE it!

We bought our first home on September 30! It's a real fixer, and we still aren't living there... but we love it. We've been working hard nights and weekends to get it fixed up and ready to move in. There have been SO many set backs, delays, mistakes, and frustrations, but we are getting there. We hope to move in by the end of January... but we also hoped to move in by the end of November. :) Fingers crossed!

One of my favorite hobbies is photography. I love taking pictures! I am one of those weirdos who will stop in my tracks and take a picture at any random time. This picture of the Houses of Parliament isn't great technically, but the I will never forget the feeling when I took it. We were in the London Eye watching the sun set over London. Seriously- whenever I look at it I feel happy. :)

This one is a toss up. Either telling my husband that we are expecting our first baby, or seeing him on the ultrasound for the first time. I literally squeaked with happiness when I saw his heart beating. :)

1. Finish renovating our house and finally move in!

2. Organize my classroom files better. I hate having to search for things I made last year just because I did not file them smartly!

My word will definitely have to be change. We have a new house that we are looking to move into, a baby on the way, and my husband was recently promoted. The times, they are a-changin'... but in such a fantastic way.

Simply Kinder is hosting a fun little link up, for no reason other than to make new friends. :) 

So, check them out and link up. :) Happy New Year Friends!