December Currently

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Hi guys!  This is my second blog post in a week.  Whoa.  

Here’s my Currently for December!  Thanks to the awesome Farley for hosting this linky party every month! 


Listening: Adele.  All of the feels.  {I’m pretty sure I don’t need to add any further explanation to this.}

Loving: My students’ reaction to our gingerbread friend from the North Pole!  I did the Elf on the Shelf thing last year {his name was Sneaky Bob}, and I’m kind of over his creepy little face.  Ha!  I have some students who don’t celebrate Christmas, so I was on the lookout for something a little bit different and wintery.  My friend told me about these cute stuffed gingerbread toys from Walmart, and they smell like gingerbread, too!  I totally love the idea of hiding a holiday visitor around the room for the kids to find, and you better believe my little gingerbread friend will be up to the same shenanigans that my elf did!  This time of year is always so much fun!  I love their sweet innocence and excitement.  And the weird, random names they always come up with for our visitors.  This year’s suggestions were: Ginger {of course}, Gingey, Con {what?}, Superman, Supergirl, Little Cute Girl, and Rose.  We voted, and it was a toss up between Gingey and Supergirl.  It was a close one.  They finally decided Gingey Supergirl was a good compromise.  I’m so glad that’s over.

Thinking: “TpT Sale!  I have 50 minutes left.  How much did I spend already?  What else can I buy before the time runs out?  Do I really need a March unit right now, it’s only December.  Who am I kidding, I love leprechauns!  Oh look, there’s another cute one for back to school…”

Wanting: More time!  I'm so excited, because I just put my first paid product on TpT this week!  I have so many ideas in my head right now, but I wish I had more time to create.  I’ve been feeling super excited and inspired about this new journey {see my last blog post!} and I can’t wait to add more products to my store!

Needing: A fancy pencil sharpener for my classroom, more glue sticks, and white construction paper.  {Teacher problems}

Real or Faux?: Faux!  Ours is super pretty when the lights are on and it smells like fake pine, too!

I hope you get a chance to link up with us this month and share your Currently!  Have a great rest of December!  Happy Holidays!

Happy Teaching!


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My New TpT Journey!

Saturday, November 28, 2015
Hi, friends!  I know I’ve been absent from my blog for quite some time, but now I’m back!

I’ve finally uploaded my very first paid product to TpT this week!  I’m so excited to begin my new journey!  I’ve been a member/seller for over a year, but never got up the courage to put my ideas out there {it’s scary, you guys}.  I went to the TpT Conference in Vegas this year, and I left feeling SO inspired!  And just when I was ready to get to work, life became incredibly busy, because I started a new job!  I’m in a new district and I’ve moved down from second grade to kindergarten!  I’ve taught kinder before and I love LOVE the littles, but it’s a lot of work and prep!  Sadly, I didn’t have any of my teacher stuff from my prior kinder years, so I had to start fresh this year.  I’m soooo thankful for TpT for saving me in the prep department this year!  Greg Smedley-Warren, Deanna Jump, Deedee Wills, and Marsha McGuire have been total lifesavers!

So anyways.  I love pirates.  My students last year loved pirates {and they are totally my inspiration for this new product!}  I went to the Bahamas earlier this year, and I was super sad that there weren’t any hanging around.  

Also, I love this guy:


In honor of all of this pirate love, my newest product is called "Surrender Your Booty!", mostly because I just love saying that!  I created it for my second grade littles last year, and they had so much fun with it!  I’ve broken it up into three parts: an ELA edition, a Math edition, and a discounted bundle with both. 

Arrrrgh you ready to see what’s included? {Sorry, I had to go there}

ELA Edition:

Click on the photo to see it in my TpT store!


Surrender Your Booty! Sight Word Game
(Alternate version: Surrender Your Loot!)

First Mate Fact or Opinion? Scoot, Write the Room or Task Cards
(There are 24 cards and a matching worksheet)

Under the Sea Synonym Matching Game with worksheet

Pirate’s Cove Contractions Matching Game with worksheet
(Includes not, will, and is contractions)

Landlubber’s Lore Writing Task Cards and two types of writing paper

Math Edition:

Click on the photo to see it in my TpT store! 


Surrender Your Booty! Subtraction Game
(Alternate version: Surrender Your Loot!)

Walk the Plank Word Problems Scoot, Math the Room, or Task Cards (24 cards with double-digit addition and subtraction problems, with and without regrouping; Includes a matching worksheet)

Treasure Trove Telling Time Matching Game with worksheet
(Time to the hour, half-hour, and 5 minute increments)

Mermaid Multiplication Matching Game with worksheet
(One-digit problems, numbers 2-5)

Anchors Away Addition Task Cards with worksheet
(Two-digit problems that include regrouping)

The Bundle:

Click on the photo to see it in my TpT store!


Since I'm now teaching kinder, I decided to make a version for those guys, too.  That will be coming up next!  I had so much fun making this one, and I am excited and anxiously awaiting my first TpT sale.  Speaking of sales, I will be participating in the Cyber Monday sale going on November 30th and December 1st!  I have so many other ideas that I can’t wait to get started on, too!  Thank you so much for supporting me on this journey, and I hope all of you have an amazing December!

Happy Teaching!


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I Am So Thankful!

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Hey, kids!  I was nominated waaayyyy back in November for the Liebster Award by the lovely Teaching With Smiles {Thank you, again!}!  I am so thankful for every single one of you who have visited my little corner of the blogging world.  I love my blog, and I wish I had more time to dedicate to it.  This has been a truly amazing and invaluable experience, and I love love LOVE that I’ve been able to make connections with other teachers around the world!

I love the idea behind the Liebster Award.  {Partly because the word “Liebster” is German, meaning “dearest” or “beloved”.  I grew up speaking German with my grandparents and I am, in fact, fluent in the language of “Germlish”.  Ha!} 

The Liebster Award is awarded to new bloggers with less than 200 followers, and it is an AWESOME way for us to find new bloggers and get them noticed.  You’ll have a chance to get to know me better, too, because I was asked to answer 11 questions!  And at the end of this post, I’ll choose 11 blogs to nominate for the award, too!

1.) Why and how long ago did you start blogging?

This month, I celebrated my one year blogiversary.  There was a huge party {of one} involving pajamas and chocolate.  You should have been there!  I started blogging because I really wanted to be a part of the online teaching community, and make some new friends along the way.  I’ve been so inspired and I’ve become more creative because of the teachers I’ve met through blogging, Instagram, and Facebook.  I love collaborating with other teachers in general, and this just feels like one huge Professional Learning Community!

2.) What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why?

Inspired!  I’ve been so grateful for all I’ve learned from others, and I hope to become an inspiration to all of you, as well!

3.) Is there something you learned late in your blog journey you wished you knew before?

The one thing I’m STILL trying to figure out is how everyone keeps up!  I’m pretty sure Dumbledore visited some of you with his Time Turner.  That’s the only possible explanation I can come up with as to how everyone seems to find time for blogging, TpT, family, and teaching! 

4.) What is your favorite past time other than blogging?

Something I absolutely cannot live without is music.  Well, aside from country {#sorrynotsorry}.  A few years ago, I had an hour and a half commute to work {one way!}, and I reeeeally looked forward to my drives with Radiohead.  Love them!

5.) How many hours per week do you dedicate to your blog?

To this one, not enough!  I do have a classroom blog for my littles and their parents, and I post there 1-2 times per week.  I dedicate way more time to my Instagram! {You can find me there as glitteratschool}

6.) What category of blog posts do you enjoy the most?

Oh gosh, this is hard.  I really love to see what other classrooms look like, and I am a sucker for organization.  It’s also awesome to see when teachers showcase their favorite TpT products! 

7.) Where does your blog inspiration come from?

Everywhere!  I am constantly thinking to myself, “I should blog about this!” {And then I don’t…}

8.) Which post that you've written are you most proud of?

This may sound silly, but I am actually most proud of my first post!  I had been thinking for about a year that I wanted to start a blog, and I never had the courage to do it!  I’m so proud of myself for taking the chance!

9.) Is there any post you have been planning to do, but have postponing it for a while now?

{You mean aside from this one?}  In December, I planned to create a post about the holiday happenings in my classroom.  We were having so much fun, but it involved a ton of prep time, and then I was away from my computer for the two weeks of Winter Break.  I blame our class elf, Sneaky Bob.  He was keeping me on my toes all month.

10.) What is your favorite aspect of blogging?

Again, I love the collaboration!  It’s important to me to stay current with what’s new in education, and I love the opportunity to see what everyone is up to!  I also think it is so cool that I’ve found so many bloggers around the world.  I wish I could visit all of your classrooms!

11.) Which recipe, project, or idea on my blog would you most likely to try yourself?

Teaching With Smiles nominated me, and she has so many great ideas!  I love her “We Read It Wednesdays”!  I think books are an amazing tool for teaching, and I use them all the time in my classroom.  They are so easy to blog about, too!

Now I have the chance to give a shout-out to some new and new-ish blogs!  I have so many favorite blogs, and a lot of my faves were already nominated!  {I apologize if you’re on my list and you’ve already been nominated!}  But I cheated a little and added more than 11, and some have 200+ followers.  What can I say, I just love sharing the love!  I hope these awesome teachers will take the time to answer the 11 questions that I answered above, and share the love by nominating 11 more teachers! 

Here are my nominees for the Liebster Award:

1. Applejacks Teacher

2. iTeach Second

3. Learning in Wonderland

4. On the Go Teacher Mama

5. Polka Dot Firsties

6. Sniffin Around in Education

7. Sweet Life of Second Grade

8. Teacher’s Lounge

9. The Lowdown in Miss L’s Class

10. The Pink Pineapple

11. A Special Sparkle

12. Creative Undertakings

13. Educating Children with Disabilities

14. The Pawsitive Pencil

15. Learning to be Awesome

16. Klassenkunst (This one is in German and I love it!) 

 

I hope all of you have a fantastic week!
Happy Teaching!

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Hello there, Internet.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

I love March.  I love leprechauns and Irish accents.  Do you remember when you were little and kids would threaten to pinch you for not wearing green?  I used to use my charm and green eyes to get away with it.  Every. Single. Time.  It was awesome!  I wish I could use them to get away with other things now, like paying taxes, but I digress…

I’m super excited for this month!  I love celebrating St. Patrick’s Day!  My second graders are still at the age where they kinda/sorta believe in things like Holiday Elves (ours was named Sneaky Bob…he certainly lived up to that moniker), The Tooth Fairy, The Desk Fairy, and leprechauns.  {Well, sort of, except now some of them are too “cool” for things like that.}  I’m planning to take their coolness down a notch this month, because my class leprechaun is going to force them to keep believing until June.  Mark my words.

Here’s my Currently for the month of March!  A huge shout out once again to the lovely Farley, she’s pretty amazing! 

March Currently

Listening: I finally convinced my mom to watch Grey’s Anatomy!  So I’m now on my second round of watching Season 9.  I love this show!  My memory is horrible, so it’s almost brand new again, too.  Miranda is my favorite character.  She’s so sassy!  Who’s yours?

Loving: If you’re a Mac person, I don’t have to explain myself here.  If you’re not a Mac person, I still don’t have to explain myself.  Because they’re awesome!!!

Thinking: The California cold kind of snuck up on me today, and I was freezing.  I know, I know.  Most of you have been stuck inside practically all of February, due to the mountains and hills of snow on your driveways.  I would rather have that over hot weather, honestly.  But I also don’t like any weather to sneak up on me. 

Wanting: I’ve heard of teachers who have a two-week Spring Break!What is that? How do I get one of those?

Needing: This could apply to so many aspects of my life, really, but for now I will just focus on blogging and TpT.  I need to get my act together in those areas.  At least I’m a really good Instagramer!

Spring Break Plans: I love sleeping in. And I love working out. Also, I love pizza. I think I’m going to try to make it the whole week without including pizza. Wish me luck.

I hope you all have an amazing month!  Let me know what your leprechauns are up to! 

Happy Teaching!

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