Liebster Award and Happy Cyber Monday and Tuesday!

I was SO touched and completely taken back when I logged on today and saw that I was nominated by two new followers for the Liebster Award!  

From what I understand, the Liebster Award is given by bloggers to up-and-coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.  I could definitely use some help in that area :).  It is to show new bloggers that they are appreciated and to help spread the word about new blogs.

I was nominated by two sweet teachers.  Bren from The Teacher Diaries and Colleen over at Fun and Fearless in First  Please take a second and check out their blogs!  They are adorable!

So here are the rules:
-You must post 11 random things about yourself
-Answer the questions the nominator has set for you
-Create 11 questions for the people you nominate
-Choose 11 blogs you love (200 followers or less) and link them in your post.
-No tag backs {But please leave me a comment on this post with the URL to your Liebster so I can learn more about you!}

11 Random Facts about ME:

1.  I absolutely LOVE Dr. Pepper.  I shouldn't drink it as much as I do, but I just love it.
2.  I am pretty sure I am addicted to coffee....We brew Community Coffee in our house.  It's a delicious local brand. 
3.  I love to cook, but hate the clean up.
4.  I wish Ellen was my real friend...I really do. 
5.  If I wasn't a teacher, I would have been an Early Interventionist {I still think about it ALL the time, everyday actually}
6.  On top of my coffee addiction, there is a Chic-fil-a obsession too.  I could eat those nuggets and fries a few times a week I swear!
7.  I enjoy getting dressed up for a night out, but truly appreciate a night at home with my family too.
8.  I am married to my High School sweet heart. {We met in 6th grade}
9.  I am running my first 10K this coming March in New Orleans. Something I have wanted to do for years now! {nervous because I am not an avid runner}
10. I love my camera, even though I am not a great photographer.  I try :)
11.  I used to want about 3-5 kids.  Now, after having 1 and teaching 26 all day.  We are thinking maybe one more, eventually ;)

Questions Colleen sent me:

1.  What is your favorite subject to teach?

-Reading...I see the most growth there and it makes me oh so proud.  Not to mention, who ever would have thought that babies are reading in Kindergarten now! Amazing.

2.  Favorite holiday tradition?

-Can't say I have one??

3.  Favorite book to read to your class?

-The Cajun Night Before Christmas {I have the natural built in accent that I don't always like to admit that I have}

4.  Favorite guilty pleasure reality show?

-Anything on BRAVO or TLC

5.  Favorite movie?

-Sweet Home Alabama

6.  What is your best childhood memory?

-My summers of Softball.  Traveling around the US playing and making friends!

7.  What is your least favorite household chore?

-Puting the clothes away, ugh!

8.  What are you afraid of?

-Messing my son up!  It was easy to critize the parents of kids in my class, but until you have one and see that unconditional love...then you finally understand.

9.  Salty or sweet?

-Little bit of both

10.  Where is your ideal vacation spot?

-BEACH, hands down.  

  1.  What sparked your interest in blogging?

-I loved reading about how similar we really all are.  Teachers are special people whether we are in New York or LA.  We are awesome and some of the smartest and most understanding people I know.  Most of us have a true grip on reality and what it's like to work everyday and make a difference :) 

Questions for my Nominees:

1.  How long have you been teaching?
2.  If you weren't a teacher, what would your profession be?
3.  How long have you been blogging?
4.  Do you have kids? Pets?
5.  Coffee, Soda, Water?
6.  What do you enjoy doing on the weekends?
7.  How many students are in your class?
8.  Favorite place to take a quick get-a-way?
9.  Do you have to eat lunch with your students or is there a duty teacher where you get to eat in peace? 
10.  Afraid of anything?
11.  Do your grade level teaching partners share with you their ideas and thoughts?  Team players?

 Here are my 11 Nominations:
And if you were already nominated....Please do not worry about re-doing the questions.  I am just thankful I came across your blog :)

1. Coast to Coast Kinder

2. Teacher Spice and Everything Nice

3. Terry's Teaching Tidbits

4. Saddle Up for Second Grade

5. Teach Pray Love

6. 1st Grade Hip Hip Hooray

7.  My Little Kinders

8.  Mrs. Jones's Kindergarten

9. Miss Martins Classroom
10. Kinder Karla
11.  A Teacher Without A Class

Dont't forget to leave a comment with a link back to your blog with the questions answered so that I can get to know you a little better!

And Don't forget to check out my store for Seasonal Crafts and printables!

You can receive up to 28% off using the coupon code CMT12

Keeping Up With Kindergarten

Happy Shopping!

Lindsey 

My Black Friday...Flash Sale!

I have neglected my little blog for the last week and a half but it's been for good reason!  First of all, my week off of school has been consumed with family time!  And it felt oh.. so.. wonderful!  My sweet hubby's football team lost out of the playoffs a week ago which means we had him all to ourselves!  That has never happened on Thanksgiving break...and boy did we need that!  We got to spend quality time with Thomas and we even had coffee together...not out of our own coffee pot either...shopped a little and had a few lunch dates together too! (These things NEVER happen when you are married to another teacher, so I enjoyed them to the max)  I was very grateful and thankful for his presence this Thanksgiving break. Being a coach's wife can get pretty lonely!

Here is a picture of our little Turkey on Thanksgiving day!

And here is what I have been up to school wise!

Reindeer Games! Click here to Visit my TpT store!

 Excuse the little water marks on the sweet Reindeer!  My little guy left his cup of water on top of my work and I did not have an extra copy on hand at home to completely re-do the craft!  

Elf Yourself!

Visit my TpT Store!

Take a look around and download the previews of these packs and see if they could add to your Holiday Hoopla!  I know my kiddos LOVE glyphs and I hope yours do, too!

Here is the best part, if you do like them, I am having a BLACK FRIDAY FLASH SALE!!

20% off my two new Holiday Packs only until 5pm Central time today!

If you do decided to purchase them, please consider following my blog and leave a comment as to how you came across it!  I would LOVE to hear from you!  It makes me smile and reminds me I am not talking to myself!

Happy Shopping!!
Lindsey

Reflecting!

Hellllloooooo Saturday!

Oh, how I have longed to see you all week.  As I reflect back how last week I can't help but think....some things could have gone a little smoother.  I feel like my kiddos are starting to pick and poke at one another constantly, they are having a very hard time focusing overall AND all they want to do it chit chat while I am attempting to teach!  What happened to my sweet babies...I know they are in there somewhere,!!!?? I was hoping for a calm *normal* {ha} week before the mass chaos begins next week {Spirit Day, Thanksgiving Feast with Parents, and Grandparents Day} but I had no such luck!  And I know for a fact this week was crazy when I went to upload pictures this morning and realized I only took 80 or so pictures...which isn't very many for me!

So here is a little wrap up of how our week went:

Monday and Tuesday were ALL election and President talk.  We read Duck for President and we also took an online Tour of the White House via TIME magazine for Kids, among other things. I have a class subscription that we read together.  They LOVE these magazines.  Just like a weekly reader, but a little more in-dept and magazine like.  Then of course we VOTED!

Kiddos brainstormed qualities of a good president!

I whipped up this little White House {we were studying the letter W} craftivity to go along with a Elections packet I had from Gladys Election Packet.  We made a 3d white house to hang outside.  I loved hearing about what they would do if they lived in the white house!  This little girl would "invit Emma uofra" {invite Emma over}.  Don't you just love to see them using the strategies you teach them!  Even though she was a little off with *over*  you can definitely tell she is trying and stretching out sounds! Proud moments :)





We made Hot Dog H's for our H letter study!

Thankful Sight Work Turkeys more previews at the bottom of the post!

And here are some of our Thankful Sight Word Turkeys that the kids worked on in the Art center this week.  Some look like they are in distress while others are looking like perky little turkeys!

We wrapped up our week with a trip to visit our school priest.   In early October, our class made rosaries and we walked over for him to give them a special blessing...It was a perfect way to start our Friday.  Calming!  How beautiful if this church?

We talked with Father, the kids listened and laughed, and we walked back to school {a parking lot away}.  Now I am going to brag because they we REALLY REALLY good. BUT you know there is always little Johnny who is ALWAYS in the front who tends to make your teeth clinch because he was swinging  his rosary around in the air BY THE CRUCIFIX and as Father was talking I could just see it flying and hitting him smack dab in the forehead.  But thankfully, I was able to make eye contact with him, and my aide was able to kindly go and remind him where we were and what he was supposed to be doing.  So all was good :)

We were also working on Solid and Flat shapes this week so we had a fun Math lesson wrap up where the sorted flat and solid shaped foods!  They enjoyed it!

I came across this quick and cute idea on Pinterest and thought it was an easy way to assess who was really understanding solid and flat figures.  And it worked!  I still have 2 or 3 who really just don't get it.  So I now know who needs a little re-teaching!

And Finally, next week!

We will be using my Pilgrim Pack and Gobble Gobble Pack throughout the week.  I am not introducing  new letters or new Math concepts...This week will be all Pilgrims, Native Americans, Turkeys and Family!  Oh, and I am giving them {and their parents} a break from homework too!  I truly think they need it.

Hop on over to my TpT Store

Pilgrim Pack!

Click here for the Turkey Pack!

I would love to hear any feedback if you do purchase any of my packets!  I enjoy hearing form you or even if you just stop by, let me know what you think!

As always, thanks for Keeping Up and Happy Saturday Y'all!
Lindsey

A Pilgrim Craftivity Pack and a FREEBIE!

My word....Mondays are exhausting!  And my head is bobbing as I write this post but I wanted to put up my Pilgrim Pack that I had been working on.  I plan on using it next week with my Kinders and really go into detail with Pilgrims and Indians {I asked a few questions today to see what they knew, and I pretty much got a Cowboy and Indian story} SO, I am very excited to use these resources next week!  Take a look and let me know what you think!!

Click here to grab it from my TpT store!

I think my little ones will enjoy it!

And a FREEBIE for visiting!

Mayflower Journeys

Night!

Lindsey

Currently!

So here is my first CURRENTLY!  So happy to link up with Farley over at 

Oh Boy, Fourth Grade for her November Currently.

Visit her here:

http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com

if you would like to link up!

I also want to thank Coast to Coast Kinder because that's where I stumbled upon her Currently.

Visit her here:

http://coasttocoastkinder.blogspot.com/

So this is ME!

Also, remember to go back and comment on the one or two ahead of your link, and again on the one or two after yours.  Leave something meaningful for them to read!

Enjoy!

Lindsey 

Gobble, Gobble!

After my last sign off, I sort of freaked out and realized that there really were only 2 school weeks left until we departed for Thanksgiving break.  Don't get me wrong, I am over the moon about being off for a WHOLE week...but how am I going to do all of the cute things I pinned on Pinterest in two weeks!!  Throw in Grandparents day and a Thanksgiving feast in there and it doesn't leave much time.....at.all.  We will be discussing Veterans day and the Elections this coming week which leaves very little time to start all of my Thanksgiving fun!

I thought I would share what I plan to begin working on at the end of the week.  Its a turkey packet with cross-curricular pages that could easily be put into centers for independent work. I love Thanksgiving and I hate that it will have to be rushed this year!!  You can check it out at my TpT store!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gobble-Gobble-Sight-Word-Craftivity-and-More

Isn't he cute!!

I am working on a Pilgrim boy and girl craft and writing activity and hope to get it up by the beginning of the week!

So tell me, are you able to fit everything in??!  Do you have a week off for Thanksgiving break too??  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Night!
-Lindsey

TGFTW

Yep!  Thank goodness for the weekends! {TGFTW}

I really think it should be a rule that Trick or Treat should be observed the Saturday before the 31st if it falls on a week day!  My poor babies were tired, cranky and just down right nuts-O the two days after Halloween!  It. was. rough.

We did lots of pumpkin, scarecrow, bat and other fall things leading up to Halloween and I saved SPIDERS for the week of.  My kids LOVE non-fiction.  When I read, I can see their little brains thinkin' away.  We read about spiders from books and watched a few quick videos from lpbmedia.org. {This is a great site for all things Science and Social Living} They loved the fact that spiders actually taste with their FEET!

We are not supposed to have an actual "Halloween Party" so we call it a Halloween Center Celebration!  The parents were invited to come and we played BINGO, decorated small pumpkins, decorated cupcakes, ate a snack and took pictures in a "photo booth" using sticks with big smiles, bow-ties, funny glasses and other props!  They certainly enjoyed themselves and I think the parents did too :)

Here are some pictures of our Halloween week!

"Dissecting" the pumpkin.  Predicting how many seeds would be inside!

Recording their findings!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pumpkin-Observations-and-Predictions-Record-Sheet

Feeling the gooey "pulp"

We put the seeds in groups of ten first, then counted by tens to get the real number

On Halloween day, we used pumpkins to measure the kids, myself and other things around the room.

Recording their findings again!  They had to predict how many pumpkins tall they were, and they also had to ask a friend how many pumpkins tall they were!  They enjoyed this so much!

Waiting patiently to me measured!
Spider hat template can be found in my TpT store too!

The recording sheet.
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/My-Pumpkin-Measurements-non-standard-measurements

This is monster Math for last weeks math center.  I found it as a FREEBIE over at  

http://rowdyinroom300.blogspot.com/2012/10/monster-match.html.  The kids LOVED it.

Fall syllable clapping and recording.
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fall-Syllable-Counting-and-Roll-Count-Graph

I believe they had a blast!  And to think they were just getting started on their fun filled Halloween!

By the time the bell rang to go home, I felt like I had been  hit by a train!  Or at least I think that's what being hit by a train feels like!!  I kept thinking on the way home...keep your eyes open...keep your eyes open...I was exhausted and it was only 4:00 and Trick or Treat doesn't start for 2 more hours! What in the world am I going to do?!!

Well my son did not want to be Woody and refused to put on his costume and I had no fight left in me so I asked him if he wanted to be a skeleton.  He decided on his skeleton jammies and keds {the $11.00 pj's we bought from old navy, not the $50.00 costume we bought from the Disney Store...lesson learned first time mom} But oh well, he was a cute skeleton too!  Michael didn't get home until after Trick or Treat started, so Thomas and I hung out and handed out candy and decided not to go full out and trick or treat around our neighborhood. {We had already trick or treated twice before with his grandma and in our neighborhood last weekend}  He enjoyed giving out the candy just as much as riding in the wagon, which made this tired teacher one happy lady!

Here are a few pictures from our Halloween adventures!

Walking with Dad....couldn't stay out in the wagon!

Super Thomas ready for his Halloween party at school!

KK and Woody

Cheese!  Can you tell Dad  had made it home...he gave him FUN DIP!  I wanted to strangle dear hubby!

 AND I forgot to mention that it was my hubby's school's Homecoming, which happens to be our Alma Mater too! So Thursday and Friday night were packed with parades and football games!  By the time Friday came, I absentmindedly left the camera at home and don't have any from the football game, I guess I will live!

Geaux  Pan'fers!! {Panthers}

Thomas' big cousins hanging out before the HC parade!

Thomas spotted his godmother, KK...who is without a doubt one of my  dearest friends.  I hate that we  don't live a little closer! {30 minutes away ;)} 

Thomas and Lolli watching as the parade rolls!

Looking back as I write this, thinking most of these events happened in the last three days completely makes me understand why I feel like I do today.  Worn. Out.

I am so looking forward to a quick 2 weeks of school, then a little R & R with the family for our Thanksgiving WEEK off!  Wooo Hooo!

Happy Saturday Y'all!

-Lindsey

Our newset family photo....I used the same photo props for our  own Halloween get together .  I think the adults enjoyed them just as much as my Kinders!