Inspiration Monday

It isn't Monday anymore, but it will be coming around again soon.. I wanted to link up with one of my newest friend, Dana from Fun in 1st Grade :) We all know that Mondays are difficult.. especially when I come back from a break.  If our weeks would just start on Tuesday, I think i would have no problems ;) I am linking up an inspirational picture and quote that mean something to me:

This is a beautiful picture I found of a little boy saying a prayer.  I found it from this wonderful website about children all over the world saying prayers to God of what they want... one child from the Phillipines said, "I pray for a bicycle so that I won't need to walk under the hot sun whenever I go home from school." It is a website for sponsoring children who need more for their education and lives. It really touched me XO hopefully I can help others someday (financially).

One of my favorite quotes of all time, and definitely tells a lot about myself.  I am the opposite of a procrastinator and I always want to do better.  Do we all fail? Of course..and that is difficult for me to handle.  But when I feel like I need to give up or I am failing, then I think of the quote up above.  "She believed she could.... so she did."  For all the times people thought I couldn't, I did... a very difficult goal of mine is to lose weight and fix my health issues.. I believe I can...so I will :]

 

Thanks for reading, and please link up with Fun in 1st Grade! :]

A Ginormous Giveaway

I just came across two new blogs today that were just adorable! - Michelle from Our Sweet Success and Sarah from Mackey's Classroom! They are teaming up and having a GINORMOUS giveaway. How wonderful that so many TPT sellers and bloggers are going to be participating...

During this giveaway I am going to be offering ANY product from my TPT store :] Winner's choice!
Click here to check out my TPT store to start thinking about what you would like to get!

If you would like to link up with Michelle and Sarah, you can over at Michelle's blog now until March 2nd.  On March 3rd, you will have the opportunity to enter to win over at Sarah's blog!


 

And the winner is...

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/88e1c35/


And the winner is... Lori!! I am so happy for you :) Thank you SO much to everyone for entering my giveaway.. it really means a lot! Maybe when I hit 400 followers, I will have another one, but bigger ;) Be on the lookout! Lori, I am e-mailing you right now! XO

I have updated my Teacher's Notebook store and my Teacher Pay Teachers store... I have added a few new products, and I have revised 4 or 5 of mine to make them even better for my fellow teachers.  It really means a lot and I thank you all for everything you do to support me. You rock!
I created this file today "Abolitionist Movement Comprehension Pack" and you can find it here on TPT and here on TN. 

I am still feeling generous so if you would like a chance to win this new product about the heroes of the abolitionist movement, please leave a comment below with your e-mail.  I will pick at random 2 lucky winners Sunday (tomorrow) evening around 5PM, Eastern Time.  :] I need to go to bed because it is 2AM and Monday morning will kill me if I don't get some sleep! Good night loves!

Hall Pass Linky

I am linking up with Reagan from Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits for her fun Hall Pass Linky Party!! What a lovely talented lady Reagan is :] Read below for what needs to be included and join in on the fun!

MY PRODUCT: Okay, so this was really difficult for me.. I have just improved many of my products, so I am unsure of which is my favorite.  I went back and forth with my weather unit, government unit, and my common core units... but I decided (for the moment) my favorite is my Teacher Guide Unit.  And I only say this because it is 50 pages of posters, lists, organization, and excitement for a new teacher.  I want to revise this unit as well hopefully in the near future and make it more pages and even more fun printables for teachers.  Being a teacher is very difficult for those of us with a small paycheck or subbing and looking for that perfect placement.  But we all know how rewarding it is, and I love my Teacher Guide Unit because I think it can get teachers excited to be organized about teaching :]

MY AREA: My classroom is very, very small.  But me and my wonderful kiddos make it work.  My favorite area is our rug and book bins.  I am happy to call myself a bargain shopper and did my best to find pillows and books that my kids could enjoy.  The rug is a hand-me-down from K-2 is Splendid.. Love her!

MY SIGNAL: I feel that we probably have a lot of signals that we use in the classroom, and I do not even realize it.  A few of them that come to mind are the sign language sign for listening:

 

We also have different signals for Daily 5 that I have actually just made up as I go along.  For example, for Read to Someone I have my students hold up 2 fingers to signal that they need a buddy to read with, and then a student that would like to read with them, holds up 2 fingers and they nod at each other to confirm it.  I read about different strategies for this, and that just worked for my kids. 



Also after the kids make their choices, they will not start their work until I say, "Aaaaand BREAK!" and it's so cute because we feel like a team and we are getting ready to work together.  When I forget to do it, they will wait for me (and they had to remind me a couple of times!)

                       

 

MY SANITY: Sometimes I do not know how I get through the long days after teaching, tutoring, teaching piano, cooking dinner, and cleaning.  It's a lot. And I am often tired!

These are the things that keep me sane:

-working out [keeps my stress down]

-treating myself to a sweet treat or chinese food on the weekend [hey a girl can't stick to her diet all the time!]

-hugs and kisses from my honey [and I get a massage once in a while!]

-constantly blogging, talking to you lovelies and putting new activities on tn/tpt.. it helps me to think I am being productive! It DOES keep me sane ;]

-shopping!! I haven't bought myself anything in a long time, but when I lose some more weight, it'll make me feel great to go shopping.. I am hoping by April-ish!

 

Five for Friday

Hello ladies and gents (and the weekend!) I can't complain much because I was off allll this week and have to go back on Monday.. so I didn't really want the weekend to get here too quickly ;) I always say I am going to relax on my breaks, but I.never.do.  I work my butt off with school work & my teacher stores - but that's our life, right? :] I didn't want to include it in my 5 for Friday, but this week has been very hard for me and the people in my town.  Our dear sweet lady Anna went missing Monday and we still have no idea where she is... I cannot help but think bad thoughts, but I am praying and hoping that she is okay XO.. say a little prayer for me if you could!

I am excited to be linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching and it's her famous Five for Friday! She is just wonderful and has the best ideas... please go follow her!

1. Since it was my February break, I definitely have lots of new updates on my teacher stores (click here for Teacher's Notebook and here for Teacher's Pay Teacher's) and I really tried my best to make my products better... I actually am in the middle of fixing up my Landform Unit as well :] Every little bit helps more than anyone knows, so this extra $ (even if it's a few dollars) can do wonders! I wanted to show you my latest post, which is my Reading Common Core Task Cards.. they can go with any fiction story and are most appropriate for grades 4-6 (and higher level 3rd graders.) Perfect for guided reading or having your students try them independently in their notebooks.  Only $1.50 on TN and TPT!

2. Well... I went to my doctor and I need to eat BETTER. All whole wheat and whole grains for me.. I got a kick in the butt with how my liver is doing :\ everything else is great.  I have to tell you all, I am down 6 pounds and feel great! I am better when I am not on break, but I have still been doing my best.  I wanted to give you a heads up of a few great healthy eating choices when you are out to dinner (which I am a lot.)
P.F. Changs - Ginger chicken with broccoli and brown rice: Lunch portion is 570 calories: it is very filling, and one of the best choices on the menu (besides vegetarian options).
Red Robin - This is a toughie with yummy burgers and fries and other salty yumminess... but the regular burgers are over a 1,000 calories..without the fries! Ridic :X So it makes me feel better to have a plain grilled chicken sandwich (with a whole wheat bun) with a side salad.  The whole thing is around 500 calories including the low fat balsamic dressing!

 

3. I am still waiting to be able to pin from my blog to pinterest again!! Don't ever mess up your pinterest It is not worth it ;] And it has become one of my most favorite things in the world.. I just pinned my 1000th pin the other day AND it took me 3 days to sort out alllll my activities into different categories.  Wish I had did it a long time ago!! Come follow me :]

                            

4. My bestest friend and I got together and had a little work party with some yummy fondue... she got out her laminator, sharpies, smelly markers, and poster board and we did a few things that we never get around to and always wanted to do for our classroom.  Going back to Pinterest, it has the BEST anchor charts and poster ideas... here are two that I created for my classroom :]

5. I bought my first font license from Tonya's Treats for Teachers.. I am very excited and look forward to using Tonya's fonts in most of my products.  She is such a wonderful gal too :]

 

So glad I got to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching :] I hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful weekend!!



Common Core

Hi all! :] It is almost midnight, but since I am on February break I have been staying up late and trying to be productive.  I just had some fabulous ladies help me out by checking over my Reading Common Core Task Cards, and I am happy to say that they are live up on Teachers Pay Teachers and Teacher's Notebook! Please check them out :]

The Common Core learning is very important so our students stay on track.. working at a private school, it is not emphasized as much as the public schools, but I make sure to stay on top of it because I want my kiddies to be successful - I love them, and I want to give them all I got as a teacher so they are prepared for 4/5th grade.  I am proud of my ELA Common Core Pack as it has been selling quite nicely over the past couple days.  :] Thank you SO much to all of you for your support and love. I have re-did my Government Unit, Poetry Unit, and now Weather Unit.. all new and improved, better content, fonts, and additional resources.  It took me a LONG TIME but I am so glad I did it since those 3 units are my "Top 3 Sellers".  Please check them out at both my stores!!

I wanted to show you FIVE Common Core products that I think are just fabulous... Please check them out!!

From What the Teacher Wants.. Rachelle has amazing common core checklists for a few different grade levels!! Here is the one for first (one of her best sellers!)

From 3rd Grade Gridiron.. my girl Dana has a 89 page pack full of assessments for ELA for third grade.. Amazing! You need to get this if you are a 3rd grade teacher!

From Deanna Jump... the most talked about TPT seller and millionaire :] She has one of the best all time Common Core sellers for Kindergarten out there... Already has over 2,000 feedback messages! WOW! Such a sweet gal too :]

From Rachel Lynette... she is my go to girl for task cards.. she has the most AMAZING bundles and for such a cheap price!! I have a few of her task card sets, and this is one of my favorites.. perfect for the Common Core, please check these out!!

From One Extra Degree... let's not forget about Poetry!! There are 75 pages from Amanda's Poetry Centers, aligned with the Common Core!! Amanda is another talented lady with many amazing products out there.

 

Don't forget about my GIVEAWAY that I am having.. you can win $25 to TGI Fridays [yum!] and any two products from my teacher store!! Tell your friends!

 

By the way, my Pinterest is under construction.. I have finally decided to divide all my teacher delights that I have found into appropriate categories.. boy, I wish I had done that sooner than later!! It has taken me a few days, and I am STILL not done :[ Advice - if you have not already created a pinterest and you want to, do NOT bunch all of your activities into one category.. organize first ;]

I also messed up my Pinterest account by trying to pin from my blog from my Kindle Fire.. do not do this because now it won't let me pin at all from my blog because of "spam/inappropriate content." I was so excited to pin that I tried over and over and over.. and finally, it cut me off.  I can't wait until they respond and I can start pinning again!!
Come follow me anyway!!! :] http://pinterest.com/lauralove2teach/

Love to Teach February Giveaway!

Hi everyone! I decided to have throw a spontaneous giveaway :) I love the 3AM Teacher and Kevin and Amanda Fonts so I included them in this graphic ;) I have not had a giveaway in a while, and I want to treat my fellow teachers to a night out to dinner and a couple products from either one of my teacher stores! Enter to win a 25 dollar gift card to TGI Fridays (I hope there is one in your area!) and any 2 products from my store.  Giveaway going on from FEBRUARY 17-FEBRUARY 24 at midnight! Check out the rafflecopter below to enter starting at midnight tonight XOXO Love you all, I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/88e1c35/


I am on February break right now and I made a few goals for myself :]
1. Catch up on my beauty sleep
2. Find awesome activities for the common core & state testing
3. Lesson plan and get all caught up since report cards are due soon!
4. Make another product on TPT and TN
5. Find some time for me and relaaax! (Maybe get a massage?!)
6. Workout at least 5 times during my break

Valentine's Love and Craft

Happy Valentine's Day to you all! I hope you had a wonderful day and enjoyed spending time and sharing the love with your students and loved ones.  I had a great (but hectic) day with my lovely kiddos, but I am excited for February break coming up.  I know many teachers do not receive a February break and they get a longer Christmas break than I do, but I like the split up.  I just wish it wasn't so early this year!

Check out our adorable candy holders that me and Miss Mound's class made :) So cute!! Heather is a lot better than me with keeping up with Pinterest and finding the best ideas!! Check out this pin HERE and how you can make a DIY Candy Jar/Gumball Machine!

Posted below is my finished candy jar :) I can't wait to put it in my apartment!! I hope Mike likes it!

Also, we made delicious Valentine's ice cream sodas!! Also found on Pinterest, here :) [What did we do before Pinterest?] Even though I am on a "diet/changing lifestyle", I HAD to have one of these!!

The love of my life of 3+ years and counting got me a half dozen roses and a half dozen carnations :) He also got me a beautiful necklace/earrings set, and the adorable pug that you see below!

I am still in the process of updating my TPT and TN activties... so far, Government Unit is fixed, and I JUST finished my Poetry Unit!! :) Please check it out on Teachers Pay Teachers and of course, Teacher's Notebook!

TPT and TN are both wonderful, but I am so happy that Teacher's Notebook will be featuring my ELA Common Core Pack in the upcoming newsletter!! Steve and Debbie are amazing!!

Speaking of awesomeness, I think I am going to be getting my fonts from Tonya's Treats for Teachers from now on!! She is a great and talented gal, so I am definitely going to get a commercial license once she gets going... Please check out her blog if you haven't already and show her some LOVE :] Tell her Love to Teach sent you!

Well, I am tired and need to try to wake up in the morning to do my workout.. I have been so exhausted, but it doesn't help that it's already close to midnight by the time I go to bed! Again, I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day, whether you are single or taken, live with someone or alone, always know that there is someone that cares for you!!
And you are all the best teachers!!