Favorite Travel Cup Linky Party

Hi friends.


WELL....to make up for my absence lately, I have decided to host a linky party. I'm feeling a little scared though. What if no one comes? What if my party "theme" (topic) is lame? What if someone has already done this idea and I am breaking linky party copyright laws. OH DEAR. This is overwhelming.


PUSH FORWARD TANYA...YOU CAN DO IT....


Ok..some background information..


I recently just got a new Tervis Tumbler as a gift... I am a Tervis freak. I love all things Tervis. I'm slightly biased because the Tervis factory is 30 minutes from where I live. I am a nutcase when it comes to my drinks being cold. Cold like Alaska..cold like the iceberg that struck the Titanic...cold like FREEZING. Ice is my best friend. I have to have it in my drinks. I don't drink anything warm...don't ask why, I just don't like it. No coffee. No tea. I will drink the occasional hot chocolate but other than that...its FREEZING all the way.


I FAITHFULLY bring a Tervis filled with ice water to school everyday. Last week I forgot my cup. I realized this 20 minutes into my drive. I actually considered turning the car around. How could I forget my cup? That question played in my mind like a broken record. This was like leaving my watch at home...or my laptop...or my HEAD...I felt so lost...and thirsty....the last 10 minutes of my drive into work was torture. I thought I wasn't going to make it. The thirst was unbearable. 


I have two wait now three cups which I rotate and change around. 

This has been my new favorite. I got it for Christmas from one of my students. It's so me.

and then there's my teacher cup. The Boosters committee gave each teacher one of these during Teacher Appreciation Week last year. How awesome was that?

and FINALLY..my new one..which I adore and can't wait to rock tomorrow...

That terrible day reaffirmed how much I depend on my Tervis buddies and how they add happiness to my day....which prompted me to host a LINKY PARTY.

Mother's Day Idea, New Items, and SALE

If you were wondering (which I doubt you were)..yes I am alive. I've been working on activities and items for my teacher stores... that's pretty much it. I have no grand excuse as to why I haven't posted. :) 


ANYWHO...


Friday we worked on our gifts for Mother's Day and I grew 27 new gray hairs... we used paint. Paint is an abandoned word in my room. We seldom use it...and when I say seldom I mean 3 times a year...Christmas, Mother's Day, and preparing for Project Night. I turn into the Exorcism when I bust out the paint. I simply can't handle it...


We made "I love you to pieces" photo frames. We painted wooden frames pink and random puzzle pieces yellow, blue, and purple. When everything was dried, we glued the puzzle pieces onto the frames and wrote "I love you to pieces!" on the frames. They came out darling! This week I will take black and white pictures of the kiddos for the frames...wrap them...and DONE! 

As mentioned before I have been working feverishly on adding more items to my stores. Here are some pictures of what is NEW:

To celebrate May and my new items, I am having a sale over at TN. Check it out. :)

FCAT TOMORROW...AHHHH!!

I'm feeling so anxious... it's a good anxious though. I'm just ready for the FCAT to be here and I know my kiddos are too. We have been preparing for this test since the first day of the school and they are totally ready. We had a "Good Luck" celebration on Friday with a huge ice cream party. My darling parents brought in fabulous toppings to make incredible sundaes. I wish I had taken pictures but I was "toppings" server and my parent volunteer was "ice cream" server. Our hands were too sticky to use a camera. :) My parents are so considerate and giving. I'm so blessed. :)


Last week we did a last minute lesson on perimeter. Perimeter on grid paper and counting units is always tricky for 3rd graders. I found this idea on Pinterest and it was a TOTAL hit!

Using Cheez Its for perimeter? HOW COME I NEVER THOUGHT OF THIS? It worked so perfectly! My kids LOVED it! One little darling said, "I will totally rock perimeter on the FCAT now!" Too cute. :)

Off to go watch TV and R.E.L.A.X. To any Florida bloggers who teach intermediate grades, good luck tomorrow!  

FLASH SALE!

Yes, I am hopping on the "Tax Day Sale" band wagon and throwing my own in my TpT store! Everything is 20% off, so swing over and check it out!

Click on the apple to access my store. Sale ends tomorrow!! 

Sale and idiom fun!

Hello friends. Happy Easter! A little early I know...I imagine all you parents out there, buying and getting ready for the Easter Bunny. When I went to Wal-Mart today there were masses of people in the candy and Easter aisles. Fun times...Mark and I get slightly jealous that we can't use the excuse of children to go down the "fun aisles." Sometimes we go down, but usually one of us comes to his/her senses and talks the other one out of buying a 95 piece bag of candy.

I am having a "Hop into Spring" SALE over at my TN Shop. Everything is 20% OFF! Check it out!

Today I added an Idiom Matching Game to my shop. There are 30 pairs which students must match the idiom to its definition. Perfect for centers!

Click on the picture to see more. 

Testing and a freebie

We are 5 school days away from the FCAT (a standardized test we must take in Florida and our 3rd graders HAVE to pass in order to be promoted). As I'm sure you can imagine, tension is high right now. I haven't slept a full night's sleep in about a week, but I am determined to keep the spirits high in my classroom.


Last year I decorated my room in a football theme before our big test. The kids really enjoyed it. We called ourselves "Team V" and my kiddos banned together in true team spirit to support and encourage each other for the FCAT. 


This year I continued with tradition. We decorated team jerseys and hung them from our ceiling. Go Team V!

We also created football players to match our theme. These came out A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E. I got the template from "A Cupcake for the Teacher" over at TN.

Check her stuff out...her items are fabulous! 

I put the team jersey in my TN shop for FREE. Click on the photo below to access the template. Enjoy! :) 

All the world's a stage...especially the classroom

Mark and I are going to see the musical "Wicked" TOMORROW. For those who have seen it, you know how A.M.A.Z.I.N.G this show is. This will be our 4th time seeing it and the excitement is still there. I first dragged Mark to see "Wicked" about 5 years ago. I literally had to drag him. He buried rocks in his shoes attempting to make it difficult. He didn't have "theater appreciation" and I vowed I would convert him to the dark...or wicked side. Now years later and with several shows under our belt, we make it our mission to see at least 2 shows a year. I knew I would be able to fix him...I mean convert him.


I know we won't always be able to take our adored trips to the theater with a family, mortgage, etc., ONE DAY... so I plan on thoroughly enjoying tomorrow night and savoring every minute of it. A HUGE BONUS is that Mark snagged us front row. FRONT. ROW. How could we ever top that? 

After teaching for a few years now, I have come to realize that teaching is a lot like acting.


Growing up 30 minutes from NYC, I have seen my fair share of Broadway shows. My mom took me every year to see a new show and as I grew older, my friends and I would venture to the city to enjoy what Broadway had to offer. I didn't just love watching shows, my passion was to be a part of them. I did high school and community theater for 5 years. I was fortunate to snag leading roles when we did our fall performances which were strictly plays. For the spring musicals I was always given supporting roles, because I can't hold a tune to save my life. It's dreadful. I wouldn't recommend anyone being exposed to such torture. Mark has endured such pain and he says his eardrums will never be the same. So naturally being a Broadway actor was out for me in terms of a career. Rats....


Now years later, I have left go of the Broadway dreams, sold the display case I held on to for my future Tony, and have accepted that I was never meant to be on Broadway. My destiny was to become a teacher. 


Teachers are the greatest actors. We are the true thespians. 


The classroom is a stage....minus the skin burning lights. What job allows you to dress up as Ms. Frizzle or paint your face for Dr. Seuss day? Granted those examples are referencing to special holidays and such, but even on just any regular day, we are actors waiting for the show to start. It's on from the second the kiddos come in. We're expected to play COUNTLESS roles and mold ourselves to fit our students' needs. No complaints here....my students are generous audience members who frequently shower me with support and love. (No roses tossed on stage needed...plus it would hurt if a child chucked a rose at me 2 feet away)


This girl isn't Broadway bound and I couldn't be happier....teaching is my mission. I still get my Broadway fixes in the car. I pretend to be the green witch from Wicked and belt out all her prized tunes... I once cracked my driver side window. :)

Another new classroom friend...

I was lucky enough to team up with Troy who is the creator of 

for a sponsorship. 

He so kindly agreed to send me one of his fabulous sharpeners to test and review. 

Isn't it adorable? I was curious to put this baby to use! Like many other teachers out there, I have fallen victim to many pencil sharpeners or perhaps they have fallen victim to my kiddos... Earlier in the year, not one but two $50 pencil sharpeners met their untimely deaths in my room. Tears were shed and wallets deflated each time I begrudgingly drove myself to the office supply store to buy yet another one. When I kept seeing Troy's pencil sharpener on other blogs, I was certainly interested. 

When the package came containing my new friend, I did a little happy dance in the school office. Okay, time for a test...

Pencil sharpener meet two new pencils...

After a few turns of the handle....

Hmmm.... sharp!

Nice!!!

I am impressed!!!

Also, it was very quiet!!

QUIET PEOPLE!!

Quiet seldom comes along in a teacher's lifetime... 

Okay bad news...Troy's sharpeners are currently sold out. (Whomp, Whomp...but it proves how popular his sharpeners are!!) On his website he says he will have more in April! Check out his website (click on the photo below) and get yours today or whenever they come back in stock! Thanks Troy for a great creation! 

Currently April!

Happy April! Time is flying by. 15 days until the FCAT here in Florida. *gasps* 

On a more positive and not standardized testing note...I am linking up with Farley over at 

for her Currently April linky party. I partook in her January one and since then haven't had the time to join another. I made sure to take a few minutes today and JUST DO IT!

Here is mine:

I will be back later today to break the rules and post again. :) 

Really?

I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner in my office at home....


....I had a mini melt at around 11:00 when I realized I made a mistake...


....I haven't spoken to Mark all day with the expectation of "I'm thirsty," or "My wrists are killing me!"


....I haven't showered...yes a fact which I am severely embarrassed to admit...


....my poor puppy has been whining for me all day....


....I have been sitting in my little office for 12 hours straight...


BUT.....THE YEARBOOK IS DONE!!!!!!!! 


It feels unbelievable to me. I think once I go to the doctors and am diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel, it will feel real then. There is an insane weight lifted off of me...that's probably the 20 pound pile of baby photos and candid pictures I have been getting since January and have FINALLY finished going through. 


I have odds and evens to finish up, but to me it's done! The rest is a piece of cake.


Speaking of cake...I am going to go shower to feel like a human again and have a giant piece of the cake that Mark got me. When I asked what the occasion was for such a treat, he said "It's a I'm sorry your hands will probably fall off due to the yearbook cake."


He's so charming. 

Fast and efficient!

Those two words describe Lauren over at

I asked her to design some food/drink clip art for me and she did a FABULOUS job. She was so considerate and nice to work with it. She was also precise and made sure she knew my vision and what I wanted. The turnover was super fast. I was hoping for my own selfish reasons the pack would be ready for the weekend, so I could work on some combination activities for my kiddos and sure enough it was!

Here is a picture of what she did:

HOW ADORABLE IS IT? Exactly what I wanted. Teaching combinations is somewhat challenging for 3rd graders. They have been very open and aware of what they want to work on before FCAT and one of the skills they wanted to review before our BIG test was combinations. I ALWAYS use food related word problems for combinations because that seems to be the most applicable for them. The problem is, I can never find the images I need. Lauren has saved me! 

I have bought several things from her store before and have always been thrilled. My kiddos think her stuff is adorable which is certainly a compliment to her. They are brutally honest. :) Make sure you check out her store. Thanks again Lauren! 

Spring break is over my friends

As I sit here and munch on cereal, I'm forced to acknowledge that my spring break is in its mere, final hours. Boy, that was fast. I am ready to get back to work though. I miss my kiddos like CRAZY and all of their charming antics! 


I wish I could say I had a lot of down time. I did here or there. My main goal was to put a dent in my yearbook "homework." I did Friday night when I sat in my office from 5pm-2am working on all things yearbook. I also worked on it for 5 hours yesterday and 10 hours during the whole week. I'm so ready for this thing to be done! I'm about 80% of the way there. 


There were a few things that kept me going during these marathon yearbook sessions....


First off...

Thank you Yummy Earth for such a wonderful gift. I killed this whole bag Friday night and then I hated those little bears for the rest of the night....the hate has since surpassed.

I also love Sweet Leaf Raspberry Tea.

Obsessed is more the word for this drink. 

and lastly....

OMG, if you haven't tried these and you like hot, TRY THEM! They are fabulous. Mark and I often argue about who will hold the bag when we open these babies up. I will forewarn you they turn your fingers orange so eat them in the comfort of your house next to the kitchen sink. Thank you comfort food for making the yearbook more enjoyable!

Mark and I are going to look at a condo today. We are taking the first (baby) steps in looking for a place to buy. We're not really house kinda people...I wonder what that says about us? I'm excited, yet anxious. Looking at places, the paperwork, etc, etc...YIKES, more things to deal with right now. I'm already tired thinking about it, BUT it needs to be done. We have been renting for years and now is the time to buy. 

I don't really have much to say in terms of teaching. So I will leave you with a family photo that Mark's mom just recently gave us. It's from Christmas and everyone is smiling. When I say everyone I mean Mark. Usually the camera gets him with his mouth wide open like he's catching flies. Even little Penny was cooperative. :) ICK, notice how short I am? And I am standing on my tippy toes.....

How can it be Thursday?

My spring break is coming to an end. Where did the time go? Earlier in the week I was feeling lucky to be on spring break but now I'm feeling like the UNlucky one with majority of you guys about to embark on your break. :)


I did manage to get some things done this week...


I created some worksheets to help my kiddos with composing/decomposing shapes. This concept is pretty tricky, especially if you have some kiddos who aren't spatial. We will work on these when we get back to school to give them some extra practice before FCAT.

I also created a sorting activity for parallel, intersecting, and perpendicular lines...

...a sorting activity for perimeter...

...a sorting activity for time...

...and an "I Have Who Has?" game for elapsed time. 

Not too bad for the week but I wanted to get more done. All of these items are in my TpT store and TN shop. I am currently having a sale over at TN. Check it out!

Lorraine over at 

is hosting a great linky party for blogs that are grades 3-5. Naturally this thrills me because I teach 3rd. :) Thanks Lorraine for hosting a great party. 

Off to go watch TV and master the art of doing nothing. :)