Sunday, September 8, 2013

Oh What a Week.

This week kicked my butt. Twenty-six kids, a crowded classroom, misplaced backpacks found under a sea of twenty-five other bags,  a white board that no longer erases, a pencil sharpener out of commission (already), tattling, and endless tasks that take considerably longer given that it's the beginning of the year and that there's so darn many of them....has made for a challenging week.

I feel like I am back on the treadmill at a speed of 6.2 and I can't quite slow down. (I've woken up two days in a row dreaming and thinking about ways to use QR codes in the classroom, a job chart, reading rug spots, and all that I would like to accomplish before tomorrow night's Back-to-School night.) My to-do lists are out of control. I've checked a lot off my to do list already this weekend (Grandparents' Day gifts prepped, Miss K's 4 month photo shoot, classroom blog updated here...) but a brief visit to Blog Lovin' quickly adds more items to my to do list--new downloads, new ideas, new projects I am eager to tackle. I even feel guilty breaking from that to do list to even carve out a few minutes to clear my mind over here...

Will it ever get easier? 

Looking forward to when I finally feel like I can slow down a bit and my mind stops racing about all things third grade--from bulletin boards and book nooks to QR codes and anchor charts....

Not to mention I have this cutie pie whose cooing and smiling makes baby snuggles all the more crave-worthy...

 
Happy Grandparents' Day to Miss K's Nana, Grandpa, Grammy, and Memere!


I'll leave you with a few pictures from a best friend's wedding last night that served as a much-needed break from all things third grade--well, except for the correcting and lamination cutting that happened on the hour and half ride out there...








Sunday, September 1, 2013

Five for Friday {on Sunday}

The first week back, an almost-four-month-old who has decided 8 hours of sleep at night is plenty, a batch of bachelorette cookies, a bachelorette party, a late night, and a very early morning are just a few reasons why I'm tardy for this party...

But hey, better late than never!


{one}

My fancy Saturday night was spent organizing bulletin board letters into an old cd case. I needed a reason to re-purpose the case--there were cds in there I forgot I had!


{two}

Mr. Lovie's aunt and uncle invited us down to their house for dinner Sunday night--Uncle Mark was cooking in his new smoker. Boy was it delicious! Tried a Lime-a-Rita with dinner--I'll likely stick with my simple-but-classy Budlight longneck but I'm glad I tried it!



{three}

I finally tackled a marker and crayon organizer first seen on Creekside Teacher Tales. Click on the first image below to go to the directions and printable.
 Crayon Organizational Labels Creekside Teacher Tales


{four}

Wednesday marked the first day back for kiddos. Is there a sweeter way to start the year than with a note like this?



I don't think so.

 {five}

I love any reason or excuse to gift or craft. If I can do both--even better! Here are two back-to-school goodies for some of the fabulous teachers and paraprofessionals I work with.
 

Click here for the calculations tag.


Here you'll find the link to the chocolate and caffeine tag courtesy of the ladies at My Sister's Suitcase


And here's how we're all feeling as we get back into the swing of things...