The One With the Snow

Snowy.

Messy.

White.

Record-breaking.

We have had 4 snow storms that have yielded us 6 snow days. Last night was the fourth storm and dumped another foot on what was already a few feet.

The forecast has two more storms coming in this week. Oy vey.

 

Fortunately, J had been convinced that investing in a snow blower was a wise decision after spending way too many hours over the last four weeks shoveling. After more than 20 phone calls, he landed us a red beauty of a snow blower that was delivered yesterday by some grace of god. 

Things I never knew before this Snowpocolypse: 

• There is a such thing as a roof rake.
• The National Guard may be called in for support during snow-related states of emergencies.
• Boston has broken more snow-related records than I can keep track of.
• People can get awfully creative when it comes to shoveling, creating tunnels to their driveways, and saving parking spots downtown.

 

Enough about that white stuff--let's talk football, pen pals, our 100th Day milestone, and pink and red!
  Let's back up a few weeks.

The Patriots won the Super Bowl in a nail-biting finish. An added plus was that school the following day had been called off earlier in the evening so I could stay up and watch the whole game!

 

We received our first batch of pen pal letters from our second grade friends in Florida. Talk about happy mail!

 

Two snow days Monday and Tuesday made for a short school week. But throw in Spirit Week, the 100th Day, and Valentine's Day and you're in for a fun-filled and jam-packed week.

Thursday was the 100th Day (after being postponed on three occasions due to 3 storms).  

Recording page for 100 coin flips is a freebie from Ashley Reed.

 

 

Certificates are from Hope King's 100th Day Craze unit on TPT.

 

 

Mrs. Mack aged 100 years over night!

 

If this isn't teamwork and collaboration, I don't know what is!

Photo booth signs were freebies on TPT from Stacia Seagroves. She also made signs for the first day and last day of school.

After Christmas, I think Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday. The red. The pink. The love. What's not to love? Probably my favorite part about THIS year's Valentine's Day was the great Valentine Exchange that Lisa over at  Pawsitively Teaching organized. I was assigned to the pink group with 21 other teachers across the country--and I do mean across the country-- Hawaii, California, Oregon, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania... Each of my kiddos decorated a foam heart with stickers and designs that represented Massachusetts. We included the chickadee--our state bird, the Mayflower, sneakers for the Boston Marathon, witches' hats for the Salem Witch Trials, penguins for the New England Aquarium, stickers representing the Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots, Revolution, and Celtics... 

I am not sure who was more excited about receiving the mail--the kids or me!

We kicked off the day with a few Valentine-themed activities--from Sunny Days in Second Grade and Ashlyn Ellsworth on TPT.

 

I also had a lot of fun creating Valentine treats for students and staff using creative tags found out in the blogosphere.

I won these gumballs and plastic tubes through a giveaway from sunny on Instagram. The tag is from @teachersunny on Instagram and the free tag is from Kelly at Live Laugh Rowe.

 

It's not a party without cupcakes!

Here are a few other Valentine treats I put together and gifted to the teachers and staff at school. (Follow me @thirdgradecupcakes on Instagram for the sources of the free tags and printables.)

 The healthy pink and red snacks for our class party...

The crazy chocolate loot I received from the kiddos...

A photo for the kiddos' Valentine cards to their parents...

With our state testing merely weeks away (!!), I found these testing treat tags over at Owlways Be Inspired.

A new, crazy show we came across the other night- Sexy Beasts. Think dating show but the three guys and one girl all wear a crazy mask until they are eliminated. It's crazy!

K is napping as I type this. Napping. In her crib. This nap concept is still so new to me because for months (ok, over a year) the majority of her naps were only in the car. My productivity was limited to drive-thru errands and correcting papers in the front seat.

The last weekend in February is our Fourth Annual Favorite Things party. Let the party planning begin!

I've been seeing other blogs...

Much of February has been spent on my favorite teacher blogs. I have been falling in love with classroomfreebies.com and classroomfreebiestoo.com!

I just lack the time to sit down and punch out the cutting, gluing, and laminating of some amazingly cute centers. But it will come. I promise.

Pinterest yielding oodles of cute and creative Valentine ideas.

For the kiddos...

For the aides...

For the hubs...

February vacation allowed me to

- sleep in multiple mornings
- see Hasty Pudding with the family and dine at The Stockyard--yum!
- celebrate Valentine's Day with brunch at Atlantica
- create firehouse cupcakes for Z and W's boy scout spaghetti dinner



- begin our monthly date night tradition at Fox and Hound


- tackle a massive pile of correcting
- finally get an updated prescription for my contact lenses
- have a puppy date with Erica and Buck


- stay up late
- enjoy a Yankee Swap-style As Seen on TV party with teacher friends and try a new Pinterest recipe



Vacations are glorious times...

A Fine Start to 2012

It was hard to believe that January had arrived so quickly, and before I knew it, it was gone again. Given that February is such a short month as is, I can only imagine how quickly this month will go!

What a month it had been!

I started project 365 documenting each day with one or two pictures--some more exciting than others. Publishing those pictures have been a neat way to reflect on the year and keep the memories of each day...

January was exceptionally busy with...

- beginning the Dexter series from the beginning with the hubs
- a fondant decorating class with Leah


- Steve and Steph's housewarming/Pats game party

- bridal expo with the Yoffe girls


- baking for a fellow teacher's birthday


- a Stella and Dot party and the purchase of a very pretty necklace
- presenting at the School Committee's Curriculum Corner
- co-presenting a technology course on Smartboard tools and activities
- Kerri and Steve's housewarming with the girls and a few of the boys
- brunch with Katie who was home from South America
- a Lia Sophia party with teacher friends (bacon and eggs cupcakes were my brunch contribution)



I have pinned so many fabulous activities for reading, math, science, social studies, holidays like Martin Luther King Day, Groundhog Day, this week's celebration of the 100th day, Valentine's Day... not to mention DIY gift ideas, decorating ideas, recipes... I get so excited thinking of the possibilities. I have been able to try so many new, engaging activities thanks to pinterest and teacherspayteachers.com. And what could be better than giving business to fabulous teachers! (I very well may ask for a teacherspayteachers gift card for upcoming holidays to start to purchase a few of the 89 items on my "wish list."

Aside from the amazing freebies teachers have so generously posted--mainly found at



a few of my favorite teacher bloggers continue to be Hope at



Dana at



Ginger at



Mary at

February has only been with us for 5 days and it has already brought fabulous events--not to mention the promise of more! This month we began Fit4February at school. I've really begun to enjoy running both for the exercise as well as for the opportunity to singularly think, reflect, and plan. Each team records their workouts and mileage and there will be prizes for weight loss and the first team to reach 100 miles. It is a huge incentive each day to get up and move!

A few teachers and I began ELL training this week. It's a nice break from the classroom and a chance to acquire new material and instruction while spending the day with two fabulous girls!

This weekend was fairly low-key with an impromptu game night at Skyview, a gun show Saturday in East Bridgewater, running with the hubs and Joe yesterday afternoon, and Dexter last night. Next up is tonight's Super Bowl party in Freetown-- so excited! (And I'm finally feeling better--the pesky cough that lingered through much of January is almost gone!)

This week is School Council, my eighth of ten technology classes, the 100th day (I vow to take more pictures in the classroom this year.), and ELL training. Next weekend is jam-packed with a hair appointment (yay!), a family get together, Becca's birthday downtown, and our Favorite Things party Sunday! :)

Then it's happy hearts and Valentine's Day. I consider myself exceptionally lucky that the hubs and I have found each other, continue to be uuber happy and don't wait until Valentine's Day to tell each other how much we love each other. That's not to say that I am not super excited for it...

a lot to love about February

February granted us another snow day on the 2nd, but Punxsutawney Phil promised us spring right around the corner.

Last Friday, I baked for a friend's Lia Sophia party. It was Valentine's Day themed, and while the jewelery was quite nice, I had to refrain.






The next morning, Justin, my mom and dad, and I met for a few more house showings. We started in Hanson, made our way to Whitman, back to Bridgewater and ended in Middleboro. The listing for the second house was one that Mom happened to notice late Friday night. Justin and I loved it.

• great location
• nice town
• good-size front lawn
• fenced-in backyard
  
• attached garage
• redone mudroom
• laminate floors in the kitchen
• updated appliances
• 3 bedrooms
• living room, office area and...
• fireplaced den with cathedral ceilings, skylights and a bay window

The realtor said we had to be aggressive if we were truly interested in the property. And aggressive we were. Saturday night we drew up an offer and eagerly waited Saturday night, Sunday, Sunday night, Monday morning...until at 1:00 on Monday we received a call that our offer had been accepted! We signed a few papers with the realtor that night, Justin scheduled an inspection and has spent many patients minutes and hours on the phone with the bank's mortgage officer, potential home insurance providers, and potential movers.

Thursday I left school a bit early to accompany Justin and the realtor at the home inspection--and it passed!

Throughout all this excitement, I have called family and friends to share the news. Lately, I've been thinking about calling Nana, knowing how absolutely thrilled she would be to hear our news. I hope she hears from above.

Given that this week was our first five-day week at school since before Christmas break, it was one heck of a week!!

Third grade went very well this week. I'm working on a bulletin board in the classroom entitled Reading and Writing Around the World. I have printed out small images of the covers of our Reading Street stories and laminated them. I will map the stories' settings on our US and world maps. I put a spin on a compare/contrast essay about the Oreo cookie and the Ritz Crackers using an idea I got from a writing lesson I observed a few weeks ago. Yesterday we celebrated the 100th day of school with a few fun activities and 100 calorie snacks! :) The kids also decorated bags for their Valentines for Monday's party. It's comforting to see that although some think/act like cool adolescents, they are still kids.

I was approached this week to take an online course through the DOE to become a math coach. I'm curious to find out what comes of it--the responsibility? new title? pay raise? A girl can dream right?

Given all of the exciting house news this week, I did have to call RO and explain to her that given our current financials and the house closing timeline, I would no longer be able to join her and the other girls in Vegas for the bachelorette party in March. She was so understanding, as always, and I have promised to make it up to her in May when she is back east again.

Got a call from Dad Thursday morning that Mom had passed out Wednesday night at dinner and had been unresponsive. She stayed home from work Thursday and went to the doctor and got a good report, but boy, those types of things really put life into perspective. She does so much for everyone else, and carries a burden for so many that I think there are times she forgets to take care of herself.

We're headed to my parents this morning for taxes/brunch. Amid a pile of correcting, I do intend on doing some Valentine's Day baking--perhaps two batches--one for the kids, and one for the staff? I also have an arts &crafts project in the works for Becca--whose birthday is today. I'll be sure to post pictures if it comes out half as nice as what I have envisioned.