Thursday, July 18, 2013

Best Summer Yet!

It's been a busy summer, and definitely the best summer yet!  I started my summer a little bit early with the wonderful surprise of my little Maddie!  Madeline Elizabeth was born about 2 1/2 weeks early on May 27th, she was 6 lbs 7 oz and 19 1/4 inches.   So I did not make it to the end of the school year like I planned, but she was ready to meet mom and dad and everything went so well!  Here are the adorable professional pictures of from when she was 10 days old:




 
And here is my attempt at one month pictures at home, this was quite a feat to get a picture of her sitting up, lol! 
 

 
We have been thoroughly enjoying our summer, and don't want it to end!  Luckily I am off until October.  Hope you all are enjoying your summer as much as I am!  


Monday, July 15, 2013

Thank You for the Liebster Blog Nomination!

Thank you to Our K Crew Rocks for the Liebster blog nomination!  It has been a while since I have blogged for one very good little reason (I'll post about that soon!).  Here are the details of the Liebster nominations:


 The rules for receiving the award are as follows:
- Link back to the original nominator's website
- You must post 11 random things about yourself
- Answer the questions the nominator set for you
- Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate
- Nominate 5 - 11 blogs (with less than 200 followers) and link them in your post
 
Here are my eleven random thing about myself:
1.  I am currently an ELL teacher at two different schools, I love working with such a variety of students and teachers.
2.  Before I went to school for teaching I was active duty in the Navy for four years.
3.  I served as an Intelligence Specialist in the Navy.
4.  I love traveling- I have been all over the US, Hawaii, the Middle East, Australia, Mexico, Canada, and several places in the Caribbean. 
5.  I just celebrated my one year wedding anniversary, the cake topper was actually still pretty tasty! 
6.  I come from a pretty big family, I have three sisters, all of whom are my best friends! 
7.  One of my favorite outdoor hobbies is biking, I love my Scott hybrid bike!
8.  I love decorating, I spend way too much time at TJ Maxx Homegoods!
9.  If I wasn't a teacher, I would love to be a party planner or wedding planner.
10.  I love baking, but could care less about cooking meals, my husband luckily really likes to cook.
11.  I will have a  surprise blog post coming soon, watch for it! 
 
Here are may answers from the questions from  Our K Crew Rocks

1. If you could teach any grade level, which grade level would it be and why? I would love to teach 4K ELL students, I have done this for summer school the last few years, and it has been a blast! 
2. What is your favorite subject to teach and why? I love to teach Science Content, it is so hands-on and great for ELL students
3. Do you have a classroom theme? If so how often do you change themes? Not a theme so much, just lots of bright colors, polka dots, and chevron patterns all over.
4. What is your favorite thing about teaching? Working with a variety of students and families
5. How long have you been blogging? Just a few months, I would like to do a lot more next year
6. What is your favorite school related app or computer program to use? I love the Lakeshore Apps for younger students, and for grade 1 and up, I love this sight word app, it's a simple sight word recognition app, but as a warm up, I put on a timer, and we play "hot potato" with the ipad in small group. The kiddos love it! 
7. What is your favorite non-school related app or computer program to use? Pinterest, for sure! 
8. Do you have iPad's in your classroom? Only my personal one, but with small groups, it works well
9. What technology would you be lost without? My projector hooked up to my computer, ELL students are such visual learners, it's great to be able to bring up images
10. Do you have a Promethean Board or Smart Board in your classroom? Nope, I wish! 
11. What other types of technology do you have in your classroom? Teacher computer, Aver document projector, projector, and personal Ipad.
 
And now the blogs (some blogs may have a few more than 200 but no more than 400 followers) I have chosen to nominate for the Liebster Award are...
 
 
Be sure to check out and follow these great blogs! 
 
Now, here are my 11 questions for the blogs I nominate::
 
1.  Do you have a favorite unit you do each year?
2.  What is your favorite classroom décor item you have bought or made?
3.  How many hours do you spend on TPT per week? LOL
4.  What is your favorite outdoor pastime?
5.  What is your favorite indoor pastime?
6.  Are you a TPT seller?  If so, where do you find inspiration for new products?
7.  How would your students describe you in three words?
8.  How long have you been teaching?
9.  Do you prefer to stay in the same grade level for your career, or switch every few years?
10.  What is your favorite read-aloud?
11.  If you were not a teacher, what would your chosen career be?
 
 
I look forward to seeing everyone's answers!