Ornaments all packed away!

So today my husband and I spent the day relaxing and doing nothing .... ha ha! That's a joke, we did a bunch to clean up CHRISTMAS! I know so many people reluctantly put away Christmas decorations, but today I only reluctantly cleaned. Some may feel sad when the decorations disappear and get packed away for another year, but not me. I dreaded putting in the work because i knew the garage could have used some organizing before everything was all put away. So anyway, we began when I returned from my normal Saturday morning kickboxing class and breakfast! I am completely off track ... this post is not all about cleaning.... it is more about one of the traditions we have as a married couple. 

Last night, knowing we were putting the Christmas stuff away, I thought I would share about the ornaments we buy each year and how we store our ornaments each time we get new ones. So, there is a great nursery that always decorates and has plenty of BEAUTIFUL ornaments for sale here in Orange County. Each year my husband and I make a visit and pick out a couple ornaments. We usually wait until later in the season so that the ornaments go on sale, but here are the ones we picked out this year! 

This one was my favorite this year. I love the contrast of the white and the beautiful poinsettia leaves. 

 I know this one is a bit blurry, but we had it on a rotating thing that made just a few select ornaments spin when the lights were on! That added a nice touch this year. 

This was my husband's choice this year. He wanted a snowman, and a snowman he got! He also got a great Christmas village that we added to the decorations this year. It looked great! 

Anyway, so when it comes time to pack everything up, each year i write a description on the individual boxes for each ornament. Here are the examples for the ornaments i showed you. I also am sue to include the year the ornament was purchased. Oh and I get the boxes from that great nursery where we purchase them. They are free at the gift wrapping station and they will give you ribbon and the whole bit if you buy them as gifts. 

So, that's our tradition and how we store those beautiful ornaments! 

K, my husband is starving and we still have yet to figure out where to eat... gotta go! Have a great weekend! 

Recent YouTube Finds

I thought I would post this tonight. I know there is some critique out there and that this man's opinion may not be completely sound, but I thought what he has to say is pretty profound. What hits me the most this the part about church being a "hospital for the broken." If you have thoughts or comments, please feel free to share! 

On a lighter note ... here's another video of some really talented musicians. 

Have a great night! 

Pinterest: the new TEACHER's HELPER

I spent the day having my blood drawn, lunch and a walk with a good friend and her 1 y/o, running a couple of errands, playing on Pinterest (one of my big time suckers), meal planning and trying to get ahead in the blogging world! This is all stuff that has had nothing to do with teaching on this random day off! (We had a staff appreciation thing scheduled for staff that got canceled but the kids already had the day off... hence no work today! 

So, since I have spent the day relaxing and doing as I please on my favorite site (Pinterest)... I thought I would share some of the additions i have added to my classroom just because of Pinterest. While so many people say Pinterest is a huge waste of time, I think it really can be an inspiration to many. In particular for teachers, it can take a lot of time, but it truly has made learning fun and also made certain things more accessible to my students. So here are a couple additions in photo form... I will let you know where I got them from if I can find all my pins on Pinterest! :) Oh and BTW... if you wanna follow me on Pinterest click below!  

 So here is one of the math games that i have added to the mix. You can find these all at Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits. These games have been a great addition to the math games. I also use the "Making 10" version. Thanks to yet another great blogger who has helped me add to my toolbox! 

 Here are my clocks with certain times that we need to be certain places. This has really helped some of my students to be able to grasp time a little bit better. It always seems that time is truly confusing and abstract and then you throw in all the special needs my kiddos have and it is complete discombobulation! (Is that a word?). Anyway I got these from a pin on interest linked to a GREAT BLOG called Step into 2nd Grade with Mrs. Lemons. Click the link to her blog to find the printables. 

 Also, just a hint... laminate the blank clock faces and then use wet erase markers to draw on the hands in different colors. This way i can at least reuse the clock faces next year if the times all change! 

Thanks so much Mrs. Lemons for the great printable! It made making this easy and I have really seen kids learn from this. 

So after these few shots, I realize how much more I don't even have photos of. I have been inspired by Pinterest and it has made teaching the same thing MUCH more fun! This students have really enjoyed it too. The math game you saw above is part of my "Ready to Use Math Games" folder. Also, I am working on a HOLIDAY version of a "Ready to Use Math Games" folder. Its still in the beginning stages, but i hope to have it done soon! (Yeah, I know it will probably take me a year to fill it, but i can at least have the folder ready to go!) 

Off to eat a quick bite before heading to kickboxing! 

What Bringing Me Joy Wed.

After a tough day of work, I have decided work did not bring much joy today. Teaching can be tough work. 

So what has brought me joy in the last week? Well, I think there have been a few things. 

1. My husband - this morning he told me I was beautiful and that I looked good. This made me feel really good. It seemed unprovoked and really did make me feel like I looked good today. Might I take the time to tell you all that my husband does this often but this time it seemed so out of the blue that I really felt special (and not in a special ed type of way)! He is pretty darn sweet and really is a devoted man. I love doing stuff for him and everyday i get more and more excited to spend my life with him. I love laughing with him and sharing in many different adventures! 

2. The second thing that has brought me joy this week is the Brookstone Massager that my husband bought us for Christmas. This thing seems to do the trick when my back, neck, legs, or whatever random body part hurts. This thing is awesome. This week I have had some pretty icky back pain. The pain goes all along my shoulder blade and ends at the base of my skull. So apart from needing to schedule a real massage, this item does the trick when the pain is unbearable. The thing is worth every penny... and the link is below! 

Brookstone Sport Handheld Massager

Have a great evening!

Math Magazine File

Just a quick post tonight geared towards teachers... 


Thought I would begin sharing some of my classroom ideas. So here is my magazine file with laminated pages that the students use to demonstrate different math concepts.

WE use these pages all the time and I have many ready at a moments notice. Some are rarely used and some are used on a daily basis. For example, when it comes to counting, a hundred chart could not be more useful. Also, it can be used to help with number recognition and when the students are practicing 1 more, 1 less, 10 more and 10 less concepts. 

These can be made out of any math aid and really for any grade. For my special education students this stuff provides a visual aid for me to demonstrate math concepts. There are endless possibilities for any grade and any level. Students can use these during seat work or even for group work or math games. 

Here are a few more detailed shots of what is inside my math magazine file! 

Have a great day!