Ninjago?!?!

Yep, that is what we are reading! Ninjago books! Now if you are not familiar with the whole Ninjago thing--GOOD FOR YOU! I blame my mom completely. She read one to him while we were in Mobile and he is hooked. My niece loves them to (of course!) We ordered the next three in the series! Yes....series!

Holy moly! They are these little Lego guys with dramatic backstories cared for by their cute little old sensei. There are words like Shinjitsu, scythe, and more. I mean, this is serious stuff and T loves it. 

To maintain my sanity, I throw in some favorites. I HAVE TO! Seriously, reading these reminds me of when he checked out those books at the library. I seriously like Ninjago more. Just sayin'! 

We woke up this morning (too early) and he said, "Oh mommy...." 

AH!!!! The first day of my summer begins with a couple of Ninjago treasures! If you have a little guy or gal that likes action, check them out. They are not violent or inappropriate and the pictures are fun. As much as I do not enjoy reading, I put on a great show and watching him makes me enjoy them more! He loves these books and when N walked in, T said "Daddy, I just love to read." Looks like we'll be buying the rest of the series....

Are there books you don't like to read with your child? Surely I'm not the only one!

Sparkly! Shiny! White!

Hi, my name is L and I am a coffee and tea drinker and have been for years. If you are wondering if that impacted my teeth, the answer is yes!

smileBrilliant sent me an at home whitening kit to try and I was nervous to say the least. The only other time I had done whitening was right before my wedding and that was years ago! smileBrilliant are professional tooth whitening gurus that focus on home whitening. I'm all about not paying the dentist (though I love mine) for this service AND I can do it in my jammies! BONUS!

The kit arrived quickly and comes with a brush, bleach pen, light, lip guard, brush cover, and great directions! 

I applied over a three day period (about 30 minutes each time) so far and the results are noticeable. Side note-T love the blue light and asked me to be his night light. :)

I really did not think I would be able to tell, but I can! The directions say some people may have a sensitivity to the bleach and can skip a day in between if so. I did not have that problem though. I am going to continue for a few more days as well, I mean, why not?!? 

smileBrilliant might not work for everyone's teeth. This could be due to previous dental work or damaged tooth enamel.

smileBrilliant wants to giveaway a kit to a MyMommyReads friend, too. Would you like whiter teeth? Would you like an easy, less expensive route to make that happen?  Enter!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wordless (Kind of) Wednesday

*Found these jewels on this Pinterest board. I recommend a follow if you could use some smiles! 

Strawberry Pizza

My Granny means the world to me. I.love.her. I'm not her favorite, though. In fact, I'm 4th in that line, yes, 4th and I'm ok with it. I mean, do I pick on P for being the favorite? Of course I do. Do I shake my head when I visit and P's favorite dinner AND dessert are served? Of course I do. Do I shrug my shoulders and say "thanks a lot Granny" in my head when she calls P her baby and tells us for the 1,456 time that everyone says P looks like her? Of course I do. Do I...well, you get the point. I'm 4th place and I'm ok with it. 

My Granny is a lover of food-not exotic, rare treasures, but food. She likes it fried, dipped in mayo, covered in homemade gravy, topped with bacon slices and cheese, served with sweet tea. I.love.her. She used to make us breakfast (pancakes AND waffles, bacon AND sausage, grits AND eggs) when we were little. I can smell the goodness just thinking about it. We always eat lunch at Granny's on Sunday. I look forward to it everytime we go home. It is a constant in our lives. 

P was there this past Sunday and I asked her to text me a picture of Granny's recipe for Strawberry Pizza. As long as I can remember, when strawberries came into season, Granny made strawberry pizza. It is the taste of summer, the smell of family and friends, the feeling of all is right in the world-when I assure you nothing was right in the world. She would brag about the church ladies begging for the recipe and the gents asking for seconds. She would tease us and say she wasn't going to make it anymore. It was the dessert of choice for our family, but it is my favorite. P has chocolate pie and sweet potato pie and peanut butter balls and whatever else her heart may desire, J loved a glass of Granny's tea more than any other sweet, and N had blueberry dream pie. Dad has coconut (ew!) and my mom likes her pound cake, but hands down-strawberry pizza is my favorite.

In a moment that I did not see coming, partially because I do not want to believe it is happening and partially because this is our thing, my 93 year old Granny did not remember strawberry pizza. She doesn't remember. My heart is broken friends, broken. 

P found the recipe though, and with teary eyes, T and I made strawberry pizza. 
It just doesn't taste the same. 

 

*I should be honest and say that Granny's has a homemade crust and mine, well, does not. :) Big sis would be proud, little sis will be disappointed! 

Recipe coming soon! Need to ask permission first! :)

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day!

In Memory of Claude Tyler Turner and the many other soldiers who made us proud and left us too soon! 

Summer Bucket List

It's that time again. Time for me to declare my summer bucket list. Unlike my other 6,452 to do lists, this one is fun AND quite possibly more serious than the all others put together!

So many road trips! Alabama to see the fam! North Carolina for a long weekend! Savannah for a conference!

Under the beds and out of the closets! We are cleaning house friends! Hopefully this will lead to new carpet....man, we need new carpet in this casa!

Math workshops! I'll be learning number talks and common core assessments! Woo hoo! Math Rocks! 

Making memories left and right with my two favorite guys! We have not finalized our vacation plans, but even if we only hit the pool and sleep in once or twice-we'll be happy!!

Eat right! For the first summer in a long time, I've made a commitment to make the right food choices even  though routine will not be in our plans!

Reading, reading, reading...with my guy, a little professional development (UNITS OF STUDY!!!!) and some serious chick lit!

What are your summer plans? Do we have any matches?

School's Out!

My last day was yesterday...so sad! I love my class. I mean, seriously-what an AMAZING group of first graders! The notes, the hugs, the tears, and the pride were almost overwhelming. How far they have come this year! Ah!! 

4 more teacher days to go! 

paperblog.com

Today was my guy's last day of pre-pre K. (I'm coining that term.) I was sad. I cried. I cried because he is growing so fast! I cried because the shoe was on the other foot. I was feeling how my students' parents feel. It was an emotional day for lots of reasons, but mainly because my guy really is growing up and to be honest.....I don't like it. Whoever said "time flies" was so right and I so don't like them. 

When is your child's last day or your last day?

OK Lovin'!

Several of my favorite bloggers are hosting an amazing giveaway of over $200 worth of products for a donation of $25 to Red Cross. Click the pic to learn more and support families in Oklahoma! 

**If you donate, please let me know (message on FB or comment below) and I'll send you a bundle of my products, too! 

Click the pic to visit Teacher's Treasure Chest!

Praying for Oklahoma

I couldn't sleep last night. I was thinking about the families, teachers, students, in Oklahoma. Unbelievable.

Bedtime

Night arrived with a terrible roar

clouds, wind, no stars to be seen

Thunder boomed and lightning flashed

scared, he asked to sleep with us

Snuggled in bed, nice and safe

the three of us, saying our prayers

Skies cleared, birds sang a happy song

reports showed it moved on

Hours later the news is clear

the storm raged on from here

Homes gone, schools destroyed

lives lost, memories left behind

Too much sadness, such despair

scared, I put him in bed with us

Snuggled in the bed, nice and safe

the three of us, saying our prayers

Click on the pic to donate to the Red Cross and support these families in need. 

#SLICE

Writing Folders

We went home to visit my family last weekend for Mother's Day. I loaded my class' writing folders into my teacher bag and walked/ran out the door just thinking about seeing my family! 6 hours later we arrived! We had lunch with A at her school, went fishing, and helped my mom adjust to her new, roboknee! It was a busy, busy weekend!

Saturday night, I collapsed into my sister's recliner and pulled out the ol' teacher bag. I had an assortment of kid chosen 2 pocket folders-Angrybirds, Star Wars, princess fairies, the Beatles, tigers, football players, and so on. 

A walked by and said, "What is all of that?" T looked at her and said, "Those are my mom's kids' writing folders. They write stories and she writes them messages." FREEZE Did he really just say that? I was SO happy! I felt this great sense of confirmation. I HAVE been bringing home their folders more this year than ever! I HAVE been writing messages and conferencing more this year than ever! Funny that it took my 4 year old's observation to confirm this, but exciting nonetheless! 

As I read the stories to my sister (who could NOT stop laughing,) I stumbled upon this little jewel. One of my students loves is obsessed with Harrison Ford. You read that correctly, Harrison Ford. He is currently writing a narrative piece about Ford's adventures. Check out these sketches! If this does not make you smile, nothing will! Seriously-click on them and make them bigger! 

Harrison Ford has a big mission ahead. He will need coffee and a disguise. (Please check out the tie and the brows!)

"Who are you?" asked Harrison Ford (full name every time!) I've been sent to help you. I have a package.

I can't believe this is my disguise thought Harrison Ford. (There's more, but  I'll stop here!)

This kid is a writer. He gets that stories are told over pages and have a beginning, middle and end. He gets it. 

As this year comes to a close and we're all a little tired, I think it is important to step back and enjoy the success.....of our students and ourselves!

What went well for you this year-as a teacher or a parent? 

Vacation....HELP ME!

We save money all year to go on summer vacation. Nothing too extreme, just a little something fun for the family. We have hit a major bump in the road this year. Things have been nuts, planning has fallen behind, and we don't know where we are going. Our summer break begins in less than two weeks. LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!

I mean, I am not trying to blame some of our favorite friends who planned our last vaca right down to the fab meal reservations (totally their fault for spoiling us!) but it is completely their fault.

File this under #1stworldproblem and cut me some slack friends. I need a vacation! 

Image by artecorpus.org 

Do you have a recommendation for my sweet family?*

*not too beachy

*kid friendly

Help! In fact, if you are willing to plan it, that would be even better. Then maybe pack the bags and load the car! Pushing it?

Retail Therapy....Books!

I have recently had, well, let's call it, a reminder. A reminder that grownups are simply not as much fun as kids. They're just not. 

In total support of every cloud having a silver lining, this week also happens to be the deadline for spending leftover grant money. This week also started the Scholastic Warehouse Sale! With credit card in tow and $500.00 ready to spend, I was ready for some retail therapy. BUYING BOOKS HEALS. (Print that on a shirt!)

Look at these treasures! Look at these piles! Look at all of these books!!! 

 

Origami Yoda anyone???

Got a little carried away and had to start doing some math!

 

Pile for me, pile for T's teacher, pile for me...

Something for everyone, K-5!

Had to have those Who Would Win books!

Tired teacher (4 hours later) excited about adding these to lit lab!

Alas, some jewels had to be left behind....

already added to my wishlist though! 

For a moment, picture the faces of those in line behind us-two buggies of books, 4 boxes packed, and 6 transactions so we could use the coupon over and over! Ahhh! Bless their hearts. 

This leaves me to wonder...what books would you buy with $500?

Announcement: I Can Fix Education

As another amazing year comes to an end, I am feeling proud of my students and honestly, myself. I have learned so much this year! I am proud of the teachers I work with who have embraced our new standards and supported our learners every day even though there are a billion obstacles in their way. I mean, we are good. Why? We can grow and change just like our students-you know, the same thing we ask of our students....

Now, it could be the field day exhaustion talking, but I think I can fix our entire educational system....or at least put us on the right track!

Here is my plan:

Teacher Congress

Each state has 2 teacher reps. They miss one day each quarter (I'd settle for once a semester) to meet with congressional leaders, state departments, etc. They meet for one week during the summer to discuss ways to support our children. They will talk, leaders will listen. They will share happy news and areas of concern. They will highlight their state of education in ways only teachers can. While they are there, they discuss trends, research, communication, collaboration, and any other jargon necessary. 

How to choose these teachers? I don't know. Maybe there should be more than two based on population, just roll with me....

Teachers will have a blog, etc to share information with teachers as well as accept questions, ideas etc from teachers in their state. 

Teachers have answers, ideas, experiences, and want to be part of the conversation, part of the solution, part of the process, etc.

www.keepcalm.com-uk

Any takers? sponsors? best friends with Secretary Duncan? billionaire? 

Mom, Mommasita, Momanator!

Happy Mother's Day Mom! 

I love you!

You are the best Oba in the universe, too!

How to Make....Pinecone Bird Feeders!

What do you do with a box of expired Cheerios, buy one get one peanut butter, an open bag of bird seed, and a slightly rainy day? 

You invite friends over to make pinecone bird feeders!

First, tie a string to the pinecones. This makes them easier to hang later!

Then, coat them with peanut butter. Don't be shy!

Next, roll them in Cheerios and/or birdseed.

Finally, hang your bird feeder proudly on a tree!

Watch the birds chirp and eat in delight!

We had soooo much fun with our friends at the park. One friend even had the brilliant idea to have summer meetups for even more fun! I love that. I love having friends that we can get messy with and that really don't care what we look like when we do it! I'll keep you posted on what cool ideas these amazing moms come up with during June and July. 

Let's face it though, pinecone bird feeders are going to be really hard to top! :)

Only Mothers....

There are 2 billion mothers on this planet and I am so happy to be one of them! I love my guy.....little nutball!

In thinking of some amazing things the moms I know do, I was quite pleased! 

The moms I know....
have 1-5 kids, do housework (like it or not,) are online everyday,defend the law, stay home, have dinner with their families, sew clothes for the kids, do art, blog, teach, run daily, take their kids to learning places, homeschool, write books, cook dinner, are single moms, read to their children, create cool things, travel the world, vaccinate children, control finances, fight for equal education, have conversations with not at their children, spend time outside (like it or not,) adopted a child, raise money for their cause, putting their children first, volunteer, love unconditionally

Happy Mother's Day!

My Not So Crafty Teacher Gift

I think I have made it perfectly clear that I am NOT crafty, and in all honesty, it's not one of my goals. :)

Now that National Teacher Appreciation Week has rolled around, my little craft insecurity comes out in full force! I mean, have you seen all the cute ideas on Pinterest!?! Ugh! 

So what is a mom (who truly appreciates everything her son's teachers do every single day) supposed to do? Oh I know! I asked my kid. Here is a snippet of our conversation:

Me "T, what do you want to get your teachers as a thank you present?"

T "gum. They really like gum a lot."

Me "Really? Again, you want to get them gum, AGAIN?" 

T "Mommy, they really like it."

Me "Ok, what else do they like?"

T "chicken"

Me "Your teachers like chicken? Have you ever seen them eat chicken?"

T "oh yeah."

Rather than running out to Chick-fil-a, KFC, Zaxby's, or grabbing a couple of rotisserries, I went with my teacher instinct and here is what we did!

cute, white box from Target's Dollar Spot, decorated with love (and Sharpies!)

more gum than any 3 women need, along with Target gift cards, handpicked by T!

My favorite part-pictures of his teachers. 

I know they will love it. Why? I'm pretty sure they love my kid! I do so appreciate T's teachers and A's teacher, too. These educators are teaching my two favorite children in the universe! I know what they go through-I mean, parents like P and I are no piece of cake! HA! (not to mention that lack of craftiness on my part!)

On this teacher appreciation week, and every other day too, from one teacher to another, THANK YOU!