Hellooo Jan Brett!

Jan Brett and the Cinders A Chicken Cinderella tour just made its way through Atlanta. Of course....we went!

She is just as amazing as I hoped! She talked about her life, her love of chickens (who knew?) and making the most of your artistic time. 

She said draw! write! Do it! She encouraged us to use our artistic license. I shared that with my class and they thought that was pretty awesome!

Then there was this...she drew. This started as a black oval and triangle. Watching her work was amazing. The audience was hanging on every word, sketch. It was breathtaking.

Best part though? Jan Brett talking with T! She was so friendly. She asked him questions and chatted away. He told her he loved The Hat and The Mitten. She said she did, too. :) We also took Gingerbread Baby-another favorite! 

Check her site or her FB to see where she is going next! You will leave with a better appreciation for her work and an a whole new excitement for a Jan Brett author study! She has lots of freebies for home or school!

What is your favorite Jan Brett book?

Mine is The Hat! 

I'm Calling Santa!

A friend shared this with me and I saw it on Instagram, too. Knowing that all things via text message and Instagram are legit, I called. It is super cute. Santa tells you to listen to your parents and then you can leave him a voicemail of your wishlist or maybe just a Merry Christmas, Santa!

The call is free from the 951 area code and if you have free long distance on your cell phone. 

Will you be calling? 

*After some research, I discovered this service is provided by freeconferencecall.com. Thanks guys! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hour of Code

Can you code? Are you like me and aren't quite sure what that means? Welcome! You are in the right place! Coding seems like a super techy term, but it is really the process of assigning a code to something for a purpose (at least that is what a certain 8th grader told me!) 

Now that I am a code expert, (ha!) I've decided that my 4 year old and my first graders will participate in the Hour of Code. As part of Computer Science Education Week, CSED is inviting learners of all ages to code for one hour during December 9-15. AH! I am so excited! We are lovers of all things STEM, so this seems like the natural next step!

So how in the world with the 4 year old and 6 and 7 year olds code? Just like their 30+ year teacher mommy! The Hour of Code site has TONS of resources, but these are my favorite for the PreK-1 crowd! 

You can't go wrong with a little Angry Birds! (Click the pic to visit the page!) Not to mention the introductory video starring Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg!

Then there is Light-Bot! It's like computer programming 101 and I LOVE it! It is available as an app or online. 

If you do not have access to the internet or gadgets for all of your students, there are things to do for you, too! Check out The Hour of Code for resources, ideas, and to check in! 

Will you join us for a little code? 

Holiday Shopping Schedule

I love this time of year! "I love, love, love this time of year!" (I'm singing.)

Here is my shopping plan for the kickoff of holiday shopping! "I love, love, love shopping. I really dooooo." (Singing again!)

@babble.com

Thanksgiving Thursday~I don't shop on Thanksgiving. I eat. I sleep. I talk and play. I don't shop.

Black Friday~We go to the movies with my Dad. It's a tradition. P and I might, I said might, visit a store. Of course, by the time we get there everything will have been picked over because it will be noon at the earliest.

Small Business Saturday~We shop and eat local!!! We love Little Shop of Stories in Decatur! We love Learning Express! We love Teachers Pay Teachers! We love Etsy! Support small businesses and shop til you drop on Saturday! 

Cyber Monday~There is a really good chance I will buy something on Amazon. and probably Teachers Pay Teachers. I'm just guessing. :)

Giving Tuesday~I think this is my favorite day of the shopping season! Donate to your favorite charity! Donate as a gift for a family member! Donate to a local charity or one a million miles away. Donate blood! Donate clothes or books you no longer need. We'll be donating to Donors Choose and Shot@Life. 

What kind of holiday shopper or you? online and retail? Black Friday renegade? Local or bust? Whatever your style, be careful out there, and spend wisely! Happy shopping!

I (still) Love Pinterest!

Am I on Pinterest as much as I was last year? Probably not. I still love it though! I love searching for ideas for school and home! I love pinning things I can't afford. I love pinning outfits and bracelets...oh the bracelets! I love pinning those quickie exercise charts knowing that I will not do them. I love my secret boards. That's right, I have secret boards! Ah! Pinterest is just plain fun! 

Here are a few of my boards. Check them out! Follow one or two and I'll be following back!

Happy Pinning!

ATL Happenings

Are you looking for things to do in or around Atlanta (and other major cities, too!) You should check out Goldstar! The site features deals for events happening right now. Sometimes there are only certain dates or times, but who cares! They have great deals and saving money during the holidays is pretty awesome! 

Just this month, they had deals for LEGOLAND!!!, The Nutcracker, Rockettes, and the Global Winter Wonderland! Click the picture and go see what is happening in your area! 

Maybe I'll see you at an event!

Disney's Frozen....It's Almost Here!

One of my students brought in her Olaf today. Who is Olaf? The soon to be super mega famous snowman from Disney's latest creation-Frozen. I asked her if the movie was out yet and she said (with a big smile on her face,) "No, but it's almost here!" She is sooo excited! It officially opens on November 27th!

Here is the official trailer. After watching it, I'm feeling a little excited, too!

Now that you've seen that, you want your own Olaf don't you? Click here or on the picture to print your own! (Might be a nice companion for Elf on the Shelf, too!)

@Disneyanimation

Need a little more Olaf in your life? Find Frozen on Facebook!

Will you be heading to theaters for this one? 

What Does Brave Mean To You?

Love, love, love, this song!

What does being brave mean to you?

Living with a Scientist

Now that I'm living with a scientist full time, I have to be ready for experiments at any moment. Thank goodness I had baking soda, vinegar, "a sturdy tray," and a glass container on hand when T was ready for more science fun!

What was today's experiment? The good ol' erupting volcano! We waited for daddy to arrive and went straight to work! 

              

              

 AGAIN! This time with blue food coloring!

 Long day at school, stress from life, paper work, phone calls, etc. Put it all aside and squeeze in a little science, a little experiment, a little family fun. It can be easy and quick. I mean, doesn't this face say it all?

Whether or not he becomes a scientist for hire, he is a scientist now and the seed of curiosity continues to be nourished! We experiment, take things apart, cook, measure, compare, build, invent, and occasionally destroy. I mean, it is all in the name of science. :)

How do you make science a part of your child's life? 

Celebration Saturday

Saturday=Celebration! 

Here's what I am celebrating and I hope you will share something from your week, too. Click the picture to join Ruth Ayres' Celebration Linky! It's fun and fun is good! :)

Home
T and I completed several science experiments just because we wanted to. I mean, how cool is that!?! 

School
On Thursday, I was sitting on the floor (probably trying to get up!) and one of my kids came over and hugged me. He's a hugger. Then another one came and hugged me. I think you know where this going. I was attacked. I couldn't stop laughing. I looked at my coteacher, she was laughing, too. They are a sweet bunch and that is worth celebrating!

Life 
My partner in crime and I presented at the Alabama Reading Association on Friday. We met some amazing teachers, listened to Lester Laminack and Reba Wadsworth discuss bullying, and spent 10 hours in the car laughing and talking. It was kind of like a girls night out except for the whole driving, being nervous about presenting, and the fact that we had to create lesson plans before it could happen! HA! It was truly amazing and we both needed it! 

What are you celebrating? What little thing went well for you?

Too Tired To Plan Dinner!!!

I can honestly say that I have been busy since late July, which here in Georgia (and I'm being serious) was back to school time. Of course, I'm not too busy for the things I enjoy-my son, my husband, my glass of wine on the back porch....but I am too busy for dishes, making dinner every night, and laundry. 

This is where a program like eMeals comes in handy. I met the eMeals ladies at Type A Parent and fell in love with their positive attitudes and amazing options! eMeals plans your menus AND grocery lists for you!

Here is how it works:
*Subscribe ($5 a month for a year.)
*Choose menu plan. (There are over 50 choices including classic, paleo, vegetarian, etc!)

*Choose the grocery store where you most often shop!
*Receive email or text (both) with your menu for the week and grocery list! 

Pretty amazing, right? Check out eMeals for yourself or as a gift for a busy family you know. I think it would make a great gift. Not that I'm dropping hints here or anything....

Career Move

T has changed his future career plans. In August, he still wanted to be a teacher. He had been riding the teaching wave since he ditched the whole engineer thing last year. I knew it wouldn't last long (he probably found out what we make) and I am pleased with his latest choice.....scientist. 

Of course, he now wants a scientist birthday party, science kit for his Christmas present (so he can be ready for his party,) and a full scientist wardrobe. Just so you know, that includes a white labcoat and blue labcoat. 

While watching Sesame Street the other day, we stumbled upon this Grover clip. T almost jumped with joy. 

We immediately went into science mode and started trying a few of the experiments on our own! The activities are perfect for our 4 year old, though I recommend adult supervision. :)

Pepper, Water, and Detergent:

Why does this happen? T knows! We even watched the video to double check. (Mommy and Daddy were learning, too!)

Stay tuned for the next experiment! It's a classic...volcano!!!!

WW~My Sister

Missing my sister today. <3

Ce-le-brate Good Times, Come On!

It's Celebration Saturday and I'm ready! This week was nuts. Nuts is an understatement. I'm tired. No, I'm exhausted. I'm overwhelmed. When Friday afternoon finally rolled around, I was too weak to cheer out loud, but I was doing a happy dance inside! It was a cha cha, salsa, twerk, what did the fox say kind of dance....all on the inside, but still. :)

Home Well, in the chaos that was this week, I completely forgot to send snack for T's class on Wednesday. Total mommy fail. Right? I know. After crying about it, making ugly faces at the note clearly marked on our calendar, I took a deep breath and sent tons of delicious snack for the reserve. So what am I celebrating? My kid saying, "It's ok mommy. I forget sometimes, too." That my friends, is worthy of celebration! 

School Our kids moan when it is time to stop readers or writers workshop. I mean that. They literally moan to the point that we have had to ask them to stop. (#happyteacherproblems) On Thursday, one of our writers said, "Mrs. S., thank you for teaching me how to be a better writer. Everybody can read what I write now." Man, I needed that!

What are you celebrating? 

My Favorite Veteran

My favorite Veteran.....my Dad.

He does not talk about Vietnam. I used to not understand why, but as the years have passed, I figured it out. Makes me sad. He has many reasons, but I am certain of one~he lost his only brother there. I know he still suffers terrible war memories, along with the aches and pains.

I always discuss Veterans Day with my class and my little guy. Veterans are heroes. Soldiers that came home 80 years ago, 40 years ago, or 2 days ago. They are all heroes. 

This is my favorite (and very appropriate) Veterans Day read.

If you are looking for fun Veterans Day paper and a word box to go along with it, check out Candau's Crew! She does amazing work and this is a freebie!

Another fab resource is Wonderopolis. I'll be sharing this with my class and my guy. It has vocab, a short video, and explains the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day. 

Do you have a Veteran in your life? Please share their name and let them know we appreciate their service! 

Happy Veterans Day to my Dad, and the estimated 22 million other Veterans in the United States! 

WW~Yard Sale!

Money donated to Pet Buddies Food Pantry, T's charity of choice!