Prayers Please!

Life continues to change and as this is suppose to be a joyous season, I find it hard to put a smile on my face.  My husband is was in construction and did lots of jobs for Carrabbas.  However, for the past several years work has been very few and far between.  Even worse, this year it has become pretty much nonexistent.  He owns two other businesses {he comes from a family of ALL entrepreneurs} one is a clothing company that is just starting to pick up (www.builtclothing.com) and the other is creating and editing videos of all sorts.  Both are great, however, do not make enough profit to pay our bills and as you all know a teacher salary is hardly enough.  

With all that said, our financial situation has hit rock bottom and it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I know it's all for the best and it's all going to work out in the end, but it's so hard to see the silver lining.  I don't know if I should be angry, sad, or just cry!

I'm here, humbled, and asking for your prayers.  Prayers for a good outcome, for consistent jobs, or for a job to come around for my husband period.  Prayers for a new beginning and for life to take a turn in the right direction.

I'm sorry this has nothing to do with teaching and no creative freebie to go along with it.  I do have some goodies to post when I can muster up some motivation to complete them.  Have you ever felt like no matter how much time you put in, or how hard you work, you just keep getting knocked down?! UGH!

some of my favorite things

I have been such a slacker lately and for that I apologize! I have been so busy browsing blogs, "stealing" ideas, downloading amazing freebies from even *more* amazing blogland colleagues, and "pinning," that I've neglected this sweet little blog.  I also have FAILED to remember to bring my camera to school to take any pictures.  Since I've slacked, I wanted to share some of my favorites from Pinterest that I found for the Holidays! 

You may not know this but I love am all kinds of obsessed with fingerprint art! We are making these {in a smaller version} to go into our scrapbooks.

                              

Source: leapfrogandladybugs.blogspot.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Source: leapfrogandladybugs.blogspot.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Here is another fun {and free} Grinch tag that I made for my kiddos for Grinch Day! Super cute, easy to do, cheap, and the kids went nuts for them!

Source: scrapcationgetaway.blogspot.com via Kelly on Pinterest

      

      

These will be our snack next Wednesday. Yes, sadly we are in school until next Wednesday.  It's rather tragic.  I mean what do they expect my sweet firsties to learn when they are all revved up for Christmas!!! :)  Nonetheless, these will be a tasty treat and they're so easy to make!

Source: Uploaded by user via Kelly on Pinterest

This is also something that we will be doing in my classroom on Wednesday.  It's a must see.  Lots of fun holiday themed games and ideas for parties.  You can use them play them at home with your kiddos or at school! Or store it away for next year! 

 

Source: tipjunkie.com via Kelly on Pinterest

If you have not allowed Pinterest into your life, you MUST!  So many wonderful ideas that you can organize {my FAVORITE part of it all} on your virtual boards.  No more stressing over where you saw that one recipe or racking your brain to remember the name of that amazing blog!  Just PIN IT!  :)  

The rest of my weekend will be spent taking Christmas {card} pictures.  Something I've been begging my husband to do for the past THREE weeks.  Why is it that they {husbands} are so repulsed by the thought of getting dressed up to take Christmas pictures?! :)  Is it just mine?! 

After that I will be spending countless hours scrapbooking a recipe book for my father.  He's an avid hunter.  The book is literally all on venison and includes recipes that I found on Pinterest! I'm telling you, it's the place to visit!

Then, when I can't take it anymore I'm off to attach 243 candy canes to Candy Cane Grams that were sold as a fundraiser for Relay for Life! 

Busy day...I'd say so! 

So excited to be SO close to our holiday break! SO jealous of those who are already there!  Happy Sunday!

Have you heard?

I know over the summer I saw several blogs talking about Whole Brain Teaching but I was so wrapped up in my Math Workstations book study that I didn't give it as much research as I should have.  Then while I was browsing through Pinterest I found a YouTube video that had me HOOKED, and when I say hooked I don't mean like a good movie you want to watch more than once, I'm talking about like that chocolate cake kind of indulgence! 

I have several students who are "busy bodies" and often disengage within seconds of me starting a lesson.  I've tried so many different approaches {my LAST resort is to talk to a parent about their child being "ADHD"} to try and keep these sweet little ones focused, engaged, and learning and nothing seemed to work... UNTIL Whole Brain Teaching entered my life.  Those kiddos are no longer a "problem."  It is the best behavioral, classroom management that I've ever come across.  The bonus is that it engages multiple parts of your students brain! What's better than getting them to behave and learn?! :)

WARNING: Watch this video and you'll never look back:

This is the video that forever changed how I teach!  I wanna be her! :)

Sunny Surprise!

After having some really stressful and disheartening days at school it's nice to jump on to 'blogland' and find out that I was awarded the Sunshine Award by, not one, but *TWO* wonderful fellow bloggers! I am humbled everytime I log onto my webpage and see the number of other educator's who find my blog worthy enough to follow!  I love learning and discovering new things from fellow teachers and being able to talk about how I'm implementing it in my classroom. I am humbled in knowing that so many of you enjoy hearing what I have to say and share! :)  I've always loved an audience!

So let me take a moment to send a HUGE hug and thank you to Mrs. Zrihen over at A Teacher's Treasure. Another amazing blog worthy of your browsing time:

and THANK YOU to Amanda over at The Teaching Thief. Yet another blog that you will be glued to for hours of blog browsing pleasure:

Ok. So here are The Sunshine Award rules:

1. Thank the person who gave this award and write a post about it.
2. Answer the following questions below.
3. And pass the award to 10~12 fabulous bloggers, link their blogs and let them know you awarded them.

* Favorite Color?  green
* Favorite Animal?  dogs

* Favorite Number?8

* Favorite Drink? Starbucks mocha's and red wine

* Facebook or Twitter? Facebook

* Your Passion? adventure

* Giving or Getting Presents?  really?!  I love both!

* Favorite day? Saturday
* Favorite flowers?poppies

Here are 12 more blogs I have chosen to pass this award on to:

 

The Lemonade Stand

 

Mrs. Schmelzer's First Grade

 

 

Sailing Through First

Thanks for sticking around!

Kelly