I'm Back!!!!

Hey everyone!  I'm officially back!  It has been FOREVER since I have blogged!  My goodness!  There is SO much I want to share with you all, so let's get started with a little "Currently" from Oh Boy 4th Grade!  :)

For tonight there are three exciting things I want to share with you:

1.  Part of the reason I've been absent for a couple months is this guy!

 

He was born on Monday, November 4th.  Everything went so smoothly and I'm already back to myself!  I had a repeat c-section and this one was SO much easier and quicker to recover from!  Now our little family is complete.  :)

2.  A couple weeks before I had Sawyer, I found out I was selected to present at the I Teach 1st Conference in Las Vegas this summer!!!!!  I was totally thrilled and blown away!  I will be presenting on Wednesday, July 9th from 1:15-2:30.  My session is titled, "Tracking and Utilizing Data in the Elementary Classroom" and I hope you'll join me if you happen to go this summer!  I'm so pumped to meet lots of new people and attend different session of my friends!  Here's the link for the conference if you're interested: http://www.sde.com/iteach1st2014/

3.  The last little bit I want to share with you is that I have recently started updating my 2nd grade Reading Street files to cover the 2013 edition!  A sweet buyer gave me some guidance and I've slowly started updating them.  Unit 3 is entirely done!  If you've already purchased the file you'll just need to download it again from your purchases.  I'm going to start working on Unit 4 after I finish this blog post in hopes of getting that unit almost done (if not entirely done) before the sale tomorrow!  I'll upload the stories individually as I go along and then update the Complete Pack.  If I DON'T get them all done tonight, you can always purchase the Complete Packs during the sale and just download the revised file once I get it done.  :)  I hope that makes sense!

Don't forget about the big sale tomorrow and Tuesday at TPT!  My cart is STOCKED!  :)  I'll be back more often now!  I'm so excited to get back to blogging!  I hope you'll join me on this journey.  :)

My TPT shop

Meet the Teacher! Blog Hoppin' Linky

Is anyone else beyond stressed?  Actually, I'm not stressed about my room.  It's ready.  I'm not stressed about plans.  They're done.  I'm stressed about all the "stuff" this year!  SOOOOOO many new things!  OTES, RTI, student teachers, mentoring, finishing my reading endorsement courses, being PREGNANT (it's sad that it's the last thing on my mind right now...except when I get super-uncomfortable, ha!), Common Core, assessments, trainings, lalalalalala!!!!!  Picture me plugging my ears so I don't have to listen to it all anymore.  ;)

But there's a GREAT linky party going on this week through Blog Hoppin'.  As I *try* to enjoy my last few days of freedom, I figured I would jump in a share about some of the FUN sides of teaching!  :)

1.  I am a first grade teacher from Marion, OH.  It's in a small town about 45 minutes north of Columbus.  Our campus is in the middle of a corn field.  :)  I love it.  It's so peaceful and beautiful!  This is my 7th year in the district and my 3rd year in 1st grade.

2.  I am a wife to my incredibly amazing and patient husband, Kyle.  I have to point out his patience because I am SOOOOO type-A it isn't funny.  I seriously don't know how he puts up with me sometimes.  ;)  But we have such an awesome marriage.  We laugh, joke, help each other (he does dishes, I fold laundry...we despise the chores of one another, haha), pray, and just talk and talk.  Last night we were sitting in bed talking and we recited the hilarious AT&T commercial with the guy sitting at the table with all the kids.  It was the one with the joke about "queen" instead of "clean."  We were CRACKING UP.  Nerdy fun.  ;)

3.  I am a momma to the sweetest boy I've ever seen and met in my life.  His name is Rowan and he was born June 15th, 2011.  He is an absolute joy in my life and he is HILARIOUS!

4.  I'm pregnant with my 2nd!  He will be here on November 4th this fall.  2.5 months!  :)  I'm ready for my insides to go be back in their proper place.  All the shifting, rib pain, and discomfort is starting to get to me!  I hate not being able to do what I normally do.  It'll be worth it in the end!  We have 3 names picked out for him, but we won't decided until he's born so we can see what he looks like.  ;)

5.  I went to Ole Miss for my undergrad and graduate school.  Best decision I've ever made!  I miss that place entirely too much.  We go back every year for the Double Decker Arts & Music Festival to visit friends and roommates.  HOTTY TODDY!

6.  I am a HUGE Buckeyes fan!  Living in Ohio, it's just the right thing to do.  Plus, they're amazing, which makes it even more fun!  I'm DETERMINED to make it to an OSU game!  Living here for so many years, I can't believe I haven't been to one yet!

7.  I have a black Chiweenie named Dixie and she is as sweet as pie!!!  Chiweenies are part Dachshund, part Chihuahua.  

8.  I have a SLIGHT obsession with school supplies.  Every time I go to Target or Lakeshore Learning or Walmart or Meijer, I'm always finding SOMETHING for my classroom, even if it's just a new set of pens!

9.  I also have a slight obsession with reading.  I read professional books on my own time and I love to teach reading!  It's seriously the biggest passion in my life, outside of my home.  Sometimes I feel nerdy about it, but I just love it too much!  That's part of the reason I'm so excited about getting my reading endorsement.  Not only is it right up my alley, but it is teaching me so much and just fans the flames to my love in life!  My dream job would be a literacy coordinator or curriculum director.  As of this point in my life, those are my end goals.  

10.  I saved the most important thing about me for last.  The absolute most important thing in my life is my faith in Jesus.  I've had a lot of "stuff" in my life, and entering a personal relationship with Him has been the most important decision I have ever made.  It's made me who I am today and has gotten me through every. single. moment.  There is nothing like the comfort and knowledge of knowing Him.  College was the sweetest time in my life because of this realization.  I'm still trying to find how this all works and fits together being in the "real world."  It's so hard.  The responsibilities, pulls of our culture, and distractions of being an adult have really thrown me for a loop.  But at the end of the day, I find myself clinging to Him tighter than ever to help me make it through another day and to shine through me while I impact the lives of my family, coworkers, and students.  We love being involved in our church, community group, and other Bible studies.  I find when I cut these things out of my life, things start to get rough.  It's not about doing, but it's about being.  And in order to be with Him, you have to make time for Him.  It's a challenge, especially as a teacher.  We're so tired when we come home from being with kids all day.  But if I didn't spend time with Him, I'd be even more exhausted.

I'll be back tomorrow with my room reveal!  Happy Monday!  :)

A Day in the Life, End of the Year, and Big Sale!

Um, I'm totally embarrassed.  And trying to make it through life, haha.  Y'all, I have seriously been coming home at 4:30 and taking a 4 or 5 hour nap everyday.  It's ridiculous.  I was NOT this tired with my last pregnancy!  Not even close.  Plus, I think the end-of-the-year stuff is kicking my behind.  I ate lunch in my room today so I could input data and try to clear off my desk.  14 days until summer and I have never been more excited!

Ok, so I told my sweet friend, Jessica from Second Grade Nest, that I would link up with her last Friday.  I carried my camera around with me all day and people thought I was crazy.  But I LOVED her idea of doing A Day in the Life of a Teacher!

So here we go!

And there you have my typical Thursday.  :)  For 3 more weeks... :D

Last night I stayed up until 2 a.m. finishing my end-of-year pack!  It has 8 different resources to help you have a great last week of school.  I'm super-excited about it!

You can snag it at my TpT shop!

And in case you haven't heard already...TpT is celebrating teachers tomorrow and Wednesday by having a big Teacher Appreciation sale!  My whole shop will be 20% off for the next 2 days.  Add the Promo Code TAD13 when you check out and you'll get another 8% off!  Let me tell you, my cart is already full!  I can't WAIT!

Have a great week, friends!  :)  Happy shopping!

A little about me...

Whew...heading into mid-July.  If you saw my last post, you know that I'm changing grade levels next  year again.  And let me tell you what...I am starting to get in panic mode!  It's like I can't work fast enough.  Someone asked what I'm doing to get ready.  The biggest thing is math flipcharts for the Promethean Board.  I'm insanely OCD (self-diagnosis here!  ;)) and have to have everything organized and ready to go.  Being unprepared drives me crazy, even though sometimes it's inevitable as a teacher.  Things come up, plans change, you have to roll with the punches.  But by golly, I'm going to try my hardest to be prepared in every way possible!  We also use Reading Street and I've come up with resource packets that I use every week.  It just makes the week easier.  If you use RS, too, you can check out my TPT store because I put all of my packets on there.  :)  I'm 2/3 of the way done with first grade stories.  I'm also going to start to implement the Daily 5 next year.  If any of you use that, I would LOVE some feedback!  I'm worried about how to fit in a "daily" 5.  With our schedule, I just don't think it's possible.  It will be more like a Daily 3.

**Sidenote: Does anyone feel kind of...alone, if you will....if you're not at I Teach K in Vegas this week?  Ha!  I feel like all of blogging land is out there.  Maybe one of these days I can go to a huge blog meet-up in a fabulous place.  But for now, I'm stuck here in central Ohio working on school stuff.  :P  

  So last week I received a welcome surprise from...

   awarded me the...

  Thank you so, so much, friend!  Hop on over to her blog and check it out!

Now there are a few rules to follow when receiving this award.

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you. 

2. Include a link to their site. 

3. Include the award image in your post

4. Give 7 random facts about yourself. 

5. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award. 

6. When nominating, include a link to their site. 

7. Let other bloggers know they've been nominated.



So 7 random facts about myself...hmmm....


1.  I have a 1-year old named Rowan.  He is the sweetest little guy I've ever met!  Everyone says he's the cutest kid they've ever seen.  I have to agree, since I'm his mom.  ;)  This picture is from Easter, but it's one of my favorites!

2.  I graduated from Ole Miss with my Bachelor's in Elementary Education and my Master's in Curriculum and Instruction.  Hotty Toddy!  :)

3.  I LOVE to workout.  I just wish I had more time to do it.  :/

4.  I have taken a nap almost everyday this summer with my son.  I love it and hate it.  I feel like I should be getting stuff done (*cough*laundry*cough*), but then again, summer is for relaxing, right?

5.  My favorite sound is cicadas.  My hubby thinks I'm weird, but it reminds me of living down South.  Don't get me wrong, they're creepy little bugs.  The sound is just so refreshing, though! 

6.  I have a secret passion for weather!  I am sorta like a weather-stalker.  I check it CONSTANTLY.  And if we're supposed to get storms, I'm standing out on my back deck watching it roll in!  My mom was struck by lightning when I was in 5th grade, so she HATES my passion for storms.  ;)

7.  I LOOOOOVVVEEEE grilled asparagus!  Um, hello, why did I just find this out about 5 years ago?!?!?  I was in my roommate's wedding down South and we had grilled asparagus at the rehearsal and reception.  It was the most divine food I've ever hated when I was little.  So I started growing my own in our backyard.  :)

So there ya have it!  A few fun tidbits about myself.

Ok, 15 is a lot of blogs...so I'm only going to do 9.  ;)  There are SO many fabulous blogs out there, but these are the ones I follow the closet.

http://sweetiesinsecond.blogspot.com/

Back to creating!  :)