Showing posts with label Give Aways. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Give Aways. Show all posts

Saturday, February 16, 2013

It's A Give Away!

Update 2/22/13: The give away is officially closed!  Thanks to all that entered.  The winner will be posted this weekend, probably Sunday night.  Best of luck to you all!

So, I mentioned that I  wanted to do a give away for a very special reason. 

Today is the day! 

After all, it is the weekend.  What better way to start the weekend?

I know!  I was going to wait a bit so that I could work on the stinky spam problem.  But, it seems that just adding a word verification has solved the problem (she whispered under her breath in fear of tempting the evil spam trolls.)  Before we get to the goodies, let me tell you why I'm so happy to be doing this.  During my hit or miss posting the past few months it seems my little blog hit over 1,000 followers!  I was stunned when I saw that.  Now, I know in blog land 1,000+ followers is not such a big deal.  But, for me it is H U G E!  I was stunned to see that, despite the fact I haven't been posting regularly, you have all stuck around and even a few more joined out little party.  It brought a huge smile to my face and was a major factor in motivating me to get back to blogging.  And, thanks so much to everyone who had such nice comments about losing my teaching mojo.  Your kind words are very much appreciated. 

It is that restored motivation for which I can't thank you enough.  Many of you have commented in the past that you come to my blog for ideas and motivation.  Well, it is your coming here that motivates me and has been just what I needed this school year.  To thank you all for what you give to me, I have a little something to give to you.  I've collected some things that make me smile in hopes they will make you smile!

Before we go on, I should mention that I am limiting this give away to followers of my blog only.  I've never done that with a give away, but it seems fair this time since it is a thank you to them (you!) for bringing me to over 1,000 followers and sticking around during my funk. However, if you want in on the loot just become a follower and join the fun!

The give away includes the goodies
shown in the two pictures below!

Good stuff, right? :-)  Let me tell you why they make me smile.

Mini Stamper Markers - I know these are great for things like having your friends make rebus stories, but I use them in a totally different way.  These markers usually make their appearance during math.  When working on a whole class lesson, I will walk around and look over my friends' shoulders while they work.  If things are going well, I simply lean over, give a quick verbal compliment, stamp the math problem, and move on.   I also switch off on markers so they get different stamps as we are working.  They honestly get so motivated by this you would think I was throwing money at them!    The markers are washable and non-toxic, so sometimes I will stamp the back of their hands instead of the papers.  They love that!  If I have a friend who is struggling a bit, after we work it out together I will give them a bunch of stamps for working so hard and not giving up.  Those are the best smiles ever.

Tri Write Pencils - I order a bunch of these with my school order each year for a very special group of friends.  These are the perfect pencils for my friends who have organization issues, ADD, or just tend to be those kids who are always knocking things off their desks.  Take a look at the picture below, and see if you can figure out why I like them so much.  I might have even highlighted it for you. :-)
Yup!  These pencils are triangular shaped.  They are the same size as normal number two Ticonderoga pencils, but they have flat sides.  These pencils stay where you put them!  They don't roll off the desk or under a paper.  I can't tell you how a simple change to this type of pencil has saved the time lost searching under the desk or  under papers several times a day.  It may seem like a little thing, but it is so helpful to my aforementioned friends.  These pencils are also great for your friends who are having trouble with their grip.  The three sides help with finger placement without the need for a pencil grip.

Sparkle Heart Accents - Who says hearts are only for Valentine's Day?  I included these hearts because they are the exact hearts I used to make a game called Heart Breakers.  I posted about it in THIS POST.  Heart Breakers is a fun review game that your friends will love and you can play anytime of the year.  My previous post will tell you exactly how to set up the cards and play the game.  It will take you just a few minutes to make the hearts, and then you have the game forever.  It's a great review game for all grade levels, seriously K-12 can play this!

Bulletin Board Letters - I like easy.  I like colorful.  I like pre-made, colorful bulletin board letters! These letters are just fun.  Check out the back of the package.
 
TPT Gift Certificate - And finally, what I consider to be the best part of the whole give away. . . a $20 gift certificate to TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS.

 
If you haven't visited this site, you need to go there now!  Teachers create materials from all curriculum areas and post them for sale on this site.  Honestly, you can find pretty much anything you need there.  I like the site because it is a great way to support our colleagues, and it is full of great stuff!  Once you buy something, you can download it immediately.  Also, most everything is so reasonably price you can really get a lot for $20.  I have been toying with the idea of starting a store there myself, but haven't worked up to it.

So, there we go!  A great big THANK YOU give away to those who have been nice enough to follow my little blog and bring a smile to my face.  I think I love give aways so much because, well. . . who doesn't like getting a surprise?  I still send cards and notes via snail mail for the same reason.  How nice is it to get an unexpected something in the mail that isn't a bill?!

Here's the info you need to enter:

1. Leave a comment!  That's your entry.   One comment/entry per a person, please.  I usually like to ask a question for a comment entry, so how about this:  What subject do you most enjoy teaching?  I'll post the total responses for you all after the give away closes.  Or, you can leave any old comment you like!

2. Be a follower of Teaching My Friends. I don't want to exclude anyone, but this is a give away to thank those who have helped my little blog have over 1,000+ followers.  Of course, everyone is welcome to follow and enter.  There's a "Follow" button down a bit on the right side of the page. 
 
The give-away closes on Friday, February 22, 2013, at 8:00 P.M. eastern time. I will randomly pick a winner from the comments and post the winner that weekend. 
Good Luck!
 
Disclaimer: Nothing in this give away is sponsored in any way. 
It's all fun stuff purchased out of my own pocket to thank you!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

YOUR Professional Goals and a Winner!

Thanks so much for your great response to my blogiversary give-away.  There were 81 entries/comments.  If you just can't wait to see who won, scroll down to the bottom of this post.  
But, if you can be patient for a minute. . . 


In entering my give-away, I asked you to comment on what your goal was for the upcoming school year.  I mentioned that mine was to do more professional reading on teaching reluctant readers.  However, I could name a million more!  But, I didn't have to.  You all came up with an amazing list of goals.  Many of you gave more than one goal.  I enjoyed reading them and was able to identify with so many. I could have added most of them to my personal goal list!

I thought you might enjoy reading them.  I categorized your goals as best I could and listed them below. Some could be in more than one category and others were tough to put in a specific category.  The ones that are in italics were mentioned by more than one person.  Other than that, they are listed in no particular order.  Overwhelmingly, it seems one of the biggest goals across the board was to implement the Daily 5 and CAFE.  Behind that, the next biggest goal was staying organized.  Isn't that one battle we all fight? :-)

So, from your comments, here are the goals you all have for this school year.  


Personal
-Get to know my students more personally 
-Make more positive contacts with students’ parents
-Find balance; less work and more family time
-Prepare for a new job
-Get a new job
-Stay positive in a year of big change 
-Provide a great year for my students 
-Work hard to be a good teacher
-“Teach my daughter the alphabet!”

Productivity/Organization
-Stay organized! 
-Better manage paperwork   
-Use my time better
-Bring less work home 
-Keep planning fresh and motivating 
-Clean out the filing cabinets
-Be more intentional in implementing the wonderful things learned from other teachers
-Stay on top of grading and filing
-Keep each nine weeks of materials in one binder for use the following year
-Take advantage of my binder system for keeping all usable plans for individual topics
-Rework one unit each trimester to be a mini inquiry project

Professional Development
-Renew National Certification
-Begin coursework for admin. Certificate  
-Finish my Master’s program in Classroom Technology
-Read at least one professional journal, text, or article each week
-Present at the Massachusetts Computer Using Educators conference
-Become more of a leader in my school
-Finish reading the Lucy Calkin’s Guide to Reading five book collection
-As the school librarian, support more teachers

Blogging
-Keep up with/update my blog  
-Start a blog
-Write more about my teaching experiences

Special Education
-Read up more on autism

Technology
-Utilize more technology in my classroom in general  
-Introduce Edmoto in my classroom
-Use less paper in the classroom
-Implement the Smartboard in math lessons
-Teach more district wide technology classes
-Become more comfortable with social media to support my teaching

LA/Lit.
-Implement Daily 5 and/or CAFÉ ideas  
-Keep up with the reading VOICES board
-Use the common core in the library
-“Step up” my writing instruction
-Integrate more group work in reading & writing workshops
-Implement more strategy grouping
-Use a binder for guided reading to help me stay focused
-Do away with book logs and make reading more enjoyable for my students
-Put a greater emphasis on poetry
-Work more on guided reading and strategy grouping within Reader’s Workshop
-Find my way through reading workshop and guided reading
-Improve word study instruction
-Use reading notebooks to keep track of skills and strategies taught & to record thinking
-Focus more on Greek & Latin roots in vocabulary instruction
-Give my students more opportunities to discover that reading is awesome!
-Introduce book clubs
-Manage time better during student conferencing

Math
-Implement guided math workshop
-Utilize the common core in math instruction
-Get state math test (scores) up
-“Amp up” math lessons in preparation for common core using more manipulatives, group work, and student instruction

General Ed.
-Implement “The Leader in Me” program in the classroom 
-Survive the common core!
-Implement the all new curriculum that is now aligned with common core
-Focus on more flexible grouping
-Improve my small group instruction
-Better classroom management to help the day run smoothly with the help of procedures
-Do more whole brain teaching
-Differentiate instruction as much as possible
-Figure out what my state test is actually looking for!
-Use journals in a more effective way
-Improve partner talk
-Encourage more true collaboration in small group settings
-Implement morning meetings

Funny!
-Get to work on time! 
-Not go insane! 
-Keep calm and carry on. . . no matter what happens!
-Relax. . . I know it will all work out!

Well, don't you think that is a pretty amazing list?  If that doesn't show how dedicated teachers are to their job, I don't know what does.  I especially like "not go insane!"  It made me laugh out loud because, oh, have I been there!


No matter what, let us all remember this. . .

Now, on to the blogiversary give-away winner!
There were 81 entries in all.  Using the True Random Generator, the winner was  number 23.  Comment number 23 was from Silvia.

* * * * * * * * * * 

Blogger Silvia said...
I have been following your blog for only a short time, but love all of the ideas and resources you offer! Thank you for your great blog!
August 15, 2012 11:18 PM
                                                                  * * * * * * * * * * 

Silvia, email me  your mailing address and I will get your goodies out ASAP!  I went to your profile and blog, but there wasn't any way for me to contact you.  So, I hope you come back and read this! :-)
Again, thanks to everyone who commented with their goals for this year.  It was fun to see what was on your mind.  And, thanks to all who come by and visited my blog.  It was a very good blogiversary!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

It's a Blogiversary Giveaway!

8/22/12:  Comments closed!  
Thanks for the entries.  
Come back tomorrow for the winner!

Seriously, who forgets their blogiversary?
If that's even a word.  Well, it seems I missed my blog's first year anniversary. By more than a month!  On July 13, 2011, with this post, I began Teaching My Friends!  There were a handful of posts prior to then, but that is the date I consider the start of my blog.  I can't believe I missed it!

I have much to be happy about with this little blog.

  • It has allowed me a place to keep track of some of what I've done over the past year.
  • It has made me a more reflective teacher.
  • It has led me to many other amazing blogs and fantastic teacher bloggers.  I've learned so much from all of you!
  • It has allowed me to share ideas that have, hopefully, been helpful to others.  

That last one is a biggie.  I have said before in a few posts that I really believe we are stronger educators when we communicate and share ideas.  It is very easy to step in to your classroom, close the door, and just do your own thing.  Being a connected professional community makes us better at what we do.  So, thank you blog readers for making it happen.  I could easily blog without any followers or reader comments, but those are the things that keep me going!  I appreciate each and every one of you that takes the time to come by and read Teaching My Friends.

In honor of my first year blogiversary (Okay, I'm making it a word!) and in honor of YOU, I decided to do something to make it all the more special.  It's a Blogiversary Giveaway!  I've put together some goodies that I thought you might like.


What's in this fun little prize package?

  1. A ten dollar gift card to Barnes & Noble - Get yourself a good read or buy a book for your friends.
  2. An 8 GB bracelet flash drive - I love this!  I even got one for myself.  No worries about not having the flash drive with you.  It snaps on like a bracelet.
  3. I'm a Star Reader bookmarks - I go through bookmarks like crazy with my friends, so I thought this is something we could all use.
  4. Smiley face stickers - Stickers.  Enough said.
  5. A big bar of Ghiradelli Chocolate - Milk chocolate with sea salt and roasted almonds.  Yeah, I got one of these for myself, too!  Treats for the teachers!  Let's just hope the winner doesn't get this delivery during a heatwave! :-D
  6. A new copy of Swindle - After my post on the book, I thought it would be nice to give one away.

So, what do you have to do to win this little pile of goodies?

  1. Leave a comment! Say anything! Or, let's keep it interesting and answer this one question:  What is one professional goal you have for yourself  this year?  One comment per a person, please.
  2. Be in the United States.  I love, love, love that I have blog friends visiting from other countries, but my little teacher salary just can't support international shipping!    
  3. If you are feeling it, please follow my blog.  While that would be appreciated, you don't have to follow to win the loot. :-)  Everyone is welcome to enter.


The give-away closes on Wednesday, August 22, 2012 at 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time.  You have a week to enter.  I will randomly pick a winner from the comments and post that winner on Thursday, August 23, 2012.

By the way, my professional goal for this year is to do more professional reading on teaching reluctant readers.  I've been looking at some of the professional resources on the International Reading Association site, and there is a lot out there just waiting for me.  But, for now, I'm going to enjoy my last two weeks of summer.  September 4th will be here before I know it!

Thank you, thank you, thank you 
blog readers for making it all happen!
Happy Blogiversary to Us!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

We Have a Winner!

Before we get to the winner of Teaching Miss Malarkey and assorted other loot, let me say one thing.
The comments you left were all so nice.  It may sound corny, but I was really touched by how many of you commented that you enjoy my blog.  I am so glad you are able to use some of what I post about, and extraordinarily happy you were nice enough to share your kind thoughts.  So, a great big THANK YOU to everyone who was so nice to me.

Now, on to our winner. 

I wanted to be sure to pick a winner fair and square, so I went to Random.org to create a true random number generator.  There were 91 amazing comments in total.  So, here is the number that popped up:




Can you see it?  I had to take a screen shot to show the generator.  Anyway, comment #70 is the winner.  That would be. . .
MimsmithFaro who commented:
"I also love reading Hooray for Diffendoofer Day. 
Thanks for all the great stuff you share."

 Congratulations Mimismithfar!!
I sent you an email that includes an email address to which you can send me your mailing address.
I hope you enjoy Testing Miss Malarkey!

Again, thanks to all that entered.  This was my second giveaway, and it was a lot of fun.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Something for YOU!

Look what I found at my local Friends of the Library book sale!
A like-new paperback copy of Testing Miss Malarkey by Judy Finchler! It is listing on Amazon for $6.95, but my almost new copy was only a whopping fifty cents! If you remember, I wrote about the Miss Malarkey books in THIS POST. It is seriously the most fun, fun, fun book to read to your friends prior to state testing.

I already own two copies, but I just couldn't leave it on the shelf. Especially not when it was like new and only fifty cents! So, I thought that maybe my blog friends would like to win this copy. Yup, it's another giveaway! However, it would be kind of boring to just give away a used book. I decided to jazz it up a little and make it a St. Patrick's themed prize. Here is the loot!


Included will be:
  • 1 like-new copy of Testing Miss Malarkey
  • The two bookmarks I showed you yesterday!
  • 1 package of St. Patrick's Day Stickers
  • 1 shamrock magnetic note pad
  • 1 pair of St. Patrick's Day themed socks
  • 1 very, very cheesy imitation silk shamrock scarf   :-D
  • 1 green box of Gourmet Jelly Beans from Trader Joe's

I threw in the scarf and socks because if you are a teacher there is just no escaping the holiday themed clothing items on occasion!  If you would like to win this little pile of goodies, just do the following:

1.  Leave a comment! Say anything!  One comment per a person, please.

2.  Be in the United States.  I love, love, love that I have blog friends visiting from other countries, but my little teacher salary just can't support international shipping!    

3.  If you are feeling it, please follow my blog.  While that would be appreciated, you don't have to follow to win the loot. :-)  Everyone is welcome to enter.

The give-away closes on Friday, February 24, 2012 at 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time.  I will randomly pick a winner from the comments and post that winner on Saturday, February 25, 2012.


Friday, February 17, 2012

I Couldn't Help Myself!

I just couldn't get the idea of the St. Patrick's Day
bookmarks out of my head!

Here's what I wanted as opposed to what I ended up with.

I wanted a shamrock shaped paper punch.  Not a one to be found. 
I ended up looking for stickers.

I wanted pot-of-gold stickers.  Not any to be found. 
I ended up with metallic shamrock stickers.

I wanted thin rainbow ribbon to match the pot-of-gold I ended up not getting. 
No thin ribbon, only thick.
So, I used that and also purchased some spools of rainbow color ribbons.

Either way, I love how they came out!  My friends are going be very happy!
I am also happy to report that I am a quick learner. 
When I went for my paint chips, there was no Hot Passion Pink this time! 
By the way, come back tomorrow.  I am posting a give-away for some fun things I think you will like!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

A Winner, Books, and A Giant Asparagus

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my first give-away.  Without further ado, the winner is. . .

Kelly B aka Queen Bee!

Kelly commented, "Books!  Great giveaway!"  Well, thanks Kelly!  Since I have your email, I will contact you directly for a mailing address.  I hope you enjoy the basket.  Kelly is a kindergarten teacher with her own blog, Busy in K. Stop by and say hello.

Kelly may have won the basket, but your comments were all winners.  Some of these books you recommended I have used, but some were new to me.  My Amazon wish list is getting bigger by the minute!  I've listed some links to all the different books suggest by you.  By the way, I've linked them all through Amazon.com but I'm sure you can purchase them anywhere.  Or even better, visit the library.  I just use Amazon because it's easy to link to. 

It's a Picture Book Bonanza!


Lindsay at My Life as a Fifth Grade Teacher likes Owl Moon for personal narrative lessons.

Meghan at Third Grade in the First State likes A New Coat for Anna for sequence lessons.

Dana at Mrs. Gentry's Class likes I Wanna Iguana for persuasive writing. I also use this one.  It's very cute.

Amy at The Resource(ful) Room likes Memoirs of a Goldfish for teaching memoir and biography writing.  I can't wait to get this one!

MBriscoe01 likes "The Three Little Pigs from the Wolf's POV" for teaching point of view.  I couldn't find that exact title, but I have used The True Story of the Three Little Pigs for point of view lessons.  It's always a favorite in my class.

Shannon teaches ancient civilizations in social studies and likes Weslandia.  Love picture books in the content areas!
Mary likes Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets as an introduction to the differences between observations and inferences.  This is a new book to me. I feel the need to check this one out!
Denise at Mrs. Coker's Fourth Graders  likes The Giving Tee to inspire story writing about a gift you have received.  By the way, if you Google images for The Giving Tree you will come across this. . .

WOW!  I have nothing against tattoos, but you have to be seriously committed to a book to do this!  I have to say though, I can't help thinking it looks like a giant asparagus!  Oh well, back to more picture books. . .

KayloKatt of Diary of a Nonconformist Teacher likes Math Curse for first day lessons.  She also likes Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Nicole at Nicole's Crafting Adventure uses I'll Love You Forever for teaching six traits.  I have to say, Nicole wrote a very touching comment about how this book makes her cry every time she reads it.  I have many friends and teacher friends that feel the same way.  As for me, am I alone in thinking the part where in the dark of night the mother climbs in the window of her GROWN ADULT son's bedroom to rock him to sleep is just a wee bit creepy?  I probably am because I know how many people Love with a capital L this book.  So, it is highly recommended.  I personally just can't get over that one part.   :-)

Cristina uses The Humongous Cat to teach punctuation, fluency, and synonyms.

That's about half the books suggested.  I'm planning to list the rest of your suggestions tomorrow.  Hopefully, you saw a book today that you think would be perfect for your friends.  If not, check back tomorrow!
Have a great day!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Thank You!

TIMES UP! 
Comments closed at 33 entries!
Winner to be announced tomorrow,
Tues., 10/18!

Woo Hoooooo!!!!!
It's a Thank You Prize!

I mentioned a few days ago that I wanted to do a little give-away to thank all the new readers who have decided to follow my blog and even those who lurk!  Any and all who stop by are greatly appreciated.  And to show you my thanks, I'm offering a little basket of some things I hope you will like.


Poor little pumpkin fell over!
 So, what's in the basket?  Glad you asked!  Well, besides the oh-so-fancy, green plastic basket, there are these goodies:


Of course, a brand new copy of Some Smug Slug!


Then, there's a pointer finger (not sure what else you would call this) for your friends and you to use, a blank notebook teacher journal, and just about the cutest folder ever.  I seriously fell in love with this two pocket folder when I saw it.  How fun are those giant pencils? 
A paperback "basic" thesaurus and dictionary from Webster's.  I don't think we can ever have enough of these in the classroom.


Another good book and some treats for you!  Are you familiar with Scholastic's "If You. . . " line of books?  They have to be a Scholastic classic. I must have a ton of them in my classroom, and my friends love each and every one.  It's a basic question and answer format about the event, and I think they have books on almost every event or important person you can imagine.  They are great books for a research center activity.  I think I've just talked myself into doing a post about them later this week!  Then, there are some Jelly Belly Autumn Mix jelly beans for you and a plastic foam pumpkin for a little fall decoration.

And finally, a great book for anyone just starting to use guided reading groups or anyone wanting to refresh what they are doing.  It's Guided Reading in Grades 3-6 by Mary Browning Schulman.  Now, I have to be honest.  This is not a new book.  Everything in the basket is brand, spanking new with the exception of this book.  In fact, there's a small tear on the back cover that I taped.  Here's the story.  When I wanted to start guided reading groups, I purchased a copy of this book and read it from cover to cover.  I probably wrote more notes to myself in the margins than the author wrote text!  It was invaluable as I started my guided reading.   It wasn't until I went to put the book on my bookshelf that I saw this copy sitting right there.  Yes, I had repurchased a book I already had.  So, this is the copy that was sitting on my shelf.  It's essentially new.  I didn't read this copy and there's no writing in it, but it's a little shelf worn.  Is it tacky that I'm including it in this give-away?  I hope you don't think so.  It's just a great resource I would rather share than have sitting on my shelf.

So, that's the contents of my little give-away.  I hope you are interested in entering.  Here's what you need to know:
  1. One entry per a person. 
  2. One basket for the one lucky winner!
  3. To enter, leave a comment with the word "BOOKS!"  That's it, but. . .   If you really want to be a sport, in your comment you could also share the title of your favorite picture book and what mini-lesson you use it for.  It would be a nice way for everyone to get a new idea or two.  Then, everyone is a winner!  Sadly, it won't improve your chances of winning the basket. ;-)
  4. The contest will be open from Wednesday, October 12th, 6:00 AM until Monday, October 17th, 6:00 PM Eastern Time.  Now, this is my first give-away, so I'm going old school on the drawing.  I'm just going to print out the comments, cut them into strips, drop them in a bag, and randomly pick one.  It probably doesn't get more old school than that!  Once I draw a winner, I will post their name and comment. The winner will be instructed how to contact me with an address to which I can mail the basket. 
  5. The winner will be posted Tuesday, October 18th.
I know how busy teachers are,
so this is just my way of saying thanks to
all of you that choose to spend some of
your time reading my ramblings.
Good Luck to All!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Am I Crazy? Maybe!

Do you know where I am headed this morning?  I'm going to school.  To work.  By myself.  Uninterrupted.
On Saturdays, there is a children's program run in our building.  Local families can sign-up their kids for a variety of craft, hobby, and sports lessons.  This means, my building is open every Saturday.  I'm one of the lucky teachers who doesn't happen to have a class being held in my room.  I can sneak into my classroom, lock the door behind me, and get a ton of work done. Plus, I only live five minutes from my school making  it a quick trip in.  So, that's my plan for this morning.  Am I crazy? Maybe!

I've done it a few times before. I'm not alone as there are a handful of other teachers like me that have sneaked (snuck?) in.   But, I know most teachers I work with think I'm nuts to give up my Saturday morning to go into work.  I look at it this way, giving up my Saturday morning allows me to get everything done I need to.  I don't spend the whole day there.  Today, I have a lot to do, so I will probably be there from 9:30 to 12:30ish.  This allows me to have the rest of my weekend free and clear.  I'm not making plans or grading papers Sunday night.  Oh well, nuts or not, that's what I will be doing this morning. 

On another note, I just want to thank all of you that have been stopping by to check out my blog.  I owe a big note of thanks to you all and especially to
who was nice enough to direct her readers my way.  In a short time she helped send my followers from 4 to 112!  It's been great for me because most of you have blogs too, and I've been getting some great ideas from you.   I have to reorganize my method of following all you amazing teacher bloggers.  Right now, I technically only follow one blog, but I have well over 150 saved in my "favorites" bar that I read all the time.  I need to clean that out and just start officially following you all.

To celebrate the increase in readers, and to say a big thanks, I am planning to do a little give-away. I'm in the process of putting together a little package of things that I think would be fun to win.  So, stay tuned!  I'll be posting about it in the next couple of days. 

Have a great weekend!  Crazy me is off to school now!