me and the gym

So there is this machine at the gym that I'm maxing out on at 30 pounds.  Seriously though, it goes up to 305!  That's either saying something about me or really saying something about them!

a few other school items

Here are a few other school related pictures.  Just cleaning out some picture files while I have a minute.  I mentioned the other day that I share my classroom with just about every community group possible so I have a lot of restrictions.  One side is pretty plain.  I actually had to move those black science boxes since this picture because... well, I was told to. 

 

I can decorate the back wall.  On Sundays, the desk and all my stuff gets pushed against this wall.  The library folds up and the stuff on top of it gets moved.  It's a lesson in flexibility.  I learned today, our first Monday back, that I'm going to have to allow extra time on Monday morning for setting back up.  It was a bit chaotic this morning. 

 I have cute little  kites that will go on the AR kite wall. 

 
This is the front of the room (and Lou).  I can leave up the two big yellow bulletin boards, but everything else has to get put away in a closet or shoved against the wall.  I've already abandoned the clip chart for class dojo.  I'll talk about that another day.

Here's the back wall.  The calendar stuff stays up, but everything else has to go on the weekend.  The chair was a garage sale find and has replaced the need for taking the rocker into school.  I had to rub the wood down with coconut oil and remake the cloth parts, but it was an easy fix for a $2 chair.   We use calendar math and it changes each month what items are on the board.  Some items are staples, but most change out.

My sister picked these book boxes up for me at IKEA.  The kiddos decorated them and they are storing their books for daily five and AR time.  The back to school pennants were a fun little sheet from TPT.  Now the clips are holding unfinished kid work.



I wrote on facebook last week that the thing that's changed the most in the 6 ish years that I've been out of the elementary classroom is technology.  Here's my desk.  I'm running the document camera through my desktop to show on the projector.  I've got my ipad running class dojo and I was using my phone moments before this to enter lunch count and email back a parent.  I don't even have a smart board yet, one thing at a time.

I made up this 'show what you know' board this summer.  I intend to have the kids write a short answer on a post-it-note and use this as an 'exit ticket'. I have had it in my plan to use for two days now though and didn't get to it. 

 
 This was a first day of school gift from one of my students.  It was full of markers and pens, etc.  Cute idea!

 
Bee's teacher gave the kids these bags with this poem...

filled with these items.  Cute.

Our new to this year checklist system is in place for the mornings.  Bee and I leave the house at 6:45am,  so our morning has to be pretty smooth.  We wake Lou up a few minutes before and daddy gets him to school at 7:30.  The boys are using this to make sure nothing gets forgotten too

I like not having to nag.

It took till the third day of school for me to get my act together and get a little something for my teammates.  I had planned to do this and then it turned out we only had slightly mushy apples until the third day of school.  That was just my first sign that working full time was going to be an adjustment. 

 

 
Back to my sweet little 3rd graders.  One of the girls asked me if she could keep a bible at her desk.  They don't really fit in there well and I keep them on a shelf, but she insisted and here she is reading away.  Also, one day I had on some soft music and they were working and just singing along.  They know all the words to the songs on our Christian station.  Gonna love this class!

I already miss my old preschool crew, but  love my new co workers!

First day-

 
Bee's off to 3rd grade. For her birthday she asked for the Vera lunch bag and messenger bag- she's too trendy for us!

 
Lou's off to first grade.  He also had to have a messenger bag and was happy to use one of daddy's. 

 
I'm off to 3rd grade too.  It's my favorite grade to teach! 

(It sort of looks like I'm pushing Lou out of the picture.  It was probably the opposite.)

 
These cute girls are my team mates in the world of third grade.  The one in pants is Bee's teacher.  She loves her!  Her classroom is super beautiful, I'll try to get some pictures.

Ok, so first day and these kiddos are awesome.  It's probably too early to call it, but I think this is going to be a great year. 

lactating dogs

The kids have been playing puppies lately.  They tried pretending that Tippy had given birth, but he kept getting up and walking away.  Stuffed dogs are more cooperative.   This is what I found when the kids took a snack break.  The mama dog (and in Lou's case, the daddy dog) are nursing the babies.  I love it!  They pretty much have it figured out.

crafty ladies

A few of my favorite ladies got together at church for a 'bring your own project' night.  Serious amounts of crafting fun!  It was like pinterst exploded in the gym church. It was great!

 
I lugged my silhouette and iron and heat transfer vinyl in and set up shop.
I made shirts for the kid's teachers... and one for me.

I love how these shirts turned out!  I love the colors and how fun they are.

 
At home, I added a little something to an old hoodie too.  I can wear school related shirts and jeans on Fridays so I have altered a few items to work for Fridays. I feel funny wearing jeans to work, but I'll try to get over it. 

one last day

22 new little friends are coming to join me tomorrow.  I met them all on Monday night at back to school night and I can't wait to get them into class.  They're going to be a fun group!  We're getting in one last swim today before the fun begins.  (This is my favorite way to sit out at the pool, Ipad in hand.)

 

a peak in the classroom

I brought my family in as free labor a week ago. I put my teacher siblings to work and they took care of a huge amount of work.  It was a great and super productive afternoon. 

 
Here's just a peak. 

My classroom is used on Sundays for Sunday school and afterschool for after school care and in the summer for summer camp and on Wednesdays for boyscouts or something.  I have a lot of restrictions of what I do in the room but I was able to work within the restrictions and came up with something I'm pretty happy with. A lot of things have to be able to get packed away on Fridays and quickly set back up on Monday. 

 
We use 'calendar math' so this board changes each month with the focus skills for the month. 

My library has to be able to fold up and get pushed against the wall.  I have books that won't fit but I'll have to rotate them all through during the year.  See that blue book holder on the top left shelf?  I found that in the dumpster. 

Ok, I'm back to work.  I have a few more hours before the kids and parents come in!

growing... and not growing

I'm an awful gardener this summer.

I waited and waited on the peaches to get bigger and almost missed the whole crop.  We had about 20 peaches when it came down to it, and were able to eat about half.  The bugs got a few, and a few were just too ripe by the time we got to them.  I wasn't expecting any this first year so I'll be happy with 10.

 

I thought I was growing zucchini, then I thought it was  a watermelon.  It turned out to be a pumpkin.  We have one beautiful orange pumpkin.  In August.  No zucchini.  No watermelon.

 
The eggplant are so tiny they aren't worth prepping to eat.   I've been so neglectful.  So so neglectful. 

The tomatoes are just now starting to ripen.  They're a month behind schedule.  Hopefully I get some nice ones before frost. 

I planted over a dozen green bean plants and have about three left.  One at least is a good producer.  The dog loves the top garden.  Loves it like he digs and rolls in it.  Live and learn.

I wrote on facebook the other day that it's a good thing it 2013 and food is available at the store because we'd starve this winter.  I haven't even put up any produce from the farmers market this summer.  I've had a one track mind... school!  (I'm back full time now and the kids come this week.  I am happy to spend my days working on things for school.  I forgot how much I love it.)

making himself at home

Well, he's certainly making himself at home!

And this is the reason Friday at noon is one of our favorite times of the week.

remember me

Remember this chair?  It was a rescued cast off from a friend of a friend.

Well, it's been three years.  It's been on the summer 'to-do' list for three years.  Like painting the kitchen cabinets and fixing all the trim in the house and painting the whole house.  It hasn't gotten done, until now. 

It's not perfect.  You can see traces of pink, especially on the caned seat. You know when people say something involved 'blood, sweat and tears?'  Well, minus the tears, this was one of those.  I worked on it out in the sun while the kids swam and did almost slice off my finger with the scraper... blood and sweat.

 

 
The front has some weathered damage and the stain didn't take as well, but the back look great.  I had planned on taking it in to school, but we're loving it in the living room.  It might just stay at home.