Playing with Pixie Dust

Dr Seuss Digraph Sort

2012-02-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

Click the picture to download

Here's your freebie I promised! Hope your kids enjoy it as my kids did today. At first I was going to print this and use as a center, but I ended up printing it and paring up my buccaneers and had them sort them, I checked them, and they glued them. It was fun---I had to move them to the floor (which they enjoyed more).

Lucky Saturday

2012-02-25T18:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday, Sweeties! Just wanted to pop in and let you know that our FREE March calendar is all ready to download! Yay!

"Pick" your four-leaf clover below to download.

Also, I wanted to let you know that both my L IS FOR LUCK UNIT and LEPRECHAUN HUNT are available in our TN shop now.

To celebrate Leap Day, a special day that only comes around once in a while, both items will be on sale for 15% off for one week {making the L IS FOR LUCK UNIT $2.98 and the LEPRECHAUN HUNT $1.70.} Our "Leap for Luck" Sale will run from today until next Saturday, March 3, 2012.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, friends! ♡

What Im Pinning Wednesdays

2012-02-22T19:20:00.000-08:00

Just thinking about Dr Seuss week and thought I'd give y'all some inspiration if needed:

I'm looking forward to lots of crazy fun next week! Check back for a Dr Seuss FREEBIE coming up!!

Tasty Tuesday {N'awlins Style}

2012-02-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

In honor of Mardi Gras today, here's some deliciousness to get your dinner wheels spinning...

Red Beans & Rice from Kevin & Amanda

Creamy Jambalaya Pasta from Plain Chicken

King Cake Knots from Plain Chicken

Biscuit Beignets also from Plain Chicken.....the girl sho' nuff knows her cajun food! ;)

Ok, now I'm going to have to get a snack (at 1:00 am)...yes, that's when I blog! My child is a night owl (can't imagine where he gets it) so I end up working till the wee hours of the night!

Happy Mardi Gras Day & Happy Cajun Cooking! ♡

FREE Mardi Gras Unit

2012-02-19T20:36:00.001-08:00

First of all, let me just say, WOW!!! Thank you to all of you who joined our discussion on talking in the classroom! What do you think about having a different topic each week? I loved reading each and every comment and hearing what other teachers had to say.

Anyway, today I have a special freebie to all of YOU AWESOME READERS!!! As a thank you for following our little blog, I made a mini Mardi Gras unit for you to use with your kiddos this coming Tuesday.

The unit includes...

✏simple addition

✏initial sound/letter

✏mask template

✏ABC order handwriting

✏missing letter

✏color by sight word

Click the mask to download the unit! ♡

Just a thought....

2012-02-15T08:12:00.000-08:00

I'm going to open up my soap box for a second....as I'm sitting in my room having lunch I hear a teacher walk down the hall saying "do I hear talking?" Of course you do! Of course I say the same things to my kids, but I sat and wondered...what is the purpose of this? In middle school and high school kids will talk, chew gum, hit each other and some may even smoke in the bathroom (not saying that we should allow any of that) but what's wrong with talking? During early bus duty the kids (Kindergartens mind you) are instructed to sit in front of a TV and watch it for 45-55 minutes QUIETLY. WHY? Why can't they talk quietly with their friends? During lunch the children CANNOT talk. WHY? During instructional time children CANNOT talk. Are you serious? I cannot go 2-3 minutes without talking and neither can any other teacher I find this just super unnecessary because as the children get older they will realize that you talk everywhere. At work, during lunchtime (try having your lunch quietly) or even bathroom time. C*R*A*Z*Y! During snack I have started giving my kids chatty time just to let them communicate. Our kids are growing up in a society where technology is so HUGE they are not going to learn how to communicate with others. This is a big skill to learn, but if I allowed that in my classroom I would probably be told I couldn't control my students. What are you thoughts on this? Is it just me that this bothers?

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T03:00:00.000-08:00

Happy, happy Valentine's Day to you all, my friends! So sorry for the lack of posts lately...Jennifer & I have both been battling migraines! My little one has been under the weather too, poor little guy! He's following in his Mommy's footsteps of being sick on holidays.

Before he got sick, however, we had so much fun with our Valentine's photo shoot. Each year, I take Valentine's Day pictures of him to make our annual card to send to family and friends. This year, we went with a kissing theme! I wanted to share some of my fave photos of the day with you.

I put on my brightest lipstick and gave my lil' sweetheart some smooches! He said, "Moooommmmy, what ARE you doing? Wait, I have to look in the mirror!" Then, he cracked up laughing!

He's such a funny little guy! He keeps us laughing all the time!

I got out my chalkboard and put a price on those kisses.......can't be just giving those away! ;)

And, this is my favorite of the day! After several tries of making the "blowing a kiss" pose, we finally got it right. Then, I just added those cute hearts in my photo editing program, Fireworks.

Here's some of our Valentine's photos from years past.

age 10 months: Special Delivery

age 1 year, 10 months: Warm hugs!

age 2 years, 10 months: Prince Charming

We hope your Valentine's Day is filled with special people, fun times, and mostly L.O.V.E.!!!

Heartfelt Hump Day {Valentine's Couples Party}

2012-02-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

I got a little email this morning from Chanda of MattiCakes that couldn't have come at a better time! I knew I needed something Valentine-y to post today and Chanda sent me the details and pictures of the sweetest Valentine's party!

In Chanda's words...

I threw the Italian themed party for some couples that needed a boost in their marriages We did have a 10 year anniversary couple so we gave them a private table. But all of us decided to serve our husbands with great food and all their favorite desserts. We focused on Song of Solomon- "My beloved is mine and I am his"... It was really amazing to honor God through our marriages and serving our husbands.

The little black rocks on the plates were to not only find your place but to put in our pockets. I put my husband's in my pocket and walked around all day with it. It reminded me of the burden that he can sometimes be but that when I see his name to take it out, God gave him to be the foundation and leader of my home. I would pray each time and soon, I liked having it there. It made me think of him

all day.

I also transformed our spare room into a LOVE LOUNGE. The wives would take their husbands there to dance with them. Music- Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Worship music, Oldies and goodies...

Gift bags were made from 100 year old Valentines cards. They were filled with a game of body part and instructions, all kinds of chocolates and fun stuff from scented oils and lotions to gift cards to give to each other...

Jars on the tables were Modge Podged with burgundy food coloring and then doilies and raffia attached. I put candles and flowers inside them with a few tomatoes and rose petals... it was pretty!

Menu board was just a corkboard with a frame and material I had left over.

My hubby and I had everyone take a "prom" photo.

Thanks for sharing with us, Chanda! The party looked so fun and gives us some great ideas for Valentine's Day! :)

Day.

Valentines Day Freebie

2012-02-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

Just because I love y'all....we did this in class today and my kids did really well with it-- I hope you will enjoy it!!

Friday Freebie {Superbowl 2012}

2012-02-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

As promised, I made a little party collection for this year's Super Bowl! If you're having a party or just watching the game with your family at home, you can dress up your game snacks with these fun printables!

The collection includes
-circle tags
-cupcake wrappers
-tent food labels
-pennant banner (2 designs)

Super Bowl 2012

Enjoy, friends & have a great weekend! :)

Heartfelt Hump Day

2012-02-01T17:53:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my Valentine's Day Pinterest Ideas for you:
Cute Ideas for Valentines---definitely thinking outside the box!

Well I sure had fun sharing my "lovely" ideas with you---happy HUMP day my friends!

Tasty Tuesday {SUPERbowl Snacks}

2012-01-31T20:06:00.000-08:00

Superbowl weekend ALWAYS falls on my hubby's birthday weekend, so we don't usually have Superbowl parties, but this year, I want to make some tasty treats to enjoy while I watch the ~~commercials~~ game! I found some awesome ideas on Pinterest. Check them out.

Pizza Rolls from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Paula Deen's Corn Fritters

Buffalo Chicken Cupcakes from Cupcake Project

Ultimate Super Bowl Dip from Better Recipes

Betty Crocker's Football Brownies

Happy baking and happy game-watching!!!

If you're having a super bowl party, keep an eye out for some free party printables coming SOON! :)

I'm It!!

2012-01-30T11:37:00.000-08:00

I'm It! Thank you Sandra from over at Sweet Times in First for tagging us in this fun tell all! : )

12 fun facts about me-

I met a wonderful man online during my AOL days and we dated for 4.5 years.
I married that wonderful man on 7*7*7
I met my best friend while I was student teaching in her classroom in Jan of 2007.
That teacher that I became such great friends with coordinated my wedding with only a months notice.
My 1st year teaching I taught PreK and LOVED it. I then took over Daphne's position while she was out on maternity leave.
I ran my first 5k in July 2011 and am now training for the next in May and a 10k this summer.
My favorite movies of all time: Pretty Woman
I would love to meet Julia Roberts one day.
I went inside the Twin Towers in New York City the spring before 911. I would like to visit Ground Zero.
I researched for a month to find a photographer. I emailed several and found many on facebook that I wanted to use. I was looking for someone who did it on the side and would be reasonable price wise. The first girl who contacted me back I went with. When I got there something told me to give her name to my brother and ask her if she was single. I could just feel God pushing me to introduce them and now they have been married for a year! Truly love my sister-in-law!!
My husband and I took the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace course at our church 3 years ago and it was released SO MUCH financial stress between us both. Our marriage has become stronger and we communicate so much better about our finances AND we've lived off credit cards for 2 years and we haven't looked back.
In June of 2011 I opened my own little invitation/announcement shop and I've really enjoyed it. Stop by and see me-- Savvy Chic Designs

Here's my questions from Sandra-

What is your favorite fruit? My favorite fruit is strawberries and pineapples.
Do you prefer eating out or cooking? Hum...let me think- someone cooking for me and serving it to me nice and hot without having to lift a finger or slaving away in the kitchen after standing on my feet for a full 7 hours? Hum---I think EATING OUT!
Do you have an iPhone? No- now if I could afford to buy one I would probably have one. It's on one of my wish lists.
What kind of car do you drive? Acura MdX
What are your school hours? 8:00- 3:00 teachers have to be there at 7:45-3:15 Do you have duty? We have 20 days of bus duty meaning we have to get at school at 7am and we have to stay until 3:30 or until all children are accounted for. Do you have a prep? Not sure if this is like a planning time- but I get 30 minutes of planning everyday in Kindergarten---in 1st grade I got 30 minutes every day and 1 hour every week. I miss those extra 30 minutes.
Do you have a Vera Bradley bag or what kind of bag do you use for your school things? I use the 31 Organizing Tote to carry my things everyday.
Do you prefer chocolate candy or sour candy? CHOCOLATE.
How do you organize class jobs? I have them posted on a bulletin board with small tin buckets I purchased at Target dollar zone- I put theirs names inside the buckets each morning and read them their jobs.
How long do your kiddos get to eat lunch? After they get through the line and sit down, and the lunch attendant always gets them up early-- so it's around 20 minutes.
What are the demographics of your school? We have 671 students in our school- 6 American Indian, 23- Asian, 109 Hispanics, 13- black, 520- White
What are you wearing right now? Sweatpants, t-shirt, and slippers. Charming right?
What is your hair routine? Blow dry, straighten, curl??? Blow dry with big round brush & then straighten.

TAG!

Sorry I only chose 6-- but that doesn't mean I couldn't find 12 good---it's just hard to find 12 that haven't already participated.

My Questions-

1. Do you buy lunch or take your lunch to school?

2. What are your favorite shoes to wear to work?

3. How many kids do you have in your room?

4. What's your favorite place to shop?

5. Biggest board you have on pinterest?

6. What were your wedding colors? What will your wedding colors be?

7. Favorite TV show?

8. What is your escape?

9. Do you always want to teach or do you have other ideas in mind?

10. Where did you go to college?

11. Do you have a class pet?

12. Do you find raising your own children and teaching at the same time difficult?

Customized Teacher Valentines

2012-01-27T10:06:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends! Just stopping by really quick to let you know that I just added something fun to my etsy shop. They are customized teacher valentines. They are chic and pink with a gray and white chevron pattern. I wanted to make a cute valentine with my hand-drawn vintage teacher clipart. The clipart was originally drawn for a customer who wanted a vintage teacher-themed birthday party! I knew that lovely lady would be popping up again sometime! :)

Anyway, you can customize EVERYTHING...hair color, skin color, eye color, & hair length! Your kiddos would be over the moon to get a valentine from you that LOOKS like you.......so cool!

Take a look HERE & until Feb. 10th, you can get this for 15% off for using the coupon code LOVE15.

What I'm Teaching ~ Penguins

2012-01-26T11:18:00.000-08:00

I just LOVE penguins! I don't know what it is that makes me love them ~ they way they waddle, their cute little black and white bodies, or just that they make me think about Happy Feet and all the fun music!

Anyway, Noah and I have been having some penguin fun this week! Even though we still have much more to do, I thought I would show you some pics so far.

He loved the Sliding Sounds activity from my Penguin Unit

I'm proud to say he is SO CLOSE to being able to sound out words on his own! A little bit more practice and he'll be reading before I know it (and he's not even 4 yet) ~ woo-hoo! :)

His new favorite thing to do is play all sorts of games, so we turned the upper/lower case letter match pages into a game of "Go Fish" and he had so much fun that he asked to play it twice in one day!

Noah's Penguin Lunch (goldfish crackers for feet and nose and cranberries for eyes)

a penguin finger puppet dressed up his juice

Here's some fun penguin ideas for you (mostly found on Pinterest).

A milk jug igloo would make a super COOL reading center! (image from flickr, but I couldn't find the source)

iceberg play activity from My Montessori Journey

How to Draw a Penguin book also from My Montessori Journey

penguin muffin tin meal from Eclectic Musings

penguin chili from Little Mummies

And, just for fun.....a penguin manicure from we heart it

Remember, my Slippery Sale for my Penguin Unit ends on Friday! :)

I was going to wait and give ya'll this freebie on Friday, but I thought you may need it before then, so here you go.......the brand new February classroom calendar!

February Calendar

and, the February To-Do List

Feb to Do List

Tasty Tuesday...on Wednesday OOPS.

2012-01-25T18:12:00.000-08:00

Here is a recipe that I absolutely LOVE and I'm so thankful for Cara for sharing it over at Pearls, Handcuffs and Happy Hour (I cyber stalk this blog for yummy recipes!)

Rita's Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

SO good y'all! Seriously, even though it's 9:05 PM I would honestly whip me up some if I had some potatoes and cream cheese in my house. MOUTH WATERING, lick the mixer good!

I also fix this one a lot and it's one of our favorites (I actually fixed it last night)

Taco Pie

DIETER'S BEWARE

UPSIDE DOWN CINNAMON APPLE COFFEE CAKE

I love taking this dish to our Sunday School for breakfast because it's so quick and it's easy to eat...not to mention easy to fix!

So---if y'all haven't visited Cara over at Pearls, Handcuffs and Happy Hour---head on over and start planning your meals NOW!

Enjoy your hump day!

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday, friends! My mood color today is WHITE! Hmmm, why...........you ask? Well, ever since the beginning of the year, I have had a strong desire to get my life organized and mainly CLUTTER FREE! My "word of the year" is CALM and I want to stay stress-free (ok, maybe just stress less)! So, what color makes me feel calm?..............white!!!

Last week, I accomplished one (of many) projects on my to-do list...I reorganized my entire kitchen, office, and craft room! It was a HUGE endeavor, but I love it so much! I'll share pics soon!

Here's some white inspiration!

white dresser redo from burlap + blue

accessorizing a white blouse or dress from Chicago Fashion & Beauty Junkie

my inspiration kitchen from A Thoughtful Place

Also, I finished my new unit about my favorite little WHITE and black fellows...PENGUINS! I know some of you have already studied penguins, but I think it's an awesome theme for February as well. My little one and I will be having some penguin fun this week (pics to come soon)! :)

It's 39 pages and includes activities to reinforce the following skills...

MATH

*simple addition

*number recognition

*greater than / less than games "War" game

* "Go Fish" game

*measurement

*patterns

*counting

*one-to-one correspondence

READING

*blending sounds

*letter tracing & writing

*pre-writing

*beginning sounds

*letter sorting

*upper/lower case letter match

Take advantage of our Slippery Sale and get it for 15% off for 5 days only (until Friday, Jan. 27)!

Click the penguin to view!

Here's wishing everyone a calm Monday! ;)

What I'm teaching Wednesday {100th Day}

2012-01-18T20:08:00.000-08:00

So I'm not sure about you but since we haven't gotten the all the snow that we are used to we're getting really close to 100th day. WHERE oh WHERE is all the snow?? Wishing I was living in Seattle right now. Anyway- here's some ideas I got from pinterest on 100th day. Enjoy!

Here's a little freebie for you! My 100th day note that I created to send home--feel free to download and send it home! Have fun!

Tasty Tuesday {Mini Cinnamon Rolls}

2012-01-17T13:43:00.000-08:00

During these cold days, my tummy craves something warm and sweet! So, when I saw these Mini Cinnamon Rolls at Iowa Girl Eats, I knew I had to try them!

For the rolls, all you need are crescent rolls, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. No joke, these babies were done in 8 minutes flat! That's my kind of baking! ;)

For the icing, you need maple syrup, skim milk, and powdered sugar. Easy peasy! Click HERE for the recipe & happy baking!

Mood Monday

2012-01-16T17:44:00.000-08:00

As I'm decorating for one of my most favorite Hallmark holiday....VALENTINE'S....I cannot help but think about pink today.

SO need one of these:

Ordered one of these today and CANNOT wait to get it in!

I WILL be buying this color

My favorite flower

Ok y'all....Daphne knows this about me (seeing as every time we go out we MUST stop by Dunkin Donuts) but seriously. I am OBSESSED with donuts. I saw this and I'm thinking what a great idea---a donuts themed party course those would be donut pops instead of baby heads and we wouldn't need that cake because the donut cake is cake enough!! Ah...that's MY kind of party!

Just had to throw this one in

Enjoy your pink day my friends!!

HOME Binder...Check!

2012-01-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

Hello all! I planned on doing this post yesterday, but...welllllll, let's just say this "little project," has taken a considerable chunk of time that I was not planning on. I FiNaLlY finished at 4:30 am this morning! Yes, I stayed up almost all night...crazy, I know!

Anyway, last year, I made a Home Organization Binder, but it wasn't working for me and I have a strong need for my organizational tools to do their job. I had seen so many cute planners out there and I almost bought one, but it was very pricey. I just couldn't bring myself to pay that money, just to have to pay again next year for a new planner. I thought to myself, somebody should make printable ones. Then, you would just have to replace the calendar pages the next year. The rest stays the same. Hey, wait a minute...I'm a graphic designer (or try to be) and I have an etsy shop...ding, ding, ding!!! Take a look at the finished product. ***All of these printable files are now available for purchase in my etsy shop.

I have had this pretty fuschia binder for a while. I just inserted my Personalized Cover into the front to make it extra cute!

I'm planning on using the first cover pocket to store any greeting cards I need to send out for the month. Also, I added a pencil pouch for a pen, calculator, and our checkbook with register.

I bought several packs of these super cute file folders from the Target Dollar Spot and simply punched holes in them to use as dividers. I labelled them with my label maker.

On the first page, I put my 2012 Year at a Glance calendar inside some clear sheet protectors.

Then comes my 2-page monthly calendars (with to-do list and goals list on each month). I searched Pintrest to find some of the best uplifting quotes for each month too.

I also have a Week at a Glance page to use either as a scheduling page, to track things like workouts, keep food diaries, or whatever.

In the "Household Info" section, I typed out driving directions to our house from nearby cities. This is simply because I am TERRIBLE with directions and couldn't find my way out of a paper bag. So, when guests or delivery people need to come to our house and ask me for directions, I will be prepared! I also included my packing lists (for Noah & me). I keep them in clear sheet protectors and use dry-erase markers to check things off as I pack.

Next comes the "Food & Shopping" section where I keep extra copies of my personalized grocery list, menu planner, & take out menus.

Then, I have my "Special Occasions" section. I have a "sweet occasions" page where I recorded all our family & friends' birthdays and anniversaries. This makes staying on top of the card and gift buying so much easier.

This is my Thank You Note Tracker, which would have been helpful at Christmas. Now, I'm having a hard time remembering all the awesome gifts Noah received to write my thank you notes. I also have a Signed, Sealed, & Delivered page to keep our addresses.

The finance section comes next. I plan on using this folder (also from Target Dollar Spot) to hold our bills to be paid.

Here is my Monthly Budget Sheet. My family decided after Christmas to start The Dave Ramsey Plan, so having our budget in plain sight each month will help tremendously!

To help us keep track of our bills, I made this year-long checklist. Love it! :)

My housekeeping section includes my weekly cleaning checklist. I'm not sure exactly where I want to keep this, but I want to display it somewhere. I heart checking things off my to-do list? Anyone else?

I've been doing this for a while, but I re-designed my sign to match the rest of my printables. When Noah is asleep, his room is so close to our front door that the doorbell wakes him up. So, if I'm home, I put out this sign (especially if I'm expecting a guest or a delivery)...it has proven to be invaluable to me...ah, naptime! ;)

Today, I did tackle one organization task ( just 27,415 left to go). I printed out my Weekly Menu Plan onto cardstock and framed it in an inexpensive frame. Then, I moved my adhesive chalkboard from my craft room to the fridge. I attached my frame with command strips. I love it so much!

So, what do you think? It is a whopping 45 pages long. If you want your very own copy of my HOME Book printable pages, I offer them in several different options...

the calendar bundle

the personalized cover page (with family photo and name)

the finance bundle

the housekeeping bundle

the baby sleeping sign

the sweet days bundle

AND...Everything together!!!

Also, just for our sweet readers, I'm offering a 15% discount for all the HOME Book files for 5 days (so until Thurs. Jan. 19). All you have to do is enter the discount code: HOME15 during checkout.

Have a blessed weekend, friends!!!

Frugal Friday

2012-01-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

To start off our Frugal Fridays...I'm going to explain a little big about what we'll be sharing on Fridays. This can be anything from great deals, to cheap but awesome ways to decorate, Target dollar zone finds, or tips on managing money. So--make sure to tune in each Friday!
Today I'm featuring something extra special ---it's a Coupon Date Night by the Dating Divas. If you have never been over there to check them out---well ladies now is your chance to get TONS of ideas for Valentine's Day!! Seriously, I love these divas!

Here's the finished product:

Here's out to achieve that-

1. Make your envelopes out of paper (this paper looks like vellum.)

2. Print these labels-

http://www.thedatingdivas.com/wp-content/uploads/coupondateprintable.pdf

3. Collect coupons from EVERYWHERE- don't forget about those entertainment coupon books at your nearest Walmart. (Well that could just be us here in TN but when you walk into Walmart- the first thing you see is WALLS and WALLS of brocheres and coupon books for attractions here in the Smoky. CRAZY!

Also check coupons in the newspaper.

4. After you've collected your coupons- organize them into the correct envelope.

5. Now, starting with affordable appetites, have your loved one pick one coupon (don't let them peek) whichever coupon he/she pulls out that is where you go. Next affordable finds (this could be shopping or entertainment) Last- finish off with cheap cravings. This way you'll have dinner, entertainment, and dessert. AWESOME.

This is also a great way to get those coupons off the counter or hanging next to the door--I'm sure you'll utilize these WAY MORE. Keep them in your car or make it a traditional Friday/Saturday night date to use these!! Enjoy my friends!!

What I'm Teaching Wednesdays

2012-01-11T13:25:00.000-08:00

So this week we are discussing winter and snowmen. The first thing I usually do when planning out my week is hit the good ole Pintrest up for some FABULOUS ideas. Well, I found a fabulous idea that I tweaked of course. We always have a snowball fight during this week of study and usually I just write words on pieces of paper and crumble them up. WELL, this year (today) I used snowflake clip art and typed the words inside the snowflake. The kids cut them out and colored them. Then we crumbled them up. The kids always enjoy this and plus I think it helps get that extra energy out. I tried to upload a video of them having all this fun--but for some reason it won't upload. I'll try again later. :)

I am using Deanna Jumps unit called My Snowman this week too--there is a GREAT poem in there and that my kids absolutely love! It talks about wetting the bed--oh MY word. You would have thought someone came into the classroom with their underwear on. CRACKS ME UP! Praying for snow here in Tennessee!! Please oh please just let it be!

Tasty Tuesday {Cheeseburger Pizza}

2012-01-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

What's for dinner? It's a cheeseburger...it's a pizza...no, it's BOTH!!! Friends, last night we tried out a new recipe I found on one of my new fave recipe blogs, Iowa Girl Eats. It's a Cheeseburger Pizza with a homemade sauce.

We just recently discovered that Noah has an intolerance to the food dye, Red 40 and possibly milk. After MUCH research about what artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives do to our bodies (especially to little bodies), we made a HUGE change in our eating habits. We made the decision to eat ALL NATURAL foods, which I am loving (all except the price tag)! Right now, we have one Organic/Natural Food Store in Knoxville, Earth Fare (which is a half hour drive from our house). However, in the near future, we should be getting a Whole Foods & Trader Joes & I am beyond excited!

Anyway, I've been scouring the blogosphere for recipes with homemade sauces, breads, and anything else I can make from my all-natural ingredients. This one was perfect!

Go HERE to get the recipe and directions!

2012-01-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our new blog series...Mood Mondays! I don't know if I'm the only crazy one out there who connects my moods to a color, but I have always done that since I was a little girl. Anyway, I've been noticing that places like etsy always groups their items by color. So, each Monday we'll let you know what our "mood color" is and give you a little inspiration to go with that specific color. K...are you down with the plan?

Here we go! Today, I'm feeling GRAY, but not because I'm sad or depressed. It's because when I look out my window, all I see is gray. It's been raining all night and is still raining. Also, I love gray...it's kind of a muted black, chic and modern, but fun with colors added to it!

Here's some fun gray things I found today!

vintage style bathroom with gray & white toile sink curtain from Country Living

gray chic bridesmaid's dress with a fun pop of yellow from The Merriment Blog

gray and white stripe hallway from 4 Men 1 Lady

sweet gray nursery from Apartment Therapy

Cute gray dress with hot pink cardigan from Chictopia

adorable gray baby hat from etsy shop, Sebastianseven

chic gray chain-link design pillow covers from etsy shop, ElemenOPillows.

My Birthday Freebie & Sale

2012-01-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm WAY beyond 16, but today is my birthday...my 34th birthday to be exact! Wow, I feel old! But, you're only as old as you feel, right? And, I feel great!

So, to celebrate my birthday, I thought I would offer you guys a freebie! I just finished making a new behavior system for my little one and I thought some of you might like it for your classroom or your children at home. It would make a great classroom reward system.

It's called "Magical Good Choices" and it is based on positive reinforcement! We start with a blank snowman. Each day, some snowman clothing pieces are added (you can choose how many to add each day). With Noah (3 years old), I add 3 pieces at the beginning of each day. When he makes a bad choice, one piece is removed. However, he can earn pieces throughout the day for making good choices. There are 12 pieces total and when all the pieces are added, Noah gets a colored "warm fuzzy" out of a mailbox (I used short pipe cleaners, but pom poms would work also) . We designated a reward for each warm fuzzy color.

Our rewards are...

-go to a special place (ex. Aquarium)

-go out to eat at his choice of restaurant

-watch a movie during dinner

-bake a special treat together

-choice out of the treat box ($1 toys)

I put our snowman on our magnet board in our dining room, so Noah has it in view for most of the day. A little magnetic box holds the pieces when not in use.

I got the mailbox in the Target Dollar Spot (they're for Valentines). Then, I just aded letter stickers to the side. I also wrote Noah's full name & our address on the front just for exposure.

So, if you want to invite this cute little snow dude into your classroom or home, here you go... ***just right click on each image and save! Then, print onto cardstock, laminate, and use with a magnet board, cork board, or velcro. Enjoy!!!

Also, for ONE DAY ONLY (today, January 7, 2012)...we're having a sale in our Teacher's Notebook shop...34% off EVERYTHING!!! Click the pic to start shopping!

{photo source}

I'm off to celebrate! Have a sweet day, friends! :)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T10:27:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Eve! Here's a couple of fun freebies for you! I didn't think it was going to happen, BUT I got the January calendar done BEFORE Christmas! Yay for me! It has cute penguins, snowmen, and snowflakes...everything January is about! Hopefully, January will bring LOTS of Snow Days for you! :)

Anyway, here you go...

January Calendar

If you have any little ones at home or have little ones in your family who need some magic reindeer food, here's some images to save to your computer and copy & paste onto address labels. Then, just stick them onto sandwich baggies.

If you have never made Magic Reindeer Food before, here's what you need...

1. Oats: because that's reindeer's fave food

2. Hot Tamales: batteries for Rudolph's nose

3. Glitter: magic flying dust

We had a reindeer party yesterday for Noah's little friends, and I had them close their eyes and shake it all up to make sure the magic worked! Take a look at how their eyes were glued on me while I was telling them all about it.

The Pixie Chicks wish you the merriest Christmas EVER! May God's blessings surround you & your family as you celebrate Jesus' birthday together!

Oh, & if you're in need of any Christmas miracles, we'll send a little pixie dust your way! Never stop believing in the magic of Christmas, no matter how old you are!

Front Porch Charms Giveaway Winner

2011-12-19T11:14:00.000-08:00

First of all, please join me in CONGRATULATING Jennifer on officially graduating with her Ed.S. this past weekend! YAY!!! Her countless hours of hard work have finally paid off with an amazing accomplishment! :)

Second, we have a winner of our Front Porch Charms giveaway!...

Congratulations, Cindy! We'll be in touch asap! :)

So, I have had family house guests all weekend and am beyond exhausted! We'll be back soon with some Christmas wrap-up fun: pics from our tacky Christmas party, January calendar freebie, and maybe some kind of crazy Christmas present to all our fab readers! Talk soon! :)

Christmas Pinterest Ideas

2011-12-15T08:35:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I think I mixed up Day 3 and Day 5 of our Pretty Pixie Christmas...so sorry! My brain is all scrambled with my Christmas to-do list! So, anyway, I'm on schedule today with my favorite Christmas Pinterest finds.

I'm planning a Reindeer party for Noah & his playgroup next week, so all my thoughts turn to those cute little deer who pull Santa's sleigh.

Reindeer Noses from Craft Fairy

handprint ornaments from Simple as That via The Crafting Chicks

thumbprint ornament from little bit funky

treat bag from Lisa Storms

Have a holly jolly day! :)

Christmas Parade of Homes Linky Party

2011-12-14T07:55:00.000-08:00

I'm SO excited about this linky party! I absolutely adore Christmas decor and I can't wait to see yours. So, grab some hot chocolate, eggnog, candy canes, or whatever Christmas treat you happen to be craving right now, and have some fun! Let me start the party by welcoming you into my East Tennessee home decorated for the Christmas season!

Here's my front door decked out with my sparkly ice skates, my snowman family, lighted trees and door swag; it's much prettier at night when all the lights are glowing!

My front porch is dressed up with wreaths and a garland swirled with huge old-fashioned Christmas lights.

Inside the door is my entry shelf with my two festive signs, my lighted cottage, my J (usually for our last name; Jackson, but now I say it's for the birthday we're all celebrating...Jesus). Our elf, Nutmeg, decided to perch here for the day after his flight to the North Pole last night.

Our tree has always been simple, decorated with ornaments that each hold a special memory in our hearts. Each year, I find an ornament frame for Noah's Christmas picture. I love seeing how much he is growing & changing with each new year.

Our nativity sits on our bookshelf. Notice anything missing? Yep, the baby Jesus hasn't arrived yet. When my husband was a child, his parents always placed the baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas Eve and he looked forward to seeing Him on Christmas morning. So, we are continuing that tradition.

Our mantle always holds our Christmas village. We have collected houses since we've been married. Last year's family Christmas picture hangs front & center.

Since Noah's first Christmas, I have bought a new Christmas-y frame for his Santa photo. I love displaying them all.

One of my favorite Christmas displays is in my kitchen. My kitchen is pink, so my little pink sparkly corner makes my happy every day!

Ok, now it's your turn. Just write up a post about your decor and link directly to that post. Here we go!

Front Porch Charms Giveaway!

2011-12-13T18:34:00.000-08:00

One of my friends from school makes these KEYUTE wreaths for all occasions. Practically every teacher in our building has their own personalized wreath for their doorway thanks to Amanda from Front Porch Charms!

Take a look at some of her work:

So here's how you enter:

"Like" Front Porch Charms on Facebook
Come back to our page and tell us that you did & tell us which wreath you like best.
Make sure you are following our blog---if you already are just leave us a comment telling you are...and if you're not---WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

A winner will be chosen Friday night. When the winner is chosen we will put your name on the blog and email you to notify you of your winnings.

Good Luck!!

A Pretty Pixie Christmas

2011-12-12T20:16:00.000-08:00

Hello, everybody! Does anyone else love the movie "Christmas Vacation"? It has been a family tradition of ours for many years to watch it together, usually on Thanksgiving weekend. We can all quote it line for line. Anyway, that's why I was beyond excited to find this.......at dELiA's.

Today marks the beginning of our Pretty Pixie Christmas. Take a look at what's in store.

So, today, we have GINGERBREAD FOR SALE!!! In honor of Christmas, Dec. 25, my Gingerbread Mini Unit is 25% off until Friday, Dec. 17 making it $3.00. It is 19 pages full of new & unique gingerbread activities.

My Noah loves the "Pinch of Ginger Bakery Menu with Ginger Dollars," perfect for dramatic play, counting money, and restaurant etiquette practice! We used play dough to create our fantastic desserts for the bakery. Noah even wanted to wear his apron to be the baker. So cute!

I want to remember & cherish these memories of playing with my sweet boy forever!

We would love for you to join our Christmas Parade of Homes linky party on Friday! All you have to do is take some pictures of your festive home decor and post about it on your blog. Then, you can add your link to the party! We can't wait to see what everyone has done to make your homes Christmas-y!

Superpowers Needed!

2011-12-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

I'm getting evaluated on Thursday and I'm having the hardest time coming up with short simple activity on a kindergarten level about predicting. We're discussing Reindeer this week and would LOVE it go with Reindeer, but it DOES NOT have to. I would love to hear your ideas and inspirations. Thanks in advance to all my blog friends!

12 Days of Giveaways

2011-12-08T06:05:00.000-08:00

Just stopping in really quick to let you know that we're at Oh' Boy 4th Grade today with a fun 2-prize giveaway!

Be sure & visit Oh' Boy 4th Grade to enter anytime before Dec. 12 at midnight {12-12 at 12:00 ha!} You can win...

my brand new mini unit

AND, a Christmas card file from Jennifer's etsy shop, Create with Savvy Chic

So, go on over there & enter!

***Stay tuned next week for "A Pretty Pixie Christmas" for some sales, giveaways, and linky parties! We're ready for some holly jolly FuN!!!

Remember Pearl Harbor

2011-12-07T14:33:00.000-08:00

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Since we just visited Pearl Harbor a few weeks ago while we were in Hawaii, it really means even more to me now. It was one of the highlights of our trip for me. Take a look!

Always remember Pearl Harbor, the men who fought bravely, and the many who lost their lives. Thank you also to all the brave men & women who fought for our freedom then & those who do NOW!

WWII has always fascinated me! My grandfather (Poppy) was in the Navy during WWII and I always loved hearing him tell stories from his time overseas. I think I would have loved living in that era because of......the fashion, the romance, & the DANCING!

Here's a little 1940's inspiration for ya!

Some fun 1940's inspired engagement photos

{Victoria Anne Photography}

{source unknown via Pinterest}

{Green Wedding Shoes}

Now, here's a real-life 1940's photo of my grandparents

I hope you've enjoyed our journey back in time today to remember such an important day in our history!

Calling ALL Santa's Helpers!

2011-12-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

My husband's side of the family is HUGE...he has 6 aunts and uncles plus countless cousins, not to mention my family and my friends....Christmas time adds up quick. There's a few things I have learned from dear Dave Ramsey and one that sticks close in my mind is make a budget and stick to it. EVEN AT CHRISTMAS! This is hard. Last Christmas- it was tough---although I did take my last $40 out of my grocery budget to buy my husband this watch that he had been wanting for months!

So with budget in mind and knowing the size of my family the past few years I have usually baked some type of cute candy or cookies and wrapped them in bakers boxes or bags and included cute little personalized tags. I'm just curious if there is anything else out there that I could try that's different.

Here's what I've done in the past-

2003-2005 Variety of Baked Cookies

2005-2006 Chex Mix with Recipe Card

2007- 2008 Cookies and White Chocolate Peppermint Bark

2009-2010 White and Milk Chocolate Peppermint Bark & Chocolate Covered Pretzels

So, I'm currently searching on pinterest...but if ya'll have any cute or unique ideas--please post and I'll be sure to take pictures as I'm baking/making and give you credit! :)

Mr. Grinch

2011-12-04T22:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday, cuties! 20 days till Christmas...aaahhhh! So much to do & so little time! I was searching for some fun Christmas snacks on Pinterest this weekend and found an awesome Grinch Punch. That made me want to find even more Grinch ideas, so here's what I found... ***here's some music for your listening pleasure if you wish!

Grinch Punch from Parties 4 Me

Grinch Cupcakes from Party Cupcake Ideas

Grinch-inspired porch decor from Party Wishes

Grinch Pills from Custom Creations by Tamara Bennett

Grinch Ornament from Wicked Stepmom

Grinch Craft from Step Into 2nd Grade with Mrs. Lemons

Classroom Grinch Party from Setting the Mood

During the next few frantic weeks, keep this Grinch quote in mind.......it's a freebie to print if you like! :)

grinchprint

Christmas Photography & Memory

2011-12-02T07:34:00.000-08:00

Part of my photography class with Emilie was on Photoshop, & I'm finally starting to understand it a little! I wanted to take Christmas pictures of Noah myself this year and I searched on Pinterest for some fun ideas for backdrops and props and came across this super fun blog...Prop Insanity! One of the ideas there for Christmas photos was to drape white lights against a white wall for a dreamy magical effect. So, I tried it. By the way, I would so LOVE to have a studio like that in my house. I had to drape my lights over my back door with a white curtain on it. I have absolutely NO white walls in my house! I love color, what can I say?

Then, I stumbled upon some amazing sites that offered free action sets for the coolest effects on my photos! Take a look at this sample of my photos...

Here's where I found these action sets...

*Black & White from The Pioneer Woman

*Golden Afternoon from The Coffee Shop Blog

*Color Pop from The Coffee Shop Blog

*Enchanted from Pamela Topping

Installing actions can be pretty tricky, so if you want some easy step-by-step tutorials, Texas Chicks, is the place to go.......awesome!

Here's a fun little 2nd day of Christmas gift for ya'll! It's a Christmas Memory game I made for Noah last year. Just click on the pics to get the biggest image and save to your computer.

Have a festive Friday, friends! (Say that 5 times fast) he he!

December Calendar

2011-11-28T16:53:00.000-08:00

Did you all survive the Black Friday shopping days? My mom & I braved the crowds and shopped at our 3 most frequented shopping destinations...Tar-jay, Khol's, and the CRAZY HOUSE known as Toys R' Us! Two of Noah's wish list items just happen to be the "Toys of the Year,"...thank you, Nickelodion commercials! Now, if I can just keep him from watching new ones for, like 27 more days, we're good! :)

Is anyone else out there loving that crazy Target lady? This is my fave commercial from the year and I CANNOT get, "Rum tummy tummy, Rum tummy tummy, Rum tummy tummy, ho ho ho!" out of my head. My three-year-old is singing it now...geez!

Anywho, enough about shopping...how about a freebie on Cyber Monday? I just finished the Decemeber calendar and to-do-list. Hope you like it!

December Calendar

Pardon Our Pixie Dust!

2011-11-26T11:45:00.000-08:00

Pardon our "PIXIE DUST" as our blog gets a facelift!

One quick announcement...to celebrate Black Friday & Cyber Monday, everything in our Teacher's Notebook Shop is 15% off until Tuesday, November 29!

Click the pic below to go shopping! We promise...no lines & no rude fellow shoppers, just a happy shopping experience! :)

Happy Thanksgiving {one last freebie}

2011-11-23T22:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, so between baking, spending precious time with family, and shopping for Black Friday deals, we haven't had much time to finish our blog make-over, but we promise to get it done asap-ish!

So, I know this is kind of late, but if you are hosting Thanksgiving dinner at your house and are planning to have a kids' table, here is a FREE printable set to welcome all those lil' gobblers to your home! How much fun would they have with personalized spots at the table, fancy napkin rings, and water bottle wraps?

You can even dress up your serving table and display your delish menu with this collection too! Can I get a gobble gobble??? he he!

I designed this collection last year for my party designs blog and thought I would offer it to all of you this year as well! The collection includes...

-2" circle tags
-napkin rings
-2 5x7 prints {one blank menu & one welcome sign}
-water bottle wraps (or cut down to fit juice boxes)
-tent tags

Click the pic below to download!

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends! May your day be spent with the ones you love counting your blessings and enjoying way too much yumminess...turkey and cranberry sauce, here I come! Don't forget to wear your Thanksgiving pants! {Anybody know where that comes from?}

Cha-cha-cha...changes!

2011-11-22T20:20:00.000-08:00

After many hours this evening working on our TOTAL BLOG MAKEOVER, we can now reveal to you our new name...(if you haven't already noticed it in the gray header bar above).

Drumroll please...

We are now...

Playing with Pixie Dust

"where learning through play is simply magical"

The rest of our new look is coming soon!!! :)

Free Thanksgiving Clip Cards

2011-11-20T06:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday, Sweeties! Here's another Thanksgiving freebie to let you all know how THANKFUL we are to all our lovely readers! These are clip cards that can be used in a center or as a station for your Thanksgiving celebrations. All you have to do is print and laminate the cards and set out a basket of clothespins or paper clips for clipping! Easy, peasy!

Thanksgiving Clip Cards

P.S. Stay tuned for some awesome changes happening around here! Frogs, Bees, & Under the Seas is having a total make-over (with a new name & everything)! We are super excited! :)

Five Fat Turkeys Freebie

2011-11-16T11:12:00.000-08:00

Inspired by one of our favorite Halloween poems, "Five Little Pumpkins," I made a little adaptation for Thanksgiving, "Five Fat Turkeys". You can use this activity in a pocket chart, as a center, or on a magnet board. I hope your lil' turkeys love it! :)

5 Fat Turkeys

Also, we are still waiting on our Jo Toes winner, TASHA, to get in touch with us with your email address! You can leave a comment here if you like. We're going to wait until Friday for our winner to claim her prize, & if we still have no word, we will choose another winner!

Trips & Ships

2011-11-15T00:10:00.000-08:00

Well....hello friends! Long time, no post! I'm back from my family vacay to Hawaii (otherwise known as paradise)! My hubby had a business conference in Honolulu and we tagged along for fun! So, for the past 10 days, I got to look at beauties like this...

Last Friday, we made the LONG trip (4 planes & 19 hours total) home from 84 degrees and sunny in Maui to 50 degrees and cloudy in good ol' Tennessee...ugh! However, I feel so blessed to have had the chance to see such a beautiful place and do so many once-in-a-lifetime things. Anyway, I promise to show more pictures when I get them all off our cameras.

So, on our many flights (in between keeping Noah busy and happy), I took my computer and worked on a new Thanksgiving activity that I think will be a blast for your "Little Pilgrims"! I call it the MAYFLOWER VOYAGE and it's basically an activity kit for a real-life Mayflower trip simulation. It includes fun stuff like boarding passes, pilgrim costume templates, food ideas, and much more. It is 14 pages and can be used in a preschool, kindergarten, or first grade classroom.

Click the picture below to see some sample pages from the kit. As usual, for the introductory sale into the shop, it will be discounted 15% for 5 days (until Nov. 19). So if you want to brave the open seas with your kiddos as they learn about life aboard the Mayflower, this is the kit for you!!! :)

Thankful Thursdays

2011-11-10T16:12:00.000-08:00

Here's just a few things I'm thankful for today-

So super thankful that Daphne (whose been on vacation--in Hawaii for what seems like eternity) is coming home today!!

I'm very thankful for this little gadget---Pampered Chef food chopper--- I love to use on days that haven't been so pleasant---it's a definite stress reliever!

I'm also very thankful for my parents whom are one of my many biggest supporters. They were both such great role models for me growing up and their marriage is inspiring to both me and my husband. God has truly blessed me with fabulous friends and family.

A month ago today I lost my grandfather. He and I were very close---he took me to all my piano lessons when I was younger and was so proud when I played at church for the 1st time. I'm thankful for the promise of Heaven and that one day I will see him again.

Cupcakes for Everyone!!

2011-11-09T07:07:00.000-08:00

Wow! We have reached 1000 followers! I must say that I am SUPER excited and blown away! So...I've provided everyone with a virtual cupcake....go ahead--sit down and indulge--they will not ruin your diet. Eat AS MANY as you want! :o)

Click the above to start shopping with Savvy Chic

ALSO---to celebrate this WONDERFUL occasion I am offering all my FBU followers a 20% off discount in my store until Sunday (November 13th) If you would like to place an order---just use this special discount code--- FBUFRIENDS and you're good. I've got some of my Christmas cards up---but if there is something specific you're looking for don't be afraid to request an item.

Come check me out for all your birthday, shower, baby announcement, and holiday needs!

Savvy Chic Designs

Jo Totes Winner!

2011-11-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

And the winner is.....

Tasha who says: OMG! This is a hard decision between the Millie and the Rose but I think I would get the Rose in Pewter! Yep the Rose wins out!

Please email us for further details. Congrats!! You're going to LOVE LOVE your new Rose Jo Tote!!

Teacher OVERLOAD

2011-11-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, seriously.
New Grade level
+New Math Curriculum
+Transition to Common Core
+New Teacher Observations
= Teacher Overload
I am completely overwhelmed and in need of a break, vacation, encouraging words....ANYTHING! Ugh. Well, one of the reasons I feel overloaded is I'm in need of some help from my fellow Kinder teachers out there. I'm looking for new ways to write my lesson plans---and truthfully I'm interested in anything. Could you please share?? I would be so GRATEFUL!

Jo Toes Giveaway

2011-11-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Happy November to you all! Does anyone out there like photography like I do? Do you have a DSLR camera? Well, every good photographer (or aspiring to be a decent one like me) needs a cute and girly camera bag, right?

For over a year, I had been wishing for a specific camera bag...from my favorite camera bag desiger...Jo Totes! If you spend any amount of time in blogland at all, you know Jo Toes well! I learned about them at The TomKat Studio, Less Cake More Frosting, and The House of Smiths (to name a few). The bags are made of leather, and look just like an oversized purse. So, whether you need to take your camera with you on field trips, family vacations, or on photo shoots with your family, Jo Totes has the bag for you.

The padded interior can be custom fitted not only to protect a camera and lenses, but also to accommodate and organize items like a wallet, music, phone, keys, cosmetics and more. Padding is sewn directly into the interior lining on all four sides and the bottom of the bags. The bottom is also equipped with four metal feet to guard your bag from rough, dirty, or damp surfaces. Inside of each Jo Tote are removable pads which are completely customizable—you can use as many or as few pads as you wish, arranged in the way that best suits your camera, lenses, and other items. Each bag also includes pockets, strong and comfortable shoulder straps, a top-zippered closure, and a removable cross-body strap.

Look who's sporting their own Jo Totes bags! Do you recognize any of these crafty ladies at a Creative Estates Conference?
From left to right: Destiny (A Place for Us); Jen (Tatertots & Jello); Ellie G. (Less Cake More Frosting); Shelley Smith (The House of Smiths); Amy (The Idea Room)

A few weeks ago, when I successfully finished my online photography workshop with Emilie, I rewarded myself with MY NEW CAMERA BAG...the Millie in gray! I LOVE it already! I've taken it to the pumpkin patch, to take Halloween pics of my boy, and to my mom's 60th birthday party!

Jo Totes offers four beautiful camera bag designs...

The Betsy

The Millie

The Rose

The Tote

Here's the inside of the Rose bag.

Today, you have the chance to win the Jo Totes bag of your choice! How AWESOME is that???

{Here's what you have to do...}

1. Make sure you are a follower of FBU!

2. Go to Jo Totes Shop Page and tell us which bag you would choose (and the color).

3. Become a Facebook fan of Jo Totes.

***The giveaway will be open for five days and close on Saturday, November 5 at 9:00 pm (EST). The winner will be announced soon after.***

Good luck, friends!

No Tricks...Just Treats ~ November Calendar

2011-10-31T07:22:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, all you Sweet Spooks & Good Goblins!!! Our Halloween party turned out spook-tacular! Party photos coming soon! :)

Today, I have a special Halloween treat for you...and one to look forward to tomorrow as well! The only thing that made me stressed about this holiday is that you have to turn around and be ready for November in your classrooms the next day! ugh! So, here is your free download for your November calendars as well as the November printable to-do list (all in one nice download bundle)! We hope you enjoy!

November Calendar

So, have a fun Halloween, don't eat too much candy, and thanks for joining us on our Spooktober journey! :)

Halloween Sweets & Parties

2011-10-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

Wanna know the first sound I heard this morning?....I still use a monitor for Noah's room (especially since he's been sick), so I hear every sound he makes. He got out of bed saying, "Halloween party, Halloween party, Halloween party!". Then, he came into our room and said, "Good Morning, Daddy, it's our Halloween party!" "Good Morning, Mommy, it's our Halloween party!" Do you think he's a little bit excited? Truth be told, I'm excited too! I LOVE me some Halloween fun! ;)

My hubby & I have hosted a Halloween party since 2004. Click the pictures below to see pictures from our last two parties (my first two experiences with DIY parties) :)

Halloween 2009

Halloween 2010

Now, here's some Halloween sweets Pinterest love...P.S. I'm making some of these treats tonight, so I'll let you know how it goes...wish me luck!

Candy Corn Bark from Texas Cottage

Pretzel Ghosts from The Hidden List

Mummy Munch from Picky Palate

Witch Hats from Explore Dream Discover

Check out this budget-friendly & boo-tifully cute Halloween sweets table from Piggy Bank Parties.

Visit Us Here!

2011-10-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

Today, we're honored to be guest posting over at Cache Mama's Classroom! Lori, the blog's author, hosts Wish List Wednesdays and she asked us to blog about something on our wish lists for little ones. So, click the button below to see what we would wish for today!

Winner & Halloween Yummies

2011-10-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

Hello, GHOULfriends (or boo-yfriends, as the case may be)! 5 days till Halloween...the countdown is on! I feel like October passing by at warp speed around here!

Last week, we had a fun giveaway from Cloud Street Lab! Today...we have TWO winners who get to choose the clipart set of their choice!

Congratulations, ladies! Just send us your email addresses and we'll get your info over to the shop owner!

During these last few nights before Halloween, I want to make dinner time spooky and fun for Noah, so here are some bewitching recipes to help you with your ghostly dinner menus.

Mummy Dogs from Better Homes & Gardens

Breadstick Bones from Plain Chicken

Halloween Mac-n-Cheese

Stay tuned for some spooky ideas for Halloween sweets and party ideas coming soon!

Today's Spooktober Guest ~ Welcome to Room 36

2011-10-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hello this is Mrs. Williamson from Welcome to Room 36. I have a ghost measuring activity that I think your kiddos will love. All you need to do is print and laminate the ghosts on white cardstock. You can lay the ghosts on the carpet or tape them to the wall. I always have my kids lie on the carpet while a partner measures them. Then they can fill out the recording sheet I have provided. You may also make a large ghost out of bulletin board paper and have the kids measure the ghost.

You can get the ghost measuring activity by clicking here.

How hauntingly cute is that ghost measurement activity, Mrs. Williamson! Thanks so much for being our guest today!

Float on by Welcome to Room 36 for more inspiration!

Today's Spooktober Guest ~ 2 Teaching Mommies

2011-10-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello. We’re Amber and Madonna from 2 Teaching Mommies. In our before kids life we were both teachers. Now we are stay at home moms trying to make life a little easier on moms and teachers by offering free preschool printables!

As teachers (and mommies) we are always looking for ways to take fun things and make them learning opportunities. As Halloween draws ever nearer we racked our brains on ways to have some fun without being too spooky! The result of our brainstorming sessions was a unit all about spiders!

Here were a couple of our favorite spider activities!

W is for Web- Teaches your child how letters are linked to sounds to form letter-sound correspondence. (We have two ways you can do this activity- lacing or coloring. You can color with a white crayon or chalk. If you use chalk spray the paper with hair spray before gluing. The hair spray sets the chalk and it won't continue to flake off.)

Smack the Spider- Have your child smack the letter you call out to reinforce letter recognition.

Tactile Spider Craft- Before setting down with your kiddo, create a spider web using a glue gun on finger painting paper. Set aside to cool and dry. When its cool and dry, place it in front of your kiddo and let him color on the web with finger paint! You can see a more detailed posting on our site!

This year we are expanding our spider unit with some more creepy crawly learning, so be sure and check us out over at 2 Teaching Mommies to see what we are up too!

Amber and Madonna
2 Teaching Mommies

How spider-iffic those activities are, girls! Thanks so much for being our guest today!

UPDATED Halloween FREEBIE

2011-10-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

I tried to get this out to ya'll yesterday, but it just didn't happen. So sorry my friends! My kinders absolutely LOVE graphing and sorting...especially when it comes to EATING!
All you need to do is download and purchase these little fellas...

I like the individually wrapped the best because you don't have to worry about giving one child "too many" of something and having someone get upset if you know what I mean. :)
(Click the picture to download)

Sorry about the downloading issues earlier. I forgot to make it downloadable to my friends. EEKK! My apolgies. ENJOY!

Spooktober Giveaway!

2011-10-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

So I don't know about ya'll, but this week has been the craziest week EVVVER! I was out of school all week last week and I've spent every second trying to catch up and it's not doing much good AND on top of that the weather down here in good ole' Tennessee went from 88 on Sunday to a whopping 43 degrees today and they said the "S" word on the weather channel this morning! So imagine the children's behavior.....AHHH! Where are the emoticons when you need them?

Anyway, to get this weekend off to a fantabulous start (it's practically Friday anyway right?) let's do a giveaway!! What could be better than FREE?
A fabulous etsy store called Cloud Street Lab has offered some of her amazing products and friends....OH. EEM. GEE. This stuff if KEY.UTE!

This giveaway is for 2 winners to choose ANY product from their store!!

Here's what you gotta do--
1. Become a facebook fan of Cloud Street Lab by clicking here
2. Follow Cloud Street Lab via Twitter here
3. Follow Cloud Street Lab's blog here
4. Become a fan of Frogs Bees and Under the Seas on Facebook here
5. Follow the FBU girls blog by clicking our JOIN US button. :)

Winners to be announced Tuesday, October 26th.

HAPPY FOLLOWING!

Today's Spooktober Guest ~ Miss Kindergarten

2011-10-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I am so excited to be a guest blogger for the FBU girls! I seriously love these ladies and was SO honored when I got an email from them over the summer letting me know that they were featuring my blog! {I was at El Pollo Loco and the cashier guy probably thought I was loco...}

Anyway...I'm super duper excited that Halloween is almost here! It is my favorite holiday! But it also makes me pretty nervous! A bunch of kids running around in costumes in the dark night!? It's a recipe for disaster! So I created this Halloween Safety Book to use with my kinders. {I didn't make it up, I saw it in a kindergarten class and just cutesified it with cute clip art and font!}

Download your own copy by clicking on the image!

Oh my goodness, Hadar, what a fun Halloween-y idea! Safety is always important, especially on days that the "lil' monsters" are too excited to think clearly! Thanks so much for being our guest today! Be sure and visit Miss Kindergarten & see what amazing ideas she keeps coming up with! :)

Today's Spooktober Guest ~ The Moffatt Girls & A Winner

2011-10-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

Spookober Greetings to Everyone!

This is Annie Moffatt from The Moffatt Girls Blog! I feel so honored to be guest posting for the WONDERFUL ladies from Frogs, Bees and Under the Seas! Thank you so much for asking me:)

As a stay at home Mommy of two little girls (2 and 4 years old), I love to make learning FUN! Play dough is fun and so easy to make that we usually make it every month! This month we decided to make some Pumpkin Spice Play Dough for our Fall learning experiences. Ready to make some yummy smelling Play Dough?

Ingredients:

* 2 Cups flour * 2 Cups warm water

* 2 Tbsp. cooking oil * 1 Tbsp. cream of tartar

* 1 cup salt * red + yellow food coloring = orange

* pumpkin spice

Mix the water and the food coloring together. Add the other ingredients to a pan and mix in water. Cook on medium to high heat and stir until play dough thickens and forms into a ball. Kneed for a couple of minutes. That's it! You can store in a plastic bag or container and it will last a long time!

Since dramatic play is so important in a child's life, the girls love making pumpkin pie straight from their little kitchens. Notice the cute little crimping on the edges:)

Little hands can roll the Play Dough into snake like pieces and form the letters needed to make these Fall words. Click {HERE} to get your free printable!

This Color-by-Number printable is also a fun way to learn Fall words!

I hope you continue to FALL into more Spooktober ideas from Frogs, Bees and Under the Seas! Thanks again for asking The Moffatt Girls to guest post:)

Wow, Annie! How trick-or-treat-SWEET of you to offer such fun freebies! Thank you so much for being our guest today! Go visit The Moffatt Girls for some awesome ideas (and amazing pre-K curriculum)! :)

AND...the winner of our LIL' BOO Digital Party Collection is...hlr2482, comment #21!

Congratulations!!! Please leave us a comment with your email address & we'll get your prize to you asap! :)

Today's Spooktober Guest ~ The Teacher's Lane

2011-10-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone! My name is Kim from The Teacher's Lane. I was seriously excited when the ladies of Frogs, Bees, & Under the Seas asked me to participate in their Spooktober series. One of the things I like best about their blog is that they're not afraid to work some awesome crafting in. I'm relatively new to blogging about my teaching, but I've also had a crafting blog for a while now, so I feel right at home here! :-)

I have a thing about hall passes. As in, I don't really like them. They are constantly getting left somewhere, put away in the wrong place, or just lost for good somewhere in the twilight zone. And we won't even think about the germs that start to gather with all those trips to the restoom! Blech!! I've used disposable passes for a while now, but I finally found a way to keep track of them in a cute way too. I wanted to share with you a quick tutorial to make a fun Hall Pass holder.

Let's get to it! Gather a wooden frame (super cheap at Michael's), black craft paint, a foam brush, two small different colored pieces of felt, and two metal hooks (easily found in the hardware section of WalMart or Target).

First, give your frame a good coat of black paint. (I have so had the Rolling Stones stuck in my head all night while painting this...paint it, paint it, paint it, paint it black. I swear, I'm not that old, but I do seriously love me some oldies.)

While that's drying, start cutting your felt into two circles. The bigger the circle you cut, the bigger your rosette is going to be. Also, the wider you cut the rings of your circle, the taller your rosette will be. In this picture, I cut the purple felt wider than the orange, and you can see the difference in the heights.

Once you have the circles cut, just take one end and start wrapping it around and around, adding a little hot glue every now and then to help it stay together.

Once you have your rosettes done, you need to place them on your frame and figure out where you want them to go. You can hot glue them down, but I plan to change my frame up monthly to go with the different holidays and seasons, so I'm using velcro dots to adhere mine.

Drill a couple holes into the bottom of the frame so you can screw in the hooks to hang your hall passes from.

Speaking of those hall passes...make 'em cute and easy for those little hands to grab or hang on their wrist! I just hot glued some fun ribbon onto the backs of these. Pop in a seasonal picture and you're done!

What do you think...ready to make your own? I'll be sharing my monthly prints and hall passes every month over on The Teacher's Lane, so be sure to come by and get them!

Thanks so much for having me, guys!

Ok, we are seriously lovin' seasonal hall passes! Anything seasonal makes me SCREAM with delight! he-he! Thanks so much, Kim for being our guest today! So, what are you waiting for? Go get that freebie cutie over at The Teacher's Lane!

New Halloween Packet

2011-10-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

So, ok, I just barely finished my HALLOWEEN SONGS & GAMES packet for the shop by the light of the Halloween moon! My little one has been VERY sick and I didn't think I was going to finish it. Noah has an upper respiratory virus and we were sent home from the doctor this morning with a breathing machine...ugh! Let's just say I was one scared Mommy today! My child has a hard time slowing down because he has a humongous amount of energy. So, we decided if we gave Noah his Halloween present early, we could convince him to sit still. So, tonight, as we watched "Spooky Buddies," I had time to get it done! Super cute movie, by the way! :)

This monster packet is 37 pages long and consists of...

This is just a sampling of the files you'll find inside.

As we introduce this new packet into the shop, we're having a

For 5 DAYS ONLY, prices will be SLASHED {sorry to sound like a commercial for used cars on Halloween}, to 15% off. Click the flickering jack-o-lanterns to take a look...your Halloween fun awaits!

Spooktober Feebie & Giveaway

2011-10-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, my Little Pretties {insert your best witchy cackle here}! Are you enjoying our Spooktober so far? I hope so! Today, I have a couple of spooky fun things for you! Are you planning a Halloween party for your classroom or your family? If so, you may be in need of a little easy decor!

So, as a little Halloween gift for all our "boo"tiful readers, you can download my LIL' BOO Circle Tags free by clicking on the picture below. There are three different designs perfect for a cute, not scary Halloween shindig for all those little monsters! **Just click "file" and then "download".

Need more than just circle tags? My entire LIL' BOO Collection consists of the following PDF printable files...

Fil-in Invitations
2" Circle Tags
Napkin Wraps
Flat Food Tags
Tent Food Tags
Cupcake Wrappers
Favor Tags
Banner {"Spooky"}
Pennant Candy Corn Banner
5" Circle Tags

One lucky reader can win the entire digital collection today!

{Here's how to enter}...

1. Make sure you are a follower of our blog & tell us that you are.

2. Tell us what your favorite Halloween candy is.

3. Tell us if you're going to dress up this year and if so, what you're dressing up as. If you have little ones, we would love to hear about their costumes as well!

***The more times you comment, the more chances you have to win! This giveaway will be open only during the weekend, so until Sunday evening (10-16-11) at 10:00 pm EST. The winner will be announced first thing Monday morning (10-17-11)!

Good luck, my little Spooks!

Playing with Pixie Dust

Dr Seuss Digraph Sort

Lucky Saturday

What Im Pinning Wednesdays

Tasty Tuesday {N'awlins Style}

FREE Mardi Gras Unit

Just a thought....

Happy Valentine's Day

Heartfelt Hump Day {Valentine's Couples Party}

Valentines Day Freebie

Friday Freebie {Superbowl 2012}

Heartfelt Hump Day

Tasty Tuesday {SUPERbowl Snacks}

I'm It!!

Customized Teacher Valentines

What I'm Teaching ~ Penguins

Tasty Tuesday...on Wednesday OOPS.

MATH

*simple addition

*number recognition

*greater than / less than games "War" game

* "Go Fish" game

*measurement

*patterns

*counting

*one-to-one correspondence

READING

*blending sounds

*letter tracing & writing

*pre-writing

*beginning sounds

*letter sorting

*upper/lower case letter match

What I'm teaching Wednesday {100th Day}

Tasty Tuesday {Mini Cinnamon Rolls}

Mood Monday

HOME Binder...Check!

Frugal Friday

What I'm Teaching Wednesdays

Tasty Tuesday {Cheeseburger Pizza}

My Birthday Freebie & Sale

Merry Christmas!

Front Porch Charms Giveaway Winner

Christmas Pinterest Ideas

Christmas Parade of Homes Linky Party

Front Porch Charms Giveaway!

A Pretty Pixie Christmas

Superpowers Needed!

12 Days of Giveaways

Remember Pearl Harbor

Calling ALL Santa's Helpers!

Mr. Grinch

Christmas Photography & Memory

December Calendar

Pardon Our Pixie Dust!

Happy Thanksgiving {one last freebie}

Cha-cha-cha...changes!

Free Thanksgiving Clip Cards

Five Fat Turkeys Freebie

Trips & Ships

Thankful Thursdays

Cupcakes for Everyone!!

Jo Totes Winner!

Teacher OVERLOAD

Jo Toes Giveaway

No Tricks...Just Treats ~ November Calendar

Halloween Sweets & Parties

Visit Us Here!

Winner & Halloween Yummies

Today's Spooktober Guest ~ Welcome to Room 36

Today's Spooktober Guest ~ 2 Teaching Mommies

*UPDATED* Halloween FREEBIE

Spooktober Giveaway!

Today's Spooktober Guest ~ Miss Kindergarten

Today's Spooktober Guest ~ The Moffatt Girls & A Winner

Today's Spooktober Guest ~ The Teacher's Lane

New Halloween Packet

Spooktober Feebie & Giveaway

UPDATED Halloween FREEBIE