My Journey Through Pregnancy

As most of your know, I am expecting my first child in the beginning of September.  I am almost 9 months pregnant and I am anxiously waiting to meet our baby boy!    This pregnancy has been filled with excitement and a fair share of twists and turns.  I had the opportunity to share a little about my journey through pregnancy on the Teachers Pay Teachers Blog.  If you are interested, here is the link!  I also shared why I wasn't able to make the TpT Conference in Vegas this summer! 

 #ultimatefomo

Here is a picture at my baby shower!  The theme and backdrop was inspired by Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss.  The beautiful backdrop was made by Jesi Haack Designs out of strips of fabric woven together!

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Freebielicious Back to School GIVEAWAY!

Freebielicious would like to thank you for joining us for a week of linkies!  We had so much fun and appreciate you taking a few moments to pop in and see what we had to say!  We also have a bit of a surprise to share with you! How about a chance to win some money to spend at TeachersPayTeachers?  It won't take away any or all of your back to school blues, but it is sure to sweeten it! Head to Freebielicious to learn how to be one of our TWO $100 TpT gift card winners!  But you will have to be quick!  You'll want to be sure to head back early tomorrow to see if you are one of the lucky winners!

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Back to School Photo

Here is one of my favorite back to school posts that I want to share with you....

I am slowly thinking about the beginning of the year, and I have an idea to share for a back to school photo idea.  I've seen this on pinterest for different kids holding a number for their age.  I want the students to hold a "K" for their first day of Kindergarten.

Things needed to make the "K"-

-Giant K: from Michael's craft store

-Mod Podge

-scrapbook paper

-ribbon

Steps to make the "K"-

1.  Trace the K onto the scrapbook paper

2.  Cut out the paper and mod podge it onto the K

3.  I mod podged ribbon on the outside of the K to give it a clean edge

It takes a couple of hours to dry and then it is good to go!

This is my friend's adorable little girl.  We practiced taking back to school photos because she will be going into Kindergarten next year!  

I made this template "K is for Kindergarten" to use as a backdrop for the photo.  I will take a picture of each child on the first day of school, then glue it onto this little poster.  

Ways to use it:

You could make one for each child and make a back to school bulletin board, or use it as the cover of your yearly portfolios, or send them home as a back to school gift!

You can pick up this first day of school photo template for FREE in my TpT Store!  Click on the image below to pick up a copy!

Head over to Freebielicious to join the linky!!!

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Center Organization

I have been teaching 8 years and I am constantly trying to reorganize and restructure how I set up my centers.  I finally found a routine that helped me last year stay organized and keeps the kids responsible for knowing where they should be during center time!  This is a MUST HAVE for me to keep my sanity!  Haha!  (but really...)

Here is an overview of what is included in this Center Rotation Kit!

You can see in the picture below that I have a pocket chart with numbered centers and little picture cards saying what the students do at each center.  The white cards next to it are filled in with the students' names.  It tells them where they need to be during center time.  I also label the baskets to match the assigned centers so the students know where to get there materials at.

I created little "accountability" sheets for the students to cross off the center they completed for the day.  This is helpful for me to scan their accountability sheets to know who is slacking or who is almost done with all of the centers.  The main reason for this is to help me see who needs to do what center when planning out my small groups. 

I included a picture of all of the cards in the Center Rotation Kit!  :)

Head over to Freebielicious to see more "must haves" for the beginning of the year!

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The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Nursery rhymes are always a hit with my Kindergarten students.  For some of my students, they enter Kindergarten knowing these songs but several of them have never been exposed to them before!  I work with English Language Learners so the components of a nursery rhyme are fun and engaging for them.  I love teaching them throughout the year because they can be turned into a song, they rhyme, have new vocabulary, and are FUN!

I created an Itsy Bitsy Spider Unit to accompany the nursery rhyme.  I included several elements that will help introduce the rhyme, check for comprehension, and work on basic Kindergarten skills as well!  Some of the activities can be used for the teacher to direct the instruction and others are for the kids to navigate their own learning!

I love these little sequencing cards for the students to practice retelling the story.  You can use these in a pocket cart, place them on a ring for them to flip through, or have them stand and hold them in order.

My FAVORITE thing in this pack is the nursery rhyme hat.  I mean, what Kindergartener doesn't love wearing a hat!?  The idea is they can color the pictures as they recite the rhyme.  It is perfect for them to wear home and help "refresh" the parents' memory of the rhyme they most likely learned as a child.  It is a fun, interactive way to bring their learning home with them!

Who doesn't post a giant head selfie in a Kindergarten nursery rhyme hat?!?! 

See more about this unit HERE. 

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Dressing My Baby Bump with Pink Blush Maternity {GIVEAWAY!}

Growing a human being is hard work in all areas.  One thing I wasn't expecting is how hard it is to find cute maternity clothes!  Most companies create simple maternity basics that will get you through the 10 months (why do people say 9?!??!) but I was having difficulty finding maternity clothes that were: flattering, fashionable, and fun to wear!  I stumbled upon Pink Blush Maternity and fell in LOVE with their clothes, especially their maternity dresses.  I collaborated with their company to show off some of my favorite dresses that I have been wearing during my pregnancy!

This first dress I wore on our first year anniversary date!  We went to a fancy dinner to celebrate...I don't know if I was more excited about the dinner or wearing this hot pink dress (Pink Overlay Chiffon Maternity Maxi Dress)!

I wore this blue tie die maxi maternity dress for the 4th of July!  It was so comfortable and festive!  One thing that I have looked for in maternity dresses are a high waist with a fabric that hugs the bump and then is loose the rest of the way down. ;)  Pink Blush Maternity completely captures the flattering parts of a preggo body. 

My go-to maxi maternity dress has been this pretty little number.  I am wearing a similar one to my baby shower except it's more orange!  Summer has been a wonderful time to be pregnant with being able to wear comfy dresses every day.  

Yesterday I had my first offensive stranger comment, "Are you due any day?".....ummmm no, I still have 2 more months!!!  I bet if I was wearing one of these dresses that wouldn't have happened! ;)

Pink Blush is hosting a $25 gift card giveaway to their store!  The good news is they also have NON maternity clothes, so everyone can participate!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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