Happy MLK! Today's post involves boobs, barre, and a Sight Word Freebie!

Teaching thought/Freebie of the Day

I hope everyone is having a fantastic day. We discussed MLK with our students last week and had them write about a dream that they would like to see come true. One little boy wrote something that had my partner and myself fighting back tears. As I peeked over his shoulder, I could see him working on his sentence. It read: "My dream is that my Dad will come home." Knowing that his father is serving in Afghanistan I was immediately humbled and yet also amazed at his composure while writing such a sentimental statement. Sometimes I forget just how strong our little ones are.  Needless to say, his writing will stand out among some of the others ("My  dream is that I am in Cotton Candy Land" .. or . . . "My dream is that Spongebob and I are best friends") in our class book.

On a different note, check out the sight word freebie below. I will be adding a set on Teachers Pay Teachers in a day or so, so watch for the link to my store! Enjoy your day off!

 

Click the Link Below for the Sight Word Freebie

 http://www.scribd.com/doc/121537570/Sight-Word-Freebie?secret_password=1mkdyqn236m7mx9cbtn7

Fitness/Nutrition

Today I went outside of my workout comfort zone. I'm that person in the gym with tunnel vision -- straight to the treadmill .. no talking, downward gaze, ear buds in, zoning out while I run. I'm not really a "joiner" when it comes to classes. Don't get me wrong, the classes are great. I just don't like to feel crammed into a space where there is a slight chance that someones sweaty limb my actually graze me or where if I turn my head to one side, I'm seeing someones Hanky Pankies. But, since I'm a sucker for a Groupon, I ventured out today and tried something new. If you haven't tried The Dailey Method,  and there is a studio in your area, I encourage you to check it out. I thought I was in pretty good shape until about 15 minutes into this class when my legs started screaming at me to "make it stop," and my abs felt like I'd just been hit by a baseball bat  - - - but in a good way.
It's a combination of seat work, barre work, maybe a little Pilates in there too? The best part ---- no thrashing around (no burpees, mountain climbers, etc.) , and no sweaty Betties breathing their hot coffee breath in my direction. So, I figure, since I do have four more classes with my Groupon deal, I'll check it out again later this week (once my legs recover from this morning). There is also a DVD available for purchase if you can't get to a studio.  Check out the link below.

 

 

http://www.thedaileymethod.com/


Fashion Finds

As most of my friends know, I'm always looking for a great deal. I'm happiest when brown packages arrive at my door on any given day (who doesn't love that?) with treasures I've won on ebay or finds from sites like Shop it To Me, My Habit, etc. Yes . . .  I have a problem . . . but at least I own it. With that said, I just picked up one of these Coobie Bras while out shopping yesterday. They retail for $22 and come in tons of colors (some with lace, some without). How cute would this be layered under other shirts or tank tops?
Even cute under a pretty blouse. I got one in bright orange --- I was reminiscing of summer I guess. Maybe having a cheerful color on "the girls" will put some extra pep in my step! (I forgot to mention - they even have a little padding in them to keep the girls looking their best).

http://shopcoobie.com/

 

 

 

Brrrr . ..A Cute Winter Art Project

So it's freezing outside (OK . . OK . . I know it's not as cold here in Cali as it is in other places, but the little runny noses are starting to freeze over and I'm sure if some kid stuck her tongue to the lunch table I'd be in a world of hurt). We traditionally do cold weather themed artwork: penguins, polar bears, etc. One of my favorite projects is our bundled up self-portraits. Portraits in parkas if you will. I got this project from a colleague, who got it from someone . . . you know how that goes. Anyway, I take no credit for it whatsoever, but I love to pass things on. Below you will see the pics and directions. You can also click on the templates for the torso and face  to run on your copier.  Enjoy and keep warm!  Oh .. and don't forget to check back later for new projects, recipes, fashion, and other fun things!

What you will need:
-  blank faces run on a variety of skin colored construction paper
- torsos run  on bright construction paper
- strips of color construction paper for the "hair"
- paper plates
- three colors of yarn
- glue sticks
 - white glue
- cotton balls (about 6 large per student)

Click here for the face

and

here for the torso



Note: we made this over two days (15 minutes each day at a "center")

Step 1: Prep your materials

--Cut the centers out of your paper plates and cut the yarn so that there are three pieces per student. Run faces and torsos. Cut "hair" strips (mine were 2 inches wide by 9 inches long)

Step 2: (Day One)

Have students choose face, hair,  and torso. Have them cut out face. Then have them cut hair (but only part way through --like bangs. Have them glue hair to top of face. You can staple the paper plate to the head while they are cutting the torso. Then attach the torso to head with stapler. I have them give it a haircut after to remove any pieces that stick out from behind the paper plate.

Step 3: (Day Two)

Have students stretch out their cotton balls (pull apart into pieces) and glue to the paper plate. Have them draw their own face. I put three stripes of white glue on the torso for them and had them glue on the yarn. Done!

Our happy little snowmen now have some company!

Our Holiday Trip to Disneyland: Things I Learned at the House of Mouse

So I thought I'd be the best Mommy every (I'd give my other half credit too, but let's be real . . . this was all my crazy doing) if we surprised the the kiddos with a trip to Disney as their Christmas gift from us (Not Santa --- so tired of him getting to have all the fun, but that's another story). I'd planned ahead and made reservations and my husband and I had been keeping the secret for quite a while. We'd wrapped their Disney shirts and made a little video for them to watch Christmas day. It was all very funny. My daughter cried and my son looked perplexed (wondering where in the "F' his Nintendo DS was no doubt). The following day we were on our way.

I'll save you the crazy traffic drama, but I will tell you that if you haven't used the App "Waze" yet (on Iphone and Android too) , it's pretty cool. Once you sign up you can check the traffic situation where you are, or where you are going, and people (like you) update it regularly with current speeds, hazards, and other cool info. It helped us to figure out how much longer we'd be sitting, just in case one of the little ones needed a bathroom stop (because otherwise . . . I'm that person who wants to get there as quickly as possible. Pack some snacks kids . .. Mama doesn't like to stop).

We got there really late the first night and just crashed in our hotel room. We wanted to be refreshed and ready for our first big day in the park. Here is what I learned on our crazy trip:

1. Download the App called Mousewait. I'd heard about it from someone and made sure to have it ready for the first day. People (you included) update it regularly with line wait times so that you know when to hit certain rides and when to avoid them. It even helps you locate characters in the park and has lots of interesting Disney info. You'll see people constantly checking their phones in line and chances are, they are checking this App.



Here is a pic of the App. Lots of interesting things. I actually referred to this a lot during the trip.

 

2. If you plan to go during the holidays, take your patience, and some extra cash. Although we brought our own water and some snacks into the park, one whiff of the Churro stand and my son was in love. Apparently they were far superior to the rice cakes and energy bars I brought . . who knew :)
Most lines were about a 40 minute wait. The Radiator Springs Racers (one of the new "Cars" rides) had a three to four hour wait the entire time we were there. No amount of Churros could keep my kids in that line, so we passed this time around.

3. I prefer the dining choices in Downtown Disney. Why you ask?  Because it's the closest thing to an IV drip of alcohol that a girl can get without leaving the general area. Disneyland is pretty much "Dry" and California Adventure has beer and wine (thank you . . .thank you... thank you). Downtown Disney has many restaurants where you can sit down, relax, eat a meal (or drink your meal, I won't judge), all without giving up a kidney to do so.  We preferred to eat a big lunch there and then eat a late snack in the parks. We had one lunch at ESPN Zone (my son's new Holy land) and another at Toritilla Joes (where one burrito was enough for my husband and I to split -- of course the kids wanted their own meals, and I got to sip away my stress with sangria. Yumm!). We also hit Rainforest Cafe on our last morning for breakfast.

If you think the smile on her face is big, you should have seen mine after downing two of those sangrias.

4. Learn the Fast Pass System. We didn't, but in some cases, it didn't really matter. We got in line at 8:30 am for Fast Passes to Radiator Springs Racers, but they were gone five minutes later --for the entire day! We did grab them for the World of Color show at California Adventure (again ..get them in the morning), which was worth it. Of course we still waited an hour to keep our spot and then my son really "had to go right now," as the show was starting, so he and my husband missed most of it anyway.

 Waitng for "World of Color" to start. Too bad my littel buddy missed most of it.
5. Decide what is more important to you: convenience, or getting a good deal. We stayed at the Marriot this time with their Disney Package, which I thought was a great deal. Everyone was very nice and we got a $100 Disney gift card for each night that we stayed there. We were able to use all three when I bought our Park Hopper Tickets from their Disney Desk  on-site which took $300 off of our tickets. Nice!

Next time though, we decided that we would save and then splurge on staying at Disney's Grand Californian. It's quite a bit more, but it has it's own entrance to California Adventure. That alone does it for me. Little feet get tired after walking and waiting in lines, so I'm looking for convenience next time around.

6. If you have the cash (which we don't) there is such at thing as going VIP in Disney. You can learn about it on their vacation planning site. I was wondering about it after seeing small groups get ushered (often with a Disney Host) to the front of long lines. For the most premier service (private host, Fast Pass access to most rides-- if not all, reserved seating at parades and shows, valet parking) it will set you back about $300 per hour with a six hour minimum (for a group of 10 people or so --check their website). So, if you want to be a baller . . . this is the package for you. I will probably shoot fiery lasers out of my eyeballs at you, but jealousy is an ugly witch.

7. I am amazed by the cleanliness at the Disney Parks. Even though I was happy to shower after being shoulder to shoulder with thousands of strangers, I could not believe the high level of service from all of the employees. There was always an attendant cleaning a restroom and a staff member wiping down tables. Anyone who can give directions (with a smile) to a stranger holding a turkey leg in one hand and pushing a crying baby with the other, must be a magical person indeed!

Welcome back treadmill. So sorry to have cheated on you with wine and cookies!

Ok . . so how is it that what once was "Christmas" I know call "the holidays," giving myself license to eat, drink, and be very  . . . VERY .. merry for an entire month? Although I did drag myself to the gym during this time, I can honestly say that the cookies (Saltine toffee anyone) and wine -- lots of wine, made me quite a bit sluggish and unmotivated. So, like the rest of the world, it's back to reality. I need to rekindle my relationship with the treadmill and break up with the food in my pantry.

With that being said, check out what's new in my "Healthy Teacher Tips" page. In it I share my love for sticking Greek Yogurt into just about everything, and my constant effort to get my own kids to eat their fruits and veggies.

I've also added my favorite new skinny jeans to my fashion page. I'm only 5 foot 7, so too many brands bunch up at the ankles --and I hate having to go to the tailor. I love that I can wear these with ballet flats to work and then with heels when I go out. They also have some slammin' sales on them on the brand's website.

It's my last day before holiday break ends and school begins, so I'd better get moving.

 Before I go, lets open up a discussion.

Who has a favorite new healthy snack idea that they can share?

Check back in in the next couple of days. I'll be sharing my holiday trip to Disneyland with you. I can even give a couple of tips for those of you who may be heading there soon!

Ok.. so it's almost back to school time. I can't believe it's already here and kudos to those of you who have already started. I'm still waiting to find out what room I'm in, so all of my crazy Pinterest ideas have been put on hold for the moment. I have been downloading tons of fun things from Teachers Pay teachers. I don't know what I ever did before this site! I will be sharing some of my fab finds on my blog and giving huge props to those who created them. I will also be posting pics of my room once it's "under construction" so that you can see my progress. My school is starting a new math program this year (GO MATH) as well as new writing strategies to align with common core, so I will definitely be looking for ideas in those areas. Along the way I will add my random bits of "teacher fashion fun " and healthy living topics that I may become obsessed with at the moment. This is my first attempt at blogging so be patient. There is a learning curve for this stuff right?