Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Sensory Boxes!

Hey y'all! If you've followed me for a while now, you'll know that sensory play is a big thing for me. Some of the teachers here that are "anti-mess" teachers (as I like to call them) look at me like I have three heads because I will do anything with my class! 

We have made our own playdoh, oobleck, galaxy slime, sand play, water play, shaving cream, frosting, cool whip, noodles, you name it, we've probably done it! 

I know that not every teacher approves of this kind of play but it is important to me and I like to include it in our lessons every day so, if I am out of work or sick, I have made a few easy "cheater" sensory bags.


Basically, these are premade sensory experiences that will keep your children entertained and clean. 

My plan with these are to just dump the bags and then add something simple such as blocks, cars, little people,etc to add different textures.

Easter Grass 

Mardi Gras beads-cut into smaller sections 

Colored confetti 

Yarn 

Textured and patterned ribbon 

Rice 

Rocks-obviously A LOT of teacher supervision is needed here 

Paper shreds 

Sand dollars. 



What do you use for sensory experiences in your classroom? 

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Community Helpers Unit

During the whole month of September, my toddler class worked on their community helper unit. We broke it up into four weeks. 

Week 1: grocers/chefs/bakers
Week 2: firemen and police officers 
Week 3: doctors, nurses, and dentists 
Week 4: construction workers, postal office personnel, and teachers 

I love community helpers month because for me, it is an awesome way to get my classroom parents involved. 

At back to school night, I sent out a flyer explaining that this unit was coming up and if we had any 'community helper' parents that we'd greatly appreciate them coming to talk as a guest speaker or to do an activity. Y'all are going to want to sit down for this next part... ALL of my parents..ALL signed up AND ALL of them actually fulfilled their commitment. -I don't know about you but, I almost never get all of my parents to get involved and it is always a hassle involved with multiple reminders and flyers. Not this time! I was floored! 

Anyways, we had parents from all work types come in a speak, read a story, or help with an art project and it was awesome! 

Here are a few examples of projects that we did over the course of September: 



What do you do for your community helpers unit? 


Monday, October 13, 2014

My Favorite Fall Treat!

Well, it is still 85-90 degrees in lovely Florida but, I am determined to get into the fall spirit!

This past weekend, we made 'Grammie Joyce's Famous Apple Crisp' 
This is my absolute favorite y'all! 

(again, I am HORRIBLE at taking pictures so, there is no 'after' picture but, trust me, it is to die for!) 

What you will need for the apple mixture:
9x13 Greased baking dish
8-10 peeled apples
1 1/2 cups of flour
3/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup of white sugar
1/4 cup of light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon of cinnamon
1/2 Tablespoon of nutmeg

What you will need for the crisp topping:
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of melted butter (cooled) 

Steps:
1. preheat oven to 350* and grease the 9x13 baking dish
2. wash and peel your apples. cut into bite sized chunks-no need to be precise. 

3. in a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugars, butter, and spices. mix well until fully combined then gently fold in apples until they are completely covered. dump into the prepared baking dish and make sure it is as even as possible. 
  

4. prepare the crumb topping by combining the flour, sugar, and butter with a fork until it forms a crumbly consistency. 
5. evenly spread out the crumb topping over the apple mixture. Top with extra cinnamon if you'd like. 

6. pop this baby in the oven at 350* for 45 minutes or until the top is a nice golden brown. 

serve warm with ice cream and whipped cream or, if you're feeling extra 'betty crocker-ish', make a homemade caramel sauce to top it off! 

Enjoy! 

Friday, October 10, 2014

Five for Friday!

Happy Friday Fellow Bloggers! 
I hope you all have had a fabulous week and are enjoying the fall season! It is still 88-90 degrees here but, we're making it work! 

I am linking up again with Kacey from Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday! 

I received my second SLANTBOX on Wednesday from Christine at Glitter, Gadgets, and Grade School! I had such a blast getting to know her and I think that she is just a fabulous teacher, person, mother, she is just great and has an awesome teaching story! One of my favorite things about Christine is a quote that she has said many times to me, in her instagram videos and on her blog: "you matter". Although this is a simple two word phrase, I think it carries so much behind it! 

I had every intention of listing the items she picked out for me but, she is so amazing that she made a video for me about my SLANTBOX and I just don't think I could top this so, here you go: 




As you know, this house is 100% Pats territory! We found out this past weekend that the Patriots have a PatriotsPETriot contest for 'pet of the month'.. obviously, we jumped right on this! 


The cuteness will never fade! 


So, although it is like 100 degrees here still, we are breaking out the Fall Beers and Ciders! 

Have you had Pumpkin Cider? Well I can say that the Woodchuck Pumpkin Cider is delicious! 


Welllll surprise surprise, I dyed my hair again! This time, it actually turned out how it was suppose to the first time! 

Bright Burgundy! Hello, Fall! 



My best friend and sister has been up in Massachusetts at college for the past two years. She is a rock star and has been taking advanced classes, extra classes, and summer/winter break classes so, we haven't been able to see each other too much but, yesterday, I got FABULOUS news that she will be home for Thanksgiving this year! 

I can not even explain how overjoyed and excited I am! 


I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Thanks for stopping by! 

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Have You Heard?!

About Those Crazy Wrap Things?!


I don't know about where you're from but here, It Works! wraps came out of no where. Living oceanside, everyone always strives for the perfect 'beach body' so, work out regimes, diets, pills, tricks, etc. come and go-FAST! 

I try very hard to live a healthy lifestyle and I am not one for cop out strategies to loose weight however, since I was 15, I have had major weight issues. I have always been active and at my lowest weight, I was 115lbs. (17-19 yrs. old) my highest, 180 lbs. (21 yrs. old) currently 130 lbs (23 yrs. old) and I am happy! I am not going to lie and say I work out everyday because I definitely do NOT however, J and I do eat at home 6 out of 7 nights and we prepare decently healthy meals. I don't resist sweet treats or skip meals to save a few calories I just live. I try to make it to the gym or go for a run at least once or twice a week because that is a realistic goal for me. I am sure a lot of you can agree, it is hard to balance school, teaching, personal lives, children if applicable, and working out in one day. 

Like I said before, I am happy with my weight currently and I am in no rush to loose more because 130 is a healthy weight for me. However, I do want to be more toned and fit in some areas and that is why I started researching the It Works! products. 

I was very skeptical at first. I thought it was a little silly that a flimsy wrap was believed to make any sort of a difference but I was proven wrong. 

One of the parents in my classroom is a rep for It Works! Her and I are pretty close so it wasn't awkward or hard for me to talk to her about them. She told me that her mother was using them and showed me several before and after pictures of other women who had used them. At the end of our conversation, she offered me a free wrap to try and if I liked it or saw results, she said that she would sign me up. 

One box of four wraps retails for $99.00-it is expensive so, I didn't want to spend that kind of money on something that wouldn't work. I was very grateful that she allowed me to try one for free. 


WRAPPING REVIEW
*It is very important to take before and after pictures*

Each of the wraps comes folded up in a small white package. I opened the package and my first thought was "woah!" The wraps are made from a totally plant based formula so the smell was a little strong-it smells really good it is just a strong herbal scent that I wasn't expecting. So, I unfolded the wrap and there is a brown lotion-y type content on one side you apply that to the area you are going to focus on. I chose my stomach. I laid the wrap on my stomach and then saran wrapped it to hold it into place. Lauren, my consultant said the first time you wrap, you should leave it on for 45 minutes and to drink LOTS of water so, I did. It was very cold and kind of tingly. I went about my chores while I wore it and the 45 minutes flew by. 

I took the wrap off, wiped off the excess lotion and took 'after' pictures. well, it worked! 

I saw immediate results after one so, I decided to become a 'loyal customer' of hers which means that you sign on to a 3 month auto fill of products at a discounted price. 

1 box of four wraps is usually $99 as a loyal customer, it is $59. You are able to switch the product you get each month as well and they have a whole line of items such as a green drink mix, hair skin and nails formula, and wrinkle creams. 




I highly recommend the It Works! brand.






*all reviews and opinions are my own and were not sponsored or endorsed.*

Friday, October 3, 2014

Five for Friday!

Happy Friday Y'all. It is so crazy that we are already into October-although, if you live in Florida, it still feels like the middle of July. Anyways, I am going to jump right into my Five for Friday hosted by Kacey at Doodle Bugs Teaching!

 I tried out a few new dinner recipes this week and our favorite was the Apple Braised Pork Chops with onions and cider. It was so quick and easy to make and super delicious! Obviously, if you are not a pork person, you can use chicken! We served this with a roasted veggie medley. 


I have also developed a new found love for Avocado Toast. This yummy concoction I made yesterday morning. 8 minutes and 100% yummy-and healthy! 


Unfortunately, my brand new baby is at the car doctors. We have been having some very nasty stormy weather lately and we ended up in a wreck Monday night. We were running a quick errand after dinner and took a side street that we didn't know flooded out. The car in the lane next to us RACED through a huge puddle and kicked all the water onto my windshield so we were blinded for a minute. I stepped on the breaks and the car behind us rammed into the back of us. It is very unfortunate but, accidents happen and we are both okay! 


It was definitely a reality check on how quickly things can happen though. 


I was able to spend some weekday time with my two favorite babes due to the accident this week and it was very nice. They helped me plan lessons, find recipes, and browse future home ideas via Pinterest, we went to the dog park a few times, they went swimming and they got groomed. 

My little girl is all shaved! 

Shibas are 'cold weather' dogs so, they have a thick undercoat. This little girls was starting to come out so we made a quick trim to the doggy parlor. 


My dad is a pretty awesome guy! He is an ambassador for a new car concept called the Rimac. This is much like the Tesla and various other fully electric car models but, the Rimac is a race car...yeah, an electric race car! He is the first person in America that will have the Rimac and his model will be VIN Number 01-as in the first one made-that's pretty cool, right? 
That's My Daddy! 

Well, he has been working closely with the engineers and developers on the car and as a thank you, they sent our family two fully electric bicycles called Greyp's. They arrived last Friday and my dad broke them out of their crates on Tuesday night. 




We finally found a place to move to! We were really serious about finding a place to buy but, a few things came up that prevented us from going through with that so, we will be renting again. Small steps are okay for now! We get our keys October 28th! So for now, my weekends will be filled with packing, cleaning, packing, Patriots, and cleaning! 


Have a fabulous weekend y'all! Thank you for stopping by! 

Thursday, October 2, 2014

October Currently!

Yikes guys! It is so insane to me that it is already October! I don't know about where you are but here, all of the stores started putting out their Christmas stuff in September!!! 

Anyways, I am linking up today with the lovely Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade!


Listening: I feel like all I have been doing these past few days is laundry! I do greatly enjoy the sound of our clean clothes tumbling around the dryer and the yummy clean smell of tide dryer sheets taking over our house! I also am humored by my two little furchildren attacking and chasing each other from one end of the room to the other over a little squeaky toy! 

Loving: My family, boyfriend and friends who, no matter how crazy my ideas or plans are, always back me up. 

Thinking: Well, we finally found a house!-We aren't buying, yet, but we found a charming little place to rent!- We move at the end of October. It is crazy how much stuff two people acquire! 

Wanting: My schedule for October/November is insane y'all! 
October 18: J's grandmother comes back from being in Massachusetts for six months! I adore her to death and can't wait to see her. 

October 29: We get our new keys! 

October 30: We move in. 

November 5-10: I'll be in Texas for O's Air Force Graduation! 

Needing: This is a serious need y'all. I am on a huge smoothie/juicing kick and an I skipped this morning so I am craving something cold and yummy now! 

Trick or Treat?: Treat! my favorite part about Fall is all the pumpkin/spice/caramel yummy-ness that comes along with it! 


What are you up to currently?