Groovin' Back to School and a Packet

I still have a solid three weeks until school starts {with kids}.  I'm beginning to get a lil' anxious because in the past my classroom has been set up by the end of July so I can truly enjoy the final days of freedom.  Not his year...no siree bob!  They had to remove asbestos before laying the new floors in the lower level of the school.  So.  I've had to just sit and be patient...something I'm not very good at.  I stopped by my classroom the other day and it currently looks like this...

 Don't get me wrong, I love the new floor!  But I'm not a fan of the box upon box, upon box...you get the picture.  In my 12 years here, I've never had to take everything down or box everything up before leaving school.  Needless to say I have my work cut out.  Nothing like a fresh start and it won't take me long to get my groove back.

 I spent time collaborating with Alessia Albanese to create our first packet for TpT.  It's filled with centers that are just-right for starting off your school year!  The centers cover basic skills such as number counting and identification, alphabet skills, colors, sight words and more! They are perfect for Pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st grade students who need to review these skills.Get yours now by clicking on the picture.

I'm off to the spend the day at the local flea market with Mima and my bestie!

Happy Sunday friends!

Tell Me More Linky Party

Amy Lemons over at Step into 2nd Grade is hosting this fun link party!  I thought I'd jump right in.

This is Chris, the main man in my life!  We celebrated our 20th anniversary this past June.  We got married in Las Vegas, just the two of us and our families threw us a GINORMOUS outdoor BBQ when we got home.  It was such a blast! 

This is Christopher {Junior, The Kid, The Little Prince}.  He is the center of our world.  If God would have allowed, I would have had 5 more babies!  He is funny, handsome, and appreciates music as much as I do.  I miss his chubby little cheeks and cuddling!

Always dorking around.  LOVE IT!

He gets his license in 4 days...YIKES!

This is Mima and Papa {my parents}.  We live next door to each other.  I know what you're thinking...but it works and works well.  We eat a home cooked meal together at least five nights a week. 

Although you can't tell from the picture above my parents were total hippies {trust me, they rocked the 70s}.  Therefore, I NEVER had a store bought birthday cake....

 and EVERY Halloween costume was made at home.

This is my dream car:

I am absolutely terrified of these... 

{seriously when I was looking for an image I was shaking, thus the cartoon image}

I LOVE these...

....and these....

There's just something so peaceful and magical about clouds.

When we're not watching this

I indulge in some guilty pleasure

I LOVE music and LOVE to sing.  

You can read about that in my Professional Bathroom Singer post.   

But I know I have one of these coming to me someday.  Now I'm no Beyoncé but one can dream.

This is our cat.  Technically, she doesn't have a name.  We just call her Kitty.  It was hard to name her because she has so many personalities.  So maybe Sybil would have been good.  She ALWAYS has to be in the middle of the mix.

Even thought I do love a good cup of coffee...

My real addiction is to coffee cups.  

This is just a snipit into my coffee cup cabinet.  Not a a single cup has a matching partner.  I love finding a good cup.

So that's me...

Friends Make the World Go Round

I finally had the pleasure of meeting up with {my BFF Teacher Blogger} the incredibly sweet, talented and very beautiful Alessia Albanese from Mrs. Albanese's Class, in Las Vegas at the I Teach K conference.  We immediately connected and are now teaming up to create a huge back to school unit!  This has been such an exciting adventure!

Please be sure to visit her site {click on her blog button above}.  She has so many wonderful ideas for centers and you can read all about the her chit chat over breakfast with Kim Adist {what a lucky duck she is}.

Be sure to check back soon for the completed unit : )

I Found My Motivation at the I Teach K Conference

Some of you may know that for the past two years, not only was I a kindergarten teacher, but also the director of the the before/after school care AND summer camp.  Needless to say I was burning the candle at both ends and the flame was slowly dying.  I finally had enough and told my principal to put a fork in me - I'M DONE!!!

I reclaimed my summer to regroup, refresh, and attend the I Teach K conference in Vegas.  Now, I've attended this conference in the past, but have never experienced it with so many amazing teachers/bloggers.  I have made new friends that have shared their passion and enthusiasm with me.  I am happy to say that my little ole flame is now shining as bright as the olympic torch again!

Thank you all a million times over for sharing your classroom expertise with so many!!!

I love you all!

AMAZING friends!
Adrienne Korbel, THE Fran Kramer of Kindergarten Crayons {love her}, and my new sweet friend Alessia Albanese of Mrs. Albanese's Kindergarten Class

Vegas Blogger Meet-Up
Alessia Albanese and  Deanna Jump of Mrs. Jump's Kindergarten Class.  Deanna is a kindergarten superstar.  It was a wonderful treat to meet her in person.

Alessia Albanese and Anna Brantley of  Crazy for First Grade.

Hot {like 105 degrees hot} night on the Vegas strip with Adrienne Korbel.
We became fast friends and I will treasure her sweetness forever!

Day 4 of the Conference

{don't mind the bags under my eyes or the horrible lighting in these photos}

With Fran Kramer

With Deedee Wills from Mrs. Wills Kindergarten.  I have been a follower of Deedee for quite some time.
She is funny, sweet and welcoming!!!

Now, back to reality.  I decided to stop into to check on the progress of my classroom.  When we left for the summer we had to pack EVERYTHING {first time in 12 years} for the replacement of flooring and asbestos removal.  I went from carpet to tile floors.  Thank.The.Lord!  Who puts carpeting in a kindergarten classroom anyway?  I have a clean slate to work with.  Exciting!

I made my way to Ikea and found these little treasures for center organization...

In my new found motivation, I decided to dig into the mountain of boxes I piled into the garage.  These are my teacher resource books.  Some of these are brand spankin' new...and never used.  I'm following the rule, if it hasn't been used in 2 years...toss it!  I have a pile of things to share, things to sell, and my piles by genre.  Anyone ever sell on ebay or Craigslist? 

Of course my furry {lazy} administrative assistant has to have her paw in everything I do. 

I'll check back soon friends!

Jumpin' Jehosephat! What a Giveaway!

If you haven't already, you MUST jump over to Kleinspiration {click on the image}.

Erin is having a bIg, no HuGe, wait no a GINORMOUS giveaway in honor of reaching 1,000 followers!  Way to go Erin!  

Happy Monday Friends!!!