Oh My Gosh...

I missed the WHOLE summer! Sorry! Lots has been going on in my world. Here's the short version:

1. My husband took a new job. Which meant I had to quit my job…and pack up my classroom. That was very bittersweet.

2. Then we sold our house (4 days!!) and the moving trucks rolled in.

Our old house in Indiana

 3. We lived in limbo for a few weeks in Ann Arbor, MI before we were able to buy and new house and we moved in mid-August!

New house in Northville, MI

4. In the meantime, my son decided he was ready to use the potty. Just in time for pre-school…and because he really wanted a big boy bike.

 5. And we spent a lot of time at the lake this summer… and I learned that it's hard to work at the lake.

So that explains my absence. I'm sorry! I'll be a better blogger, I promise!

And - now for a freebie! If you follow my TPT store then you may have already snagged these:

They're FREE for a limited time, so grab them up!

Indiana Bloggers Blog Hop: Ladies & Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

Thanks, Cindy! Welcome Race Fans! Can I just say - I'm so excited to be a part of this great Blog Hop with these amazing educators? Such an honor.

I have been watching the Indy 500 since I was a little girl. My favorite part is when Jim Nabors sings, "Back Home Again in Indiana." I get chills every time! This year I'll be watching one of my best friend's new hubby! He races in the #11 car!

I'm offering up a Time themed FREEBIE for Kindergarten and First grade. You can grab yours HERE in my TPT Store! And take a look around while you're there! Lots of great Freebies - teaching resources and clipart, too!

And now - you should race over to Amy's Blog for more FREEBIES! Thanks for stopping by!

Under the Sea

My students really enjoyed exploring the ocean last week! I used THIS packet that I made and it was great. I made a few adjustments here and there, but in the end it was a great resource! My students loved learning about and writing about the three zones. I was very excited to display their work! They did a great job! Do I have to send them to first grade? I'm not ready.

WINNER WINNER & the BIG TPT Sale - going on NOW!

Congrats to Melinda! She won my clipart giveaway! I hope you can create some amazing resources with these!

If you didn't win - no worries! I have 20% off my products today and tomorrow…and TPT is giving an additional 10% off. So - up to 28% off! Some of my $1 clipart items are only $.80 (before TPT discount).

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Studying the Ocean, a SALE, and the Giveaway!

This week my students will be learning about Ocean Animals. I created THIS Unit to use with my class. I think it works great for Lower Elementary (not just Kindergarten). Take a look!

AND - TPT is having a HUGE SALE for Teacher Appreciation Week! It runs May 7th & 8th! My products will be 20% off - plus TPT is giving you an additional 8% off with the promo code: TAD13

Go load your cart! I know I am...

Oh and don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY! A winner will be announce on May 7th! (which means if you don't win, you can still buy the clipart for 28% off!!) 

Welcome NEW Followers!

I'm pretty excited to see so many new faces! Thank you for following me and supporting my addiction to doodling! I'm inching closer to 50 followers…and with Teacher Appreciation coming - I decided I'd offer a GIVEAWAY! Thank you for everything YOU DO to enrich the lives of children!

Okay, here is what you can win:

It includes: Striped Bump Frames, Bubble Frames, Colorful Box Headers, Kites, and Ice Cream Party

Three ways to enter: Follow my TPT Store, Follow my Blog, and mention me on YOUR blog! A winner will be chosen on May 7th!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chipotle

 I saw this on Facebook today - Chipotle is giving teachers a BOGO deal on May 7th for Teacher Appreciation. My husband LOVES Chipotle - so this is actually good news for him…however, I won't have to cook that night, therefore, good news for me! Hopefully you can take advantage of this deal! Any other good deals I should know about for Teacher Appreciation??

Another Giveaway! Over at Teaching Special Thinkers!

I have a product in Gabrielle's Giveaway over at Teaching Special Thinkers! You should definitely pop over and check it out! She has TONS of stuff!

Vroom Vroom

If you live in the state of Indiana - you know MAY means the Indy 500! As a Hoosier, I felt like I should honor the "greatest spectacle in racing" with a clipart set!

 5 drivers (male & female), 10 race cars, state of Indiana (7 colors), and MoRe!

 And, of course, I created a FREE mini version.

One of my best friends married an IndyCar driver in March. Needless to say, it was a FUN wedding. And now I have even MORE reason to watch the race!

FREE for YOU!

If you follow my blog - then I hope you will enjoy a set of FREE frames! I just uploaded them to my TPT Store!

They are part of my KDD: Dollar Deals, but you can get them for FREE right HERE! Thanks for following!

Out of Thin Air

There are so many reasons I love my six year olds in Kindergarten. They LOVE school, they LOVE me…and they often say things that come completely out of thin air.

Last week we were sitting at my Reading Rug in the morning and I was talking about what we were going to be doing for the day. One of my (very shy) students raised his hand and I called on him.

E: "Sometimes I poop at my house."

I was stumped. How do you respond to that? I muffled a laugh and said, "Well, thanks for letting me know….AND on that note, I think it's time for a bathroom break."

Never a dull moment, I tell ya…

I think teachers should unite and write a coffee table book with stories from the trenches classroom! Not only would it be hilarious…it might also give non-educators some insight into what we do all day!

Organizing My Life

My organizational skills have been put to the test this year! I'm balancing my first year teaching Kindergarten - with my day-to-day life - and sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind. (Only sometimes) I'm already starting to think about how I can improve this for next year. I created a set of editable calendars!

My New Years Resolution was to plan meals two weeks at a time. I started off strong, but have been slacking lately. I'm thinking these will be great for my Monthly Menu!

I also realized it would be really useful to have a set of editable Wish Lists to ask for classroom supplies. In Kindergarten, we ask for things (almost) monthly…or we spend our own money.

How do you organize your life? (I need tips!!) 

The Earth is TEE-Rific!

How was your Earth Day? My kiddos got SO into it! And I loved their enthusiasm. I hope I'm making a difference in the way they think about our Earth…and more importantly, how they view their job - to help do their part!

We used some of my resources and some FREEBIES from TPT. My students did a great job brainstorming ideas about how we can "LOVE" the Earth! Compost pile!?!? Impressive!

I used THIS FREEBIE from Phyllis Sprangel on TPT and my students had a blast designing their own t-shirts! I attached a picture of their faces and we have them hanging in the hallway. Needless to say, we have had LOTS of compliments from teachers and students. (it may also be the silly faces some of my kiddos made). :)

Today I talked to my students about how things we recycle can be reused to create new things. That's a hard thing for 5/6 year olds to grasp. BUT - I brought along one of my son's favorite toys. It is made by a company called Green Toys. Have you heard of them? I'm obsessed! All of their products are made from recycled milk jugs, right here in the USA! They are amazing.

(I do not get paid to discuss my LOVE for Green Toys. I'm just a mom who appreciates one company's efforts to create great products and be Earth Friendly)

Earth Day and a FREEBIE

I worked hard this weekend to create some Earth Day Clipart! It's available in my store - HERE. Then I decided to write a book! It's FREE! Teacher Confession: My life-long goal is to be a published author. Baby steps. :)

 There is also a packet of activities to use with it - available for $2 in my Store!

How will you be celebrating Earth Day? Any good ideas to share?

Don't forget to stop by This Little Piggy Reads for her 150 follower giveaway! And leave me a comment HERE to get a set of FREE Sketch Labels!

This Little Piggy Reads - Giveaway

I feel honored that Deniece over at This Little Piggy Reads contacted me about her 150 followers GIVEAWAY! I was happy to donate my Think Spring collection! Make sure you jump over to her blog and check it out!

And if you follow MY blog and her blog - leave me a comment. I'd love to send you my Sketch Labels for FREE.

Carried Away

Last week, my students got carried away with some Kites. I pulled out the watercolors - and everyone got pretty excited. We used white crayons to "decorate" our kites and then painted them with watercolors.

They turned out ADORABLE! And I was pretty excited to show them off in the hallway along with the class' acrostic SPRING poems.

I purchased THIS unit from Ladybug in Kindergarten and it was fun to incorporate her unit into my classroom, as well. Plus - she bought her kite clipart from me! BONUS!

Spring Break

My family just got back from a quick vacation to SUNNY Florida. It was SO nice to escape the Indiana gloom for a couple days. My parents live south of Orlando - so we were able to pack in A LOT on a very short (3 days) trip!

We did a character breakfast - which was PERFECT for my kiddos. I think they are too young to really enjoy everything Disney has to offer. We did ride one of the most popular rides at Disney - the Monorail. :) My son thought he was going on a Train ride. We won't tell him it was free…or that we literally rode right past the Magic Kingdom. Someday, buddy.

We spent an afternoon at Siesta Key and that was AMAZING. Both of my kids loved the white sand beach and the ocean. Who knew digging in the sand could be so entertaining?!?

We are back in (gloomy) Indiana and ready to hit the homestretch.  Only a couple months left in the year!

Did you do anything fun for your Spring Break?

Two Things I LOVE

There are two things I LOVE: baseball and donuts. You see how that go hand-in-hand, right? Okay, whatever. I still love them both. So much so - that I used them as inspiration for two of my newest clipart sets!

My husband played baseball in college and I never missed a game. My 3 year old LOVES the sport and I'm trying hard not to be *that* mom. We cheer hard for the Detroit Tigers! This set is currently a Giveaway on TeachersNotebook! Enter between 4/7 and 4/10 to WIN.

My love for donuts was inherited. There is most definitely a "donut" gene in my family. It's a fun set of clipart and I'd love to see what people created with it!

Both of these items are available in my TPT Store and my TN Store!

Circles, Squares, and Ribbons

Spring Break has been awesome for allowing me to catch up on some products I've made and just needed to upload. This set is simple, but should be great in helping dress up some TPT products! They are $1 each or you can get the set for $2.50! 

And of course, there is a FREE mini version! You can get it HERE!

Fiesta

It's almost April…which means it's almost May (kind of). And my mind has headed straight for the margarita, I mean - nachos. Check out my Cinco de mayo clipart set! You can find it in my TPT Store or my TN Store!

And I have a Free Version available too!

TPT FREE        TN FREE