Things I love...(#2)

I love spring.  There is something about new things growing that just energizes a person.  These pictures were taken last Easter and we went on a search for Crocuses.

Things I love....(#1)

In the spirit of Valentine's Day (which, just for the record, I think is a total Hallmark holiday), I decided to post the things I love during February.  Yes, I know I'm 8 days late.  In case you forgot, I'm a teacher, so most days getting time to go to the bathroom is a huge plus :)  

The first thing I love is:  Famous Landmarks.   I'm a sucker for anything famous relating to nature.  If you ask Patrick how many times I've made him stop for a "nature marker" on road trips, he'll tell you it's too many times to count.  

Why I love them:  They're astounding---something to literally take your breath away.  Also, I always think of the poor explorer who discovered it.  I mean, take the Grand Canyon for example. You're walking along, riding a horse if you're lucky, and BAM!  Can you just picture their faces?!?  Another great example of this is the "City of Rocks" in Deming, NM.  Some southwest nomad is walking through the desert when BAM!  A pile of rocks larger than a city...  

Decorate Your Life

As I splurged on my Friday chocolate I was rewarded with this awesome message.  

How have you decorated your life? 

                                                                                                                        

100 days of School!

100 days of school!  YAHOOO!!  I started compiling some ideas here (only because everything I put on my desk gets legs and walks off).  Leave me your ideas in the comments section!!  Then I can repost this next year so we can work smarter, not harder :)

-Cut words out of newspapers, put on tagboard labeled 100 nouns, 100 verbs, and 100 adjectives

-Give groups of students a letter of the alphabet, have them try to come up 100 words that start with that letter

-Give groups of students a category (ex: things that are cold), have them try to come up with 100 words that fit that category 

-Run 100 laps (just kidding...)

-Bring in 100 cans of food for the food pantry

-Make 100 cards and send them to local hospitals and nursing homes 

-100 acts of kindness 

-Percents (hopefully they all get 100%!)

-Find 100 ways to make change for $100 

Alright, time to leave me your ideas!!  

                   

From Drop Box

To radiate warmth...

 When it is -22 BEFORE windchill, I have zero motivation to do anything let alone photograph. (Hence, why this is from my cellphone!)   As inspiration, AND because we actually did see the sun today (just couldn't feel it!) here are some pictures I dug out to hopefully radiate warmth into your day. 

If you're not in one of the states experiencing this storm, then say a little ''thank-you" prayer to the big guy upstairs :)

From Drop Box

Persistence

I had a rough week.  I won't go into details, but this morning I seriously considered calling the governor to see if he would spend an hour in my classroom (only because I heard judges were getting a raise during this legislative session).  

First, I stumbled upon this picture from last year while facebook stalking by own picture albums.  I was canoeing at Glendalough  State Park, trying to get through this lake filled with lily pads.  I randomly snapped this picture because I thought no one would believe how many of them there were.  When I put them on my computer I noticed the lone yellow flower.  Think how high that root had to grow to get to the top of the lake to the sunshine.  Isn't that amazing?!  Now that is persistence.  I think we can learn a lot from nature. 

Second, tonight I got two emails from parents thanking me for doing such a great job this year with their students, and saying how happy they were with their student's report card and school experience. Having persistence has been a constant struggle for me this year.  I really needed those emails.  

Anywho---moral of the story (if you stuck with me this long) is find that persistence you need to finish out your week AND if you have children, please take the time to thank your child's teacher. I'm not saying we need constant praise, but we spend quite a bit of quality time with your child everyday :) Then we go home and spend our quality time finding fun, hands-on activities to do with them the next day (but that's a whole different post.....)  

Giveaway Winner!!

Well, I used random.org for a comment generator, but could not for the LIFE of me figure out how to get the picture of it onto my blog.  I didn't really feel like spending my whole night trying to figure it out (I have papers to correct!) so you're just going to have to trust me!  Any advice would be greatly appreciated on the "how to" of that. Anywho---the giveaway winner was----(drumroll)---- All About Baby Gill who said, "Im a follower :) And I'd love one of the headbands, but as far as a clip- I like the pocket full of posies clip :)" An email will be sent to you shortly!  A huge thanks to everyone who participated. More giveaways coming soon!

From Drop Box