Five For Friday!

It's my first every Five For Friday Linky! Figured I'd better get in on one before Doodle Bug takes a break during the month of July. :)

So this week...

1.) I had book club with my lovely teacher friends this week and we decided we'd do a Chelsea Handler book next. Can't wait-I've heard these are a hoot!

2.) I've been shopping for blog templates forever and had my eye on The Honey Bunch. If you're looking for premade templates, that are reasonably priced, this is THE place to be! They now make $20 templates that they sell a few copies of. Some of them are darling! I'm currently debating between two...

3.) Met new neighbors this week, too. Definitely a change, but I think it'll be a good one. 

4.) As I was at the post office today, I snuck next door to the Dollar Tree. I told myself I'd avoid the teacher's section, but I didn't. Of course! I spent the best 5 bucks ever and got:

-A large, reusable cute venn diagram template

-Happy Birthday large certificates

-"I Can Tie My Shoes" certificates--think I'm going to turn these into necklaces

-"I Lost My Tooth" certificates

-Random blue, plastic serving tray. I'll use that for something...

I stopped myself at 5 items. But there are a few more things I have my eye on!

5.) Hoping to be at Hershey tomorrow with some fantastic ladies! I just love Hershey Park. It's my fav amusement park. I'll be a little scared before the first roller coaster ride, and then I'll be an addict. Here's to hoping the lines aren't too long and that there are no mischievous teens trying to cut the line...That happened to me once, and just because it's summer doesn't mean I've completely lost my teacher tone. :)

Hope you've had a fantastic week full of summering activities, too!

Annual Purchases!

So each Spring, I get to order whatever I want for my classroom, up to a specified amount of money of course. It's called my annual budget, and each classroom teacher in my district gets one. Awesome! 

Every year I agonize over what I'm going to buy and I scan, scan, scan catalogs-then compare shipping costs, etc. I'm strategic, I'll utilize every penny. Last year, I even used my last few bucks to buy some googly eyes. But hey, googly eyes are everything in first grade!

So what did I get this year???? Check it out below! 

Purchase #1: 5 of these from Lakeshore Learning. These "Hear Myself Sound Phones" have been around for years and while some people are crafty enough to make them out of plumbing pipes-I have NO idea where to begin. 

 Purchase #2: Also form Lakeshore, their Reusable Write and Wipe Pockets. I think you get a set of 10. I am so excited to use these for all sorts of word work, worksheets, etc. The Mailbox makes great grammar worksheets (as in, not boring) and I can't wait to just put them in here and not have to make a zillion copies of them!

Purchase #3: I got five sets of set 1. I think they're prettier than set 2. These were from Resources for Reading . They have a much better deal than Really Good Stuff on these bags. A four-pack is only $10 and our Reading Specialists recommended them to me. So, they do hold up well or at least let's hope!

I may have a few more bucks left and I'll order like velcro hook and loop squares or magnet tape or maybe even googly eyes! But I can't wait for my purchase to be delivered in August. It's like Christmas morning, even though I already know what I'm getting haha.

In the past, I've used my budget to buy a set of those 10 colored drawers on wheels, letter sponges, a class mailbox system, wikki stixx, etc. Do you get a budget? If so, what's on your wish list??? 

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things!

I'm linking up with Across the Hall in Second Grade to share a few of my favorite morning things! This was tough, I'm not a morning gal! Good thing summer is here!

Okay...here we go!

Need I say more? I hit snooze about hmmm 5-7 times each morning. I think my snooze lasts for 5 minutes. It's pretty bad, but I've gotten to the point where I now set the alarm 30 minutes earlier, so that helps.

Josh Elliott-host of GMA. He always seems to make my morning a little brighter and warmer (in the winter time). I really do love GMA. But Josh is my favorite host, he's got the best perspective and he's not too shabby looking. :)

When you snooze, you lose....at least you miss out on a good, hearty breakfast anyways. So, I have to keep things to eat that are quick. In the winter I'll eat oatmeal or cream of wheat (microwaveable). In the spring or fall, it can be fruit slices or at the end of this school year, MUFFINS! Giant sells them for 4 in a pack, fresh from the bakery..mmmm, mmmmm!

When I shower in the am, I like to turn on iheartradio on my cell phone. I can't get radio stations in my place, so a shower radio won't work. Instead, I keep the phone on the other side of the bathroom (in a waterproof case) and tune into my fav NY/Philly stations while I'm doing shower aerobics. So fun!!!

Farewell to my Mighty Minions

Well this is it, the night before the LAST day of school. It's always one filled with mixed emotions: excitement, relief, a bit of sadness, and pride. We all need summer, every teacher does. It's with pride that we watch our students walk out of our doors for the last time. No matter where they are now, they've all come so far and touched my heart and in many ways, I hope I've touched theirs. 

We finally had our Play Day (aka Track and Field for K-2 at my school). It had been rescheduled TWICE due to rainy weather...but we got it this past Monday. 

I had shirts made for my class, I just love building that team spirit and sense of unity-it gets us all pumped up to play some games outside! My shirts this year were simple, but came out SO cute! I received so many compliments, check 'em out below and let me know what you think!

Btw, these pics do not do these shirts justice! They were like that fluorescent yellow color. You know the kind that construction flaggers wear at night?!?! Ha. My principal commented that he could see my class from his car as he was driving down the road. I def. couldn't lose anyone!

Why minions? Well, if you remember, my building theme was construction this year. I couldn't just put out orange cones or hats for my student display-so, I came up with Miss White's Mighty Minions (Despicable Me). I even found a minion-maker online! 

We built knowledge, new friendships, created relevance and had a ton of fun along the way! My minions our off to 2nd grade and while I'm proud to see 'em go, a part of me will always be minion-less. :)

Currently...JUNE!

Hello sweet, sweet June! 

This is my last week of school, and I don' t know how or when I got here, but I did somehow. And although I have a million things to do still, and I know I'll miss my little friends, I'm ready for sun, peace, quiet, tan lines, relaxation, and endless hours of reading...hurry Friday afternoon!

Okay so, I'm kinda hooked on or into another season of The Bachelorette/Bachelor. I don't know what it is about that show! I think it's Monday nights...what else does a single, exhausted girl have to do on a Monday night from 8-10pm? 

So before I go to burn 15 copies of my class movie, I thought I'd ask how my bloggy friends like the iPhone 5 if you have it???? I'm a mac girl, but had just gotten a Blackberry before the iPhone came to Verizon. I'm due for an upgrade and want the 5 so bad...but it's $$$$. I totally need to get into Instagram and all these apps that all of you speak of, would you recommend the 5?

Great vacay essentials are easy for me: a great swimsuit! It can't be too revealing because that's uncomfortable and I like to get adventurous, things must stay in place! But, it should be cute & flattering ha. Also, you need a good camera to capture those memories and great people to make memories with. That'll be me this July.

Hurry Summer!