My New Classroom!

*If  you like this post, you should check out my more recent classroom pictures! Just click on the "my classroom" tab on the side of my blog! Thanks for reading!!!

 Whew! I'm exhausted. I think I've spent at least one day at school the last 4 weeks. And, the last two weeks? I've been up there almost daily. But, I think my room is done. Or at least as done as it's gonna' be before school starts. Would you like a tour? Be sure and put your sunglasses on - it's a little bright!

Here's our door. I'm not a big "theme" person. But, I do love polka dots. So, I guess that's my theme. I made these spots out of some fun scrapbook paper. Easy peasy...

Here's our carpet/Morning Meeting area. I kind of love that blue shelf. My friend was getting rid of it and I snatched it up right quick! I painted it blue, too, to make it more bright.

Here's another view. This shows our objective board, too. I literally just took it off the board in my first grade classroom and transferred it to this classroom.

And, here's the rest of the front board. This is our calendar bulletin board. I'm thinking I'm going to take that Class Promise down and let the kids help me make one the first week of school.

Another view of the front of the room.

Here's the back wall. It's a little bare, but I plan to hang their work on the blue bulletin boards and anchor charts and stuff on the walls.

This back corner is pretty much for small group instruction. Oh, and that green wall is the best thing about this room! I was so excited to get my friend Meghan's room when she moved to second grade because I love that wall :)

This shelf will hold all the stuff I need for Guided Reading and Math Small Groups. It's a little bare right now because I'm coming from first grade! I need to store up some new stuff.

I'm going to try this little chart this year to keep up with Guided Reading groups. I always had to type up new lists every nine weeks before... now, I'll just have to move their clips around!

Isn't that green wall INCREDIBLE?

Here is my desk area.

The area behind my desk.

(By the way, all those pennants everywhere? They come from Target in the party section! They're maybe my favorite Target purchase ever...)

Word Wall and computers, obviously.

And, here's my little reading corner.

And, the other view.

I know all my bulletin boards are empty. I like to hang up stuff we make and anchor charts after we've talked about them. They'll all be full in no time, I'm sure.

Here's our math bulletin board and morning check-in area.

Here's a close-up of the curtains my mom made for me. I love them!

And, I made this table more fun with a little fabric from my first grade room.

I used a lot of plates in this room. Weird, I know. But, they're like 99 cents a pack! And they're so bright and fun! Plus, I love me some polka dots. I also used plates to make labels for my bulletin boards. I just put some black letters in the middle. Cheap and easy.

Here's the view from the back corner. Going on year 4 of the chair pouches... woo hoo!

Lastly, this our Number of the Day poster, Class Jobs and Class Rules. I kind of love those bees a little more than I should.

I was not happy to move to the old part of our school building after having a brand new classroom the last 3 years. But, I think I can definitely say that this is my favorite classroom yet! I love the green wall and all the space and there's a ton of storage.

Thanks for peeking at my room!

*Update*

I posted this about three weeks ago before school started. Now that we've gone through a few weeks of school, the room looks a little more "lived in." Those adorable plates on their lockers look like they backed over them with their cars about 30 times. Ha! I also changed their desks into groups and I updated my library to be more appropriate for third graders. 

Our new class promise... which I LOVE!

Our new behavior chart...

New library... now including chapter books!

And, the bulletin boards are starting to fill up!

Well, thanks a million for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed the tour!!

Puppy Shenanigans

I thought I ruined my puppy yesterday.

(Bad Hair Day. Don't judge... we all have them.)

I left her in her crate for about 7 hours while I went to school to work on my classroom. I know, that's awful. But, she's going to have to be in there while I'm at work and I figured it'd be better to ease her into it. I've left her alone for 3-5 hours before... but, this was a first.

I realize every picture of her is kind of bad. She's really hard to get a picture of because

she moves ALL THE TIME! So, we take what we can get aroud here.

She did fine. She didn't have a potty accident the whole time! She's oddly good at "holding it." But, when she got out? She. Went. Nuts.

Yes, we've had to cover the couch with a blanket because Finley thinks it's her personal job to claw and scratch the thing to death. She's a tiny two pound terror, but she's terribly cute.

I took her straight outside... but, she was too busy licking my feet and trying to jump up my legs to do her "business." Haha. When we got back inside, she proceeded to walk up and down the length of my leg and lick every square inch she could find. Fun times, fun times. She was honestly fine until bedtime. A little hyper, but when is she not? But, she CRIED when I put her back in her crate to go to bed. It kind of broke my heart.

She loves my feet. And, look, I know it's bad to let her chew my toes. But it kind of feels like a

 foot massage... so, it's a tough call.

Some day, I'll let her sleep in my bed with me because if she's going to be in the crate all day, I don't want her to have to be in there at night. But, ya'll? I'm afraid I'll kill her in my sleep! What if I roll over her or she falls off? I'm pretty sure I look like a ninja in my sleep. We're talking blankets on the floor and pillows at the foot of the bed. Every night. She weighs 2 pounds! I weigh... um, nevermind. Let's just say I way a little more than 2 pounds. It just doesn't seem safe right now.

Eventually, she fell asleep. And, she did fine tonight. No crying. So maybe it was a fluke... maybe she was just trying to make me feel bad for leaving her. It worked, by the way.

She fell asleep on the couch. Believe me, this is rare. This girl is all about her crate.

Well, except for yesterday....

 I kind of wish I could just quit my job and stay at home and play with her every day. Except, I wouldn't be able to feed her. Or myself. And, I eat a lot. So, that plan's no good. She's just gonna' have to get used to it. I guess I have to get used to it, too.

Oh, and by the way? I'm now one of those crazy people who talks about their dog all the time. I think it might be because I've been seeing a lot of people up at school who knew I was getting a dog during the summer. So, they've been asking. I really am trying not to bring her up in EVERY conversation. I don't want to be THAT person. You know, the one who thinks their dog is a real-live human child? I promise I don't think that. My parents, however? They might think she's a child. This is an actual text conversation I had with my dad the other day:

Dad: "How's my girl?"

Me: "I'm good."

Dad: "Not you! Finley!"

Well, excuse me....

But, Finley's lessons in seperation were not for naught. I did get a ton of work on my classroom done. I'm almost finished. Good thing because our inservice starts on Friday! And, we have kids in our classroom next Wednesday...one week from today! It doesn't seem real. It never does. Until I'm looking out at a classroom full of kiddos who are staring at me to tell them something. Then it seems real.

Seriously, if you're still reading this mess, you're a kind soul. Or, you're family. And, if you're my mom? Don't worry. Your "grandchild" is sleeping soundly. In her crate, thankyouverymuch.

Tell Me More, Tell Me More!

Today, I'm linking up to Step Into Second Grade's linky party. You're supposed to tell 10 things that other blogger's don't know about you. Like, 10 quirks or weird things about you. Sounds like fun, huh? So, here are mine...

1. Okay, here's my big one. I have totaled 3 cars in the last six years. Two of them were a week apart. And, to be fair, one wouldn't have been totaled but the car was only worth a thousand dollars. The other two... yeah, completely totaled. The one that hurt the most was my brand new Ford Focus that I bought myself. I had paid it off early about two weeks before I wrecked it. It still hurts to talk about it. But, in all seriousness, I'm so blessed that none of those wrecks resulted in any injury for myself or anyone else.

Ahhh, I miss her.

2. This isn't a big secret. But, my current obsession is Taylor Kitsch. He's the guy that played Tim Riggins in Friday Night Lights. (You can read about my feelings for Tim Riggins right here.) I'm obsessed with his career because a) he's so hot b) he's a great actor and c) he's had the WORST summer of anybody I've ever seen. And, I'm just waiting for this guy to have a break-through hit and become a big star. He was the lead guy in John Carter (massive flop), Battleship (massive flop) and Savages (not a flop, but not a huge hit). And, the thing is... none of them flopped because of him! He's good in all three. Uhh, I can't talk about it. I get too upset.

Swoon.

3. When I wake up in the morning, I HAVE to check Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest before I get out of bed. It's not like I'm just dying for new information or anything... I just like to lay in bed for a few minutes before I get up and those three are as good as anything to look at.

I'm completely addicted.

4. My favorite drink EVER is Sparkling Grape Juice. I don't know why... but, I just love it. The problem is that I can only buy it every now and then because otherwise I'll drink the entire bottle in one day. Not in one sitting, of course, but still. It's a good thing I don't drink alcohol... I'd be a drunk.

Yum! Yum!

5. I constantly move all the time. Like, other people have noticed it and tease me about it. My former assistant principal (who was a good friend and I miss her!) always said I had adult ADD. But, really, I've always been like this. If I have keys in my hand, I'm jiggling them. If I'm holding something on a string, I'm whipping it. If I'm holding a pen, I click the lid over and over and over. I don't even notice I'm doing it.

This is me.

6. I don't usually buy toilet paper until I'm on the last roll. What can I say, I like living on the edge. I also will NOT use cheap toilet paper because it's thin and scratchy. Oh! And, I NEVER put the toilet paper on the roll. Maybe I'm just lazy...

This is how I roll.

(Another fun fact about me: I love puns!)

7. You know that new song, Whistle by Flo Rida? Yeah, it's terrible. We all know what that song's about and the lyrics all so cleverly blatantly try to hide it so it can be played on radio stations. Well, I know it's bad. I know what it's about. But, I can't get it out of my head. I've been walking around singing that song for DAYS. I blame the radio station for playing it every single time I get in my car.

Darn you, Flo Rida. Darn you.

8. When I go to the beach, I really just prefer the pool. Yes, I'm one of those people. I'll go down there some and lay out and I like going on walks on the beach. But, the ocean? You'll never see me frolicking about in the ocean. It's too big and I can't see what I'm stepping on and it's salty and.... I'm just not a big fan. I prefer to look at it from the pool. Oh, and don't even get me started on all the sand... so gross.

Here's where you'll find me...

9. This is a hard one for me to admit, but ya'll? I'm still on Team Teresa. You know Teresa, right? She's on the Real Housewives of New Jersey. And, look, I know the lady is crazy. I know that she causes inordinate amounts of drama wherever she goes. I know her husband is basically a troll living under a bridge. But, I just can't stand the other women on that show! Caroline is so opinionated and bossy and mean to her daughter. Jacqueline is a whiny baby and has no back bone. Kathy is okay, but really serves no purpose to the show. And, Melissa. I don't hate her like I used to. But, she annoys me. I just feel like she came on the show to steal Teresa's thunder and in a way, I can't blame Teresa for being defensive about that. And it's not like I'm actively rooting for Teresa... it's just that I can't bring myself to hate her as much as everybody else seems to. Plus, Teresa is funny. Did anybody else hear her refer to her friend as Hekyll and Jyde?

"Joe, I tolds you to go buy more ingredientses!"

10. When I go in a big store, I HAVE to start on one side and go down each aisle in order. You can ask my mom. Otherwise, I get nervous that I'm missing something. Now, I'm not talking about Target or Wal-Mart. I have no problem running in somewhere and getting what I need. I'm talking about those big stores like Old Time Pottery or Charming Charlie's where you just wander around and look. Fun Fact: I've never bought one thing at Charming Charlie's. I get too overwhelmed and end up putting everything down and walking out. It's too much.

Over. Whelmed.

Well, if you're still interested in being my friend, that'd be great :)

At least you know me a little better now....

Me and My Girl

 

Literally, this is the first picture I've taken of me and Finley since the day I got her. It was about time. And, I kind of love it. I kind of love her, too. She's my baby :)

It's Coming...

  Here are the TOP TEN ways a teacher knows that the start of a new school year is just around the corner:

1. She notices her "pinning" has  become a lot more frequent, erratic and panicked. For some reason, right before school starts, I pin like it's my job. I guess I'm thinking that if I just pin ALL THE THINGS I'll have them when I undoubtedly need them.

2. She goes to the Parent Teacher store twice in two weeks... and she still doesn't have everything she needs. I make lists. Really, I do! I for some reason cannot get everything in one trip to save my soul. After six years, it still overwhelms me.

3. Her hands turn into misshapen claws (to steal a term from FRIENDS) cutting, gluing, typing, hot glue gunning, stapling and fabric hanging. One year, I honestly had numbness in my hands for WEEKS because of this. No pain, no gain... or, so I've been told.

4. She lays in bed at night and can't sleep. Thoughts in her head include, but are not limited to: What if I don't get it all done? What if my kids don't pass TCAP? What if blankityblank is in my class? What am I going to do about homework this year? I need to buy a border for the green bulletin board and some letters for the orange bulletin board. How am I going to fit Math into a 45 minute block? I should pin more things because that will make me more prepared. (It's all a vicious cycle.)

5. She notices potential classroom organization products everywhere she goes. Oh, sure I can turn that shower caddy into a pencil holder! Absolutely, it'll be no problem to turn this garbage can into a big book holder! Awesome, what if I store journals in this litter box! The possibilities, they are endless.

6. Her bank account starts going down, down, down. And, her blood pressure starts going up, up, up. I think it's been scientifically proven that these two correlate, right?

7. She starts dreading the fact that she's going to have to wear "real clothes" soon. And then she realizes that she can't fit in her "real clothes" anymore because she's spent the whole summer eating junk. (Maybe that's just me....)

8. She starts seeing families at Wal-Mart buying entire cart-loads of school supplies and she gets heart palpitations every time.

9. She's had to explain 15 times why even though she's not technically required to be up at school right now, it really is necessary. You can't walk in the day before school starts and be ready to go. Come on, people, a classroom doesn't set itself up!

10. She's excited. Even though I'm EXTREMELY nervous about this year because of my move to third grade, I'm REALLY excited. I've been thinking about school a lot (obviously) and I just can't wait. I saw my class list last week and let me tell you: I couldn't be happier! Lots of kiddos that I love on that list :)

I wish every teacher out there good luck! It's officially crunch-time! Because, ready or not, they're coming...

They speak to me.

I don't know what's the matter with me. But, I CAN NOT bypass a good eCard on Pinterest! They just speak to me. And, they make me laugh.

I've seen some really good ones lately, so I thought I'd share.

This one might be my very favorite. My first graders ALWAYS called hand sanitizer "hanitizer." So, I started calling it that as well.Way to be a shining example, right? Whatever, I think it's clever.

Because I really am the biggest homebody you'll ever meet...

Sometimes, I actually get panicky. So many choices... so little time.

I bet this true of at least 85% of the population. Why are they called yoga pants anyway? I think "tv pants" has a nice ring to it...

I don't think this really needs any commentary.

This is for my friend, Kristin. I think this applies to our texting :)

I used to laugh at this. Then I got a puppy and I haven't slept through the night since. Karma, it's brutal.

I totes do this!!

So, I don't think I've mentioned this on my blog before... but, I hate Twilight. Like, really hate it. I read the books. They were terrible. I refuse to watch the movies. Mostly because Kristen Stewart is not a good actress. Hence, this got a big laugh from me.

I don't understand why people do this. But, I love to watch it happen!

I can't count how many discussions I've had with my friends about people on TV. And, we talk about them like they're real. It's fun, don't judge us.

FOR REALS! How did this movie flop??

I think some people mistake the word "status" for "diary."

This really does worry me.

I seriously have moments when I do this. Especially at school when I see 20 kids looking up at me and relying on me to teach them and take care of them. Big responsibility... but, an amazing oppurtunity :)

I guess that's enough.

But, believe me. I have more.

Sneak Peak

 I've been working really hard in my classroom the last few weeks. I don't want to be throwing this out too confidently just yet... but, this may be my favorite classroom so far! It's really bright and fun :) I haven't taken pictures yet because it's not done. I have NO IDEA what to do with my 8 (yes, you read that correctly) bulletin boards! I mean, one is obviously a word wall and one is a calendar board. Beyond that... no clue. I also need to tidy up a little in there before I take pictures.

 My mom made me some really cute curtains that I had to share. I picked out all the stuff and came up with the design and she got them done in an hour! Thanks, Mom! She also helped me out by repairing some of my chair pouches that have all seen much better days and even making me some new ones because I didn't have enough. Ohhh, and she came up to school with me last week and hung NINE lanterns from the ceiling and hot glued fabric to two giant boards. She's the best!

Those are my new curtains! I'll take a close-up picture soon. This pic just happened to be on my phone  because I sent it to my mom after I got them hung :)

It's coming along and I can't wait to see the finished product!