Back To Class

Well after all the excitement/injuries of the weekend, we're back up and running!  Ha!  That was funny because I actually made it to the park to get in some running yesterday.  Now that, too, is really funny because there was WAY more walking involved than running, but I went.  That's what counts, right?

So anywho...a couple of weeks ago we actually had a few snowflakes fall from the sky.  In honor of our favorite kind of weather, we did a little impromptu graphic organizer and whipped out a sweet little writing/craftivity about snow. 

Here's out little bit of fact gathering, and no, my classroom is not crooked!  It's hanging toward the end of my clothesline where it arcs up toward the ceiling. :)

And just a few samples of what my sweeties put together.  They totally remind me of the page about snow in "The Important Book" by Margaret Wise Brown.

We have seen not a single snowflake since then, and today I was outside without a jacket.  It's been irritatingly warm.  I would like to enjoy it, but I can just sense the crazy cold front we've got to have coming any day now.

But on to math, we've been working with fact families, so we threw in a quick little craft today to make fact family houses.  Some of them would have spent half an hour decorating these, but I'm afraid I had to call time and move on. :( 

We've also been doing some work from Deana Jump's Arctic Animals unit.  We'll be wrapping that up this week.  Pictures will follow!!  Have a great hump day tomorrow!
-Beth

Success!

Hooray!  Can you frame your first virtual dollar?  After posting about putting some freebies on my new TPT store yesterday, I actually finished a forest critter/Valentine's Day themed pack of literacy activities.  I added that to my store last night.  Woke this morning to find I had sold ONE!  I have officially made my first $2.70!!  Don't laugh, I'm thrilled!  I had put off selling my wares online for quite a while because I assumed with all the awesome stuff already out there, no one would ever make their way to my page.  Well ONE person did!  So to whomever my mystery buyer is, you've made my day.

In honor of that wonderful purchase, I'll add a little math freebie to coordinate with my mini-unit.  You can pick up Forest Friends - A Balanced Literacy Unit right here. 

You could be lucky buyer number 2...you know you want to.  :)

And  here's the freebie...a little counting by two's.

Forest Friends - counting by two's

Wow! I've been gone too long!

Well I suppose there is indeed a silver lining to every dark cloud.  I was going about my lovely Saturday, ya' know, letting the hubs cook breakfast...watching Sponge Bob with the munchkins...taking Brady-man to the potty.  That last one was what got me.  I must really be getting old, because while bending over to help little man pull up his Thomas undies, I threw my back out.  That's right people, there's you mental image for the day.  Me sitting in the bathroom floor yelling for help while Brady stands over me with undies around his ankles, "Mommyyyy...pull my undies up!  Whassa matta wif you?"  

So, Madi took Brady to play, I drug myself off the floor, and sweet hubby fixed me up with some Aleve, a heating pad, and a laptop.  That silver lining I mentioned?  Since I can't do anything remotely constructive today, I've uploaded my first items to my very own TPT store (click here for my lovely two free preview items!), changed the look of my long-abandoned blog, made a new post (yep, you're reading it), and finished all kinds of lesson plans!

Unfortunately, today was the day I planned to re-enter the world of wannabe runners.  I had been putting it off far too long, as my hiney could attest, and was all set and ready to go during nap time today.  Alas, we are postponed once more.   Hmmm, not too sure if that's a loss or more of that silver lining.

Now, hopefully not to depress you all too much, a local young lady named Avery was tragically injured during a practice session just days after their first competitive meet this season.  She belongs to a gym that often competes with Madi's and has known many of Madi's teammates for years.  She is currently paralyzed below the pelvis and is looking at lots of recovery.  You can check out her story here to offer your support and prayers.  

Now cheer up!  I wish you all your own silver linings today, and failing that, lots of laziness!

-Beth