MY LITTLE FISH

Samuel has come so far in just two months. Our pool opened Memorial Day Weekend. The baby pool was broken so Sam was forced to swim in the big pool. My neighbor, Maria, who he loves, convinced him his life vest would hold him up (He wouldn't believe me.).

After a month he was jumping in and now he is jumping and swimming without his life vest.

SYNONYM SWATCHES

I found another great idea on Pinterest.

I got a ton of paint swatches at Home Depot and then wrote one word on each. I used a list of overused writing words.

The students will need to think of synonyms that go with that word. Then we will hole punch them and leave them in the writing center to be used all year.

HINT: I tried using a sharpie, but it didn't work as well as a ball-point pen.

This post is brought to you by Pinterest

I have used so many ideas from Pinterest that I had to give them credit in the title.

 Here is our Talking Ball. You toss it to someone and they have to answer one of the questions.

Here are the TEN posters I made today. They have to be laminated and them I can put them up.

I also got this idea from Pinterest. In the supply area I have a can of sharpened and dull pencils.

I also bought a heavy duty pencil sharpener.

Here is the supply area. I added the calendar bulletin board and the objectives poster today.

On the metal cabinet next the supply area will be the daily schedule on one door and daily homework on the other.

I also spent some time getting all the cubbies the same size.

I must have a sickness....I love making posters and bulletin boards.

New Classroom...Day 3 of the set up!

I had fun today putting up bulletin boards, posters and doing some more organizing and moving of stuff.

This is a cubby shelf turned sideways. I took out the shelves and turned it sideways and it fits perfectly under the bulletin board for math.

Then I put up the number line and a place value chart above it.

This is the reading corner.

I found a soft ottoman, a backrest pillow and 2 plush pillows on clearance, only $12.00 in all.

This will be the computer area.

I moved the supply area over by the cubbies.

Here is the view from across the room.

I made 5 posters that are waiting to be laminated. Here are all the posters I have to put up tomorrow.

It's slowly coming together.

I LOVE NEW CLOTHES

I went to Savers Thrift Store today and found three cute tops.

I love this one because of the price....$7.00 and because of the....

embellishments on the shoulders.

This one was only $5.00.

The most expensive one, at $8.50.

So for $20.50, I got three new tops! Then when I came home I put 4 tops in my bag going back to Savers. I got that idea from my sister, Karen. However many new pieces you buy, you have to get rid of at least that many when you come home.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR ADENOIDS ARE?

Samuel was such a trooper this morning as we drove to the hospital at 6:00 a.m. for his sinus surgery. We finally got checked in around 7:00 and then he was given his "happy juice." Boy, is that stuff great!! He wanted to walk, but I told him his muscles wouldn't work. He said, poking his arm, "Look Mama. I still have muscles." Then he kept staring at his feet saying, "Mama, look how big my feet are!"

The surgery only took about 20 minutes. Dr. A said his adenoids were very enlarged and his sinuses were more blocked then he initially thought. He said that Sam has only had about 25% capacity to his nose/sinuses. No wonder the poor boy has had such problems.

Sam cried a lot as he came out of the anesthesia and was very angry that he had an IV drip. He just wanted me to rock and hold him. All the folks at the hospital were wonderful to us. They made the experience as good as could be expected.

They sent us home with amoxicillin and tylenol with codeine. Sam passed out on the couch for a couple of hours and by noon he was asking for a banana and acting much more like himself.

Here's a giant thank you, to the staff at Lovelace Hospital, Dr. A, and "happy juice." We are even hopeful that he won't need his nebulizer anymore and possible doesn't even have asthma.

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!

MOVING ON AGAIN

In July of 2011 I posted about leaving my first school, after being there for 20 years. Then in August of 2011, I posted this, about moving from an elementary school to a middle school. I thought it would be a great move. I learned a lot, but I was wrong.

I lasted there for 2 years.

My two years contained days like.....

  this and.....

 this and...

  this!

I didn't feel like I made a difference. The kids are jaded. The parents didn't care and I felt useless!

I actually had my interview 2 weeks ago, but just got my "official" call from HR today, so now I have moved back to an elementary school and will be teaching 5th grade again. I know the grass is not greener....but elementary school kids are a totally different breed of animal then middle school kids.

I have so many ideas and things I want to do. I am feeling overwhelmed right now. I feel like I will never get it all done in time for school to start.

I moved into my room on July 22 with the help of a friend, who made a 5-6 trip day into a 3 trip day.

I had 6 large plastic tubs of stuff, plus....

....all this.

Now I can park my car in my garage again.

At the end of 7 hours on day 1 my room looked like this....what a mess!

At the end of 7 hours on day two my room looks like this....

 ....this is the view from the door as you walk in....mind you there are no posters or bulletin boards up yet.

 The white board on the left will be for reading and writing and the one on the right will be for math.

 My room joins with another teachers, also 5th grade.

 The corner in the back, on the left, will be for computers. I am told I will have 4-5 desk tops.

 I like the small desk caddies that I found for each group. I have scissors, glue and rulers in each.

 This is facing the front of the room. The screen on the wall will be for a document camera. I am also getting a mobile promethean board.

 This is my area! No students allowed!

 I love these cubbies.

I also love the area I arranged for community supplies. I have to pretty it up some, but it's almost done. I got the idea from Pinterest.

Sam has his sinus surgery tomorrow, so I won't be going back in tomorrow. On Thursday I want to get all my bulletin boards up, start making posters, labeling and "prettifying."