Cowboys Revamped!

Howdy friends!

I hope everyone is doing well! We just started a really long testing month at school. For the next 3 weeks, my kiddos will be doing exams, exams and then some more exams! Which means I'll be doing some correcting, correcting and then some more correcting! My students are so nervous they can barely sleep at night... poor sweeties! I think I'm going to go buy some motivational candy for them to chew on during tests. I guess it could help :) or at least make them smile a little! I remember I used to be SO nervous about exams when I was a student. So I totally understand how they feel and I wish I could make it go away but I can't.... so I'm thinking maybe little treats could be my best option :)

Then, I can start thinking about my maternity leave which is coming up real soon! Baby Sophia/Sofia is coming in about 2 months...! I can't wait! I'm so excited! I can't believe that in a few weeks (hey... 9 weeks is a few weeks! ;) there's going to be a little baby in our house! OUR baby! :)

On an other topic, I have completely revamped my Cowboy Homophones Unit! This unit was one of the very first ones I've created. I have improved so much over the past months I felt I needed to upgrade this product. It looked so blah...! So I got some new graphics (thank you KPM Doodles!), added a few activities, tweaked the ones that were already there and voilà:

Head on over to my TPT store to download the new version if you had already purchased it. If not, check it out! This is a great way to review homophones with your kiddos!

Want to win this unit? I'll give one copy away to a lucky follower! Just leave your name and email below and I'll randomly choose a winner tomorrow :)

Congrats R Eyes! :)

Ok well I'm off to watch some television! I think maybe The Carrie Diaries?...

Until next time,

Pinterest..... it's about time!

Hello everyone!

Ok so this is a little bit embarrassing but I'm going to say it anyways! I'm a Pinterest newbie! I've had an account for a while but I hadn't really taken the time to search through pins or create boards. Everyone seems SO excited about Pinterest, so I figured I needed to get a hold of this thing! I must say I am still a bit confused by how everything works... which is completely ridiculous because Pinterest is not supposed to be complicated at all and also because I'm usually pretty good with online stuff and techy things.... Anyhow, for some reason, Pinterest was not love at first click for me!

However, I think I'm starting to fall for it! And understand how everything works... Which is about time! So many great things can be found! Oh Wow! A teacher's paradise! (And a fashionista's too!) Seriously! I've been looking at so many cute classrooms I want to start my classroom decor all over. But that's not going to happen because first I've spent a ridiculous amount of hours on it in August and also because I'm leaving on maternity leave soon so I wouldn't even get to enjoy it. But let me tell you I will be looking through Pinterest for classroom cuteness inspiration for next year!

I went ahead and added a follow me on Pinterest button so that you can follow my Miss Elementary profile. There's not much yet, as I am just getting started... but I'm guessing it won't be too long before it's loaded with fun stuff :)

Here are a few of the cool things I have found while discovering the joys of Pinterest:

Valentine's Day Goodie Bags

How cute is that owl?? Love this!

What a beautiful classroom! 

Love the pompoms! I wanted to make some this year but ran out of time and then completely forgot I even wanted to make some. :(

Such an adorable idea from The First Grade Parade.

A little Celebrity of the Week corner.

I love how she covered the walls entirely! 

Now this is one organized classroom! And clean too! :)

I totally get the word Pinspiration now! My mind is flowing with ideas!

Well that's it for me today! Smile, it's Friday! :)

Until next time,

Sweet Valentine!

Hey everyone!

I hope everyone had a great back to school day! (For those of you who were lucky enough to only go back today!) Today was a teacher work day so I was able to take down my Christmas decorations in my classroom and do MUCHO grading! Tomorrow, the kids are coming back. The next two months will be pretty hectic for us as we will end our academic year the last week of February. So we've got a LOT to do!  I'll try to make it as fun as possible for my kiddos so they are not too overwhelmed! Hopefully I will succeed!

On an other note, I've added a new product to my TPT store.... Sweet Valentine! Valentine's Day is right around the corner.... well in a little bit over a month.. but in teacher time.... that's soonish! If we want to plan and prepare and be ready in time, we need to start thinking about Valentine's Day now! I came up with fun literacy centers all about love, hugs, pink and red :)

Here's a look at Sweet Valentine:

Includes:

-Sweetheart Synonyms (activity cards, recording sheet and instructions)
-Sweetheart Antonyms (activity cards, recoding sheet and instructions)
-Scrambled Valentine: Students must unscramble words (recording sheet, correction key and instructions)
-Cupid's ABCs: Students must place words in alphabetical order (activity cards, recording sheet and instructions)
-Lovely Sorting: Students must place words into 3 different categories -nouns-adjectives-verbs (activity cards, recording sheet and instructions)
-Valentine Sentence Builder: Students must put words in the correct order to make sentences (activity cards, recording sheet and instructions)
-Lovely Facts and Opinions: Students must determine if the sentences are facts or opinions (activity cards, recording sheet and instructions)
-Sweetheart Words: Students must make new words with the letters from sweetheart (letters to use as manipulative, recording sheet and instructions)
-Valentine Rhymes (recording sheet and instructions)
-Word Search
-3 Writing Prompts: If I were Cupid, Valentine's Day is Fun Because and My Letter to a Special Person

Click here to grab a copy! And let me know what you think if you do :)

Want to win a free copy?

Leave me a comment with your email and I will randomly choose a winner later tonight! :)
Congrautlations Cherie! I'll be emailing you the unit tonight!

Ok well I'm off to prepare our supper! We're eating pasta tonight :) My bf is a huge meat lover so pastas are pretty rare around here... so yay for tonight!

Until next time,

Currently and a free font!

Hi everyone!

With the holidays officially over, I am now able to take some time to blog and blog stalk. I don't go back to work until Monday so I still have a few days to relax and wake up late :) Such joy! The holidays were pretty busy this year but we had lots of fun and got to hang with family so it was great. I hope you all had a great time!

I was lucky enough to get an iPad from my parents! (thanks mom and dad!) Obviously the first app I wanted to try was the iFont Maker. It is so easy to use! I love it! I've made a few fonts but only one is ready. I still need to tweak the others. I ordered a stylus online which I am hoping will arrive soon and which I am hoping will help me make even prettier fonts! So today, I give to you: Miss Handwriting, which is basically my handwriting.

Simply click on the image to download the font. I give it to you for free because I LOVE free fonts and I'm sure you do too :) I simply ask that you link back to my blog if you do use it. And also, a little comment love would be nice ;) Enjoy!

Also, I am linking up with Farley for the first Currently of the year!

Font from A Cupcake for the Teacher

1. My boyfriend was sweet enough to start a little fire this morning before breakfast. I love the sound it makes and also the smell :) and mostly.... the warmth! It's been pretty cold up here in Canada the last few days, so I'm enjoying the heat!

2. We worked on Sophia/Sofia's baby room over the holidays. I LOVE it! It is not quite finished yet but the walls are painted, the crib and changing table are there, the crib bedding set is in the crib, the curtains, the hamper... we still need to put up frames and wall decalls but mostly, the room is done. It is so adorable and girly! I am really happy with it! And no, we still haven't decided how we are going to spell her name... I am really having a hard time deciding! I keep thinking I will get a sign or I will suddenly fall in love with the ph or the f.... but no! Oh well, we still have 3 months to figure it out :)

3. I bought a bunch of papers to grade over the holidays thinking I would be super productive... but that has not happened yet. I only have 4 days left before we go back and I really want to do all the work I'd planned on doing but.... I think I might procrastinate for another day or two! 

4. I am really loving wedge sneakers. Like this pair:

I wish I didn't because I really do NOT need to be spending right now but they look so pretty! And comfortable too! And with all the after Christmas sales I might be able to snag a cute pair for a pretty good price! :)

5. We already bought a stroller... but it's a pretty huge one! It's mostly made for strolling around, not for outings. We need a smaller one that it more compact. I went stroller shopping over the holidays but I was alone. I need to go back with my boyfriend so that he can try them and figure out what we both like! Stroller shopping can be very overwhleming for first time parents! I had absolutely NO idea what to look for and how to tell if a stroller was a good choice or not. I was lucky enough to find a really nice salesperson who gave me the 411 on strollers and I feel quite informed now. Yay!

6. My OLW is quite simple but it is so important: SMILE! Everything is better when you smile and we often forget to do so. And when you smile, it makes others smile too! So in 2013 I will remember to smile, smile and smile... even when times get tough! 

Well that's it for me today! I have to go take down my Christmas decorations. Decorating for Christmas is so much fun... taking the stuff down, not so much... but we have to do it! And I'm not a big fan of decorations that stay there forever once the holidays are over!

Until next time,

Happy Holidays!

Prayers

My heart goes out to all the families affected by what has happened yesterday.
There are simply no words...

Currently!

Hi!

I am dropping in for a quick December currently. I have neglected my blog so much the last few months! My school schedule is just so hectic and also, with the baby coming, a lot of my free time goes to preparing for the arrival of my little bundle :) So I am linking up with Farley for the last time this year:

1. I've mentionned it before but I love Vampire Diaries! Yes, I am aware that it is a show for teenagers but what can I say, I'm hooked! And please, how can you not swoon at the sight of Damon? (Ian Somerhalder) Seriously. 

2. I love my house when it is all decorated! And my classroom too! It always puts me in a good mood! I've hung a bunch of Christmas lights in my classroom which creates such a warm and inviting ambiance. The kids love it and so do I. I wish I could keep them all year round but I guess that would be a bit extreme.

3. Speaking of Christmas, I am way behind on my shopping. And by way behind what I really mean is I haven't started. At all! Should I be surprised? I am always last minute with my Christmas shopping. Apparently, I work better under pressure! I will try to start this weekend though so that I can be a little more relaxed while shopping and not running all over the place in the mall like a crazy person on the 23rd.

4. I haven't had a single cup of coffee since I found out I was pregnant. I thought I would miss it a lot but I haven't really been craving coffee... at first I tought it was because of my nausea but once it went away... my desire for coffee still wasn't there. So I've discovered the joys of hot chocolate for a nice sweet hot beverage. And mostly, I've discovered the joys of Starbucks' salted caramel hot chocolate. Wow. Heaven on earth. I don't drink it often though. Just like once every 3 weeks. And right now, I wish I had one sitting with me...but I don't...boohoo... :( 

5. I've started baby shopping but wow do we need a lot of stuff! We've got the crib, the crib set (so very cute by the way....!), the stroller (we went with Bumbleride, LOVE!) and a bunch of adorable clothes. We still need so much! I'm scared I'm going to forget to get something and realize it when Sophia/Sofia is here... but hopefully that's not gonna happen because my mom is in the background :)

6. My random act of kindness is something I've been telling myself I should do more and I figured that maybe by writing it down, it would get me to actually do it! I love my grandparents and I do see them often but I want to go and visit them more. They love having company. When my boyfriend and I go, we play games with them and they are over the moon. So I really want to go see them to make them happy and see them smile :)

Well that's it for me folks!

Until next time,