What A FUN, WET N’ WILD Day!!!!

My son, my last born, my little tiny baby, turned 3 and we had his birthday party yesterday.  I love having parties for my babies.  This year he has loved Thomas the Train and Toy Story so we went with a Toy Story theme!  His sweet little cake, his banner and bunting…I had his cake made, but the banner and bunting I did with my trusty PC and a little program I like to call PowerPoint. 

He was one happy little boy if you can’t tell!!  Look at that grin!  He is a boss on this thing and has been riding his sisters around the yard at top speed all day!!!

Today I went to school and we got to work on our CLASS LISTS!!!!  This has always been such an exciting time for me.  I love seeing the names of the students who will be in my new class for the the upcoming school year.  I learn so much by talking to their teachers from last year.  They are always so concerned for them to be taken care of and loved on but also that they are in the right classroom so their best can shine.  I think I am going to have a really, really, really great class next year.  I already know a lot of them just through hallway connections alone.  I am looking forward to getting to know them all and preparing for their arrival in 4 short weeks.  We start school on August 12 and I am starting to get the pre- opening day jitters already!!!!

Also today, my part of the world had the storm of the century it seemed! There was wind, there was sideways rain and a river is running over my neighbor’s driveway.  The electricity went out briefly.  I got all jazzed up like I always do in a good storm.  #inmyreallifeimastormchaser  I would totally chase storms if I didn’t have the sweet life I have with my little family…  Here are some of the highlights! 

 

To say we are a little waterlogged is grossly understated!  I think this is our hundred year flood year!!!

To keep myself busy during the storm I pulled out my copy of “The NEXT Step In Guided Reading by Jan Richardson.  I have been reading this book as part of a collaborative online book study with #theguidedreadinggals. 

Our study launched today and the first chapter is live with Marie Lee at the Literacy Spot.

 

Click on her button to read more about chapter 1 and check back each Monday for another chapter.  Chapter 1 is all about the research behind guided reading and what the other kids are doing when your are doing guided reading with your small group.  I was hooked after my read of chapter 1 and I know you will be as well.  Click on the button to go to the Literacy Spot and check out some of the other #guidedreadinggals blogs as well!!!  You can also find us at the We <3 Guided Reading Facebook Group to follow our post blog discusson!!!

Long Time I know…Needed To Get My Head Together!!!

I have tried to sit down and write this post eleven thousand times really…I just couldn’t get out what I wanted to say.  As you can see from the change in my blog, there have been some really big changes going on around here.  I was reassigned schools and grade levels after 14 years.  I am no longer a 4th Grade Shearer Shark.  I am now proudly a 2nd Grade Conkwright Colt!  Now you can see why I had to change my blog name, my store name, my facebook page etc…
I don’t do well with change AT ALL!  When I got my letter, I didn’t even look at it at first.  Then I read it and saw that I would be leaving my school for another school.  After being in a place for 14 years, building the relationships there and finally feeling like I was being accepted for the person I am, the powers that be decided I needed a change.  God knew I needed a change.  I had been wanting out of fourth grade for a couple years.  I am being placed in second grade and I couldn’t be more happy.  I have been stalking all sorts of second grade and primary blogs.  My old principal texted me the other day and said she knew I was busy trying to become the best second grade teacher in this county, but reminded me to slow down and enjoy my family.  God must’ve thought I needed a really big change because he brought me out of my little hole in wall at the end of an isolated hall and placed me in one gigantic classroom!!!!!  

I mean that is one really big place.  When we got to enter the building back on June 10, you could hear my big ol’ mouth ring out into the whole downstairs of my new building “OMG!!!  THIS ROOM IS HUGE!!!”  Sometimes I have trouble containing my feelings :)  Every person who will be working in my new school will have a new experience.  This is a newly remodeled building and we aren’t even allowed into our classrooms to work/setup/decorate/cute-i-fy until July 14 (first day of school for students is August 12, so not even a month for all the moving in and the planning)  This is all helping me accept the change I have been given. I don’t know if any of you have seen Evan Almighty.  It was a religious/political comedy with Steve Carrell playing Noah.  In the movie, Morgan Freeman mentions to the Lauren Graham, who plays Carrell’s wife, that God isn’t going to just give people what they pray for.  He will give them opportunities to embrace what they need or just the opportunity to grasp what He knows you need.  God is giving me an opportunity to start over and recreate so many areas of my life.  I can be a better mommy, wife, teacher, learner, friend and daughter.
I know it may seem a little far fetched that a change in my job placement/grade level could have this many life altering implications, but I tend to live in every aspect/moment of my life.  I put all of myself into things and my job is an easy one, because I truly in my heart love what I do.  I love being Mommy and Honey first and foremost.  That is the most rewarding part of my life.  Having someone learn from me and make something of themselves and I get to be a part of that, have an influence on that…that is the fluffy frosting on the top of my life cupcake! 
So, there you have it.  My reasons for being MIA from the blogosphere.  But I am back in the game.  I have so many post ideas to share with you in the coming weeks and I create my hiney off getting things ready for my second grade sweeties! 
I’m off to start on a little first day of school assessment fun pack to get us started off!  Until Thursday my friends!!!

Crazy Wild and Wonderful...

 Those are three words that pretty much sum up my life these days.  I have a gazillion pics of things I have been doing in the classroom that I so badly want and need to share with you all.  Particularly because I am proud of how much I have grown as a teacher in the last year and a half and how that growth has affected my students. 

 

BUT!!!  That will have to be a weekend post because it is like almost midnight my time and Ia was late to school this morning and cannot be late again.  So, here is what I want to share with you tonight.  I put up my sale just this afternoon because as you can read in the title of this post, life is crazy wild wonderful!  I didn't have class tonight so I snuck off to my classroom (put hubs in charge of kids and took care of much needed work to be done at school).  If you purchase tonight or tomorrow for that matter, I will send you a free item of your choice from my store. No strings attached my friends.  Just my little way of saying thanks for following my little blog and following my little TPT store.  I am just about to 100 followers in both places and for me that is a huge milestone and I will be holding a little weeklong celebration!!!  Stay tuned because I am almost there folks!!!

Things are starting to look up around here...

 OK Peeps

Things are starting to look up around here at Shearerly Sadler 4th Grade...

Status on my broken foot...I am in a walking boot but not really walking yet.  I have to use the crutches because my weight is uncomfortable (in more ways than just bearing it on my injury) but I am able to make walking motions with my boot on, which is a step in the right direction (ha ha ha!)  

 

I am so very excited...I am going to get a new computer!  I am not sure what kind I am going to get yet but I'm having a lot of fun looking around...Granted its online window shopping but it passes the time :)  I totally welcome any input you have to help me out

 

Also, Shearer-ly Sadler 4th Grade is getting a face lift.  I contacted the fantastic folks at Honey Bunch Blog Designs to get the ball rolling. I am waiting with baited breath to hear back from them.   I have been wanting to do this for so long and now it is finally going to happen.  I am going to upgrade my classroom site as well with one of their Premade designs, but my blog is going to be totally custom and tricked out with Melonheadz!  That's my nonnegotiable!  Go over and check them out.  The blogs are totally adorable and affordable too!

 

We are on the eve of our 102nd day of school and very well the eve of our 12th snow/cold weather

  day.  I don't like to speculate if it will be a day off because I LOVE SNOW DAYS!!!  I like summer don't get me wrong, but there is something special about getting some extra snuggle time with my babies and playing in the snow...I spend all day long with other people's kids, I relish every precious moment I get to spend with mine.  (I just finished building a bridge out of our sofa cushions with a broken foot and blogging while my preschooler does cannonballs off the "bridge" into the "ocean of sharks below")  They grow up too fast.  My four year old I think has finally moved into her own room.  Since breaking my foot, I've not been able  to take the stairs to my room so I've been in "Sofa City."  Riley usually sleeps with me and Daddy but decided she would sleep on the love seat.  Little sister joined us one night for a "slumber party" and the next night, she decided to go sleep in her bed in the room she and her little sis share!  It has helped little sister too.  I think maybe she has so many late nights up and down is maybe she's been a little lonely.  It was quite the silent night around her last night! 

 

Last but more importantly not least...I am proud member #211 of the Melonheadz Addict Club! 

 

 

 I have actually had an email conversation with the Queen Melonheadz Mother!  I feel like I am talking to blog royalty when I get a response from someone like Nikki or Jen Jones.  I think I made Nicole Shelby blush one day when I told her that I couldn't believe I was trading emails with her.  I told her she was a TPT celeb...she humbly responded with "just a regular teacher like you..."  I am so glad I started blogging and selling on TPT!!

 

I am fading fast and falling asleep at the keyboard and still have a SOOOOOO MANY THINGS TO DO!  I hope you all have a rest night and a wonderful tomorrow!!!

Do Bad Things Happen In Threes?

 

 OK...Do bad things happen in threes???  I REALLY hope they don't.  Here's the skinny on my weekend.  Most folks relish Friday afternoons as a time to jet out of work and get their weekend on!  Well, if you are a teacher, that is prime time to get your plans set and/or copies made for the week to come.  I don't usually leave school until 4:30 on any given Friday.  I went down to my besties classroom afterschool Friday to see a biography she wrote for an assessment she creative (she's my creative partner in crime at my school and in life as a whole)  We ended up talking for about 30 minutes so my preptime was pushed back by that amount.  No big deal, we do it just about every Friday...I go back to my room and procrastinate some more...I finish a blog hop and then 4:40 rolls around and I end up taking everything home knowing I'm not going to do a thing with it.  So I'm rolling in Hellen Wheels (AKA My Chrysler minivan) and I get to a stop light in town.  I have been fighting a cold all day; snotting, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing the whole gamut.  I see the first car in the line start to move and I feel the mother of all sneezes coming on... an epic whole body curling sneeze.  I sneeze once and then I begin curling for the next one.  As I am recovering...CRASH!  I hit the car in front of me who hits the car in front of them.  Long story short, I get out to see if everyone is ok.  First car, all good.  The car I actually hit, DRAMA.  They are both complaining of neck injuries and get BACKBOADED AND TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL VIA AMBULANCE.  I just about died.  To beat it all, the lady was laughing when they were loading her up and the tow truck driver was able to move their car to load it on the tow  truck.  I get they could be sore, but was the drama necessary.  I think not.  That was Friday...

Saturday, I broke my foot, two long bones in my foot.  The last time I broke a bone, I was three.  I tried to tough it out but lets face it, broken bones HURT!!!!!!!  My 5 year old was outside with me when it happened.  She was such a huge help to me.  She immediately ran to the house and began knocking on doors to get Daddy.  When she couldn't get his attention, she started to cry.  I got her to calm down and she helped pull me off the ground.  Daddy came out and helped me try to get into the house.  That was a no go.  I told him to stay put and I drove myself to the hospital.  Picked my mom up on the way so I could have some help getting in.  Quickest ER visit EVER!  The doc even took a picture of my x-ray because I just couldn't fathom it being broken.

 

So now my husband has had to become  do it all Daddy and its a rough way to go.  I think he might be seeing my usefulness around this house now.  I hate that he has to do it all... I am so stubborn that I refuse to rest.  I have been vacuuming on my knees which is hilarious to see but I am surely going to further injure myself.  I go to the ortho doc tomorrow and I pray there is no surgery necessary...So you can see why I am hopeful that bad things just happen and not in a certain number...

 

I hope you all have a wonderfully productive week...Good night!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shearerly Sadler 4th Grade

Out of the winter woods...NOT!!!!!!!

 Old man winter visited the bluegrass this past week and even though I was off school for AN ENTIRE WEEK...I didn't blog much due to no wifi.  I did what I could do on my phone but short of that, it was quiet in my blog world. 

But I did do this...

 

 

 

 

  

We had such an awesome "unplugged" time!  Hubs braved the roads to go Lowe's and buy sleds.  We don't usually have winter like this in Kentucky so he had to drive to the next county to get them!!!  Crazy I know!  I am so blessed to have such a sweet and wonderful little family and then to be gifted this extra time to spend with them was just too wonderful! I learned how much of a daredevil my oldest and boldest daughter is...She is a tough country cookie in a girly-girl package.  That last pick is her on the bobsled down into our front field.  I learned my baby girl is not quite the wild child she seems to be, especially when in a new and unfamiliar situation.  I learned my youngest baby boy is a go with the flow kinda guy who likes to hang with his daddy...

 

 

Isn't he a cutie patootie!!!

 

 

Mommy's little band of snow angels (and ol' Molly, the eternal pup)

 

Hubs also got himself a new electric smoker!  He is in heaven, a smoked meat heaven!  He has taken care of dinner for two straight nights...smoked chicken wings and a whole chicken one night and then smoked ribs and chicken breast the next night.  We are having smoked brisket tomorrow night.  I am loving not having to cook the hard stuff!!  He loves cooking outdoors and this has made his winter! I am not posting pictures because if I did, you would demand smell-o-vision...

 

Just found out we have another day off tomorrow due to temps being in single digits.  As I was driving into school this morning, I saw a dad and a little guy walking to school this morning and I am thankful I work for a district that at least has the wherewithal to consider children and their families that walk to school when we have really dangerous weather.  I couldn't imagine being out in -10 degree weather walking my little one to school.  I won't let my animals stay out when we have single digits much less than below zero which is what the weather man is calling for in the bluegrass for the next two days. 

 

I posted a really great product over at Shearer-ly Sadler 4th Grade's TPT shop.  It's the first in a product line I have been working on called Grab N' Go Teach.  It's an all inclusive math (for now)lesson plan including a manipulative for interaction during small groups, guided practice and/or homework sheets, a set of task cards and a quiz.  It congruent to the standard it addresses, in this case 4.NF.4a. 

 

I just started my specialist degree in instructional leadership/principal and I want to have a much tighter grasp on all the standards...SSSSSSSSOOOOOOO I'll trade you a freebie and a chance to get this product for free if you give me some feedback to help differentiate for grades 3 and 5.  I will send you the worksheets from the packet for your time. Leave me your feedback in comments and don't forget your email address for the attachments.   If you mention this product on  your blog and follow my blog, you could win this Grab N' Go Teach activity.  Simply leave me a link to your blogpost and the name you follow under and I will choose a winner at random.  I will choose the winner tomorrow night  at 10 pm EST (just in case there is school on Wednesday and I have to go to bed) so don't wait!!!

 

Thanks for your help and I am off to bed!!!  Have a Tubular Tuesday!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Shearerly Sadler 4th Grade

Hey All!  Happy Sunday! 
I hope you are warm and snug wherever you are!  We got some ice last night...I was not expecting this and at 7 this morning when the pelting of ice on my bedroom window woke me up...I panicked and got in the four wheel drive and braved ice to get to the store.  I was out of home essentials...Oreo cookies, Nestle Quik and was running low on TP. In a house of five people (three of those are oreo cookie hounds and chocolate milk-a-holics), you DO NOT RUN OUT OF THOSE THINGS!!!

My hubs did a little decorating before the ice hit...

 He made those trees...didn't even google how to do it!  I am so proud of him!!!

 

 

This is the view of the ice from my front porch...It looks beautiful but it was scary driving in it for sure!

 

So while I was staying home the rest of the day, I was doing my blog stalking reading and stumbled up this cute little switcheroo with a freebie and a giveaway!  Check out Deb and Joey have got cooked up!!!

 

http://createteachandshare.blogspot.com/2013/12/guest-blogger-and-giveaway.html

 

The writing bulletin board and the craftivity are enough alone to get me reading!!!

 

Have a great evening and a wonderful tomorrow!!!

Longish post and a freebie...

Hello out there...I had to blow the dust off my blog today to post it has been so long!  I feel so bad about that.  Each time I sit down to work on plans, grade papers, or create something for my class, I think of my blog and those of you that read it and I just feel bad.  This is one thing that I do not want to just quit because my plate is totally full.  Blogging is so much fun and I have met some wonderful folks so far! 

A peek at life since October (I think that was the last time I wrote a real post)

I went to the Kentucky Reading Association conference on October 21 and went to an AWESOME whole brain teaching seminar.  I love when I go to conferences and I can walk away with something I can implement immediately and costs me nothing!  I was able to go back and give whole brain teaching a try and I really love it.  It really suites my style of teaching and I am not afraid to try something new...So I created these whole brain teaching rule circles and I have them posted in my room...I go over them everyday to remind students of my expectations.  Click here to download them...I love them.  I am giving them to my whole staff when I present the first week of December.

I had a huge success with my two multiplication task card products I posted, I created one for division.  I have had such a wonderful experience teaching division to my students this year.  I hadn't really read closely the standard for division until this year and I wish I had of.  Boy do I wish I had of.  I have been trying to force the US standard algorithm for division down my kids throats for years, and it turns out with Common Core they don't need it until like 6th grade.  It pays to read the standards vertically and not just horizontally!!!  My students REALLY get it, the concept that is, and they are doing division with such a wonderful foundation.  I really feel like I taught this group something...that is such a wonderful feeling for a teacher!  So to celebrate this momentous occasion, these task cards will be half off until this time tomorrow night!  

My second daughter started preschool late last month...I can't say enough about our county preschool program.  Her teacher was one of my interns years ago and she treats both of my girls like her own.  Yes, both of my girls are in her room.  She told me it was her first time having siblings!  My oldest is in her last year of preschool and takes care of her sister at school.  She looks out for her and includes her in everything, but the great thing is that my youngest daughter is so independent that she doesnt really hang on my oldest daughters coat tails so they play some together and a good portion of the time they play in different circles.  I am just so fortunate to have such a wonderful teacher for them both! 

Well, enough about me!  I wish each and everyone of you out there the happiest of Thanksgivings...I am so thankful for your readership

Bllaahhh! I feel yuckO!!!

OK, so this strange bug is taking over my house!  My sweet preschooler had to stay home last Monday and Tuesday with a low grade fever, sore throat and body aches..Then my tiny precocious three year old got the same thing two days ago, myself today and now my little precious baby boy has it.  My hubs is on a business trip and I am here, holding down the fort.  Call me super mom, call me crazy (that's what most people do :))  I could really use another day of rest, however, I have one of those classes this year that just can't function without me.  I have to do some much extra work when I have a sub, that it is almost worth going to school sick!  This morning, that was just not an option.  I could hardly move I hurt so bad.  But, I did get great rest today.  My mother in law comes in every Monday and Tuesday from the next town over and keeps my kids while I work, right here at home!!!  It's been a quiet night here at the compound, which is good.  Its kind of nice having my babies all to myself.  I miss my hubs of course, but great bonding time with my kiddos! 

So tomorrow, I will go to school and try to get my class back under control and start my week over again, and on hump day no less!  I hope all of you have had a great week so far and I'm when I feel better, I think I am going to have a sale at my TPT store! 

Peace out friends!
tobi
Shearerly Sadler 4th Grade