Amazing New Year and Valentine Free Stuff! WOWZA!

Two things to get you pumped up for the New Year and the next upcoming holiday...

Cara Carroll over at www.thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com has an AMAZING freebie - 43 pages people of unbelievable New Year's activities to get you back in the groove!!!  Click on her picture to take you there:

Then...Lindsey over at www.theteacherwife.blogspot.com has the most adorable valentines for you, your kids, your classroom, etc.  I am totally doing this this year - Dollar Tree here I come!!!  Again, click on her picture below to head on over and get you some!  The first picture will take you to her blog, the second will take you directly to the printable I think!

I just want to say thank you SO MUCH to these two ladies for offering their talent to all of us like this - can I get an AMEN?!!!  You guys are INCREDIBLE!!!

Texas Teacher Bloggers Meet Up - Blog Buddies:)

 I am so excited!!!!  I got to meet so many wonderful ladies yesterday at the Texas Teacher Bloggers Meet Up lunch!!!  We had a great time at Chuy's talking teaching, pinterest, all the Housewives shows, etc.  It was an honor to meet all of you (wish I could remember all your names), can't wait to see you all again!  And for our host...Cara Carroll - thanks so much for the yummy snack mix - you are so fun!!!  Visit her blog at www.thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com - if you haven't ever been...whatcha waiting for????  You will LOVE IT and will be INSPIRED!!!!!

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String....

These are a few of my favorite things!!!  Just wrapping, watching Christmas movies, and sipping hot apple cider tonight!  Are ya'll ready for Christmas?  How are you enjoying your time off from school?  

Smiley Elfibob!!!!

Do ya'll have one of these?  Such a rascal, eh???

Teacher Clothes

We were just talking today about dress codes for us teachers at the Texas Teachers Blog Meet Up with Cara Carroll, and I had to add this to my blog.  A fellow teacher of mine was sporting this cutie the other day and I just had to share - can't wait to order mine!  Get you one, plus many others to choose from at www.pinkarmadillos.com.  Gotta love em'!  Cute gift or stocking stuffers for that teacher friend too;)

Christmas Joy

Hey there!  I hope you are all enjoying your time off!!!  I get to go meet Cara Carroll creator of The First Grade Parade blog today among many other fellow teacher bloggers!!!!  I am so excited!!!  The three weeks we had leading up to the break were crazy - can I get an AMEN?!  Here are some of the fun things we did thanks to all of you out there!!

We had a "Grinch Day" - it was a blast!  Here I am with my little Grinch friend - borrowed from a Pre-K teacher in my building - the kiddos LOVED him - oh my, they could hardly keep their hands off him, and yes...he was life-sized!!!

We read Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas and then made this bubble map of adjectives/describing phrases - thanks for the idea Cara Carroll!

Here's another idea I got from The First Grade Parade - Grinch licked candy canes - some of my kiddos didn't want to eat these until after I told them he only licked them just a little *wink:)  I couldn't find all green ones so I just picked up these - and the printable from Ms. Carroll didn't print well on my only black and white printers at school, so I had to revamp it a little - still it was her idea!!!  Just keeping it real, folks!

Here are my kiddos in class watching Polar Express on party day!  

How cute is this?!  One of my kiddos and her mom made it for our party!  LOVE!

And here is the rest of our snack table - oh...my....word, note to self - ask for some healthier snacks next year.  This year I just let parents sign up for whatever they wished to bring - definitely gonna revamp this next year to be more specific:)!!!  I guess we were all thinking sweets, it is the season to be "merry" after all!!

We made this little snowman snack thanks to some free printables on TPT - gotta love freebies!  I need to look back to see what teacher posted this - I am so grateful - and will give credit where credit is due as soon as I find out! ***Erica Bohrer - love ya for it!!!

Here's the little poem up close - just staple on to the top of the snack and voila - a cute treat!  I'm thinking you could still use this into the winter months;)

Another freebie on TPT from the same teacher - gotta love her!  Promise I will find out her name!  **I did!  Erica Bohrer - go show her some love on TPT!  We just stapled these little labels onto the top of a baggie filled with oatmeal and glitter!  Get your snowman snack and reindeer food labels here http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Snowman-Poop-and-Magic-Reindeer-Food-FREE

And...last but certainly not least...Smiley Elibob, my family elf, came for a visit - I kept telling the kiddos about his shenanigans...they couldn't wait to meet him, so he came to visit and brought a letter from Santa about their elf applications - see Cara Carroll's blog for printable!  Too cute!

Here We Go!!!

I am just starting out on this whole teaching blog adventure - "Catch a Bubble" is a phrase I often find myself saying to my kiddos in class.  But more than that...what fun it is to really Catch a Bubble!!!  We should celebrate the wonder and the awe we get to expose our classrooms to everyday!  I have a family blog and an art blog, and have been inspired by Cara Carroll's First Grade Parade blog!  I pray this is a fun place for you to come, get ideas, be inspired, and remember why you chose teaching as your profession in the first place - IT'S FUN!!!  And honestly, where else do you get to tell people to "Catch A Bubble"?