NEW JOURNEY

Happy Monday everyone. It's been awhile since my last post. I've had so many things going on in my life, including a job hunt! I have been driving two hours a day in order to get to work and after having a baby I am DONE with the drive! I applied to a new county (the one I live in) and finally was offered a job!! 

I currently teach 3rd and will be moving to 6th grade special education. WHAT.A.CHANGE.

Although I am super nervous because middle school is a whole new world, I am excited to try something new :) If you have any tips for a first year special education teacher I would greatly appreciate it! I will be co-teaching in an inclusion general education class. Needless to say, the style of this blog will be making a shift into the middle school special education world. I still feel that many of the games and centers I have made can be differentiated for most grade levels. Well, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and an awesome summer break!!!

April GIVEAWAY!

Happy Tuesday everyone! I am in the "springy" mood today and feel very giving :) I'm trying to build up my shop on Teachers Notebook, as well as my new Instagram account. Follow me on IG @theelementarylife to see how I run my classroom, new products, activities, and other exciting things going on in the life of this teacher + wife + mommy <3

Head on over to my Teacher's Notebook shop HERE and enter in my giveaway for a Sentences and Fragments Bundle! There will be FIVE winners so don't miss it! It will run from tomorrow until Sunday. Please follow my shop on Teachers Notebook and get more opportunities at sales and giveaways!

CURRENTLY FEBRUARY 2016

I haven't done a CURRENTLY in awhile. I want to get back into it. It's a great way to discover new blogs and communicate with other bloggers! Here we go...


Want to participate and discover some new blogs? Head over to:
Oh Boy It's Farley!

Sponsored by:

1. Listening: I am LOVING listening to my little 6 1/2 month old babble. She is sooo close to saying mama and I love it! I know...more exciting to me than anyone else ;)

2. It's Friday and I am so excited to spend time with my baby girl. Hubby works weekends so this is our special time!

3. JUNE. What more can I say? I'm a teacher...a teacher who is looking to stay at home next year and work from home...let me know if you hear of any work at home opportunities for teachers!

4. I want to make some more products for my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Between working full-time, raising a baby, AND going to grad school, that doesn't leave me much time.

5. Zulily..need I say more? It's a problem.

6. Swooning over my baby. Constantly. Here she is...

Copy and paste this picture into Paint so you can fill in your own info!

Teacher's Notebook Shop GIVEAWAY & Valentine's Day Ideas

Happy Friday! I'm not sure why I am JUST NOW discovering Teachers Notebook...I love the layout, the products, and the great features it includes. I have my own Teachers Pay Teachers store that you can check out HERE but I decided to create a shop on Teacher's Notebook to have another place to put all my products. I'm including paid digital products as well as freebies! :)

Teacher's Notebook GIVEAWAY for Black History: GIVEAWAY HERE!

Next subject...Valentine's Day! <3 I have a couple Valentine's Day products that you can find at my TPT store. If you're not into Valentine's Day literacy and math centers, I've included some great blogs that have craft ideas for your kids!

Fireflies & Mudpies

Rainbow Heart Suncatchers

This craft would be SUPER easy to do in a busy classroom. Click the link to find out how to make them :) I'm definitely going to try these with my third graders!

 

Crafts Unleashed

Pom Pom Monster

Um...how freakin' cute! These take a little more work but are so adorable for any kid!

Crafty Morning

Handprint Monkey Valentine Craft

This would be great for the younger kids. This blog has step by step directions with pictures to get the perfect product!

Comment below with a link to your Valentine's Day crafts! I'm going to do one with my kids next week and post it for you guys! Thanks for stopping by :)

TPT Sale!

It's been a crazy few months since I've posted. Life has been crazy with a 6 month old and 16 third graders! My entire TPT store is 20 percent off for you all! Click HERE to check it out! I will be posting soon with some Valentine's crafts that you can do with your kiddos! :)

Veteran's Day Freebie

Hi everyone! I'm back in the classroom with all its hectic glory! I was nervous about coming back after maternity leave, but I got into the swing of things quickly! Veteran's day is coming up this week and I wanted my students to have a few writing prompt choices. Have your students color the borders and clip art, too :)

 

Click here to head to my TpT store and grab this freebie!

Back to Work and TPT Sale

My maternity leave is coming to an end, which makes for an emotional week for me. I've been dreading this. I've been brainstorming how I can stay at home and quit my job. Downsize? Cut our cable and sell a car? After all of this contemplating I came to the conclusion that I need to go back to work. This isn't just for me, but for my daughter as well. I want her to look up to me and see the difference that I am making in children's lives everyday. As fellow educators, you know that this is one of the most special jobs one can have. We don't make a lot of money, so sure, I could probably survive after quitting. At  this point in time, I don't think it's the right decision for me or my family. I've spoken to many friends and family as well as cried to my husband how I can't leave my baby girl. It's a hard decision, but this teacher has got to get back to work :) Once we get into a routine again I'm sure I'll be okay! All mothers go through this, right? :)

I love my job and am excited to get the new school year started. I'm nervous about coming into my classroom after other rules and routines have been established. I will do another post a few weeks after I go back and give you all an update on how it went and tips for returning after maternity leave.

So because this is my last week on maternity leave, I'm throwing a sale for fun! My entire TPT store is 15% off. Click HERE to get there! I hope you find something that you like :) Check out the freebies, too!

*The sale will run from October 3rd through October 5th

 

Here is my daughter, Bailey Rae. She was born on July 26th, 2015.

 

Have a good weekend :)