Wow. It's March. And America Stuff......

So it's already March 1st. Holy cow. That means my baby is one this month. One. This little devil is into EVERYTHING he wants, none of which you can find in the baby toy section at Baby's R Us. He wants remotes, cell phones, keys, DVD players and the like. And he screams like a woman (ya, it's that loud) when it's taken away from him. Here he is getting into mischief. But he's the cutest.
Oh, and he LOVES T.V. Almost as much as his big sister which I thought would be nearly impossible since she tells time by TV shows (hand over the Mom of the Year award if you want).

We spent last week learning all about symbols of America and George Washington/Abraham Lincoln in school. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun. The kiddos made Statue of Liberty projects, bald eagles, Liberty Bells and American Flags. They drew pencil drawings of each president and wrote a riddle about one of their choice. And a LOT more. Phew! Here are some pictures of our hard work.






Oh yes, one more thing. I could not leave this blog post without letting you know that at some point during the week Ms. Hager and I noticed a student with some pretty thick silver earrings. Oh wait. They weren't earrings. They were in fact, index card rings. You know, the kind you can buy at Staples that you can put like 100 index cards on and flip through? Yes, these thick beauties were through her earring holes making them pretty scary red. You can't make this stuff up. Needless to say I made her Mrs. Mallon take them out. I couldn't watch.

More Random Crap

So the other day I was minding my own busines going grocery shopping and these two adorable little girls had to pressure me into buying something. And I cave under pressure. So I took the item home and devoured it within hours. The box that is, not one. I ate the entire box minus one for Eliza. Saying Caramel Delights are addictive is an understatement. I have issues. By the way, they totally did not pressure me. It's a Girl Scout cookie for crying out loud. I think I sniffed THEM down.I definitely NEED this dress for some type of upcoming occasion, don't I? I think I do.I've come to the realization that I am half an 80 year old woman, half a 22 year old woman. Cause I'm sipping on my hot cup of tea getting fired up (more than I should) to watch this girldo some classy things. Jersey Shore is my frenemy.

Mittens

I'm ALL SET with mittens. Mitten weather, technically! We need some sun and warmth this way ASAP. I am not sure how much more of this statment, "I have NOTHING to do!" I can take. I would give anything to be sitting outside pushing Reid on a swing while watching Eliza draw with chalk in the driveway. ANYTHING. In due time, I know, I know. I wonder if I'd appreciate the warm weather as much if I lived down South? Yes, yes I would. In fact I am so sick of snow and this ridiculously cold weather that I am about ten seconds from booking a one way trip to Florida. I think they need First Grade teachers, no? However, the cold weather DOES allow for some insanely cute hats to place atop my baby boy's head. This one is from Papa and Por Por. Is he not the cutest? And, he's like, so completely fine with driving around in a pink flowered carseat.And speaking of mittens, I did a whole unit on mittens this week in school and so I repeat, I am all set with mittens. We read lots of stories about mittens, completed graphing activities with mittens, described mittens while learning about adjectives, and more. They loved one story "The Missing Mitten Mystery" by Steven Kellog and we made these adorable story element mittens. Aren't they cute?
Well since good old Puxatawny Phil did not see his shadow (for once, and only because he couldn't get himself out from under the snow probably) then Spring should be here soon and I can pack away any and all things mitten related. :)

Penguins and Cupcakes

Last week I taught a unit on penguins and the kiddos loved it. One of our math lessons was to measure the height of various penguins and then create those same (roughly)sized penguins on butcher paper. Some of the kids did a great job working cooperatively and worked hard at trying to draw the penguin to look as it does in the picture I gave to them. I am putting together a bulletin board of the penguins but here are a few pictures of what they made!

And this little guy is my favorite. The Chinstrap Penguin.
And I found the recipe for these rainbow cupcakes on this awesome blog this weekend so Eliza and I had to try them out. www.pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com. (it won't let me link to a site right now)So fun!

10 Signs You Teach First Grade

10. You have simple sign language that you use daily for "Stop Picking Your Nose."

9. You use the term "Criss Cross Apple Sauce" at home and assume others know what you mean.

8. You need glue sticks more than pencils and consider it a true emergency when you run out.

7. Two little boys smile, hug, and say "We have SOOO much in common!" and mean it in a sincere and adorable way.

6. EVERY student will volunteer to do ANY (and I mean any) job you don't want to. Like collect scraps and pencil shavings off the floors. Thrilled I tell ya.

5. You know "Sam's Hat", "The Fat Cat", "Mac the Cat", and "At Bat" by heart AND know the differences between all four "stories".

4. You can't do Math higher than a first grade level. Like ask me to solve a problem involving fractions or decimals. I wouldn't be able to. At all. Ask me to draw pictures or use teddy bears to solve 4+7? I can do that. (Ok, maybe this is just me.)

3. You don't sit while the kids are sitting to do work. Ever. You simply can't. You might try, but sure as heck before you can say "criss cross applesauce" someone will be needing your assistance before your tired behind can hit the seat.

2. You have dance moves and chants for things like spelling the word "because" or said". You also have no problem teaching said moves and chants to people in your life that are NOT teachers. Or affiliated with any school system whatsoever.

1. You can translate this spelling and handwriting effortlessly: "The dik wuz in the mub." (The bike was in the mud.) Duh.

Hold. The. (mega)Phone.

My child has slept straight through the night for the past 4 nights. I'm talking 12+ hours. Something his 4 year old sister still can't seem to do. I'll cross my fingers that this ain't no flukey random act and that he just LIKES sleep like his momma. Now off to make a living for the day.

"Beauty" Must Haves...

I am sitting here staring at the computer trying to come up with something witty to write about from this past long weekend. But. I've got nothing. So I just decided that I'll fill you in on my latest must haves. You know, to feel "beautiful". (Snort). Can one really feel beautiful with baby carrots on her sleeve, marker stains on her fingers, and glue on her pants? But every gal has some favorites that change through the years and here are my faves from the past few months that I MUST use everyday.

This really IS a must for me. I discovered this fabulous item recently and am loving it. Because I was born with no eyelashes. I swear. Well, they are there but they are short. I mean, short. Like nonexistent short. My son has longer eyelashes. He is 9 months. SO alas, I use this and feel like a lady with eyelashes.


And I have to thank my friend Nicole for my new found love of this item.
Because body butter is one thing, but coconut? Yum. And I smell the summer and that is a lovely thing. Winter skin? I hate it's guts. But this stuff makes my winter skin disappear (except for the pasty white color). It's a must for everyday and I can close my eyes while I slather it on and pretend I am tan and at the beach lounging on a chair. Or, at the beach trying to get a tan but really finagling Reid under a sun tent, keeping Eliza from getting hysterical over nearby seagulls, and brushing sand off of her sandwiches. Either way. Beach. Ahhhh.

Speaking of feeling tan.I MUST use some sort of bronzer each day. I have to have a little bit of color or else I feel like I am dead. A walking zombie in the classroom. So ya, I need some color. It's a must.

My mom got me this for ma birfdayyyy. And I love it.
Ya, ya, it's not the same scent as my coconut body butter. BUT, its' still yummy and I love it nonetheless. Almost like a champagny fruity scent.

Last but not least.I wouldn't be a teacher unless I had one of these permanently affixed to my wrist. If I lose one from my wrist, I'm suddenly like a crazy person. "I NEED a hair elastic! Does anyone have an extra?!" Yes, I've been known to use the big rubber office supply ones in an emergency. Cause you know, I WILL try to actually do my hair (once a week) but 9 times out of 10 on that one day that I do my hair, I want it UP around 9:15am. God lord. I need these like I need water, air, and food.

So there you have it. My latest must haves. I am sure this post has really enlightenedbored you to death but at least I have a post. Now I can go to sleep.