My Train Wreck of a Classroom

AKA:  Before pics.  Ha!

But seriously.  If you are needing to feel better about the crazy state your classroom is in, never fear.  You've come to right place.

Here are some before pics when I went in on Monday:

These 6 (ish) desks are covered with FILES from my 2 tall filing cabinets.

I have since gone through ALL of this, filled a giant recycle bin to overflowing, filled a cardboard box to overflowing, gotten rid of 1 of the file cabinets, and rearranged the desks.  :)

Here's after working/sorting/recycling/filing for about 6 hours.  Yeah.  Ridic.  Oy.

This poor recycling bin didn't know what hit him.

After 6+ hours of work, I still had to sort through these piles, plus the bucket in the pic below.  

I thought seriously about harming myself, lol!

The last of the last.  I know you'll be happy to know, and will rest easier, knowing I COMPLETELY FINISHED sorting/chucking/filing all my files yesterday.  It gave me great joy to announce that I was finished to my teamies, who were also up there working.  They expressed their pride that I was able to stay focused on this one task for 2 days without getting distracted by shinier, more exciting objects.  Yay me!  :)

Moving on...

A bunch of the crap stuff I bought.

I'm keeping my awnings from last year, even though they are a little worse for the wear, or as I like to say--rode hard and put up wet.  But oh well.  Ain't nobody got time for that.  I re-did the borders on the left and right sections.  Go me.  :)

Birthday board.  Yay chevron!  Just need kiddos' pics for each month!

Now.  These next few pictures are the collective banes of my existence.  Cords.  Frickity frackin' [insert 4 letter word(s)] cords. 

No, but really.

Still more.  (I didn't even take a picture of the ones under the student computers.)

And one of my very favorite parts of my room this year:

What's that, you ask?  THAT, my friends, is the spot on the wall where my t.v. used to be.  They removed all of our t.v.s over the summer but neglected to patch/paint/etc.  So fun!  Guess I'll be finding a poster to slap over this hot mess.  (Do you like the shrine to my son on my cork board?  LOL.)

I rearranged my desk set up for this year.  Again.  (Yes, I change it every. single. year.)  I need a fresh start, people.

I'll be back soon for an update on my classroom progress.  You would think each year would get a little faster, wouldn't you?  Because in my 7 years of experience in setting up classrooms?  It so doesn't.  :)

Monday Made It--August 5th!

Ugh.  I seriously can't get over the fact that it's already August!  However, my hubs and I are super excited that the final season of Breaking Bad starts in less than a week!  Amazing series.

Alas, I still have to wait until OCTOBER to find out what happens on Scandal.  SIGH.  *pout*

Well, mamacita has been a busy girl these days.  I have been creating and printing and laminating and cutting and spray painting and silhouette-ing and mod-podging and sealing and YEAH.  Busy.  It's a sickness.  But I've got some cute stuff to show for it, so there ya go.

Linking up, of course, with the fabulous Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It.  Yes, on Tuesday.  Don't judge.

HOME MADE ITS:

Last week I made a sign for our house, and I love it.  I bought one of the unfinished wood plaques at Michael's, spray painted it with Heirloom White (best color), then cut the letters in vinyl on my Silhouette Cameo and applied.  TODAY, I finally topped it off with Mod Podge and a sealer spray.  Hope it lasts.  I hand painted a similar sign on the cutest wooden oar (from Joann's) right after we got married 5 years ago, but my cat was throwing herself against our screen door one day, knocked it down, and broke it in half.  *tear*  So you know, 4 years later, I finally got around to making a new family sign.  :)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I made another sign for our front window.  I saw a similar one on Pinterest, but it said Thin Mints, which I don't care for, so I changed it to Tagalongs.  :)  Loves me some Girl Scout cookies.  I actually WAS a Girl Scout as a child, and I looooooved selling the cookies.  It was back in the day when it was relatively safe to go door to door in your neighborhood.  

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Sorry; not a great picture, but I was too lazy to pull it out of the window.  LOL.  I think it's cute, but I'm a little bummed that the vinyl letters somehow got moved when I painted on the Mod Podge, so they're not spaced very well.  Boo.  But oh well.  Probably no one but me cares.  :)

SCHOOL MADE ITS:

I'm really excited about this one.  I was in my classroom moving furniture Friday, and I came across this old calendar from Scholastic.  Each month featured a children's author whose birthday fell in that month.  I remember using the calendar a couple of years ago, but I saved it for some reason.  Well, I figured it would make a fun display near our class library!  I trimmed each author page and laminated them.  I created some letters on my Silhouette to say "Authors We Love," and I plan to make it a focus wall above the library.  FUN!  

I plan to mount the title and posters on the lime green fadeless paper I bought, 

so hopefully they'll really pop.

This pic sucks.  I'll post a better one when the wall is finished in my library.  :)

I also made a couple fun goodies with my trusty can of lime green spray paint and upcycled frames from Goodwill!  Check out these before and after pics!

BEFORE:

Pretty, huh?  What?  No?  LOL.

AFTER:

Dry erase board!  POW!

BEFORE:

(Another beauty.)

AFTER: 

Frame for the kiddos to hold as I snap their cutie pie pictures on the 2nd day of school!
Can't wait!  Cuteness.  I (of course) used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the letters,
laminated and cut them out, then used glue dots to attach.   LOVE glue dots, people.

Well, I posted some of the posters I made before, but here they are printed and laminated!  My new Daily 5 posters to match the colors in my classroom, and my new teaching binder in chevron brights!  LOOOOOOOVE me some chevron, and equally (actually even more) love me some bright/neon colors.  Holla.  

I also made a new alphabet line to match my classroom.

Hope you enjoyed--thanks for stopping by, and happy August!  If you haven't started back yet, enjoy the remainder of your summer-- know I am!

Check back later this week for an update on how my classroom is coming along and to make yourself feel a whole lot better about whatever state YOUR classroom is in.  Trust me--you have to see these pictures to believe them.  It's a like a freakin' sharkNADO tore through!

LONGEST POST EVER.  OY!

Say It Ain't So. (Currently August)

Sigh.

August.

'Tis a sad, yet exciting month.

I hate summer coming to an end, because I love spending more time with my little one.  I hate summer coming to an end, because I love being able to sleep later and lounge around in grungy clothes (or my pajamas) and do nothing but watch tv and play.

But I do get excited to meet my new group of kiddos and get my room and bright and shiny for them.  :)

So here we are.  I go back to work officially for in service on August 16th (which, unfortunately, is the same day my musical opens), but I also have a luncheon for mentors on the 15th.  Then the following week we have in service, and the kiddos come back on the 26th.  The musical I'm in closes the 25th.  LOL.  {What was I THINKING???}

So anywho.  Linking up with the fabo Farley!  (Click the pic to visit and/or link up!)

So yeah.  I think the Rangers have actually won a few games lately.

I am super excited (and possibly crazy) to be doing a musical (we open Aug. 16th and close the 25th).  This is my first show since I got pregnant and had my son, and I actually did this same show 6 years ago.  It is one of my very favorite shows EVER, or I wouldn't be doing it again.  It's called Songs for a New World, and it's written by Jason Robert Brown.  The music is amazing and DIFFICULT!  I am so thankful to have already done the show and to be familiar with the music!  (Back to school is a stressful time as it is without added stress, even if it is for fun!)

I am SUCH a night owl.  I have rehearsals Tuesdays and Thursdays until 10:30 (at least), and by the time I get home, I'm wide awake (from singing and dancing).  I do my best thinking at night.  Also...I may or may not be sliiiiiiighty addicted to Candy Crush.  Ahem.

I went up to work in my room for the first time today.  It didn't look too bad when I got there.  I wish I could say the same for when I left.  OMG.  Can you say disaster area?  Because I can.  I'm somehow going to have to squeeze in 2 more desks than last year, so I decided to get rid of one of my huge file cabinets, and I rearranged and scrunched some furniture together.  We shall see.  Make it work, people!

Mmm....margarita.  Something about summer and margaritas.

Back to school must haves!

1.  Sonic drinks are just a must for working in my classroom.  I pick one up on the way to school almost every time.  Makes life so much better, dontchathink?

2.  A new package of Flair Pens.  This is on your list, too, isn't it?  ;)

3.  I literally rearrange my classroom set up every.  single.  stinkin.  year.  I just have to change it up.  Makes it seem even more like a fresh start, I think.

Thanks for stopping by, and thanks again to Farley for hosting!!!  

Teacher Sales! (Get excited.)

One of my teamies and I are planning to head to Teacher Tools tomorrow for their annual sale, and I thought I'd go ahead and research when allllllll the sales are for teachers this summer.

Might as well share the info. if I'm looking it up, anyway, right?!  Hopefully some of you will benefit from this!  I live in the Dallas area, so I'll share the various locations in our area and try to link to the websites that give sale dates when possible.

Here goes!

TEACHER TOOLS: (20% off storewide)

*July 25th, 8:30 am-7:30 pm - Ft. Worth and Allen locations
*July 30th, 8:30 am-7:30 pm - Hurst and Lewisville locations

LAKESHORE:

*Back to School Sale now through September 1st, 20% off tons of items
*Free shipping online when you spend $79+, use code SHIP79

OFFICE MAX:

*Various Dates; click the link above to enter your zip code and find your store's sale date!
(mine is August 10th-12th)
*Teachers get a free, reusable tote and 25% everything you can fit in it!
*Be sure you have their Max Perks Teacher Rewards card beforehand!

STAPLES:

*Various dates; click the link above to find your store's sale date! (Mine is August 10th, 10:00-1:00)
*FREE shopping bag plus 20% back* in Staples Rewards® on everything you can fit in the bag! For the first 100 teachers. While supplies last.
*Enter to win a $25 Staples® gift card.

Of course, there's still all the weekly ads to look through for the CHEAP STUFF at Target, Walmart, etc.  Though I avoid Walmart like the plague unless it is time for truly desperate measures.  :)

Last year I was up at Office Max having lots of my new decor printed (because they disconnected my printer at school, and I had to wait for the tech guy to come re-sync it or whatever), and with my printing purchase I got a whole class set of FREE composition books!  And they were cute designs, too!  Hoping they'll have that deal again this year.  I have a lot I need to print again this year, and I don't really want to print it all at home.

I've also been searching every Target within a 30 mile radius for these certain book boxes that I got about a month ago.  They only had 3 in the right colors (teal & lime), and I really need 2 more!!!  I also need another 20 or so of these books I got for my team in the Dollar Spot.  They're little reading response books, and I plan to have the kids keep them in their book boxes for Daily 5 and require them to fill out at least one section per week.  One day when I went, they were on sale for 70% off, so I got them for SUPAH CHEAP!

I was going to post a picture of it, but I can't find it, and frankly, I'm too lazy to take another one.  After all, the books are in my car.  In the garage.  In the backseat.  I mean, ain't nobody got time for that, amiright?  :)

Anyway, I hope this post helps a few people out there!  Happy back to school shopping!  I'll be sure to post pics of the goodies I pick up at the sale tomorrow!  Tomorrow is PAY DAY, too!  So watch out!

Catch ya later...

Top Ten Tuesday: Classroom Must Haves

I'm linking up with Courtney at Swimming Into Second (adorable blog!) for her Top Ten Tuesday!

This week's Top Ten is for the things you must have in your classroom.  

So here goes.

#1...My Smartboard

I get so frustrated when it's not working!  I am so used to touching the screen and writing on it.  It's the best.
I was the first teacher at my school to get one (wrote a grant), and now every classroom has one!

#2...Mr. Sketch smelly markers

These make my heart so happy every time I use them.  The kids always want to smell them when I pull out a new one, and I usually indulge them.  Who can blame them?!  These things are awesome!  And they write so bold and neat!

#3...paper chopper

I use this puppy all the time.  I don't call it a paper trimmer because this sucker doesn't trim.  It CHOPS.
Hard core, baby.  :)

#4...bright colored everything

My current classroom decor: lots of lime green and teal!

My old classroom decor.  Beach party!

#5...my Scotch laminator

This is the best purchase I made after hemming and hawing forever about whether or not I should buy it!
Wish I had bought it sooner!  It's perfect for small jobs like centers, task cards, etc.  I also like that it's a thicker lamination that what our school laminator does.  Plus, our laminator is usually on lockdown, and we have to wait for volunteers to come up and do it for us....no comment.  *ahem*

#6...my color printer

I have an HP something-or-other that also scans and all that jazz.  It prints fine, but it is a necessity!
We call it our "team printer," because the color printer in the office is pretty much off limits.
And frankly, who wants to walk across the building to get your stuff, anywho?!  I tell ya.

#7...labels (on everything)

Word Work & Work on Writing.  Labels!

Part of my class library.  LABELS.  They make me sane.  er.  SanER.
I also have almost every cabinet door/drawer labeled with my DYMO label maker.
(If only I was this organized at home...)

#8...my rolling chair

It looks something like this, but navy blue.  I am planning to recover it in a cute fabric this year.
This chair makes me happy.  I like to roll around in it.  I spend so much time controlling the SMARTboard for the kids, that it's nice to have a comfy spot to rest my butt.  :)

#9...storage bins

I love storage bins.  I worked last year to get more bins that matched or coordinated,
because I had collected so many random, mismatched ones!

#10...my teammates

This was my teamies and I at our Summer Conference before school started last year.
That's me on the right.  (So glad my hair has grown out some from when I chopped it off for Pink Hearts Fund!)
I don't know what I'd do without my amazing teammates.  They are SO fun to be with, and we are
constantly cracking each other up.  They make my job more fun and more bearable on those days that are
tough to get through!

So what are your top ten "must haves" in the classroom???

Go link up at Swimming Into Second!

Vacation. Hmph. But Monday Made It. Yay!

I'll be linking up with Tara at her Monday Made It linky further down in this post.  Please feel free to skip ahead if you don't feel like reading about my crummy vacation, lol.  There are some Daily 5 Freebies, so it may be worth it for you to keep reading!  ;)

Well. Hubs and I went to Mexico to celebrate our 5th anniversary, which was June 21st.

"Celebrate" turned out to be a loose term, as we both got sick. Yep. We arrived midday Sunday, I was sick by Monday night, and he was sick by Tuesday night. I spent most of Tuesday in the room, but Wednesday I was able to spend a couple hours at the beach and even some time in the ocean.

We stayed in Playa del Carmen at one of those fancy resorts. It was beautiful. The ocean is gorgeous there. Hubs and I discussed and both agree that the sand in Destin is nicer (white), but the water is nicer in Playa.

Another interesting thing is that there were like NO Americans there. It was nearly ALL Europeans. So I couldn't understand anything anyone was saying. :D

One thing is for sure: when you're sick and unable to enjoy your vacation very much, it sure does make you miss your child more! We both missed our boy terribly and couldn't wait to get back to him Thursday.

Here are a few pictures I managed to get (on my phone, sorry):

Do you like my double chin?  

Europeans.  Lots of em.

View from the bar by the pool, where we took cover during the brief rainstorms that passed through.
There was also a swim up bar, which was my fave.

I looooooove the ocean.

Alas, I'm still feeling miserable, but I'm thankful to be back at home, at least!  The worst part is thinking about how much money we spent on a trip we hardly enjoyed.  :(  Oh well, what can you do???

I did manage to get a few things made for school on our flights, which is where my Monday Made It comes in.  I usually prefer to link up with cute crafty creations (I love alliteration, peeps), but I was in Mexico, so that was a no-go.  Though I have several crafty creations in the works, yay!

Here are a few updated things I've made if anyone is interested, and be sure to click the image above to see Tara's and everyone else's amazing "made-its!"


Free Daily 5 Posters in Teal, Lime & Orange Chevron & Polka Dots:
(Click link to download on TpT; click image to enlarge.)

Free Daily 5 Posters in Black & White Polka Dots:
(Click link to download on TpT; click image to enlarge.)

My Teaching Binder in Pueblo Primary:
(Click link above to view on TpT; click images to view.)

My Teaching Binder in Chevron Brights:
(Click the link above to view; click images to enlarge.)

God bless you if you made it this far!  :D

XO, Gayla