Well Melt My Heart & Make My Day

Valentine's Day was a hit! My sweeties showered me with love and enough chocolate to make it through a year of PMS! ;)

The CUTEST thing happened to me yesterday:

I walked into a fellow teacher's classroom to borrow some Expo cleaner, and the most Darlin' little boy with the THICKEST country accent looked up at me and said "Miss Forehand I's jus thinkin' bout marryin' yew!" I put my arm around him and said, "Honey, we have a problem because I already have a husband." He shied away just a bit. But, before I could make it out of the room he ran up to me and wrapped his little arms around my waist and said " Well I was thinkin' bout it!"

Well melt my heart & make my day!!!

Kids are so honest and open. We can learn so much from them.

Those of us who are fortunate enough to work with these wonderful little people are blessed beyond measure. Oh, how they bless my heart and soul!

Did he say what I think he said?

I'm sitting here and have just cracked open Nicholas Sparks' Safe Haven and the kids are watching tv.

A commercial comes on the tv, but I'm not really paying attention.

Suddenly Braden says, " Hey momma, I need some of that Vagisil, my legs are itching me to death!"

I ran out of the room busting a gut!!! I ran to my room and laughed until I cried! Then I called all of my friends!

                                                         Farley's Currently

It's the Tooth Fairy!

We studied dental health this past week and my kiddos made the cutest tooth fairy! The template is by Angie over at Fall Into First. Thanks Angie for such a cute project!
I loved how my boys made their tooth fairies with short hair (boys)!

If I Were an Alien...

If I were an alien, I would be able to generate multiple copies of myself! One to teach, one to manage paperwork, and one to constantly create awesome crafts and projects for my firsties! Oh, and one to blog surf!

I almost forgot!
I would be able to burn calories at lightning speed!!!
That way I could eat all the french fries I want ( my weakness)!

Being able to fly would be cool too!

Last week we discussed space and my firsties created these cute mini posters!  I am so PROUD of how much their writing has improved!  These were a ton of fun to do!

Today one of my sweeties said: "Mrs. Forehand, is that coffee maker where your papers come out of the computer?"  My heart mealted! 





Be Brave, Be Bold, and Teach on Teacher!

Valentine's Day is right around the corner! What better way to celebrate than with a sweet little freebie!  To all my fellow teachers: I commend you for what you do.  I love you as sister educators.

 It is so comforting to pull up your blogs to find that you too have crazy, hair raising, wonderful days in the classroom! You are encouraging.  You push me to be better. Isn't that what this is all about?  Building one another up to be the best that we can be? It has tremendous wonderful effects on our students. 

Never let anyone make you feel less than amazing.  Each and every day you face a room full of hopeful smiling faces.  Each child has very individual needs.  Somehow, through the grace of God, we meet those needs.  I remember EVERY elementary school teacher I had as a child! I couldn't tell you the name of the last doctor I visited.
 What does that say? YOU MATTER and so does what you do! 

Be Brave, Be Bold, and Teach on Teacher!

 

Just Because I Love You

This is a page from my Hugs & Kisses For Learning Pack. Check it out! ;)

 

 

As a side note:

 

When I got to school this morning, I noticed my students were not waiting in the hallway for me.  I walked in my room and the lights were off and it was very quiet.  As any teacher would, I felt this huge serge of panic begin to well up inside of me.  WHERE ARE MY STUDENTS?!!!

Just as I thought "Run, get help!" they jumped out from hiding places and shouted "SURPRISE!"

 

Once the shock wore off and I knew they were ok, my heart swelled!  I love my students!  I just hope they know how much! 

 

AND!!! One of my sweet girls that was in my kindergarten class brought me tie-dye cupcakes to cheer me on for the Color Run!!! AND!!! One of my boys brought me Girl Scout cookies! 

(Yes, I had to run double time today! It was worth it!) 

 

Aren't we all the luckiest girls in the world!!!

 

 

Run Forest Runnn!

Hello! Happy Saturday!

Guess what I did? I signed up for The Color Run in Atlanta!  A group of friends/teachers have all signed up.  We even have a team name! We are the "Dashing Darlins of Dothan."  We are so stoked about this 5K.

 I have always wanted to be one of those graceful runners that you see on t.v.
Needless to say, I have never been able to get to the "graceful" part of running. 
I was always the weird girl gasping for air, hacking up a wad of spit,
and near the brink of a most formidable death. 

But, now thanks to the most awesome free app ever (Couch to 5K) I can run for FIVE straight minutes!

To those of you who are avid runners:  PLEASE don't scoff at my meager 5min, it's a MAJOR accomplishment for this girl! 

Supposedly by the time I complete the 8 week app (C25K) I should be able to run the entire 5k without stopping. 
We'll see! Wish me luck!

On another note, I've been a busy little bee teacher! I cooked up this little mini unit in celebration of Groundhog Day. It contains seven activities! You will find math, science, and literacy!

Happy Groundhog Day Mini Unit

My little Wicket

Since a baby was out of the question, a puppy was the next best thing! Meet my baby Wicket! He is just a doll! He lets me bathe him, brush him, dress him, and (most of all) smother him with lots of love!
After a crazy day with my fabulous firsties, there is nothing better to come to than a wagging tail and sloppy kisses! Who knew that such a little fellow could have such a big personality!

During the holidays my students shared Elf on The Shelf stories; I shared Wicket stories. We'll just say he has a knack for stealing socks and underwear!
My husbands boxers are quite large compared to this little Yorkie. So to see Wicket tearing through the house at full speed with a pair was quite the show!

Wicket has also developed a love for plastic Easter Eggs! Who knew?!

Anticipation

Ok, this is killing me!!! I just watch the electoral votes slowly creep up!

I'm on the edge of my seat! I have watched this election cycle for Months!

I'm so thankful to live and work in a country where we can exercise our right to vote.

The USA rocks!!! No place like home!

Getting Rid Of The Old and Beginning With The New

Guess what?

Guess....

I got rid of my teacher desk. 

Yes.

I know.  I know.  I busted my butt  for 4 years to earn that desk.  And then I tossed it.

Yep.

I did it!

Mr. Shawn (our wonderful custodian) hauled it away under one condition:  I could never ask to have it back. 

It's a done deal. 

Now we have space for something way cooler than a teacher desk!

I have two super cute over sized chairs at home that no one uses.
So,   I announced to my hubby that I was taking one of "my" chairs to school.
(The other one will make it eventually!)

I can't wait to get it there!  I want to create a super cozy reading nook-coffee house style. ;)
It will be so nice to have a comfy place for me the kids to sit and grade papers read.   




My firsties and I have set out on our very first writer's workshop! (Let's Write About It: Halloween)

I know, I know, I really should have gone ahead and started with Thanksgiving!

I'm doing the best I can! ;)

It has been FABULOUS!
We've made it through our brainstorming bubble map and idea organizer.
Monday we begin our rough draft!
I hope by Friday that our final drafts are complete.

Then I'll give them some time off before we tackle Thanksgiving.

The kids are so excited about writing like "big kids."

I'll post pics of our finished product ASAP!

Meanwhile I have more goodies to share! Check it all out at my TPT Store!

Make N Stuff Guilt Free

Hey all! Hope you have enjoyed your weekend!

I've been a busy bee creating some fun center activities for my classroom! 

The greatest thing I have done yet (as far as blog world and TPT) is to create a TPT store!

 Check It Out!

Let me just say that I get so excited to see how many times my freebies are downloaded! 

But more than that, because I can share my ideas via my precocious  precious firsties and TPT, my hubby doesn't fuss about how much time I spend back here making stuff!  Slap a $1 on whatever it is and all of my guilt is gone!

(Who am I kidding? I don't feel guilty at all!)

I want to SHOUT from the roof tops how incredibly blessed I am!  From my awesome family, to my undies, I am so THANKFUL! 

God is good.  If there is anything in your life that is weighing you down, or causing doubt in your heart, know this: YOU CAN DO IT.  You can't do it alone, but you can do it with Christ by your side. 

Jesus has brought me through some tough times. He has kept his promise.  He has NEVER let me down. 

I can stand before my students with love and patience because He put me there.

I offer you encouragement.  Keep going.  Don't give up because he won't give up on you.

Sending you love and hope...

 

Rock-N the Boat

There is no time like the present.

Over this past summer I was a CRAZY blog stalker and learned a lot about The Daily Five.  I caught the fever.  I was so disappointed with my reading block last year that I knew I had to change it up.
I bought the book, read it in two days.

 I was SOLD.

I didn't know how I was going to do it.  I just knew that I was.  I was beside myself with excitement. 
So much so, that I convinced my bestie co-worker to take the plunge with me. 
She caught the fire too. 

We are smoldering!!!

We LOVE LOVE LOVE The Daily Five!  It is the best thing since sweet tea!

We love D5 so much that we tossed the idea around about implementing something similar in math.  (We use Go Math)

Well, my bestie co-worker (Adventures in First With Mrs. Key) came to me yesterday and said, "Let's Do It!"

I agreed. 

She was willing to jump with me.  Who am I not to return the favor?! :) 

Here we go, wish us luck!  If any of you implement something similar to D5 during your math block, I can use ALL the help I can get!

 Resources are WELCOME!

Please share! 

On another note:
I put together a Go Math Chapter 3 Review/Study Guide (2pgs).  Thought I'd share just in case you might be able to use it.

                                                      Chapter 3 Review









 Things My Kids Say:   Mrs. Forehand announced, "Boys and girls, we don't have time to stop by the bathroom before lunch. So, I'm going to give you a squirt of hand sanitizer.  The alcohol in it will kill all those yucky germs."

"Mrs. Forehand, my momma drinks alcohol.  I didn't know beer could kill germs!" exclaimed a very bright little girl.

 Many hushed whispers went around the room.
("Her mom drinks beer?"  "What's beer?"  "You can drink alcohol?) 

Mrs. Forehand smiled ever so sweetly, "Sweetie, it's not the same kind of alcohol.  Now, let's go eat lunch."

Yep! My Cheeks Froze

It was cold Saturday night! Oh my goodness! I didn't think daylight was ever going to come!


But with that said, the boys had a blast! And so did I!

It was back to school today. ROUGH!!! Being spoiled for nine days has its consequences!

I missed my kiddos very much.

For whatever reason, I told my kiddos my first name! The look of shock was PRICELESS!
"Mrs. Forehand, We didn't know you had two names!"

Such simple things mean so much. It's all about building relationships. My students would travel to the moon and back for me, just as I would for them.

Have you ever told your students your first name?

Freezy Cheeks!

 We are up and at 'em this morning getting ready for our primitive camping trip! Very excited! However, I might be rethinking this whole thing tonight when it's 48* outside and I have to go "you know" in an outhouse type device... Whew! my butt has chills just thinking about it!



Things My Kids Say: "Momma, when I grow up I'm going to be a gambler." 
"You are going to be a what?" 
"Yeah, a gambler.  I heard daddy say that he used to go with his ex wife and it was a lotta' fun." 
"Oh, you did.  What else did daddy say about his ex wife?"
"That she was prettier than you.  Hahahaha momma, I'm just kiddin'! Daddy didn't say that!  No, momma don't call daddy!!!"




P.S. We do not support gambling nor have I ever been gambling.  And I hope my son does not follow in his father's (pre-good wife's) footsteps. 

Too cute not to share!

Not a Monster in Law

I woke up to a nice surprise this morning. My mother in law stopped by to say she was taking me (and the kids) to lunch! What a sweetie! Yes, you heard me correctly-my mother in law. No, she isn't out to get me! She's not a monster at all!

On the contrary, she is one of my dearest friends. When Steven (the 'ol ball-n-chain)and I first got together, she said to me, "Honey, he may be my son but he's still a man and if you have to give him a good cussin' every now and then, it's all right by me. A woman's got to keep her man in his place. Just don't tell me what ya said." From that moment on, our friendship was sealed in fate. I couldn't have asked for anything better! But I must add-sometimes I do tell her the good stuff! ;)

Thirteen years later her son and I are still going strong! Well, I gotta run and get my FREE lunch and pack up for primitive camping! That should lead to an interesting post!



Things My Kids Say: "Mrs. Forehand, when my daddy watches football, he says the "F" word and throws the remote when they don't get the ball!"

All in a Days Work

I've been working harder than Santa's top notch elf!

 

Whew!  I must say I've been enjoying every minute of it!
 My students will be crying "No more Mrs. Forehand! We can't take it!"
And in my evil teacher laugh "Rahahah, write students write!"
I have lots to share!

Cub Scout meeting tonight ow-ow-owwwwww! ;)  Just looked over at the table and remembered I have to sew five little hand prints to our flag! Oopps! Better get on that- As soon as I get back from Wally World.  I need pick up some  modeling clay (the boys will be making snakes tonight) and I don't know about you all, but I have gotten to the point that I hate having to step foot in that place.  Yes, they have great prices and everything I need in one place yatta yatta yatta, but I just hate it!  Guess I'll have to put on my big girl panties and get it done.
 "Do it for the Wolves! Ow-OW-Owwww!"

                                                     Let's Write About It: Thanksgiving

Let's Write About It: Christmas

 

Can I just say that I am having a blast! I soooo needed this week off! ;)  We are just hanging out and sleeping in!  To celebrate all this fun I'm having, I would like to share a freebie with you!  But there is a catch! Isn't there ALWAYS a catch?! Follow me and enjoy this little freebie! Check out my TPT store.  The ideas are rolling in! I hope you can find something you can use! Check back often-Juices are flowing! Hehe!

Halloween Free Writing Paper

I created this packet to take students through the writing process using graphic organizers and fun clip art.  It's an easy way to get them writing! Check it out, Just in time for Halloween!  I will have Christmas coming soon!

 

Let's Write About It: Halloween

 

 

Thank you! And Happy Wednesday!

 



Halloween Fun!

 

 

 

 



Skully's Bones!

Go Big or Go Home

It's been a long time... CRAZY doesn't begin to descibe the week prior to Fall Break!

Well, as the saying goes "Go big or Go home" I have jumped into the wonderful world of Teachers Pay Teachers.  I have uploaded one freebie and I am working on my first sale item! This is all so overwhelming much fun!  I will continue to work out the kinks and work on creating some totally cute things for us all to use in our classrooms!
Thank you for your love and support!
One crazy lady-
Signing off!

It's The Ice Cream Shake