Sunday Scoop and Wonders Blogging Plan!

Even though we had an unexpected day off (crazy fog) Friday, I still can't manage to figure out where my weekend time goes.  Okay, I know where it goes...my kids!  Yesterday, between her cross country meet and soccer game, my daughter joined her friend on stage to sing a song at a festival.

Therefore, these quick blog posts are all I can seem to fit in right now.  However, as we are getting back into our reading series next week, I'm hoping to make week 3 a true test of the format we created.  My hope is to create a blog post for each day, outlining the format.  Here's a run down of what the general idea is:

Monday - Intros, intros, intros....  A lot going on this day!
Tuesday - Focus on reading: Using workshop story to help teach a RL or RI standard.
Wednesday - Focus on language
Thursday - Work with anthology story (already read for homework to save time) and writing focus.
Friday - "Flex" day: Guided reading and literacy centers.

Since my son will be away at camp, and my daughter only has one evening commitment (unbelievable), maybe I'll have time to create these posts!

For now, here's my Sunday Scoop!  Linking up with Teaching Trio again for this fun post.  Maybe this week I can do a little better with my "hope to do" items.

Have a great week everyone!  And thanks for stopping by:)

Sunday Scoop

I love reading others' quick posts on links like Currently and Sunday Scoop with Teaching Trio.  However, this is my first time linking up myself.  I'm posting from my grandma's house this morning.  I had a sleep-over with her last night.  We lost my grandpa last week, and I volunteered to stay with her last night.  My son stayed too, and we had a lot of fun.  Brought back memories from when I was young and spent the night here.  Only thing missing are the mini boxes of cereal that my cousins and I used to fight over in the morning:)

My husband regularly has Sunday dinner for the many "single" ladies in his life.  This includes my mom, my ex-stepmom, my mother-in-law, and my two older step-daughters when they can make it.  My dad is going to drive my grandma over tonight to join this group.  We are all looking forward to it!

I hope everyone has a productive Sunday (or relaxing Sunday if that's what you need) and a terrific week.

Five for Friday - Weekend Freebie

Trying to not let the back-to-school madness bring my blogging to a standstill.  I'm going to do a quick link up with Doodle Bugs Five for Friday.

 

Even though I haven't had time to make or post any new items to my TpT store in the last few weeks, I've been gaining new followers and doing very well.  I had a goal of reaching 50 followers before school started.  I was just shy of that goal at the time, but have since made it, and am now at 61.  As a thanks, I'm putting one of my items for free for the weekend.  I created my grade-level spelling task cards mid-year last year, but this year I'm using them as a pre-assessment now, and then plan to do it again at the end of the year.  I've already done this, and am keeping the students' answers to give back to them with their answers at the end of the year.  This could easily be used with grades 3-5.

 

While we love our house and neighborhood, the many restrictions force us to keep our eyes open.  This summer we saw a couple of possibilities, and I reminded my husband that if the "perfect" house comes along, we have some unfinished projects here that should be wrapped up if we need to list.  So extending our back patio to go with the door off the dining room we put in years ago is a must.  Well, the patio still isn't done, but he did finish the fire pit that he wants to put on the corner.  Hard to see in the pic, but it's done above and beyond the typical fire pit.  My boys are enjoying the first fire together.

 

 

So, I've gotten through two "normal" weeks with our new series.  However, this past week we had to give CogAt tests, which ate up a chunk of instructional time.  And next week has several interruptions scheduled too...  So, we decided to not continue onto week 3 next week.  Instead, we are going to spend more time practicing the literature standard skills we've introduced so far.  We also are going to introduce the Flex schedule that will be our Friday routine, and give students an opportunity to practice working within this independent structure.  I'm thinking about getting a sign to hang on my door so that I can have a normal week in which I can focus on TEACHING!

 

 

I'm proud of my daughter in her ability to begin her 8th grade year successfully!  I've always had to really check her grades and get on her for late/missing assignments, incomplete assignment book, failed test grades, etc...  Intrinsic motivation is not something either of my children yet have:(  So far this year she has been getting everything done (well, one missing assignment).  All her grades are A's and B's, and I haven't had to do anything!!!!  On top of this, she is juggling cross country and soccer.  Very happy and proud of her. 

Quote board finally done and hanging!  Jumping into the blogging world as a reader this summer had me crafting (which is not something I do).  I loved this idea from Tara at Monday Made It, and decided to give it a try.  There were many problems and redos, but I finally got it.  My advice for anyone looking to craft with chalkboard items, avoid the spraypaint!  The paint is expensive, but using a Michaels coupon makes it affordable.  I paired a quote or proverb with all of my Weekly ELA sheets, and included the quote and mini-bios as part of my TpT product, but also made these quote and bio posters available by themselves.  You can see the mini bio hanging under the quote board.  I only wish I could make my handwriting look neater..

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by:)

Remembering a Great Man

First of all, my last post was done when I was up north in Michigan with my grandparents at their 100+ year old trout fishing club.  My great-great grandfather was one of the original members.  I've always been close to my grandparents, and every year I feared that the trip would be my last.  I lost my grandfather Friday morning:(  If I do ever go back up, it will never be the same.  I'm grateful for the 40 years I had with him, and that my own children are old enough to have lasting memories of such an amazing man.

As a teenager, he was the one I went to when I couldn't talk to anyone else.  I'd call my grandma and tell her I was coming over, that's all I said, but she always knew.  She'd meet me at the door and say she had some "shopping" to do.  I was his first born granddaughter, and our bond was not a secret.

I've tried twice to post in the last few days, and this is my third attempt.  I don't know how to segue into school from this.  So I'll keep this post short, always remember that your loved ones and family come first.  If you were one of the few followers I had when I started blogging, you might remember me talking about my grandpa's 90th birthday party in July.  It was a big party and we hired a jazz band to perform.  Great memories that day that we are lucky to hold on to.

This is him throwing an impressive line this past summer.  I'll miss him, but I'm happy that he could fish right up to his end, he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.  I love you grandpa, and will miss you TERRIBLY:(

Currently September

I added Oh' Boy 4th Grade to my blog feed when I first started blogging this summer, but this is my first time linking up with her monthly linky.

I can summarize most of the above items in one paragraph:

LISTENING, LOVING, THINKING, WANTING - My grandpa is a member at a trout fishing club that has been around for over 100 years.  My great-great grandpa was one of the original members.  I've been coming up here to spend time in the summer with my grandparents (who I'm very close to) for 25 years.  I'm so grateful that my own kids have been able to experience this too, but I'm feeling like it's coming to an end.  Every year I wonder if it will be my last, but the failing health of my grandpa is now obvious.  I'm driving them home today, and hopefully a doctor's appointment will just find that medicine needs to be tweaked.  Our Labor Day weekend drive north only had slightly bad traffic, and I'm hoping for the same going home.  My grandma will need to stop to use the restroom at least 4 times, so it's going to be a long trip!

NEEDING - Back-to-school colds for me are unavoidable.  Between the germs and the stress, I  get one every year.  I hate that I got it now though, because my grandparents are too fragile to be exposed, and there's nothing I can do.  Hopefully this one doesn't develop into a sinus infection like my last several have...

3 TRIPS - Machu Picchu is something my husband and I hope to do together someday.  It's a place we both have been intrigued by, even before we started dating.  Greece has always been on my list.  I've heard over and over how beautiful it is, and I love Greek food.  Mallorca just came to me for my third.  It's just a little too embarrassing to say why.

Happy Labor Day everyone, and I hope you all have a productive September!