New for us Friday!

I am so excited to be linking up with one of my VERY favorite blogs, Teach Mama, to share something new that Owen and I did today! 

If you haven't read this blog before, you should definitely check it out.  It's full of great ideas that I use both at school and at home to help make learning fun.
Our "New For Us Friday" was inspired by my sweet grandpa, who I call Paw.  He loves to eat lunch at the local senior center where he lives to catch up with friends while enjoying a tasty meal.  On St. Patrick's Day they had little treats in small "baskets" made from cupcake papers and other simple materials.  Knowing that I could definitely use the idea, he saved his basket and sent it to me.  Isn't he the cutest grandpa ever?? 

Paw's basket inspired Owen and I to make not one, not two...but 50 adorable mini baskets for my kiddos and all of his friends in his class!  Here are our finished products!

They were very simple to create.  To make your own, you will need:

• One paper cupcake liner
• 1/2 of a chenille stem (pipe cleaner)
• 1 inch by 8 inch strip of scrapbooking or construction paper
• Foam shape or sticker
• Hot glue
• Stapler

After making so many, I created a "system."  It made things go much more smoothly!  I only wish I would have taken pictures of each step.  I'll do my best to explain without photos!

First, I bent the pipe cleaner into a handle shape and hot glued it to the outside of the cupcake liner.  Then, I formed the paper strip into a circle and stapled it once on the end.  I placed the stapled paper circle on the counter, and pushed the cupcake liner inside the circle.  I stapled near the pipe cleaner on one side of the paper circle to hold it in place, then hot glued around to attach the rest of the paper circle to the cupcake liner.  Owen helped me with the last step (the fun part!).  Once all of the baskets were created, Owen and I chose a coordinating foam shape and stuck it to the front of the basket.  Easy, and super cute!  Here are some close up shots of some of our favorites:

These were Owen's favorites...

And these were some of my favorites! 

They all turned out uniquely, and I think they are adorable!  The children in both classes are sure to enjoy them, especially filled with some special treats - a piece or two of candy, and some Plumdoodles Easter crayons!  I think I'll put some bunnies and eggs in them...



I hope you enjoyed our "New For Us Friday" - if you decide to make the mini baskets, please email me or leave a comment here - I'd love to hear how they turn out!  And if you'd like some Plumdoodles recycled crayons to fill them with, feel free to check out my website (http://www.plumdoodles.weebly.com/) or find my page on Facebook!

10 Things I've Learned from Teaching...

Jennifer at Rowdy in First Grade is hosting a linky party!  I thought I'd join in the fun :) 

I loved reading what everyone has learned from being a teacher.  Since this is my 10th year (yes - 10th!!) teaching first grade, I feel like I have learned a lot...

1. Organization is key.  I try to always know where everything is, and have a plan at all times.  You can never be too prepared!

2.  If you want your students to listen, speak quietly.  I VERY rarely raise my voice, and my students truly tend to be good listeners.

3.  You can never have too many books!  My library is giant and ever-growing.

4.  Diet Coke is a perfect pick-me-up treat for any time of day!

5.  A teacher's work will never be done - you will always have another unit to plan, papers to grade, cupboards to straighten, etc.  Don't let it overwhelm you, and don't take work home every night.

6.  You can't please every parent, no matter how hard you try.  Appreciate and treasure the parents who value your hard work, and try to let the negative parents' comments go (harder than it sounds!).

7.  Teaching lower elementary students is the best - you get to enjoy snack time, story time, and make fun projects!

8.  Any worksheet, paper, or assignment can become "big fun" if you let the students use markers.

9.  It is always on the day that I wake up late and come in with a wet pony tail that one of my students tells me I look beautiful (never mind all of the other days when I put effort into my appearance!).

10.  Although I will never make tons of money, there is no more rewarding job than being a teacher!

Long time, no see!

Holy moly, I can't believe I haven't blogged since February 28th!  And today is March 15th...that is a LONG time!  I promise though, I have plenty of good excuses...

I exhibited in my first craft show with a good friend.  It was a Plumdoodles crayon debut!  I had a great time, made a little cash, and learned a lot about selling at a craft show!  Here is a pic of my half of the booth:

I can't wait to try it again, and apply what I've learned to see if I can increase my sales.  I took the profits of my show, and made two exciting purchases...



Dragon Crocs with glow in the dark eyes and teeth, and...

Ridiculously expensive, extra wide tennis shoes for this little cutie-

Because after all, how can you say no to that face?  Especially when it is for something he needs.  After buying both pairs of his shoes, I had exactly 15 cents left of my craft show earnings.  I think I even put that in his piggy bank (along with all of my other change).  I guess he's worth it :)

We've also been busy just "hanging out"

Playing in the snow

Eating ice cream

And spending time with friends

I promise to post more regularly now that my craft show debut has come and gone, and my busy schedule has slowed down somewhat.  BTW...shameless crayon plug here - check out my website at http://www.plumdoodles.weebly.com/, or my FB page, and pick up some Easter crayons.  They're the perfect, non-sugary treat for your favorite little artist's basket!  Until next time...

Favorite Things Linky Party!

Jodi over at Fun in First Grade is having a Linky Party of favorite things!  It's so much fun I just had to participate :)  So...here are some of my favorite things!

My Favorite Things

1.  Cold Stone Creamery

I have proclaimed my love for Cold Stone over & over - so much so, that at Christmas several of my kiddos and family members gave me gift cards for ice cream!  I am still using them up :)  My ultimate favorite is Reese's Peanut Butter Cup perfection, but Cake Batter Batter comes in a close second.

2.  Starbucks

Another guilty pleasure of mine.  Apparently, I talk about how much I love Starbucks a lot too because I ended up with $80 in gift cards from Christmas :)  Even my sweet little 4 year old son, Owen, is hooked on Starbucks kids hot chocolate with "extra whip." 

I love everything, but I am partial to the Passion Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade, Caramel Frappuccino, and Perfect Oatmeal.  And the scones.  Mmm...scones.

3.  My iPhone

Ok, time for a non-food post.  I got my iPhone last year and I couldn't live without it!  I love the convenience of having everything in one place (calendar, to do list, Face Book, etc.).  It is also great for Owen to play and learn with, and I have been incorporating it into more and more classroom activities.  Love it!

4.  Movies

I just love going to the movies!  The popcorn, theTwizzlers, the Diet Coke...oh, and watching a movie with Jason & Owen is fun too!  Mostly I am limited to children's movies, but once in a while I get to go to a grown up movie as a special treat!

5.  Running

I have a love/hate relationship with running.  While I'm running, I love it.  I hate getting up early and trying to get motivated.  But, I just got a 5K registration form in the mail that has inspired me to hop on the treadmill and train, train, train!

6.  Dave Matthews Band

Seriously, you can't get better than this.  Talented AND gorgeous.  I <3 him!  I've seen him in concert many times and would love to see him again.  I own all of his cd's, have many concert t-shirts...basically, I am obsessed.

7.  Reading

This is one of my favorite books, but I just love reading in general.  Fiction, non-fiction, magazines, blogs - I could spend an entire day curled up on the couch just reading.  I wish I had more time to read and enjoy books - it is part of why I look forward to the summer so much!

8.  Diet Coke

I know it is not healthy - but it is SO good.  I try to limit myself to just a few per week.  Yum!

9.  Office Supplies

I am in heaven when surrounded by office supplies!  I love to file, organize, highlight, and clip things.  I love buying new binders and post-its, cool pens and markers.  I could wander around Staples for hours.  If this makes me a geek, then so be it :)

10.  Shopping

Who doesn't love to shop?  Owen and I love nothing more than to just look around stores, sometimes buying things, and sometimes just "window shopping."  More often than not, we come home with a little something though :)  Here are some of my favorite stores:

Cute clothes, great quality, not too old-ladyish or too young looking.

Do I even need to explain this one?  Love it!

Great sales, great discounts, and great $5 hardcover books!

I'd be lying if I didn't include this one.  They have huge selection and great prices.  Plus Owen loves the toy aisle.

Now it's your turn!  Post your favorite things, then link up with Jodi at Fun in First Grade!

Plumdoodles Giveaway Winner!

And the winner is...
Emily Morgan!  Congratulations Emily!  You win your choice of crayon sets that Plumdoodles makes. 
The winner was chosen using the random number generator at mathgoodies.com.

This program will generate a random number between two numbers of your choice.

Enter a lower limit:
Enter an upper limit:
Random Number:

Thanks to everyone who participated!  Stay tuned, I will be making and posting some brand new, super adorable SEASONAL crayons today!  Here's a hint...

Plumdoodles Give Away!

Two posts in one day??  Yes, it is true!  And the best part is, this post is to tell you about a giveaway I am offering!  You could win a free set of handmade crayons (your choice which set!).  Just go to my website, http://www.plumdoodles.weebly.com/, and click on the "Survey" page.  Fill out the quick little survey, and leave your name and email address in the comments section, along with any comments you may have!  The contest ends Friday at midnight.  I'll choose a winner using a random number generator on Saturday.  Good luck!

100's Day and Valentine's Day - Oh My!!

Yep, you read the title correctly...due to "inclement weather" days, as our school refers to them, both the 100th day of school AND Valentine's Day both fell on Monday.  It was a bit of a crazy day - we celebrated the 100th day of school in the morning (which is usually an all-day event), and Valentine's Day in the afternoon.  The kids, bless their little hearts, were as good as they could be with all of the excitement.  I attribute part of their good behavior to planning, planning, planning on my part (and a pretty low-sugar menu for both parties!).  My only regret is forgetting my camera, so no pics this year :( 
For 100's day, we wrote about having $100, which to a first grader is like winning the lottery!  Their responses were priceless.  We admired each other's work as we filled out a mini scavenger hunt about the 100th day projects (find a fluffy collection, an unusual collection, etc.).  We also made 100th Day crowns and wrote about things we might want 100 of, or want to eat 100 of.  No doubt about it though, the student's favorite part was making the 100th day snack!  Thanks to Rachelle at What the Teacher Wants for the great idea!  In the past, I have had students count out and bring in 100 pieces of their favorite snack.  Then, we combined all of the student's selections into one big bowl and created a trail mix of sorts.  This year, I had students bring in 14 different items, which I placed in individual bowls.  Then, students could come up and count out 10 items from 10 bowls, to make a snack mix with 100 pieces in it!  The best part about it was that there were more than 10 choices, so if students did not like one item, they didn't have to include it.  I'll definitely be doing that again next year!
After lunch and recess, we transitioned into Valentine's Day mode.  This is my favorite holiday party because it is low-key and low stress!  The students passed out their Valentines to each other, played a few Valentine games, and enjoyed a heart and tooth friendly "buffet."  Rather than overload on sweets, students brought in fruit, veggies and dip, chips and salsa, and cheese and crackers to enjoy.  One of my little cuties tried to eat a piece of her Valentine candy after school and her mom told her no, because she had already probably had enough sweets in class.  The poor thing hadn't had any!!
Finally after our busy day, I got to spend time with my little Valentine!  Owen and I met up with our good friends at Basil Boys, a local Italian restaurant for pizza, breadsticks and presents!



My friend was sweet enough to get both kids their own mini-heart cupcake maker.  Owen was super jazzed because she also got him pancake mix (you can make pancakes too!) and sprinkles.  O is a pancake monster, so this was the perfect gift in his eyes.  It even trumped the Zhu Zhu pet app that I downloaded as a gift for him on my iPhone. 

We ended up trying out our pancake/cupcake maker this morning.  Owen woke me up at 3 am not feeling well, so we stayed home today.  Heart shaped pancakes were just what the doctor ordered!

The maker is adorable!

The special sprinkle pancake mix!

And the perfect mini-heart pancakes!  They were delicious, and resembled muffins because of the cupcake maker.  I highly recommend picking one of these up on after Valentine's Day clearance if you can find one!

Happy Valentine's Day!