Amazing Giveaway Blog HOP

There are some REALLY great bloggy buddies who have some SUPER products up for a giveaway! Make sure I shared it with you so you have a chance to enter.


Go to Dilly Dabbles to start the HOP. Good Luck!

100 Followers and Give Away!

I MADE IT TO 100 FOLLOWERS. Can you tell I am excited?

Trisha at First Grade Frosting and Angie from Rulin' the Roost have also reached 100 followers so we have teamed up for an even bigger giveaway!

Thank you to all of my followers for welcoming me to the blogging world back in January!

I hope I have shared a little something over the past few months you could use or enjoyed.

Tamera (that's me) from My Heart Belongs in First will be giving away three items from her TPT store (winner's choice) to the first winner.

Trisha @ First Grade Frosting will be giving away either a $10.00 gift certificate to her TPT store or to Amazon to the second winner (winners choice).

Angie @ Ruling the Roost will be giving away 1 item from her TPT store (winner's choice) to the third winner.

Here's how to enter:

(leave all comments on Trisha's blog.)

1- One entry for following each of our blogs and leave 1 comment saying you do/did so.

My Heart Belongs in First

First Grade Frosting

Rulin' the Roost

2. One entry for following each of our TPT stores and leave 1 comment saying you do/did.

My Heart Belongs in First

First Grade Frosting

Rulin' the Roost

3. One entry for follow Trisha & Tamera on Pinterest and Angie on facebook. Leave 1 comment saying you do/did.

My Heart Belongs in First

First Grade Frosting

Rulin' the Roost

4. - Blog about this giveaway and receive 2 entries by leaving 2 comments with the link to your blog post.

That's 5 chances to win!

Common Core Freebie

My students have been working hard on place value the past couple of weeks. We have been

• working on representing numbers with tens and ones all the way to 120 (1.NBT.1)
• adding within 100 - adding a one digit number to a two digit number and adding a two-digit number to a multiple of ten (1.NBT.4)
  
• mentally finding +10, -10 (1.NBT.5)
• subtracting multiples of 10 from a given two digit number (1.NBT.6)

The above activity is one I created to help students with 1.NBT.5. It is 4 pages. Just click on the pic to download.

Furry Friends Linky Party & GiveAway

Sandy @ Soaring Through Second Grade is hosting a linky party about our furry friends. To tie this to teaching, you have to tell what your furry friend has taught you.

Bully was the first furry friend and the best friend I ever had. Bully was my constant companion. He would play ball, hide-and-seek, and play in the leaves. He kept me safe at all times. He was my protector. I remember one time actually napping with him in his doghouse. I had Bully for 8 years. He taught me all about friendship and how to be brave. I had many other furry friends as a child and teen, but none compared to him.

This is Kaitlyn and her furry friend Kramer. We got Kramer when Kaitlyn was in kindergarten and he was her "baby doll." He tolerated her dressing him up and fixing his hair- he was the sweetest dog. Kramer was so laid back except if the front door was open & then he was gone in a flash! It used to make my husband so mad, because he would have to go chase him down. Kramer got sick the fall of Kaitlyn's senior year. He had a growth on his throat which would lead him to a very poor quality of life even if treated. The night of Kaitlyn's Homecoming, she bravely decided he should be put to sleep. We couldn't make that decision for her. She couldn't stand to see him suffer. (Kaitlyn now volunteers at the animal shelter near her college often. Her dream would be to run an animal shelter.) Kramer taught us patience.

Kramer was our first Schnauzer and first indoor dog. He was such a good dog, we decided to get another one. Meet Lexi, otherwise known as "She-Devil" by a few friends. (Now look at that face, does she look like a little devil?) Well, Lexi does not appreciate children running through the house and barks loudly after then and will chase them. I think she is just trying to warn them about running. She makes a wonderful guard dog, too. However, her bark is worse than her bite.

Lexi, is the PERFECT lap dog and a very good listener! Actually, she listens much better than my two boys! Lexi sleeps nightly with any of my three kiddos and goes on all vacations with us. Lexi can teach total love. She barks and growls at us when we try to go to work - making sure we tell her goodbye. When we get home in the afternoon she is at the door waiting and will not go outside UNTIL she has received adequate loving. She is too funny.

Now this adorable puppy is Cooper! Remember I said my daughter volunteers at the animal shelter? Well, Cooper is a shelter puppy. We had looked for awhile for a bigger dog for my husband. He is a boxer/lab mix. Cooper has taught us all about forgiveness. Why you may ask? Cooper has a chewing problem!

This adorable puppy has chewed up....

furniture

shoes

dining room table chairs

the window sill

my water container for my Rainbow ($60)

the cushions on all three chairs of the front porch furniture

the lattice on my husbands building

almost half of the railings on our back porch and

the permanent mud flaps on my Nissan Altima ...

just to name a few!

No matter what Cooper chews up, my husband gets infuriated, but then just looks at him and is big ears and goofy stance and well.....

ALL is FORGIVEN.

Super Sale

To celebrate Tax Day, I am having a Super Sale in my TPT store. Stop by and enjoy a 10% discount on everything in my store. Don't forget to leave feedback.

Two New Common Core Math Work Stations

The "bug" themed Math Workstations I created for my classroom and then placed on TPT have been such a success, I decided to create 2 more. These two Math Workstations deal with 1.OA.8 - solving missing numbers in subtraction and addition equations.

(Click on each picture to visit my TPT store.)

Surprises & 2 TAGs

Back from a short vacation and nice surprises waiting for me when I got home.

1. My beautiful daughter was home from college.
2. At the front door - a huge box from Pampered Chef for my daughter, who is now a consultant.
3. At the back door - a box of 300+ photos from Snapfish for me! (It is SPRING Break and I am going to EAT, SLEEP, SCRAP!)
4. On the computer - 2 TAGs by Rachel over at A-B- Seymour and Jillian over at Jillian's Just Tinkering Around while out of town.

Here Are The Rules:

* Post these rules

* Answer the 10 questions that the tagger posted for you

* Create 10 questions of your own to ask the people that you're about to tag

* Tag 10 people and link them with your post (and let them know they've been tagged!)

Questions from Rachel:

1. What is your favorite subject to teach?

My favorite time of the day is when I get to teach reading in small groups. I returned back to school in 2008 to get my Master's in Reading. Sometime in the not so near future I plan to leave the classroom to teach Title I Reading again.

2. What is your most embarrassing moment as a teacher?

NO Laughing. I left the teacher's bathroom one afternoon walked in to the office area. The secretary stopped me because my skirt was stuck into the back of my pantyhose! Luckily, there were no men or children anywhere to be seen!

3. What is the most exciting thing you will do this summer?

For sure, a week at the beach where I will spend many hours reading on the beach with my toes in the sand and many more hours riding around on a golf cart with my hunny and kiddos.

HOPING, for 2 tickets to see Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw in concert.

4. What is your favorite holiday?

I would have to say Halloween. My mom's birthday is October 30th. I was born on her birthday. My husband was born Oct. 26th. So, we always have a huge birthday celebration for the three of us. I also love that it is a holiday without the pressure of buying gifts. The weather is perfect in October also. Fall is my favorite time of the year.

5. What is the most important item you use in your classroom?

The guided reading sets we purchased as a grade level years ago from the Wright Group.

6. What item would you love to have in your classroom?

I would love to have an iPad in the classroom. I think I am getting one soon.

7. What tip would you give to a new teacher?

- love your job. If you don't love what you are doing, do something else.

8. How long have you been a teacher?

Since 1992 - 20 years- oh my!

9. If you weren't a teacher, what would you be doing?

I would probably be working in social services or an activities director for a nursing home.

10. How do you celebrate the end of the school year with your kiddos?

We will be having a class party - most likely with the "Minute to Win It" theme.

Questions from Jillian:

1. Where/What do you teach?
I teach in Davidson County, NC. I teach first grade & LOVE it!

2. What is your favorite font? (I know we all have one!)
During word processing I love Comic Sans. I have a TON I LOVE for scrapbooking.

3. Do you have a favorite grading pen? Or stamp? Or stickers?
My favorite writing pen is Le Pen. I love to color/make charts with Mr. Sketch. I love Stampin' Up Stamps because I like all the sets, instead of individual stamps to mix & match.

4. When does your school get out for Summer?
June 7 or 8th. I am not looking for sure because I don't want to get my eyes on the prize. I just keep chugging along.

5. What is your all time favorite lesson/unit to teach? Why?
Writing - Poetry. The kids always amaze me at what they can come up with. It is so different from any other writing unit that the kids get excited about writing again.
Science - Animals, of course. I am an animal lover and from an early age thought I wanted to be a vet, until I saw some of the things they had to do.
Math - Fractions - I love to integrate FOOD in this unit. YUM!

6. Any guilty pleasures on the weekend? (you read about my embarrassing TV shows....)
I like to sleep late! You can never accuse me of seeing the sunrise on a Saturday. Sunsets are much more colorful!

7. What one thing could you not live without in your classroom?

The guided reading sets we purchased as a grade level years ago from the Wright Group/

8. Favorite piece of technology?
Sorry, hands down, my laptop. I can't live without it!

9. Body wash or soap?
Body wash

10. What does your classroom smell like? Candles? Diffusers? Plug-ins?
Little dirty bodies after recess. We can't use candles or plug-ins. We have a really strict fire
marshall. Not sure what we did to tick them off, but they are strict!

My Questions:

1. Do you have a theme for your classroom?

2. What is one supply you purchase every year for your classroom?

3. What is your favorite group or singer?

4. If you could visit one place in the US, where would it be?

5. How do you find a balance between work and school?

6. What is the newest book you purchased for your classroom?

7. What do you like to read in your free time?

8. McSteamy or McDreamy or McDonald's?

9. Do you have a classroom pet? If so, what kind?

10. What kind of gift do you give your kiddos for the end of the year?

Bloggers I'm Tagging:

• Jaymee @ Adventures of First Grade
• Kelly @ All That Glitters in First Grade
• Ellen @ Great {First Grade} Expectations
• Barbara and Mary @ Happy Teaching Sisters
• Tammy @ Forever in First
• Barbara @ Grade ONEderful
  
• Jill @ Mrs. T's First Grade Class
• Marie @ The Hands-On Teacher
• Melissa @ Today in First Grade
  
• Shannon @ Tickled to Teach
  

5 Days of Give Aways!

Hurry! Head over to Jen at Finally in First for 5 Day = 5 Giveaways!

After you enter the giveaway, look around. You will find lots of wonderful ideas for your classroom from this very talented blogger and teacher!

Currently

Come join Farley's Currently Linky Party over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.