Our Annual Family Letter

Here's a more personal look at my life.  I decided to post my annual family letter.  I never seem to get it done in time for it to be a Christmas letter (although I did add Christmas graphics to it!).  You my bloggy friends have become my friends as well this year so here it is:

Excited BEYOND Words!!!!!

Yes, I have NOT fixed my last post yet, but I've been trying to get my Google Reader down to ZERO unread posts before the new year (we'll see if it is possible) & I read Hadar's post from December 3rd about a Southern Cal. get together for bloggers!!!! Whooooo Hooo!!! Yes, I am changing doctor's appointments to go join these amazing ladies & get to meet them in person!!!  So far I know it will be Hadar from Miss Kindergarten, Annie from the Moffatt Girls, Kristin from A Teeny Tiny Teacher, Fran from Kindergarten Crayons, & Kerri & Lindsay from Teacher Bits & Bobs!!!  I love all of their blogs!!  It feels like I'm getting to meet celebrities!!!  Well, I guess they are in my world!!  I'm waiting super anxiously patientlyfor Hadar to write back to see who else I get to meet!!!!  So much to do!!...last post to correct and finish, after Christmas family letter to write, manicure to give my 8 year old... be back when I know who else will be there!!!

A Pinterest Kind of Christmas!

First of all,  a VERY Merry Christmas to all of you wonderful bloggers!  I pray you have had a blessed time with your families!!

This year I've had a 'Pinterest Kind of Christmas' which I will prove to you in this post!!

I think it all started with our classroom Christmas Party.  I wanted something more than just food passed out and then eaten, but nothing too complicated.  We used to have room parents who coordinated parties, but that hasn't happened in years.  I found this WONDERFUL idea on Pinterest:

Click HERE to go to original site.

I loved this because it would involve the students and yet we only needed one color of frosting!  The kids LOVED it and many of the teachers at my school who saw the finished products said they wanted to try to do them next year too.  Here are just a few pictures of my students' creations:

                   
I just realized how VERY tired I am so I'm going to upload my pictures and go to bed...tomorrow I'll share the Pinterest links, and details, and organize it!! So if you look at this tonight or early please check back soon!

Edublog Awards & Clouds!!!

Right now the Edublog Awards are going on. 

There are several blogs/bloggers that I am voting for and I wanted to share with you who I am voting for and encourage you to vote as well.  
First, TBA (Teaching Blog Addict) is up for the best group blog...then, Erin Klein of Kleinspirtation is up for best new blog...also Richard Bryne of Free Technology for Teachers is up for both best ed tech/resources blog & lifetime achievement...the amazing Kristen of Ladybug's Teacher Files is up for best individual blog...and finally Heidi Songs for best media.


I would LOVE to hear if there are blogs/sites that you love and are voting for!!!

I have always loved clouds and now there is another kind of cloud I love besides cumulus, cirrus etc.....Web Clouds!!!

I have so many different flash drives and work on several different computers so I have been placing my files on the various clouds to be able to access my files from ANYWHERE!  I do have a premium membership with Evernote, but I may not renew it because if I modify a document it doesn't change it automatically.  The three I've been recently using do have this awesome feature!

The first one is 'Box'

I also am using Dropbox

here's the link.... http://db.tt/GmJgRMiz

I use Sugar Sync as well

here's the link... https://www.sugarsync.com/referral?rf=eh2hfnqpnkykj&utm_source=txemail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=referral

All 3 of these are free and I have been organizing all of my files trying to get them in a logical order...all of my Storytown/Excursions files, personal, grading, downloaded resources, subway art...

Let me know what clouds you are using and how you like them.

Today and tomorrow I'm at district training on Common Core Standards.  Yes, California chose to include that extra 15% that states were allowed to add so ours aren't quite like all of the other states.

Happy Blogging!

Great Giveaway for the 12 Days!!!

Okay, each day I hope to see my "All Items(1000+)" in my Google Reader change to something LESS than 1000+!!!!!  I've been scrolling through blogs several times a day trying to get it down.  I figure I must have been around 3000+!!!  

Well, I've got it far enough down to be up to date on a great giveaway:

ALL of these blogs/bloggers are some of my FAVORITES!!  Now, I must admit that I have mixed feelings about blogging about this because the more of you that know about this great 12 day give away and enter it, the smaller my chances are of winning!! ;-)

Head on over to the 1st Day at Farley's Oh' Boy 4th Grade.  Just let me know if you win any of the days; I'll try not  to be too upset with you! ;-)