Bloggy Award?!?!

So on my last blog post, too long ago, I got a comment from a new reader, Brooke, over at Whoooo's in Second?  She mentioned that she had nominated my blog for an award, cool huh?!?!  Ok, well I thought so.  I mean seriously, I haven't been doing this for long and I'm still trying to learn how to manage the blog, being a teacher, and most importantly being a MOMMY!

Basically the nomination is given to bloggers who have under 200 followers.  Well me, yes, I have well under 200 followers.... I'm trying to build on that, but I'm only at a puny 12 followers as of now.  I can tell I have lots of readers due to the page count views, but followers not so much.  SO if you're reading this and you read it consistently, follow!! ;) haha   Seriously though, thank you so much to my readers and my followers, it makes sharing this journey even more rewarding knowing that you enjoy reading! :)

Here are the rules:

1. You must post 11 random things about yourself.

2. Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.

3. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.

4. Choose 11 other blogs with fewer than 200 followers to nominate and link them in your post.

5. You cannot “tag back” the other blog, but leave a comment on this post with the URL of your Liebster post so I can learn more about you & see who you nominate.


So let me get started.....

11 Randoms....
1. I am the oldest of eight kids, yes eight.  My family is blended, so out of the other seven only one is considered my full blooded sibling.  However, I would be lost without all of them, they are all my "real" siblings! 
2. In high school, my senior year I was the mascot.  GO TIGERS!
3. My favorite Disney movie is Cinderella, I still find myself wanting to watch ocassionally.
4. Even though my little one is old enough to pull ornaments off the tree to play with, I braved it and have put glass ornaments on the tree this year!
5. I have believed ever since I was a child that I would be a teacher, but when I first entered college I had the crazy idea that I might should be a nurse.  Needless to say, that idea lasted less than two years before I came to the realization that I could NEVER be a nurse!
6. I love my MAC and would truly be lost without it.  
7. Creating fun things to do in my classroom, using my mac, is a serious stress reliever for me.  I get so lost in what I'm doing that I completely forget about all the stressors!
8.  I'm not a neat freak, but I hate messes and am somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to things that I do.
9.  I love washing laundry, seriously I do.  It's the folding and putting it away part that I loathe. 
10. I would much rather be cold than hot.  I love wearing sweatshirts and layering on the covers!
11. Christmas time is my favorite time of year, I love giving gifts, hearing the music, seeing the beautiful decorations and lights, but most of all I love my mantle being full of different nativity scenes.  I seriously was thinking that maybe I need to keep those out year around because I love seeing them so much! 

Questions from Brooke

1.  What grade is your favorite, and are you currently teaching it? My favorite grade is second and am currently teaching it.  Actually to be honest it's the only grade I've taught other than when I taught first in student teaching.  I couldn't imagine a better grade level to teach though, I love it!

2.  What's your secret stash at school - you know, post-it's, tape, or colored pencils? SHARPIES! I'm absolutely obsessed with sharpies and makers in general.  Oh and twistable crayons, I love those, too!

3.  If you have a favorite subject, what is it and why? I would have to say that my favorite subject is writing, this is a recent development.  After several workshops with Melissa Leach over the summer, I have fallen in love with teaching writing!  I love seeing the kids grow and watching the lightbulb flicker when they have ideas they want to share!

4.  How are you implementing the CCSS standards in your classroom? Honestly, I'm in Texas and we don't have to follow Common Core so...... I just follow my TEKS. :)

5.  Post a picture of your room for us to see - I know, not a question, but the question is, what's it look like where you teach your babies?

Forgive me, I don't really have any recent pictures of just the classroom.  This was taken just before meet the teacher this year! 

6.  What holiday tradition is most important to you?I would say Christmas Eve and Morning.  We always go to church on Christmas Eve and then spend the night together before we head to bed and the elves get to work. ;)  Christmas morning, we always have our sausage balls and cinnamon rolls and then watch my younger siblings empty stockings and open presents.  I love the excitement and joy of this, not to mention that I am with my amazing family!

7.  Does your school have clubs, and if so, what and when are they? My school has a couple different clubs, we have chess club and just created a science olympiad club.  In addition to those, we also have what we call "Enrichment Groups" where ALL of the students PRE-K through 5th get to go to an interest group (crafts, basketball, archery, board games, photography, etc.) once a week on Friday mornings.  When you think about it, it's a really awesome opportunity for our kiddos, although it can be mad chaos at times!

8.  How do you teach guided reading?  I teach guided reading during my literacy centers time.  I have groups leveled by ability and try to get to each group a minimum on once a week.  With the range of readers that I have within my classroom sometimes it's hard to reach each group at least twice.

9.  What blogger was your inspiration for beginning your own blog?  My biggest inspiration was my co-worker, Gwen.  She has her own blog about her family, life, classroom, etc.  She encouraged me to share my story and journey with others!

10. Be honest, we won't tell your husband - how much do you spend on school stuff? More than I should, I usually try to limit myself to no more than $50 a month... This includes art supplies, books, fun stuff, decorations............

11. What is your most memorable moment as a teacher?  So this should probably be one of those "teachable moments" that is most memorable.... well to be honest, the first memorable moment that comes to mind is more of an embarressing moment.  It was my first year of teaching, meet the teacher night.... I remember carefully reviewing my roster, color coding things for boys vs. girls.  I have had about half of my kiddos arrive and then comes in another one.  I will never forget my first impression with this family.  The name of the student was one that could go either way, boy or girl.  My roster said girl, but when they arrived I knew immediately the roster must have been wrong.  After I introduce myself and greet the student and the family, I tell the family that they can go find "his" cubby and put his supplies inside... Well turns out "he" was a "she" and Dad was quick to correct me, making me feel about an inch tall... needless to say, I will never assume again and always go off of what my roster says!! Yeesh!

Nominations-As I was going through blogs, it seemed as though every blog I cam upon had well over 200 followers OR they have already been nominated for this award.  So here are a few that I follow that I have nominated. :)
Simply Skilled in Second   
Teaching with Moxie
The Learning Effect
Special Hearts, Special Smarts
Learning with Mrs. Leeby


Nominee Questions:
1. As a teacher, what is your most embarrassing moment? 
2. On your days off, especially those 3 day weekends, what is your favorite things to do?
3. What was your favorite show as a child?
4. How long have you been teaching and what grades have you taught?
5. Who was your inspiration to become a teacher?
6. What is your all time favorite book to read aloud to your kids?
7.  What do you like most about the school you teach at?
8.  What or who was your biggest inspiration to start your blog?
9. Do you use social media in your classroom?  If so what do you use?
10. If you hit the lottery, what would you do?  Would you still teach?
11. How do you celebrate the holidays?

I am excited for these next two weeks, only because I'm ready for them to be over! ;) 9.5 school days... This week will be jammed pack getting the last few things taught and assessed.  The last week will be all kinds of fun and art to do with different cultures and how they celebrate their holidays!  My next post will include some examples of the AWESOME poetry that my students have written over the past two weeks.  Seriously, talk about one impressed teacher!! Makes me want to teach poetry everyday!  The kids loved it just as much as I did. 

I will leave you with a picture of our elf... He arrived on Monday specially packaged.  The kids were beyond thrilled when their special package arrived.  Jingles, that's the name the students came up with, was well behaved most of the week until Friday... He stole my Peppermint M&M's and apparently decided to share with all of the other stuffed animals in the room, too! Mischievous little guy!

Oh and of course I can't share all of these and not share one more of my little one! :)

Blowing Kisses