happy birthday to the mr.

well the husband turned 31 today

and unfortunately he has to work late

so we will be celebrating this weekend

and instead I'm spending the evening with this little one

and yes, Luna is in E's crib

and no she shouldn't be

and yes I probably should be getting her out ASAP and not taking pictures

but she is SO cute, I just couldn't help myself

and the funniest part is she completely ignored the crib for months

still wasn't having it when the mattress was put in

but as soon as we put these cute little sheets on

she found her way in very fast

so we will keep working on it

and no, she is not in there right now, but being a good girl and sitting with me

on the sofa, just like a good fur baby should

expectations for art in the classroom

last year I realized that art in the classroom was kind of my thing

and when it came to teaching nothing but history

I realized how crucial these projects were going to be for our success

however, I know that doing a lot of art in the classroom is not always easy

 for teachers to begin

and one of the biggest complaints I hear from colleagues is that they hate doing art

because the projects never turn out how they want

so I've decided to share a few things I do, or expect, from my students 

when it comes to each and every project

so here they are - expectations presented to my students for each and every

art project we complete in class

and a few helpful hints to make art projects a happy experience for all

#1 a pencil plan [just pencil on final paper]

 must be complete before ANY art mediums are used

#2 no pencil is showing on final projects

#3 always give students a number of art mediums you expect them to use on the project

I start out with 2 different mediums and then move up from there as the year goes on

#4 NO highlighters may be used on final art pieces

#5 markers are for outlining, not coloring in large spaces

#6 suggest which coloring supplies are going to work for parts of the project

[small pieces need color pencils, not crayons, etc.]

#7 colored chalk can be your very best friend, and the kids love it because they can add SO much color to their piece in very little time, and you will love it because it looks awesome

just make sure to remind students to use the chalk on the side and don't be afraid to get their finger tips dirty from blending!

#8 ALWAYS show examples of finished projects - this may be hard because many times that means you the teacher have to take the time to make the example yourself, but it is SO worth it

#9 ALWAYS give students the grading rubric at the start of the project

I create my own rubrics for each project but it works pretty much like a check-list for students to remember the details for that particular project

 like how many symbols they need to use, how many art mediums, etc.

and when they see that they are actually given points on the project just for "neatness" it seems to help them slow down while working

and last but surely not least

#10 COMPLIMENT THE HECK OUT OF EACH AND EVERY PROJECT

monitoring while students are working on their art is crucial

find something, anything, that can be complimented

I know this seems obvious, but I'm telling you, it is the true key to success

you can see the kid literally light up as you find something special in their piece

and confidence with art will take them so far

want proof?

well here are some pictures from the very first art project I have done with my 

6th grade students this year:

all my history students completed this mandala project on the topic

"what makes history?"

just let me know if you are interested in seeing the worksheet I created to help them begin this project

and the best part, I already had some examples from last year 

when my 8th graders made mandalas for our unit on slavery

well there you go, hope this helps

sorry, it turned out to be a little wordier than I was hoping

also, thanks to meg from oh happy day for suggesting I write this post!

green new dots

mmmmmkay

if I had to stop collecting pyrex today, I officially could do it

[wouldn't want to, but I could]

because the ONE piece I've been desiring

needing

loving

wanting

drooling over

searching

hunting

and so on

is finally mine

thanks to the mr. who knows exactly what this birthday girl wanted

the green new dots bowl has found a home with me

 and yes, I could have taken a thousand photos of this set

sharing only three was challenging!

twenty-eight

today I turned twenty-eight

it has been a bit of a funky birthday

I think things have just been different this year

I'm still trying to get into my new school

get back into teaching more than one subject at a time with a group of kids

and due to some complicated circumstances

this will be the first year in my 28 that I do not get to have

the family birthday party that I have had every year leading up to this

and to be honest, it is bugging me a bit

maybe because this is my last birthday before E arrives

and I just wanted to do my "normal" party

but I'm not sure

with all that being said I enjoyed my birthday dinner

and my favorite type of presents

vintage & things for E, with a few goodies for me as well

now as many of you may know that pyrex is one of my favorite things

and the husband sure knew just the piece that I needed

in fact, I told him that having this piece by the time I was 30 was a goal

and he made sure that it happened a few years early!

can't wait to do some re-organizing tomorrow

because now, my new dots set is complete

and I think it needs to be featured front & center with the rest of the beauties

simple summer sorbet sweet treat

yup, that's what I'm calling this pie

and the good news is

it is much easier to make then to say the whole name I just came up with

right before school started the mr. & I were able to have a little b.b.q

with some great friends

and I snagged this recipe for the amazing dessert we had that night

all you need are 3 ingredients [my kind of recipe]

1. your favorite sorbet flavor - I went with raspberry, the original flavor we tasted

2. cool whip

3. pie crust - I love chocolate & fruit together, so I opted for the Oreo crust, but graham cracker crust would work too

and that's it

putting it together is just as simple

1. soften the frozen goods

2. scoop sorbet into crust and then smooth

3. top with cool whip and return to freezer to firm

-enjoy-

thanks Hailee for making this for us, we loved it

and I'm loving the one I have waiting for me in the freezer right now

time to get crafty

so I've decided that Pinterest is the best & worst thing to happen when party planning

there are so many amazing ideas out there

and it is all about figuring out which ones to tackle

so today jessica and I started some projects for the upcoming baby shower

we made some streamers to hang around the tables

and they were super easy and we LOVE how they turned out

and because they are too cute to put away in a drawer for the next month

I decided to hang them in the windows behind E's crib until the shower

(with a little help from Jessica's height)

now I can't wait to keep getting crafty

and see how everything comes together

27 weeks

this week was a busy week for me and baby

putting the final touches on my classroom and starting the first days of school

but all in all, we handled the heat wave and the hours of work like champs

little E is moving so much these days

especially at night when the mr. and I are taking it easy on the sofa

she really likes feeling like she is part of the action by making sure we don't forget

that she is also there

this week I also made a very exciting purchase

my first maternity jeans, and man, are they a bit of heaven

I think that even after the little lady is born I am going to have a hard time giving them up

and on another note, I think stripes should be a staple in every pregnant lady's closet

I am absolutely in love with them

happy friday, and tomorrow we are getting to have a visit from some great friends

that we do not get the chance to see enough

yeah for weekends with friends, and a high temperature finally not in the 100's
oh, and goodbye to my second trimester, third trimester here we come!

and so year 6 began today

well another first day of school is in the books

and all in all I would say it was a success

I think the funniest part for me going from 8th grade back down to 6th

and how little these guys seemed to me

I remember back in the day when I taught 6th grade the kids seemed so grown up

but, with that being said I was coming off of teaching kindergarten 

so just about anyone seemed giant

today I started off with the best way I know how to start the year off

talking about myself

I do this through a little True/False quiz with random facts about me

(and hearing their reasoning for their answers was pretty impressive)

as well as a "grab bag" of items that are special or personal to me

it seems key for me to have my kids quickly realize I am not a robot

and that they just might actually have something in common with me

whether it be sports, my love of harry potter, or maybe even being left-handed

so today was mostly about me

and tomorrow will mostly be about them

and then onto some "real" routines on monday

and yes, I am loving having school start on a Thursday

that was a change this year, and I hope we keep it around

there probably are a million other things I could have spent time on

but oh well, I wanted to get crafty yesterday, and that's just what I did

not to mention I have ample wall space in my new classroom

so I figured a little canvas art would be fun

I had a ton of crayons left over from when I did this project with some previous students

and I couldn't wait to try the crayon melting with all the colors of the rainbow

now it is time for me to get back to work

the classroom is almost put together, and I have gotten started on 

back to school projects for my newest bunch of students

this year I will be teaching 6th grade English and History

with one period of 7th grade History

so yes, if you have been keeping track,

I now can say I have officially taught every grade, kindergarten through 8th grade

I think I want a shirt that says that!!!

ten on ten [august]

yesterday was ten on ten

and it was a jam-packed day

including a very fitting ten on ten event:

my ten year high school reunion

so between setting up for the reunion

working in my classroom

and then actually attending the reunion

it was a great day, so here it was

it was great getting to see everyone last night at the reunion

and overall, I think it was a success

and yes, "2002 - better than you" was our motto

well, it rhymed, and we were never a very spirited class, so it just kind of ironically stuck

happy ten on ten!

26 weeks

last weekend we got to take our weekly bump photo while in santa cruz

and for the record, today I was told for the very first time this pregnancy

how small I look for 6 months!!!

 and beyond the awesomeness of the compliment

the very best part was who that compliment came from -

the secretary from the middle school I was hired back to last night!

it sure felt great waking up this morning for the first time since last march

when I received my first pink slip for this coming school year

actually knowing where I was going to be working for the 2012/2013 school year

tomorrow I'll fill you in on the details for my new job

but overall, I am so ecstatic and thankful for a great placement

and with baby on the way in a few months

things could have been pretty scary, but they are not

yeah for good news

a wedding by the boardwalk

on saturday our friends tied the knot in santa cruz, california

and at one point in the evening I did describe myself as 

a kid in a candy shop

here are just a few reasons why

and then they were mr. & mrs.

yesterday the mr. and I got to be a part of our friend's beautiful wedding

I had an amazing time catching some of the amazing details

the bride worked so hard to have come together

for tonight I will just leave you with this little peak

tomorrow I look forward to go through the rest of the images from the day

it really was the perfect end to a perfect vacation