'Tis the Season

On Donner, on Dasher, oh here we are now in December!  I tend to skip a couple of months with Farley's Currently blog linkup, but I'm back for the final month of the year :)

Listening - "Let it Snow" Holiday Movie premiere on the Hallmark Channel with the former child actress who portrayed DJ Tanner on Full House (gotta love the 90s).

Loving - I love the Bath & Body Works' fragrance: 'Tis the Season and have been waiting until December to finally put it to good use.  It's the perfect seasonal scent to transition from the lovely Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin of Thanksgiving.  According to Bath & Body Works 'Tis the Season is, "a holiday blend of rich, red apples, green pine and a touch of golden cider."  I'm so excited that I'm finally allowed to use it!

Thinking - I purposely avoided the claustraphobic crowds and ridiculously long lines that began Thursday evening and on Black Friday, therefore I need to get a move on with my online shopping to make sure I have some thoughtful and great gifts to share with my loved ones this Christmas!

Wanting - With my sweet tooth and Thanksgiving, Christmas parties and all of the abundance that is so widespread this holiday season I certainly hope that my waistline doesn't suffer too much from goodies galore!

Needing - My poor nails have been neglected over the past month.  I haven't given them a fresh coat of polish in over 3 weeks - so I will definitely be fixing that problem as soon as I log off my laptop!

Favorite Tradition:  I just love the glow and look of luminarias!  My family and neighborhood make it a tradition to light luminarias on the night of Christmas Eve.  At first we used to fill the paper bags with sand and use tealight candles, then Walmart began selling Luminaria kits with an electric powered light display, and more recently the flameless candles have allowed a less risky way to enjoy these holiday lights!

In addition to my hopes to check off some gifts off my Christmas shopping list, TpT will be celebrating with a sale for the season.  Be sure to use this time to cross some items off your wishlist as well!  I've been adding to my personal wishlist for the past hour... gah!

Finally, with the Winter Wonderland catching us all, I wanted to share my math poster for the Perimeter song as it is sung to the tune of Jingle Bells.  I know this is a 3rd grade concept that is retouched in 4th grade, but my students definitely don't recall the difference between perimeter and area when it showed up in our math review warm-ups.  Hopefully this will help keep it straight in their lil' noggins!

Pleasant Planning! :)

Fall Break Is Over? Please Say It Ain't So!

And all of a sudden it is Sunday Eve and that means there's one day left of my weekend before our Fall Break is officially OVER! Well, as personally promised, I tried to spend MOST of my break actually taking a BREAK from all things work-related this year.  It helps when you're unplugged, don't head back into the classroom, or check your school email for one to actually resist the temptation of using vacation days as catch-up days!!  (I hope I can only have as such strong willpower when our 2-week Christmas vacation rolls around.) 

This was made much more easier for me while spending Sunday - Wednesday in Laguna Beach, CA which is only a six-hour drive from home.  If you haven't been, I highly suggest visiting the beach at Treasure Island Park which connects to the Montage Beach Resort which is SOO BEAUTIFULLY landscaped because it's a five-star resort and you know they've got to make it look picturesque!  If you don't believe me, check out my pics below:

Treasure Island Beach Park - Laguna Beach, CA

Mickey Ghost Decoration for the Halloween Bash

My sis, Minnie Mouse and I - Disneyland, CA

Halloween Haunted Mansion (I do enjoy the familiarity of the regular ride better)

Also, when not enjoying the sandy digs of Laguna Beach, my baby sis (a Kinder teacher on Fall Break as well) and I ventured off to Disneyland with all of the other happiness-seekers on vacation too!  Although it was much more crowded than I would have preferred, Mickey and his crew sure know how to decorate for Halloween; all of the jack-o-lanterns and autumn foliage decor were gorgeous!!

Since returning from the joyous road trip and getting my much needed ZZZs, I am now plugged back into the hustle and bustle of the teaching blogisphere, and I'm glad I returned when I did because TpT is celebrating with a quick sale this weekend.  (Now I can grab those darling items I just added to my wishlist, hopefully you can do the same too!)

Thanks to Shuna of Pocket Full of Kinders for this cute image!
Did you hear? The Teachers pay Teachers Facebook page received 100,000 likes! To celebrate, they are giving an extra 10% off until 12:01 am Oct. 14th! Here is their message:

"100,000 likes on Facebook? Yes, we're celebrating right now! Enter code FB100K at checkout for 10% off including sale items. What's on your wish list? Ends when the date flips to 10/14."

Don't get too caught up with this sale-a-bration.  Remember to savor your Sunday, after all it's always just 24 hours away from the mayhem of Monday!!

Meet SIR Remainder! (division freebie)

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

In my attempt to make division more appealing to 4th graders, I have invented a new Remainder mascot who we will refer to as SIR Remainder in my class!  He's a cute lil mathematical mascot to help students remember the three strategies of interpreting remainders.  These interpreting remainder strategies are:

1. Share It (as a fraction or a decimal)
2. Ignore It (don't include it at all)
3. Round It (add 1 more to the quotient)

I've also tapped into my inner lyricist and have penned a couple of songs to go along with this fun new friend!  Knowing that this concept is probably something all my upper grade teachers could use, especially those of the 4th grade variety, I have offered it up as my new, primary free download on TpT (the other one was over a year old and I feel my product-making talents have improved - so time to switch it up a bit)!!

If you enjoy this freebie, please let me know by commenting on my TpT product page or sharing your love with a blog post comment!

This is a perfect companion to my latest TpT math product: Division and Interpreting Remainders (basic division practice pack).

Also, I'm eagerly waiting to join up with the September Currently (for once, I'm ready to go on the first day of the month)  I haven't seen it go live yet, so I will post a revision as soon as Farley's ready with the new monthly graphic!

Here we go: I actually made it on the first day of the month this time - I think that's a first for me!!  September is going to be a great month!! Currently I'm feeling not so hot because those back-to-school germs and crazy monsoon weather have coupled together to attack me with a cold.  I hope to be over it in the next few days or so!

Also, I'm looking forward to the Hispanic Heritage D-backs baseball game where I hope to score a Miguel Montero bobblehead (will be handed out to the first 20,000 fans inside)!  This month, I am going to make a point of treating myself and I do enjoy treats - I already have plans for peanut butter promise cookies, Nilla Wafer Southern Banana pudding, and strawberry lemonade poke cake.  Just have one week of dessert unplanned for.  Luckily, I have tons of mouths at home and work who will help me consume these delish desserts!!

Finally, the adjustment period is over and I'm getting used to the new school / new district / new curriculum and am able to leave an hour after the students go home and meet up for happy hours with my gal pals.  I plan on making this a weekly commitment as soon as I'm fully recovered!  So it's September and we know the holiday rush is soon about to creep up on us, so enjoy this time pre-Halloween and cherish each moment! :)