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How to get ready for Christmas without the STRESS!

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I know…BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

Folks..LIFE IS BUSY! Christmas time is BUSY!

Sorry to be the one to tell you that.

BUT…

30 days …from TODAY (11.25.23) 4 SUNDAYS!

YES, 4 SUNDAYS…

Christmas will be here!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

So??

How to get ready??

PACE YOURSELF!

Think

MARATHON…NOT SPRINT!

Where to start?

#1…..Make LISTS!

(I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE LISTS! )

List ALL ( YES ALL ) of the people you

WOULD LIKE to give gifts to.

Now…

PUT A STAR next to the people you MUST give a gift to.

(I know that sounds weird..but..I would LOVE to give gifts to

EVERYONE…but…my bank account says I must prioritize).

It doesn’t mean I won’t give a gift…

just might be a “thoughtful”… not-as-costly gift.

Reality people!

If money grew on trees…

#2…..DO NOT PUT YOURSELF IN DEBT FOR THE NEW YEAR!

So…there is officially 1 more PAYCHECK until Christmas.

( Or figure out HOW many PAYCHECKS YOU have until DEC. 24 )

Take the number of gifts YOU MUST purchase

and divide by EXTRA $$.

***If you have been SAVING for Christmas, which you WILL DO for NEXT year, add that too!

That tells you HOW many GIFTS you MUST purchase and the amount you have to spend.

That’s important because

now you can begin looking for a gift

for the PERSON…not just a check-off on a list.

SLOW DOWN! Not ready to buy yet!

Now….start talking, texting, asking others…

#3…..DO YOUR RESEARCH PEOPLE!

ASK!!!!

What items do the people on your list WANT…NEED…LOVE?????

Add this to your LIST!

( If for kids…ASK THEIR PARENTS…sizes, likes, ages,etc )

Now…start looking…

online? Look for FREE shipping!

(AMAZON PRIME ..I am speed dial!)

Friends & Family …FAR AWAY??? ( Sorry )

SHIP TO THEM!

Don’t ship to YOU & then pay to ship to them!

SHIP DIRECTLY! FREE!

STOP!

YOU HAVE NOT MADE A BUDGET YET!

#4…..Figure out what you can spend…

AFTER PAYING YOUR BILLS & feeding your family.

They always come first…don’t forget to add them to your MUST list!

Your kids COME FIRST!

And NOT going into SEVERE debt!

Only charge what YOU can pay off the next month!

NO DEBT AFTER JANUARY!

OK..then..start listing whom you will purchase for.

After you purchase…keep the receipt!

I write the name of the person I purchased it for on the back…

RETURNS? Easy Peasy!

After you purchase…

or it arrives from SANTA’S HELPER

IN THE BROWN UPS TRUCK… 🙂

WRAP IT AND ATTACH A NAME TAG!

( This is from a Santa’s Helper…who has forgotten and was wrapping WAY TOO LATE INTO CHRISTMAS EVE! )

After Thanksgiving..

#5…..I begin to look at my

LIST of ” WANT to purchase for”

but NOT necessarily,

“Must Purchase For”

on my list!

( Yes I keep it in a little book in my purse! )

Now I have a better idea of “extras”…

Do I need to do “homemade”….giftcards…..”I thought of you- but have no $$ left” card?

What kinds of gifts can you give for NO MONEY?

How about a picnic at the park? A TEA PARTY for kids? A trip to the library to read books? Take a young child to the ZOO???

Gifts of “ONE TO ONE” time…ARE THE BEST!

And you can schedule them AFTER the holidays.

The gift that keeps on giving!

Whatever fits YOU!

RELAX!

NO GUILT!

Christmas is NOT about who can GUILT YOU the MOST!

It’s about telling the people you care about..

THEY ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU!

Enjoy the season.

Spend time with friends & family!

TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES!

Make Memories!

And when JANUARY comes around..

SMILE!

(And maybe a mani / pedi for yourself?)

But…remember…

Christmas is from the HEART..not the WALLET!

Have FUN!

Elf on the Shelf… FAILURE!

Do OVER!

What do YOU do to get ready for CHRISTMAS????

When is it “officially” FALL?

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It’s 100 degrees in NorCAL!

My A/C has been on for WEEKS!

I don’t like to sweat.

My calendar says Fall ‘officially” begins on Monday, September 23?

WHAT? Why so far away?

I think FALL should begin TODAY!

WHEN is it “officially” FALL?

I am ready for… FALL!

When is it “Officially” FALL?

I have been looking for FALL-themed resources

to help get my first-graders into the

FALL MODE!

I hope these help YOU too!

(Thank You PINTEREST!)

The Best of Fall Read Alouds

Fall themes? YES! Many to choose from!

What do YOU teach in the FALL?

PUMPKIN EVERYTHING?

When is it “officially” FALL?

Need MORE Fall inspiration?

🙂

Bring on FALL! We are READY!

How Do You Know When It’s Fall?

Fall, Apples, & Johnny Appleseed

And so my friends…as YOU can SEE…FALL is ALMOST here!

Enjoy the changing season! Have fun with your students, hug your family!

Now…where did I put thise leather boots?

Hmmm…I may have to clean out a

closet or two!

pumpkin spiced latte

Pumpkin Spice LATTE is almost HERE! WAHOO!!

HAPPY Fall. ‘yall from NORCAL!

1stgradefireworks

Who wants a $100 TPT GIFTCARD? ME! ME! ME! YOU?

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Are You BACK TO SCHOOL?

I AM! We started back in August. AUGUST? Really?

Yes. My first graders are still in SUMMER mode. ME TOO!

But… we are BACK TO SCHOOL.

Get up. Go to School. Come home.

To HELP us get ready for this TRANSITION to WORK LIFE…

COULD YOU USE A $100 TPT GIFT CARD? Sure you can!

Some AMAZING TPT Store owners want YOU

to have some shopping FUN!

All YOU have to do is fill in the RAFLLECOPTER!

EASY- PEASY Lemon squeezy!

(Can YOU tell I am back at school… I CAN!)

$100 TPT Giftcard

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The giveaway ends 9/13/23 and is open worldwide.

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Are your students ready for CENTERS?

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How to add games for independent centers!

We have been in school for 4 weeks. I know…we began JULY 31! I spend 3-4 weeks working on whole class routines & schedules. Then we spend a week or two working on centers ( without me actually taking reading groups) so I can monitor HOW they are doing during independent centers. AND THEN????

We begin INDEPENDENT CENTERS without the teacher!!! WHAT??? Yes!!

Release the KRACKEN!

Release the Kracken

And yes..we begin small group reading.

I used to call it GUIDED READING.

But I have added Guided Reading Skills & Strategies.

Sometimes, we work on words. Sometimes we work on skills.

Sometimes we read. Sometimes we write.

I use my assessments to guide my instruction.

I know WHO needs WHAT.

So what are the other kids doing?

MUST DO’s & May Do’s.

And this week..enter their FAVORITE CENTER SO FAR!

( Yes…in their WHOLE LIFE…as they say!)

Here is the FUN game for centers!

And they are LEARNING! WIN! WIN!

Short vowel dominoes

SHORT VOWEL DOMINOES

294 CARDS! WOWZA!

294 domino cards for short vowel practice. Domino games can be differentiated by vowel sounds, picture cards, or word cards. Fun activities for student learning. Games help students stay engaged while practicing short vowel CVC word families.

They LOVE THIS! They beg for more time! Get your WORK done so you can PLAY!

YES! I love it when a plan works!

And so here we go!

Small groups for me..independent centers for them.

WIN! WIN! All around. Check out the video!

Making A LIST and Checking it TWICE!

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Making a LIST? WHY?

IS SANTA ON HIS WAY?

Is SANTA on his way? In JULY?

NO! I am checking MY list.

My Back to School LIST!

And that list get LONGER, every DAY!

My Back to School is next week.

In my district ( a modified traditional calendar) we start at the end of JULY!

No tears for me…we are off the first two weeks of OCTOBER! I LOVE FALL BREAK!

And so first, I make a list – A LONG LIST!

Thank You @createteachshare

Teacher To Do list@createteachshare

Here is how my list begins…

Clean teacher desk
Clean students desks
Number each workbook ( I put numbers on EVERYTHING!)
Get student materials ( books, pencil holders -FILLED, & other things that stay IN THEIR DESKS) on their desks. We will go over them the first day.
Number homework folders, Read at Home folders & books
Tear out & runn of homework for the first two weeks.
Clean out & check literacy & math centers.
Purge ANYTHING I have not used in two years! YES!!!!
Find my teacher tools.
Check technology… after updates…check technology. After call to district office…check technology AGAIN! Finally works! UGH! I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with technology!
Schedule teacher PD meetings. ( 5 days before kids come..starting tomorrow!)
Write Lesson plans for the FIRST WEEK! ( don’t go further…things WILL change.)
Update list.
Unpack the 10 boxes of NEW Science Curriculum. Inventory. Find missing pieces. Inventory again. Store? Stack in a corner.
Add to my list: Unpack science curriculum & go through it. Plan?
Make sure resources on the WALLS are for Back to School ( Not END of School). Update.
Are class lists ready? I need to ADD names to numbers!
Make a LIST ( alphbetically, of course) of students by first names. (WOW! I have an “extra” student on my list…boy will that mess up my alphabtical list. TEACHERS: YOU GET THIS!)
Don’t care that my alphabetical student names will be OUT OF ORDER! 🙂 Breather!
Cross things OFF list. ( After you have added MORE) I know. It’s LONGER than when I started. It’s OK. Ths kids won’t know!
GO HOME EARLY! Relax. Take a walk. Pour some wine. Hug your family. It’s a job. The kids will be there ready or not. THEY won’t care if I didn’t finish ALL of the ANCHOR CHARTS I want to make. ADD that to my LIST!