Tag Archives: holidays

625 Valentine Cards??? Where do we Put them ALL?

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VALENTINE CARDS

It’s that time of year when we share Valentine cards!

Kindness cards, Friendship Celebrations, Valentine Parties

Whatever YOUR site chooses to call it.

IT’S HERE! Let the Valentine Card sharing begin!

The time of year when we color,cut & glue

to show our FRIENDS that WE LOVE THEM!

Pinterest has LOTS ( I mean LOTS )

of Valentine IDEAS!

These are a few from one of my collaborative Pinterest boards

Valentine STEM Activity fro The Trendy Science Teacher — Valentine STEM Activity from
The Trendy Science Teacher

Check out this fun Valentine Post about

Valentine Resources

You need NOW!

CLICK HERE FOR FREEBIE

WE LOVE VALENTINE’S DAY!

But WHAT TO DO WITH ALL OF THOSE VALENTINE CARDS???

How to MANAGE them ALL?

2 days before our “Friendship Celebration”…

*We are NOT allowed to call it a VALENTINE celebration

(separation of CHURCH/STATE thing..)

we make our BAGS!

Now I have done LOTS & LOTS & LOTS of different types of cardholders…

(Again…THANK YOU PINTEREST!)

But I think the MOST important thing to remember is…

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO PUT THEM?

If you have 25 students…these take up a LOT of space!

So the choice is yours!

Just remember…

ALWAYS…ALWAYS…make 1 extra!

(That student who was absent on CRAFTY day…will want a bag on PARTY day!)

ALSO….

Have your kiddos write THEIR NAME ONLY on the cards.

One in each bag…PLOP..PLOP…PLOP!

NO need to MATCH their friend’s name to the bag.

One for EVERYONE!

When we open our bags…we say THANK YOU to each person who gave us a card!

MANNERS COUNT!

So good luck.

Check your CRAFTING SUPPLIES.

Find out where you want them to be …they will be there for two whole days.

AND enjoy!

Don’t forget to make one for yourself!

I am sure your kiddos will have “TREATS” for you too!

Do you NEED a few more Centers for Valentine’s Day?

Can You Make 10? Valentine Math Canter

Missing Addends Math Center for Valentine’s Day

109 pages of Math Task Cards for Valentine's Math Center

Happy Friendship Day!

Wendy

1stgradefireworks

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 (11.25.22) 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 checkoff 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 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????

Happy Veteran’s Day from A Proud Military Family

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Veteran’s DAY!

We are a military family.

Army & Navy.

We have heard stories from WWII to Korea to today.

Great Grandpa’s, Grandpa’s, Dad’s, cousins, sons, daughter-in-law…

WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

In MY classroom

I spend a lot of time discussing MY SON

ACTIVE US NAVY…

and why it is SOOO important to say

“THANK YOU” for their service.

He is currently on deployment…

He was married to an active military US NAVY wife,

AND they had …MY GRANDDAUGHTER!

( She is sooooo cute!)

But he left them behind to live on a ship and PROTECT US!

So how can we say THANK YOU?

We send letters, pictures, stories, and cutsie art projects.

And this MOMMY sends BOXES of COOKIES! 🙂

I try to send things at least once a month.

This month’s ideas…

( Pinterest is GREAT FOR THIS! )

Let’s Talk Turkey

Let’s Talk Turkey

Next Month…… DECEMBER CRAFTIVITIES

Winter Wonderland BUNDLE

Just a little something to remind them of

All of us at home who CARE!

When my son is no longer on a ship…

we send things to friends & family who are

ACTIVE soldiers & sailors.

AND

We send things to the local Veteran’s HOSPITAL.

All who serve and who have served…deserve a THANK YOU!

I searched GOOGLE for a local VA Hospital address…

takes a little searching, but time WELL spent!

ALL will appreciate it.

Parents who cannot ( or are not) with their own kids

appreciate a little art project or note from a child, any child.

A little smile, a little laugh, a warm fuzzy from home.

No need to put names on them.

Here are a few addresses …

To those Veteran’s ( active or inactive )

AND THEIR FAMILIES …

THANK YOU!

Happy Veteran’s Day!

Wendy

YOU want to…P.P.Paint ????

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Just hearing the

“P A I N T”

word.

Sends shivers down my back!

I have nightmares of

spilled water, ruined paintings,

our janitor YELLING ,

“NO! STOP! NOT ON THE NEW CARPET!”

Ok…NOT yelling…but you know…”NO!”

So, I guess

24 … 6-year-olds

sitting at desks,

painting beautiful pictures

was NOT was I thinking about!

AND

I SHOULD HAVE BEEN!

I admit…it was ALL about ME!

WHAT WILL I HAVE TO “Deal With”?

And you know what?

NOTHING.

Every time we paint

(and I try to do it once a month)

THEY AMAZE ME!

Clean, quiet, detailed, HAPPY!

They worked for about 45 minutes…

TOTALLY ENGAGED!

(I wish some of MY lessons were SO ENGAGING!)

I start with my BFF…

PINTEREST!

I have some GREAT pins on my boards.

Check them out!

This months “painting inspiration”came from

Elyse

PROUD to BE PRIMARY

And now we are…

ALL ready for JANUARY!

Here’s a few of ours!

They are sooooo cute!

AND

NO SPILLS!

I think they are getting the HANG OF IT!

Duh… you mean with

PRACTICE

we get BETTER!?

I wonder what wonderful teacher gave them that ADVICE???

Anyways…

we will PAINT!

And we will PAINT..a LOT!

Next month…

I’m thinking SNOW, and Penguins, and Nature Scenes.

Maybe some “still life”… Hmmmm.

MONET! DEGAS!

Watch out WORLD OF ART…

HERE WE COME!

Check out pinterest for more ideas!

Clean up 2017

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Can you hear the song?

Here’s a link to help you…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY-H2WGThc8

My NEW YEAR’S Mantra!

CLEAN UP! CLEAN UP!

I LOVE to start the NEW YEAR with cleanliness!

NO ...I AM NOT OCD ( quite the opposite ).

I like to start the year off with a clean slate…

doesn’t always stay that way!

So here I go!

MY Closet!

ICK!

Keeping these…pants together..skirts…etc

Hubby even did his shoes! 🙂

Pile to GO!

Cleaned out my closet…found my LOST slippers!

YIPPEY!

Pile of unneeded hangers!

Gave some of them away with donated clothes.

Kept some…yes..I got rid of the WIRE HANGERS!

HAHAHAHAHA

So I am DONATING 2 bags of

“UNUSED” clothes & shoes

( Doesn’t fit, holes, haven’t worn, aren’t going to wear…)

to Goodwill.

Have you tried this COOL closet trick?

Take ALL of your hangers and turn them

BACKWARDS!

As you wear something…

turn the hanger forwards.

Next year…

ANY hanger still turned backwards…

YOU HAVE NOT WORN IN ONE YEAR!

DONATE IT to someone who will!

The Christmas Decor!

I LOVE my Christmas tree.

I turn on the lights, sit in the dark, and watch it twinkle!

But…it has been up since November.

( Yes, before THANKSGIVING!)

I didn’t have Thanksgiving at MY house..so..

UP WENT THE CHRISTMAS DECOR!

Makes me happy!

But…Time to “CLEAN UP, CLEAN UP!”

Gma loves help! Such a decorator!

It takes a LONG time to put ornaments away!

You have to touch each one…remember when or where you got it…

the memories are sometimes OVERWHELMING..

Sniff..sniff..giggle..giggle

We started this years ago…

When we travel, or have a special place…

we buy an ornament.

Check out my UPDATED post on

“In Life…there is NO “Do OVER!”

Newest member of my snowman ornament collection.

Don’t forget the year!

Little sister got married in HAWAII!

We were ALL there!

So FUN!

and last…

ME!

I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions…

I don’t need ANOTHER thing to worry about!

But..

I have changed my eating habits!

( Lost 32 pounds …so far )

YEAH!!!

My new favorite “treat”…

APPLES & Peanut Butter!

But wait!

Isn’t Peanut Butter FATTENING??????

Here’s my SECRET..

Slice apples ( I buy mine pre packaged & sliced ). 🙂

Put them single layer on a plate.

Put 1 Tablespoon ( Yes I measure ) peanut butter in a small zip-lock bag.

Close bag. Microwave PB ( mine about 20 seconds).

Snip ( tech term) the corner off of the bottom of the PB bag.

DRIZZLE over apples!

It’s like FROSTING the cake!

* UPDATE… You CAN use PB.

BUT…

My newest LOVE

PB2.

Powdered Peanuts…NO FAT!

Mix 2 TBL powder with 1 TBL water!

PRESTO!

PB with NO FAT!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the PB2 with CHOCOLATE!

CAN YOU SAY… REESES???

I have it on my toast in the AM.

So…I am beginning my

CLEAN UP

mode.

I should start on the kitchen cabinets, or the bathroom…..

I think I hear

APPLES & PB

calling me!

Happy New Year’s, my friends!

VALENTINE CARDS

The time of year when we color,cut & glue

to show our FRIENDS that WE LOVE THEM!

Check out this fun Valentine Post about

Valentine Resources

But WHAT TO DO WITH ALL OF THOSE VALENTINE CARDS???

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO PUT THEM?

ALWAYS…ALWAYS…make 1 extra!

Do you NEED a few more Centers for Valentine’s Day?

Share this:

Like this:

Christmas will be here!

How to get ready??

PACE YOURSELF!

Where to start?

#1…..Make LISTS!

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

SLOW DOWN! Not ready to buy yet!

#3…..DO YOUR RESEARCH PEOPLE!

#4…..Figure out what you can spend..

AFTER PAYING YOUR BILLS & feeding your family.

Your kids COME FIRST!

NO DEBT AFTER JANUARY!

#5…..I begin to look at my

LIST of ” WANT to purchase for”

Christmas is NOT about who can GUILT YOU the MOST!

Christmas is from the HEART..not the WALLET!

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Just hearing the

word.

I have nightmares of

spilled water, ruined paintings,

Every time we paint

THEY AMAZE ME!

And now we are…

ALL ready for JANUARY!

They are sooooo cute!

Duh… you mean with

we get BETTER!?

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