Give a BIG Holiday Cheer Give Away!!

You are not going to want to miss out on this one! I've gotten together with some of your favorite blogging buddies out there and we've put our heads together to create a Holiday Cheer Give Away worth cheering about!!

Kristin from

 Jennifer from

Caitlin from

 and ME, are giving away the following:

a $10.00 gift card from Target from Kristin

And a Winter Packet from Jennifer, Caitlin and me!

To Enter Please Give a Big Cheer as you:

1. Leave a comment letting me know you follow all four of our blogs

2. Leave a comment letting me know you follow Caitlin, Jennifer and me on TpT or Teacher's Notebook. (Kristin doesn't have one yet.)

3. Leave a comment sharing your favorite winter activity you do in your class.

(Please limit your entries to 3, one entry for #1, one entry for #2, and one entry for #3)

We are sooooo excited for this give away and we hope you are, too!

The Winner will be chosen on Monday, December 5th!

Thanks!

And remember....if it's not LOVE, it's crap! =)

Rebecca

Get that 30% off at TpT

I hate to push my products on my blog, but it does give me a little extra income to help make ends meet right now. So please forgive me for this little reminder that all my packets are on sale until tomorrow night for 20% and if you use the code above, TpT is offering an additional 10%! It's one day only! (I just posted a few Holiday Math centers today!)

Happy Monday!! Let the Christmas Countdown begin! (17.5 days and counting....we have a half day on the 21st....) ;)

There is only Love!

Rebecca

Check out Some New Blogs I Found!

I just found some wonderful blogs today that I'd love you to give a shout out to! Please check these ladies out and show them some love!

There is only Love,

Rebecca

Here Comes the Sun!!

Whoo! Whooo! Thank you so much to my friends Tina from Quench You First, Chrissy from First Grade Found Me, Barbara from Grade ONEderful, and Staci from Going Nutty in Miss Squirrels First Grade for their super sunshine filled comments and for giving me the Sunshine Award! You all brightened up my whole week with your kindness!! I follow all of you and LOVE your blogs!! Sending you big HUGS! I hope everyone takes a little time to check out their blogs!

The Sunshine Award rules are

1. Thank the person who gave this award and write a post about it.

2. Answer the following questions below.

3. Pass the award on to 10-12 fabulous bloggers, link their blogs, and let them know you awarded them.

* Favorite Color?  Ummm....red, pink, green and yellow! ( I can't pick just one!!)

*Favorite Animal? Dogs and Cats (again, I can't pick just one!)

*Favorite Number? 4 and 5 (do you see a pattern here??)

*Favorite Drink? hot caramel cream latte or 1/2 Diet Coke with 1/2 Dr. Pepper with Vanilla and Cherry syrup and a lime from Sonic

*Facebook or Twitter?  I've been on Facebook since the very beginning

*Your Passion? Spreading love especially to those who don't believe in themselves

*Giving or Getting Presents? Definitely giving!

*Favorite Day? Thursday and I have no idea why!

*Favorite Flower? Don Juan Red Roses (love the smell) and tulips

Here are the 12 Blogs that bring me Sunshine (In no particular order):

1. Rowdy In First Grade

2. Ms. Preppy

3. A Teeny Tiny Teacher

 4. Mrs. Bainbridge's Class

5. Bishop's Blackboard

6. Booky4First

7. Ms. Rachel's Room

8. Ginger Snaps: Tidbits and Treats for Teachers

9. Mrs. Johnson's First Grade

10. Mrs. Freshwater's Class

11. Doodle Bugs Teaching

12. What the Teacher Wants

Thanks for spreading Sunshine in my world!

There is only Love,

Rebecca

Black Friday Sale

Happy Black Friday everyone!! I'm not one to go out and fight the crowds...I'd rather surf the internet for some awesome deals! And here's one for all of you! Jennifer over at Rowdy in First Grade, Caitlin from Ms. Preppy and I have all teamed up to throw a Black Friday Sale! All of my stuff at TpT is on sale for 20% off until Monday! AND I'll be adding my holiday packets over the weekend so be sure to check back for those! 

Don't forget to head over to Rowdy in First Grade and Ms. Preppy's to check out their awesome sales!

There is only Love!

My friend Holly over at Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade is celebrating 100 followers and is having a big old give away!! She is giving away a $20 gift card!! This is her first give away ever so head on over and show her your love and support!

There is only Love!

Thought For the Day

I'm Thankful Linky Party

One of my favorite blogs, What the Teacher Wants, is having an I'm Thankful Linky Party and I thought "What a great idea!" I've been on a roller coaster of emotions this weekend and what a better way to pull out of a rut than to give thanks for all the many many people, experiences, and things that have come into your life that make you, well, you!  I hope you will take a moment and leave a comment about something you are thankful for!

1. What are you thankful for in your classroom?
This probably goes without saying, but I am so thankful for my students. They light up my world and their little spirits are so full of goodness and wonder. I am thankful to be able to teach them, and to be taught by them. They make me feel closer to heaven when I am with them.


2. What person are you most thankful for? It is difficult for me to narrow it down to just one person, but I would have to say my mother. She has supported me and loved me and been my number one cheerleader. She is also my number one hero.  She is so giving to everyone, and she has overcome some incredible adversity in her life. 


3. What 3 bolgs are you most thankful for? Again, this is sooo tough. I follow so many incredible blogs... 







First, if it weren't for Jennifer over at Rowdy in First Grade, I probably would have given up on blogging at the start! I reached out to her with questions on how to set up my blog at the very beginning and well, she became my BFF in blogging land! I'm so grateful for her friendship, emails, and support! 








Second, Caitlin over at Ms. Preppy is another blogging friend that I have gotten to know better through our give aways. I love her posts and love the Holly Bloggy Christmas idea! I am amazed at how she has organized the whole Christmas gift exchange....that is so much work!! She, too, has been such a support since I started blogging in September.





And then of course, there is my new friend, Kristin, over at A Teeny Tiny Teacher. What would I do without her daily doses of reality!?? I love how candid she is and how she is able to bring out the humor in the daily events of a teacher's life in such a way that we can all relate! Thanks so much for the smiles and laughs!


4. What guilty pleasure are you most thankful for?
I will admit, it is a toss up between my bed and the internet. But, I have to go with the internet. I am so grateful to be able to connect with so many amazingly thoughtful, talented, and hardworking teachers all across the globe. What a blessing to have a connection with all of YOU!

5. What are you most thankful for?
My life. I am grateful for all the ups and downs that I've experienced that make me a better, stronger person. I am grateful for suffering, for heartache, for unexpected blessings and miracles. I am grateful to feel loved and appreciated on my good days and bad. I am grateful for each new day and for my faith in Heavenly Father that keeps me strong.

I hope you will leave a comment below on what you are thankful for, and I hope you'll link up with me at What The Teacher Wants and share some of the things you are thankful for.

Yeah For a New Day!

Ok, first I must say YEAH for a new day!!  To those of you who checked in yesterday and read my total downer of a post, today was soooo much better! Nothing like getting a good night sleep and starting over. Today was just a great day! I have to thank everyone for your posts and well wishes. You guys really make life so much better!

I have to tell you about something kind of cool that happened today. My class rules fall under the saying "There is only Love". We have rules posted about what love in the classroom looks like, sounds like, etc. and I have photos of the students posted showing the various ways they can show love to one another and to the classroom in general....(such as helping each other, taking care of their books and supplies, cleaning up the floor, raising their hands, etc.) But let me back up a sec...

I don't know if I've shared the dynamics of my class this year. I have 17 boys and 9 girls. There were some students who came in with some pretty interesting behavior issues stemming from ADD/ ADHD. Needless to say, it has taken the last few months to really get behavior fine-tuned and the classroom really humming.

Well, anyway, today they were all working quietly at their seats and I came on over the mic system in my room and asked them to all stop and just listen....They all stopped and listened to the silence in the room and I asked "What do you hear??" ya know, wanting to call attention to how quietly they were working....and one little boy called out "Peace! I hear PEACE!" Then another boy, called out "LOVE! I hear LOVE!" And there was just this feeling in the room as they all kind of smiled and nodded, affirming that they all felt the same thing.....What a lesson that was for me....they were looking far deeper into the moment than I had been...who is the teacher?

What a gift our precious students are!! I thank Heavenly Father every day that these precious little ones are in my life. I learn so much from them.

There is only Love!

MoNdAy MaDnEsS SaLe

Wowie! What a crazy Monday!! I don't want to get into anything but lets just say I was close to tears at one point. It was one of those times where I was questioning my own sanity due to a confrontation I had. I HATE confrontations (especially with crazy people)!! I avoid them at all costs....ANYWAY......It all worked itself out, eventually, and that's a good thing, BUT I felt so badly all day, you know that feeling where someone has kicked you right in the gut and ya just can't get rid of it???  Oh, and when I got home my internet connection was on the fritz and I couldn't go blog hopping to sooth my weary soul.....PANIC!!!!  (It's still on the fritz....bumping me off every few minutes).....

Anyhoo, I decided when I got home tonight and I had no internet to distract me, that I just needed to do something nice for someone else in order to cheer myself up! I thought about calling all my friends and going out to dinner, but no one answered the phone when I called, so that was out. (Yah, kind of a depressing story here....)

But then, I had the idea of giving back to all of YOU! (That is if and when my internet gets back up...it's down again so I'm just sitting here typing this blog in hopes that is comes back up preferably before midnight.....) SOOOOOOO, I'm throwing my first ever MoNdAy MaDnEsS SaLe EVER!!!!!  Whoo hooo!!!

EVERYTHING in my TpT store is on sale for $3.00 (or less) until TOMORROW morning (whenever I drag myself up out of bed to change the prices back to normal again!) SO, my wonderful blogging friends, this is my pre-Thanksgiving gift to you! THANK YOU for being out there in bloggyland to come home to tonight, for having my back and always cheering me up. I am soooo grateful for YOU! Hop on over to my TpT store and take a gander! I hope you find something you like! (My internet is back up!!!! WHoo Hooo!!)



There is only LOVE,

New Blog Makeover!

I have spent MONTHS looking at blog templates trying to find something that I LOVE so that I could update my handmade blogger look. I finally found the one I was looking for today and BAM! Just like that, Alicia from Dreamlike Magic Designs  had my new blog look up within HOURS!!! I hope you like the change as much as I do!! I hope you'll put my updated blogger button on your blog rolls, too!! I'd love your feedback on the new look!
There is only LOVE!

Winners of Give Away and My Yummy Baking Blog

Yeah! It's that time of day to go to the Random Generator and find three winners for my give away! And the winners are:

 Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all of you for following me on my blog and TpT store. Stay tuned this week for more freebies from these units!

On another note, it is a rainy, cold and blustery day today. It is the perfect day to clean the house and TO BAKE!!! I love to bake cookies, pies, etc. and I am a collector of yummy baking recipes. Maybe it is because Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but I have been craving PIE!!  I have my most tried and true recipes posted on my baking blog, Becca's Bakery Corner.

I have some other super yummy baking recipes on my pinterest.com Yummy In My Tummy site. Here are some of the pies that have been making my mouth water lately!

Here's a pie that I found today that I want to try...It's called Egg Nog Pie. You can find the recipe here.

And I LOVE Kentucky Chocolate Pecan Pie!! I found a great recipe for this here.

And these are the BEST chocolate chip cookies I have tried. I make these all the time. They are called Marjorie's Chocolate Chip Cookies from Midwest Living Magazine.

Oh my gosh! Just looking at these recipes made me gain ten pounds! (New Year's resolutions aren't for another month or so....) So, I'm going to pull myself away from blogging land and hit the kitchen! Time to make some yummy treats!

Happy weekend everyone!
There is only Love,
Rebecca

Subtraction Freebie/ Huge Give Away- 1 Day Left

Hi all! My huge give away ends tomorrow morning! Check out the give away post here. On top of this awesome give away, I've marked all my prices down on these three packets at my TpT store until Sunday! These packets are 50-90 pages long and are on sale for dirt cheap! Check them out here:

Fantastic Fall Packet

Turkey in the Straw Packet

Pumpkin Patch Math and Literacy Packet


Here's a freebie from my Fantastic Fall Packet for you to enjoy! If you like your freebie leave me a little comment below. I always love the feedback!

Happy weekend and thank you to everyone for your love and support!

Rebecca

Huge Give Away Only 2 Days Left

Hurry and enter to win before Saturday! 


This week I am doing my Pumpkin Patch Packet with my First graders. I'm planning to do my Fantastic Fall Packet next week and then I'll finish out the month with my Turkey in the Straw Packet. All of these are available at my TpT store if you are interested. 

I am giving away one of EACH of these packets this month to three lucky followers. You have four chances to enter, just leave me a comment when you have done each of these. =)

1. Follow me on my blog.

2. Follow me on my TpT account.

3. Share this giveaway on your blog or with teachers you know.

4. Let me know which packet you would like to win of the three, along with your name and email address.

 

 

That's it! I sure do love your comments! 
Entries are due by Saturday morning. Best of luck!
There is only Love,
Rebecca

To All Those Who Are Discouraged...

Daylight Savings

I am not sure what planet I've been living on this last week, but somehow I totally missed the memo that Daylight Savings was over last night. I am usually right on top of these kinds of things, especially in the Fall when we GAIN an hour!! What I would have done with that extra hour of sleep this morning!! Instead, I woke up and rushed around getting showered and ready for church, only to log onto my laptop to check my blog and my email and by some random reason, I noticed the time was different on my computer than in was on my clock.  I am sooooo grateful the powers that be did not make the time change fall on a Sunday to Monday situation! I would have been to work an HOUR early, and I can't be doing that! I get there early as it is to teach before school classes. I can't imagine getting to work at 6 a.m. instead of 7 a.m!!!
(Although, I do know some very dedicated teachers in my building who arrive at 6 a.m. every day.....it's just that I'm not one of them....I teach before school for the extra money, not because I'm an early morning person.)  Now....what to do with my extra hour before church starts.....blog hopping anyone???

There is Only Love,
Rebecca

Free Missing Numbers Activity

Here is a fun math activity from my Turkey in the Straw Packet at TpT. I hope you enjoy! Happy Friday!

There is only Love,

Rebecca

Free Missing Numbers Activity