the forgotten leg

this is a great story for visualizing!

teacher running hurriedly walking down the hallway
chasing a boy
pushing another boy
in his wheelchair
said teacher is carrying a prosthetic leg
with smurfs on it

this said teacher is me
how does this happen you wonder
because it is me
and because
every.single.day this said boy forgets his leg in the classroom!
I think I would never forget my leg
but I forget a lot of things
so I probably would forget my leg, too

I just thought you may enjoy that
I need some humor in my life about now!

sunday smorgasbord

This week has been nothing short of random, so why not link up!

WHY do I love blogging? because I have met some of the sweetest peeps out there! I posted on Instagram that we couldn't find the pout-pout fish at Kohl's last week. Lo and behold, sweet Amanda sent us one! He'll hang at the house this summer, then he will o home to my classroom library in August! Thank you Amanda!

I love a good rainbow and all, but I am sick of seeing them...why? because it has rained every.single.day this week! 

I finally tried out the new 120 flavor fountain drink machines. I got Diet Coke!

and here is how each game of our middle lamb's state tournament has ended...see, no more rainbows!

Operation Organization and a FIRE!

yep, we had a real-life fire today!
and oddly, it's a funny story.
I never turn on the lights after lunch.
I read aloud while they have doodle time in their special doodle books
I'm reading Les Miz btw! what?! yup!

so since our lights are off, we usually do not notice it the power flips off for a few
but today we heard some screams
and what to little second graders do when they hear screams
run to the door of course

then a few minustes later the fire alarm goes off, but at the same time I hear the intercom flicker, soooo, since it isn't time for our regularly scheduled fire drill, I calmly said some crazy kid probably pulled the alarm and not to worry
back to drudging through patterns
then my teammie comes over and says
there's a fire in the kitchen
get your coat, get your red bag!
oh, so I was wrong about the crazy kid!
Chaos Excitement exudes through the room
we ever so quietly line up in orderly fashion
go out to our designated spot
and
stand
there
for
20
minutes
turns out there WAS an oven fire during lunch
OMG!
and it was put out before we even got outside!
but we were so prepped it wasn't even funny!
man, we did great!
yippee!
we got to see 3 fire trucks come in
1 ambulance
and no one freaked!

so that's it
my first ever fire at school
But seriously, I am so proud of my kiddos! They were great and not a one of them embarrassed me during the ordeal!

ok, so onto Organization
I am taking baby steps
today during indoor recess we each grabbed 2 book baskets from our library
took out any that were not numbered or in the wrong basket
turned them facing forward
and dusted off the shelves!
They ate this up
some really took the lead and were walking around like who has fiction basket 7? Who has red basket 19?
hahaha! I love when they take charge
if only they'd do it during math or reading sometimes!

That's all I really have to share
we are working hard on Determining Importance and I have done some amazing lessons with them so of course I am compiling those into a new file! Plus I am almost finished with my Iditarod class pack and centers pack for us in March. I taught using the Iditarod theme for 5 years in the upper grades, but I am bringing it back this year. This group will love it! SO stay tuned!
and here is our Winter book themed bulletin board.
I love it! We had to do one for our school's reading night.
I ended up putting Christmas lights behind my fabric and it worked out swimmingly!

happy Wednesday!

fingers crossed for me!

our home for sale {smack in the middle-2nd up if you are curious…or even interested!! hehe}…just a boring aerial view…

home under contract {fingers-crossed-our-not-so-reliable-sounding-buyer-comes-through-since-our-offer-is-contingent-on-our-house-selling-please} another not so great picture…but this site is fun! Enjoy! fyi-it’s the one on the far left that’s all snowy and out of view…way to go Google Earth!

Mr. Lamb says I need to not get my hopes up, but I drive by a lot sometimes. They changed the sign to sale pending…that’s a sign right!?

Check it out here http://www.draftfcb.com/holiday2011/ and they even donate to the less fortunate every time you use it! Not sure what they donate, but it’s still fun!

I’m working hard, like real hard, finishing up the powerpoints/books/file overhaul on my Winter Holidays pack. It’ll be up by December! If you bought it on sale, I am updating that file on TpT so you will get it all, otherwise I will do a bundled pack and separate ones. So get in there and get it while it’s only $5!

the chicken bones kid

I have found many odd things in desks in the past 9 years, but Monday was a first!

Math is scooting along swimmingly. I am in need of a set of “secret code cards” from our manipulative kit to demonstrate with. I go to an absent student's desk to grab their math bag. I find a napkin and ever so gingerly nip at it with my finger tips. and out falls…chicken bones…..

GAG! Gag!!

at this point I know I let out a slight scream as they fall into the floor. If one had touched me I would have died…literally. {think Rachel Zoe} Obviously this kind of interrupted the math lesson. But it had to be taken care of. A few kiddos came to my aid. None would touch them either though! We got the little broom and dust pan. I closed my eyes and held my breath while swatting it them. gag

I really for sorry for the kid when they return. Probably be called “the chicken Bones Kid”  for the rest of the year

and yes, I actually took a picture because I had to send it to Mr. Lamb. I refuse to eat anything off a bone. He mocks. I gag

in happier news I can’t wait to share about our new poetry notebooks. My friend Katie told me about a poetry race she found over the summer. I tweaked it so I wouldn’t have to do too much work and the kids are in love! And I’m in love with the expression and fluency!

I’m currently benchmarking all the kiddos on mClass, but here’s a picture only a teacher would understand. Sorting my kids into spelling groups while waiting in the drive thru line! multi-tasking at its best! Looks like 5 groups this year!

So, let’s hear about some odd things you’ve seen in kids’ desks!! I wish I had time to join in the great stuff over at Blog Hoppin’, but I just can’t get it together until at least September!

We {love} Dad! care of Pinterest

Since everything else I can think of comes from Pinterest these days, why not our gift my my hubby, too?!

It turned out great! And I love the effects from Instagram! and I love the little feets even more. Of course they were supposed to stand in their "cell phone bar" formation, but little lamb couldn't hold up the DAD sign!
Happy Father's Day!

Here's what we did {this morning mind you...}

and here's the pin...

Source: mypigeonpair.com via Rachel on Pinterest

and don't forget my summer long sale!

The BEST gift EVER! Really

I don’t have much to share, but I wanted to get a picture of the number 1, best teacher gift ever! Probably the best gift ever received. {Much to my hubby’s dismay that is}

the jar is filled to the brim with reasons this sweetie loves me, will miss me, things I’ve taught her. I’ve not read them all…there will be many times I need a lift so I am keeping them handy on my desk…but my favorite so far is that even though she doesn’t want to leave me, she feels ready for third grade because of me…sniffles

Wanna Be the Coolest Teacher EVER!? {Just add shaving cream}

I saw a post on Lesson Plan SOS about one of the gals having students write on their desks with their dry erase markers. I wasn’t ready to believe it would really erase well {and I hate dirty desks}, but as we were pulling apart cotton balls making clouds, I needed a quick way to name them before they blew off the desks in a frenzy of kids lining up for lunch.
So…get out your board makers
Now they are pretty trained, so they dragged out their boards too
Nope you don’t need them…huh?
Now do not EVER tell anyone what we are doing…we are going to write on our desks!
OMIGOSH…won’t we get into trouble…will you get in big trouble…
what if the custodian tells the principal!!
{I love innocence}

Let me tell you…these kids would throw me under the bus!
when we lined up for lunch 5 minutes later I saw one little gal had written “Mrs. Lamb told me to do this”, at the bottom of her desk!Sheesh!

Well it all came off with a little shaving cream! I had a stockpile from our cursive writing practice at the end of last year, so I broke it out, squirted massive piles on each desk and let them at it.
After each one had shaving cream, we did our math lesson in it. It was great. We are drawing diagonals and what discussing the shapes that are created going corner to corner or midpoint to midpoint. Needless to say, they think they officially have the best teacher ever!

In other news
Yesterday a local meteorologist visited and I can’t remember the last time I learned so much! It was wonderful and we got on Facebook! Always a little plus.

How a tornado forms demo!

We like to give guests little gifts! All 90 kids drew weather symbols to add to the planter.

Thank you John Wendel from News 36!

Happy Seuss Day tomorrow!