December CURRENTLY

I'm linking up with Oh' Boy 4th Grade for the December CURRENTLY: 

Listening: I am slowly transitioning into my fiance's house full time. We are still working out comprises, especially when it comes to the TV. I do love the Simpsons. But I'm pretty sure a rerun of the Real Housewives of Atlanta is on right now. 

I think the rest are pretty self explanatory. I'm planning a wedding, therefore I need more money, but really- who doesn't? And in the last two years I've gotten really, really lazy. A housekeeper who came daily would be ideal. 3 times a week would ok. One day. 

And Thanksgiving is over. My mom's side of the family always come to my parent's house. One year they had something like 60 people at the house for Thanksgiving. It's a lot smaller now, but we still get 20-30 people. 

I can't wait until Christmas!!! These next three days are just going to fly by! Right?!?!?!

CYBER Monday SALE

Just in time for the holidays! Teachers Pay Teachers is throwing a SALE, and so am I! Most products in my store are 20% off, and when you enter CYBER in check-out, you receive a total of 28% off! I know I will be loading up on all of my wishlisted stuff.

I created tons of new stuff in November, and the ideas just keep on coming! When you check out the sale be sure to follow my store so you can be notified of my new products!

Tech Tip for Mac users

Maybe I'm a little behind with my MacBook Pro but I just learned that you can download apps onto it just like you can on your phone. Now that I type that I'm certain I'm behind.

That's not exactly by big tip though...I'll give you the short version. I needed a program on my Mac that would allow me to merge pdf files that didn't cost $400 like the ones at Adobe do. So I downloaded pdf Suite- for $1.99- yes, one dollar and ninety-nine cents! And it does exactly what I needed- to merge pdf documents. Finding this made my day!

Then I needed something that would allow me to add and remove security settings from pdf documents, so I downloaded Secure PDF for a mere 0.99 cents. Money well spent if you ask me!

Say Yes to the Bundle!

Say Yes to the.....
I just watched "Say Yes to the Dress" tonight, for the first time. I hate it. but I couldn't stop watching. And I didn't see one wedding dress that I even remotely liked.

Bundle.....
I've been thinking about and creating bundles! Here are my latest creations:

If you click on the picture it should take you to the product on Teachers Pay Teachers. I've been creating, revising, editing...basically going through the writing process now that I think about it! I am very happy with the final products and have plans for many, many more!!!

One more day until I'm off for Thanksgiving break...I think I can, I think I can....

Finally.....NEW PRODUCTS!

I know, I know. It's been a while. It's taken me to the 12th week of school to find the time to get inspired again. If you're school or district is anything like mine, at the beginning of the year you focus on introducing or reviewing types of sentences and parts of speech. As I've been reviewing sentences and nouns & verbs with my class I realized I had not made my own set of Adjective and Adverb task cards. Then I decided I needed to make an entire Parts of Speech Task Card bundle.

So I did. And then I decided to put most of my products that have to do with the parts of speech on sale until Monday night! I'm talking nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and prepositions TASK CARDS! If you buy the bundle you get 7 sets for only $4.80, individual sets are 80 cents each. Happy Sunday night and Monday :)

School, and Engagement, and Wedding Planning...OH MY!

I've been gone for a while I know. It was hard to find time to blog or even think of new products to create with school starting...and then I have a challenging (for me at least) year. My morning class is very low, with only 3 out of 19 on a second grade reading level. My afternoon class are all at a second grade reading level or higher. So it has been an adjustment for me, especially with lesson plans, because I have to differentiate so much between the two classes.

Then, on September 20, 2013, I got engaged! AND he did it at my school right after dismissal- I was COMPLETELY surprised!

I'll try to tell the short version of the story: We've together two years. I've been patiently waiting for this day to come. On September 20 two of my best friends came to help me at school. Anne used to be a teacher at my school and now stays at home and Meredith, who had taken part of the day off from work. They made copies, finally got my alphabet hung, it was great to have the help! Meredith wanted to experience dismissal so she went with me to the gym to drop off the kids. We went back to my room and couldn't find Anne. Then Anne calls to tell me to come to this other teacher's room to fix her computer (Terri, who just happens to be Anne's mother in law!) So I walk over there and Ronnie is sitting on a desk facing the door, and I look over and see my mom and Terri with their iPads up, Anne, Letty, my partner, and some other people from work. Ronnie was so nervous! He got down on one knee and proposed! We still haven't set a date....that's a whole other blog post...wedding planning is fun and not fun all at the same time!

So I hope you understand my absence. I thought I was addicted to Pinterest before but now...I have like 52,000 wedding boards! Wedding flowers, wedding pictures, wedding dresses, etc.!

Currently and Freebie

Love me some monthly "currently" brought to you by Oh' Boy 4th Grade

I think it's pretty self explanatory, except the ♥ which is the "love yourself spot" I think it's an awesome idea to include this every month! 

I am soooo close to reaching my savings goal, and I know I will this month! The harder goal I have set myself is to think more optimistically. This has been tough with school starting, but I will succeed! 

To spread some love I have uploaded a new Fan Freebie on Facebook. Just like my Facebook page, click on the "free" button and click to get your freebie! 

TpT Sale and back to school rambling

Visit my store here!

Back to school rambling starts now...

So much to say...I took a break, a hiatus if you will, from blogging, creating products, anything to do with "The Educated Crown" I hit a creative block, started thinking my own classroom, and had some personal things to reflect on as well. Now my classroom is almost done and I'm officially back at work so I'm ready to start back with The Educated Crown and all things associated with it. I thought the BIG back to school sale through TpT would be a good time to log back into everything..."Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years!"

I'm going to be posting more in depth directions/ explanations of all the little projects I've gotten done for my room this week...but here is just a little preview:

homemade handmade bookcase for all of my plastic shoeboxes containing task cards

my job chart, some more organizing, word wall, and computer posters

my classroom library

updated student mailboxes

A Day in The Life of a Teacher

I am not sure what non-teachers think teachers do all summer....sit by the pool all day? Watch TV? Sleep? For me, it depends on the day. I don't have kids or I know my summer days would be a bit different most of the time. So today I'm linking up with Jessica at Second Grade Nest to go through my day!

Tuesday- first day of ABYDOS training (writing training) for my district. First time I've had to wake up this early to be somewhere in a long time :) Duke is stretching while waiting for his food. Hunter starts eating immediately, then tries to steal Duke's food!

This is an expensive habit, but I stop for breakfast and coffee every morning. I mostly go to this bagel place on my way to work and get a plain bagel with egg & bacon and a coffee. Sometimes I go to Starbucks, but their breakfast sandwich isn't as good as the bagel place. 

8:30am- I am in my seat ready for training. No pictures....Dr. Carroll was entertaining and made sure we all paid close attention (as in no cell phones out or she'd stop and wait for you to put it away) 

I decided upon a working lunch today. I copied ALL, yes ALL, of my reading logs, spelling homework, high frequency word lists, and fluency packets for the entire year! I wanted to go to Chili's with my work friends, but man did I get A LOT done. And I stopped by my classroom...it's exactly the way I last saw it- a hot mess! I can't start working in it until "they" say it's ok...but I'm holding off until August 12th...

1:00pm- back in training. Still can't have out my phone. We made some stuff and learned a lot about expository writing. This is a three day training so once it's over I will be writing a blog post about it for sure! 

I'm home. Hunter is hungry for dinner. I decide to flip through my new cookbook to figure out what I can cook for dinner. I like to eat early. Since I worked through lunch and only had a protein bar I'm starving! 

Getting exercise with Hunter & Duke! It's hot and they decide to take a dip in the ditch...they get baths when we get home! 

The walk really made them tired. They nap while I watch TV and play on my Mac (blogging, reading blogs, thinking of new products for TpT, Pinterest, dreaming, wishing, etc.) 

I couldn't resist putting one more picture of my babies! During the school year this would be more like 9:00pm but since I can sleep until 7am tomorrow (and it's summer!) I stayed up a little later. I know- such a rebel! 

What did you do today???

It's Time {linky party}

I'm linking up with Jessica over at Literacy Spark to share my woes of summer ending and school beginning...we teach together so obviously we start back at the same time. But (not so) lucky for her she gets to be team leader and officially start back three five days before me.

I officially am back at work August 15th. I plan on going back August 12th so I can start setting everything up. The kids start back August 26th....this year teachers have SEVEN days of working before school starts (in the past we have had five days.) 

I am going to spend the rest of my summer doing as little as possible!!! Sadly, this week I have PD....and since I'll be on campus I want to start copying stuff I need for the year (reading logs, spelling, fluency stuff) but I can get it done during lunch. But after PD is over I am going to try and boycott school! 

Sunday Smorgasbord- Teaching kids to write print and cursive

I'm linking up with Fabulous in First for her Sunday Smorgasbord linky party!
I've been on hiatus...I've been busy...and it's only been like five days? But it seems like a REALLY long time to not be blogging or working on TpT products!

Smorgasbord #1
I went with my boyfriend to his 20th high school reunion. I haven't seen any of the pictures yet but I feel like I was in a lot of them! I skipped my 10 year reunion so this was my first one to go to, and I actually knew a lot of people there (we have been dating two years and he has kept in touch with a lot of people) They say people can't change buuuut he used to take pictures with his beer hiding his face, and I've gotten him to stop! But now he does this...

Smorgasbord #2
A friend recently asked me what she could buy her son (who is starting first grade) what she can buy to help him write in print better, and learn cursive. Any suggestions? 

I will admit that while I should probably focus on handwriting more in my classroom, when I do it's workbooks :( My district used to buy the D'Nealian handwriting workbooks for cursive, I never saw anything for print, and now they don't buy them (at least not for second grade...) I don't think parents can purchase the workbooks? I did find this one on Amazon that has good reviews from parents:

 So again I ask you...any suggestions on what my friend should purchase?

It's only been a day but...teaching reality show?

It's only been a day but it seems like FOREVER! I'm visiting some good friends of mine, and the internet was being weird last night. I tried to email some of you your teacher toolbox labels, but the internet was going in and out. I had the same problem again during the day today, but luckily my friend called their provider today and got it fixed! But then I couldn't remember who I had emailed already, I was working through the mail thing on my MacBook, then went directly through gmail because the mail thing was being weird. Long story short....You should have received your toolbox labels if you commented on my post from yesterday (Monday) and maybe you received them twice...if you haven't gotten them and feel like you should have, please just email me directly: TheEducatedCrown@gmail.com

Since I'm on a little mini-vacation I can't really *do* or *make* stuff for school...and I kinda don't want to since it's starting way too soon! But I've been watching a ton of cooking shows...and my friend went to the Culinary Institute of America (yes...he's CIA!) so I got to watch him cook two nights in a row. His wife (also my good friend!) made chicken salad for lunch and it was delish. I really have food on my mind...anyway the point of this is watching the cooking shows...someone should make a teaching related reality show! All of these cooking shows make me appreciate the chefs, waitstaff, etc. of eating out, looking at menus, recipes, grocery shopping, etc. so maybe if there was like a hidden camera kind of show for teaching and people could see how crazy some of the kids are...or how we don't get a lunch...or even "the day in the life of a teacher" just to get more awareness of what being a teacher really is. Just a thought...

Technical difficulties :(

I am having Internet issues while I'm enjoying time with friends in Dallas this week. I'm posting this from my phone- and blogging from your phone sucks! Thank you for everyone who commented and visited my TpT store today! If you haven't received your teacher toolbox labels yet you will as soon as I have Internet *promise*

There are more celebrations to come so stay tuned....

Monday Made It!

It seems like yesterday when I linked up for Monday Made It for the first time...I posted about creating my new Facebook page and my Teacher Tool Box Labels and oh wait- it wasn't yesterday but EXACTLY one week ago!!! And man oh man has it been one helluva week! 

** I am literally singing "Looks Like We Made It" by Barry Manilow in my head because this Monday Made It is something WE made together. Yes,  WE, as in YOU + ME **

Monday Made It #1

My Facebook page has eight hundred forty five likes. 845. 800+40+5=845. In one week! Why you ask? Because I participated in the amazing second grade Blog Hop for Facebook! I almost didn't even participate because setting up a Blog Hop on Facebook is a lot of work and was a major learning experience for me. It took me probably three hours total to just set up my Facebook page to have the freebie and Blog Hop button and connect it with Tori's (at Tori's Teacher Tips) Facebook page. But it turned out to be three hours well spent!!! 

Monday Made It #2

My blog...this blog...now has 235 followers on Bloglovin'!!!  I am blown away by all the new followers. Now I know it's because of the Giveaway that went along with the Blog Hop...but I'd like to think that y'all will stick around because you find me to be witty and clever and entertaining??!! Now of course 235 followers is a HUGE milestone...I figured I'd do my own giveaway once I hit 200, but I also figured that it would take me a long, long time to get to 200! Hang in there because I PROMISE I will celebrate this milestone with you soon! 

Monday Made It #3

Here is something I actually did make...99% by myself even...

I got all of my EDITABLE Teacher Tool Box labels finished and posted in my TpT store!

You know what? Let's go ahead and have a small celebration together- go check out my TpT store and look at the different colors I am offering for the Teacher Tool Box Labels- EDITABLE. Then come back here and post a comment which includes which color you like the best and a way to contact you (email maybe?) and I will send you the file- FOR FREE! 

Here is my previous post explaining how I made the tool box (directions are included in the file as well.) 

The catch? There's always a catch- your comment has to be dated for Monday, July 22, 2013. I may not be able to send you the file until Tuesday or Wednesday because I am going to be on the road, but I promise you I will send it just as soon as I can! 

Thank you for all the love on Bloglovin' and on Facebook! 

Sunday Funday!

Today is the last day for the Facebook Freebie Hop! It was a huge success yesterday, but today is the last day so make sure you stop by all of our Facebook pages and enter the giveaway!

I am amazed at all of the new followers on Bloglovin' and on Facebook! 

I have even noticed some of you meandering over to my store at Teachers Pay Teachers so I've decided to hold a sale on all of my new products I've made this summer. They are all great for back to school so check it out!

Facebook Blog Hop starts NOW!

Hey Second Grade Teacher Friends! Is it just me, or does it seem like there aren't a lot of second grade blogs to follow? Or when you're shopping on TPT, the K-2 products seem too easy, yet the 3-5 stuff is way too hard?

My girl, Tori, over at Tori's Teacher Tips, has rounded up some of the best second grade bloggers for a Facebook Freebie hop! Each of us has an *exclusive to Facebook* freebie for you. All you have to do is "like" our Facebook pages to pick it up. When you get to the Facebook page, look for this image:

Click on it and grab your freebie! It's that easy!

Look who's participating!

The easiest way to grab your freebies is to start at Tori's Teacher Tips' Facebook page, as she has all of our links in one convenient place. You'll also notice that she has a Rafflecopter on the page. That's because we all decided to throw in a Winner's Choice from our TPT stores for our Bloglovin' followers as well! That's right! You could win 23 products just for following us on Bloglovin'!!! Here are our Bloglovin' links:

Tori's Teacher Tips

Hippo Hooray for Second Grade

Mrs. Rios Teaches

Surfin' through Second

Smiling in Second Grade

Success in Second Grade

Diving Into 2nd Grade

Second Grade Nest

Teaching Little Miracles

Literacy Spark

Primary Junction

Reading and Writing Redhead

Teach 'n Tex

I Love My Classroom

That's So Second Grade

Stuckey in Second

The Educated Crown

Owl in a Vowel Tree

Across the Hall in 2nd Grade

Hard Core Teacher Resources

Simply Skilled in Second

Second Grade Math Maniac

Tonya's Treats for Teachers

Make sure you head over to our Facebook pages ASAP, because these freebies will only be available THIS WEEKEND! The freebies and giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, July 21st. GOOD LUCK!