Back to School

As I sit in my daughter's play area and think back over the last two weeks I am reminded of how truly blessed I am to be a teacher. It is an exhausting, under appreciated profession but there are so many rewards in and out of the classroom. One of which is the vacation time. I was able to spend two uninterrupted weeks with my sweet baby girl and there are so many women out there who do not get as much time with their children as I am given throughout the year. I'm not looking forward to dropping her off at daycare in the morning, but on the other hand I am excited to see my kiddos and hear all about their Christmas and New Year adventures. They are a bright spot in my life, even on the days that they drive me crazy.

I am also looking forward to spending the last hour of the day with two good friends who also happen to be coworkers working on a New Year's Resolution craftivity with our first and third grade students. It will be loud, as we will have 55 kids in one room, and fun. Hopefully I will remember to take a picture so that I can share it with you.

One exciting moment from Christmas is that I received my own laptop. My husband, who works with children as well, and I have been sharing one laptop and going crazy. Now we each have our own which was a fabulous Christmas surprise. I have already put it to good use. I updated my Abe Lincoln's Hat comprehension packet with some centers and I am almost done with a math and literacy packet for The Mitten by Jan Brett. If you are interested those will be up in my TPT store by Wednesday. Its been so fun creating without the pressure of sharing with my wonderful hubby. This could definitely help bring a little sanity back into the house.

Well I am off to catch a few hours of sleep before our first day back to school. I hope you all have a wonderful first day back as well.

Returning to the Blogging World

Its been over four months since I last wrote a post for this blog. I had promised myself that this year I would actually use the blog I created over a year ago but life has a way of surprising you. My beautiful daughter was born at the beginning of May and completely changed our world in the best way possible. However I have found it challenging trying to find some kind of balance between being a mom, wife, and first grade teacher. I'm being taught mini lessons in letting go of lists and plans on a daily basis. I accomplish what I can in whatever free time I am blessed with and tell myself that the rest will wait. Its not easy but I figure it will be a lesson that my sweet girl will continue to help me learn for many years to come. 

In those brief moments of free time I have been able to create some new things for my classroom. I have become braver over the last few years thanks to some wonderful friends and coworkers who give me the confidence to try new things. Its been fun and I am definitely learning a lot. Most of the items I have been creating have made it to my TPT store. The rest of it will make it there eventually. I will also be posting some freebies on here as well.

Several new items that were just posted to my TPT store go along with fun activities that are happening at our school this month. Our first and third grade classes are partnering together for some fun themed days. Today we completed an Elf day. We introduced our classroom elves, made an elf, and wrote out a wish list for the elves to bring to the North Pole. We ended the day with the movie The Elf Story. This Friday will be our snowman day. Our math, reading, grammar, writing, etc. are all snowman themed. We will make a snowman craft and do a writing activity together and then end the day with Frosty the Snowman. Our snowman activities can be found in my TPT store and the TPT store of Mrs 3rd Grade. Next week there is even more excitement but that will have to wait for another post.

~Ashley

New Adventures

Hi! My name is Ashley and I am a first grade teacher in Arizona. I have spent the last few years exploring teaching blogs and learning so much from others across the nation that I finally decided to join and give back. This will be a new experience to me as I have a lot to learn about running a blog but I am excited to share my classroom adventures with others.