The Teacher's M•A•C Haul!

If there's one thing that my friends and family would tell you about it, it would be that I am completely addicted to cosmetics!  I love makeup!  I have freelanced for M•A•C as a makeup artist for a few years and it fills this deep, deep passion that I have for cosmetics.  However, sometimes this passion means that I go way, way overboard in my makeup purchases.  Wait...that's not actually a thing.  Never mind...

Here's what I picked up on my latest trip to M•A•C!!

I had to pick up some gifts for people as well as some stuff for myself so I had multiple bags.  It always feels good to walk out of M•A•C with more than one bag!!

Lip Products: 

I picked up a new nude matte lipstick.  I just felt like I was missing something in my nude lip collection and I couldn't put my finger on it!  I have Velvet Teddy here on the left and I think that'll fill the void!  I also picked up a cremestick lipliner to go along with it!  I also got the Viva Glam Miley Cyrus lipstick!  This hot pink is just gorgeous!  I used to wear a lot of amplified finish lipsticks but I have kind of fallen away from them lately.  This is just the one to get me back on the amplified wagon.  Plus, I love Miley.  On the right is something that I've been wanting for MONTHS!  I am obsessed with Pro Longwear Lipglass.  This one is in Forever Rose.  I am slowly purchasing the whole line.  These things feel so silky and amazing.  Plus the wear time is incredible!!!

I also picked up Pink Nouveau (on the far left) for my mom.  She wanted a new pink lipstick and this has been one of my long-standing M•A•C favorites!  I also picked up a Viva Glam VI lipglass for my sister who's about to have a baby. It's one of those instant glam, easy glosses that's perfect for anything.  I know she's going to love it!  I also got myself the Miley Cyrus Viva Glam Lipglass...because it's Viva Glam.  I mean, how can you pass up a charity lipglass in this gorgeous bright pink sparkly color?!

Here's a picture of me wearing Velvet Teddy lipstick from M•A•C.  I love this color!!

Skin Products

I had to restock some of my favorite skin products.  I was running low on Face and Body foundation. I use this almost daily when I'm teaching.  I need to get out of the bathroom and off to work as fast as possible so I love the ease of Face and Body.  It gives enough coverage, doesn't feel thick or greasy and leaves my skin looking radiant!  On the right, I had to get a new bottle of Studio Fix Fluid.  I love this stuff.  I wear it a lot when I'm getting photographed or when I want more coverage.  I needed a new bottle because I've gotten pale enough lately that my current shade was too dark and I haven't been able to wear this foundation.  I'm happy to have it back.  In the center, I picked up more Matte Bronze because I was basically out of bronzer.  I love Matte Bronze!!

The Basics:

Again, I was basically out of all of this stuff.  I feel like I always run out of everything at once. I had to get a new bottle of Fix+.  If you don't use this stuff, you need to!  Teachers work long days!  This setting spray helps your makeup wear all day long.  I can tell within a couple hours if I've forgotten my Fix+ spray.  It makes such a huge difference.  Brush cleaner is another staple for me.  I have to keep my brushes clean so my skin doesn't break out and my shadows don't get muddy.  I go through a lot of this stuff.  On the right, Gently Off is my go to.  I love this pink one.  It takes off my eye makeup and any stubborn lip products with ease!  It doesn't feel slimy or greasy either.  

Random Products:

I had to get some Mineralize Skinfinish.  I can't live without it.  I use it as my setting powder every single day.  I also finally ran out of my Warm Soul blush. I wear it almost every single day.  It lasted me over a year with constant wear, so I can't really complain about that. Warm Soul is the perfect shade!!  I also had to get a new mascara.  I love Haute and Naughty.  Last, an eyebrow pencil for my sister.  She uses Brunette and Fling.  I do love these eyebrow pencils.  I use Anastasia Beverly Hills' Brow Whiz but I would be fine if I had to use these pencils.

Gifts:

Last, how can you go into a M•A•C store and not stockpile some gifts?  These new M•A•C eye palettes are awesome!  I had to get some for my kit and for gifts.  The burgundy collection was my absolute favorite!!!

Thanks for checking out my M•A•C haul!!  Which M•A•C products are your favorite?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!!

Technology Tuesdays - Kahoot!

My students have been obsessed with Kahoot since the first time we played it!  I have to admit, that I am super obsessed too!!  I love this website!

Kahoot is the perfect way to integrate games and technology into your classroom!  It's also great to show anyone who works in your school computer lab because they're sure to find a ton of uses for it as well!

I love that there are tons and tons of public Kahoots that you can search!  When I first started playing, we were prepping for our state science test and I just searched through 4th and 5th grade premade science games.  I found tons of super usable games for my state test review.  My students couldn't get enough of it!

What I love about it is that it forces everyone to respond and the students get instant feedback.  Isn't it every teacher's dream for students to get immediate feedback and have everyone participating?!  Yep...Kahoot makes it happen!  Plus, at the end of the game, you can download a spreadsheet of each student's answers.  So, you get 100% participation, instant feedback, and a record of their results.  How amazing is that!

AND IT'S FREE!!!

Eventually, my 5th grade team started making some of our math exit tickets on Kahoot.  Seriously, the kids ask to play it like 20 times a day.  Haha.  They love when I mix it up and give them a Kahoot exit ticket!

We also made our end of unit math review practice on Kahoot.  We gave the students the questions to solve beforehand and then had them enter all of their answers into the Kahoot after everyone had finished.  It made grading super easy, gave students feedback on their performance before testing and it was fun.  We all won!

If you haven't tried Kahoot, it's super quick and easy to set up and the students pick it up super quickly.  I definitely recommend giving it a try in your classroom!!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

Multiplying Fractions Anchor Chart

Do you ever have those lessons that you're just terrified of having a sub teach?  Like...multiplying fractions, for example?  Yes, I had a sub teach this.  It was their first introduction to it.  A lot of the time, even when I leave a note saying to follow the step-by-step anchor chart, the sub will bypass it and do their own thing.  However, the sub actually used it this time and told me that this chart helped her to understand the process better!  I'll call that a success!

What's your favorite anchor chart?!  Come link it up!!  

Don't forget to enter my awesome giveaway for a $50 credit to my TpT store!!

$50 TpT Store Credit Giveaway PLUS a Freebie Linkup

I am really excited to announce my new giveaway!  I've been so thankful for this amazing community of educators and the way that each and every person inspires me daily!  For that, I want to give back! I have set up a giveaway for a $50 store credit to my TpT store!  Plus, I'm featuring a Freebie linkup so that you can score some awesome giveaways immediately!

The giveaway will run through April 4th!  I figured this would give everyone a chance to have spring break (maybe) and get entered!  The winner will be announced on April 5th...which is my sister's birthday!

So, I hope that you enter!!  Thanks for joining my giveaway, reading my blog, and linking up!  I totally appreciate you!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

An InLinkz Link-up

Sunday Scoop - March 22, 2015

Whew!  Things have been c.r.a.z.y. at work lately!  As a result, my blogging and TpT commitment has taken a hit!  I am really happy that we're on spring break now out here in Oregon so I can decompress and rejuvenate!  I have some exciting blog posts that I need to develop and I'm excited to be able to post them throughout break. Perhaps I'll even do some writing to get ahead and schedule out some posts.

I am going to my mom's house in Cali for spring break.  We're throwing a baby shower there for my sister!  Hooray!  I'm excited to see the family and get out of town for a bit.  The weather here is overcast and rainy at the moment so I won't be missing much!  

My have to do section is quite relaxing today.  Since it's spring break...relaxing is about all I have prioritized.  I do hope to do some work on my blog and TpT store though!

As for the plantain chips, is anyone else completely addicted to these?!  The entire NW area of Trader Joe's has been out of stock for weeks.  I am dying here, people!!!!  BRING BACK THE PLANTAIN CHIPS!!!

I finally hit up that M•A•C shopping spree that I talked about last weekend and I am so excited to wear all of my new products!!  I'm definitely packing some of them with me for my trip to Cali!  I love M•A•C.  

What are you up to this week?  Come link up at Teaching Trio!!

And lastly, check out my Rafflecopter Giveaway!  It's running for the next two weeks!!

 

Sunday Scoop - March 15, 2015

Have to Do

My students have a math test this week!  We're going on spring break at the end of next week so the end of this unit was carefully timed. For their pre-test math review, I always make up a packet that looks just like the test so that students feel more comfortable when they sit down for their actual math test. This time, since we're obsessing over Kahoot, I'm going to create a quiz from their practice.  I love how it gives them instant feedback and it keeps the students engaged.  

I usually have my Sunday Scoop up way, way, way earlier on Sunday.  I'm very behind today.  Reason being...I'm exhausted.  Things have been very difficult lately and it has really zapped my energy.  It took about all that I have in me to write this blog post.  So, sleep is a have to.  I need to get my energy back.  :)

My mom loves Shutterfly books and I have one in the works for her.  Their 50% off promo ends tonight so I have to get that thing all finished up!!

Hope to Do

In case you're new to my blog, I'm a freelance makeup artist with M•A•C and a true M•A•C junkie at heart.  I love makeup and that will never change.  I'm hoping to do a nice little shopping trip as a little pick-me-up.  Makeup is a girl's best friend.  

I loved using excite.com this week and I'm excited to add it to my newsELA plan.  The kids love the websites and I'll definitely be using them more this week to help my class prepare for Smarter Balanced Assessments.

Happy to Do

I found THE BEST hostel in Santorini for my trip this summer.  I am super excited to go sleep in a cave.  Seriously.  The place is called Caveland it looks I.N.C.R.E.D.I.B.L.E.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Come link up with us and The Teaching Trio!!

100 Followers $1.00 Sale

I am super, super, super, super excited to have finally reached 100 followers!  I was stuck on 98 for a week and then my very favorite Instagram people came through and clicked the follow button to push me past 100!

I have a super special sale for you to celebrate the occasion.  Through the weekend, my entire store is on sale for $1.00 (you know...100 followers...100 cents...).  I hope you come visit my store and celebrate with me!

Thank you so much for being such a wonderful part of my teaching journey!  I am so thankful for this community and network of supporters that I've met!

Scavenger Hunt Blog Hop

I have something really special for you this week for Thoughtful Thursdays!  Yes, this post is going up at the very last minute on Thursday but hey...it's still Thursday!. This week, I'm writing about using Instagram as part of a very special blog hop!!

Here is how this blog-hop works…

1. Read this post and make a note of my letter

2. Click on a link at the bottom to 'hop' onto one of my fab blogger friends posts

3. Read their post and make a note of their letter

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3!

5. Head to Year2tastic and use the 'Contact Me' section to submit your letter string- 

IT DOES NOT SPELL A WORD! 

There is no particular order to record the letters in- just ensure you have 6!

6. Once you have submitted your letters follow the steps on the Rafflecopter. 

You can enter as many times as it allows you to over the course of the weekend.

Names with incorrect letter strings recorded will be deleted from the Rafflecopter 

and IT will then decide the winner!

DONE!!!

                      

I am super excited to be joining Year 2 Tastic to celebrate Laura's awesome 500 follower milestone!  I am so excited for her and thrilled to contribute to such a great blog hop!  On this blog hop, you'll be collecting letters.  Once you have all of the letters, you'll submit them on the Year 2 Tastic blog to be entered to win a $20 TpT Gift Card!  Woohoo!  So, let's get to the point so that you can collect your letter and move on to the next blog!

This blog hop is all about how we benefit from using Instagram to connect with other teachers and stay inspired!  This blog hop couldn't have come at a better time because I really needed my Instagram teaching buddies this week!!

Let's face it, sometimes teaching is hard.  Like really, really hard!!  In those moments, I really need people who understand my professional life and people who understand my career.  I don't think that anyone who hasn't taught can understand the highs and lows of teaching.  This week, the lows flowed in and I relied heavily on my Instagram friends for the right dose of inspiration and positivity to uplift me, refocus me on my goals as an educator and carry me through the week!

The teachers that I follow on Instagram are so incredibly positive and uplifting that, no mater how hard the day may be or how trying times may get, you'll wake up with a reason to smile.  You're inundated with quotes, pictures, great lessons, real-life videos of effective instruction happening in classrooms and it really helps set the tone for a great start to your day.  Or...when you've had a rough day to remind you of how beautiful the great moments are.

I love checking Instagram first thing in the morning to see what my IG friends are saying and checking it after school to see all of the cool things that happened throughout their day.  There are so many ways to connect with people because they're a like-minded group of individuals who share your interests and passions in life.  I've connected with so many great teachers and I feel like I have a strong network of educators walking beside me that extends well beyond the boundaries of my classroom walls or school doors.  With all that's going on in the world, it's nice to stop and enjoy the professionals all around the world who are walking alongside you each and every day.

What can I say...my IG buddies get me.  And, I totally get them.

If you're looking for some great daily teaching inspiration, check out the following people on Instagram:

Me!
Year2tastic
One Fab Teacher
Miss Johnston's Journey
Fab in Fifth
Teaching From Beyond the Desk
Art with Jenny K.
Mrs. O. Knows

And now...your letter is M...for Myranda!  I hope you hop on over to the next blog, finish collecting letters and submit them to win a prize!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE OTHER 5 BLOGGERS!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Sunday Scoop - March 8, 2015

Welcome to my Sunday link-up with The Teaching Trio!!

Have to Do

I am so ready to cook my heart out today.  I'm just in one of those moods.  his could have gone under happy to do as well but eating is a necessity so I kept it under "have to do."  We're also starting our state testing for science next week.  I haven't personally administered state tests before so I have to look through this manual today so that I don't become the cause of a testing impropriety at our school.  That just sounds scary.  Also, today, I want to just stop and appreciate life.  I'm trying to not get too caught up in all the things that I need to take care of and just enjoy this moment.  I mean, it's basically summer weather in Oregon right now.  There's no better time to stop and enjoy life!!

Hope to Do

I hope that we can get through our science testing this week without any technology issues.  Usually, there are always problems with the sound, computers freezing, etc.  I just want a nice, easy testing session.  Also, I read about edcite.com from a post by Jennifer Findley at Teaching to Inspire in 5th.  I love her products and her blog content.  She mentioned a website that I am super eager to test out with my students!  I'll let you know if I get to it!

Happy to Do

My sister's Superman themed baby shower decor is coming along nicely!  I am excited to keep creating things for her special day!  I love all things superhero so this was a perfect job for me!

I have been thinking that maybe I should open an Etsy shop with party decor.  I love planning and decorating parties.  Does anyone know what the Terms of Use are for using TpT clipart for paper products like banners and invitations on Etsy?  The only think holding me back at this point is finding out about this.  I know that you can't use them to mass produce goods like mugs and stuff but what about limited-sale items for party decor?  I'm going to contact some graphic artists that I use, I think.

Come link up with us and share your Sunday Scoop!

Five for Friday-March 6, 2015

I'll admit...I was worried that I wouldn't have enough content to participate in Five for Friday this week!  This is my favorite linky party! I'm so happy that I made it happen!  We only had 3 student contact days and one of those days was a field trip, so my student-driven content is minimal this week. 

First, I just have to say how proud I am of my students for completing their essays.  This was a writing assessment so they didn't have any support from me!  It's a good thing that we had our grading day so I could read through and score each of them!  I love seeing how they progress in writing over the course of a year.  They've been working so hard and they were so diligent about getting all of this done.

In math, we're continuing our unit on multiplying and dividing fractions.  We are also studying using fractions in expression along with the order of operations.  Here are some anchor charts from the week...

Ok...I'll admit.  I'm crushing on anchor charts this week.  Maybe it's because I just got a fresh new pack of Sharpie chart markers?!  We're starting our state science test on Monday so we've been going through tons of science content.  Here are two anchor charts that were made using a pictorial input strategy.  The students LOVED the lessons and they look great hanging up in the room!!

I used much of my report card time to rearrange my classroom.  I just had this moment last week where I decided that some of my student desks didn't have a good enough view of the board and that I wanted to heard everyone in really close to me.  I LOVE the new set up!!!  I especially love the group table that goes down the center!

We had so much fun on our field trip!  I am so thankful that we were able to have this opportunity as a grade level.  Someone on my team got a grant.  Many of the kids had never been to this museum and they had so much fun playing with electricity, building things, and learning about all kinds of science!

Thanks for reading!  I hope to see you on the link up!!