Christmas Themed Products to Save Your Sanity

Getting your class on task....and learning...is quite the obstacle when the holiday are near! No matter when your winter break begins, I think we can all agree that everyone gets a little bit of the  "short-timer" syndrome right beforehand. Don't worry...I have your back!

I wanted some new, fun activities for my class right before break so I created some new holiday packs. I have a new math and ELA set in my store to accompany my previously created freebies. 

My students have loved these products during the crazy winter holiday season! The ELA pack includes a word search, a color-by-syllable, grammar and quotations practice, etc. The math set has practice with ordering decimals, decimal long-division, color by product, equivalent fraction practice, etc.

I've been so happy with this too because all I have to do is run some copies and go! The answer key is there and everything. 

The screen shots below show some of the fun pages included in these sets!

I hope these help you take some of the stress off and enjoy hanging out with your kids a little bit more.

Find them in my store by clicking the cover images below. 

                       

xo

Teach & Reinforce Fraction Concepts

If there's one thing that I'm confident other 5th grade teachers would agree with, it's that teaching kids to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators is HARD! Then, by the time you get to multiplying and dividing fractions, things are really all mixed up and who knows what's happening...

That's why I created these mini flip books for adding and subtracting fractions. I'm going to add to the set and create them for subtracting mixed numbers (with regrouping) and multiplying and dividing fractions. I wanted something concrete that the students could use to reference the procedure over and over again as well as something that they could take home to practice with the same process we're using at school.

The mini flip books are double sided and print on just a half sheet of paper, making this an awesome paper-saving resource. I have my students glue these into their math workbooks as we learn each part so that it's always there for reference. 

Each flip book contains the major steps for completing the math accurately along with an example. There are practice problems on the back to complete with the teacher once you've finished teaching the process. 

You can find the addition flip book here.

You can find the subtraction flip book here.

New Adventures into Clip Art Creation

This summer, I took up a new hobby. I've always been really interested in learning all things Adobe but I didn't have the slightest clue about how to use the programs. I have a subscription to the Adobe suite and it was drastically underutilized. 

After searching high and low for Adobe classes in the area, I stumbled upon a tutoring website called Wyzant. I'm so glad that i found this site because all of the Adobe classes were either online (I am not a digital learner), 100's and 100's of dollars (sorry...teacher budget), or in conflict with my work schedule (who can attend a class at noon on a weekday anyway?). I was so excited to see that there were Adobe tutors in my neighborhood and that I could choose who to work with and the price range that I was willing to pay.

(Want $40 in free tutoring from Wyzant? Click here!)

I've learned so many things since June....where did the last 6 months go?! I create business cards, custom stationery, cards, etc. I'm finally beginning to really learn how to effectively design clip art. This has not been an easy task but I am so in love with graphics and art.

I wanted to share my first mini set with you. I created three images. There are 3 color images and 3 black and white images included in this mini sampler set. All of the images are high-quality, 300 dpi vector images in PNG format and they're super festive and perfect for the season.

I hope to make some new clip art for you soon and I'd love your feedback if you download and use my first set! You can download it for FREE by clicking on the cover image below!!

co

Candy Club Review - August 2016

Happy Labor Day Weekend! For a lot of us teachers, it's like the final hurrah before the hard work really begins! For some of you, you've already been back to work and you're just thankful for the three day weekend to recharge. I hope you all get some quality relaxation time in this weekend!

I'm going to do another subscription box review here. I've reviewed this before on YouTube but I think this is the first review I've done here in the blog. 

Today, I'm reviewing the Candy Club subscription box. Have you heard of it? It's a monthly box that you can either have curated for you or you can self-select based on your preferences. I choose to have mine curated for me because I love surprises and I love trying out new stuff that I may not have chosen myself.

I signed up for a year of Candy Club in December of 2015 so my time is almost up. I've never been disappointed in a box. I signed up for this box because the little containers of Candy are so adorable and they are the perfect gift to keep on hand for last minute birthdays, classroom treats, etc.

 

They're great at wrapping their boxes in this heat-protectant layer to keep it safe from the heat and crazy temperatures! This helps make sure that my candy is always fresh and ready to eat when it's opened!

Seriously...how cute is this??? 

Each candy comes with its own card that describes what the candy is. The backside of the card lists the nutritional information and ingredients. Look at your own risk....

These cinnamon bears were so good. They were super soft, jam-packed with cinnamon flavor and the perfect treat!

I'm really not into licorice candies so these weren't a favorite for me. They were really fun with the bright colors and pinwheel shape.

I totally love cola bottle candies. These were soft, coated with sugar, and packed with flavor. I could've been just fine with three containers of these and nothing else!!

There's always some type of candy on top that's sprinkled throughout the box. This month, it was root beer float hard candies. One time I had Zots and that was amazing. I think that I love the candies sprinkled in more than any of the others on a pretty regular basis. These were super delicious and tasted just like a root beer float. 

So, would you try Candy Club? I'm definitely a fan!  What's your favorite type of candy? Let me know in the comments!

Back to School - Style Edition

If there's one thing that I love about getting ready to go back to school, it's picking out new outfits to wear! This year, I'm especially excited because I started a new clothing business this summer with LuLaRoe. I've been stashing away some of my favorite finds for back to school and I am super excited to put them into outfits and get to it!

Here are the first 5 outfits that I've put together. I think this is a perfect line up for the first week of school! 

Monday:

This outfit is perfect for labor day. It's the last day of vacation and I definitely try to spend the day relaxing and having a little fun before everything gets going on Tuesday! I love mustard and navy together....adore it actually. These floral leggings with a navy tee are perfect casual wear. The lacy Joy in mustard dresses it up in case I need to go out to any events that day.

Tuesday:

This outfit is totally my favorite and I think ti would be perfect for the first day of school. I love the reverse polkadots on the top. The black on white mixed with the white on black and the small/large combination make the polkadots pair so well together! I paired them with a pair of black skinny pants. I paired some gold jewelry with the gold details in my shoes. I love how the coloring of the snake print flats matches the polkadots perfectly!

Wednesday:

 

Next up, we have one day in the books so I don't have to be quite as fancy as the first day! I'm loving this Julia pencil dress with wedges and my mustard Joy really dresses it up! 

Thursday:

This skirt is totally a favorite and I'm so excited to add this to the mix on Thursday! I love the solid black Irma because it tones down the wild print on the skirt a little! I think the red polkadot headband adds the perfect pop of color to pair with the bright skirt. I have the wedges in rotation again. I added some gold jewelry to highlight the yellow tones in the skirt.

Friday:

I might get a little casual on Fridays. I paired some sandals with this black and white rose skirt! A graphic tee with a simple white phrase on a black background makes the skirt look more casual. The lace Joy in black over the top adds class and an extra layer of detail to make the outfit more interesting and dressy.

So, do you have a favorite pick from the bunch? Let me hear what it is in the comments!!

Want to try LuLaRoe? Head on over to my VIP page for all of the fun!

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Creation Crate Review - Let's Get to Building!

Hey there! 

Recently, I was contacted by a new sub-based company and they offered me a free Creation Crate box in exchange for a review of their product. I heard the words creation and elementary and knew that it was a perfect collaboration!

So, what is Creation Crate? Creation Crate is a beginner friendly, technology driven subscription box that's perfect for kids in upper elementary school. According to their website: 

"We started Creation Crate to give people a more practical way to learn - in a subject that's not getting nearly enough attention in traditional schooling. When most people think about careers in technology, the first thing that comes to mind is programmng. Not many people think about the hardware side of tech."

How true is that? I loved the idea and had to try it out. Here's what came in my box!

The box was pretty simple in its design and I was excited to open it up. When I opened it, I found all of the hardware components to build and program a lamp. How cool!!!

I love the tech inspired stickers. I would definitely save these to hand out to kids when they successfully build the design. The booklet on the left is the instruction manual.

The instructions are pretty simple. I appreciate that they're not super wordy. That makes it very helpful for younger kids. I also like the pictures that match up with each material in the box.

So, of course, I had to test out the instructions and I got right to building! I found that the instructions were simple enough to use and I was able to figure it all out and get everything put together. 

So, all-in-all, this product was super fun! I would totally bring this into my classroom and allow students to build and program. This is a great incentive for early finishers or class rewards. I loved putting this together and I have no doubt that other students would too! 

I think that I am going to get a few more of these and keep them in plastic bins to pass out as needed for activities!

Want to try out Creation Crate? Head on over to the website to get started!

Win a $100 TpT Giftcard and Other Great Prizes

Hello hello!

I am super excited because a few of my teacher friends have gathered together and we're hosting an awesome giveaway!! There are 3 huge prizes and they are all AWESOME! $100's of dollars to Teachers Pay Teachers, an adorable chalk board, a custom board by Amy Harris....WHAT???

On top of that, most of us are going to be hopping on Facebook live throughout the day to share our favorite Back to School resources! I can't wait to catch everyone's live videos and hear about their recommendations. This is an awesome group of teachers here!

Want to enter!? Check out the details below!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Best Beauty Subscription Box - Boxy Charm Review August 2016

I am so excited to bring you a Boxy Charm review today! I have been subscribed to Boxy Charm for 3 months and I wanted to wait a while to really feel out the sub box before recommending it to my readers. I have to say...this is THE BEST makeup subscription box that I have ever found.

I used to be a hardcore Ipsy fan but my excitement was dwindling. I felt as though I was getting more and more low-quality cheap products from China that were filled with nasty junk and not worthy of use in a professional makeup artist's bag. I couldn't rationalize the subscription anymore but needed to fulfill my makeup obsession somehow.

That's when a friend of mine recommended Boxy Charm to me. We both worked at M•A•C together and I really value her opinion so I went for it...even though it costs twice as much as Ispy. Let me tell you...IT'S WORTH IT! 

In the past three months, every box that I have received has had a retail value of over $120. Talk about a steal. One month, I received an $80 bottle of eye cream. Yes, I paid $21 for that box and got that eye cream and 4 other items. All of the items are full-sized. No more mini samples that are a one-time use. Plus, the products are higher-quality brands that I would actually use professionally and personally and most of them are free from all of that nasty junk that we don't want on our skin.

So...what was in this month's box? Take a look!

                      

Do I have your attention now?

Here's what the box looks like when you get it in the mail.

This card on top breaks down the prices for each item in the box, tells you what it is and tells you how to use it! LOOK at those prices! 

I really don't love the blank paper that comes in the box...but hey...that's a pretty minor issue to have. These products are so amazing that I don't even miss having a cute little bag from Ipsy. Let's be real....that was the main seller for me anyway.

This serum is heavenly! I've been using it for the past few days and it's lightweight, absorbs quickly, and doesn't leave my skin feeling sticky or weird. I haven't had any skin issues from it and I love the way that my skin has been looking. I'm definitely going to be ordering more of this!!

I try to change out my mascara once a month and I'm excited to put this to use next month! I'm always open to finding new mascaras to love!

If you know me, you know that I LOVE a bold, matte red lip! I love that this is a liquid lipstick. It makes the application so much smoother. This stuff is amazing. The wear really lasts. I applied this to my hand to swatch it lasted on my hand for about 8 hours...hand washing and all. I can't wait to try this out at work when school starts back up! 

Beauty for Real is the reason that I subbed to this box in the first place and I was super excited to get this gorgeous purple eye crayon in my box. It applied super gently and left a super-charged color payout behind. I couldn't believe it. It had a short window where the color could be smudged or moved. After it set, it stayed put. The swatch on my hand had to be scrubbed off at the end of the day...even through all of the hand washing I did during the day. WOW!

Now, if I'm being honest with you, this was the bust of the box for me and it was the first product that I have been less than excited for. I am not a huge fan of Coastal Scents. Their stuff is fine but it's not what I prefer to use. Even so, this would make a great gym-bag go-to and it's always nice to have another makeup brush around!

So, what do you think? Have you tried Boxy Charm before? Do you want to? You can click any link in this post to try it out using my referral code! 

xo