I'm still alive......barely!

Hello World! 

I have resurfaced once again after a whirlwind of a year! Summer is rapidly approaching and I have been going non-stop with Grad school. It's this time of the year where I start to reflect on the blessings that have occurred and the upcoming events that will change my life. 

1. Graduate school- It has taken me a three semesters and a summer to complete all of my classes! I can officially say I have only my internship left which I will complete in the upcoming school year with an awesome principal! It has been a crazy but fun ride. I have learned a great deal about myself as a leader and I have grown in a great way. I can only imagine what my internship will look like and how I will develop more as a leader. I AM EXCITED! I would not be here without my family and friends support. Thank you for keeping me on my toes and bugging me about getting my papers done. I am dedicated but sometimes I needed that extra nudge. :)

2. Kindergarten- This is a change. After contemplating where I want my career to take me and how I want to grow as a teacher, I have decided to change schools within my district and become a Hendrick's Hawk. This decision comes with many positives and I am excited for what is in store for me next fall. I will be doing my internship with the principal who hired me in the district. I will also be working with a smaller team who have great ideas on where to take kids and to evolve with the Common Core. We have already been bonding and working closely. I know I have made the right decision BUT I will miss my Bulldogs terribly! I have nothing but admiration for the school I call home and I only hope to keep in close contact with all of the friends I have made. 


3. Parents- This is another change. My parents who have lived in the same house for 43 years have decided to make a change of their own............move to Tucson! This has been a change in the making for the past several months and I am super excited that they will be in the same city as me. I have my aunt and uncle to thank for taking the time and patience to help them look for a place. I will say it is only 2 miles away from my house. Yeah..........I am happy about that but they are under the impression I will not stay in my home forever. LOL! I will miss my childhood home but I can only imagine what joy they will have decorating a new house. It has already been an adventure. They will be making the big move at the end of May. Best wishes that the move goes smoothly.

4. Friends- ALL of my friends are a true blessing! I am so happy that I have a group of friends that I can rely on to talk to, hang out with, and just know they are friends. I would not know what to do with myself if I didn't have friends. Speaking of friends....they also help me make my Kindergarten scrapbooks. LOL!

5. Husband- He has not changed and he knows he is my blessing. He is Ben. He is 30! (That's about all that has changed, his age!) He supports every decision I make. He accepts my faults (my Coach addiction). He runs my errands (drops off my Grad school work when he is available). He takes care of the dog (NOT.... j/k). He is Ben and he will always be my husband and best friend. 


Well I guess that is all for tonight.....I hope to update this blog at least once more before chaos erupts (aka end of the school year). Otherwise, I will post more this summer! I can see the light at the end of the school year tunnel! Happy reading!

Clarissa

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Two words say it all "Merry Christmas"! I have been truly blessed with many things this year. For one, I was given the honor of being named a Rodel Exemplary Teacher finalist out of 6 teachers in Pima County. I have been with a loving a caring man, my husband Ben for 12 years. He is my rock and I don't know what I would do without him. We are both blessed with loving and supportive families. We are expecting a baby niece quite soon if not by the end of January. It is amazing to watch a child grow and turn into a wonderful human being. I absolutely love our nephew Maddex! He is now 2 and he isn't terrible at all. He is a sweet and curious little guy and he is in love with our dog "Snuggles". It's the little things in life that are important and I cherish every moment we have with our loved ones. I wish you all Merry Christmas and hope you are enjoying this joyous day with your loved ones.

Merry Christmas!

I am the luckiest person ever!

Happy Sunday everyone! I am finally on a well deserved 3 day vacation! I will be spending the weekend with my wonderful husband and loving parents at our family cabin in northern Arizona. I love Labor day and spend this week teaching my students the importance of understanding holidays and their meanings instead of it being "just a day off". I feel like life has caught up with me and now I am barely treading water. I spent 12 hours at work prepping my room, cleaning my room, and just trying to organize it. You wouldn't think that 3 weeks of school would disorganize someone but it happened to me. I had to organize it Friday otherwise I would have never gotten it done. I brought home my dog and work on yet again more stuff and do the laundry in preparation for our trip. Well I walked into the house and this is what I saw....

BEN WAS CLEANING THE HOUSE ON A FRIDAY EVENING! This is not unusual to see him cleaning but it was just Friday and we were getting ready to leave and he knows how much I love to come home to a clean house. He not only cleaned but earlier in the day he graciously came down to my school to be "Rocket Man". We as a grade level did the mentos and diet coke experiment. He dropped the mentos into the bottle, wore a lab coat and a got a little messy. Needless to say he also inherited 102 excited and happy Kindergartners. LOL! My kids were in love with him. Ben is fascinated by how curious and young my kiddos are. Let's just say my class will be treated to his "P" shaped pancakes in a few weeks. THEY LOVE THAT!That is why I named my entry today "LUCKIEST PERSON EVER!" I truly am blessed to have such a wonderful husband who is understanding of my life and personality. LOL!

We are in my birthplace this weekend in beautiful Prescott, AZ! Ben decided to take advantage of the cooler 70 degree weather and take his bike out on a ride this morning. I drove him to his starting point and here are a few pics I snapped when he started his "adventure".

Here he is getting ready to ride. I drove him to the base of our cabin since there wasn't a "bike path" and I was being overly cautious. LOL!

He's all ready. I had to snap a "last shot" just in case it was his actual last shot. LOL!

Bye Ben! Have fun! See you at Starbucks!

My definition of "breakfast of champions"! My dad's homemade menudo! YUM!

So I guess that is all for now. I hope everyone is having a wonderful and relaxing weekend! I know I am.

Bye!
Clarissa

Itchy itchy itchy hives!!!

Good Evening Everyone!

I am pretty much done with back-to-school sales now since they are very few left. I know Office Depot has 5 cent pencil cap erasers  but nothing too exciting. So yesterday was fun! I had my friends over to craft. The plan was to eat lunch and then make pocket chair covers BUT I got as far as cutting the fabric. So they are still not done but I guess I have over Labor Day holiday to do them. As we were crafting, I started feeling itchy behind my ears. I scratched for a while and then it started to spread as if I were getting a rash. Well soon enough, it spread all over my body! I had full on hives. I thought of everything I ate and nothing was out of the ordinary. The only explanation I can give is maybe the yard work I did on Wednesday caused me to have small hives on my legs where I touched the plants. Only thing is that I am EXTREMELY itchy. I took Benadryl and all it did was knock me out! We went out to dinner and had a wonderful time. I wasn't itchy and slept throughout the night. This morning I woke up and yet again I was covered in hives. I couldn't even think straight because I was concentrating on the itching. LOL! I finally decided to go to Urgent Care. I am now on 3 different prescriptions! We still don't know what caused this but it's no fun. As I type, I just discovered a hive on my lower lip and boy does it hurt! Enough of me telling you about my problem.....I have a few more pictures from our remodel.

We have a bonus room now! We used to have 3 bedroom 2 bathrooms but now we have a third bathroom. (It isn't very pleasant and I don't have to use it but it's pretty funny) Just take a look.....

Our third bathroom! NOT!

Our massive trash can. We have thrown all kinds of junk in here. Can't wait til it's gone!

I cut this piece of fabric. That's all I did before I got hives.

Here is a picture of my Aunt Susan and I at her Birthday Party weekend in Scottsdale. I love you Susan!!! Happy Birthday!!!!!

My pictures were a mash of a little bit of everything. Sorry! I am now off to take my medications and grade my homework folders before I go to sleep. Have a great evening! Have a wonderful Monday!

Clarissa

And so it begins........WOOHOO!!!!

Good Evening Everyone!

Well the time has come for our contractor  to start the work on our master bathroom! It has been a process and I am finally excited to see some destruction! I got home and it really wasn't that bad. I was expecting a huge mess with lots of dust. My first impression was that I was impressed but the longer I sit in our master bedroom the more dust I see and my eyes are watering. The dust is so much I am not sure I want to run our fan as we usually do. LOL! All in all, we are going to start the tile work and get the shower and tub installed soon. After that we replace the toilet and paint. The last is to install the vanities and mirrors. It will be another 6-8 weeks until we have our bathroom back but I am very excited. Here are some pictures of what I have so far.....enjoy!

Ben has to brush his hand across my dresser and this is the amount of dust we have and are breathing in as we speak. LOL!

Another dresser with a even amount of dust.

The ugly wallpaper is gone! The shower is gone and the old tub. They are currently in the garage but it's awaiting new plumbing.

This is what started the WHOLE remodel. We had water that leaked into the walls and softened the wood. Now we are getting a whole new bathroom.

This is another part which needs fixing since it looks like it has rotted.

Me in the "tub"! I am so excited it's finally getting done! We only have been planning this for 1 1/2 years!

So that's it! What has happened so far. I had made arrangements with my dear friends who were nice enough to let my pampered pooch stay at their house for the day. Tomorrow Snuggles will have to go back since they are going to start fixing the walls and maybe install tile. I think the funniest thing that Snuggles did was not want to leave our friends house because she is spoiled there. It was a little embarrassing pulling her leash and her resisting me. Oh grilled cheesus! I hope she has fun tomorrow. I am just happy it's Friday. This year I feel like I am falling behind on things but I try my best to keep myself on my toes. Oh well! Goodnight all! Happy Friday!

Cheers to family and great sales! (well maybe not so much the sale part....)

Good Morning Everyone! 

I have been here in Scottsdale for the weekend to celebrate my Aunt Susan's birthday!  She is my Aunt but also has been a second mother to me. I love her and wish her many more wonderful birthdays to come! It has been a weekend of laughter, much needed family time, and we have made many memories.Cheers! (oh wait, maybe a little early for the cheers since it's only 8:30 in the morning! LOL!)

Onto the sales for this week......(don't be too disappointed since sales are starting to wind down)

Office Max

25 cents for.....

index cards (limit 1)

40 pack of assorted erasers and grips (limit 2)

12 pack of #2 pencils (limit 3)

$1 BIC Round Stic ballpoint pens 12 pk (limit 2)

50 cents for composition notebooks (limit 3)

50 cents for glue combo packs (white glue and 2 glue sticks OR white glue and scissors) (limit 3)

Expo and Crayola products (selected items) buy 2 get 1 free!

Office Depot

1 cent for 2 pocket folders (limit 10)

1 cent for slider pencil boxes (limit 3)

25 cents for 8 pack of #2 pencils (limit 3)

25 cents for 5" scissors pointed or blunt tipped (limit 3)

25 cents for student compass (limit 3)

$2 for a 4 pack of Sharpie Chisel tip markers 

Buy 1 Get 1 Free on Select Crayola and Expo products

Target

$4 for 3 pk Paper Mate Clearpoint mechanical pencils (MY FAVORITE PENCILS!!!)

$5 10 count Sharpie Markers pack

Staples

With a $5 minimum purchase you can get 1 cent spiral notebooks (limit 6)

25 cents for white glue (limit 4)

50 cents for index cards (limit 2)

50 cents for 2 pack composition notebooks (limit 2)

I hope everyone who reads and follows my blog is also having a wonderful restful weekend. Have a great Sunday, thank you for reading and happy shopping!

Clarissa

The first days of school....I have survived so far

I know I know...I said I would post on Sunday night but time got away from me and the thought of being able to relax a few extra hours was too enticing to give up. Overall the first two days were SO MUCH better than last year's first two days. My kiddos are responding really well to the signal and yes I do have a turkey or two that I have to control but overall I am really looking forward to watching this year's class grow. We got class lists on Wednesday night (the evening BEFORE school started). It was a rush to get every one's names on stuff but it happened. The only glitch was making sure we had bus paperwork on every kid. After pulling the team together and figuring out who rode bus, we did it! Not an issue any longer which makes my life easier. I guess the best moment of the first day of school was when I was in the boy's bathroom explaining the rules and procedures for how to properly use the bathroom. I had a student who was jumping up and down while I was explaining where #1 goes and #2 goes. (I know it sounds gross but they are 5, I leave no stone unturned.) Well I asked the student if he could wait a few minutes until I finished, he said yes so I continued with my script. All of a sudden...he springs a leak and urine comes flying out of his pants. I quickly rush him into the stall and slam the door! We all walk out and return after I hear the flush and he comes out of the stall. I continue to use him as a model student while we show the rest of the boys how to use the sink and how to properly wash our hands. LOL!!! Great story that I will never forget.

This week has been great so far. I am up to 22 little angels. We have higher numbers than last year which is good in some ways. I always forget how needy Kindergartners can be but they love people who care about them. I truly care about each and every one of my students. I make sure they are comfortable and safe. I make sure they learn and get help when needed. It's been a BUSY first 4 days to the school year but I know the next 175 days will be amazing!

So here it is.....the moment you have ALL been waiting for........

MY CLASSROOM!

Tonight at parent orientation for 1st - 6th grade, I snapped some pictures to make sure I posted them. I am very proud of my classroom and my students really like it too. Enjoy!

These are birthday cupcakes I made for my birthdays throughout the year. I write their names and date on the "wrapper" part. I laminated them so I could erase the previous year's students with a magic eraser and write them on with Sharpie.

My calendar board. It is still a work in progress but as you can see it's bright, colorful and cheery!

This is my new calendar to go with the border. I also used the Cricut to make the apples, buses, and year. I did this last year but I thought it was a cute idea to share.

Here is a close up shot of my days of the week. I also used the Cricut to make all the signs except for "board". They are also colorful and the students respond well to both visuals.

Here is a picture of my rules, rewards and consequences board. We are doing a school wide behavior program which is meant to encourage good behavior. We call it PAWS here it is. I fell in love with the mini dog bones and bullet points. LOL!

Funny story about this picture, I have been a English Learning Development teacher for 4 years now and the state requires you to have a Grammar Wall posted in each ELD teacher. Well I went through the trouble to Cricut the names of each part of speech BUT since incoming Kinders tested proficient, we now only have 1 ELD class! Woohoo!! This means that the grammar wall almost doesn't need to happen but we shall see.

Here are what each student has. One summer, my best friend and I went to the Jr. high wood shop to use their tools so we could make crayon holders. These are a teachers dream! They are super organized and you can see what they are doing. My friend was the best at helping me.

I have gotten inspiration from another Pinterest guru and she suggested organizing the materials you need for the month in each cubby. I took it a step further and Cricut cut the letters and used the black and white background. GENIUS! All I can say is I LOVE THEM!!!\\\

My welcome back board with the kids first day of school drawing.

For the first time in 6 years, I have never had a desk. The reason why it's messy is because it's the beginning of the year and I have a million and one things to do. LOL!

Here is a close up of my organizers. I also have my write n wipe picture frame. So cute! Both Pinterest inspired ideas. All I can say is that Pinterest is a teachers dream and to all those who add their ideas, THANK YOU!

Last but not least, MY NEWEST ADDITION TO MY CLASSROOM IS MY CHAIR POCKETS!!! This was the first and it's a little lop sided but it goes with my black and white theme and they are ADORABLE! I hope to make them before I start grad school again. This is the cutest thing I have ever made!

So there you go! My classroom in a nutshell. I hope you enjoy! I am excited to share these pictures with you and show off my labor of love. I hope to inspire others to shoot for the stars OR call the looney bin for me. LOL! Nite!

Clarissa