Whatcha Doin' Wednesday?!

This Wednesday was nothing like last week's. Thank gawd! So here's what I've been doing today:

*Came back to work after being out yesterday. I don't like the feeling of being half-planned and that's exactly how my day was. The kids were excited to see me back, which always makes me smile!

*I really do LOVE Wednesdays! They're a short day (1:15 dismissal instead of 2:30) and my class goes to music class for an hour. This gives me time to prep for the dreaded Thursdays. ;)

*Went to a baby shower for a staff member at school. Looking at the mom-to-be and her huge belly, I was THANKFUL it was her and not me having a baby. I wasn't one of those people who was gloriously in love with being pregnant. But I definitely wouldn't have changed a thing, I LOVE my 2 kids!

*Had a girls happy hour with some friends. Made me wish it was Friday! ha!

*Been planning a surprise for my aide; it's her 50th birthday tomorrow. Her table area is all decorated and goodies are waiting for her. Her husband is surprising her with birthday treats after lunch, which I thought was cute of him to do. He planned the whole thing via email with me. Love a thoughtful husband like that!

*It's almost 9:00 p.m. and I just realized I need to make a quick run to Target. Yikes! I'm already in my pj's. Good thing it's just down the street. :)

I hope the rest of your week is wonderful! I have a reading contest that I'll be sharing with you all soon. Happy Thursday!

Yay me!!

Just thought I'd give myself a "shout out" for completing all 28 report cards tonight!! Next week is Parent/Teacher conferences. Not sure about anyone else (wink!) but I tend to procrastinate when it comes to doing report cards.

This year is the first time our school district is doing online report cards for the elementary schools. I have to say it definitely makes things easier.

I was in denial about this whole report card thing. I lugged all my student assessment folders home in the hopes of completing some each evening...but chose reading my nook over school work each night. In the mornings I'd lug it all back to school, thinking that I'd get some done during my prep time...haha!! Wrong!

Well, tonight I gave myself the "talk" about getting my act together and being responsible. It worked! Actually, I told myself if I completed half of my report cards, I would definitely be worthy of some chocolate. I'm glad I was an overachiever because I earned my chocolate and more nook time! Woohoo!

Whatcha Doin' Wednesday?!

I thought I'd try something new. I'm curious about everyone and their crazy, hectic, wonderful lives. So, if you read this post, please let me know whatcha were doin' this Wednesday. :)

Here's a look into mine:
*I just walked in to my house at 8:45 p.m. after being gone since 7:15 a.m. Ugh!! Too long a day for me and I didn't get to work out, which makes me feel even more sluggish and plain ol' yucky.

*All day I felt "tongue tied"! I could hardly understand myself at times. The kids knew it was "one of those days" Mrs. Tompkins was having. At least they laughed with me, not at me. :)

*Every Wednesday I eat lunch in the cafeteria with my WILD Thing of the Week. The weather was so nice today, we got to eat lunch outside. (It hit 75 degrees!! I think that groundhog lied about 6 more weeks of winter.)

*We had another meeting after school (It feels like we're always having meetings. Usually 2-3 per week.); this one was looking at our current data from the most recent assessments the kids just took. A positive note about the data was our first grade team rocked!! Our kids did awesome! Yay!!

*Planned for Thursday which is my most dreaded day of the week...it's straight through without any specials, which makes for a LONG day. The kids and I both feel it on Thursdays. But, surviving the dreaded Thursdays gets me closer to my favorite day of the week...FRIDAY!! (Ask any of my students what Mrs. Tompkins favorite day of the week is and they'll happily shout, FRIDAY!)

*Felt like a taxi driver the rest of the afternoon. Bring kids home, change and leave to take daughter to Girl Scouts; come back home, make sure son takes a shower and then it's off to his baseball meeting (he's sooo excited to play for his first time); met my family for dinner at 7:30 (So late! And as you might have guessed, I didn't cook.)

*I ate yummy strawberry french toast for dinner. I love eating breakfast for dinner!

*After getting the kids home and settled in to bed, I'm looking forward to relaxing with my hubby and my nook! I adore my nook and am always reading with it. Just don't ask me what I'm reading 'cuz I just might blush or make you blush. haha!!!

So, here's to Wednesdays! I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week!

How'd you meet your hunny? *linky party*

Chrissy B -- Buzzing With Ms. B is hosting a linky party - How'd You Meet Your Hunny?

I met my husband, Val, when we were both 9 years old. We were on the same swim team together. We became friends by daring each other to do flips off the high dive, always trying to outdo the other. After a year or 2 he left the swim team and I didn't see him again until the summer when I was 14. We were swimming again but on different teams this time. We'd talk a little when we saw each other at swim meets but nothing major. Once again, we went our separate ways until our senior year in high school. We went to different schools in different towns. I was the team manager for the boys water polo team and he played for his school. When I saw him again for the first time, I was instantly hooked. He later told me it was the same feeling for him. We began dating the spring of our senior year and have been together for 21 years. We've been married for the past 12. We have 2 kids, who are taking after the both us by spending their summers in the pool. I can't imagine being with anyone else! I love my hunny!

My Breakfast Club

In my classroom I have a special club for those students who are responsible with getting their homework done and being to school on time. It's called the Breakfast Club. If a student completes his/her homework AND is not late for school for the whole month, then they earn a spot in the Breakfast Club. On the chosen day, I bring breakfast for these kids to enjoy before school starts. Breakfast can be pancakes, muffins or donuts with milk or juice. The kids are so excited to make it to the Breakfast Club and I'm so proud of the kids who work hard to achieve this reward.

This is the certificate that the kids receive.
(This is my son's. As you can see, he took good care of it when he shoved it into his backpack! haha!)

This card is attached to the certificate so that the parents know when the Breakfast Club will be held. (Yes, the picture is deceiving! I don't go "hog wild" and make eggs, bacon, and toast.)

I've been doing this for 13 years and have had nothing but positive and encouraging words from parents about doing this for their kids. It's one of the ways I like to make school fun for the kids and myself. :)

Valentines holders

When I was in first grade (32 years ago...yikes!!) we made these valentine holders in class. It was something I remembered when I started teaching 13 years ago and have enjoyed doing with my class over the years. Every time we make them, the kids are beyond excited, knowing that they are making something special for themselves. When they find out that they will actually be sewing for this project, the level of giddiness goes through the roof ( girls & boys both!)

The heart is made from felt and is sewn with yarn around the edges, leaving an opening at the top for valentines or other goodies. There is a little handle at the top but it's more for looks than anything else. By the time these hearts get loaded with cards and treats, they're pretty heavy. The size of the finished heart is about 12 inches across and maybe 8 or 9 inches high. I use puffy paint to add the kids' names to the hearts. I usually have a parent helper sit with the kids as they sew and help if they get a knot or the yarn comes loose from the needle. The kids end up being pretty good little sewers. More than a few times, the boys have done a better job than the girls! haha!

Well, my class has finished sewing their hearts and I've put all their names on them. Now we just have to wait until Valentine's Day to fill them!

100th Day Fun and Craziness

Friday was our 100th day of school. It was a crazy, hectic and fun day for us! All week the kids were so excited in anticipation for the BIG day. It's been 7 years since I've celebrated the 100th day, so I wanted to have fun too! I spent Thursday afternoon and evening decorating and getting things ready for Friday.

This is what the kids saw outside our classroom door.

The colorful streamers got lots of "oohs" and "ahhs" from the kids.

I had 100 balloons spread out throughout the classroom. Inside each balloon was an activity or question related to the 100th day. I popped a balloon and then, as a class, we did whatever the paper said. (ex: count by 10s to 100; 90 + 10 = ?; would you rather eat 100 m&m's or 100 watermelons?)

Here's a view of the front of the classroom.

Another view of the side and front of the room.

This is the 100 chart I had on the board. Each time we did one of the activities from the balloon, I colored in a square on the chart.

Here's how it looked towards the end of the day. (We completed 81 of the 100 activities. I have a tendency to "go BIG" a lot. haha!!)

I took everyone's picture outside our door by this sign. That's my son. :)

We had a 100 breakfast. Like I told my friends, there's no such thing as "too much sugar" on the 100th day of school!

We made crazy hats and put together puzzles that I made from copies of a 100 chart.

This was our snack mat that we used to count out all of the food for our 100 snack.

Here's a picture of some of the kids making their 100 snack. This was THE MOST anticipated activity of the day. I think it's because I asked the whole class for donations to make the snack. The kids wanted to make sure that we had plenty of time to use what they brought in. haha! Our principal even came in to help with the 100 snack and see all the fun we were having on our special day.

We had a blast even though we didn't get through all 100 activities. The kids left at the end of the day with huge smiles on their faces and couldn't wait to tell their parents what we did. I was exhausted to say the least but it was all worth it!