Here's My Sunday Scoop! (And a FABO Smore's Idea!!!)

Hey there!!  Crazy busy around here but Teaching Trio's linkup helps keeps me organized!

First off, I want to congratulate Matthew for making the soccer team!  Here's a Junior this year in HS and if you have a high schooler, you know how intense tryouts can be especially if you live in a HUGE school district!  Although only officially a week-long, he's had "voluntary" practice five days a week since school ended.  We were confident he'd make the team again but he wasn't so sure with 50 cuts being made.  Gulp.  How confident were we?  When we left to pick him up from the last day of tryouts,  we hung up this sign so he'd see it as soon as he walked inside.

Buying a baby gift is always exciting!  Kaylee is about a month old and we get to meet her today for the first time.  A blessing for sure!

If you don't already know,  I write children's books.  I LOVE it obviously and am so lucky that I have an editor who supports me and a great company to work for so often (ABDO!) but it's stressful when my deadlines fall within the first few months of school.  I am writing a new series but still have to outline and submit the official proposal.  Deadlines for the chapter books:  October-January. One book a month!  DOUBLE GULP!  Educational publishing is ALWAYS that fast!!!  

Now...S'MORES!  Want to see a cute idea that was sort of Pinterest inspired?  I made this portable S'mores "stove."

I actually made five of them for Sarah's grad party this year.  A huge hit!  I lined them up and the kids were able to make lots of "Gourmet S'mores while they watched High School Musical on an outside Movie Screen. To make, get a tin bucket, fill half way with sand, put tinfoil over the sand (just so the rocks and glass pieces don't fall down in the sand, fill with rocks and glass pieces (from Dollar Tree) and get plop a can of chafing dish fuel in the middle.  I wish I had a pic showing the entire "smore's bar" from her party but I don't.  I found the menu online (and will edit to link to it when I find it again!) and put all the ingredients out in a fancy layout.  Looked amazing and kids really tried all of them!!  We are using them tonight.  Yum!  (You can't really see the glass rocks in there but they looked great when lit up.)

The countdown is on...Sarah leaves in just three days.  Wednesday is  fast approaching and I keep seeing us at the dorms saying goodbye.  I don't think my husband and I can do it.  I really don't.

Here she is with her boyfriend last week on her 18th birthday.  Sigh.

I want to end reminding everyone to get their yearly  mammogram!  My friend never missed an appointment and I believe her diligence saved her life.  Monday night we will be celebrating the end of her treatments.  

What are you up to?  Link up and let us know!!

Happy Sunday!!

My Sunday Scoop! (And a VERY cool history fact!)

Thanks to Teaching Trio, I'm sharing my Sunday Scoop today:

Do you send a letter to your kids to introduce yourself?  When I first started, it was via mail and I included a pencil.  My district paid for it.  Then, we were told email only.  Cheaper.  So, I've been doing that ever since.  

No pencil of course but it does save money.  I have the pencil waiting for them on their desk when they arrive.  I actually send the parents one letter and then email again and write "For My Fabo First Grader" in the subject line so the child can still feel the excitement of getting their own letter.  My kids used to LOVE getting their letters from their teachers. Now, it's all about their schedules!  Gotta know when lunch is and who's in your lunch period, right?

I've had this freebie in my store forever and a complete set of these are LONG overdue.  After today, it will FINALLY be in my store!  I've added a number line to the bottom and included subtraction.  My kids love to use highlighters so I think these will be a hit!

My walking has almost come to a screeching halt this summer.  Why???  I have no answer!  Most people can walk 10,000 steps to reach five miles.  Me?  Nope. I'm short so I need 13,500 steps before the five miles register.  From March-June, I walked almost 5 miles a day.  Often 7 miles.  I lost 12 pounds!  I'm annoyed and disappointed with myself that I slacked off.  Sigh.

      

Also added this to John's Store:

Interesting Fact: See the picture of Bell holding "something" over "someone" in bed? That "something" is a metal detector (which he created) and that "someone" is President Garfield who was shot. Bell was called upon in an attempt to help save the life of the mortally wounded President using his early version of a metal detector. Surely he could find the slug of an assassin's bullet with his new invention. But to his dismay, the bed Garfield was on was metal so Bell couldn't get an accurate read. He urged doctors to move him out of that bed so he could properly use- and locate- the slug. The doctors refused. Because of their refusal, Garfield died. Many believe if the slug had been found and removed, he would have survived. So now you know!!!

John and Matthew are going to see the Mets play today.  Sarah and I are going shopping...she leaves for Syracuse University in just nine days.  Sniff, sniff. Much to do!!

Want to link up and give us your scoop?  Click on the button!

Have a great Sunday!

Art Gallery! (And a Freebie!)

I finally finished my September Open-Ended Math Questions and added them to my bundle. Want to see these in action? Look at how my students answered some open-ended questions and grab more freebies here,  

Grab these two freebies and enjoy! 

  

I'm off to fill up my shopping cart...so much to buy!