Summer Heat

Whew! This week has been nothing but HOT! I've been in my parents' pool every day since Thursday of last week...with the exception of today. Because...I'm home sick today. Yup. Summer fun has finally caught up with this mama. Between play dates, day trips, swimming, BBQs, staying up late, waking up early, trainings for school, chasing a toddler...and the list goes on...It's finally caught up with me.

But... because it has caused me to slow down and stay in bed most of the day, I've managed to allow my creative side to work its little tail off! I managed to create three new things for my TPT store, change my banner for TPT, upload them (with some frustration), and snuggle with my son. <3

Since I'm in such a good mood, I've decided to promote some things that I found this week online to use in my products.

The first I have to give a shout out to, is my all time favorite TPT store: Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Desgins 

The products in this store are AMAZING! I have spent many of my TPT credits and earnings in this store. The item I've been spending the most time using lately is "Clock Face Intervals Clip Art — Every 5 Minutes / Over 140 Graphics!" I like it because it comes with all the clocks at 5 minute intervals, is labeled very nicely, and comes with a clock without hands! This was perfect in designing my telling time unit! One of my favorite features of this artist's work, is that a logo is included with your purchase which makes it easy to credit the store for their artwork. I LOVE THAT!

The next shop I found that was willing to take my money, was My Clip Art Store on Etsy. This store has the CUTEST clip art and digital papers! I was looking for fish and found so much more! I ended up purchasing the ClipArt Combo Surfin' Safari and following the store.

How could you not love that coconut drink and beach chair? I may have to decorate my classroom with some more surfing stuff now that I am using these! Oh the possibilities!

Clip Up Clip Down

So I worked all day in my classroom yesterday. And I had one of those "aha!" moments. Don't you just love those? Here's the journey to my "aha!" moment.

Situation: I'm in a new classroom and I need a new behavior chart system. One that focuses on the positive rather than the negative. 

Research: Looking online and talking with friends has made me realize that a "clipping up" system seems to be the best solution. This system is designed for students to start at a neutral starting point (usually a certain color) and work their way up (clipping up) to the top of the chart. Students who make poor choices "clip down" and have consequences. The teacher can have students clip up even after they have clipped down. BTW, it's called "clipping up/down" because students use a clothespin along the side of the chart to track their progress for the day. Each day the clips are returned to the neutral starting point. At the end of the day, students also fill out/color a small chart that they take home to share with their family that shows how they did for the day. A reward can be given to students who clip all the way up the chart. 

Construction Issues: Several online blogs/pins have shown that over time, the laminated papers seem to sag or tear. One teacher put the levels on one side and then students clipped on the other on a ribbon.  This seemed like such a good idea, but where I am currently working, I don't have access to all the fun resources such as construction paper or laminating (or even copying!). It seems to be a ghost town around here! And school starts in TWO WEEKS!!!

Well, I brought my printer from home and decided to create a system based on my ocean/beach/tropical theme and just print out what I needed (I can always laminate later).

AHA! I have two pocket charts that are for file folders. I used to use them to put the students' take home papers in. However, each chart only has ten slots, and due to California budget cuts, I have nearly 30 kids in my class. So I haven't used them in a few years.

However it would be perfect for my new clip up system! It is durable, regular copier paper fits perfectly in them portrait style, and it doesn't take up too much space! Now remember, it isn't laminated yet, but I will probably take a new picture and post it when it's done. 

Faux Spa

Moms need breaks. Bottom line.

These breaks can come in the form of a much needed hot shower, going to the bathroom without an audience, or even just a meal that hasn't been cut up in to teeny tiny pieces and half bitten by your child. (That last one is usually cold, by the way).

I had the pleasure of having a micro-getaway yesterday. It wasn't a mini-getaway, because that would presume that I left the town in which I live. No, this micro-getaway was across town.

At my parents'.

They were out of town for the night, and needed someone to stay there with my 89 year old grandmother. Before you say, "Ahhhh, how sweet," let's review Grandma's stats: She loves soup, baseball, and carries a loaded weapon when traveling. She once shot a man when he tried to attack my grandfather. But I digress. Those stories can be saved for another day. And trust me, I have plenty of Grandma stories. She's surprisingly spry.

My parents have always made their guests feel welcome. Growing up we lived in a trailer park in the middle of nowhere. We had friends and family gatherings often in the small strip of a yard. When I was 19, we moved out of the sticks and into a small city in a two-story home with the help of my grandmother. Because of this, my parents take great pride in making sure everyone is comfortable.

They throw large parties in their Hawaiian and Mexican themed back yard.  They open the garage door to their 50's themed diner/laundromat and allow complete strangers to walk up and visit. (This, by the way, is my dad's favorite pastime. I call it his spider web. He knows they want to enter, so he moves the cars to the street so passersby can get a full view of the checkerboard floor and the cardboard cutout of Elvis.) 

They give personal tours of the "I Love Me" room upstairs, more commonly known as the "Murder Room" which is dedicated to my dad's 30+ years in law enforcement and homicide investigations. Some guests spend the night in my old room which was once adorned with light blue walls and swimming dolphins. Now, it is "The Cockpit". It has model planes, drawings of planes, pictures of planes, and even a curtain separating the room from closet to suggest you need a boarding pass to enter.

But the best guest room in the house is also my son's favorite room. He will never know the room to be blood red and pitch black from my creative sister's paint practices (it took a million coats of paint to turn the walls to a lovely peach color). "The Beach Room." It's calm, breezy, and comfortable. The pillows are much more forming to my head than my own. The Temperpedic overlay allows my tired back to sink in perfectly while the faux down comforter puts just the right amount of pressure on top of me. Even better than all of those things? I have about a foot and a half between my husband and me. Yes, our own space! A California King sized bed makes this girl feel like a queen!

So I shouldn't have been surprised when it came time to take a shower. I have been married for 7 years and have never once taken a shower in their remodeled guest bathroom. Although I didn't have my usual shower items, it was not a problem. My mom has so lovingly put together a guest basket in the bathroom with all the toiletries one would need when visiting Casa de Mom. It even has deodorant! Find that at the Hilton!

More impressive was the shower itself. When I turned it on, not one, but two shower heads began spouting out warm water! I was able to stand in the middle of the shower and have my left and right sides warm at the same time! One shower head was removable, so I was able to rinse my body and my hair simultaneously! Talk about a treat!

Yes, moms need breaks. This is evident in the fact that I just spent 30 minutes writing about the most amazing shower I had......at my mom's house.

Sooo......bottom line, you don't always need to book a spa treatment or a hotel stay in order to feel rejuvenated. Sometimes your getaway is somewhere you've always loved.