Elf Day!

The week before Christmas vacation is always Spirit Week at our school.  Today was Elf day.  I have an incredibly creative and talented co-teacher so we had such cute elf costumes!  Here we are:

 

We were life-sized Elves on the Shelf!  She made our collars and skirts; she's awesome!  Some of our kiddos didn't have an elf hat of their own, so we made some!  Here is one of my sweeties fast asleep, someone had a long weekend!:

 

Bell, our clasroom elf had also left us a note:

 She was sitting beside our pretty tree:

 

I couldn't resist a selfie:

 

 Tomorrow is Grinch Day!  Can't wait to see what it brings!

 

Christmas Questionnaire

I am linking up with Michelle over at Fabulous in First.  She has put out a Christmas Questionnaire and I am playing along!  If you'd like to join in too, click the button below to join in!

Here we go!

Hot Chocolate or Eggnog? 

Neither!  I looooooooooove chocolate but I just cannot get past the texture of hot chocolate.  And eggnog....it has the word egg in it so I won't even go near it!  I'd rather have a nice piping hot cup of tea!

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them underneath the tree? 

Santa wraps them unless it is something really big.

Colored lights or white? 

White!  I don't mind the colored lights but I love the clean nostalgic look of the white lights.

When do you decorate? 

The day after Thanksgiving we start putting the decor up around the house.  Then the outdoor decor follows soon.  The last thing that goes up is the tree because we get a real one.

Real or Fake Tree? 

Well, I just answered this above, lol!  We get a real tree.  As nice and easy as getting a fake one sounds, I just can't bring myself to do it!

What Tops Your Tree?

A pretty, sparkly, star that I bought on clearance the day after Christmas at Target a few years ago.

Favorite Christmas Memories or Traditions?

When I was a kid we used to go out and visit with everyone on Christmas Eve.  We would got to 5 or 6 houses and hang out for a while, exchange presents and have fun.  I miss it!      

Do you remember your favorite gift as a child?I had a few but one that really sticks with me is my typewriter.  I know.  Who gets excited over a typewriter?

Do prefer giving or receiving? 

I love giving.  I love to see everyone's reactions.  I also like to get little homemade gifts from my daughter now that she is in preschool.

What is your favorite Christmas song?

 Winter Wonderland

Candy Canes. Yuck or Yum? 
Yum!

Favorite Christmas Movie? 
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Do you shop online or at stores?  

Both!

Photo Cards, Letter or Store Bought Card? 
Photo cards!  I love to see everyone's cute pictures!
 

Our Elf has Arrived!

Last week when we came back from Thanksgiving break, we were surprised by a knock at our classroom door.  I opened the door and there was a mysterious package!  It was soooooooo cold and the Kinders were super excited!

They could not wait for me to open the package when I told them that the return address was: S. Claus North Pole!  So, I tore into it and this is what we found:

We read the story together and then it was time to choose a name for our little elf!

As you can see, Bell won!  We are so happy to have her in the classroom and have begun writing in our Elf journals.  I will post more soon!

December Currently

It is December!  WOOHOO!  I always feel like it is a milestone in a school year.  The Kinders are settling in well and they are really working hard on trying to spell things on their own.  That is a huge plus because my Kinders last year didn't even want to try!  So, without further ado, here is my December currently:

Listening - I am finally listening to Christmas music.  I refuse to listen before Thanksgiving!

Loving - I love that there are only 3 more weeks until Christmas break!  Can't wait to spend the holidays with my family!

Thinking  - I have a meeting with a parent tomorrow so I am thinking of what I need to do to prep for it tonight.

Wanting - Everyone in my house has been sick since the beginning of the Fall.  It's time for it all to go away already!

Needing - My back is a mess, I could benefit from a nice hot stone massage.

Favorite Tradition - I love going out and finding the perfect tree.  As tempting as it is just to get a fake one and be done with it, I love the hunt of finding a nice perfect real pine tree.

Elf on the Shelf!

I cannot believe that it is just about time for the Elf on the Shelf to make its appearance!  Where have the past few months gone?!  ACK!  I am super excited about bringing the Elf back our, the Kinders last year loved it!  It will be strange to have to call her a new name this year.  The biggest thing I love about having the Elf around is the writing piece.  My students wrote in their Elf Journals every morning for their Before School Work (BSW).  Here is an example:

This really helped to strengthen their writing skills as well as their fine motor skills.  Our elf did a lot of silly things:

 

Will you be using an Elf on the Shelf?  What are some fun things you like to do with your elf?

 

It's my blogiversary!

Happy 1st Blogiversary to me!  I cannot believe it has already been a year!  This year has been so super stressful and jam packed with meetings, data, a grad class and the like that I have had little to no time to take pictures or to document all of the fun things we have been doing.  I feel like a bad blogger, but, I also feel like I need to recognize this milestone!  I hope to soon be back to updating a little more frequently as my grad class winds down.

 

November Currently!

Boy, oh, boy am I late this month!  Things are so crazy in my life right now!  I am linking up with Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.  Here is mine:

 

Listening:  The Carrie Diaries. I love this show!  I was/am a huge Sex and the City fan so this show is great to feed my fandom!

Loving:  I had a great weekend with my hubby and my daughter and we didn't even do anything special!  I just love my little family!

Thinking:  I have way too much on my plate right now!  I can't even begin to start to name everything.  It gives me anxiety!

Wanting:  I need a nice beach-y vacation.  I have too much on my plate.  Did I say that yet?!

Needing:  More time in the day so that I can start taking things off of my plate!

Yummy Pin:    http://www.pinterest.com/pin/137500594845063570/