New Year's Dot Pages

It's almost time to pull out the pots and pans and ring in the new year!  Are you ready?  We are and that's partly because we don't have any crazy New Year's Eve plans.  Nope.  Nothing at all.  My little family of four will be hanging at home and that's OK with me.  HA-HA!  Littles in bed on time, cozy clothes, and a glass of wine... sounds about perfect in this phase of life.  Would you agree?!

BUT for a little festive fun I did make these New Year's Dot Pages and the girls loved them!  

They are perfect to use with bingo daubers, do-a-dot markers, Target mini-erasers, or pom poms and provide easy entertainment with very little mess!

Dot pages are awesome for kiddos because they help build hand coordination (just look at that concentration) and fine motor skills.

Use them at home with your own kids or print and add them to a center for that first week back to school!  You can grab them for FREE by clicking here or on any image in this post.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Syllable Counting FREEBIE

Syllable counting... the rhythm of words.  This foundational skill is essential for little learners because it helps them to accurately chunk words for decoding and segment words for spelling.  It is an important part of phonological awareness which  kiddos NEED before learning to read.

I like to describe syllabication by saying, "syllables are the number of parts a word breaks into when you say it.  All words have syllables.  Some words have just one, others have two or three or even more!"  And then, WE PRACTICE!!!

  

Kiddos need lots of time to practice and this Christmas syllable sorting activity is a fun way to practice counting syllables in words during December.  Set it up on an anchor chart and do it whole class then add it to a center with the follow up sheet for additional practice.  You can have students clap out the syllables, tap them with sticks, or do the good ol' jaw drop method.

You can grab this FREEBIE by clicking on the image below.  Happy Teaching!

It's Wednesday of Halloween Week...

How's it going?  Be honest.  Are things a little crazy? Ha-Ha

I know this week can be a little tiring and the closer you get to actual Halloween, and maybe a Halloween event at school, the more your littles seem to chat and squirm.  Am I right?  During weeks like this it is so important to keep your kiddos busy, busy and one way to do this is to have early finisher activities ready to go.  So today I'd thought I'd share a quick FREEBIE with you that is Halloween themed and can easily be copied off and set out for those early finishers.

This Halloween crown is a 1 page printable that your kids can color and fill in the beginning sound for the pictures on the back band.
Click the image below to grab it FREE.

Clip art by Krista Wallden of Creative Clips & Fonts by KG Fonts

And if you are still not sure what you will be doing on Friday for Halloween, I have a set of Halloween Stations that just might be perfect for you and your little ones.  Included in this set are 5 stations that you can have your kiddos rotate through for some organized fun!  They are great to use for what might be termed your "class party" to help keep the kids engaged but not have the typical HUGE party mess.  I have included direction sheets for each station which makes it easy for volunteers to run and station signs so students know where to go next.  Check it out.

Halloween Moves Activity

Spookley the Square Pumpkin Craft

Hope you all are surviving the week!  Happy Hump Day!

One Year Celebration!

I can't believe that we are in the middle of August 2015!  And do you know what that means?  That means, that I have officially been a blogger and seller on TPT for ONE WHOLE YEAR!  Say what?!  Where did this last year go? (Trips? Posts? Products? Baby?..... Wowzer!) 

Last year I was so scared to start on both the blogging and TPT journey but I can honestly say I am so happy I did!  I am so very thankful for all I have learned and the many friendships I have gained by being a part of such wonderful communities.  I thank these communities for making me feel worth it and for providing me a creative outlet that keeps my heart and mind happy.  I am very proud of how far I have come in this last year and truly look forward to creating, posting and learning more throughout this next year.  I want to THANK YOU for being a part of this journey and hope that you will continue to smile along the way with me.  In honor of my 1 Year Anniversary I will be giving away a $50 TPT Gift Card!!!!  For your chance to WIN you can enter below starting today!  The giveaway will run from August 12th - August 19th and the winner will be announced Thursday, August 20th!  Good Luck!  Thank you so much for inspiring me to grow and learn each day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***Check back on Thursday, August 20th to see if you have won!  Winner will be contacted by e-mail and must respond by Saturday August 22nd to collect their prize.***

XOXOXO

Weekly Summer Linky: Best Trip of my Life

Living abroad has given me the opportunity to travel way more than I could have ever imagined possible.  In the 2 years that my husband and I have lived in the UK we have traveled to over 19 different countries!  Each trip has been filled with great memories and I'm not sure I could just pick one place we've visited to call "the best trip of my life."  We still have 9 more months before heading back to California and although our travels have slowed because our little girl is due any day now, I'm sure that when I'm old I'll look back and see THIS experience as the "best trip of my life."  

So with that, the best trip of my life has been living here in the UK and the many travel opportunities I've had because of it.  Here are just a few photos of some of the places my husband and I have been during our time here. 

Sitting and enjoying the view of our local town high street.  A high street is like the primary business spot of a town.  Ours is actually a pretty good size and we go here just about every week.  It has grocery stores, clothes shops, a bakery, coffee and tea rooms, pubs etc.

London!  We live about 2 hours North of London and take the train in to just walk around every few months.  Just about every time we go we visit something new and it always makes for a nice day out.

Here we are in Munich, Germany for the REAL Oktoberfest.  This seriously was such an AMAZING experience.  Upon arrival we purchased outfits to wear to the big festival and could not believe how massive this event is!  The people were fantastic and we had so much fun singing along and making friends. 

Taking a photo break on our hike through the 5 towns of Cinque Terre, a beautiful place along the coast of the Italian Riveria. 

Uh... take me back to Rome!  Seriously this city is so beautiful and has so much to see.  It really is nicknamed "The Eternal City" for a reason.

And don't even get me talking about the clear, sandy beaches of Ibiza!  We had a lot of fun scootering from beach to beach in this city on a relaxing getaway.

Living here can get a little quiet during the holiday season so we hopped on a plane and headed to the Christmas Markets in Vienna, Austria.  While there we enjoyed a cup of mulled wine, music and holiday goodies.

Here I am looking out over the city of Bergen, Norway.  So pretty but so expensive!

In Amsterdam we enjoyed looking at and taking a boat tour through the canals which cover the whole city.  I liked this photo because it shows the canals but also shows a bike which I think is a perfect representation of the city.

Here we are standing in front of the ancient city of Ephesus.  For this trip we went on a 7 day cruise through the Eastern Mediterranean.  We were able to visit Venice, Dubrovnik, Olympia, Ephesus, and Istanbul. 

Although I am having so much fun looking back through our trip photos, I think that is enough for this post.   I can't believe I didn't even touch on all the places we've been and things we've seen!  

Seriously, I am so blessed to have this opportunity and truly believe that this will be the best trip of my life!  With that CHEERS to the memories that will last a lifetime and to all the many "best trips"  out there!

Now head on over to visit Monica from I Heart Grade 3 to check out where other bloggers have been.

TPT Seller Challenge: Follower Frenzy

I can't believe that this is the last week of the TPT Seller Challenge!  I have had so much fun participating in this challenge and love how it pushed me to improve in terms of my TPT business.  I have really enjoyed reading others challenge posts and seeing ALL the hard work that everyone who has participated has put in.  WOW!  

For this final challenge we have been asked to think about how this challenge has helped us to better our business and make new friendships along the way and for me I definitely think it has helped me improve in both arenas.  

First off I want to give a shout out to the lovely ladies who organized this entire TPT Seller Challenge!  Thank you so much for not only making this challenge fun but also meaningful.  I have enjoyed participating and can't believe how motivated it got me!  I have loved following you all on this adventure.  So a BIG thank you to....

 

Amber from Peppy Zesty Teacherista
Jen from Sparkling in Second
Emily from Third in Hollywood
Ashley from Teach Create Motivate

Secondly, I want to thank ANYONE and EVERYONE who has started following Lattes and Lunchrooms in some way!  I truly am so happy to see new followers and hope you all are enjoying following along.  The TPT Seller Challenge pushed me to start an Instagram and just in these last 4 weeks I have gained 104 followers!  Ahhhhh!  This is unreal to me!  I know I have a long way to go in terms of  being part of the "big leagues" but I am very motivated to continue to interact and connect with both old and new followers.   One of the biggest things about this challenge is that it pushed me to go out and interact more on the various social media platforms.  So this was awesome!

And lastly I want to give a shout out to a few new and old blogger buddies that I have been able to interact with in the last few weeks.  Now, I can't say for sure that the TPT Seller Challenge brought these ladies into my radar, but what I do know is that my interaction on social media may have had some impact on people following me, me following them and thus sparking follower frenzy! :)

Do you know Laura from Luv My Kinders?  If you don't, you should because she is the sweetest person EVER!  Laura is not a new blogging buddy of mine, but I have to thank her because I don't think she realizes how happy her comments, likes and messages make me.  She has commented on blog posts from when I first started this little blog, purchased and used products from my TPT store and provided great feedback, and continues to follow me on other social media platforms!  She just recently became a follower of mine on Instagram and I always smile when I see a like or comment from her.  I so wish I was in Vegas so that I could meet her in person.  Thank you Laura for pushing me forward and being so kind!

And as I was pushing myself to be more involved on social media platforms I came across these lovely ladies!  We have started talking through e-mails and I hope our friendships continue and I wish them all great success on their journeys.

I was lucky enough to meet Kristen from Design Infusions after browsing more in the seller's forums and coming across the chance to win a custom blog design by her!  I was picked and now have a fancy new blog and social media icons that I am proud of!  Her and I have still been in contact over the last few weeks and she is a great person to work with.  She just started her store but I'm sure it will soon fill with all kinds of awesomeness so you should probably check it out!

Then I met the lovely Ashley from 1 Step Closer Teaching!  She actually contacted me through my TPT store and we have been chatting through e-mail over the last couple of weeks!  We actually have a lot in common and both agree that we hope to see our friendship grow as we continue on our TPT/Blogging journeys.  Thank you for reaching out and saying Hello!  Her blog just got a makeover by Design Infusions too!  Check it out here!

And after my blog re-design I hosted a giveaway and promoted it on all my social media platforms.  I was so excited because I ACTUALLY had entries, one of which was Sasha from Sasha's Creations & Things!  Sasha won the giveaway and has been just the sweetest.  She even knew I was having a little baby girl and offered to make a sweet bow for her!  I can't wait to see it and show all of you.  Thanks Sasha for being so nice.  I look forward to connecting with you more. 

Well, I truly have found some wonderful new blogs to follow, gained many new followers and enjoyed making new friends all thanks to the TPT Seller Challenge.  I am excited to continue building my business and I look forward to making friends with many more along the way.

July Pick 3!

July is here and I am super excited because that means I am officially on the 1 month baby countdown!  I can't wait for our little girl to arrive and I am starting to get VERY anxious!  It's a good thing I have TPT and the blogging world to keep me busy otherwise I may go crazy.  

I'm linking up with Inspired Owl's Corner and Pawsitively Teaching for my favorite super easy and super fun linky PICK 3.  This month I'm sharing a few of my favorite random finds that would be perfect for this fine summer month!

Click to see Original Pin

With baby girl on my mind I can't help browsing Pinterest for the cutest holiday outfits!  Although she won't be here for the 4th this year you, better believe I'll be buying something like this for her to wear next year.  I. JUST. CAN'T. HANDLE. THE. CUTENESS!

Click to see Original Pin

Ummmm I'm not sure if I've mentioned, but I absolutely hate little flying bugs!  I saw this pin and thought I want to make that!  It looks super cute and has a purpose.  

Awesome!

Click to see Original Pin

And lastly, I have to share this recipe with you all!  One Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl!  It is super delicious and really only takes one pot.  Go grab this recipe now.  Yum!

Head to Pawsitively Teaching and Inspired Owl's Corner for more!

An InLinkz Link-up

TPT Seller Challenge Week 3: Make your Masterpiece

This week the TPT Seller Challenge is encouraging the sellers to make a NEW masterpiece!  I had just started working on this little idea so I thought I'd finish it up for the challenge.  

When I was in the classroom I always liked to collect a monthly writing sample from students.  After grading the sample, I'd store it in a large file box and then send home the samples at the end of the school year, almost as a keepsake of the progress each student had made.  I always remember scrambling at the end of the year to put together some type of folder so that the papers weren't just astray so I wanted to create something that would help organize this process from the start.

This here is a monthly writing portfolio.  It can be pre-made at the beginning of the year and then is set to go for each month.  Wahoo!  The folder includes a cover page, writing rubric, school to home sheet (I thought it'd be a nice way to communicate with parents monthly), a student self check strip, a teacher rubric/comment strip and monthly writing pages.  Here are a few photos to show you what I'm talking about.

I really like things that can be organized from the start of the school year and this is just one other thing that could be prepped now and ready to go!  It's posted in my store HERE and will be 50% for the next 24 hours!

Hooray for the hosts of the TPT Seller Challenge for pushing me to get er' done!