Currently It's November!

Hello BlogFriends!

I love that Time Change phenomenon when an extra hour magically appears. I could use several of those... I have so much to do!

I like to leave the clocks "unchanged" when I go to sleep. Then I wake up early, work for an hour, and then set the clock back and work for another hour. It seems SO Back-to-the Future to live through the same hour twice. I know it's not really a sci-fi construct, but I like thinking there's some magic going on anyway!

So if it's the first of the month, it means two things: First, it's time to link up with DEAR Farley (I just love that girl!). And, second, it's time to make a new classroom seating chart. We "change chairs" each month. Friendships are sometimes fleeting in the lives of fifth graders. Meaning: The person who was your best buddy on the first day of the month is now, likely, on your list of least-favorite tablemates! (Then it takes me a whole week to remember the new seat assignments as I spend a lot of time looking for a child at the place he/she used to sit!)

I love fall colors... so the look of this month's currently makes my heart happy!

As I mentioned, we are still working on responsibility in my classroom. I like to find songs to reinforce the concept. If you are looking for a catchy tune to help your kiddos think about responsibility, try this one:

On to Turkey Talk! It's my turn to host Thanksgiving this year. That is actually not a good thing. I like the decorating part of the holidays, but I have no skill whatsoever in cooking. I think there will be eleven people coming to our house... which makes my heart rate soar! Last time we hosted Thanksgiving, the turkey was still partially frozen when it was time to put it in the oven. Maybe this year we will just start with pie!

I do enjoy making chestnut stuffing. You have to start with boiling the chestnuts, then shelling them, and then, then, then... The recipe has about forty-three steps! I think I like this one so much because it seems so New England-ish. Which seems like ust the right place to get a recipe for stuffing! I linked to a similar recipe from Martha Stewart below. I wonder if she'd be willing to come over and help a girl out...

Thanks to Nikki from Melonheadz for the sweet turkey graphic. (Don't you just love his little shoes?!)! Follow the link HERE to grab a turkey of your own!

Recently, our school District moved to a week away from school for Thanksgiving Break. What a treat! My family celebrates Thanksgiving on the Saturday-before, which leaves a whole week afterwards to fill with a mix of fun and catching-up on work. I haven't plotted out all of my days, but it sure would be nice to organize the assorted piles accumulating in my living room!

I will likely spend the rest of today re-organizing my guided reading groups. Our current structure isn't quite working for anyone. I am SO EXCITED that my principal has arranged for some extra support for our reading groups. With thirty-six kids, it's sometimes difficult to get things accomplished--especially if you are trying to do crowd control in the middle of small group instruction. Having an extra set of hands will really help, and I am excited for the opportunity to re-think this part of my day.

So that' what's currently happening in my little piece of the universe. I hope that you enjoyed some Halloween fun and that you have an enjoyable Sunday planned out.

Click on the button above to make you way back to Currently. To be honest, this "get-together" is always one of my favorite parts of blogging. I always make a new friend (or five) and Farley puts her whole heart into this cyber meet-up. Doesn't that make your heart happy too?

I am looking forward to chatting with you SOON!

October Planner: Decorating + Planning = Fun!

I have owned an Erin Condren planner every year for the last four years. I am a serious Erin Condren fan. Yet, every year, my planner has remained... almost completely blank. I am so fearful of messing up my lovely planner, I draw grids and I create tables on Word and I write lists on paper--anything to avoid making a mistake on all that loveliness! I clip my plans onto the pages, so I look like a have a planner... alas, my scribbles are everywhere but in the boxes.

My favorite Erin Condren design is Party Pops. I have a matching "clutch" for my planner too! SO fun! Did you hear that? My heart just went pitter pat!

This year, I decided I would throw caution to the wind: I made a vow that I would actually write in my planner.

September came and went. I wrote a few comments very lightly in pencil. October MUST be the month, I scolded myself.

It's still slow-going. I still have an anxiety attack before every other word, and I still haven't ventured beyond pencil, but I have written in my planner. Wonders never cease!

This past summer I spent time trying to find washi tape that would match each of Erin Condren's monthly planner color schemes. I forgot about the "colors may vary" component of shopping online... and I was surprised to find out that there were countless shades of orange (not to mention green and pink!)... most of which would clash and not blend. Despite what Stacy and Clinton say on "What Not to Wear"... I still need my colors to MATCH!

Most people who know me will tell you that I am not the last bit crafty. Generally, my idea of decorating is lining up everything neatly in a row! At last, I was able to settle on some orange washi that I liked and I was actually looking forward to using my spider web tape! I'll admit, at one point, I had washi tape in my hair, and one of the pumpkins stickers stuck to the dining room table (where I am currently covering it with a placemat until I can figure out how to de-stick it)

Thankfully Mrs Harris has a link-up which forced me to reveal my planner pages before the month was up (Otherwise, knowing my tendency to procrastinate, I would still be carefully aligning orange washi tape--in February!) I am SO tickled to be invited to my first planner party! Well, okay, it's safe to say I invited MYSELF, but with pumpkins and spiders ready... Here goes!

I'm going to go with the "extra large" picture so that you can see a bit of the details... Here is the October spread before my scribbles were added.

And here are my planning pages for this week before I started writing. You will notice I have the same washi tape on my October page as I do on each of my planning pages. That's a neat little trick I learned from Stephanie at Third Grade Thoughts. Stephanie also has an Etsy shop with a range of planner stickers. You'll immediately fall in love by clicking HERE. I wanted those Week #__ stickers from the moment I saw them. Stephanie has those and LOTS of other items in her Etsy store! Did I mention that she coordinates them all with the Erin Condren colors? Oh Happy Day!

I got my "subject stickers" on Etsy too. I talked to Melissa at Oldfield Designs. She quickly pulled an order together--and made my stickers in the perfect shade of purple! I love how the non-varying components on my pages look the same... despite my variable handwriting. YAY!

Most of the stickers are from Beary Patch. I added a few from ek success (the bats, the candy corn and the Boo!)--they're three-dimensional and glittery! Here's a close-up of the October fun...

I have to admit: Looking at these fun pages every morning helps me start off the day with a smile. My goal is to fill in all of the boxes in the next two weeks. If I get them finished, I promise to come back and post them so there will be proof!

Wishing you a happy week... one where everything goes according to plans!

Currently... October!

Hello October!

background paper by Scrappin Doodles HERE... font by Amy Alvis HERE

I love any month that has a holiday that fills my grocery store shelves with CHOCOLATE (It's my favorite food group!)

My year is flying by... yet it seems like it is taking a long time to get into the swing of things. I feel like I repeat the same directions twelve times, only to have someone raise his hand and say, "What are we supposed to do?" At the same time, there are those sweeties who have followed the directions, organized the supply box, politely asked his tablemates to be quiet, organized his tablemates' belongings, smiled apologetically again, only to give up and whisper loudly, "I think she's waiting for you..." Sigh. I just need more patience. A lot more patience. Another truckload or two would be good!

I think it would be easier if there was at least one holiday between the beginning of school and the end of October. Just one. Seems like a small request, doesn't it? After all, a week plus one day off in November is a delight. But... Couldn't we switch just one of those days to October?

As for a trick: I've got nothing, really... Except I did learn something accidentally the other day. I was softly humming a song (from this decade!) while waiting for the kids to line up. One of my students looked at me in astonishment and said, "How do you know that song? You're so old!" To which I replied, "I'm pretty sure my TV gets a lot of the same channels that yours does..." I think he's still trying to figure out exactly what that meant... but I did see him point at me and whisper to a buddy right after that. I pretended not to notice--but it was hard to keep from smiling!

Now, you know what to do! Head to Farley's and share the love. She gives us twelve opportunities each year just to look after each other and share some smiles...

I hope that your October is filled with plenty of patience--and plenty of chocolate too!

October Currently

As I type this on a likely-to-be-sunny California morning, I am thinking good thoughts for my BlogFriends on the east coast and sending them good wishes and prayers for safety while Hurricane Sandy inches closer.. Be safe, dear friends! 

Three days left, but it is still October! Thanks, Farley, for always keeping us connected with your Currently link-ups! My addition will bring Farley's October total to 334 posters. Isn't that amazing? Click on the button below to check it out. And it's not too late to add yours too... just remember that Rule of Three...

Currently... October Linky

Here's a Linky to remind you how much fun October is!  I LOVE the colors and the graphics... and the bats!  Hop on over to Oh Boy 4th Grade and link up with the October gang!

Here's the link to one of my favorite sites... Cardigans and Curriculum
Happy October!