There's a (Freebie) Party going on at TBA!

Teaching Blog Addict will always have a special place in my heart. What A WONDERFUL group of people! To me, meeting Tamara and Leslie was like meeting movie stars and they are truly among the best blog buddies you could hope for! I was also able to connect with a wonderful group of teacher-authors and I learned so much from so many of them (and I laughed a lot too!) I have always felt so honored to be associated such a great group of bloggers. My heart used to pound when I would see my bloggy button in the author section. So often, I would stop and wonder: How did I get HERE? Being involved with TBA really is a JOY!

Now it's your turn to head over to TBA because TBA is celebrating its second birthday.... and they have organized a birthday extravaganza PACKED with freebies!

There are so many awesome freebies, your printer could be kept running for weeks! (Now, if we could only teach that thing to do dishes and laundry!)

What am I giving away? I only have four products in my store (big time seller, I know!) and two are free!

Exponents are difficult for some kids to grasp. I find that my students still think that "five to second power" is ten and they routinely confused "cubed" and "squared." {big sigh}. This card game provides a little practice with exponents (cubed and squared)... and the cards are cute too! If you teach fourth, fifth or sixth grade, your kids might enjoy a little learning while they play.

Here is a picture of the cards in action. Fortunately, I washed this kid's desk first--or the picture would send you reaching for the Purell! I know that the cards look larger than life, but actually they fit in the palm of your hand. It also looks like the desk may have levitational powers as well, but that's not true either. Photography 101, I need you!

The cover of the item looks like this...

You can get this FREEBIE by clicking on the cover (above).

If you got here by way of TBA's party--or if you haven't been there yet--it's time to grab your party hat and GO! Click on the button below to get there... and have fun!

Blogging Behind the Scenes with TBA

Hello BlogFriends!

And Happy April Fools' Day!

I'm linking up with TBA as we summon our bravery and chronicle our writing habits...

I usually type my posts sprawled out on my bed, with my quilt and my coffee and lots of pillows (and I wonder why I have back problems!).

Most of the time I am in pajamas or sweats--not necessarily in pieces that came together, but that I have declared, by either by proximity or cleanliness, belong together!

Obviously, I can't show you the complete picture--but here are my fuzzy socks to prove that this is, indeed, a daily occurrence. I admit, I've never seen my feet from this view...

If I am not working on my bed, I like to work at the dining room table because the sun comes streaming in through the window and that makes my heart happy. However, if I work there for too long, we have to eat somewhere else, because I can cover a workspace with "stuff" in less than three minutes!

Again, I am most likely to be wearing pajamas or sweats wherever I blog.  This catchy little number came with bright pink leggings. I wonder why the clothing manufacturing folks think they can pair a size XL top with a pair of leggings that would best fit a preschooler. Truly. "Leggings"? As in: Not enough fabric to fit one whole leg, yet alone two?!

No, I don't USUALLY wear a funky hat while I type. But I need a haircut, and a make-over, so this was the safest shot (as opposed to finding some clipart of someone else working at a computer).

Here I am, hard at work, sharing tidbits of wisdom (and sometimes, drivel) about the JOYS of teaching sixth grade--or about the JOYS of having such wonderful BloggyBuddies!

Need proof that this is me? See the cup in the foreground. That's Starbucks coffee (Verona, yum!) in my Starbucks cup with plenty of cream. Need more proof? That's a stack of well-loved literacy texts that often inspire me.  Still don't believe me? Oh, come on! I've got nothing else other than to ask: Who else do you know that would wear this get-up and ADMIT it was her?

So... Remember to check into TBA this week.  There's a {really} big giveaway going on which you can enter HERE.

And there's a blog-hopping opportunity too. You Bunny Hop from site to site each day and pick up a freebie at each stop.  Doesn't that sound like FUN? And everything I've gathered so far is adorable!

If you haven't done so today, start at TBA by clicking HERE. This will direct you to Journey of a Substitute Teacher where Miss T. shares her behind-the-scenes pictures, offers a Freebie and provides the magic egg to lead you to the next Bunny Hop stop.

And, if you want to see a real triumph, click HERE to see how Tamara, co-founder of TBA, juggles children and blogging and recording--and still manages to look great doing it all!
(She didn't even need a hat!)

TBA Birthday Week Continues!

The birthday fun continues at TBA!

Today's TBA question was "Who is/was your favorite teacher and why?"

My favorite teacher was my SIXTH grade teacher!  I wonder if that is why I have chosen to teach sixth grade?!

Her name was Mrs. Moore and she was a new, young teacher...

In fact, the year I was in sixth grade, she invited our WHOLE CLASS to her wedding!

Three stand-out memories.
1)  The mother of one of my classmates passed away during our sixth grade year.  For the remainder of the year, Mrs. Moore took M and I out to breakfast early on Thursdays before school.  She reminded M to drink her milk, and gave her pep talks that I am SURE saw her through a difficult time.

2)  Mrs. Moore loved Peanuts characters.  Her room was bright and cheerful and inviting.  It was a FUN place to be!  I think that is why an inviting room environment is so important in my own classroom today.

3) Mrs. Moore had a special cupboard filled with novels.  If you were really interested in reading, she let you choose from her collection. I think this is where my true love of reading began!

Join in the fun at TBA.  You could win a prize!  Click the link and head on over!