Five for Friday: Thanksgiving Week

I needed this week for sure! I cannot say I have done a lot, but I think that is what I needed. This week's Five for Friday post is more about life and less about school. 

Obviously, my boys needed the down time too because 2 have been fighting off a bot of some sickness. That is typical this time of year since my youngest has asthma and my two youngest are prone to ear infections. Just like normal, a week of vacay meant a trip to see our favorite group of pediatricians, and a trip to the pharmacy for some meds. Why break away from our fall traditions? Ha ha! 

But hey, no complaints from me because I could mend the ill from home and not have to write any sub plans. 

My youngest and me, as you can tell from the hair it is tough to keep a squirmy 4 yr. old still during pics.

Our Elf arrived and I was so excited at my sons' reactions. They are excited about the magic and the season. 

Our elf is named Poochuk, yep named by 3 boys! He is a simple elf ,no crazy mishaps -
I don't have time to clean up after another elf! 

I have been wondering if my oldest is starting to wonder about Santa, but it seems like he is still in on the fun. My youngest is no longer afraid, which means I need to seize the opportunity and plan for some Santa encounters. I think I need to get some pictures of all 3 with a really good looking Santa. 

This is huge because last year the youngest refused to step anywhere near the big man. He looked from afar. The year before my middle son would not even walk in to the workshop area and cried at the mention of pictures with him. The year before we had our funniest picture moment. Santa tried to lure him in to the picture by asking to see his lovey (a pooh bear blankie) and instead of walking it over he looked at it and threw it at Santa. We had to hold back our laughter, and be content with a picture of just 2 on his lap. This may be my last year getting all 3 in a picture with the magic in their eyes. 

I love to bake and enjoyed the time to make some yummy treats for our families. The boys were great taste-testers and very encouraging. Yummy!

Cranberry Orange Bread

I found the cranberry orange bread recipe through Pinterest, here is the link to the original site. It was a dense bread, not crumbly, probably because of the yogurt. The fresh cranberries and orange zest made a great flavor. It cooked in an hour and the recipe is easy to follow. 

I also made a spinach artichoke dip, which was a huge hit with my husband. 

Easy recipe in the crock pot! I let the spinach thaw over night in the sink and then threw the rest of the ingredients in, letting it cook for 2 hours. 

I also made chocolate chip cookies, and because I love them so much I made sure to leave most of them at our parents' houses!

I worked a little on some things for my classroom. I finally completed a set of task cards for decimals. I started the set a while back, but just never found the time to finish it up. The cold, wet weather this week was a perfect excuse to finish out the set. I plan to use them as part of a review center over the next few months to help them practice their decimal skills. 

Although I was off, it felt good to finish something that has been on my to-do list for a while. 

My school/district is encouraging us to use Math Talks in our classes. I plan to use these cards and the journal cards I made to go with the set to launch some math discussions. My group really needs some practice and confidence in the area of number sense, the visuals and straightforward style questions will be a great launchpad for our talks. 

 Shopping. Something that the media is pushing and my inbox is loading me up with things to buy, buy, buy. I did some shopping this past week, but it was for clothes and more practical things. As for holiday shopping, I have no idea what I will be purchasing this year. The kids have some grand ideas of their own - oldest wants a go cart, middle wants so Skylanders for the game they recently acquired from grandma, and my youngest wants everything he sees and a dog. 

Because I am indecisive, I did not engage in any Thanksgiving or Black Friday shopping. Instead I am mulling over ideas. Crazy me, even mentioned the idea of the dog and making the boys thrilled beyond belief, but am I ready for another responsibility? 

I am geared up for the Cyber Monday sale on Teachers Pay Teachers. My shop is on sale today, and then again on Monday and Tuesday. 

I made this banner with some graphics from The 3AM Teacher and Graphics from the Pond. If you want to use this on your blog or for your store you can download it here. 

Hope you are having a great Friday! 
Don't forget to check out the other posts for Five for Friday at Doodle Bugs Teaching.