Playing catch up!

It is not a secret that I have been behind on blogging. The events and details of this half of the year are keeping me incredibly busy!

I am slowly catching up on things here and there. I am embarrassed to say that I am even just catching up on some emails. I spend a lot of time on my school email, try to keep up with the home email- mostly clearing out the trash, then add in a gmail account that sorts things in random ways. 

As I sorted through my gmail account, I discovered that Angela from Southern Fried Teaching had nominated me for the Liebster Award. I was honored and embarrassed all at once. Embarrassed because I had not responded. 

Recently I also received some sweet emails about the Sunshine Award too. (I am working on that post too!)

So here I am. drowning in the duties of life, and some lovely blogger friends were bestowing kindness on me and I was not even aware! 

Liebster is a German word that means beloved, cute, lovely, dearest, and welcome. The Liebster Award is an award for new blogs, and I am so grateful that I got it!

Thank you to Angela for taking the time to nominate me! If you are unfamiliar with Angela's blog, check it out. She has some great posts and pictures highlighting her adventures while teaching abroad in Korea. 

Here are the rules:
1. Link back to the blog that nominated me
2. Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers
3. Answer the questions posted for me by my nominator
4. Share 11 random facts about myself
5. Contact my nominees and let them know that I nominated them

Here are the questions from Angela for me:
1. What is one of your favorite teaching memories? I have one class that was truly sweet and I loved the entire year. We read together so much and their love of reading really touched me. When it was time to decorate the room for our year end celebration, I had 3 girls show up on the weekend to help me decorate. I was touched. Their little sisters come and hug me every single day, their smile let's me know that their sisters adored me as much as I adored them!
2. What is your favorite school lunch? I pack my lunch daily. School lunches are not for me! I eat lots of leftovers for lunch. 
3. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? Spare time? I do not really have any with a full-time job and 3 young boys. I love to sew and take photographs. I am very behind on me time! 
4. What song gets you up and going and puts a smile on your face? Happy. I cannot resist dancing to it, even in my classroom. 
5. If you had to give any advice to a new teacher, what would you say? Reflect and grow; you will make mistakes, but you will also become a great teacher if you learn from them. 
6. What is a simple review activity that you do in your classroom? We play ZAP. They answer questions in teams and then pick point cards when they answer correctly. The kids love it. 
7. What is the best teacher gift you have ever received? A parent made a collage of all of my students, had them write notes on the back of the huge frame from IKEA {heart}, and wrote a top 10 about me David Letterman Style. The frame broke, but I still have it. Those kiddos are now in high school.
8. What is one piece of advice you really wish you could give to parents? Support their teacher! If the teacher assigns homework, work with your child to complete it, if you have questions ask the teacher. The more you know about what they are doing and the more you require them to complete their work, the stronger signal you are sending to them that school is important and following through is an important aspect of life!
9. What do you love about blogging? All of the great tips I can learn and all of the great friends I am making!
10. How do bring laughter into the classroom? I use lots of puns. I am viewed as a very serious person, so I have to make a point to laugh with my kids. 
11. What is your favorite book to read to your students? I have 3: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, Wonder by RJ. Polaccio, and Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

Here are 11 random facts about me:

1. Teaching is my second job, I started in social work. Teaching is way better!

2. I check the date on milk before I drink it. One bad experience is all it takes, this habit goes back to 1st grade!

3. I auditioned for Teen Jeopardy when I was in HS. I did not make it past the initial test, but my mom and I had a blast in Boston. 

4. I was a teacher's pet. 

5. My mom called me bah lady as I grew up. Everyday when I haul a school bag, a lunch bag, and my workout clothes in from my car I think of that name. 

6. My mom also called me grandma when I was little, I had a grown-up soul in my little body. After talking with some teacher friends we think many teachers might have that in common. 

7. I was inspired by my uncle to start blogging. He blogs and  is the only family member who knows I blog. 

8. I was hired at my school then received a call that I could not have my job (certification technicality), I called HR - got my job back, worked for a year at that school, then was displaced, then went back the next year. I have been there ever since. 

9. My high school class was larger than my college class. At the time, my high school was one of the largest in the country.

10. I am a klutz! I broke my foot walking back to my car after a picnic with my husband and two oldest sons. My sons were 2 1/2 and 6 months old at the time. Nothing like having your oldest push your youngest in a stroller while you hobble on crutches. Crutches and teaching are hard! My students would argue about who was going to get to push me around the building in the rolling chair. My students never tipped me out of the chair, but a co-worker did. 

11.  While growing up, I had long-distance friends whose Dad put a wire tap on the phone and their mom read all of the mail I sent them and they sent me. When I was a little older my mom told me about the snooping, and the things that she knew because of the wire tap and the mail snooping. Talk about rocking your view of life, trust, and friends! I am no longer friends with them. 

I now have the honor in nominating some bloggers for the very same honor. 

If you are a 3rd grade teacher you may really enjoy Third Grade BROWN-ies. She shares her plans and provides great insight in to assessments. 

Another great blog you might enjoy is Keep Calm and Hoot On. She provides insight on her classroom and her adventures as a mom.

Here are my 11 questions for my nominees:

1. If you were not a teacher, what job would you have?

2. What mistake do you most remember from your first teaching assignment and what did you learn from it?

3. Did you know someone at your school before you started there?

4. What is your favorite subject and/or topic to teach?

5. What do you do to de-stress?

6. What is your favorite Spring Break vacation?

7. Do you want to be an administrator one day?

8. Who was your favorite teacher as a child and why were they your favorite?

9. What is one piece of advice you would give to a student teacher?

10. What is your favorite game to play with students?

11. What is the worst gift you ever received? 

Thanks again to Angela for the nomination and the opportunity to share more about myself with the blogging world.

Thanks for reading and being a part of my life!