Plan With Me Sundays

About a week ago we were heading home from the beach and I felt stressed.  I needed organization and I needed it quickly.  Luckily, I came across a blog post titled Plan With Me Sundays by Keeping Up With Mrs. Harris.  She and Kreative in Kindergarten had started a link up about planning and it was the perfect thing for me.  After reading the first post in the link from Keeping Up With Mrs. Harris, I came home and bought the Hello Teacher Planner from the 3am Teacher.  What a life saver! Now instead of notebooks, post-it notes, and piles; I have everything in one spot.  I even have all of my Teachers Pay Teachers Vegas conference notes printed and in the notebook!

I then got my office organized and set up in a way that I could see the house, see outside, and enjoy my new blue walls with white trim.  I even managed to set up a space for Gabriella to "do her work." We even took the time to place her notebook and pens where her little brother couldn't reach them.

Everything I couldn't put in my notebook or I had on the multitude of post-it notes (which would mysteriously disappear) are now on a spreadsheet in my google drive.  No more disappearing.  Plus, I get satisfaction out of deleting something I have accomplished and having more white space on the screen.  Thursday night the list of things on the left was all the way down to 32!  Ecstatic that the list is up to where I can see it all at once!

Two years ago I took the leap from teaching for 15 years to being a stay-at-home mom.  I have had the hardest time going from knowing that I ate lunch at 11:52 to figuring out how to fit it in between the laundry, kid lunches, and the numerous things that just don't happen at home.

When I made this leap I had a 10-month-old and another one quickly on his way.  I have also tried to keep up my teachers pay teachers store, my blog, run a house, clean a house, keep a blog, and finish my EdS in School Library Media and Instructional Technology.

The degree is now done and I am finding my way through the laundry and dishes back to my blog and store.  Thankfully Plan With Me Sundays have given me the opportunity to make time to focus on organizing the Zannini household, my blog, and my store.  I want a give a special thank you to all of your who have shared your planning ideas and allowed me to find my way back to this lovely space!

This week I head to Vegas for the TPT conference and my plan for next Sunday is to organize a way to maintain my social media.

Happy Sunday! 

Jessica 

Clip Art Thank You!

I also wanted to thank Educlips for the fabulous graphics used in my header!  I love her work and use it in many of my new products.  Check out her store and blog!  Plus I love that she is a Charleston girl like I was at one time in my life.

http://educlipsdesign.blogspot.com/

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Educlips

My New Design!

After years of playing around trying to figure out designing a blog, I finally admitted defeat!  I searched for awhile trying to find help and found Kassie from designsbykassie.blogspot.com.  I couldn't be happier with my decision!  By answering a few questions and doing a little research, I was able to give her answers to made this blog me.  When I arrive at the page it feels like home.  I've spent almost 40 years buying notebooks and pens to journal.  Well, no more!  This is my ultimate notebook.  I hope you find the new design easy to use and that it helps you find resources and tips to help your kids thrive!

New Design Coming Soon!

I am so excited! I am working with Designs by Kassie to create a design that reflects my work! I've seen a sample and I feel like a kid waiting on Christmas to have it all in place! 

You can also follow me now on Bloglovin'. 

Dare To Dream

I have spent the past two weeks following the Teachers Pay Teachers Seller Challenge and this week's challenge was Dare to Dream.  This week I am focusing on why I even sit here at the table during my family vacation working on products for Teachers Pay Teachers.

The first reason is that it is fun!  Writing lesson plans to me is like playing Candy Crush is to other people.  It's fun and challenging and makes my brain work.  I also like the fact that Teachers Pay Teachers had allowed me to continue doing what I love (teaching) while staying at home with my kids.  I currently have an almost 3-year-old and an 18-month old.  They make finding time to work a challenge, but I like having something that keeps my brain engaged.  It's fun to do the math and realize that if every teacher who bought my poetry unit taught 25 kids and only taught the unit ONE time that almost 100,000 kids have learned poetry through my plans and ideas!

I have asked for a horse for every birthday and Christmas for almost 40 years.  I recently started riding again because my 2 year old fell in love with horses and had the confidence to start riding.  I'd love to be able to let my TPT funds help both of us live a dream once I go back into the classroom.

I believe that what happens outside of the classroom is just as important as what happens in the classroom.  I want my children to explore interests and I love that Teachers Pay Teachers allows for me to be a stay-at-home mom and pay for them to ride horses, take gymnastics, and learn music.  I love that I can pay for these things and it not put any further burden on my husband being the main income.  I've been able to pay for babysitting and small vacations, and my dog's trips to the groomer.
Having two babies 17 months apart has meant that I spent a lot of my time in yoga pants.  Yoga pants are wonderful for playing on the floors, being covered in drool and spit up and the hours spent potty training.  As much as I love my yoga pants I am ready to either A. get better yoga pants or B. venture to buying clothes that will withstand the minor hurricanes that toddlers bring.  I want to be able to buy something every now and then that reminds me that I am me and not just a stay-at-home mom.

Figurative Language Tools with FREE QR Code Lesson

This article has moved to the new site.  

Apple Books for Toddlers and Preschool

1. Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell

This book is great to use as a preview or review of a visit to an apple orchard or a pumpkin patch. Let kids tell you about what they see in the pictures as you read. When my daughter and I read this we also painted an apple and pumpkin. 

2. Apple Farmer Annie - Monica Wellington

This book follows apple farmer Annie as you grows apples in her orchard to selling her apple products at a farmer's market. I enjoyed reading this book on the days we would visit the farmer's market. It was a great way to build on our conversation at the market and as we drove home. The font in this book was also very toddler friendly. 

3. Apples by Gail Gibbons

This book was a little more advanced but the detailed pictures allow for great discussion on the types and parts of an apple. This would be a great book to use alongside an apple tasting. You could use the tasting as an introduction into opinions, data collection, and graphing.