A Reflection on Fitness and some reminders

I'm linking up with two posts today, but they are related to one another. Plus this is something I've been struggling with lately and want to get out there. I know I'm not the only one or the first linky wouldn't even have become a topic. Click on the icons below to join each linky.

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The first is a new linky from Sunny Days in Second Grade. Each week leading up to the new year will focus on a different truth. Sometimes we need to sit back and be completely honest with ourselves. For me, I've been in a bit of a rut when it comes to fitness. It started a few weeks ago when I got sick and couldn't do my workout, but I don't have an excuse anymore. It's time for me to get back into my routine and wake up early to work out. I've lost my weight, but if I want to really tone up it's going to take some dedication. 

And that leads me to my "Tried-It". I wanted to share what I've been doing to get in shape (and what I WILL start back tomorrow). 

I bought Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred off eBay during the summer because I LOVE her on Biggest Loser and liked the idea of a quick 20 minute workout. I did Insanity at the end of last school year, and it was great. But I was waking up at 4:30 every morning, and although I was gaining muscle mass I wasn't seeing the inches go from my waist, which is my problem area since giving birth. So I decided it was time to switch things up.

This workout has three levels that get progressively more difficult. Each level has:

• a quick warm up
• 3 sets of Strength (3 mn.), Cardio (2 mn.), and Abs (1 mn.)
• a short cool down

It takes about 25 minutes for all of it. I have done levels 1 and 2, and when I started level 2, I saw my weight start dropping quickly! I actually lost about 5 pounds just in that stretch (which also coincided with the beginning of school and me becoming a little more active in general). If you're looking for a good workout, I would recommend trying this!

Two quick reminders before I go:

I know I'm a week late technically, but this Thursday will be the second Teacher Fitness Thursday, my monthly linky party. I want to talk about motivation this time around because I know I need it! What motivates you? Get your posts ready, and PLEASE help spread the word! I'll be honest. I was pretty discouraged when only 2 people linked up last month. I hope this will become more successful and really help create a community of teachers who want to get healthy.

Then be sure to stop back by my blog on Friday for the big blog hop. I can't wait to see what other great freebies have been created for you (and me)!

Science Mentor Text: Nightsong

I've been waiting to link up with this book for TWO weeks now, and I'm so excited to share it! Last year, someone posted about this book, and I had to check it out because it just looked adorable.

So when I got some money to spend at the end of the school year, I added this one to my cart (along with Stellaluna, which I also love). This one is all about a little bat, Chiro, who is scared to venture into the darkness on his own. His mother tells him to use his "good sense" and his special song will light the way. Not only is the language in this story beautiful (and I may be using it with my 5th grade to talk about the author's craft), but the pictures are equally lovely!

I chose this book for science because it is a GREAT way to teach younger students about how echolocation helps bats "see" at night. Obviously their voice doesn't actually work as a flashlight, but students can picture it helping the little bat find food as he "sings his song".

I think Stellaluna may still by my favorite bat book, but this one definitely wins a spot on my list! I'm very glad I made the purchase and can use it this year.

Also, don't forget to check back by Friday for our big Super Sleuth Blog Hop! There will be tons of great reading freebies that you won't want to miss. Speaking of, I need to get to work finishing mine...

Five for Friday

I know, I did SO well posting during the week for a little while, but it's been an entire week with nothing. Not like it's been a quiet week, but when you're stuck in bed and then don't have a phone (because yours needed to be repaired and the store didn't have loaners - I did that Wednesday and just got a loaner tonight), it's hard to find time to share.

Last week, I posted about my undefeated Mercer Bears. They ended up losing their first game after travelling to San Diego. Still, they played well and are looking good. I'm proud and think they will win quite a few more games this season.

I didn't mention my OTHER undefeated team! We lived in south Mississippi until I was in high school, so I have been a Saints fan for years. My sister sent this jersey in the mail last week, and Keagan proudly sported it Sunday (even though the game wasn't showing in Richmond) as the Saints went 5-0. 

Oh, and even if you're not a Saints fan, I HIGHLY recommend following their games this year and checking out Erin's blog (I'm Lovin Lit) after every win. Just sayin...

On Monday, I got so miserably sick that I ended up having to let my last two groups of the day play games while I did everything in my power to not fall asleep. I got home and went to bed at 5, then I stayed there until almost 10 the next morning. It was AWFUL! Not exactly sure what, but I had a fever and terrible headache. And I couldn't eat anything (except crackers, of course). When I got back to school Wednesday, this goodie was sitting on the counter by my mailbox waiting for me! 

I especially laughed about the Lysol wipes. Not sure if my Secret Pal knew I was sick (it appeared Tuesday), but how appropriate!

I finally got my Oriental Trading shipment Monday (and into the classroom Wednesday), so my students will now have "Read to Self" bags. We aren't in my room for long, but I want students to already have a few books on their level for when I am working with individuals. 

I made the labels on my own and laminated them. Sorry I can't share them, but I bought the frame and don't know a way to make them editable without infringing on copyright. The frames are from Bubbly Borders and More, and the font is Sketch Rockwell if you want to make them on your own.

We did some visualizing with fourth grade this week, and I was thrilled to try out Amanda Madden's Connecting and Visualizing Packet that you can read about in her post here. The kids had a blast with it, and I love the outcomes!

And finally, I wanted to let you know about an event you won't want to miss! Carla from Comprehension Connection and the ladies from The Rungs of Reading have been gathering as many Reading Specialist bloggers as they could find to put together a blog hop, and we are getting our freebies ready for you. Mark your calendars and get ready to collect a lot of great products!

Five for Friday - October 4

So, my alma mater started up football again after a 72 year hiatus, and it has gone very well for them so far! They are undefeated, and the game last week really showed how well they're doing! Alex Avant even helped bring the team national recognition by landing this play in ESPN's Top 10 Plays for the week!

Go Bears!!

We went out to the state fair on Sunday for Keagan's very first trip. It was a little too crowded for our liking, but Keagan loved seeing all of the animals!

I always like to look at what the students have entered because it's always so fascinating to me. This year, they had a book project that some middle schoolers had done: Table for Two. Each table was set in a theme for a book they had read. Most of them were not familiar to me (or just not very good), but this gives you an idea, although I don't know what book it was for.

We started doing secret pals at my school last year, and I didn't exactly luck out. Our VP drew my name last year, and I spent most of the time with nothing. I will say that when he did send gifts, they were very nice to make up for the empty spaces ($25 gift card to BN and then another gift card at the end of the year for Bed, Bath, and Beyond). But sometimes a girl just wants some random chocolate in her box to surprise her. We drew names two weeks ago, and I have a good one this year! This was in my box earlier in the week and I quickly devoured it. Actually, there *may* have been a few KitKats missing already when I took this picture...

Some of you with sharp eyes noticed the Duck for President book in the last picture. We had SCA elections today, so I read this book with one of my 3rd grade classes to introduce some election vocabulary. It was cute because we saw our guidance counselor putting up students' signs as I was taking my group back, and one said, "That's campaigning!" Yes, it is.

Last week, I talked about how we were starting to become "Word Wizards", and I have to say that it's not going quite as well as I hoped. I guess it's part of being an "extra", but they're either forgetting the sheet or just not doing it altogether. I'm not throwing in the towel yet because I think it's important, but it is a little discouraging. Here's a quick example of what they do, though (and yes, I'm aware that I overshot it on the words this week - I'm dialing it back a little already).

And yes, he technically didn't use "misconstrue" properly, but once again I overshot it with the words. You get the idea though, right?

Happy Friday!

Currently October

I'm a day late for Farley's currently, but better late than never, right? Can anyone else believe that October is actually here? I've been excited for fall this year and trying to figure out what Keagan will be for Halloween, but the month has actually come! I felt like this September would never end, so it's exciting to finally be into the second day.

My loving, thinking, and needing all go together. I am on my third week of working with groups, but I still haven't back into the groove of things. My goal is to have lessons for next week done and ready to go by Friday, but that's what I said last week. We'll see!

As for new sweaters, I feel like my fall/winter wardrobe is lacking. Last year, I wasn't quite ready to buy a lot (plus we weren't in the position financially) because I still thought I could lose some more and get back into my pre-baby clothes. Well, I have been hovering right around the same weight for a few months now, so I think I'm where I will be. I've pretty much accepted the fact that my middle is just going to be bigger, even though I'm working out and have done a lot. It's time to get some looser, cuter tops that will hide my current "muffin top" and look a little more flattering. I found some really cute things at Target (my new favorite go-to store for clothes) and think I may splurge on a few this week. It's time.

Most of you may already be aware of Picmonkey, but I LOVE it for a quick way to add my blog logo to a picture I post. That way, if someone pins an idea from my blog, people can track it back to me a little easier! All you do is go into www.picmonkey.com and click on "Edit a Photo" at the top. It will open a window for you to select your photo from the computer. There are tons of edits and touch-ups that you can do, but if you click on the butterfly for overlays, there is an option at the top to add your own. I just click on that and find the file for my blog button (which I always save on my computer). Then I make it smaller and add it to the corner of my picture. Done! Here's a quick sample from last week that only took me a minute to fix (no touch-ups or anything):

I hope my tip helped, and have fun checking out what other people are "currently" doing!

Halloween Must Read Mentor Text: The Widow's Broom

I was so excited to see that the topic for today's must read was Halloween/Fall because there are SO many fantastic books! I saw that Amanda and Stacia already wrote about Stellaluna, one of my favorites, but fortunately I had already planned on a different one for this week.

I have become a big fan of Chris Van Allsburg in the past few years because his books are great for older kids, and they usually haven't already heard them when they come to me.

This particular story is about a witch's broom that loses its magic and falls from the sky. A widow finds the broom and begins to use it, but one day she wakes up to learn it is no ordinary broom. They begin to keep each other company, and she trains the broom to help her with everyday chores. When the neighbors learn of the broom's unusual powers, they get scared and demand that it be burned.

I think this book is a neat way to remind students that "different" doesn't necessarily mean bad. Allsburg did a fantastic job of portraying a difficult subject that has been repeated multiple times in history. This could lead into a comparison lesson for older students with other "misunderstood" groups who were persecuted in various ways. However, it's also a great story for the younger ones to lead discussions in how to treat others fairly.

I also used this book to work on predicting last year. We would change our predictions as we read and learned more information. It has been almost a year since I did this, but I also believe that we practiced questioning with this book. There are SO many questions that they students will have as they read, so I will be doing that this year for sure!

One quick word of caution: please read the book ahead of time, especially if you teach early elementary. The story is a little scary, and you need to make sure it's one that you and your students will be comfortable reading. As an upper grades teacher, my students and I love it. However, I've seen mixed reviews on whether it should be read to K and 1.

Now I can't wait for Keagan to wake up. We're headed to the state fair! It will be his first trip, and I can't wait to see how much he enjoys it!

A Five for Friday you DON'T want to miss!

Word Wizard chart in portrait or landscape (I used borders from Bubbly Borders and More and fonts from Kimberly Gershwin)

I mentioned in my post on Wednesday about how I'm focusing on Robust Vocabulary this year. Long story short, I give each group three vocabulary words for the week, and then encourage them to go out and find examples of the words being used at home. They collect those examples on a very simple recording sheet here and bring it back on Friday. Then I will put a star or sticker by their name. Once students get 5, they get to choose a prize from my box!

This may seem small, but one of my students noticed that my skittle jar was running low and decided to bring in a bag to refill it. Bonus: the green are back to LIME instead of green apple. My day was made!

On Fridays, we have game/review day. This is one of my favorite games because the words are higher level. Unfortunately it's too high for half of my kids, but I pulled it out for my higher 4th and 5th grade students. Notice a theme here?

Sometimes I do brain breaks before the students leave, and I recently added a few to my Pinterest board. One of my favorite new ones...

Hehe, I almost took video of my kids doing it. Hysterical! You can follow my board here. I also have "What Does the Fox Say?" which I highly recommend for a good laugh!

To celebrate surpassing 500 followers a while back, my Halloween Literacy Pack will be free for the next hour (or until I have a chance to get home and to a computer). Go grab it and be sure to leave feedback!

The time has now passed for the flash freebie, but you can still click on the link to add it to your cart!