Joyful!

I have been overwhelmed lately by joy! I find it in what I think of as the usual places. The smiles from my students bring me joy. Your comments bring me joy. My "real" children bring me joy. It just seems to be contagious this time of year. Earlier this week I heard one of my owlets say, "I've got the Christmas spirit!" to one of his classmates. He does, too! He can't sit still and seems to be dancing most of the time. He spontaneously erupts into Christmas carols and before long he's got the whole class singing "Jingle Bells"! I probably shouldn't be pleased with this kind of behavior, but by golly, I want to join in with the caroling, too!

I miss the days when my own children were filled with the wonder and awe of Christmas. Not one of them is a believer any more and it's hard to think of new and fresh ways to surprise them with the little things. My youngest daughter is in her final year at the school where I teach, and confessed to me that she just couldn't get into the Christmas Spirit. I realize that for me the joy comes from making the magic come alive for others. Together we brainstormed and came up with a way that she could bring magic into the lives of others.

Enter under appreciated young ladies that provide childcare at our school. They are the sweetest kindest girls who would love to one day have a classroom of their own. They get the students at the end of the day when they are worn out from trying so hard to follow the rules. One sweet girl in particular is a hero to me! She love those kids and tries all kinds of different ways to interact with some pretty big handfuls. My daughter and I have decided to leave some secret surprises for her in different places. We have a week to give her some fun items that we found at Bath and Body Works and Target! She might know my handwriting, so we'll use these labels to disguise who they are from! Help yourself by clicking HERE if you'd like a copy of these for your own.( I have printed them out on Avery 8163 labels!) There is no better way to find joy than by thinking of others!

Today for 12-12-12 we had a joyful blast! We decorated Christmas trees with 12-12-12! 12 marshmallows, 12 stars and 12 chocolate chips were glued onto sugar cones...Yum! We read 12 books and thought of 12 math problems that equaled . . . 12! 

Our 12-12-12 Forest! These kids showed such restraint!

Is my house ready for Christmas? NO! Is my Christmas shopping done? NO Is the Christmas baking done? NO! Am I in the Christmas spirit? YES! Why? Because I found the secret to joy! It isn't looking out for my own pleasures. It isn't finding that just right gift. It isn't finding the right card to send or being a Secret Santa! "It" came in a manger and is God made flesh to bring light and joy into the world. 

Currently

I have to add a couple of other things I love! I love Barbara's Blinkies! They are so easy to put on your blog! All you have to do is grab her code. Grab it by highlighting the entire code in the box under the blinkie you like. press the ctrl key and hold it down as you press the c key on your keyboard. Go to your blog layout and click on "add gadget"  scroll down until you find HTML/Java Script.  In the title box you can add a special message or leave it blank. Click in the content box and press the ctrl key and the "v" key at the same time. Be sure to save and go look at how awesome your blinkie looks in your sidebar! 

I love Laurie's "elf" that is really a hedgehog. I enjoy finding out what mischeif that guy creates for Laurie. She already has 36 mischief makers in her class, so what's one more!

I love when one of my students spontaneously combusts into a Christmas carol during seat work time and all the others join in! It's the such a wonderful time to teach and learn about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control! 

This is personal...Freebie!

I have to say that there is a group of bloggers out there that I feel down right friendly towards! You have walked with me through part of this journey and I want to share a different part of my journey with you! This is quite personal to me, but I want to show you who I am when I'm not a teacher!

Before I am a teacher, I am a mom. I love that job more than any other job I've had. My very own kids mean the world to me and I feel I have to put that our there. Sometimes they underestimate my love for them and claim that I love birds and blogging more than them. Let the record show that I love my three children more than birds or blogging.

This weekend I had the chance to spend time with 2/3 of my children. I can't imagine a better experience than what we had. My girls and I enjoyed hanging out together with Cranky Bear. Cranky Bear would lay down his life for any one of us, so it was wonderful to have him along to pay for stuff! We all love him deeply and feel blessed to be family.

So what made this weekend AWESOME? The Santa Hustle in Chicago! I do not recommend my training routine to anyone. I read The Maze Runner and Insurgent  in preparation for my 5K. The teenagers in those books run all over the place, so I figured I could, too! I ran the Santa Hustle with my 21 year old daughter and she beat me! She prepared by training, running, and running some more! Reading about people who run is quite different than actually doing it. Now that I've started, Barbara(!) I may actually continue! Right now I am too sore to actually walk.

Because I was able to complete the run I am sharing a book about snowmen with you. Do you have any snow where you are? We don't and we want it. . .We need it! Michigan loves snow! Click on the picture to get the freebie!

Snow Funny

"Mrs. Reck, you are the funniest teacher I've ever had!" This was music to my ears this week because I love to laugh myself. I'm so glad that I've been able to tickle someone's funny bone enough for them to don me with the title, "Funniest Teacher Ever"!  Being told you are funny by a first grader is a little different than being told that by one of my eighth grade literature students. None of them have claimed me to be their funniest teacher ever. Hmmmm...Maybe I'm not so funny after all!

I do like to laugh and do so often with my classes. Laughter is medicine for the soul. Once I have gained my students respect, they usually don't misbehave when I'm laughing and smiling with them. I started smiling the first day of school and haven't stopped. I've come to school some days with a heavy heart or worried spirit, but I don't dump it on my students! I remember one day apologizing to my class.  I felt that my rough morning at home was showing through! I was crabby and short-tempered. They claimed to have not noticed and showered me with praise...Which we all need from time to time!

I hope these following direction activities make you laugh, or at least smile! I'm having a great time putting together winterish activities to start using next week. I hope you can find something here to use, too!

I'm still looking for people to pay it forward to! It is really easy and fun. Click HERE to get more info and let me know you'd like to participate! 

Don't forget to enter Jessica's Giveaway! She 's offering some great prizes!

Pay It Forward

I got a package from my good friend Kimberly in Maine. You know her from 1st in Maine. (If you don't know her, go introduce yourself and find out what she's reading. She always has great recommendations!)  It wasn't just any package. It contained special items that were chosen to represent her beautiful home state of Maine. Take a look at all this awesomeness!

Raise your hand if you want to meet at  Nonesuch Books for
coffee Saturday morning!

I didn't have Blueberries for Sal in my classroom library...Now I do!

I love this moose sun-catcher. I wish we caught more around here in
the winter!

Kimberly got a package, too. Her package came from Sandy at Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes. Sandy blogs from Canada.

Sandy had gotten a package from Greg at Males in Early Childhood. Greg is from Australia.

Greg got the package from Kerina who is a blogger at Learning for Life in Northern Ireland.

Kerina got the package from Karen at Flights of Whimsy in Australia.

She got the package from Maureen at Strongstart who is from British Columbia, Canada.

Maureen's package came from Sherry and Donna at Irresistible Ideas For Play Based Learning in Melbourne, Australia.

Their package came from Tennessee...Scott sent it to her from Brick by Brick.

Scott had the package sent to him from What Do We Do All Day in Brooklyn, New York, who got it from Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns in California, who got it from Our World Classroom who got it from Pink and Green Mama, who got it from... well I don't know where it even started! I don't even know where it may end. At this point I don't know where it will go next!

Would you like a package from my corner of the world to share with your classroom? I get to pick three bloggers to Pay it Forward to. I would love to send it as far as possible! Across the country or across the world would be great!

If you would like to receive a package from Muskegon, Michigan and would be willing to pay it forward to three others, this is what you do...

Leave a comment below telling me you'd be willing to pay if forward and I'll get things rolling. I have some ideas of genuine Michiganness things to send you, but it will be a surprise until it arrives at your door! Don't forget to leave your e-mail address!

A Little of This and That! Freebie-Giveaway!

Thanksgiving may be over, but I've still got plenty of turkeys around! One of my  Some child actually went wading in Lake Michigan after dinner! I hosted the big event at our "new" house and it felt so wonderful to warm the house with sounds of laughter and game play. I hid my computer from myself and devoted my time and energy to sleeping, eating, cooking and spending time with family!

Now it is time to buckle down and start gearing up for the week to come. I refuse to do anything Christmas until December first! This week should be a fairly calm week at school with a somewhat normal schedule. I would feel quite bad if I didn't mention to you a great find. I have been using the table making function to make configuration boxes. This takes such a long time, but I have two students that these have been tremendously helpful for! When I discovered  this font, my life changed! Thank you to C & C Teach First for coming up with such a wonderful tool. Here is a sample of one of the first things I've done with this font. I hope you can use it!

I am happy to be celebrating with Jessica from Tales of a First Grade Teacher!  She is having a great giveaway with prizes from many other of my favorite bloggers. Hop over and enter for your chance to win some great stuff!!


I even managed to squeeze in a morning of birding the day after Thanksgiving. The best birds we saw were the hundreds of Northern Shovelers, two young Bald Eagles and my first ever Long-tailed duck.

The young Bald Eagles don't get all their white feathers until
they are about five years old!

Last Turkey Standing!

I had to squeeze one more turkey in. These turkeys are my favorite to make with my owlets. They start by allowing me to trace around their hand on a square piece of burlap. After that they use plastic needles and yarn to sew along the line. We add a wiggle eye and feathers and Voila...We have a turkey! Aren't they adorable?

I'm so thankful for so many "things" but what I'm most thankful for isn't a "thing" at all! It is the love that I have for God and because He first loved me I can find His love in the smile of a child. I see His love in the rising  and setting of the sun. I feel His love in the warmth of my family. God is good and I am thankful for His continued presence in my life!