What a week!!!!

Well, what can I say, my week has been a long one.  I wanted to read - Guided Reading, to be exact - but my brain was too tired.  It all started last Friday when my 4 year old - Paul, woke up with a cough for day number 5 and my 7 year old - Tamara had a fever.  Here we go off to the doctor.  After a visit to the doctor and learning Paul had a double ear infection and Tamara had a virus, it was off to Target to get medication and home to chill.  Two sick, crabby kids - OH NO!!!  I can survive, Paul will be better tomorrow and Tamara should be better by Monday.  Saturday we are still crabby, but movies, tv, and a nap allow us to make it through the day without to much tension.  Sunday morning comes around, we still have fevers, cough is better for Paul, worse for Tamara and by the end of the evening Tamara is complaining of her ear hurting. (OH GREAT - that is what this single mom says)  Monday morning - off to the doctor again - and the vertict is double ear infection for Tamara and back to Target for more medication we go.  We get medicine, I try to explain to my son we don't have to buy toys everytime we go to the store, for some reason - he just doesn't understand this.  So we head back home for a chill day number 4.  The kids are starting to get restless, Tamara's crabbiness is starting to climb to uglyness, and this mom is like, OKAY we have to be on the road to recovery now.  

Well maybe not - Tuesday we wake up, Tamara still has ear pain (okay it hasn't been a full 24 hours), and now Paul's stomach is hurting.  REALLY????? I'm not sure at this point if I can handle much more illness.  We make it through Tuesday - barely, I'm exhausted and praying I get to sleep in my own bed, by myself.  For some reason - sick kids think they need to sleep with you.  

 Which means - No room for Mommy!!!!!



Wednesday come around - Paul's still stomach cramping (ah, constipation) and Tamara is in tears due to her ear.  This ear should be clear, she is on antibotics.  Back to the doctor we go.  Now not only does she have double inner ear infection, but also an outer ear infection (swollen ear canal).  What else can happen here - please let this be it!!!!  Back to Target, now ear drop for meds, and more explaining to the kids that going to Target does NOT mean toys. Oh and over the counter the stuff for Paul.  Thursday is better, but we are starting to get sick of one another, and the TV, and not being outside.  By today the kids are better, we are now saying we feel good mommy, I don't need medicine.  

I am very happy at this point that we are on the road to being well.  I am also blessed to have two wonderful children, however by the end of this week I needed a break.  Lucky for me, They are with their daddy this weekend.  Break for me, and now I have time to read Guided Reading with some focus (gotta get caught up to Chapter 4).  I also have time to do some DIY crafts for my classroom.  Can't wait to post them with Tara on 4th Grade Frolic for her Monday Make Over. 
  www.4thgradefrolic.blogspot.com

    

Sorry Tara - I'm not sure how to grab buttons, so I copy and pasted.  I'm new at this.  I'll keep working on it.

Well, I will read this weekend and complete these things:

1 - Guiding Readers post for Chapter 2 and 3
2 - Monday Made It  DIY (Maybe 2)
3 - And it is time to get some stitching in.


Till later,

Nicole Rutledge

Shopping for 2012-2013 School Year

I was getting ready to lay down with my two sick kiddo's (double ear infections) when my daughter goes, "Mom, The fedex man is here for you."  I knew I had a package coming and was excited to get it.

What was in it?  Well, this is what I recieved.

It is a Tervis cup.  If you haven't used Tervis, go check them out.  www.tervis.com   Their cups are sweat free, hold cold or hot liquid well, and are dishwasher safe.

When I saw this cup, I had to have it.  I'm not sure if I wanted it more because I tell my own kids this when they ask me "Why, Why, Why." or if it is because I wish I could use that with my 6th graders and they would just stop asking questions.  Either way, I LOVE IT.

I can't wait to hit dollar store this weekend and get buckets and things for my room.

More to come later.

Nicole

Monday Made It #1 - for me

Well, I have really enjoyed looking at all the Monday made it each week.  In Fact last week I was searching for them and that is what got me Blog hooked.  I decided this week I would join in and show you a project I did.

This past year was my first year teaching 6th grade, and at the beginning of the year my school gave me money to spend and I decided my classroom needed clipboards.  Since I have been using Daily 5, I allow my students to work where they work best, and clipboards were needed.

Well as I was cleaning up toward the end of the year I noticed 2 things -
     1)  The were written all over
     2)  I had some missing - Ugggggg.

I needed a solution. So I decided Chalkboard paint was a great idea.  Hey a clipboard and a chalkboard for interactive lessons - 2 things in one.  Woo Hoo.

After painting the front and back in black chalkboard paint (hard to write on pencil or pen and it show up on black), I also painted numbers to number the clipboards (coordinates with locker numbers - no more missing clipboards), my grade level, and the school name (That way they stay in the place they are suppose to).    Here is how they came out.

 

In the process of this my two kiddo's decided they needed to do one too, so it became a family project.  So much fun.

Hope I linked correctly and can't wait for next week and a new Monday Made - It.

Of to do some more Teaching, Stitching, and Parenting,

Nicole Rutledge

Guiding Readers : Chapter 1

As I have blog stalked and read others review of Guiding Readers, I decided I might want to join in as well.  Amongst the joys of taking care of 2 kids both with fevers, I read chapter one in spurts.  Here are some of my thoughts, ideas, questions?

• Much like Daily 5, I like the idea of the focus for each lesson of Guided Reading being purposeful, however I have gotten where I enjoy the individual conferences of Daily 5 vs the Small group teaching.  I know that small group can be beneficial but in my class' I have always noticed that if there is more than one student their are some students who prefer not to participate, so I found the one on one got more participation from each student.
• Reading the text multiple times was something I always encouraged when I taught the lower grades, but when teaching 4th and 6th, I found the students really balked at that idea.  How do I encourage them to do multiple reads of the same story while giving it the appropriate amount of attention and focus.
• I can't wait to see how to incorporate the reading and writing component together.  With about 90 minutes to teach Reading, Writing, and Geography, any way to combine topics and still get the right teaching points across successfuly is very much appreciated.

Well that is all for chapter 1.  Looking forward to reading Chapter 2 tomorrow and getting caught up on being apart of the book study.  I am also doing the Book Study of Cafe/Daily 5 For upper grades in July, and I hope to find how to incorporate both of these together.

More Teaching, Stitching, and Parenting to come,

Nicole Rutledge

First Post

I have become a blog stocker on teachers blogs over the past few weeks this summer.  Ideas, Ideas, Ideas, that is what I am searching for.  This is totally new to me, so bear with me as I get starting in this blogging process.  More to come later.