I know that I am not the only one feeling like this!!! 

Last week was totally cray-cray and, somehow, I doubt that this upcoming week will be any different.

The only big difference is that I am down 3 kids as some have gone on vacation early. 

Somehow, 19 kids with holiday-itis is infinitely better than 22 with the same affliction!!!

So, good luck to all the teachers out there trying to get through the last week of school before winter holidays. May you all be blessed with lots of fun activities and infinite patience!!!

Cheers!

Olwyn

Currently....December!

It is totally cray-cray that it is December already! 

Even crazier is that we have only had 50 days of school thus far because of the strike in September. The late start has made this year feel like it is flying by!!!!

I am linking up again with Farley for this month's Currently. 

listening... do you know Matt Hires? I found his music on youtube through this video from soul pancake.

and have subsequently bought both of his albums. Love!

loving...if you had asked me a year ago if I would ever enjoy reading a digital book, I would have said NO!!!! I love the feeling of paper in my hands, the slight cracking of the spine as I read further into the book, the ability to pick up the same book and reread it again. I love having books in my home and my classroom. So, colour me surprised that the thing I use my new iPad mini for the most is reading!!! I just go online to the public library and borrow a book to read. So easy! So simple! And I don't have to take off my pajama's to do it!

thinking...pretty self explanatory. I never write them until the weekend before they are due since I know that they will already be two weeks out of date by the time the parents get them AND a month out of date before we meet for conferences! A lot of things can change with a grade 1 or 2 in two weeks to a month!! So that gives me two days to churn them out. I know that they'll get done. But, just like exercising, it is the getting started that is the hardest part!

wanting...Only 10 days until I get to hug my baby girl again! Not that I am counting or anything....

needing...I don't know about you but when my shoes start to get old, my feet hurt. Really hurt! Yesterday's treadmill workout was painful in more ways than one. I will be taking a break from report cards later today to go and buy myself a new pair of runners so that I won't miss my workout tomorrow!

giving...this year I got the best present EVER from my class and their families. Check it out!

It is the cutest, sweetest advent calendar I have ever seen! Each student brought a toilet paper roll to our class parent and she created this! (Just by looking at this, you'll probably figure out that she is a pretty awesome class parent!!!) I'm so lucky to have her!

Each toilet paper roll has a sweet little note or card from the student plus a bag of tea. Apparently, there is a little something in the attic as well but I won't be opening that until Christmas Day! 

It is such a wonderful gift! And I love that I get to enjoy it every day until Christmas! The kids love to see me open the roll each day and read out the message. I love it! So, thank you, thank you, thank you to my wonderful class for this lovely gift!

Now, I think I have procrastinated enough. Off to write report cards now!!!

Cheers!

Olwyn

Sunday Scoop - November 16

I am linking up with Teaching Trio for another Sunday Scoop...

Does it seem weird that it is only the middle of November and many of my items have to do with Christmas? Well, not to me. You see I have been doing Organized Christmas through the blog Organized Home for about four years now. They start sending emails in the last week of October with tasks to do. If I follow it (some years I do better at this than others!) I will have everything done for Christmas by the first week in December and can then sit back, sip my eggnog and enjoy the holiday season. Since I started doing this my holidays have gotten so much better! No more shopping at the last minute. No more wrapping gifts the night before! No more being stressed out!!! It is wonderful!

So, back to my Sunday Scoop...

3 things I have to do...

1. Well, I will admit that Christmas cards are not really a HAVE to do but, for me, they are pretty important. I need to get them all done in the next week so that I can mail them out in the last week of November or first week in December. And with my carpal tunnel, I have to start way early so that I can write them a few at a time and not have my hand go numb!
2. Only 30 days until my daughter is home for the holidays!!! I just need to book the ticket!
3. I brought all the math home with me last weekend, too. Did I get any of it marked? NO!!! Luckily, this past week was a three day week (what with the four day weekend around Remembrance Day) and we only did math two times. I have to do it this weekend so that I can see where the students are getting stumped and create my mini-lessons to hit the different areas that need work. 

2 things I hope to do...

1. I know that I will buy very little at any craft fairs simply because I already know what most people are getting BUT I do love seeing the creativity that is out there. And, I need some more crocheted dish cloths which I get at one particular craft fair each year. I am hoping to go to Dunbar's craft fair next Saturday. 
2. And on the handmade note...I have started a project that I am hoping to have done by Christmas. If not, it will turn into a birthday present for the new year. I would tell you more about it but the person it is for reads this blog so you'll just have to wait and see!

1 thing I'm happy to do...
1. My mother started making a special Christmas cookie sometime in my childhood. Can't remember a Christmas without them. The cool thing about them is that they hang on the tree! Now that my mother is unable to do things like follow a recipe, I have taken on the task. I make a double batch of dough every other year and then freeze half of it. I will be making the dough this week. The cookies turn out better if the dough is refrigerated for at least a couple of days before baking. I'll be sure to post the recipe when it is cookie baking time!

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday!

Cheers!

Olwyn

Craftworks

I wanted to do a shout out for a fabulous organization here in town. If you are needing some great gift ideas for the holidays, look no further!!!!

Have you ever heard of Craftworks? It is an organization that offers adults with disabilities the opportunity to create wonderful handmade items. 

Oh, and I should say upfront, that I am in no way connected to this organization and have not been given any sort of remuneration for this post. I just love their stuff! 

The ornaments are my favourite! I especially love the Richard Scarry ornaments from my childhood. They bring back such good memories. (I learned to read with his books. Check out the link to one of my all time fave books!) And the newer First Nations ornaments are pretty spectacular with all of the detail in them. 

Check it out!

I meant to get this post written while Circle Craft was still on because they had a booth there but, alas, the week got away from me!!

But, wait! You can still get these items at a sale near you! (I always wanted to sound like an infomercial!!!!)

They will be at Candytown on the 22nd. So, mark it down on your calendar and get yourself down to Yaletown for Candyland next weekend!

Cheers!

Olwyn

Health update and Christmas catch up

Well, being hit by a nasty stomach bug the first week back at school was certainly NOT one of my New Year's Resolutions!!! It hit me right before school ended on Thursday and I had to send one of the student's running for our principal. Thank heavens the principal was in her office! She came and took my class out for home time dismissal and then I headed home and to bed. I felt awful!!!!

I spent all day Friday sleeping, eating Saltines and drinking Gingerale (thank goodness for good ol' Gingerale!) Luckily, it seems to have been of the 24 hour variety and I am now feeling human again! I should be back at work and raring to go by Monday.

Given that I have energy again, I finally dug out my camera (which I haven't even looked at since Christmas) and downloaded the photos.  Most were before photos of the new house that I will post on my house blog when I get the chance to do some after shots. But I also found the one of the gifts I got from my Holly Bloggy Secret Santa that I had forgotten to download and post at Christmas time. So here is a little Christmas catch up a few weeks late! 

This past Christmas I participated in a teacher gift exchange that was created by Caitlin and Sarah. It was called the Holly Bloggy Christmas Gift Exchange and you can find all the link ups here for the participants. I got a lovely package in the mail all the way from Florida!

Thank you to my Holly Bloggy friend, Jessica! I love the notepad (in turquoise, my new favourite colour!), the book and the note cards. So nice to open on Christmas morning!

I forgot to take a photo of what I sent to my holly bloggy friend in Washington state. It had lots of pink in it since that is her favourite colour! I had fun doing this exchange and look forward to the one next Christmas!

BIG OOPS!!!

Oops!!!! I forgot to send home the report cards from the office!!! I will give these out in January. All that they say is that because of our job action the report card is incomplete and they show absences/lates for the first term. My apologies.

BUT....I did remember to send home a copy of our class book The Gingerbread Student with each child. We worked on this story for a number of weeks and I hope that you all enjoy reading it!

Thank you so much for all of the lovely cards, drawings and gifts. I am looking forward to using my gift card over the holidays to treat myself and also treat my new house to some new items (we move tomorrow!!!!)

I hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays and I will see you in the New Year!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Today we did our Christmas craft stations. I am sending out a HUGE thank you to the parents that came and helped out from 9 am until lunch. I could not have done it without you! Here is a sample of the ornaments we made.

The students decorated bags yesterday and the ornaments all went home in them today. I hope that they find a home on your Christmas trees for years to come. I know that I so enjoy pulling out the ornaments my daughter made and remembering when she made them.

Oh, and I should let you know that space is at a premium this year on our carolling days. If you want to pop in for a couple of minutes that would be fine but staying for the whole time won't work. There is not enough space in our small gym for all the K-3 students and their families! Sorry about that. Apparently, I was sick when they had the meeting about caroling and said no families this year! If you would really like to be able to carol at school with your child why don't you come to the Carol and Craft Night next Tuesday (December 13th)? There will be a number of vendors followed by an evening of song. 

Thanks again for all the help today. This class has some awesome parents!