Liebster Award... Thanks So Much!:)

 Wow, have you seen the award that has been taking Blogland by storm? It's the Liebster Award! I was nominated by three fellow teacher bloggers. I was nominated by: Teaching with Giggles, Shifting Teacher K-2 and A Teaspoon of Teaching (stop by and follow them). I am going to try to combine the questions since there are 11 of them for each and round it out to 18 total. (Random fact #1: I like things to be even.)

A.

B.C.

Which button do you like? Leave me a comment.

There are a few rules for this before I can pass it on:
1. Link back to the blog(s) that nominated me.
2. Answer the questions posted for me by my nominator(s).
3. Share 11 random facts about myself.
4. Create 11 questions for my nominees.
5. Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers.
6. Contact my nominees to let them know that I nominated them.

Bloggers whom I nominate:

1. My Kind of Teaching

2. Incredible K Kids

3. KinderKarla

4. Learning in Progress (stop in for her giveaway!)

5. Creating Kinders (a PreK blog)

6. Teaching 5th-8th  (a Brand NEW blogger as of July 6th!)
7. Oodles of Teaching Fun (5th & 6th grade)
8. Spunky K Teacher
9. KinderMyles 
10. Kelly and Kim's Kindergarten Kreations

 **Now remember I was nominated by 3 bloggers. I will only answer 6 of each blogger's questions or I would have a REALLY, REALLY long post.

11 questions for my nominees: From Shifting Teacher K-2

2. What kind of books do you enjoy reading? I enjoy reading romance, historical fiction and some teen series (Twilight & Hunger Games)

5. What is your favorite clothing store to shop for work wardrobes? Why? I am a tall person, so I have to go to New York & Company for my long work pants. Plus they always have cute tops too. 

6. If you could be on a reality show, what would you choose and why? I would love to go on Iron Chef, but only that I would be a judge and get to eat all the delicious food.

8 & 9. How many years have you been teaching? What is your favorite subject to teach and why? I have been teaching for 9 years but only 3 years as an elementary school teacher. I love to teach math. I'm a math person, always figuring things in my head. I love using different manipulatives to teach one concept. Math is so hands-on. (Random fact #2: I am a visual-tactile learner)

10. What is your preferred teacher duty assignment? I would prefer no teacher duty assignment but I love parent pick up duty. Our grade level duty choices are parent pick-ups, vans, or buses. Bus duty is always the worst because we have so many late buses! 

11. If you were on a desert island, what would you want to have with you? My Bible, my Mickey Mouse (Random Fact #3: I have had my Mickey Mouse for 22 years!), and my quotes journal/pen. 

Questions from Melissa at A Teaspoon of Teaching: 
1. If you could be any animal what would you be and why?  A panther. It's fierce and I can lounge around during the day or stalk prey whenever I want. (Random Fact #4: My favorite animal is a panther. Both my high school mascots were a panther.
3. If you weren't a teacher what would you be? I would be a computer technician/ writer. (Random Fact #5: I'm a published writer (just small time stuff))
5. What hobby do you have? I have a few hobbies: reading, writing, blogging, collecting rocks, coin collector (Random Fact #6: I collect foreign coins and state quarters... I'm still looking for a few D's)
7. What would be the perfect hours for a school day and why?  The times we have now except 30 minutes earlier both ways. My current school day is 8:30-3:30 but I wouldn't mind it being 8:00 am-3:00am. But not 7:20 because I've gotten used to sleeping in later.:) 
8 & 11. If you could go any where in the world where would it be and why? What is your dream vacation? I have a long list of vacation places and they are my dream places too. I would LOVE to go to Cardiff, Wales (Random Fact #7: I am a Torchwood fan! Captain Jack all the way!:)), stop in at Cornwall, England to walk on water (Travel Channel episode), and visit the castles in Ireland. However my first stop in my vacation would be to stop in Germany to see my favorite castle Neushwanstein Castle. (Random Fact #8: I love castles, especially the fairy tale princess kind of castles.)
9. If you could win any prize what would it be? $5,000 a week forever from Publisher Clearing House

Questions from Tess at Teaching with Giggles
3. What is your favorite college memory? Getting my first my 4.0 and making Dean's List. Yes, I was a nerd. 
5. Have you lived in more than one state? Yes, I've lived in California and currently live in Virginia. 
8. Do you prefer hot or cold weather? Why? I would prefer the hot weather, to just be back in Los Angeles where the weather is nice year round. 
9. If you won the lottery what would be the first thing you would buy? My dream car! And maybe some stick shift driving lessons. 
10. What is your dream car? I want a black Audi S (something... anything) or a Chevrolet Camaro only I want it to be purple and black. 
11. What is something you never leave home without? My iPad, it's good to have around when you are waiting for something or need directions. 

*Most of my 11 Random Facts about me were in my questions but I will name them again. 

1. I like things to be even.

2. I am a visual-tactile learner.

3. I have had my Mickey Mouse for 22 years. He's has only needed major surgery once!

4. My favorite animal is a panther. Two of my high school mascots were a panther.

5. I am a published writer (not counting blogs, but small time)

6. I collect foreign coins and state quarters.

7. I am a Torchwood Fan, Captain Jack all the way!

8. I love castles, especially the fairy princess kind of castles

9. My favorite stores are Target, OfficeMax and IKEA

10. My favorite movies are Shawshank Redemption, Ever After and 27 Dresses

11. I can sit and watch House Hunters, Property Brothers, Love It or List It, and Diners, Drive-ins & Dives if they were on a marathon. I love them!

Questions for my nominees:
1. What are your classroom colors and theme?
2. If you could have a dream car, what would it be?
3. What is something you never leave home without?
4. What is your favorite season? Why?
5. What is your favorite TV show/series? What do you like about it?
6. What are some of your favorite blogs you follow?
7. If you weren't a teacher, what would you be?
8. What is your pet peeve?
9. What are your favorite movies? 
10. What is your favorite subject to teach?
11. If you could take a picture with a famous person, who would it be? 

 I am still collecting giveaway donations for my 2nd Blogiversary {here*-}. Check out the Freebie Finds tab for new freebies. 

Winner updates and MORE!

   Thank you to everyone who entered into my giveaway. I had a great turn out and my 4 winners have been emailed but here are the official winners: Pina, Carmen, Tammy and Heather! Congrats ladies:) Make sure to stop by again and enter the giveaway I will be hosting for my Blogiversary. Remember that I am collecting giveaway donations, if you want to donate, do so here. 

 I got nominated for the Liebster Award. Before I stopped by Shifting Teacher K-2 and A Teaspoon of Teaching, I kept thinking that I might have gotten nominated for this award before (all my buttons stopped working so I got rid of them). But alas, I have not had the honor to be nominated for the Liebster Award. And I am for grateful for the honor. I have to write a separate post as it's gonna be a long one. Did you know you could be nominated if you had less than 250 followers? So I am truly honored, thanks followers for helping me earn the award.

Dragonflies in First offered a Freebie in yesterday's post. She created Daily Literacy Practice for first grade, it has over 230 pages. But the freebie is that she gave you 16 pages to peruse and check out what you would be getting when you purchase the full unit. Stop on by for your freebie. And make sure to grab the link for 10% off at MPM School Supplies.


 Speaking of MPM School Supplies (a company I just discovered this summer, I must have been under a rock!), Lessons with Laughter is having a giveaway. Head on over and enter to win!

Erica from Confessions of a Homeschooler created Pattern Block Number Cards 1-20 as a FREEBIE. Check out the rest of her blog, as you can find many things that are FREE or buy her curriculum she created. Her blogs was one of the first blogs I found on my "blog stalking" journey.

 Do you shop at the Target Dollar Spot? Who am I kidding... have you been there this week? Well anywho, be on the look out for those cute ice trays that you really had no clue what you needed them for, but now you do courtesy of First Grade Blue Skies:

Head on over to her blog for more details on how to snag this cute freebie.:) Now I have to go find me some scrabble letters...

 

Barb from Ruby Slippers Blog Designs (also from Grade ONEderful) just created some Ice Cream Clip Art. You can click on the picture to be taken to the details about how you can WIN her new pack. Good luck! Plus the entry is pretty easy.

Oh by the way, I WON Barb's Ruby Slippers giveaway... I was smiling all day about it. I won a custom blog design but I absolutely love my blog but I knew of someone who could use it more than me... It's my dear friend Carmen from Karmen's Kinders. Carmen is unfortunately leaving the K team and going on an adventure to third grade. So thus she needs a new blog and a new name (any ideas?), that's where I come in. I can't wait to see what Barb and Carmen come up with together. If you are in need of a blog change, check out Barb's portfolio and contact Barb to get the ball rolling.

Another note about Carmen from Karmen's Kinders... if you know of some upper grade blogs she can follow (maybe yours) hop on over to her blog and link up. As this is a brand new grade for her, think of her as a new sponge ready to soak up any insights and ideas you can share!:)

Enjoy!

The Versatile Award

 I want to thank Louanne from My Kindergarten Kids and Mrs. Greene's Kindergarten Korner for nominating me for The Versatile Award... it is my second to date. I did not know of their blogs but now I do. I so love these blog awards. I am still surprised that anyone notices me. I am so thankful that I do offer enough to keep someone beyond me learning and having fun.:)

Blog Award Rules...

1. Thank the person that nominated you with a link back to them.

2. Tell 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass this award on to 15 newly discovered blogs and let them know that they've received an award!

I got #1 done at the beginning of my post! Here are 7 things about me:

  1. I am originally from Long Beach, California. I especially miss CA now when Virginia has the "mix-it" winter weather. Mix it with a little freezing cold at the beginning of the week, may be some snow flurries at the end of the week...

  2. I love to do the Chicken Dance and the Tooty-Ta songs with my students. That is when you can see me get really silly.

  3. My favorite colors are purple, blue, black and green. My favorite colors reminds me of the colors of a black eye healing. I know a weird analogy sorry.

  4. I want to be more organized... I know it helps my students to be too but just the thought of changing things (or in my case buying things) doesn't make organization sound very fun!!

  5. I love to write... I can often be found stringing rhyming words together and creating a song for my students to sing or writing just to get my thoughts in order.

  6. I love to travel and often go by myself. I love to go to B & B's and to visit wineries. My next destination I hope will be San Antonio, Texas this summer to visit the Riverwalk and Six Flags. I am trying to visit all the Six Flags, I have been to 5 already!

  7. I LOVE TO BLOG HOP! I am so glad that I found blogs this summer because I enjoy it so much. I have even gotten my colleagues in on it and they even get giddy when they find something new to try on a blog they have seen. I love finding new ideas or reading about what other classrooms are doing. It is is like the biggest pen pal service ever but created by teachers!

New Blogs:
 I did not know that there were so MANY kindergarten blogs, so many I haven't even found yet! I can't wait to go search for more. Exciting!

A Place Called Kindergarten

Mrs. Huff's Kinderblog

Literacy and Laughter

Beginning Reading Help

Mrs. Nation's Learning Garden

Kindergarten Lesson Plans 

Kindergarten Rocks (and her teacher website too)

The Resource(ful) Room

A Little Kinder told me so

Queen of the First Grade Jungle

Beg Borrow Steal (I had to check out the blog... fun name and I am glad that I did!)

Miss W Teaches

Fern Smith's Classroom Ideas

Tales of a Teacherista (1st grade blog)

Booky 4 First

 Okay so this list was difficult to compile. There are still many more blogs I haven't found yet... how many blogs do you think my Google Reader will hold before it says "Stop! No more"?

Blog On Fire Award

 Wow to my greatest achievement in all of my blogging was that I am nominated for the Blog On Fire Award thanks to Mrs. Bee's Kindergarten. Thank you, thank you for this award. I always thought in order to be nominated I had to be doing some spectacular stuff but in all reality I guess I was nominated for being me.

 To accept my award I need to tell you 7 things about myself and nominate 7 more blogs. That should be super hard because there are so many out there that I like. But I will give it my best shot!

1. I currently live in Virginia but I am originally from California. I know such a big west coast/east coast jump.

2. I am so in love with B & B's. If I could just go to a bed and breakfast every time I vacationed I would be set. My mother actually took me to one on our trip to Elizabeth City, NC this summer. 

3. I am a daredevil at heart. My dream is to one day go hang gliding somewhere. By myself is cool, I've already been para-sailing by myself and that was AWESOME!

4. I LOVE to write. I love writing in my blogs but my original passion is writing poetry. I was a published writer in high school. Now I just write my blogs and add to my Bucket List. 

5. I'm itching to travel the world with my first stops being Cardiff, Wales (Torchwood, anyone?), Scotland, Ireland (Killarney) and Cornwall, England (to walk on water...).

6. I love reading books on my Kindle, I can't believe I used to read paperback books before. And fight to keep them in my library, now I just build my Kindle library. 

7. And I LOVE finding new ideas and games while "blog stalking" that I can take back to my kids and make learning more fun and hands-on. 

My 7 nominated blogs for the Blog On Fire Award:
1. Definitely Confessions of a Homeschooler, she has TONS of cool stuff and the fact that she has her own Pre-K and Kindergarten curriculum with lots of fun activities has made this year so far very enjoyable for me and my kinders.
2. Annie over at The Moffatt Girls (I think I stumbled on her and I am so glad I did, make sure to check out her Ready 2 Read Units) And she is up for the Circle of Moms Top 25 Award. Check her out and vote!
3. Fran over at Kindergarten Crayons!
4. Ingles 360, offers a lot of early reader activities as well as Spanish activities. My kinders are so loving Spanish that I have tried to incorporate some into our daily activities.
5. Herding Kats in Kindergarten (another Circle of Moms Top 25 nominee)
6. Mrs. Wills Kindergarten  I love her posts, especially her Peek into her week posts where you can gather different ideas for your lesson plans for the week.
7. What's the Buzz in First?

 Wow that was definitely hard to pick 7 blogs for this award especially when I have over 200 blogs that I keep watch over. So I guess they would have to be Honorable Mentions:) Enjoy!