It's not over....right?!?

Summer is in full swing!  At least that is what I keep telling myself!  However our Instagram tells a different story!  People all over are prepping their classrooms and/or starting back to school!!!  I can't believe it but I forget that lots of us are on different schedules so Happy Back-To-School to those of you heading that way but for those of you on our schedule....the glorious vacation continues (for a little while anyway)!

The three of us have been very busy this summer as our last post tells!  For me, the last few weeks have been busy preparing for my best friend's baby shower!  It's been a long time coming and I am so happy for her to finally be a mom!  She's having a boy who seriously has the cutest room ever....think tropical Pottery Barn!  Friday's shower is also a tropical ocean theme!  We've been burning up the Cameo with ocean things galore and I think we are finally all set and ready!  I can't wait!

Now, I do have a confession to make.....

In between the planning and my fun Chicago weekend, I have been thinking non-stop about the upcoming school year.  Seriously.  I've been shopping, creating, and crafting.  I don't know if it's the thrill of being a TPT seller this summer that motivates me to be thinking school and redoing curriculum or it might also be that little thing I mentioned in the beginning....I-N-S-T-A-G-R-A-M!  I don't know how you all feel but I find it addicting.  The more I look on it during the day, the more great things I see all of our fellow teachers (maybe even YOU) doing.  I get overwhelmed feeling like I want to do it all!!  Yes...every last adorable idea.  I love seeing what everyone's classrooms are shaping up to look like and the amount of great things I see being added to TPT daily is so wonderful.  I've always been proud to be a teacher (as are Sister 2 and Sister 3) but what is happening on blogs, TPT, Facebook, and Instagram, really makes me proud of our profession as a whole.  No more boring "Open your book and do problems 1-10." Now we are all creating and revamping everything...including our classrooms and I LOVE it! :)

Okay so now that I have confessed to being a teacher-aholic this summer, here comes the big decision I have been pondering!  Last year, I redid my whole classroom.  It's all black and red and movie themed and I love it.  But you know how when you shop, you see 100 things you want even more than whatever it is you have?!  That's what is happening to me!  I am thinking of redoing my room...again...this year!  It's quite the time sucker and costs tons but right now I am in love with black-grey-teal-hot pink-lime.  To the point, I spent tons at Target buying "just in case I change my room" things.  Check it out...

Yes...it doesn't look too crazy but trust me...that bin is F-U-L-L!   And I've been working on a new classroom pack for TPT that just happens to be learning in the direction of color matching all this good stuff!

So to change or not to change....that is the question!  Are you redoing your classrooms this year?  What kind of theme can I do with these colors?  Any suggestions?  Anyone voting for keeping the movie theme?

~Sister 1

Sunday Smorgasbord

It's been awhile since we last posted so it's fitting that we link up with Fabulous in First today!

Last weekend my boyfriend and I went to a friend's wedding. Because it was about 2 hours away we decided to make a weekend of it! Luckily, the city was also hosting the tall ships. It was so cool!

The same weekend Sister 1 took a trip to Chicago, for the Taste of Chicago, with her boyfriend and a bunch of friends.  Mmm I think I just might have to join her next summer! 

Last Friday a friend and I went to lunch and shopping at a local outdoor mall. We found this adorable new store and couldn't resist stopping in. We were hooked... Have any of  you heard of Alex and Ani? The store is full of bangles! Who could ask for more? So an hour later I left with this! I'm addicted. 

This weekend Sister 2 has been at her oldest son's baseball tournament in the Upper Peninsula.  The drive up there was a little concerning but you know what they say... rain brings luck! (Or maybe I just made that up?) But either way, their team is doing great! If they keep winning she'll be there until Wednesday. 

We've also been very busy getting our units in order for the beginning of the year! We've upload our September packs to TpT! Check them out by clicking on the covers.

I think that's all for now! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

- Sister 3 -

Favorite Pins Friday...scratch that...Saturday

Well looks like we are a day late.... but you know what they say, better late than never! Today we're linking up with The First Grade Parade to share our favorite pins.

I  don't know about all of you but we are addicted to Pinterest!  Let's start with our favorite school pins.

Last year we had to start posting our objectives and referring to them during lessons.  So the sisters and I decided to create a Focus Wall. Well turns out we really didn't need a WHOLE wall... so next year I'm thinking of doing something like this! How cute is that ribbon? And what a space saver!  This pin came from O "Fish" all a First Grader.  

Of all three of us I have to say I am the least organized. So my personal goal for next year is to keep things organized. I found this pin and it is now my aspiration to keep my classroom this tidy. Thanks Creative Chalkboard! 

Now on to FOOD! 

All I can say is... YUM. This recipe is from the Real Housemoms. 

I'm also loving salads lately... and Panera. I found a copy cat recipe of their Spinach Power Salad. When I went on to link to the recipe, it was gone... sad face. But I'm sure there are tons of them out there! Good thing I memorized it... nahhhh I don't make it that often. ;) 

How stinkin' cute is this shelf!?! I'm thinking that my dark wood book shelf can make it one more year so this will be my project inspiration next summer. This pin is courtesy of Bloglovin.

I'm a shopaholic. So the fashion section of Pinterest is one of my favs... along with food, education, drinks, DIY, home... hehe

Check out some of these adorable looks...

I could write this post ALL day I have so many great pins. But I'll spare you. Can't wait to link up next week! I'm off to enjoy this beautiful Saturday. 

- Sister 3 -

Sister 3 In Connecticut

My boyfriend and I took a road trip to visit his grandparents in Connecticut last week. Our dog, Jack, was bright-eyed at 5:00 am when we hit the road! Me on the other hand... not so much. I'm really not a morning person.

13 hours later we arrived!

As a teenager my boyfriend had taken sailing lessons... so sailing was first on our list of things to do because I'd never gone before. It was so much fun! We had the perfect weekend for it. 

Jack had his own little "island."  He loved laying in the sun, soaking up some rays.

Connecticut is a beautiful state!  We had a wonderful visit with grandma and grandpa.

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When we got back I was shopping at Walmart when I found these chairs and tent! I brought them home and had my boyfriend set them up so I could get a feel for how big they'll be in the classroom. He played along and set up the tent... that's why I love him!  They will be perfect for my camping theme next year!

- Sister 3 -

A Linky and Freebies

Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm linking up with Oh' Boy Fourth Grade for her July Linky.

Last week I attended a four day math conference. When my alarm went off on Monday morning I was really wondering why I thought registering for this back in March was a good idea.  But once I got my butt moving and the Monday session was over I was pumped for the rest of the week and definitely not regretting signed up. 

The four days few by and I have a binder full of resources and ideas that I am itching to use next year! So naturally what did I do? That's right ran home and made everything cute! You're welcome. hehe 

We talked a lot about this thing call subitizing. Have any of you heard of this? As soon as I heard that word my college best practices in math course came back to me. How could I have forgotten about something so important? And something that will make my life easier when checking math papers. If you've never heard of it Google it. Seriously.  Subitizing is basically "instantly seeing how many." You can use whatever model works best for you whether it be a nines frame or a tens frame. All you have to do is teach the kids the patterns...

Subitizing is going to be one of our first lessons in the fall. It helps keep those math pictures neat and organized. It may not seem like a big deal but you'll be thanking me for this later! 

One of my other "ahha" moments was went I saw this...

Why didn't we ever think of this before? How awesome... a hundreds chart puzzle. I put it on card stock and cut away. The best part is none of them have to be cut the same way! 

I'm not sure if I've been living under a rock but I hadn't heard of the game Bump! I'd say about 90% of the teachers there play it in their classroom. If you're like me and don't know what it is or have the game yet grab it here for free! 

We also did a little bit of "Farm Fun."  The instructor read the book, The Rowdy Rooster. Then she posed the question, "There are 12 legs in the barnyard. What animals might be in the barnyard?"  We had to cut out farm animals and glue them to a barn. Grab our cute version here. What a great way to not only incorporate literature but also get the kids talking about math! 

That's all for tonight... I have to go pack for my trip to Connecticut! More math fun to come. 

- Sister 3 -