FAVE IG Accounts - Part I

Today I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite accounts to follow on instagram!  The list is random so buckle up, friends ;)

First up is dariustwin.  He's a light painter - which I didn't even know was a thing but is now officially my favorite ;) It's hard to even explain so just go watch some of his reels and try not to be super impressed.

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He literally paints... with light.  It's incredible.

Weekend Happies

 

Here we go again with a Monday dose of things that made me smile this weekend ;)  I've been battling a cold from you-know-where and having a bit of a pity party for myself so this was actually a really great exercise and reminder for me - hoping you can find some things that made you happy to kick off the week on a high note!

First up - BAM!!!!! Those are all graded papers and this means I'm OFFICIALLY current after a week of slacking.  PRAISE HANDS!!!

This little pouty face while I was grading said papers made me smile...

... and an overnight delivery of this for SURE made me happy ;) hahaha

Waking up after 10:00 a.m. on Sunday to realize that my entire family was at church but had left me to sleep, shower and have a minute put a HUGE smile on my face.  Not the missing church part but the REST for sure did.

We missed out on a friends birthday dinner Saturday night due to said cold and instead drowned my sorrows in some homemade chicken alfredo.  I hated missing out BUT family night and great food made me smile.

Mason trying to do his homework while Rosie begged for snuggles...

... and Luke finishing up his ref training and getting his kit in the mail on the same day made us all super happy!

Griffin  is giving out croc charms for her class valentines and watching her and her brothers sort through them and pick their favorites made me extra happy.

Watching these two cuties out on the volleyball court always puts a smile on my face...

... and we've been watching "Special Forces" as a family and some couch/TV/dessert time never disappoints!

Friday Favorites

    Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

First up on the list was Luke's last soccer game and the SKY that night! SO SO SO GOOD!!!

Printable Valentines

   My Valentine printable post is one of my most viewed and most requested posts every year and I love that the post just continues to grow!   This year I haven't had a chance to create any new printables as life has just been SUPER full and busy - but if I do I'll let y'all know and will add them to this post.  The great news is I have DOZENS shared below ;)

When I design printables I create them in a 4x6 format that you can right click, save to your desktop, upload to a photo printing service (I use Walgreens) then fold in half and staple to the top of a  cellophane bag with a treat inside or directly to the top of a snack (you can find the cellophane bags that I like  HERE or pick them up at Hobby Lobby).  The kids write their names (and the names of their classmates if the teacher prefers that) on the cards with Sharpie and we're done! 

It's the norm at our school to do little "favor bags" instead of just a card or candy.  Any of the ideas that I share today would totally work as a card if attaching a little favor isn't what your family or school does!

Pop-its are EVERYTHING right now and this would look cute with a large pop-it in a cellophane bag or with one of the little key fob ones looped through a hole punched in the card.

What's Up Wednesday

        Today I'm linking up with  Shay and  Sheaffer to talk a little bit about what's been going on around here!

This lasagna casserole was on the meal plan this week and I had forgotten just how delicious (and easy!) it is.  

Teacher Tuesday: Have Mercy Passes

I think that the hardest part of my job (besides having enough hours in the day to get it all done) is keeping track of late work.  Who was sick, who left their homework at home, who was at the band competition when we were turning it in, who used a mercy pass, etc., etc., etc.  It's a HOT MESS, but the system I use has helped me out dramatically.

I have these "I Don't Have My Homework Because..." pages in a basket at the front of the room and if a student doesn't have their assignment for any reason they grab one, fill it out and turn it in in place of their assignment.  

If they were absent on the day I assign the homework, they would indicate that on the page and when I'm going through papers I make myself a note on what I need to do to get them caught up and put it in my absent folder.

The next scenario is the "Have Mercy Pass".  Each student gets one pass at the beginning of every quarter and they can use it whenever they want.  It buys them an extra night to complete the assignment and allows them to turn it in one day late with no penalty.  As the years go by fewer and fewer kids recognize Uncle Jesse and "get" my passes but I have fun filling them in ;).

If you decide to use these my recommendation is to write your students names on them yourself - I had several instances of kids selling, trading, "finding" passes and this stopped those practices ;) hahaha

 When they turn in the blue paper, they staple the mercy pass to it and I set it to the side so I remember to collect the assignment from them the next class period.

The last situation is if they don't have their homework and they don't have a mercy pass.  BOO!

If that's the case, our school policy is that they come to an academic detention after school.  to get the work completed.  I pull these sheets out and leave them in a stack on my desk so I know who to expect for detention.  If a student finished their homework before detention and they turn it in (during a passing period, lunch, etc.), then they don't have to stay after school but they still receive the late penalty (20 or 30 points off depending on the grade level).

This system has helped me BUNCHES and I'm hopeful you can implement it or glean something from it for your classroom.

You can download the "Have Mercy" four to a page PDF HERE...

or the two to a page PDF HERE.

HAPPY Tuesday, friends!!!

Valentines Day Touches

 

HAPPY Monday, friends! This past weekend I got out my Valentine's bin and decided it was time to put out a few festive hearts.

First up was the "Love You" banner I had made a few years ago by the most darling shop on Etsy.  Unfortunately, she closed her shop a while ago ;(

Friday Favorites

    Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

Happy Friday, friends!  It's been a crazy busy week around here - I love a long weekend but feel like you kind of pay for it the rest of the week.  We've had all the activities and fun things and have been so enjoying the gorgeous weather!

Last weekend G had a lil' stangs cheer clinic to get ready for Wild Week at school...

Beef and Barley Soup

 I made a beef and barley soup this past weekend and it's one of the best things I've ever made.  Maybe that's dramatic - but it's REALLY REALLY good.  Luke and Dave both gobbled it up (Mason and G aren't big soup fans) and my mom gave it 5/5 stars which is a huge compliment because she's the queen of soups ;)

It required what felt like 3000 ingredients and took a hot minute to put together but was WELL worth it in the end.

Mom Agenda

Back in 2021 I shared that I had switched over from a paper calendar to sharing online calendars with Dave to keep track of all of our family's activities and such.  We're 100% still using apple calendars to access everything on our phones and share it all BUT I really did miss having everything laid out to look at and the notes space.  

A dear friend of mine was telling me about her holy grail planner and so I checked it out after Christmas, it came last week and I AM IN LOVE!!!

Little Updates ;)

Happy Tuesday, friends!  Today I'm sharing a few pics of things we've changed up around here... nothing major but just little things that we've swapped around that are are making us happy!  January hits and there are always these big projects that I get the urge to start (like rip out all our carpet and replace it with anything but carpet and tear our "cave bathroom" down to the studs and replace all our blinds with shutters) BUT instead I decided to shop our house, switch things around and see if that satisfied the itch ;) 

I've had the same Vine and Branches sign hanging in our entry way since the week we moved in.  I changed it up for some art that I really loved and think it's darling!

Amazon Lately

 This has been another FUN month on my prime account - buckle up, y'all! ;)

This pop darts game was recommended by a friend and it is SO MUCH FUN!  I love that it comes in it's own little bag and that you can play it anywhere.  We all love it and have had the best time playing it this month.

Friday Favorites

   Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

Happy Friday, friends!!!  Keeping things short and sweet again this week because this week has been NO JOKE! hahaha. PRAISE HANDS for a day off on Monday!

First up on my list is this big girl at her checkup on Monday.  That giant face is my FAVORITE!

Reading Recap

Today I'm sharing the books that I read last month - oddly enough my favorites had animals in starring roles but I'm not mad about it ;)

Remarkably Bright Creatures 

"After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

White cheddar mac and cheese (and an easy dinner idea)

 Last week I made one of our very favorite dinners EVER and thought I'd share in case you're looking for something to add to your meal plan this week.  I did a white cheddar mac and cheese which was a perfect side dish to go along with  the best pork chops ever and some brussel sprouts.

Day In The Life - Christmas Break Edition

I documented our day last Tuesday since it was supposed to be a pretty "normal" Christmas break day with not a whole lot on the agenda.  The day kind of went off the rails thanks to a migraine and when I decided to document the day I forgot we were having a game night with friends but such is life!

 Dave left for work around 8:00 and I was "kind of" up after that.  By "kind of up" I mean I laid in bed, read a bit, dozed a bit and pretty much just did anything to avoid getting actually out of bed.  I wish I was one of those moms who was up hours before her kids and super productive and all of that but I'm just not and I've come to terms with it ;)

Weekend Happies

 If I'm honest I'm a little bit sad about heading back to work today - we had a GREAT time off and I'm just not quite ready for it to be over.  I decided to share some of my "happies" from the weekend to kick off this week on a high note ;)

First up - "unbothered Rosie" ;) hahaha  

This girl laying there snoring while I took down this tree made me smile...

Friday Favorites

   Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

Happy Friday, friends!!!  Short and sweet this week because MAMA IS TIRED!  I went back to work yesterday and forgot how draining re-entry can be!

First up - these two BOTH won their fantasy football leagues this season!  I couldn't care less about fantasy football but the fact that they both won their respective leagues IS my FAVORITE because it means significantly less trash-talking at my house ;) hahaha

Easy Cheesy Potatoes

Always on the hunt for easy and delicious side dishes I decided to give "funeral potatoes" a go and OH MY WORD they were so good.   I served them with meatloaf (yes, ma'am) and Luke actually ate them for breakfast the next morning ;) hahaha 

Here's What You'll Need...

- 30 oz frozen hash brown potatoes (I used shredded, but you could use the diced ones)

- 2 cups sour cream

- one 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup

- 10 tablespoons butter, melted (

- 1 teaspoon salt

- pinch of pepper

- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion

- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

- 2 cups corn flakes cereal

Here's What You'll Do...

1) Allow the potatoes to thaw in your fridge overnight (if you forget you can spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and warm them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 20 mins)

2) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

3) Combine the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, 6 tablespoons of the melted butter, salt, pepper and dried onion in a bowl.  Mix well.

4) Add the potatoes and shredded cheese and stir to combine.  Spoon the mixture into a single layer in a 9x13" pan. 

5) Add the cornflakes to a big ziplock bag and crush them gently.  

6) Add the last 4 tablespoons of melted butter to the crushed cornflakes and sprinkle on top of the potato mixture.

7) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

This is the only picture I took of the final product but TRUST ME!  They're on my menu for next week with flank steak and I'm already excited ;)

HAPPY Thursday, friends!!!

Favorite Games

We've been playing A LOT of games over the past few weeks and I thought it would be fun to share some of our top favorites!

I'm including links to YouTube videos explaining how to play the games which I hope y'all find helpful!  I wish I could have everyone over for a game night to explain in person but this is the next best thing!

First up is  Ticket To Ride - our counselor at family camp taught us how to play a couple of summers ago and it's been true love ever since.  We love the Europe version as well but original is still my personal favorite.  It can take a little while to play and get the hang of but once you do it's a blast!

NYE ;)

Happy New Years, friends!!! I hope y'all had a great NYE!  Today I'm sharing a bit about our New Years Eve and some of the decor I put up after Christmas and will leave up until mid-month since I'm not quite ready to bid adieu to twinkle lights quite yet ;)