My Grafico Giveaway

My Grafico is giving away a Silhouette Cameo machine away for their December giveaway!  The giveaway includes adhesive vinyl rolls package, 3 SVG cutting templates, Sure Cuts A Lot Software, and more.  A winner will be randomly drawn on December 31st and announced on New Year's Day.

If you don't head over there and register, you are plum crazy!  Either that or you already have a Silhouette.  (I don't have a Silhouette or a Cricut and I NEED one after seeing all the wonderful things you people use them for!)  However, if you don't have one and you aren't crazy, please tell them I sent you in your comment...puh-leez!  I will get an extra entry for every ten people that head over from my blog.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!  (And good luck!)

Money & a Hip Website

I love teaching my kiddos about money. Although we've been doing coins all year, we are "formally" doing money in math towards the end of the upcoming week. This year I've been using the "Honey Bunny" song from Teacher Tipster. At first I thought my second graders would think it too babyish, but I was wrong . . . they LOVE it! We do hand motions with it to show the amounts as we sing and jump around.

This is the printout I made of the song to use in my calendar flip chart for my Promethean board and to put in the kiddos poetry/song notebooks and math journals.  Click on the picture if you'd like a copy.

This week we are adding in the half-dollar "officially", so I adapted the song a bit to include the half-dollar. Here is the new version we will use this week.  Click the picture to grab a copy.

We had a parent a few years ago complain that we teach the kids how to make change. Yes, complain!! Because cash registers do it for you, dummy. So why bother to teach it. I was shocked to say the least.

Why do we teach spelling? Spellcheck does it for you, stupid. Why do we teach adding or subtracting? A calculator can do that, idiot. Heck, we don't even need to know how to back up a car because now the sensor thing beeps if you are too close to something. So let's just dumb our society down even more people.

Okay, I think I'm done ranting. I'd love to know your thoughts on teaching this senseless crap garbage.

This year I am also going to use some ideas from this website created just for kids by the United States Mint  called H.I.P Pocket Change.

The site has animated games, coin-related cartoons, and informational features. It connects coins to our history and culture. Here is what H.I.P. stands for:

I love that! There are more than 500 free cross-curricular lesson plans for teachers. The activities range in length from quick and easy to full-length plans. Teachers are encouraged to share ideas on how they use coins in the classroom and can contact the Mint with ideas and questions.

We have our students bring real coins as part of their school supplies so that when we are learning about money they don't just have to use plastic coins, although we use those for a lot of things.  Each child brings a baggie with about $2 worth of coins that they keep in their pencil box.  We specify on our supply list what coins to bring.  At the end of the year, they take the money home.

Teacher's Clubhouse has lot of great money resources such as PowerPoints about coins and counting coins, coin signs, coin booklets, and coin games galore.

Don't forget to let me know what you think about teaching kids how to make change or any other stupid thing you've been teaching!  :)

Twelve Days of Christmas

Farley of Oh Boy Fourth Grade

is having an amazing, outrageous twelve days of Christmas party with a giveaway every single day!

Every. Single. Day.

For Twelve. Days.

What is the outrageous part, you are wondering?

The day twelve winner wins ALL the giveaways!

Yeah, all of them.

Go over and check it out.

No, don't just check it out...sign up, silly, NOW!!

My First Award

Stacy over at 2nd Grade Paradise has made my day week year! Today I found out she gave me the Sunshine Award! It may sound silly, but I feel like I won an Oscar or something!

I'll be honest. As I've blog hopped and seen all the wonderful blogs receiving all these awards, I wondered if it would ever happen to me or if my blog would ever be as wonderful. I was also a little jealous because, I admit, I can be a bit insecure. (I may not act like a people pleaser, but I am!)

So, thank you Stacy, for making me feel like "somebody"!  I am honored beyond words.

Now, the "rules" are that I have to answer a few questions before passing on the award to a few other blogs. So here goes.

What is your favorite color?

Simple question...ah, why so difficult? I like a lot of colors. Mostly neutral, natural ones. Black and brown. I like the soothing tones of blues and greens. But I also love purple and lime green. Oh, and red. Gee, was I supposed to pick one? Sorry.

What is your favorite animal?

I love dogs (have three) but also love pot-bellied pigs (have none since they are not allowed in city limits where I live--boo hoo!)

 My dogs love me when I feel unlovable, make me laugh, and are always here for with me.

OMG! I sounded like one of those crazy people on Animal Horders! Okay, whew! That was scary.

Pot-bellied pigs.  I mean have you seen these little fat cutie pies?  They are smarter than dogs and can be potty trained.  What is not to love?  I love my house but if I move it's for a pig.  If I end up in jail, it's cause I've got an illegal pet in the city and got caught!

What is your favorite number?
Three and five, don't know why...always have been.  Some might say odd numbers for an odd person.  Probably.

Anyone noticing a pattern here besides me?  I haven't been able to choose just one of anything yet.  Yeah, I am difficult and a tad indecisive.

What is your favorite drink?
Diet Ginger Ale.  It is soothing to the tummy.

Aha!  I chose one!

Do you prefer Facebook or Twitter?
Facebook, because I had to have it to use Pinterest!  Otherwise, I don't do either.  Weird, huh?  I keep getting requests to be friends from people now that I have a Facebook account, but I have to tell them I only pin.  They think I'm nuts.  (Sensing another pattern?  If so, keep it to yourself please!)

Do you prefer getting or giving?
Giving.  But I am totally with Stacy about the stress of finding the perfect gift.  Hate that part.  I like it when I stumble upon something that just clicks.  Of course that doesn't usually happen when you need something RIGHT now!  And being a non-shopper (unless it's online...like TpT) I don't stumble upon things often or easily.  Oh, but when I do...

What is your favorite flower?
Hydrangea.  I planted a few in my yard and they bloomed the first summer and haven't since.  Depressing!

And now, I get to pass on the award to a few other blogs.  There are a gazillion to choose from, but I decided to choose a few that are relatively new (like me) that would love a few more followers.

Dianne at Hopelessly Devoted to Teaching  has been teaching a long time and blogging a relatively short time (like me!) and has the cutest blog name!  Her blog is adorable and the first giveaway I ever won was hers.

Michelle of Creative Classroom is an amazingly creative teacher turned stay-at-home mom who has an adorable bee themed blog.  LOVE that!  She also has her own business creating resources for teachers.

 Lisa at Live Laugh and Love to Learn just started her blog the end of October.  I love the bold colors (especially the lime green) of her blog design.

Sarah over at Adventures in Teaching is a second grade teacher who started her blog about the same I did.  She has a cute idea for a gingerbread man descriptive writing activity on her adorable blog right now.

Kelley at Buggy for Second Grade has an adorable ladybug themed blog in red, black and white.  Who doesn't love ladybugs?  And they are good luck.  Did you know that?  Anyway, Kelley has a great blog you should check out...only she needs a blog button so people can grab it!  :)

Again, thank you Stacy!  Who knew a little award could make someone so giddy?!?  Sweet dreams all.  I off to slumber.

Cyber Monday Coma

I shopped until I dropped yesterday! Let's just say my next paycheck is going directly to TpT! And the best part was that I was in my pj's on the couch under a blanket with a Christmas movie on the tube! Then fell into bed and slept like I was dead. Shopping wears me out like that. ;)

I bought way more stuff for the next few weeks of school leading up to the holiday than I can possibly use and may have to give my next paycheck to WalMart for printer ink. I also bought some great things for upcoming units/lessons. I love knowing I've got new and exciting things coming up! Thank you all!!!

Just so you know, in case my husband gets on here and some how tracks down a few of you...the story is that you all make me buy stuff, okay? When he gets the bank statement that I use for my PayPal account he always huffs and clutches his chest dramatically. (And not only is he my hubs, but he is my banker so I get the double whammy!) If you all didn't make such marvelous stuff it would help! whispered so Mr. can't hear.... but please don't stop !!

So blogger wasn't letting me make comments on a lot of blogs tonight which really ticked me off because I love leaving comments. Occasionally it wouldn't show the "secret code" that you have to type in. How can I type a code I can't see?? Come on people. So I actually tried clicking the handicap icon. Didn't do anything! What does that little bugger do anyway??? It isn't like parking in a handicap spot without a sticker is it? Cause that is something I would not do. But I thought maybe if you couldn't see the code then you by-passed it with that thingie (like if you were visually impaired) but then it occurred to me if I was visually impaired I wouldn't be able to see the little handicap guy either. Duh.

Stupid side story here.

I love my dogs a LOT. So once I wanted to take my little dog along to a movie so she could snuggle on my lap and keep me warm. (Sorry, don't hate me if you are not a dog lover.) My husband (the party pooper) was all "No way! They don't allow that and you'll get caught!" To which I said "If I do, I'll just pretend it's my seeing dog." To which he had to point out, "Why would you go to see a movie if you couldn't SEE it?" Another duh. Hadn't thought of that. For those of you wondering. I did not take the dog...even though I wanted to and I know she really wanted to go.

And no disrespect was meant to anyone handicapped or visually impaired. So don't go up and stop following me. Please, don't do that. And I am not blonde although I sometimes feel and act like I am. No disrespect to blondes intended either. Again, don't stop following me. (If any of my friends or coworkers are reading this, I know "shut up NOW, Erika!"

Back to the comment issue/problem:

Or I'd type my comment, the code, and click submit or whatever and then I'd get a "service

unavailable" message. Oh, technology stinks when it doesn't work and unfortunately I can't grab the cell and call you all up or text. Which is seriously what I wanted to do!

I'm thinking about doing my first linky party but don't know how. Anyone have any suggestions or places to go for help, tutorials, etc.?

My brain is scattered tonight as you can tell. I can't believe I am up to 80 some followers. I so appreciate you all. I'd like to make 100 my the end of the year and have a give away. I see these other blogs with thousands of followers and it is mind boggling! I think I'd have performance issues...do they make a pill for that like they do Viagra??

Now I am getting a little orange message at the bottom of my post saying "Could not contact Blogger. Saving may not be possible impossible" because you've offended too many people. Or something like that. Is God trying to tell me something?