Classroom Chairs
The Craziness of September
You know you’re a teacher when your husband tells you, “You do this every June and every September.”
Yep, it’s that crazy time of year again – the time when I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to figure out how I can possibly get my work done and still feel like a caring mother and wife. I tend to start questioning myself. What on Earth made me think I could handle working full time as a teacher and part time for LeapFrog? Will I ever have any time to do anything for myself again? Will I ever make it home at a reasonable hour? Will my kids look back on their childhood and wish I was home more during the school year? HAS ANYONE SEEN MY LABEL MAKER AND HOW COULD STAPLES POSSIBLY BE SOLD OUT OF LAMINATING POUCHES?
I’m usually very organized with my meal planning, but in June and September that all goes out the window. Thankfully, my hubby has been saying things like, “I’ve already got the turkey burgers on the grill!” That’s an awesome statement to hear when you walk in the door 15 minutes before your kids need to walk out of the door. Any other month of the year, and I would have had dinner in the crockpot by 7am and a salad ready in the fridge. In September, on the other hand, it’s all about school and all sense of home organization just feels buried beneath school work.
Needless to say, the blogging has taken a back seat while I settle into my new school, new district, and get to know 34 little friends and all of their needs. At least I have memories of Summer relaxation to fall back on when the going gets tough.
Moving… Again!!

Baking With Kindergartners
The Class Quilt
(So thankful for great teaching partners too!)
Today I spent the day in my daughter’s second grade classroom. I taught second grade for many years, before moving to kindergarten, and I really do miss the independence and confidence that second graders bring to the classroom. Well, it’s auction time at my kids’ school and I’m helping out with our class auction project. We’re making a Friendship Quilt, with Moda’s Double Chocolate fabric line. Oh, how I love those colors!
I pulled out a few of my favorite fabrics from the bundle and precut the squares that we needed for the project.

After a quick introduction in the classroom, I started pulling kids out to the hallway to start sewing with me. They LOVED sewing! I’ve gotten pretty good at sewing sideways. I let the kids sit right in front of the machine and they really do the sewing. I just make sure to sit right next to them, looking sideways at the machine, and help guide them when they need support. No one will be sewing their fingers into the quilt on my watch!!!

It always amazes me the way some kids just “see” how shapes fit together and others really have to work at it. I’m one of those that really needs to work at it, so I think I’m a bit envious of those people who can quickly make beautiful arrangements with shapes. I love the conversations the kids have as they are arranging their shapes too. Working with these little guys just makes me happy!

Once they figured out how to arrange their pieces, we were ready to sew the small blocks into a larger block.

Some kids talked about how their moms or grandmas sew, and others had never even seen a real sewing machine before. Some kids talked about the old fashioned foot pedal machines that they had seen in cartoons, and others talked about family members who own multiple machines. Regardless of kids’ experience sewing, they all had a great time! There were happy giggles, lots of questions about how the machine works, and lots of kids who were eager to convince their parents to let them sew at home. One little boy even said, “I’m totally going to ask for one of these for Christmas!” How cute is that?

Twelve little Friendship blocks are ready to be sewn together. I’ll be spending my next day off finishing the blocks with kids who were absent, and working with kids to sew the blocks together.
A Few Favorite Teacher Gifts
I’d like to say that I took the time to have my kids make gifts for their teachers. The reality is, that I barely got the gift cards stuffed into envelopes and delivered on the right day. My students and their parents, on the other hand, made some pretty cute creations for their kindergarten teacher.
First up, the melted snowman ornament. LOVE!
These little candies were delicious. I wish I could show you what the peanut butter meteorites look like. They didn’t make it to the end of the school day. They were very tasty.

One of my girls described how she made soap with her mom and sisters. I’ve never made soap before, but it sounds like fun.

In addition to these cute little creations, several parents went in together on a gift, and I also received many cards, treats, and gift cards to a few of my favorite stores. Oh, and my favorite gift of all was an email I received from our assistant superintendent. She had been sent an email from one of my parents, who just wanted to share a few things about my teaching and our classroom. I can’t tell you how much it brightened my day teaching career! I have fabulous students and parents! I feel truly blessed.
Happy Holidays!
Guys Only Cookie Exchange
Rocking Chair Pillow
I was browsing through pictures and ran across a few photos from my classroom. I don’t think I’ve ever shared these on my blog before. A few years ago, I decided that my classroom needed a makeover. My mom recovered my pillows for me and I had lots of fabric leftover.

I decided to make a chair pad for my rocking chair. I tried a few things that I hadn’t done before, like adding a little trim, machine quilting, embroidery, and working without a pattern.
Gingerbread for Kindergarten
