Crushin' on Michael Buble!

I've been a fan of Michael Buble's for a long time. I love his voice and I really love listening to his music. This past week, a few of our family members went to his concert in NYC and they couldn't get over how amazing he was in person. I also heard all about Z100's Elvis Duran's experience on the radio, as he attended the concert last week, as well. 

I started following Michael Buble on Instagram when I heard about his Backstage Warm-ups. He takes random song recommendations from his followers, warms-up to them backstage with his band, and then posts the clip on Instagram. The absolute best thing about these videos? His adorable son is in each one! 

I wish I could embed the videos here, but that's impossible. Click here to view his Instagram! 

And lyrics from my favorite song, Everything, that we included in our wedding:

5 Friday Favorites!

In trying to stay with my "High Five for Friday" tradition, I'm sharing 5 Favorites from Pinterest today!

These are all school related, as summer is the best time to find cute ideas for next year!

1. A red box READ Box! How adorable is this idea?! I have a "favorites" shelf in my room and I use it to recommend new books throughout the year, too. Maybe with some help from my students, we can try to recreate this one.

2. No Name board. Gosh, I love this one, too. When I've had enough towards the end of the year, I tell my kids that their papers will be thrown out without a name. Eeek! So mean, right?! This is a cute idea for the beginning of the year. ;-)

3. This Sentence Has Five Words chart. Teaching sentence fluency is really difficult. I think that this chart would be another great scaffold in helping students understand sentence variety.

4. Bulletin Boards Anchor Chart Friendly. I have one bulletin board in my room that's in the back and right near a student's table. I always struggle with what to hang there. I loved this idea.

5. PC Shortcuts. My students know more about these shortcuts than I do, but this is a cute reminder sheet for the desktop area in my room. 

DIY: Birthday Party Gift

Kelle Hampton is an absolute favorite of ours! Her blog, Enjoying the Small Things, is listed as one of our favorites on our sidebar. She not only maintains her own personal blog, but also blogs for various parenting websites, too. Her recent post on eHow about DIY birthday gifts fascinated me and I thought it was such a great idea! Please click on over to her eHow post, as it's sure to make you chuckle a bit. 

Kelle talks about how difficult it is to stay on top of buying birthday gifts in advance, especially when invited to so many kids' birthday parties. She came up with the genius idea of DIY Birthday Gifts! These kits are appropriate for any age, budget friendly, and a lot of fun to put together.  

Love this idea!!

The Explorer Kit: promotes outside adventure, a love of nature and scientific exploration and observation.

Materials Needed: a small cardboard suitcase or comparable container, a magnifying glass, an insect net, one or two field guide books or tri-fold posters (check your local bookstore for region-specific guides), a blank sketch book and a box of colored pencils

Invite your child to decorate the front of the suitcase for her friend, or help her by drawing or tracing letters for her to color. Write “Nature Journal” on the sketch book or adhere a typed printed page.Tuck everything inside the suitcase and glue on a few plastic bugs for fun if you wish. Your child’s friend (and parents!) will love this thoughtful gift that encourages curiosity and adventure — and your child might love it enough to create a second one to keep at home.

The Spa Kit: everything a girl needs for a night of pampering and fun.

Materials Needed: a small cardboard suitcase or comparable container, a brush, soft headbands (to hold hair back when applying the face mask), homemade face mask, a body wash puff, nail polish (try non-toxic Piggy Paint for little ones who might put their fingers in their mouths), nail stickers, a cute eye mask. You can also throw in a bag of microwave popcorn or some treats to eat during the spa fun.

I love these gift ideas and I truly love that your kids can be involved in making them. What a cute touch and so meaningful!

DIY: Straw Vase

I LOVE THIS IDEA and will be trying it ASAP! 

I found this on Des Hartsock's blog which has awesome ideas for weddings and party planning! She was on ABC's Bachelorette TV show and is currently planning her own wedding. Click on over to check out some seriously awesome ideas!

What you'll need:

-Colored/patterned straws

-Cans (we used a large bean can)

-Hot glue and hot glue gun

-Flowers 

Steps:

1. Empty the can and strip it of labels.

2. Set your straw pattern.

3. Use the hot glue gun to place glue dots on the edges of the can.

4. Quickly and firmly press the straw onto the can where you placed the glue.

5. Hold for 10 seconds.

6. Continue all around the can.

7. Pop some pretty flowers in the vase and admire your creation! 

#LikeAGirl

Who says 'like a girl' is an insult? Not this empowering new ad!

Article from Time Magazine

Acting "like a girl" should not be an insult

After today, you’ll probably never use the phrase “like a girl” in a negative way—intentionally or not—again.

A new video seeks to redefine the phrase “like a girl,” as something strong and powerful. It’s part of the larger #LikeAGirl campaign by Always, the feminine hygiene brand owned by Procter & Gamble. Award-winning filmmaker Lauren Greenfield, who directed the 2012 documentary, Queen of Versailles, teamed up with Always to illustrate the brand’s mission to empower females and attack what Always calls a “the self-esteem crisis” among young girls.

In the video, a cast of men and women of all ages are asked to describe what they think the phrase “like a girl” means. The result is troubling. Waving hands and flipping hair, the participants pretend to run “like a girl” and throw “like a girl.” Everyone—except, notably, the young girls—demonstrate that “just like a girl” is often perceived as an insult. Yet the young girls act out athletic and deliberate motions. The others soon realize their mistake.

Branded female empowerment campaigns are nothing new: Consider Dove’s “Real Beauty” ads, which use simple props to show how “real” women feel about themselves. And Pantene has done similar work, with a focus on dismantling gender stereotypes in the workplace. All of these ads have gone viral—an advertiser’s dream.

The #LikeAGirl video could follow a similar path. Either way, it’s worth taking a minute to watch the video to see what these young girls have to say. After all, as one woman points out in the video, “I am a girl and that is not something that I should be ashamed of.”

Life Moves Fast

Thank you, Alex and Ani, for reminding us that we need to enjoy each and every moment.  I know I've blogged about this topic before.  We're always rushing and pushing to get to the next thing in life, when we need to savor each and every moment that we're actually in. 

I've really been working on this.  I stopped projecting, I stopped worrying and I started living.  I remember saying, "I just can't wait!" as I was growing up.  My grandma used to tell me, "you can wait."  She was right.  Time moves faster than we realize, and the thing we want so bad will eventually find it's way.  

So live in the moment.  Don't rush it.  Enjoy every day for what it's worth with the people who are around you.  

Summer Postcards - Snail Mail!

I found these adorable post cards on Michelle Lea Designs blog and immediately thought of my students. I left my sixth graders a few weeks ago with a 10 Week Summer Writing Challenge. A few of them have already contacted me and I know that I'll be handing out more than a handful of 7th Grade Survival Packs in September. 

A few years ago, I gave my students post cards to send to family and friends so that they could share about their summer reading. Anything to get them reading and writing all summer! The postcards that Michelle Lea designed are absolutely adorable. This is a super cute way to get your kids writing this summer!

Click on over to Michelle Lea's blog and download her FREE postcards! If you don't think your printer can handle the double sided printing, head on over to Staples and print a bunch of them for less than one dollar!

Happy Summer! 

MyPublisher SALE! Coupon Code!!

Dawn has blogged about photo books in the past (here!).  Ever since her post about photo books, I've followed a few of the companies she researched!  Since I took a big trip to Europe this summer, I've been thinking about how I will showcase my memories!  

From now through August 4th, MyPublisher is running a sale!  

75% off Mini-Books

50% off Deluxe Books

30% off Classic Books

20% off Pocket Books

Use the code: SITEWIDE14FF

Every Summer Has a Story!

I found this FREE printable on I Heart Nap Time blog , fell in love, and immediately knew I wanted to share it here. Click on over to I Heart Nap Time or Sweet Rose Studio blog to download it. The printable is made available to fit an 8 x 11 frame. I love this because it reminds me to soak up these long summer days and document along the way! September rolls around and we all reminisce about our favorite summer memories... every summer has a story! 

I haven't been documenting and snapping away as much as I'd like to... hey, summer has just started, right?! I can't wait to dive back in!