October Currently...and one month down...nine to go!

Bottom line...this has been a seriously stressful start to the year. I have not taught the same grade level more than one year consecutively...K, then 2, then 3...now 1...and if all goes as our school has in the past...2 again next year. I am looking forward to the day (hopefully within the next month) that I start to fall into a comfortable routine and can stop going to school at 7:30 (students arrive at 8:45) and leaving no earlier than 5 (students leave at 3:30). And as we all know, it doesn't stop there...because are usually bringing home papers, searching on Pinterest, etc.

Currently time...Thanks to Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade...

General Hospital has been my vice for quite a few years. I remember watching it when I was younger with my mom when I came home from school and then back in my Junior year of college I picked it up over the summer. Now, I haven't missed more than a handful of episodes since then...M-F. 

Autumn is definitely my favorite time of year...the temperatures are cooling down, the humidity is basically gone and I am looking forward to the holidays. Not to mention Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte...well, only as a treat once in a while and nonfat!

Well...I did it! I put myself on the waiting list for my size about 3 months ago. I have received 3 e-mails saying they are back in stock. The first time we didn't have the extra money, the second time I hadn't checked my junk mail in a few days and by the time I went to order them, they were out of stock again. Third time is a charm, I suppose. I ordered them last night and within a couple of hours I received an e-mail saying they were shipped!

I know that the 4-day work week has been a debate for a while now...but I am totally for it. I would go to school year round as well...with nice little 2 week breaks every 10 weeks. I mean c'mon, nobody takes a vacation for more than 2 weeks at a time. Then maybe like a 4 week vacation in July or something. http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/4day-week-school-yearround-school-16084.html

I have 28 kiddos this year...and it is very stressful. Oh wouldn't I not give to have a full time TA or even a 1/2 time TA. On a good note, I have 7 parents that have signed up for volunteering. I have a group of moms coming during our guided reading time to either read or do word work individually or with small groups and then a couple of moms that said they would come in once a week and help me during my planning period. I think of how even just having someone tear out 28 math sheets from the workbooks and stuffing the mailboxes would really alleviate some of my stress!

Treat time! I was lucky to inherit a couple hundred old leveled reading books from my mother in law over the summer but I was really not looking forward to having to level them all (c'mon reading programs, start putting DRA levels inside the front or back cover). After hours of searching the web, I finally found a few resources that helped me level almost all of them! Hope they come in handy to you at some point! I downloaded them and then saved them to my hard drive. 

Hoping to get some time in the near future to sit down and start creating some 1st grade packets for science and social studies. But until then...here are a few pictures of my LAST wedding of the season...finally!