I'm Back, Currently February, Blogger Meet up!!

Ok, so I know it's been awhile! A long while... I've been busy playing mommy and trying to keep up with my students in Kindergarten. I've been reading up on my other blogs since I last posted, so I've been kind of a "halfsie" in the blogging world. ;-) I changed the name of my blog because I wasn't feeling what I had and needed some change to get motivated. Sooo, welcome to Mrs. Myers' Kindergarten!

I'm so excited to have signed up to go to the French Lick Blogger Meet-Up! For more information head over to Mrs. Ehle's Kindergarten and get signed up in you are in the area! It is March 13-15 and looks to be worth every minute of the weekend!! I've also joined Instagram as "mrsmyersk"... follow me to keep up with our classroom. I guarantee I'm going to be better at posting updates via Instagram!

I'm linking up with Oh' Boy 4th Grade for the February "Currently".  This is my first time, but I'm excited to participate as I'm always busy reading everyone else's!

Listening- Right now I'm listening to Super Bowl Pre-Game on NBC. The current show is "American Football Stories" and it is a tear jerker... well maybe just for me. People across America turned in videos of what football means to them to win a trip to the Super Bowl, and the show is showcasing 6 finalists-- only two will actually get to go to the Super Bowl. A few of the finalists are high school football teams and coaches, and with my husband being a high school football coach I love hearing positive stories of how football coaches teach more than just football. Pulls at the heart strings a little when you hear what a difference they are making!

Loving- That it's February! Usually January is a ho-hum type of month for me... I'm excited for Valentine's Day and our 100th Day of School (if we ever have it) too! And living in Ohio, I'm always excited when we step one day closer to spring (warmer) weather! I feel like a new month is a new beginning as well!

Thinking- We are currently under a winter weather advisory as we are predicted to get up to 15 inches of snow between yesterday at 10 pm and tomorrow morning at 4am... and high winds to follow. I went to my classroom yesterday and brought home a bunch of stuff to work on since who knows how long we will be off this week. We've already missed 8 days this winter, so that 100th day party isn't coming anytime soon. But, I won't complain because I never mind having a little extra time to snuggle and play with my sweet little guy! ;)

Wanting- I made Taco Soup for our Super Bowl party, but because of the snowfall and weather warnings we decided to stay cozied up on our couch... it's making our house smell delicious! And it doesn't hurt that the hubs just walked into the kitchen saying "how awesome" it smells!

Needing- Since we are stuck in the house, I also planned to wash down my cupboards, mop the floor, catch up on laundry, and all of those other chores that need done and do not get done during the week.  See how I've successfully managed to put that off until tomorrow now?! Lol!

Pageant Title- Miss "Let Me Put That On My Calendar".... I'm the queen of writing things on my calendar the minute I find out about it... especially at school. If I get an email regarding a date, you can bet I'll have it penciled in on my calendar within seconds. It's odd because I'm not a Type A personality, but I think dates/schedules/being on time are super important so my calendar is my "go to"!

Thanks for stopping by! Now to stir my soup and get ready to watch Katy Perry in the halftime show! ;)

Meet the Teacher Linky!

Hello! I am linking up with Falling Into First for a Meet the Teacher Linky! 

I am Jodi, a 29 year old teacher, wife, and mom. This will be my 6th year teaching Kinders. In the past, I taught 3 and 4th grade math and reading for a year. 

Vacation photo- one of our favorite things to do! 

This summer marked the 4th year of marriage with this guy. We actually ended up working in the same school district the year after we got engaged, but we do not work in the same building, so no, we don't see each other all day long. ;) 

Those dimples just melt my heart!!

This year, we welcomed this little guy to our family. We are in love with him. Who knew being parents would be so wonderful! He is almost 3 months old. 

Favorite things...

The Ohio State Buckeyes, Butterfinger Flurries, working out, running, traveling, Hawaii, football games, family time, teaching Kinders, and watching The Real Housewives with my girl friends. :) 

If you weren't a teacher, what would you want to be?

I would be a newscaster.... I would love to work for Good Morning America, E! News or ESPN on College GameDay! I even started with a major in Journalism my Freshman year of college. At the time, I didn't want to move across the country to find a job, so I switched to education. I love teaching, but every once in awhile I wonder where I'd be if I stuck with a journalism major. 

3 words to describe you...

1. calm

2. trustworthy

3. quiet

Finish the Sentence "_______________", said no teacher ever. 

"I love having inside recess in April due to a wind chill below 20 degrees", said no teacher ever. (Can you tell it was a LOOOOONNNG winter in Ohio this past year?!) ;)

It's your birthday and you can invite anyone, dead or alive, to the party. Who are you inviting?

Justin Timberlake.... and if he's coming I hope Jimmy Fallon is too. Have you seen them together on SNL? Hilarious! My husband and I can't get enough of them! 

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?

A Crazy, Beautiful Life

You get to pick one Superpower. What is it?

The power to get anywhere I wanted in a very short amount of time. What would you call that super power? I want to close my eyes and imagine I'm at the beach, and *POOF*, I'm there! 

What is your favorite quote?

"You were made to be awesome."- Kid President

I love everything Kid President says! 

If you had to sing one song on American Idol, what would it be?

Don't Stop Believin'- Journey

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Night Owl! I may or may not be the person who doesn't talk to anyone until I've been awake for at least an hour. 

What is your favorite resource that you've created in your TPT store?

I don't have any yet, I'm  just getting back into blogging, so I hope to start a TPT store eventually! 

Share something we might not know about you!

I'm the youngest of 8 kids. 

Peek at My Week Linky Party

I am linking up with Mrs. Wills Kindergarten to share a peek at my first week of school.

I don't officially start school until September 2, and my Kinders do not come for their first day until September 8 because we spend the week before testing and hosting parent orientation. Because that is so far away, I do not have my plans written out and set in stone yet, but I do have a lot of resources that I will be using to get me thru the first week! 

I love this from Abby's TPT shop. Last year we made Jitter Juice and my kids *loved* it. Many thought it was so cool we were drinking pop during school. Lol. This year I plan to have the class make the kindergarten banner to decorate the area of our classroom housing our cubbies. I plan to do this the first day of school. 

Along with making Jitter Juice and our welcome banner, I plan to have a Pete the Cat school tour so students get to know their new school. 

 Khrys Bosland's TPT shop has this editable activity so I made it just for my building! I love it! 

We will continue wight he Pete the Cat theme on Tuesday and Wednesday with this from Deanna Jump. 

Julie Lee has a wonderful packet that I will be using to introduce Math Tubs and Literacy Centers later in the first week of school. I also love the cutting, gluing, and writing activities she has for students to practice. 

For math this year, I will be using Deedee Wills and Deanna Jump's Guided Kinders Math Workshop. I started using it half way thru last year,  and I loved it (so much more than the math series I have, this is a GREAT supplement). I'm so excited to get started with this at the beginning of this year!!

Once I have my plans written out into a template, I will be posting those. Until then, link up your plans for the first week over at Mrs. Wills Kindergarten!! 

Sweet Summertime

I still have a month until my school starts- we start on September 2 this year due to school construction. I am so excited to have the next few weeks to stay home and love on this cutie patootie. I see lots of cuddling, smiling, laughing, stroller rides, visits to Grandma's and playing with cousins in our near future! It is soooo wonderful to wake up to this sweet face everyday!!

But in between all of the fun stuff, next week I'm set to start getting my classroom ready. Believe it or not, it will be the earliest that I have went into my classroom to work, and we usually start a lot sooner. My hubby took a week of vacation with the intent that I would work in my classroom throughout that week so we didn't have to hire a babysitter and could soak up every last second of summer with our sweet babe. Once my classroom is up and running I'll share the set up! 

Back to School Savings

I wanted to share an article that I read this morning regarding Back to School savings at Wal Mart from July 25-July 31. Take advantage of the 10% savings and gift card!! **It can only be used on stationary and craft items!! Read the fine print at WalMart.com!***

Read All About it Here!

Do you know of any other retailers that provide savings or rebates for teachers? If so, share in the comments!! Would love to hear from you!

Linky Party

I'm linking up to Kickin' It In Kindergarten's link party about shopping! So far, I have lots of TPT products purchased! As I discussed in my prior posts, I'm ready for some new activities and themes this year. Thanks to TPT I've hit the mother load!

Make Your Own Font

School Tour

The Great Apple Investigation

Hide and Go Highlight

Interactive Alphabet Notebook

Reward Coupons

I told ya I hit the mother load, didn't I?! :) I CANNOT wait to use these products in my classroom!! 

I've also restocked my classroom supply of desk name tags, cubby name tags, and bulletin board decorations. I started a cute owl theme in my classroom last year, and plan to continue it this year. I've found the cutest looking owls at Trend Enterprise. 

Love! 

I've used soap boxes from Wal Mart as crayon boxes for the past 3 years. This year the boxes took a beating and many of them ended up broken by the end of the year. I bought all brand new boxes for my students to store their crayons this coming year. I have 5 different colored tables in my room, and it just so happens Wal Mart has the colors to match (except for red- we substitute the pink instead). If you are looking for a way to easily store crayons I recommend this! They are fairly cheap considering they last a few years if your students know how to care for them. I could not find a link for them, but they can be found in the travel section of the cosmetic isle at many large retailers. 

I'm sure there will be more to add to this list in the next few weeks. I'm trying to slowly prepare for school and enjoy the end of the summer at the same time! :) What are you shopping for?! 

Social Media

Thank you social media! Without you, I wouldn't be planning and preparing for the school year already. We do not start until after Labor Day this year, and with my 7 week old bundle of joy, preparing for the upcoming year hasn't been on my "to-do list" yet this summer (snuggling and lots of QT top that list) ;) . However, since I can sit in the comfort of my own air conditioned home while baby sleeps, instead of a sweltering classroom, and shop TPT via Facebook updates and blog posts I am getting pretty excited for the upcoming year. Thank you Christmas in July!! My TPT wish list is being added to weekly as I'm excited to start with new activities, themes, and ideas this year! I felt burnt out early in the year last year (maybe it was pregnancy?), so this year I want to change my weekly themes up and introduce some new things in the classroom. I also have a student teacher coming this year, something my husband suggested to help change it up a bit. I'm really looking forward to seeing my new kiddos too, as I work on my calendar for next year. I am starting with Pete the Cat this year. I was so excited to find this cute and creative packet on TPT to start off the first day of school. It is editable too, so I can customize it to fit my building! Thank you Keepin' it Kool in Kinderland! Now head on over to Keepin' it Kool in Kinderland's blog and enter to win the font giveaway. Ohmiword, she is brilliant! She has created a product where you can turn your handwriting into a font! I'm so excited, if I don't win, I'm going to buy it anyways!! You can enter to win a packet with over 100 of her fonts or the "Make My Own Font" packet. Hurry, you don't want to miss it!!!


Back to the beginning of the year. ;)

I love this idea from Sunny Days in Second Grade for Ready Confetti to give away at Open House.

I would like to prepare something for parents to take home at Open House too- I'm thinking little favor bags with flavored popcorn with the "Thanks for Popping In" message using these labels from Classroom Freebies.

I also plan to have envelopes at our Orientation for parents to address- then throughout the year I will send a positive message home in the envelope about their child. I always try to make 2-3 positive phone calls per week, but haven't sent anything thru the mail, so that is one of my many small goals for this year. 

If you're still with me.... thank you! I realized I've been rambling and all over the place in this blog post... it's been a few years since I've done this so bear with me as I get back into "writing mode"... especially during the summer! ;) I want to close with sharing  a freebie that Abby, from The Inspired Apple (One of my FAV's! ),  so graciously posted this past week. I downloaded it and actually plan to frame it and put it on our fire place mantel as a daily reminder for my family. Thanks Abby for inspiring me everyday not only as a teacher, but also as a new mommy too! :) Get over to her blog and get yourself a copy too!!!