Back to School

Can you believe it's that time of year already?  It is so crazy to believe but I am glad to be in the same grade again this year ... First Grade.  Preparing is so hard but at least I'm in the same room, so that makes it a little easier.

I wanted to share my school finds for today ... and boy did I find some.

First we went to Wal Mart and boy do I hate Wal Mart but when it comes to school supply prices they can't be beat.  Here is what I got ...

24 pack of Crayola brand Crayons for ..... 25 cents a piece :).
Elmer's School Glue .................................... 25 cents
Yellow 2 Pocket Folders ............................. 15 cents a piece
Blue 1 Subject Wide Ruled Notebooks ..... 15 cents a piece

So, I got one of each for my 20 student.  Boy did I save a lot.

Then to my favorite place to shop Target.

And I got ...... the best thing in the world for a $1.

I don't even want to say how much I paid for mine last year ... let's just say I could have bought several of these :(.

And my second find from Target at $2.50 a piece is ....

Aren't they cute :).  These are chairs for my listening center, I'm going to add some pillows to sit on.  I really wanted bean bags but couldn't find any in my price range, so these will do just fine.  I already have bucket seats for my reading center but last year the kids in the listening center just sat on the floor.  I am super excited about this purchase.

Then my last stop was Goodwill.  We live in a really nice area, so they always have really nice barely used items.  I have bought books, tubs for my classroom, and now my last purchase and this is my favorite is ....

I have wanted to buy a Leap Pad for several years but they have been too pricey.  I bought this one at Goodwill for $7.99.  I am super excited to use this in a workstation.  I played it for over an hour and my favorite is the Social Studies game.  You have to see how many states you can find.  I am pretty good except I couldn't find Wyoming.  I know Sara, I am sorry :(.

Workstations are like centers for First Grade.  It's  pretty much where the kids work at their ability level.  So one kid might be working on letter blends and the other might be working on word families.  It's time consuming to plan out activities at workstations since most kids need different activities and the Leap Pad will be easy to plan for.  Now I just need to find more books.  During workstations I teach in small groups and that is where I do most of my instruction.  Now a days you don't really have much full group instruction.  It's all about teach at the level they are at, which is great.  It gives the low ones more support and the high ones aren't bored.

My other good find for the day was that I ordered a Breastfeeding cover up and it was FREE.  All I had to pay for was shipping.  I'll share a picture when I get it :).

Plus Ryan and I ate lunch at Luby's.  They had a deal where you got 2 combos with drinks for 20 dollars.  I got chicken with sweet potatoes and green beans.  Mason really liked the green beans.

I loved sharing my great finds for today...hopefully I can find more soon.

Getting Ready for Mason

I can't begin to tell you how blessed I have been during this pregnancy.  Pregnancy after a loss is so unpredictable and for lack of a better word "bittersweet".  Well...actually that is the best word to describe it.  I have been truly blessed though.  Although we have had a few scares, we have had more positive news and great appointments.

We have had our first scare at five weeks when I started bleeding due to a hemorrhage that occurred when Mason started to attach.  I had to stay home on bed rest for three weeks and the bleeding stopped around nine weeks.  Since then, we have had a few blood pressure issues and they did find protein in my urine but it has all been normal since.

Mason is a mover too, so that is so very comforting.  Yesterday my stomach was lopsided and you could feel either his back end or his head sticking out.  Most of the time he loves to stick his feet in my ribs, mostly on the right side but an hour ago he was sticking his feet in my left rib.

So the biggest blessing during this pregnancy is that I have been able to prepare for him.  When I first got pregnant the idea of buying stuff and making plans scared me.  How could I make plans and then get them all crushed again?  Slowly but surely I have found this to not be the case.  We have some clothes for him already washed and hanging up, his bassinet is already set up, and we are in the process of ordering his furniture. 

See the bassinet has been set up for awhile now.  After we couldn't bring Tyler home Ryan returned the furniture without me.  I couldn't bear to take it back, we had actually just gotten it the weekend before we lost Tyler.  His bassinet was already set up and I refused to take it apart.  Right now it has his lion, the first set of clothes he wore, and his blanket.  Soon it will have his baby brother in it.  Although to admit that does scare me, it also warms my heart and offers that hope and faith that Mason will come home.

This is the furniture we are planning on ordering.  It's from the Da Vinci Kalani Set.  We like the cherry color.

So please help me pray for continued blessings during this pregnancy and for Mason to arrive screaming and crying in November.

Beyond Words Designs

I am getting ready for Mason's arrival in November and I knew that I wanted to have something made with his name to hang above his crib.  I was introduced to this wonderful angel mommy named Stephanie, I know great name right!!  She started Beyond Words Designs to honor her sweet baby Amelia, to create healing through art.  She creates unique hand painted designs and I love love her work.

I am so excited to share her work because right now she is having an awesome promotion for Rainbow Babies.  Mason is our rainbow baby!!  She is offering 50% off her Fanciful Collection to parents who are expecting their rainbow baby.  Her work is beautiful you should check her out.

Here is Mason's bedding design, we are doing his room in an peaceful Ocean theme.

I can't wait to share Mason's artwork when it is finished.  It will be worth the wait!!  So exciting.

Kissable Product Review - From the eyes of Macy

So, Macy has been having a terrible problem with bad breath.  We love her to death but sometimes she wants to snuggle and it's hard because her breath is the worst you can imagine.

Yesterday, Ryan and I made a trip to Petco and decided that we needed to buy Macy her first toothbrush.  They had a variety of types ranging in ones that look like people toothbrushes, to ones that are made of all rubber, to ones that have three heads.

We decided on one that had three heads because we figured it would surround her teeth and be easier and faster.  Plus it came with the toothpaste that says it's all natural, so that made the sell for us.

So here is our journey to giving Macy a kissable smile :).

The first thing I did was let Macy explore and smell her new toothbrush.  I wanted her to be as comfortable as possible and she loves to smell everything new thing that comes into the house. 

Then for the best part of this product, the toothpaste.  I have to say that Macy is by far the pickiest dog I know.  She turns down treats if they don't meet up to her standard.  So, I was hoping that she would love the taste of the toothpaste...and guess what she did.  I put a pea sized sample and let her smell and taste it.  The box says that you do not have to rinse the paste off, so I thought it would be ok.

I had to be very very patient with Macy.  I did a little at a time and I have to admit at first, she did NOT want her teeth brushed.  She fought at first but after a few minutes she calmed down and let me and Ryan brush her teeth.

I also have to say that this is a very smart product.  The three brush heads make it way way easier.  You just have to brush along the top and it brushes both sides at the same time.  A HUGE time saver and a bonus when working with a stubborn dog like Macy.

So I would recommend the Kissable Toothbrush set for Dogs.  It does take a few minutes for any dog to get use to it but after that it works great!!

Stay tuned for more of Macy's journeys.

Blog Design

So, I told Ryan that I wanted to learn web design.  Not to do as a career but just for something new to learn.  After many tutorials, I created my new blog design.  Yes I created the background, header, signature, and divider all on my own!!  It took me awhile but I did it.

Now the next tutorials will be to create custom sidebar headers and post headers.  So, check back often to see what I'm learning.

mamaRoo Infant Seat Giveaway

Crazy Coupon Mommy and Sisterly Savings is sponsoring this awesome giveaway for a mamaRoo infant seat.

I have to admit this infant seat is pretty cool ... it has 5 different motion settings.  I know that Mason would really enjoy it.

So you should check out the giveaway.  They also have some other giveaways on their site.