Friday Night Lights!  

 It's that time of the year again, when football is here. High school games, cheering in the stands and on Friday nights, you can hear the roar of the crowd from our house at the La Joya High School.  Bring on the popcorn, soda and hotdogs. For it is that time of year!

Mailbox Teaching Tip:

Unique Craft: painting-Mailbox.com

The possibilities are endless with this circle-inspired painting activity!

Supplies:

• cardboard tubes
• tempera paint in various colors
• 9" x 12" white construction paper
• markers

Steps:

1. Dip the end of a cardboard tube in paint.
2. Make circle prints on white paper. Allow time for the paint to dry.
3. Add details with markers to complete a picture.

Craft Stick Puzzle Art

Materials (per child):

• 15 craft sticks
• masking tape
• markers or crayons
• 1 resealable plastic sandwich bag

Directions:

1. Align the craft sticks side by side on a flat surface.
2. Place two strips of masking tape across the width of the combined sticks to secure them.
3. Carefully turn over the connected craft sticks.
4. Use markers or crayons to illustrate a back-to-school scene on the sticks.
5. Remove the tape.
6. Scramble the pieces; then reassemble them to recreate the artwork.
7. Store the pieces in the bag between uses.

Curriculum Connection: Social Studies

Promote interaction and social skills with this partner activity. Pair youngsters and ask them to solve one another's puzzles. Then, in a shared effort, let them try combining portions of both puzzles to create a unique scene.

MidWeek Blues

My Son and my Old place in Laramie, Wyoming. 

Have a fantastic blue week.

Linking with:  The Dusty Cellar

Last Sunday

A lawnmower-becomes my friend, my obsession and my new way to work out stress. I have never been one to be excited about lawn work.



I have three dogs but it takes an act of extreme will power to get out in the yard and clean up the special prizes they leave behind and when the grass is long it is even better because now I don't see the special treats.  However, last weekend I reached the breaking point with my lawn. For the last three years, my husband and I have been mowing the lawn with a weedeater. But no more, because I bought a lawnmower.

I also have a new teaching job as a preschool teacher. We are three weeks in and I desperately needed to blow off some stress. So, after I bought the lawnmower last weekend, despite the fact that it was 115 on a Sunday at high noon, me and the lawnmower decided to get to work. And in the end I felt a lot better. It is my new stress reliever, but boy was I sunburned when we got done.

While my youngest took advantage of the big new box the lawnmower came in. I love to see that creativity.

Friendship Friday

My Black Cat-He blends

Create with Joy

My husband and I's oldest Feline Friend

The black cat we lost when about a year ago, he left home one day and did not return. My the little white one is grown and healthy

As a Baby

All Grown Up

My Bulldog-My baby

Our oldest friend-who is the best dog in the world

A stray that followed us home and has stayed with us

Friendship Friday this week asks about pets. I have three dogs and three cats.

Weekend Reflections

A picture of my sons at my grandfathers

 Linking with:

Weekend Reflections

If you have time you should stop by:  ForGetMeNot

Six Word Saturday

Not Enough Time In the Day

Linking with: http://www.showmyface.com/search/label/6WS

My Daddy

 

On Monday the 14th it was my dad's birthday. 

He is amazing, my inspiration and my strength. He is there for me whenever I need it and he always knows just the right questions when I'm having a bad day. And he never denies time with my kids no matter what else he has planned. I love him and am very lucky to call him dad.

Midweek Blues

Blue Skies all the way- along with some weekend reflections because these days my car is the last thing to get cleaned up.
                          linking with midweek blues

Teaching idea from Mailbox

Skill: name recognition From Mailbox

To prepare for this activity, write each student's name on a separate die-cut shape; then attach a photo of the child to the back of the shape. Place the shapes in a container. To begin, pick a shape and hold it in the air. Say, "What name is on this shape I see?" After giving youngsters an opportunity to guess the name, turn the shape over to reveal the child's photo. Then lead youngsters in chanting, "It is [Samantha] looking at me!" Continue in the same way with each remaining shape.

Type: craft

Use this craft idea to capture some fine-motor practice! To prepare, cut out a supply of white construction paper squares and black construction paper circles to resemble bus windows and wheels. Then mix a few drops of orange fingerpaint into yellow fingerpaint to achieve a school bus-yellow hue. Invite each youngster to fingerpaint a sheet of fingerpaint paper with the mixture. When the paint dries, use a marker to round the top corners of each paper so that the page resembles the body of a bus. Have each child cut away the corners and then glue on window and wheel cutouts. When the glue is dry, encourage each child to draw faces in the windows to represent himself and his friends. Be sure to follow up this activity with another round of "The Wheels on the Bus."

This week in Preschool

Well week 2 is done. We did the "kissing hand" this week. The students enjoyed making a Chester puppet, a kissing hand banner, and a kissing hand print with a special sticker.  We continued to work on routines and work with students who are struggling to learn the rules. After changing the schedule around a bit we have found that our schedule works even better. We'll work up to story time later. Our third week will be spent working on Houghton Mifflin stories, students returning to school, the Letter S, the color blue and a circle shape. Time to work on bringing it all together.

Oh, yea and the IPADS and bean bag boogy continue to be a big hit.

Friendship Friday

My home town is unique because lot's of famous people live there and come to visit.

Are Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel getting married in Jackson Hole this weekend? pop2it

Because it used to look like the wild west and held secrets from the past.

Because gun fights and rodeo's were a part of every weekend with snowfall in the summer and a mountain that you could hike in the middle of town.  My hometown is unique because antlers adorned the town square and allowed you to spend lazy days under trees, or dance or read a book.  My home town is Jackson Hole!

My home town is unique and is a special place where magical things happen.

Linking with Friendship Friday!

Pink Saturday

This special turtle was made by my oldest years ago. He has always had a special place somewhere in our home.

Six Word Saturday

                       

                                I  live for 

                                        

                                        a 

                           relaxing weekend!

I'm linking with 6 word Saturday and if you have time stop by  SOULBRUSH. There is amazing posts on both.

Weekend Reflections

On our way to Costco caught a great reflection photo off my husbands glasses.












Linking with weekend reflections and  Tina's PicStory

My Kids Swimming

First day of school breakfast

Wednesday was a very long night for us. We woke up early for work and school. Then we went to swim practice. My oldest practiced his butterfly and the youngest tried out for a precompetitive swim team but ended up making a competitive swim team. At 7:30 pm. we finally left the YMCA and headed to our new favorite Mexican food restaurant for dinner. It's shaping up to be a busy year.

First day of school

First day of school

Happy boys on their first day of school

After an hour of straight swimming-hungry and tired don't mix

His schedule hasn't caught up to him yet. But he sure slept good that night