Bats, Banners, and Door Monsters…Oh My!

Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

October has definitely rolled in and I’ve been busy decorating my home for Halloween.  I try to put things up in the night while the girls are asleep so in the morning they’ll have a spooky surprise.  We’ve also been brain storming on how we’re going to put together our family costumes because we’ve chosen a group theme this year.  So far, my oldest daughter is the only one who has her costume already (bought it online a while back).  I just need to buy some white, long, satin gloves and take some major wrinkles out of her dress…that’s all the hints you’re going to get.  🙂

Here’s a look at some of my Halloween decorations either taken out of storage or recreated:

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I had some bats stored away, but since I like them so much I decided to make some more.  I simply used a bat template, printed on cardstock, and then traced with a pencil on black construction and cardstock paper.  I taped them up on several walls in my living room as well as the entry wall.  As soon as you walk in your eyes simply get drawn to them.

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I made this pennant banner last year!  I placed it in the hallway outside my front door.

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I went to the craft store and found these small foam cutouts, in packs of five, and just taped them up in my living room.

I searched for ghost templates and printed these cuties out on cardstock and just added googly eyes.

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And last, but not least, my door monsters.  Last year, I was inspired by a picture on Pinterest and decided to make my own.  This year, I decided to make two of them.  One on the door in my living room and another on the small closet door in my office space/playroom.  I used party streamer paper and paper plates for both monsters.  My girls absolutely love these guys and so do I.

Happy decorating!

Take good care all.

Until next time…

How Common Core is Slowly Changing My Child

mrsmomblog

A Letter to Commissioner King and the New York State Education Department:

I have played your game for the past two years.  As an educator, I have created my teaching portfolio with enough evidence so I can prove that I am doing my job over the course of the school year. I am testing my students on material that they haven’t yet learned in September, and then re-testing them midway through the year, and then again at the end of the year to track and show their growth. Between those tests, I am giving formative assessments. I am taking pictures of myself at community events within my district to prove that I support my school district and the community. I am teaching using the state-generated modules that you have created and assumed would work on all students, despite learning style, learning ability, or native language.   I am effectively proving…

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Inspiring messages

Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

With the right words, a sentence or more can become inspiring messages full of wisdom, love, strength, and hope.  A sentence can be transformed into a powerful quote or mantra and it can be spoken, sung, read, memorized, etc.  When a person connects with an inspiring message or even one single word, they hold onto it fast because their deep emotions suddenly have a precise description.  You breathe a sigh of relief and think, “that’s exactly how I feel,” and then you adopt those words into your heart and mind.  I know we’ve all shared that moment more than once.

Here are a few inspiring messages that are currently taking up residence in my heart:

ohana1

for my family

courage

for myself

ihaveadream

for the world

winnie the pooh quote

for my children

What words inspire you?

Take good care all.

Until next time…