Habits 1 - 3 (and a Giveaway!)

Good morning y'all! Today I'm going to give you a bit more information on the first three habits - they are the foundation upon which the habit system rests, so it's very important to work on these first. I know some of you may be interested in lesson plans and/or activities to help teach these habits, and I've already begun drafting those posts, but I want to give an overview of all the habits first before I get into those - I just want to make sure I give y'all enough information on each habit so that you can more easily use and understand the lessons and activities that follow!

Habit 1: Be Proactive (You're in Charge)

I am a responsible person. I take initiative. I choose my actions, attitudes, and moods. I do not blame others for my wrong actions. I do the right thing without being asked, even when no one is looking.

This habit is so, so important for kids, and I saw my third graders become more responsible and self-aware after they learned about what it meant to be proactive. This habit will teach children that their circumstances don't make them who they are, but their choices do. While all the habits are obviously important to model for kids, this is one that might take some practice on your end. An easy way to model this habit is by simply changing your language - no longer can you say "I didn't have time to..." or "I had to...". Instead, you must take ownership of yourself and the situation, and say things like, "I didn't make the time to..." or "I chose to...". When you use this kind of language in your classroom and even in the hallways when you're talking to other teachers, your students will observe you talking the talk and walking the walk, and they'll quickly begin to use this habit effectively thanks to your example. At the beginning of the year when I'm tired and stretched thin, I am going to make a very concerted effort to not make excuses or complain; I will actively work to change my thinking and my language, and I'm positive my attitude will change, too. If I find myself struggling to take charge of myself, I can always remind myself to not be like the people in this video:

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind (Have a Plan)

I plan ahead and set goals. I do things that have meaning and make a difference. I am an important part of my classroom and contribute to my school’s mission and vision. I look for ways to be a good citizen.

Basically, this habit can be summed up in this quote: Failing to plan means you are planning to fail. As teachers, planning ahead is definitely one of the biggest job requirements. While my district requires us to turn in lesson plans every week, it doesn't cause me any added stress because I've already made those plans anyway! I think the majority of people who become teachers are inherent planners, so this habit probably won't be so difficult to model or implement in your classroom. Creating a mission statement aligns very closely with this habit (see last week's post here for more on writing a mission statement), and keeping a planner or calendar that outlines specific deadlines and schedules will ultimately help you become more efficient. It is very important to think through things first before creating anything, and this is why the mission statement was such a big part of our training - everything we plan for should parallel the goals and results we desire and/or need to achieve. 

Habit 3: Put First Things First (Work First, Then Play)

I spend my time on things that are most important. This means I say no to things I know I should not do. I set priorities, make a schedule, and follow my plan. I am disciplined and organized.

This habit means you must begin to put the things that are actually important first, even before those things that may seem urgent. It is so easy to get distracted by emails, phone calls, TV shows, Pinterest, etc., and while making some time for yourself to relax is definitely okay, you will be more likely to truly enjoy your time to relax if you have already given your attention to the things that really needed it. Of course, there are certain urgent things that will demand immediate attention - getting sick, for example - but for the most part, you should focus your efforts on accomplishing the things that will help you in the long run. Muriel shared this video with us, and it summarizes this habit wonderfully:

 

I hope this little Cliffs Notes version of the first three habits has been helpful! I know y'all are smart and probably already had a good grasp of what each habit meant, but I am just so excited about this initiative that I can't help but share (as my boyfriend says, I drank the Kool-Aid!). Now, I bet you're wondering about why the title of this post also says giveaway. Heck, you're probably thinking, didn't she hint at a giveaway way back when she hit 100 followers? Yes, I did, but I wanted to wait on purpose because my giveaway parallels so perfectly with habit #2! I'm sure I'm not alone in my love for planners, making lists, color coordination, and organized spaces, so that's why I've decided to give one lucky reader their choice of an Erin Condren teacher planner! I ordered myself one at the beginning of the summer and I can't even tell you how IN LOVE with it I am! 

My planner - I chose the zig zag cover (I blurred out my last name and school name). 

Year at a glance - oh how I LOVE!

STICKERS! Are you kidding?! 

To win a planner of your own, there is only one required entry - you must follow my blog - but there a few other ways to get more entries! I'll pick a winner next Monday, so you have plenty of time to enter! My birthday is on Thursday, so I'm planning to put that as my first thing first and celebrate with my friends at my apartment's pool, but I'll be back soon with a post about habits 4 - 7! Have a great day, friends!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And the Winners Are...

 6 = Keri @ Teach~Play~Smile 

 2 = Stephanie @ Third Grade Thoughts

 8 = Colleen @ Totally Terrific in Texas 

5 = Jennifer K. @ Herding Kats in Kindergarten 

Congrats ladies! Thanks to everyone who entered - you helped make my first giveaway a success! I'm really close to having 100 followers, and as soon as that happens, I'll have another giveaway, so stay tuned!

As for now, I have to pack and get myself on the road to Houston because tomorrow and Friday I'll be attending Debbie Diller's Summer Institute! This is my first training of the summer, and I can't wait to see what all we'll be doing - I'll be sure to share once I get back! If you'll be there, too, let me know, I'd love to meet you!

Happy Wednesday y'all!

Monday Made It

Hey y'all! I'm happy to finally be able to participate in Tara from 4th Grade Frolics' Monday Made It! Last week, when I was reorganizing and cleaning up my Pinterest boards, I made a list of the things I'd like to try and make before the summer is over. Today, I realized two of the things on my list could be made using materials I already had at home, so I got to work!

First, I made this Kiss Your Brain treat jar (source; pin). I used an empty plastic rice container, scrapbook paper, left over glittery stickers from a wedding project made for a friend, and Modge Podge. I love using the phrase "kiss your brain" when a student says something super smart or inquisitive, and now my students can grab a Hershey's Kiss from my jar if I tell them to kiss their brain!

(just imagine there are Hershey Kisses inside!)

For myself, I made a spiced concentrate (source; pin) to add to my chai tea lattes. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I.am.obsessed. with chai tea lattes. Unfortunately, I can't afford to spend $5 at Starbucks every time I crave one, so I've been on a mission to try and recreate the drink at home. This concentrate is made using sweetened condensed milk and a combination of spices, and it definitely mimics whatever it is they add to the chai at Starbucks! I've made sugar syrups (both vanilla and cinnamon and then vanilla and cinnamon combined), and those made my drinks gritty and overly sweet. The sweetened condensed milk is sweet, too, but it's not so sweet that you feel like you're going to get a cavity from drinking your tea! If you're a chai tea latte lover like me, I highly recommend making this to add to your tea (I make the base of my drink from Tazo chai tea concentrate and vanilla soy milk).

If you'd like to link up with something you made or just want to check out what other people have made, click the image below to join the linky!

And, just in case you haven't checked them out yet, I made a few new fonts last week and you can win your favorite if you just visit this post and leave me a comment telling me which one is your favorite (they're also for sale in my TpT store)! There will be four winners, and the giveaway ends tomorrow evening, so don't forget to stop by!

Fun New Fonts + July's Currently + A Giveaway!!!!

Hello friends! I've been super busy these past few weeks - my mom was in town visiting for awhile, and then I went up to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area to visit a friend and my boyfriend's family. This week, I finally had some time to get creative, and I'm so excited to have a few new things share with you all - I've made four new fonts, and I've just posted them to TpT!

This one is called PlainPrint Bold: 

 This is called Boxy Print:

 This is my fancy shmancy Calligraphy Print:

And this guy is called Bubbles!

This is my first time to list anything for sale - all of my other products are free, so I'm nervous and terribly excited to see if there will be any purchases! The response to my first font was overwhelming (it's still posted over on dafont.com - over 17,000 downloads as of today!), and I still get so happy when I see my font pop up on people's websites and products. I hope these new fonts will be just as useful and popular as my first one was! 

If you like what you see, head on over to my TpT store to purchase and download! And, if you're interested in getting one of my new fonts for FREE, please leave a comment below telling me which new font you like best! Since there are four new fonts, I'll pick four winners - don't forget to include your email address so I can email you your choice if you win! I'll randomly select the four winners next Tuesday, July 10th, so be sure to leave a comment before then! 

In other news, since I missed June's currently, I wanted to be sure to link up with Farley this month with my July currently. I know I'm a little late, but here's what I've been up to:

For my reads, I picked Holes as the book I love to read aloud to my third graders. I have a few go-to books (Matilda, Because of Winn Dixie, and Charlotte's Web are a few others I read regularly), but I really love Holes because it provides so many great conversation starters. I also appreciate that the main characters are BOYS who are strong both physically AND emotionally.

For my go-to professional book, I immediately thought of the Two Sisters, as their practices and teachings definitely changed the way I approach reading in my classroom. However, next year our school is going to become a 7 Habits Campus, so I've been reading The Leader in Me, and I'm sure that will end up being my new go-to book.

Alrighty, that's all for now! Don't forget to comment if you'd like a chance to win your favorite font! Have a great weekend, y'all!

Blogging's the Best!

Hi friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I spent the majority of my day at school today prepping for the week - can't it be spring break forever?!

I still need to type up my lesson plans for the week, but I wanted to say thank you to a few fabulous blogging friends first. I seem to neglect my blog most during the week, and I can't let more days go by without recognizing these ladies! 

First, I was among the first commenters on a few giveaways, and I want to say a big thank you to Abby from Third Grade Bookworm for her fabulous St. Patrick's Day file and Kristen from Ladybug's Teacher Files for her awesome syllable game. I love that I was able to use their products quickly and easily, and didn't have to create something on my own - while I do love making my own stuff, I don't always have the time or energy, so thank you, ladies, because your products made my days easier!

    

Next, there are two bloggers I want to say thank you to because they shared some of my work! First, Courtney from Miss Third Grade used my Monster Multiplication freebie (found here on TpT) with her class and shared it on her blog! Then, Karen from KB Konnected wrote about my free font on her blog (and she also took the time to email me about how to make the Pin It! button work, which was super nice of her!). It really makes me happy to see and hear about people using and liking the things I make, and I appreciate these ladies taking the time to share my stuff with their followers! (Similarly, thank you to those of you who stopped by to leave a comment about my blog redesign - I'm glad y'all like it!!)

There are also a couple of great giveaways going on right now, and I wanted to share them with y'all, just in case you wanted to enter yourself! Molly from Lessons with Laughter is giving away a $25 Target gift card, and she's also shared a sweet discount code for Erin Bradley Designs. Then, Bethany from The Bubblegum Tree is giving away a few different goodies, like clip art (which her husband made!) and a set of Editing Ed pens (which I so want to win - I went shopping specifically for crazy hair like she used, and couldn't find it anywhere!!). Head over to her blog to enter for your chance to win! Both of these ladies had their giveaways in honor of reaching 100 followers - I think I'll do the same when I get there myself (I'm halfway there!). 

Then, I know I'm a little late joining in on this, but just in case there are a few of you out there that haven't heard of it yet, Lorraine from Fabulous 4th Grade Froggies is hosting an upper grades teacher blogger linky party - click the button above to join in! I can't wait to have some free time to go check out everyone who linked up - there are a ton of blogs I haven't ever seen before, so I hope to find some new inspiration there (and maybe some of them will find me, too!).

    

Finally, Marcie from 2nd Grade Learning Safari awarded me with the Top 10 Blog Award! I've seen this award on a lot of other bloggers' sidebars, and I'm happy to be able to display it on mine, too! I will pass along the award later this week, because I am going to need some time to snoop around y'all's blogs to see who hasn't gotten it yet. :)

Thanks for sticking with me as I went through all that! I just want to be sure I'm always giving credit where credit is due - thanks again to all the great bloggers who show and share their creations, stop by and comment, and pass along and use my ideas, too - that's what makes blogging the best! Have a great night, y'all!

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