Category: Uncategorized

Ms. B., You Were A+. Second Grade Was Super.

This school year just flew right on by. When we first met Ms. B. we fell instantly at ease and in love. Having had the same teacher for two years straight, Kole was a bit nervous starting second grade. But since the first day of this school year he had deemed Ms. B. as one of his favorite teachers. I had the pleasure to sit in and volunteer in the class a bit more this year so I got close to her and the students pretty quickly. She is a great teacher with a whole lot of patience and a very kind heart. Kole came out everyday being able to do mental math so quickly. Thank goodness for common core and friendly tens!

Now it’s time to say goodbye to all our company…and that means a little “send off to Summer” gift sets. This year I rounded up some sidewalk chalk and bubbles to remind them to put the iPad down and get outside. Also adding washable paint to remind them to stay creative. Keep your body moving, live life, and enjoy your sunny days, kiddos!

“Have a whole lot of summer fun! Love, Kole”

To the person who handled 17 of our precious, energetic, hard to handle at times, minis…thank you for all the new knowledge, skill, and memories you gave our kids. You get the sweetest of send offs.

Kole loved being in her class. We especially appreciate her opening her classroom doors to me and Monroe. We hope she enjoys every single minute of her summer break. She deserves it!

“Thanks for making Kole, one smart cookie!”

Thank you Second Grade. You were super. Off to Third we go!

Happy summer and enjoy every ray of that sunshine! ‘Til next school year.

Sidewalk chalk (Target) | Kids’ Washable Paint | Treat Cups (Michael’s clearance) | Cellophane Bags | Bubbles | Photo Box | “One Smart Cookie” Pot Holder | Cookie Cutter | Candle (Bath & Body Works)

First Grade, you were good.

As the 2016-2017 school year is wrapping up, I try and remind Kole to cherish every moment as the last week is rounding out.  He loves school.  He loves his teacher.  He loves his friends.  Kole was lucky enough to have the same teacher for Kindergarten and First Grade so it’ll be just as sad for me to say goodbye to First Grade as it will be for Kole.  If you know me, you know I love putting little gift sets together because I love giving gifts.  Kole has definitely got that trait from me because we both always talk about what the next thing we can get or make for his classmates and teacher.  After spending a couple of hours with his classmates on the class field trip I saw how extremely excited they got over popcorn.  Yes, popcorn!  I’ve seen excitement for cookies, candy, and ice cream but it seemed their love for popcorn ran deep! So I put a bag of popcorn and a bottle of bubbles in a cellophane bag so they can take a sit out in the sunshine, blow some bubbles, and snack on some good ol’ kettle corn.  Happy summer, kids!

“Hope your summer is poppin’.  Your friend, Kole.”

We can’t forget a little something for the captain of the class.  The person who was able to hold it down for 20 of our little ones from the days of crisp fall air all the way until the summer sun heats up.

Processed with VSCO with hb1 presetProcessed with VSCO with hb1 presetHis teacher is one of the reasons he loves school and is always excited to learn.  I wanted to make sure she knew that we appreciated everything she’s done with and for Kole for the past two years.  You’ll always be Kole’s very first favorite teacher.

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“Have a sweet  & soothing summer.  Love, Kole”IMG_2664

Thank you First Grade.  You were the best.  Second Grade, we’re ready for you.

Have a great summer and remember to watch more sunsets than Netflix.  

Kettle Corn | Bubbles | Cellophane Bags | Photo Box |Anti Bacterial Soap |Tree Hut Travel Set | Face Mask | Bath Salts

End Of The Year Organizing.

When Kole started school I became a straight hoarder with every single thing he brought home.  I saved all his school work, homework, and art work.  It was almost surprising I didn’t bronze his first pencil!  Ha!  He was my firstborn and I was proud and excited about all the new things he was learning.  So yes, I kept 20 practice pages that had the upper case “A” and 20 practice pages with the lower case “a” and so forth.  Total that up and we were basically buried under a preschool.  Then he started First Grade this year and it was just getting out of hand.  I tried putting them together in regular file boxes and it was ok but I wasn’t in love with the storage technique.  It just wasn’t as organized, durable, or as clean as I wanted it to be.  Remember in the show Friends when Monica’s dad stopped the water from getting to his Porsche using Monica’s boxes and it ruined everything in it?  I’d hate myself if the hard work of those little fingers were forever wrecked.  So I had to have a sit down with my little one and get his permission to let some things go. Although, he can be somewhat of a hoarder about that stuff too, he was on board! Hallelujah!

I kept the first tries, the most improved and the artwork that wasn’t falling apart.  The pieces that were spewing glitter all over the place had to go too.  Those were my worse nightmare.  Thank goodness he was on the same OCD level about glitter as me!  Also, I kept any special certificates and report cards of course.  Now that I significantly downsized the lot, I had to figure out how I wanted to store it.  While I was at Office Depot buying file folders for this project I took a look around and realized plastic storage bins were actually what I needed and were the best way to store Kole’s things for every grade.  This would better protect his academic paper memories for years to come.

Let’s get organized.

After you’ve sorted through all your little one’s paper work, grab your keep pile and file them however you like in the filing folders.

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Since we always end up with extra of  beginning of the school year and mid school year pictures I used them to put in front of the file folder as part of labelling.  Instead of taping or gluing the pictures on, I used photo corners to hold the photos in place for added flare.  I love to hand write everything for a personal touch, as I did for the grade and year, but I know many fancy the label makers or printable tags for a more clean, uniform look.  Do you, boo. Do you.

After those folders are everything you’ve dreamed of, place those puppies in your plastic storage bin and bid them adieu until next summer.  But if you’re anything like me, you’ll keep them close by and accessible so you can just purge and fill it up throughout the school year!

Have a great summer!