Five for Friday

Hey bloggy buddies!  I am so so so very sorry that I have been M.I.A these last few weeks.  I disappeared in February when I decided to take a much needed vacation with my hubby to Florida.  It was my first time and we had to visit a million different places.  St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Cocoa Beach, Orlando, and Universal Studios!  We had a blast and it was definitely a life changing experience. 

However, when I returned, I felt even more bogged down with school work than ever.  Although I had spent some much needed me time basking in the sun and crossing items off my bucket list, I had completely neglected my classroom over February Break.  Usually I pop into my classroom like 100 times.  So between trying to get caught up, cleaned up, and prepared for our upcoming state tests, I haven't had anytime to blog and create.  But, I'm back...and I've been gone for way too long.  I promise to never leave you for that long ever again.

This April Break my schedule is wide open.  I plan on finishing up some of my many TPT products that I've started over the last few weeks but not completed.  I plan on posting about some of the awesome happenings from my classroom that I have neglected to tell you about his month.  I also plan on scheduling some posts for the future so that when life continues to be crazy over the next few weeks, you will not be left in the dark.

So, I thought I'd kick off my return post with Five for Friday!  Here are five random things from my week!

1.  If students finish work early they can grab a peep on a stick.  They use these writing prompts to write stories, articles, and poems.  At the end of each day I select a few students to read their writing and to pick a treat from our bucket.

2.  I have a new favorite book:

 What If You Had Animal Teeth?  is so stinkin' cute.  It is more of a primary reader but my 4th graders loved it.  I thought it would be an open door to our animal adaptation unit coming up.

3. We also used the book for an adorable short response that we displayed in the hallway.  You can grab the templates to make this display to at First Grade Wow.

4.  Today my family helped install our first dishwasher.  Hallelujah!  I will hand wash dishes no more!

5.  Last but not least, Teaching Blog Addict is celebrating their 2 year birthday with a fabulous birthday bash on April 5th.  Stop by next Friday to get access to loads of freebies!

Well, that's all for now folks.  Check back soon for more posts.  I promise I will be much more present over the next few weeks.